1. What is the Grand Opening? – Mercy Road Church started a year and a half ago as a new option to bring God-sized hope to those far from God and unite disinterested Christians with God’s Church.  The Grand Opening is a worship experience at our first 24/7 facility for our public opening of it.

2. What time? 9:15 & 11:15 AM

3. Where? - 10505 N. College Avenue, Indianapolis 46280 – 105th & College Ave.

4. Who’s invited? – EVERYONE.  No matter what your background, age, demographic, social status…no matter what you did last weekend…YOU are invited!  Invite your friends, family, neighbors, siblings, cousins, shoe salesmen, party planner, cake decorator, dermatologist….everyone.

5. What should I wear? – Anything you’d like!  There will be hipsters and young professionals and well to do and not so well to do and jocks and nerds….wear whatever makes you comfortable.  I’ll probably be wearing jeans and whatever I bought at Nordstrom rack two years ago!

6. What about my kids? – There will be full children’s ministry through 6th grade at both services!  In fact, Professor Steve and his world of science will be teaching the elementary and preschool kids!  He’ll be performing fun science experiments and talking about how God fits into the world of science (or vice versa).  He’s hilarious and there will be (safe) fun explosions that your kids will love!  Don’t miss this opportunity to have your kids enjoy learning about God and science!

7. Why is this the 1st Grand Opening…is there more than one? – We will be having two Grand Openings.  This is the first big opening.  We have a huge vision to reach multiple locations throughout Indiana.  We have families from Pendleton and Noblesville, down to Avon and downtown…and from Brownsburg to the east side…all over.  This Grand Opening is the big one to invite all of our spheres of influence around the city and state.  The second Grand Opening will be in June and is a community/summer Grand Opening.  We’ll be focusing then on getting the word out to the local community near the facility, once school is out.

8. Will there be FREE food? Yes!  Tanorria Martin, our hospitality director, is putting together a delicious brunch of finger foods for you to enjoy after each service!

There’s so many reasons to join us this Sunday!  I hope you will!!

Thanks for sharing the FACEBOOK EVENT with others online!

Here’s some pics from last weekend:

This Sunday we’re moving to two Sunday worship services at 9:15 & 11:15 AM. We’ll have full children’s ministry at both identical services.  Artist and speaker Ben Glenn will be there to finish our series “When God Speaks” by sharing about prayer.  If you struggle connecting with God in prayer, this week is for you!  Ben has struggled with ADHD his entire life and can attest to hearing God differently than most.  He’ll also be doing a live art/media show as a part of the message.

We usually only have the privilege to have Ben draw on Easter or Christmas, so be sure to use this week to invite your friends, family, and neighbors! Thanks for being in prayer as we double our opportunity to reach, serve, and worship this Sunday at 9:15 & 11:15!

- Josh

4/21 - 10:15 AM – First worship service at 10505 N. College Ave.

4/28 – 9:15 & 11:15 AM – We’re going to two morning worship services!

5/5 – 9:15 & 11:15 AM – Our first Grand Opening for the new campus!

Check out these pics of the new location:

We’d love to have you join us this Sunday and especially for the Grand Opening.  Come a little early to help with seating and parking. Thanks for your prayers for all God is doing.  God didn’t call us to renovate a building.  He called us to bring light to darkness, speak the truth in love, and to help those in need.

Join us in praying for God to use this meeting space to change our local communities for the better. Pray our communities would miss us, if we no longer existed.  Pray this facility leads to life change all over the state of Indiana and even continues to bring help to those less fortunate around the world.

Thank you to so many living their faith our boldly and loving deeply!

- Josh

I’ve never had a month as busy as this last! Man, it’s fun to be chasing after God’s best though and I’m trying to enjoy each moment.  Last night as we were making more decisions about the new facility someone reminded me what a cool problem it is to have to make some of these decisions.  It wasn’t long ago I was praying in a hotel room and the whole idea of starting a church was a God-sized dream that seemed unbelievably unrealistic!  Now last Sunday we saw the most people give their life to Christ and worship God in our young history as a church (not counting the opening).  Not to mention many people we didn’t know a year or two earlier are now lifelong friends!  There’s a lot to be thankful for.

We had an incredible practice service and work night last night at the new building. I think it got many of us VERY excited for when we do get to worship at the new place.  Thank you for your prayers, passion, and partnership in each of these fun and important steps as a church family!

