We ALL say this…and yet it is SO easy to slip back into a people pleasing mode.  After all, THEIR demands seem more real that HIS commands at times.

So how do we not just preach on Galatians 1:10…but REALLY live it?

I think the key is in Galatians 2:20 where Paul ALSO writes that he is crucified with Christ, that he no longer lives BUT it is actually Christ living in him…in other words, Paul claimed to be a dead man!

Paul was living for a higher purpose than the praise of men, he was aspiring to hear the applause of heaven.  He wasn’t concerned with “them,” but he was obsessed with HIM!!!

We will never accomplish the Galatians 1:10 mindset until we have also embraced Galatians 2:20 on a personal level.

• We saw over 50 people come to Christ today…and…you guessed it, that NEVER gets old!
• We were honored to have Christine Caine with us today…and she BROUGHT IT!
• I LOVE her passion for the local church!
• LOVED having LOS lead in worship at the Anderson campus…and I think he liked it, even though people were calling him “Daruis Rucker!”  :-)
• Next week Christine will be speaking about human trafficking and what the churches responsibility is in regards to it…CAN’T WAIT!
• Some of the things she said today that really stuck out to me were…
• “We do not want our church to one day be a monument of what God used to do.”
• “Passion deficiency syndrome has hit the church.”
• “Did you see the movie, ‘The Passion of the Christ.”  Did you notice it was not called, “The Boring Religious Obligation of the Christ.’”
• “I am not a product of time, I am a product of eternity!”
• “We often times prefer to visit with God on Sunday rather than have Him invade our lives.”
• “Fishers of men is who Jesus said He would make us to be.  (Matthew 4:18)  If we are going to follow Jesus then our hearts must beat for the lost.”
• “We (the church) have a HUGE responsibility – we are here because we are personally responsible for the evangelization of the entire world before the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ.”
• “I believe the church is about to checkmate the devil!”
• “John 17:14-18, Jesus prayed that His followers would not be taken out of the world…but too many of us are trying to do just that!  IT IS VERY HARD TO CHANGE A WORLD THAT YOU ARE NOT IN!!!”
• “Christianity is not a behavioral modification program.”
• “We don’t need to FEAR the darkness but rather dominate it!”
• I could go on and on…you should listen to it on Tuesday at a web service OR download the podcast.
• REALLY looking forward to being on the West Coast tomorrow with this crew…can’t believe I get to be here!
• There are only around 100 tickets left for Unleash (we opened additional seats in a video venue, I blogged about it here.)  And folks…once they’re gone…they’re gone!  (I CAN’T WAIT!)
• This morning this thought hit me, “HE SAVED ME!!!”  And seriously…I could not get past it!  I was blind but now I see, I was lost but now I am found, I was dead and now I am alive…ALL BECAUSE OF HIM!!!  I’ve NEVER gotten past the cross…and am BLOWN AWAY because HIS GRACE REALLY IS FREAKING AMAZING!!!

I love you NewSpring Church…I am amazed that I get to do what I do…and I cannot see what happens next!

#3 – The Faith Test

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.

SO…if your vision seems “impossible,” if failure is absolutely certain unless God somehow gets involved…then I would say that you are probably on the right track.

(Please remember that there is a fine line between faith and stupidity…which is why it is SO essential to make sure you have heard from God and didn’t just eat some bad pizza!)

AND…church planter…the further along you get in the process the larger the steps of faith He commands us to take.  Don’t EVER make the foolish assumption that one day the decisions somehow “get easier.”  If we are walking with God He will always lead us to the place where we are desperate for Him!

#4 – The Commitment Test

There is a HUGE difference between a group of people who LIKE your church and then those who are actually committed to it…and sooner or later (usually better if you do it sooner) you’ve GOT to ask for commitment.

So many pastors are scared to do this because of a fear that they might scare some people away.  Let me make you a promise…YOU WILL!  BUT…as pastors and leaders in the church it is not our job to DO all of the ministry…but to train and equip the body to serve the body (see Ephesians 4:11-12.)

