Wow!  We just had our Easter services and for the first time in 3 years we had over 600 people, 626 to be exact.  By no means have we “arrived,” but we are growing consistently.  Some people would say would are a rapidly growing church, but to me we are slowly, consistently sharing the Gospel with more people.  We have more people worshiping on Sunday, more small groups, more baptisms, more children (over 125 last week), more youth and we gave away more money, food, and resources than we ever have in a single 12 month period!  How?  One word CONSISTENCY.  Do what God says and do it over a very long period of time, even when it hurts, and you will see fruit.

“…for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness,” James 1:3

Anyone can get off to a fast start, but you need to FEAR THE TURTLE!  I believe that every challenge our church has had over these past three years has made us stronger and taught us to be more CONSISTENT!  We have been discouraged, confused at times, tired and all those tests have made us stronger.  God doesn’t give us challenges to disappoint us, but to discipline us to grow in our commitment to what HE HAS TOLD US TO DO!  Obedience over the long haul makes us more useful to God.

4 Ways to Improve Your Consistency (Fear the Turtle)

• Seek To Know Yourself  – Being self aware is the key to the next growth step in your life.  If you aren’t honest with where you are, you will NEVER get to where you want to be.  This is a difficult reality to cope with because you must address the brutal facts.  How consistent are you? When you fail, are you humble?  Do you immediately go to God and others about your weaknesses? If you think you don’t need any improvement in this area, stop reading NOW!  Do something else with these next 3-5 minutes.

• Establish Daily Disciplines  – What are your non-negotiables?  What in your life do you say, “THIS IS HAPPENING TODAY NO MATTER WHAT!  Ok, I know that the “d” word for most of you is like a curse word.  It comes with baggage and pressure.  However, daily discipline is the KEY to growth.  What are your daily disciplines?  12 times the word discipline shows up in the book of Proverbs alone.  Here is one, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”  Proverbs 12:1

• Improve Best Practices – If you don’t have a set of ‘best practices’, you need this bad!  What works?  What doesn’t work?  Achieving a goal over the long haul will require you to be a learner and constantly be determining what you need to start doing, keep doing, and STOP doing!  At 217church we are constantly learning in every capacity and asking, “how can we serve and love people better.”  How do we do this?

1. Celebrate EVERY victory -Never, ever let a win pass by without some type of celebration.  If something works, celebrate and repeat.
2. Get an Encouraging Team – Accountability to your best practices is important.  Someone better be walking around lifting people up!
3. Be a Learner – If you think your ways are always right, you will fail!  Failure to learn = failure
4. Write it Down – If you write a practice down, you can pass it on to whoever comes after you.  Live with the next generation of leaders in mind.

• Keep Your Eye On The Prize – If you take your eye off the prize, discouragement, distraction and disengagement may happen.  You need to keep the big goal in front of you in order to achieve consistent growth.  Our BIG Goal at 217church is to make 10,000 disciples, start 1,000 small groups, plant 100 worship sites, in 10 years 1 person at a time.  Are we close?  Nope?  But that’s the target!  We have only baptized 150 people.  We don’t know when the next move of God is coming, but we want to be ready!  This helps us to be CONSISTENT.

So isn’t it time to TAKE A RISK and consistently Do What God Says? This is the topic this Sunday at 217church.  It’s time to align your actions with your heart!  More turtles, less rabbits! Ready, set…plod.

 

Join us Sunday at the AMC24 theater in Hamilton. Our service times are 9:30 & 11am.  Children’s programming is available for birth through 5th grade through our 217kids ministry in theater 15.