Your Power of One Experience

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Been a great series at Xcel Church.

I think these conversations and connections were already happening but talking about them has increased our awareness of them. [It's a bit like choosing a new car. You thought there weren't many about but from the point of choosing you start to see them everywhere. It's got a special name but can't remember it] Maybe it’s demystified them for us. The fact that we don’t need to see salvation in every conversation for it to be considered good. One conversation is just one step. We sow the seeds, we water the seed BUT God brings the increase.

So what’s your experience been?
What’s your power of one story?
Had any great conversations?
Been surprised at the easiness of it?

I’ve been stuck with my thought on the power of one idea. I have an idea that we could ALL help one another with our ideas. Taking the philosophy of the early church and how they worked to make sure that everyone had everything they needed…maybe this idea could work.

On our own we can get so far. Some of us might even make it. For most…we have an idea, don’t know how, so give up. What could we achieve if we got the right people round us. Not just for encouragement but with resources. As John Maxwell says ‘No one is as clever as all of us’.

What is your idea?
What’s that one thing you would pursue if you thought it would succeed?
OR
How could you help someone?
What one thing could you give for free [perhaps]?

[Before someone comments - there are sites out there sort of like this]

The Power of Perhaps

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Ideas come in all shapes and sizes. We have many everyday. From passing thoughts to crazy dreams…ideas come and ideas go.

Many of the things we now take forgranted were once an idea. Maybe even an idle thought, dismissed at first as something that would never work, never be, never happen but today is excepted as normal. Light bulbs. Aeroplanes. Women’s votes. Electricity. Mobile phones. Broadband. The list is literally endless.

Ideas change history. The power of one idea, grabbed a hold of by one person, who with drive and determination turns it into reality. We can all have an idea. Add a little of God’s favour to it and who knows where it could take you.

Think about it for a moment…
That name of someone which for some reason has popped into your head
That conversation you missed because you were in such a hurry
The people you pass everyday but never take time to notice
Thoughts about the future and what you would really like to do
Things that make you glad, mad or sad

Ideas. All the time. Everyday. And we just miss them. Don’t say that God is not giving you the opportunity to do something when God presents us with opportunities to do something everyday. The problem is we choose to ignore them because they are not what we want to do, or they are inconvenient to our timetable or we’ve had a busy day so we opt out. Ouch!

In 1 Samuel 14:1-14 Jonathan had an idea. He turned to his colleague and said “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” A simple idea. Or maybe not. Look at where they were – the outpost was up a mountain. One they would have to climb first before fighting the Philistines when they got there.

I think my response would have been less enthusiastic than his colleagues. It will never work may have been part of my reply. Let’s ‘group-chat’ for a moment about the feasibility of this before we take any steps. We rationalise to the point of excusing ourselves. Maybe we are more inclined to pray ‘Lord, keep me safe’, rather than how Jonathan might have prayed ‘Lord help me in this daring and dangerous idea’.

There is no gilt-edged promise of success when you pursue an idea. Jonathan uses the word ‘perhaps’ as his persuasive argument that it was possible. ‘Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf.’

Don’t know about you but I think I would have wanted more than ‘perhaps’. Every idea though lives for a time in the arena of ‘perhaps’. The risk element that it may not succeed. Perhaps it will, perhaps it won’t. Too often we air on the side of perhaps it won’t. For Jonathan and his armour-bearer perhaps it won’t would have meant death. The exciting part is this…for your idea, for your dream, for your opportunity…

PERHAPS THE LORD WILL ACT ON YOUR BEHALF

You don’t need much of God’s favour to bring about great victories.
You won’t see God’s favour much if you don’t step out into the unknown zone of ‘perhaps’.

Idea + Perhaps God Will = The Potential for Anything to Happen

Let’s enjoy the ride…it’s called FAITH
FAITH in a God who can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or think.
Perhaps…

ONE Thing Only YOU Can Bring

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YOU.

Bring YOU.

YOU being YOU
YOU being comfortable being YOU.