Check out some pics I snapped today of the new facility:

We started a new teaching series at Mercy Road on Sunday. We’re studying Biblical principles for sharing our faith and had a great first Sunday.  I’m amazed at the passion of people to see church be about a life of mission for God and not comfortable, consumerist Christianity.  Unfortunately, most Christians have never led someone to know Jesus as their Lord.  I don’t share this to condemn or discourage anyone, but the reality is many people who believe in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection will go their whole lives without experiencing even one person committing their life to Christ because they shared their faith. Ironically, sharing our faith is one of the essential purposes God gives Christians.

So in true blogging fashion, I’m posting a Top Ten list of reasons why you’ll never lead someone to Christ. This is strictly my opinion and has absolutely no research behind it, other than 13 and half years of ministry experience.  That’s it.  I’m not doing this to condemn anyone or pretend my faith is superior.  I’ve probably done everything on this list.  However, it is meant to challenge you. I hope my experiences can help you as you pursue God’s mission to share your faith in your life.

In no particular order:

“Top Ten reasons you’ll never lead someone to Christ.”

1. You’re unwilling to get outside your comfort zone. This is probably the main reason many people never experience God’s providential work in their life…they’re afraid or unwilling to get outside of their comfort zone.  Bill Heybels in his book, “Just Walk Across the Room,” encourages people to get into the “zone of the unknown.”  One of the most important steps in sharing your faith is to be willing to get outside your comfort zone.  Don’t be afraid to actually have a conversation with someone!

2. You don’t really know Jesus as your Lord. This may be too direct, but I find a lot of people never share their faith because they don’t really know or understand the good news Jesus has given us.  Ask yourself, do I really know God because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?  Have I asked God for forgiveness and committed my life to Jesus?  Do I spend time praying and reading the Bible (and practicing other spiritual disciplines) because I know God?  It’s easy to associate knowing Jesus with simply attending a church service every once in a while.  You should value worshiping God with other Christians, but attending a worship service is very different from knowing Jesus as Lord of your life.

3. You don’t believe in, listen to, or follow the Holy Spirit. Many Christians who understand the good news of Jesus have little experience in witnessing the Spirit of God in their lives.  You may have salvation, but the Bible teaches the Holy Spirit works in the lives of those that know Him.  Maybe you have never allowed God’s Spirit to use you.  Ask yourself: Do I believe in the Holy Spirit?  Do I listen to God’s Spirit?  Do I follow the Spirit’s leading?  This isn’t weird or televangelist Christianity…it’s historical, orthodox, Biblical Christian living.

4. You’ve never been told following Christ means you’re to share your faith. Some people have never been discipled and don’t know they’re to share their faith.  Jesus says in Matthew 28 that we’re to “go and make disciples of all nations.”  This is referred to as the “Great Commission.”  If you’re reading this, you now have no excuse!  Go and make disciples!

5. You’re distracted by the wrong doing in your life. We use the term “sin” to describe the disobedient decisions we make that separate us from a perfect God.  We all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but sometimes we have wrong doing in our lives we haven’t acknowledged.  This “unrepentant” sin keep you from experiencing God’s greater work in your life.  An example might be a wealthy person who doesn’t prioritize God’s purposes with his or her finances.  You may miss out on God’s greater work because of your wrong doing.  If you’re committing sexual sin and have not turned to God for forgiveness, He may not be using you in ways He’d like to.  It could be an addiction issue, or a pride issue, or a lack of compassion issue…our bad decisions don’t just affect us, they affect others as well.  God will still get through to your friend, but maybe God is wanting to use you and you’re missing out because of your decisions.

6. You’ve never been shown how to love others. I probably wouldn’t have included this one on the list a week ago, but Sunday afternoon I had the opportunity to go to the closing ceremony of a Kairos weekend in New Castle, Indiana.  Kairos is an international prison ministry.  The state of Indiana currently has Kairos ministries in 17 prisons in Indiana.  The two-hour ceremony at the New Castle (medium security) prison was one of the most emotionally powerful two hours I’ve ever witnessed.  I heard inmate after inmate share how God had changed his life through the people and program of Kairos.  Many of the inmates mentioned they had never witnessed unconditional love before this experience.  Maybe other than Christ, you’ve never experienced the unconditional love of another human being, so you don’t know how to extend unconditional love.  Search out real Christian community…it does exist!  Share this unconditional love with others by telling people of what Jesus has done for them.  I’m excited for Mercy Road Church to begin partnering with Kairos in the very near future!

7. You’re too busy. This one is becoming increasingly prevalent as more Americans move to large cities.  Smart phones and tablets keep us permanently plugged into communication outlets.  The average business person works several additional hours a week because of this.  It’s very easy to become sucked into a lifestyle of being busy.  You don’t make time to build relationships.  When others invite you to something the answer’s always no because you’re too busy. You might never lead another person to the Lord because you don’t prioritize your time for God’s mission.

