The Church is mentioned 115 times in the New Testament.
Of the 115 times the word church is mentioned in the New Testament, most of them come from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means `called out ones’.
All of these things enter our thinking when we speak of `church’ however, the church is a BODY of related believers!
That makes us brothers and sister in Christ.
God is so passionate about building for Himself a family that He was willing to give His son, His only Son Jesus as a sacrifice for all of mankind. He planted His best seed in to the soil of the earth , and He is receiving a harvest of many sons and daughters.
The church is in a period of transition- How do we lead effectively in transition?
Israel struggled because they couldn't make the transition from slavery to a theocracy- They saw that other neighboring nations had a king, so they demanded a king… God gave them a king, but His plan was to be their king and rule through the prophets and priests.
Transitions in the scripture that were managed well- Moses to Joshua/Elijah to Elisha.
“…anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
It is in transition that gains are won or lost. Every relay runner will tell you that the race is won or lost in the changing of the baton.
In times of transition, people’s hearts are tender toward God…divorce, death in family, loss of job, financial reversal, etc.. These are great times to penetrate otherwise `hard hearts’ with the love of God and truth of the Gospel!
Lee Iaccoca took over Chrysler motors during the most difficult of transitions. They were facing bankruptcy, but because of his strong leadership, Chrysler became a world leader and still remains at the top of the automotive industry.
When He has told us to pray the Lord of the Harvest that He send forth laborers into the harvest field! He taught us when you give a feast, go into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in! “Go ye into all the world! Most Christians don’t understand the GO YE part!
Many times attending a church service seems like stepping into a `time warp ‘. Songs, customs, clothing, decorations, and media all are still behind the times, because someone refuses to change with the current culture. Don’t misunderstand me- The message must always remain the same, but the methods must be relevant to keep pace with the culture. In case you haven’t noticed, the culture is different than when we were children.
We must not put our `heads in the sand’ and hope things will go back to the way they were in the days of `Leave it to Beaver’. Today, there is no June Cleaver at home when many kids come home from school. Instead,, she is forced to work all day to make ends meet, because she is the sole bread winner in the family. 24.7 million children (36.3%) live absent their biological father. About 40% of children who live in fatherless households haven’t seen their fathers in at least a year.
MTV, Disney, and Nickelodeon are spending millions to preach their messages to our kids to influence the way they think, shop, dress and relate to the world. We must seize the moment- “Carpe Diem” and become a church that relates to today’s youth culture.
For a missionary to cross cultures without studying the language and customs of the people he is trying to reach is futile. Hudson Taylor was barely in his twenties when he arrived in China as a cross cultural missionary. When he chose to adopt the Chinese habits of diet and dress, he met with opposition…. from the veteran missionaries. But Taylor captured the hearts of the Chinese because he was willing to go beyond the ordinary. This revolutionary way of thinking opened doors for his ministry, and set the pace for decades of other missionaries.
Let’s reinforce the identity of children who are not hearing it from their fathers…Matthew 3:16,17 NIV “This is my son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.” Our blessing and affirmation of our children means everything to their success and their future. But what about the kids who are not getting the blessing from a nurturing, affirming environment at home? This is where the church must rise up and care, love, nurture, teach and reach a generation!
The battle lines are drawn, and the message is clear- will we let the world shape the values of this generation?
We must reach this generation of 20-somethings, and build `cutting edge’ harvesting churches!
America has gone from a Christian nation to an unreached people group in three generations. How will this group of Americans shape our culture in the next 5 to 10 years?
Currently 4.5 million teens turn 20 each year. Once a child reaches that milestone, the odds of reaching them for Christ are 10 to 1. Barna research - “What you believe at 13, you’ll die believing”. The average age of conversion in America today is 15 years old, and 80 % takes place before age 24.
But we have reason to hope! Jesus is too large to ever be silenced. His name will be great among the nations(Mal.1:1) This young generation of Americans are more missions conscious than any group before. Each year, more American teens take missions trips than ever before in history. As a result, many of them have a great, encompassing,broadened world-view.
GenXers and Millennials are also very spiritually hungry, not for religion or even church, but for the reality of the Christ living in them. We must respond to the challenge, pray for strategies and be open to the Spirit.
God has not overlooked this generation. They have been chosen for great things! They will be history makers!
Remember, the water is turbulent where oceans meet. We must respond to the challenge of transition, pray for God's strategies, and be open to His Spirit. The world has a great stronghold on this generation, but `Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."