YOU make such a difference. Full of experience. Full of stories. Full of skills. Full of personality.
Stop trying to become someone else and be YOU.
Do the things YOU do best and trust God that He will better that.
Position yourself in the right place where God can use YOU.

The power of ONE.
ONE of YOU, living out the call of God, building the Church, transforming lives, being a bringer of HOPE.
ONE conversation.
ONE person.
ONE opportunity.
ONE idea.

Think about how YOU can be ready for that ONE moment that connects to a much bigger world of influence than YOU could imagine.

What’s Your ONE Story?

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Faith…it’s a wonderfully mysterious, yet powerful thing. Faith not just in anything or anyone. I mean faith in God. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. Many say that faith is the currency of heaven, its what God deals in.

YOU MOVE BY FAITH…HE WILL MOVE TO MEET YOU.

Therein lies the quandary. I don’t want to move if God hasn’t already moved. Except I know he has already made an incredible move through Jesus, so my confidence should not be in the seeing of things but just in the knowing that God has my best in mind all the time.

If you didn’t want the best or believe the best for people then you wouldn’t give your best for them. Jesus would have never happened. I thank God for Jesus and live by faith because of who he is & what he has accomplished.

FAITH…
How is yours?
Is it active?
Are you stretching it?

Let’s build our faith.

We heard on Sunday from Lisa about all the ONE’s who had impacted her life. Who had made a difference. Who had encouraged, challenged, loved, prayed for her along the way. What about you…who were the ONE’s who impacted your life? Let’s share our faith stories & inspire one another to believe God for more..lives changed, family becoming Christians, financial miracles…hope you are up for telling your story below….

Are You Well Positioned?

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It’s an interesting season we are in at Xcel Church. Definitely a time of transition. I truly believe God has a great future in store for us, as a Church and as individuals, if only we will POSITION ourselves correctly.

The best of future times requires good decisions to be made today. I am as guilty as the next in having made decisions based purely on what I consider to be best for me and never even considering that I should ask God what He thinks.

My choices are my choices. WRONG.
My priorities are my priorities. WRONG
My opportunities are made by me. WRONG

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.

The more I consider God’s way of doing things the more I have to admit that I have had it wrong. Too many times I have made a choice based only on me meeting my NEED. For example…I NEED money to pay the bills so this job will do. I’m not saying you shouldn’t work BUT…

…if that job though advantageous financially may be detrimental to you spiritually…how do you decide?
…if that job though advantageous career wise affects your ability to gather with others regularly…how do you decide?

I know how easy it is to do things for the right reasons but actually for it to be all wrong. I am amazed how easily people decide to pursue something that knowingly takes them away from Church, knowingly loosens their attachment to other believers. 12 years ago I made that mistake. Even after counsel, I still made that mistake and every time decisions need to be made in our house, I pray that I will not make that mistake again.

My NEED for security is not met in the POSITION I have in my job, my title or my role.
My NEED for security is met by the right POSITION I keep with God.

Priorities. Love God. Love my family. Love my role & ministry. I will not give so much to church that it destroys my marriage or my family. However, I will never use that as an excuse to not SERVE, to not be in Church on a Sunday. Encouraging our girls to experience God has always been a priority for us and we believe that ‘planted in the House of God, they will flourish’.

Choices. We have a number of non-negotiables in our life that influence the choices that we make. Whenever possible my family & I will ALWAYS be at Church. Not only that but we will SERVE at every opportunity. I have learnt that I can RECEIVE and SERVE at the same time.

Our PRIORITIES mean we will work hard to not make decisions as a family that interfere with our ability to WORSHIP God. And not just worshipping at home but as we GATHER together on a Sunday. Powerful things happen when we worship God corporately & it is important that all my family have every opportunity to encounter God.

I am learning that right choices come from having right priorities.

Opportunities. FAITH is a funny thing. We like to help it on it’s way. We encourage God with ideas for answers to our prayers. We drop hints to God about how much we like this or that. FAITH at its purest is trusting in Him. Nothing more, nothing less. No one said it was easy. Following the right OPPORTUNITIES that God brings your way is easier when you have right PRIORITIES set in place.