8. You’re lazy. Our permanent connectivity to the internet, social media, video games, apps, movies, Netflix, Hulu, Amazone Prime, and endless other avenues to waste our time on pop culture entertainment fill the hours of the day quickly.  You’ll never lead someone to Christ if you spend all your hours on the couch playing Call of Duty.  Get up, get healthy, and invest in real relationships.

9. You’ve been taught a heretical form of Christianity. This one is semi-controversial. Evangelical Christianity has come to be associated with socially conservative politics, largely because of the “culture wars” of the 1980′s.  Being “evangelical” actually has nothing to do with politics.  Following Jesus means you seek to fulfill His mission of telling others of the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.  In Koine Greek, “good news” is the word “evangelion”… where we get the word evangelism from.  Literally to evangelize means to share good news.  This is central to the Christian mission, so the idea you could follow Christ and not share His good news is completely foreign to the Bible’s account of Jesus life and your calling as a Christian.  If you believe you can follow the actions of Jesus and not tell people of His good news, you historically would be labeled a heretic.  Maybe you’ll never lead some to Christ because you have a heretical view of Christianity.

10. You don’t understand the urgent need to share your faith. You may understand you need to share your faith, but maybe you feel no urgency to do so. Romans 13:11 says, “¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”  Jesus could return any time and we’re given the mission of sharing this good news with others.  There is an urgency to sharing your faith!

]]> http://outofashes.tv/uncategorized/top-ten-reasons-youll-never-lead-someone-to-christ/feed/ 2 http://outofashes.tv/uncategorized/1558/ http://outofashes.tv/uncategorized/1558/#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:25:25 +0000 Josh Husmann http://outofashes.tv/?p=1558 Yesterday, I took my son Jake (4) to the gym. We practiced his basketball skills on the side hoop they have for little kids.  I noticed he could make shots on the little goal, but couldn’t dribble the ball to save his life.  It’s incredible how quickly kids pick things up though.  I showed him how to dribble and we started counting how many times in a row he could bounce like dad.  At one point he made it to 18!  Here’s a quick video of him practicing:

We learn so much easier, when someone shows us how to do something. It’s easier to follow from example.  Sunday we began a new teaching series focused on discipleship called: Follow.  We’re demonstrating the Biblical need for Christians to follow Jesus in the up, in, and out.  He’s shown us how to live a life that worships God and fulfills His purposes for our lives and Sunday we began with studying our vertical relationship with God (the UP).  Many Christians want to experience lives of impact for God.  Lives that change the world for the better.  This often involves finding victory from our shortcomings, failures, and sin.

We approach this powerful life of impact with will power and determination, bent on accomplishing great things for God’s Kingdom. Unfortunately, this ambitious approach is completely unbiblical.  If Jesus’ life is our example of how to lead a life of impact, he didn’t begin with will power and ambition.  Instead, He often began with quiet times alone praying and connecting with His Heavenly Father.  Before Jesus started his earthly ministry, He spent forty days fasting in the wilderness.  Before He chose the twelve disciples, He prayed to His Father.  Before He went to the cross, He spent the night praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was constantly seeking out lonely places to connect with his Father.

The Church often refers to these habits of drawing near to God as “spiritual disciplines.” Sunday we listed some of them: prayer, reading the Bible, fasting, worship, study, mission, Christian community, etc…  These are all ways of connecting with God.  You might ask, why these habits are essential to a life of impact.  When we say we want to make an impact by overcoming sin in our lives and making a difference in the lives of others, what we’re really saying is I want God to show up in my life! To bring victory where it’s needed and to demonstrate His power in the lives of others.  This cannot be accomplished through your ambition and will power!  This will only happen as you draw near to God and people witness His grace, mercy, and love through you.

So let me ask the obvious question, are you connecting with God? If you consider yourself a Christian, do you prioritize time for prayer and studying Scripture?  Do you regularly worship God and be challenged and encouraged by Christian community?  Have you ever fasted?  Do you serve others?  These disciplines are the first step to a life of impact.  As you encounter God more, He’ll shape you more and more into the person He created you to be.  He’ll use your life in ways you previous thought impossible.

The Reveal Study done by Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago recently found that spiritually healthy churches are not developed through programs alone, but their vitality is directly linked to people prioritizing spiritual disciplines.  In other words, when they prioritize connecting with God on a daily basis, the church will naturally fulfill it’s greater purpose of bringing positive change to their community and the world.

