Feeling the Need

Notes from Perry Noble’s presentation during Unleash 2007

“Christianity is the most exciting thing
that happened to the planet
and it took 2000 years to make it boring.”

• We serve a Great God
• Desire to make Jesus famous

Why churches struggle

• Church is a confusing place if you don’t know the rules
• Most churches have attitude — if you don’t know our rules, then you don’t belong here
• America is seeking God like crazy and they’re not coming to church because we’re out of Jesus
• Our job — make Jesus famous

Improving the Church

1. Need creative environments
   • Need to work in every area to make church creative
   • Most visitors make their mind up about whether to come back within first 15 minutes
   • Every week is somebodies first time to hear about Jesus
   • Put people in environment where they can hear about Jesus
   • Should offer Jesus our best
   • Be good enough to steal something (ideas) and make it better
2. Look beyond ourself
   • Basically we’re selfish people
   • It’s not the great suggestion — it’s the Great Commission
   • What type of people do you want in your church
   • The time when they need grace the most — we say “hell to you” when we should be welcoming them
   • Just be glad they’re in church
   • What kind of people do we want?
   • Misconception about being “deep” — Deep is when you confuse the heck out of me so I can feel smarter but lacks applications so when I leave I don’t have to do anything for Jesus
   • Those wanting to be fed — show up ready — open your Bible
   • You can’t get your church too big — You can know everybody or you can know Jesus — you can’t know both
3. Need to pay attention (or we mess it up)
   • Get up — show world who Christ is
   • Don’t be afraid
   • Creative people become frustrated by lack of lead time to develop creative concepts for worship
   • Take steps to honor God
   • Don’t fear criticism
4. Focus on what matters
   • Ignore stupid, trivial matters that don’t matter
   • Jesus is the focus
   • People’s behavior won’t change until perspective changes — their perspective won’t change until they know Jesus

“What the church is called to do will matter for eternity.” Perry Noble

Claiming the Asher blessing

Today I attended Beth and Chocolate — a Beth Moore video presentation hosted by the Northridge Church in Sabetha. As I listened to Beth Moore discuss Deuteronomy 33:24 and God’s blessing of the tribe of Asher .

As I listened to Beth Moore’s words, I kept thinking about how they might apply to my church.  Below are those words:

• Keep God the priority — and NOT making people happy
• Provide something they want — otherwise it’s just words
• Fruit does not come from past experiences
• Don’t settlef for mediocrity
• Don’t blend in just to get along
• Must move past fears
• Move forward — don’t stand in place
• Move forward — then Asher (happiness) will come
• Reclaim the Asher blessing

God knows what God can do. He wants to see what you can do through HIM.

 

Lord, let our church be favored by our brothers and sisters.

Lord, let our feet be bathed in oil.

Let the bolts of our gates be iron and bronze.

Lord, let us have God-given strength to equal our days.

Random Reflections

Several years ago, our pastors announced that they were attending a conference on evangelism. At that time, I had a stereotypical view of evangelistic churches — and my view did not include the Methodist denomination. Even though I wasn’t sold on evangelism, I did participate in the book study that spring on evangelism. Since then, God has been working to enlighten me and I now recognize that my views were not in line with God’s mission.  

Last week, I attended a presentation by Nanette Roberts on Passionate Worship. During her presentation, she said that we need to remember the stories and to pass them on to the church.

Today, I watched the New Spring service from March 9th based on John 1:38-42 where Andrew goes and tells Simon about Jesus. This service emphasized that each of us is responsible for spreading God’s word. As a worship leader said toward the beginning of the message, I’ve always doubted my role, thinking “How can I have influence? Why would anyone listen to me?”

“Pierce our hearts with the message you want us to hear,” Newspring worship leader on March 9, 2008.

 Tony Morgan’s blog summary of Perry Noble’s presentation to Unleash 2008 provides great insight for leaders.

Perry Noble (March 9, 2008) 

“We can’t change anyone, it is Jesus that changes them,” Perry Noble (March 9, 200

Song: Come and Listen

Everyone of us can ask others to meet Jesus by inviting them to church — exactly what Andrew did 2000 years ago. (John 2:40-41)  We can’t change anyone — but Jesus can — if they meet him.