I PRAY that I would be more like the Apostle Paul whose life was continually interrupted by the Spirit of God leading, showing and telling him the way to go and the way not to go. I pray that I would be more in tune with the voice of God in my life…to PRIORITISE this aspect of my relationship with God, so I will be better POSITIONED to make great CHOICES and better understand the OPPORTUNITIES God wants me to take.

I believe that as we do this as individuals it will IMPACT on Church. We will grow, therefore Church will grow. ‘As for me & my house, we will SERVE the Lord’. No better place to be. No better thing to be doing than helping to build local church, build the Kingdom of God.

[What do you think?]

What I’ve Been Reading…

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Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne. Really enjoyed Sticky Church so had high expectations for this. It is with regret that I was somewhat disappointed. That’s not to say that what is spoken of in the book isn’t helpful & instructive.

Two things which I will remember:
When it comes to leadership – insist on spiritual maturity. Sometimes we can be so desperate for new teams that we forget to look for the qualities spoken of in the Bible. On reflection, maybe we choose the line of least resistance rather than asking the difficult questions.

Secondly, I loved the letter that Larry ‘maybe’ sent to someone about giving. Priceless. And definitely the way many Pastors and Leaders would love to speak. Interesting though how we often react to people incorrectly without gathering all the facts first. Extremely useful practices to remember.

Vintage Church by Mark Driscoll. This was another book that I had high expectations for, because Vintage Jesus has become such a useful resource for me. Thankfully, the book did not let me down.
Let’s be honest – who am I to critique Mark Driscoll who is after all the ‘ultimate’ teacher.

The simplest thing to say is – great questions and great answers. I know that I will use this resource over and over again.

A definite addition to any church leaders bookshelf.

59 Seconds by Professor Richard Wiseman. Absolutely loved this book. Full of useful tools that can help you understand yourself, others and how to get the most from life. Plus they only take 59 seconds.

We enjoyed measuring our fingers to discover the masculine/feminine traits that may mean we display.
We learnt that having a plant pot in the office boosts creativity.
We discovered that you should close your eyes when asking questions of people to fins out if they are liars.

I even learnt about something called the pratfall effect. This was a fun and informative read. Definitely worth a look.

Your Secret Name by Kary Oberbrunner. I won this from a twitter contest. The title intrigued me.

I enjoyed the journey that Kary took me on and how he entwined his journey with that of Jacob. The struggles and pains. The way God is always there leading us to the point of discovery, to the Secret Name that only He can speak over you. An easy read, very honest, and because of that, extremely encouraging.

[What have you been reading lately?]

If Only…

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We can often use this as a get out clause. IF ONLY…

If only…all the t’s were crossed and the i’s dotted then I would feel better about saying yes.
If only…all the ducks were in a row, everything sorted, then I would go for it.
If only…angels would visit me then I would know God really wanted me to.
If only…I knew it would be a success.

Just as well those in the early Church didn’t have this philosophy. Think about it for a moment. If they had lived with an ‘if only’ attitude then you & I may never have heard the Gospel.

If only people weren’t hunting us down.
If only persecution wasn’t waiting for me.
If only people just believed and got it straight away.
If only it weren’t so inconvenient.
If only the Spirit would stop telling me that ‘prison and hardships are facing me’ [Pauls words in Acts 20:23]

They were incredible. The commitment to the cause transcended all their personal preferences. They gave everything for what they believed. Let’s be honest – we think we give everything but we rarely do. We give what we can afford, we give what we can, we give in a measured way, we give until it becomes inconvenient, we give thinking of what we might get in return.

When I read the book of Acts I am challenged. In fact I am confronted by a faith that goes beyond my 21st Century, Westernised, comfortable-living style of giving.

THEY GAVE.
EVERYTHING.

‘I consider my life worth NOTHING to me, IF ONLY I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace’.[Acts 20:24]

My prayer:
Please Lord, let me have the attitude like Paul. One that says ‘whatever it takes, being up for the challenge of telling others of the Good News of Jesus, whatever the cost’. Let me mean it too. Let this not just be another prayer to look good. Lord, put me in places that FORCE me to count the cost. To give. To give everything.