Too many professional church attenders are used to going somewhere where they “have their needs met” rather than being involved somewhere that allows Jesus to use them to meet the needs of others.  Don’t be afraid to ask for a commitment early and often…Jesus wasn’t!  (See John 6)  Yes, He did lose some…but the ones who stayed with Him were able to see more happen and accomplish more than they ever dreamed possible.  (See the entire book of Acts!)

#5 – The Focus Test

As the church grows there will be a temptation to do “more.”  Questions will begin to arise such as…

• “When are we going to start a mid week service?”
• “When are we going to start a school?”
• “When are we going to start a mens/womens/singles ministry?”
• “When are we going to (FILL IN THE BLANK.”

For some reason church world has fallen for the lie that as a church grows it needs more programs and activities…which is why SO many churches get stalled out and stop growing.  NOT because these programs are necessarily evil…but because they are simply not in the vision of what God wants for that particular church.

Every church planter/pastor needs to ask themselves this question, “Can God trust me with success?”  BECAUSE…having success in ministry often leads to people completely losing their focus and they lead the people into being busy rather than being godly.

That is why a church planter has to KNOW what God has called him to do before he ever launches…because EVERYONE who walks in the doors of a church plant has a vision for it…and if you don’t KNOW what God wants (or if your scared to say no) then your vision will get hijacked and you will eventually be the pastor of a church that you hate!

He saved you…He called you…He has equipped you and He will sustain you…so focus on HIM and do what HE says!

• Anderson Campus…remember that we will not be having our 6:00 service THIS WEEKEND ONLY!  There is a slightly popular football game on (that would be the Super Bowl) and so we are asking everyone who normally attends our 6:00 service to come at 4:00 (yes, there will be extra worship) OR one of the morning services.
• (The 6:00 service will resume the following week, February 14th!)
• Christine Caine from the A21 campaign will be joining us this weekend…trust me, you DO NOT want to miss.  She is one of the most gifted and passionate communicators I’ve ever been around…and is SERIOUS about the church mobilizing to rescue people from human trafficking!  (She REALLY is one of my favorite speakers!!!!)
• Carlos Whitaker will also be at the Anderson campus this weekend as well…I LOVE this guy and his passion for Jesus and can’t wait for him to hang out with us!
• For those at Greenville campus…Howard will be doing some interpretive dance this weekend and some ribbon dancing as well…you WILL NOT want to miss it!
• The above sentence is totally not true…I am sorry for the disturbing images that it may have caused!!!
• Hope you guys are still pumped about the 30 day reading the Bible challenge…if you haven’t started yet then today would be a great day to do so.
• We had a team leave for Kenya today…keep these guys in your prayers!!!
• Can’t WAIT to hear about what God does in Columbia this weekend…you guys had a GREAT recruiting class so the atmosphere SHOULD be great!  :-)
• And Florence, can’t WAIT to hear what happens there this weekend as well.  I LOVE what God is doing down there in our student ministry…and the best really is yet to come!

That’s it…pray and ask God to do BIG things this weekend…can’t wait!

My answer is simple…I wish that someone had told me that the decision to launch the church was actually going to be the easiest decision in the process, that during the next year or so I would face five critical tests that I believe every church planter goes through…and failing these tests is NOT AN OPTION if I really wanted to see the church achieve its maximum potential.

Test #1 – The Financial Test

I believe that God tests every church planter when it comes to money within the first 12-18 months.  I cannot tell you the number of conversations I’ve had with people who have said, “Things were going great until the biggest giver in the church got upset…and now I don’t know what to do because what he wants isn’t the direction I feel that God is leading the church…but he gives a huge percentage of the budget.”

First of all–EVERY church planter/pastor needs to understand that GOD IS THE BIGGEST GIVER IN YOUR CHURCH!  If it’s God’s will then it is God’s bill…He knows how to take care of what belongs to Him.  AND…if you sell God out and put your trust in a dude with a HUGE checkbook (and usually an ego to match) then you are nothing more than a prostitute.  (Someone who is paid for a service in order to make another person feel good.)