I learned from watching Jake yesterday that we’re creatures of habit. The more he practices dribbling, the better he’ll get.  The more you connect with God, the more you’ll become like Him.  Maybe what the world needs is less bravado and selfish ambition and more people witnessing God’s grace and mercy, as those who connect with Him become more like Him.

For those who have developed these healthy habits, what has God been teaching you lately? How has that led to greater impact in others’ lives?  How has God’s mercy and grace been seen in your life because of your connection with God? I’d love to read your comments!

Keep pursuing God’s best in your life and watch the wake of love that will occur in the lives of others because of it!

I’m sharing this to ask for your prayer. We’re nearing the end of the demolition work of our future facility for the church.  We’re hoping to have approval from the state for the contractor to begin the renovation of the building soon.  We’re also discussing the need to go to two Sunday morning services, shortly after moving to the new facility.  In addition we’re starting new outposts in communities.  All this has shown the need for us to simplify how we communicate our vision for discipleship.  Would you join me in prayer for this?

We don’t intend to change anything, just simplify how we communicate our vision and model for ministry. This might not seem like a big deal, but it’s HUGE!  Every single person needs to be able to know how to be discipled and make disciples and what our process is for this.  We’ve always had an emphasis on apprenticeship, but I’m hoping we can communicate this process clearly to people.

Thanks for your prayers, participation, and passion for life change! God’s work is happening in Indiana and we’re excited and blessed to be a part of it!

But…for those that consider themselves Christians, yet are disenfranchised from organized Christianity I’d love to challenge you. There are churches that are healthy and making a very real impact in the world.  I’m proud of the kind of church Mercy Road is becoming.  We genuinely have reached people with out a church, who have encountered Christ, and are living on mission with Him.  We’re not the ones living on mission.  I’ve also witnessed many other churches in the U.S. and our area of Indiana that are living differently and following Christ.  They’re keeping focused on the Kingdom and not their individual brand of church.  Just a couple of weeks ago two area churches heard of a need in our church and sent checks…to a church they’re not a part of and likely will never get credit for!  Mega-churches are learning from their mistakes and orienting they’re resources more to help people.  Large influential churches are setting aside a higher portion of funds for people in need and outside ministry opportunities than any time in recent history.

There is no doubt that cultural Christianity is dying.  Many of you may have heard of the recent article stating as much as 20% of the U.S. population now considers themselves part of the “nones.”  Meaning they have no religious affiliation of any a kind.  They’re atheist and agnostic and uninterested in organized religion.  They prefer individual pursuit of spirituality.  For many, it’s been used as yet another way to remind some Christians they’re losing ground in American society.

I’ve been in ministry now for 13 years.  Many have done this longer, but if you needed this recent poll to tell you Christianity lost the culture war of the 80′s…what kind of ministry have you been doing this last decade?  I didn’t need a poll to tell me the “nones” were more socially acceptable and influential in today’s culture.  Ed Stetzer wrote a great article (I believe it was published in either the New York Times or USA Today) that’s still posted on his blog here. The rise in numbers of those affiliating with nones is definitely cause for Christian reflection, but it also points to the death of cultural Christianity…not true Christian faith in North America.  I think it might actually lead to a strengthen of Christianity as people see the difference between those who claim the Christian religion and those that live on mission for God because of a faith in Jesus Christ.

So here’s my challenge to the disenfranchised Christians: You may have had a bad experience with church.  It may not have even been your fault.  But, the Bible clearly teaches no Christian is ever meant to serve his mission alone.  You were meant for community on mission, not Christian isolation.  I guarantee there is a church out there that if you went to the leader and told them you want to make an impact, if you’re patient, you’ll eventually find a way to make a difference.  People often say no church is perfect, but really no group of people is perfect.  Your softball team’s not, you’re colleagues aren’t, and your family certainly isn’t.  Patiently push for Kingdom change at it will happen.  It’s not naive to think that!  I’ve witnessed it.  I just saw a young man who was recently released from prison reconnected with his mom in Oregon last night.  He’s now being sent a bus ticket to head home!

Lives do change.  Good can happen.  Your local church is the hope of the world. Just help keep it’s focus on Kingdom purposes and watch what God’s Spirit does through your church and community!

My wife loves cooking shows…more because she likes to eat then because she likes to cook. Yet I’m the only one that seems to gain weight in our family. I know what it means to eat 5 too many cookies. I’ve seen what poor eating habits has done to my health and energy level at times. I’m not writing this post to discuss the state of physical health in America though.  The truth is I see an issue in our culture that’s much worse than obesity. One that does more harm and hurts more people.