Are we IN?
ALL IN?
I don’t think the Apostle Paul would consider that there was really any other way.

Vision Takes Sacrifice

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Time.
Effort.
And money.

What ever the vision, there is ALWAYS a cost. Think of ALL those things we take forgranted. Everyday objects. Buildings we admire. People invested in them….TIME, EFFORT & RESOURCES (including money). Some even died for their vision before it was completed.

TIME means sacrificing some of the other things we like to do. Obvious really. It creates space for working on the DREAM. If you won’t give any TIME to it, then IT will never happen.

EFFORT means just that. Blood, sweat and tears. Depending what your vision is….effort means creative thinking, energy, making something happen. Fighting the desire to do nothing and doing something. Effort takes just that, effort. If you won’t give any EFFORT to it, then IT will never happen.

MONEY. Want to lose weight/get fit, going to join the gym, then the vision needs the sacrifice of your money to pay the cost of membership. Money says to vision ‘you can be accomplished’. If you won’t give any MONEY to it, then IT will never happen.

For Xcel Church our vision offering is the opportunity for us as a congregation, the people of God, to make a statement of FAITH and INTENT. That we believe in the vision, want to see it fulfilled and are willing to SACRIFICE for it. TIME & EFFORT though not easy are achievable. MONEY, now that hits harder especially in financially challenging times.

But surely it’s worth it…
Lives changed.
Building church.
Becoming shapers of culture in our community.
Bringers of hope.
Being ‘a city on a hill’.
Displaying the name of Jesus in the right way.
Challenging people’s ideas about Jesus and His church.

As a family we…
…will be giving in FAITH this Sunday
…will be giving with INTENT
…will be giving, praying that God can take what I give and multiply its ability to reach people
…will be giving trusting that God ‘can supply all our needs according to His riches in glory’, that as a family as we ‘seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, that all the things [to do with living life] will be added to us’

Maybe I’m being too simplistic. Isn’t that just FAITH.

Self-Awareness, Thinking, Praying

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This week has seen me getting up early, making sure I get some time with God. The essential prayer & reading of the Word.

Life is busy. Some important personal decisions to make. Stuff happening with members of my family. When you have intense times the need for reflective times takes on greater importance. At least it does for me. It keeps my perspective right. Stops unnecessary drift.

Self-awareness, thinking, praying. In terms of the role I play as a leader disciplining myself to recognise the ebbs and flows in my life is vital. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t come easy but it is a necessary skill to keep me right with God and with my family.

Self- awareness. How am I doing? Am I on track? How is my walk with God? How is my relationship with my wife & my girls?

Thinking. Inspiration always feels great. The practice of reflection hopefully leads to action. And there is no end to what can inspire us as a team with regards to building the local church. Conversations, ideas, challenges, plans. We could probably talk our way through the week, thinking about stuff. With most things coming across my desk the to-do list can get quite long. The challenge is to make sure we talk & think about the right things. Is my time being used correctly? Am I adding value in the right places?

Praying. Matthew 6:33. Seek first the Kingdom of God. Prayer is not part of my job. It is part of my life. Surely it should like breathing, always in conversation with my Father God. I pray for my family, my wife, what we do, for those I know, my family. And it is still not enough.

How about you…
How self-aware are you?
What are you thinking about?
Is your prayer life active enough?

Please pray…for the vision of Xcel Church, for your leaders, for those in your world, for God to change you, to change someone else…anything that will make a difference and just gets you asking God to do SOMETHING.

Let’s Get Praying…

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As Mark Ritchie encouraged us on Sunday night, we MUST focus on what we CAN do, not what we cannot do.

We should PRAY for the person we want to invite
We should be READY to TELL our STORY
We should INVITE

Be courageous. Let’s ALL give it a go. We might be surprised what God can do as we just try.

Who are you believing to see be impacted by God?
If you leave the first name of the person you are praying for then we can ALL pray…let’s start believing God to make a difference in the lives of the people we do life with…