We faced a financial test EARLY on when we started NewSpring Church.  The people who were literally giving 65% of the budget and who were fully on board at the beginning began to back off as the vision of what we were going to do as a church became more and more clear.  One night they asked me to come to their home, shared their feelings with me and let me know that they were no longer going to be a part of the church.  (BTW…they did this in the godliest way possible, there were no hard feelings and verbal jabs on either side…and I still highly respect them to this day!  AND…another btw…we hadn’t even had our first official church service yet!!!)

I would be lying if I said I didn’t have an “Oh crap” moment while hearing them share their hearts; however, I had made a decision early on that the vision of what God had placed in my heart was not for sale…it never has been and never will be.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen so many pastors fail this test because they depend on people way more than they depend on God.  When your biggest desire is to keep the biggest givers in your church happy you have ceased to lead and are actually being led!

Test #2 -  The Critics Test

One of the verses that has always amazed me is found in the book of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah is a guy who gets broken by God…who gets full of vision and passion…who risks everything to do a great work for God and provide help to a group of people who had all but given up.  He wanted nothing more than to see the “impossible” happen and people have their hope restored…and yet some people had a problem with it!  (See Nehemiah 2:10)

Dear church planter…you are foolish if you actually believe that everyone thinks that what you are doing is a good thing.  SO…you had better learn early to develop thick skin and not lead through reacting to everything but rather by being proactive and moving on with what God has said…no matter what “they” say.

Your dream will be criticized…early and often.  BUT…if God has set your heart on fire then DO NOT let those who have never actually done anything for Him define what they believe you can or can’t do in His name!

#2 – Why are some in the church obsessed with obtaining information but have no desire to live out the transformation that Jesus brings?

#3 – Why do some in the church excuse non excellent standards by saying phrases such as, “well, after all…it’s just church?”  Our standards of doing things should not be lower than the worlds…they should be higher; after all, what the church does matters!

#4 – Why do we claim to follow a God who changes things…and yet often times we refuse to change things?

#5 – Why do we set our expectations on the lives that Jesus wants us to live so low when Scripture sets them so high?

#6 – Why does the church always try to control people when Jesus died so that we could be unleashed?

#7 – Why is it that so many church leaders would rather lead through imitation (becoming just like someone else) rather than revelation (listening to God and then doing what He says?)

Answer: Sure.  From 100 to 311 A.D., Christianity was illegal and persecuted but the number of Christians grew from 25,000 to twenty million.  Why did it grow so rapidly?  Historians suggest two decisive influences. Both of these were … plagues.  Typically, widespread death-bringing epidemics don’t add to anyone’s “attendance” numbers, but historians tell us that Christianity grew rapidly in large part because of these two horrific plagues.  When the plagues came, everyone fled the cities to avoid the lethal contagion – everyone, that is, except Christians.

These first Christians understood they had not joined a religion, but a revolution.  They knew they could not add others to the revolution by power, so they did it through the way they lived their lives. They became guerrilla lovers. They realized they could catch something and die. But they hoped those to whom they ministered would also catch something – the love of Christ – and live, eternally. They chose to be people offering contagious life, in a place filled with contagious death, and because of that decision the revolution spread.  They had nothing to rely on except love, but fortunately love worked.

Experts tell us that there are about 8 million less people going to church today in America than twenty years ago.  Why are we going backwards?  I think it’s because too often we’re relying on everything except love.  We need to ignite a guerrilla lover revolution.

So true.  Thanks Vince.  And if you want to get your own copy of Guerrilla Lovers, you can do so here.

This hit me the other day in a very unusual way.

