Last night, a lot of my Raleigh community gathered to celebrate Justin and me as we prepare to launch. After the party, Justin read us these decisions that define us, and we had a sweet time of prayer. I would like to share them with you now. Thank you to everyone who has made this week home such a blessing.
We have decided, that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the Gospel is not enoughgood preaching, good doctrine, being good people — it’s not enoughWe’ve decided that having a good church club is not enoughgood fellowship — it’s not enoughjust being a member of that club is not enoughWe’ve decided that having good bible studies is good, but not good enough.That just making it to heaven is not our goaland that knowing about God without truly knowing Him and experiencing God is meaninglessWe’ve decided that having good programs is not enough,That change without transformation is intolerableAnd that staying the same is not an optionWe’ve decided that gifting without character is futileWe’ve decided that singing songs without worshipping is hollowHaving meetings without God showing up is pointlessWe’ve decided that faith without works is not enoughAnd having works without love is not acceptableThat our function comes out of our relationship first, with our father and second, with each otherWe have that decided that reading about the book of Acts without living the book of acts is unthinkableWe’ve decided that confident faith is good, bold faith is betterWe’ve decided that hearing about the Holy Spirit without experiencing Him is sillyThat believing in His presence without seeing it manifested in signs and wonders is hypocrisyThat believing in healing without seeing people healed is absurdand that believing in deliverance without people being delivered is absolutely ridiculousWe’ve decided to be Holy Spirit filled, Holy Spirit led, and Holy Spirit empoweredAnything less doesn’t work for usWe have decided to be the ones telling the stories of God’s power, not the ones hearing about GodWe have decided that living saved, but not supernatural, is living below our privilege and short of what Christ died for.We have decided that we’re a battleship, not a cruise shipan army, not an audiencespecial forces, not spectatorsmissionaries, not club membersWe have decided to value both pioneers and settlerspioneers to expand our territory and settlers to build on those territoriesbut we are not squatters — people who take up space others have fought for without improving itWe have decided to be infectious instead of innocuouscontagious instead of quarantineddeadly instead of benignWe have decided to be radical lovers and outrageous giversWe have decided that we’re a mission station, not a museumTherefore, we honor the past, but we don’t live in it.We live in the present with our eyes on the futureWe see past events, success and failures as stepping stones, not stop signsWe pursue learning in order to be transformed, not learning in order to knowWe are people of engagement, not observationWe focus on what could be, not what is or has beenWe are not limited to the 4 walls of this buildingOur influence is not restricted by locationNot even the nations are ‘out of bounds’We are more concerned about how many we send out into the world,Than how many we convince to come into the buildingThis building is meant to be filled, and it will bebut it will not be the measure of who we are, or the measure of our effectivenessWe raise up world-changers, not tour-guidesWe train commandos, not committersWe are people of our destiny, not our historyWe have decided that it’s better to fail while reaching for the impossible that God has planned for us than succeed in settling for lessWe have decided that nothing short of His kingdom come, and His will be done in our world as it is in heaven will satisfyWe have decided we will not be satisfied until our world freaks out, and cries out “those who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (acts 17:6)These are some of the decisions that define who we are as a community and how we live our livesThese decisions are not destinations but rather journeysJourneys along an ancient path, we’ve not found some new waybut rather we’ve discovered the path as old as Abraham, Isaac, and JacobThe same path followed by Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Paul, John, and PeterA path followed by the first century churchA church that revolutionized the culture of the 1st century and beyondIt’s a path that will impact the world we live in todayIt’s a path of bold faithbelieving that what God says is really true and acting on itIt’s a path of outrageous generosityGiving our life away in order to demonstrate his kingdomIt’s a path of radical loveLoving God with everything in usand our neighbors as ourselvesIt’s a path of liberty freedom and healingOn this path, you will find significance purpose and destinyIt’s a path less traveled, howeverIt’s not a path only available to a select fewbut to whosoever will may comeIt’s for people of every nation tribe and tonguefor those in any occupation or vocationNo matter where you are on this life journey, there’s room on this path for you.
