Where's the Faith

I've been reading through the book of Acts and recently read chapter 3. As I was reading the first 16 verses God seemed to convict me of my own faith.

In this story, Peter and John are about to enter the temple. They see a lame man outside the temple begging for money. They approach the man and he believes they're going to give him some money. However, rather than give him money, they heal him of a condition that he's had since birth. The man is astonished, as are all of those around him. However, Peter and John are quick to give credit where credit is due. They don't take credit for themselves but give it to God and faith in Jesus.

What's really cool about this passage is that the same Holy Spirit that empowered Peter and John, is the same Holy Spirit that is alive and well and living in us. The problem is that we don't have the faith to really believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine what we could do if we truly had the faith of a mustered seed and believed that with the Holy Spirit in us we can move mountains. Imagine if we truly believed that what God did in Acts 2 He could do in Nazareth PA. Imagine if we truly believed that The Carpenter's Church exists to lead the Greater Lehigh Valley to Christ and that God is preparing us to do just that.

God's is working on my faith, how about you? Let's jump in the game, believe that God can do anything and take this Valley for Him.

Who's With Me?

G3

Sunday Night Mind Dump

What an amazing day! I'm not sure I've ever experienced a service like we had at The Carpenter's this morning. Here are some of my thoughts on the day.

• What a powerful worship set this morning. The congregation was singing louder than my ear monitors.
  
• The two highlight songs were "Awesome is the Lord Most High" and Chris Tomlin's version of "Amazing Grace: (My Chains Are Gone)"
• We had 9 people prepared to take the next step in their spiritual journey and follow God's command to be baptized.
• We then took a cue from Acts 2 and asked anyone who wanted to get baptized to come forward. We were totally blown away as 8 or 9 people came forward and proclaimed their faith in Christ by following Him in baptism. It was one of the most powerful times in the church's history.
• Our service was 1 hour and 40 minutes long and no one cared. In fact most people stayed around for a picnic afterward.
• Thank you for the entire staff and volunteer team at The Carpenter's. You all rock! You stepped up today. It was awesome.
• I'm so looking forward to the Parents of the Caribbean series that starts on September 9th. It's going to be amazing and the 30 foot long Pirate Ship is really cool.

Church, we're going to do what it takes to reach the Lehigh Valley for Christ. It is our focus and God is moving in that direction. Hang on tight because it's going to be a fast and wild ride.

G3

Shout Out to Tony and Renee

Last night Jennifer, Emily and I had the privilege of celebrating the 25 wedding anniversary of Tony and Renee Trinchere. It was a dinner party and a great time to catch up with old friends and celebrate what God is doing in Tony, Renee and their family.

In today's world, 25 years of marriage is amazing. Tony & Renee have reached that milestone with a commitment to God, each other and their family. If you know Tony and Renee, give them a shout out. If you don't, go ahead and visit Renee's web site (she's in real estate) and shoot her a quick e-mail. I know they'd appreciate it.

G3

Wednesday Morning Mind Dump

Well, it's Wednesday morning and I just realized that I've not posted anything in over a week. So, I thought I'd just do a little mind dump this morning and let you know what's happening.

• I was on vacation last week and it's taken me a couple of days to get back into the swing of things.
• Water parks, in the middle of the Summer are awesome!
• Tim did a great job leading the team and leading the congregation in Worship on Sunday. He has been a great asset to our ministry and he and his family will be greatly missed as they follow God's new opportunity in Chicago.
• Tucker brought it on Sunday and lives were changed! We know of at least 2 people who made decisions to walk with Christ.
• God is moving through The Carpenter's Church and the "Chase The Lion" series is having some great impact on people's lives.
• This weekend is going to be off the charts. Some of us are really going to look foolish. Now that the votes are in, I can tell you that Tucker and Jim will be the first two people in the dunk tanks. :-)
  
• If you ever wanted to see any of our staff get wet, then don't miss this weekend. We'll have (2) dunk tanks going after church. It's going to be crazy.
• Make plans now to attend next weekend (the 26th) as well. We're going to celebrate with at least 8 people as they take the next step in their spiritual journey and be baptized. We're also going to do something that day that we've never ever done before in the history of our church. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.
• I'm working on my message for this weekend and can't wait to preach it. I love teaching the Word of God and having it come alive in a real and practical way.
  
• I'm also working on my message for September 30th. It's going to be awesome. Mark your calendars, you won't want to miss it.
• We're announcing our major Fall Message series this weekend. It will start on September 9th and will be one of the biggest, most impacting series we've ever done. Start inviting people now, it's going to be life changing.

I don't know if anyone cares about the above, but it is what is on my mind this morning.

Discipleship

I have to say, that the past few weeks here at The Carpenter's has been really exciting. 155elementary and pre-school kidz attended our Avalanche Ranch week. 11 of those kidz gave their lives to Christ. 9 adults have made Jesus the leader of their lives in the past 3 weeks during our weekend services. With 20 people accepting Christ in 3 weeks one question needs to be asked and answered.

"What is the church doing to disciple these people?"

In order to answer that question we must look at what the Bible says about discipleship. In Matthew chapter 28 verses 19-20, Jesus is talking with the disciples and gives them what is called the "Great Commission." He instructs them to "Go and Make Disciples." The King James Version of this verse doesn't use the word Disciple. Rather it says to go and "Teach All Nations." I also like what the Message Paraphrase says; "Go out and Train Everyone You Meet."

You see, a Disciple is really just a student. The American Heritage Dictionary defines disciple as,

"One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another."

As a pastor, I can't force someone to learn about Christ any more than a contractor can force someone to be a student of pouring concrete. The desire to be a student, the desire to learn must come from within. Once the desire is there, then it's my job as a Pastor to teach and provide opportunities for people to learn.

Act 2:42-47 describes the discipleship process that took place after Peter spoke and 3,000 people accepted Christ. If this process worked for 3,000 people, I think it can work for us as well. Here at The Carpenter's, we provide opportunities for discipleship in three different ways.

1. Weekend Service: Our weekend services provide the opportunity for a student of Christ to be exposed to Worship & Bible Teaching. Acts 2:42 talks about teaching and Acts 2:46 talks about Worshiping together in the Temple. This is exactly what happens each Sunday during our Weekend Services. We Worship together and teach the word of God. It doesn't matter how long you've been a follower of Christ, worshiping together and learning the Word of God together is a vital part of being a Student of Christ.
2. Connecting Points: We offer Connecting Points or small groups that meet in homes and at the church building throughout the week. It is in our Connecting Points where true community happens. Like Acts 2:42 and the end of verse 46, our Connecting Points provide the opportunity for more teaching, fellowship (hanging out with others), sharing food, prayer & experiencing joy and generosity. It doesn't matter how long you've been a follower of Christ, it is vitally important to learn from others and spend time with others in a small group. Everyone can learn from anyone and a true "Student" understands this concept.
3. Service: As we serve others, we grow and become more like Christ. Acts 2:46 indicates that they met in homes. That means that someone opened up their home and served their guests. Verses 44 & 45 talk about the people sharing everything they had and selling their "stuff" to take care of those less fortunate. That is Service! Service is also, greeting people as they enter our building, leading a KidZone small group, participating on the v-staff for Ignite, running sound on the weekend, folding programs and much more. As we serve together, we learn from one another and we learn how Christ served. That process of serving continues our education and continues the discipleship process.

You see, no matter if you are a new believer in Christ or have been following Christ for 30 years, the biblical process of discipleship remains the same. Worship, Connect, Serve. As we repeat this process over and over, we grow and become more like Christ. If we're not careful, this process could just change the world.

G3