A friend of mine allowed me to “test drive” a brand new, 2010 Camaro!  (V8, 426 hp…I “may” have gotten it to 90 mph in second gear in the church parking lot!)  It’s pretty much my dream car (I have always wanted a Camaro…yes, I LOVED the IROC’s!)  It is FULLY LOADED, XM radio, a place you can plug in your ipod…you name it!  And so for a few days I got to drive it around…and yes, I was relentless about obeying the speed limit!  (Wink!)

The color of the car was orange, which didn’t really strike me at first until I was driving it to work one more and had this thought, “Hey…this car is orange, but so was my first car!”

My mind flashed back to the very first car I had…a bright orange 1979 AMC Gremlin! AND it was VASTLY different from the Camaro!  It would go from 0-60 in 4.2 DAYS!  It had an AM radio…no tape player (CD’s were not invented yet) and so if I wanted to listen to “good music” I had to buy batteries for my “jam box” and put it in the front seat.  I still remember driving down town Easley with the windows rolled down blasting Ton Loc’s “Wild Thang” and desperately trying to look cool!  (It didn’t work!)

The drivers seat of the Gremlin had a hole in it…I literally had to put a pillow in the hole so that I didn’t fall through.  The floor was rotting out…I could look down and see the road as I drove.  I had to carry two quarts of transmission fluid and a quart of oil at all times…and when I took a girl out on a date in it I always had to do some sort of maintance.  (I literally had one girls dad ask me to please never park it in his driveway again!)

The Gremlin MAY be the worse car ever invented…and mine was the worse of the worse; however, it was all I had and so I drove it until God finally took mercy on me and this world by killing it!

SO…after that particular flashback my mind snapped back to where I was…driving a car that I NEVER thought I would drive and totally enjoying the experience instead of praying that no one would see me…and I had the following thought – “22 years ago I never imagined I would EVER be able to drive a car like this.  In fact, I felt stuck…I thought what I had was the very best that I was ever going to have.  I was obsessed with the way things were instead of the way things could be…and now look, here I am driving a car that no one could have even conceived back then…and even though this car is ‘borrowed,’ things have really changed for the better.”

Then it HIT ME like a ton of bricks, so much so that I became completely overwhelmed…my LIFE 22 years ago was a wreck, I was running from God, completely cared less about His Word, church or ANYTHING having to do with Him.  And yet a few years later He drew me to Him, saved me, and changed my mind and heart in regards to the ways I thought and how I lived.

He’s brought me so far…I never thought I would have the life I have right now…a wife as awesome as ‘Cretia, a daughter as special as Charisse, friends who really do love and care about us, a church that would fill the BILO Center for our 10 year anniversary…I could go on and on…but the fact is that I am in awe of who HE is, where HE found me AND how far He has brought me.

BUT…I have so much further to go…

Just like the car I was driving was borrowed…I am living on borrowed time (James 4:14)…but WHILE Jesus allows me to “borrow” it I want to maximize it as much as I can for HIS glory.  I feel incredibly blessed…but I know there is so much more for me to learn, so many things He needs to teach me and so much more than I must experience.

I think about the Apostle Paul…when God knocked him off of his horse in Acts 9 he had no idea about all that God had in store for him.  What he thought was an amazing experience was actually just the beginning.

I think about Peter, James and John when they had a GREAT catch of fish (Luke 5) and Jesus called them to follow Him.  They had just had an amazing experience…but that particular event didn’t hold a candle to the things they would eventually see.

Many times we can get so caught up in where we are (either good or bad) and fall into the idea that “this” is all God has for us…but the reality is that if we are STILL on this planet then He STILL has a plan for us…there’s more!

You are NOT STUCK where you are!  Whether your life is amazing..or awful…there’s MORE!

My prayer is that all of us will fully embrace the reality of the way things ARE…but also refuse to believe the lie that ‘this” is all there will ever be.

I received Christ in 1990…I’ve been trying my best to follow Jesus for the past 20 years…and He’s done MORE than I could have ever imagined in my lifem and yet there is a hope and belief in me that He has brought me THIS far ONLY so He can take me even farther in life.  There is SO MUCH more for me to learn about being a better follower of Jesus, a better husband, a better father and a better leader in HIS church.  There’s MORE!