As a pastor who’s been in ministry for 13 years now, I’ve seen the highs & lows of the human condition. I’ve often seen a disconnect between people who profess Jesus as Lord and those who demonstrate it with their actions. We too often choose comfort & familiarity over hard work and meaningful sacrifice. It’s a disease of apathy and selfishness that invades our decisions and our relationships. In one word, it’s: GREED.

Even Christians have become victims of it. Forsaking the hurting and those far from God because we feel like we just need more stuff. Like one more designer shirt or chromed sports car will be the icing on the cake…and we’ll finally be happy. Because the truth is we can’t REALLY make a difference anyway. We even mask our greed behind our family and children… because they really “need” it or “deserve” it. But too much of anything is never a good thing, unless it’s from God. What we really do is teach our children a wrong sense of value and entitlement, why telling ourselves we’re living the American dream.

But God has a different dream. Not of entitlement, but of generosity. What if Hamilton & Marion counties were known for their generosity? What if Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, Noblesville, Zionsville, and Indianapolis were known as generous cities? What if Christians were known more for giving to what they’re for and less for taking from what they’re against?

The cupcake was originally the poor man’s cake. It’s ironic though that the townhome of cake, has come to signify decadence. From high priced wedding to entire stores dedicated to cupcakes. There’s nothing wrong with a good cupcake or three…It’s only a few bites and believe me, I love the taste as much as anybody. But if I eat 17 cupcakes, no one’s happy. Not my wife and definitely not me.

But some of us fail to recognize the spiritual war we’re in and we buy the shirt thinking it’s just $30 or buy the car because we worked hard and earned it. And the kids have to have the new i-Pad, otherwise we’d have to pay for a real nanny. And we deserve a few vacations…this quarter…and we need the boat to go with the lake house…and the condo in Hawaii is really an investment…for the kids….

Or maybe…enough is enough. No really, it’s enough. You don’t need any more stuff. Maybe it’s time to pick up your Bible and not your credit card and join the war for your soul and others’.

Join us we dive into a new two-week series on living differently and mastering your finances. I think you might be surprised by what the Bible says…and what it doesn’t say. Jesus taught on money more than any other issue in the New Testament because He understood how big a deal it is.  This could be one of the most powerful, life-changing Sundays of your life!

www.mercyroad.cc

My son Jake loves laughing. He thinks he’s the funniest kid ever…and sometimes his dad thinks he is!  I think a lot about, what will Jake want to do with his life when he grows up.  How do I protect and lead him, while still allowing him to be who God created him to be…and not who I think he should be?  How do I encourage him to pursue God’s dreams for his life?

This Sunday at Mercy Road we finish a 2-week series called “The Prodigy in Me.” We’re discovering God’s best for our lives and what we’re meant to do.  Most of us spend a majority of our lives dreaming about what could or should be.  What if you were meant to live differently?  What if you could impact lives and make the world a better place?  What if God intends for you to choose a different path in life or to use your current path in ways you’re not?  Many of you rack your brains and even prayers trying to know God’s will, but often seem to remain unmoved, unchanged, frustrated, and unfulfilled.  Sometimes we even begin to associate real, lasting lives of impact as childish dreams or naivety.

Living God’s best is not a dream. It’s been fun recently seeing and experiencing others searching out their God-sized potential. Even being surprised by what God does do today.  Cover Indy, our ministry to the homeless, continues to dream and expand as they discover bigger and better ways to help people.  Although, it can even be as simple as investing time into our Sunday worship service and seeing God use their time and energy.  Two more people gave their lives to Christ last Sunday.  September was our most attended month ever in our one year history.  All because a group of people continue to band together to serve  God’s purposes in seemingly small ways on Sunday mornings.  When things weren’t easy they continued to pursue God’s best.

To think Mercy Road started as a prayer in a hotel room and the impact God’s making in such a short period of time is encouraging and sometimes frightening. When you really experience God and discover what He can do in and through you, you realize just how real He is and what this life is really about.  I’m thankful for the culture of passion we’re seeing created.  God deserves all the credit.  It’s not about an individual or a particular brand of church, it’s about God’s reign happening on Earth as it is in Heaven.  That’s what I hope Jake discovers.  That life really is short and no matter what career or life choice He makes, what matters is if he’s allowing God to own the decision…to reign in His life.

A Life of Impact = Talents + Spiritual Gifts + Radical Faith in Christ

If you don’t have a church home, I hope you’ll join us this Sunday at 10:15.

www.mercyroad.cc

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