I am thankful for the victories He has allowed me to have in the past…but I simply refuse to slide into “cruise control” and play it safe in this life.  He will complete His work in me (and in you – see Philippians 1:6.)  There’s MORE…and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me next.  It MAY not be what is most comfortable for me…but I know it will ultimately be used for HIS glory!

For those who feel overwhelmed, stuck and flat out discouraged…don’t focus on your current circumstances but rather His consistant character–He is HOLY, that means His ways are HOLY (both perfect and awesome)…and He wants more for our lives than we could ever imagine…don’t give up, there’s MORE!  (Ephesians 3:20!)

“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.  We are far too easily pleased!”

My prayer for me and everyone at NewSpring Church is that we would be discontent with anything less than what God has for us.  We serve an amazing God…and He is offended NOT when we ask BIG…but when we don’t ask at all!

The next is by Charles H. Spurgeon…

“I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love“

I can’t get over this one.  Quite often people will ask me, “What has surprised you the most about what has happened at NewSpring Church” and my asnwer is always the same – that HE would allow me to be a part of it.  I know who I was without Him…I know I would be nothing if it were not for Him…I know there was NOTHING good about me and that EVERYTHING that is good in my life is FROM HIM!  HE amazes me!!!

• We saw over 40 people give their lives to Christ today…THAT never gets old!
• We talked about Isaiah 6:1-8 today, that particular passage of Scripture has always messed me up.
• The best thing God can do for a man is RUIN him…because then he will be completely surrendered and used for HIS glory!
• Ephesians 2:10 is true about YOU…He didn’t create you to be a chia pet…but an instrument used for His glory!
• God will often use a tragedy to get our attention.
• I don’t want a church with 10,000 regular attenders…I want a church with 10,000 MINISTERS of the Gospel!
• We will never do what God wants until we see who He is!
• AND…we will never discover who God is apart from reading HIS WORD.  We launched a 30 day Bible reading plan today – HERE is the link if you are interested – come on and join us as we journey through the Proverbs, John and Acts.
• COME ON…it’s just 30 days…I believe that if you will commit to this that you will hear His voice clearer during this next month than you’ve ever heard Him before.
• We will never do what God wants for us until we understand we He’s done for us!!!
• When a person understands WHO God is and WHAT God’s done…surrender is a natural result.  (See Isaiah 6:8)
• A person who is completely surrendered to God cannot sit still when He clearly says to move.
• Jesus did not promise a life that is free of pain and trouble (see John 16:33) – BUT HE did promise a life that is FULL and more amazing than we could ever imagine (see I Corinthians 2:9 and John 10:10.)
• I challenge EVERYONE to memorize Ephesians 2:10 this week…SERIOUSLY, get out a note card, write that verse on it and look at it often every day this week!
• Next week at NewSpring Church will be one of the most amazing weeks we’ve ever had, I will tell you more about it later on…but I can promise this…many of us will be MARKED by what happens on the 7th and 14th in a way we will never forget!
• Hey Anderson campus…remember, no 6:00 service next week…so SHOW UP at 4:00 and show up READY!
• Thanks to everyone who braved the “major winter storm” we had today!  :-)
• I want a cheeseburger RIGHT NOW…hoping/praying that someone MIGHT want to cruise up to Copper River tomorrow and get one!  :-)
• I am REALLY excited about speaking at this event next week. I feel like the mule that got invited to run in the Kentucky Derby…blown away that I have the privilege to serve with these guys for this occasion.
• We announced here on Thursday that we’ve opened up 500 seats for Unleash…and 250 of them are already GONE!  If you want to come you had better sign up NOW!
• Looks like I am going back to Kenya in May…SUPER excited about it…it will be a “different” trip, praying for God to do GREAT things.

That’s it…I need SLEEP!