One of the things I have been moved by lately is the strength of my wife’s family.  They aren’t perfect, everything isn’t always surreal, but they love each other, and they know their job is to be there for one another.  When difficult times hit, no matter what, their job is to express love freely.  As we enter into the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, the world will be watching our church to see how our church family loves one another.  Is our church family attractive to them?  Do we do what we say we are about? Is there a spirit of peace?  We have an incredible opportunity to grow over the next 6 weeks.

What makes us STRONG is a commitment to the basics…

“…And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied”  Acts 9:31

Building STRENGTH as the church is the gradual process of learning to yield to Jesus.  And when the church gets STRONGER it multiplies!  Slowly but surely our church is seeing strength rebuilding lives one person at a time.  This week so many of you have reached out to me personally and showed love, grace and encouragement to my family.  As each one of us grow strong in the faith, our church grows exponentially more dangerous!

5 Keys To Growing A Strong Church (or any family for that matter)

1. Devotion to Prayer  –   “…pray without ceasing”  1 Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer is a process by which we discover who God is and what he desires to do.  It doesn’t have to be a meeting and doesn’t need to be a production.  Prayer is simply talking and listening to God.  Let’s keep it simple.  Do you pray for our church family?  Prayer is the PRIMARY work of the people of God.

2. Devotion to Each Other –  “…outdo one another in showing honor.”  Romans 12:10

I always love hearing stories of how you are coming alongside one another to bless each other.  Some of you haven’t had the privilege yet of being a part of a small group community that is caring for one another deeply.  The more we are devoted to one another, the stronger we get.

3. Devotion to The City –  “…A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”  Matthew 5:14

If the city has a problem it is our problem.  Over these next 6 weeks our church will be serving the city through delivery of food at Thanksgiving, coats as the weather gets colder, and providing gifts for children this Christmas.  Once again, this just makes sense. This is what the church should be.  We must be devoted to the neighborhoods we live in.

4. Devotion to Self –  “…Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

It’s time to get your life in order.  The church is only as strong as the sum of the individuals in the church.  The Holy Spirit lives in you.  We must make a decision to let the Gospel affect our spiritual, family, financial and physical health.  Each one of these area is an incredible opportunity for representing Jesus.

5. Devotion to the Next Generation – “…tell the next generation that this is God.”  Psalm 46:17-18

We have over 150 kids and youth that call 217church their church home.  We are making a huge investment in them in 2015.  We have a vision to invest $100,000 in the next generation. It’s time to step up, make this happen and GIVE!  The Next Generation is depending on us.  We are a FAMILY.  The church is the best kept secret in our community.

Let’s hold nothing back and realize all He has for us.

Josh

This week we conclude our Next Generation Series as we will be sharing our vision for the Next Generation of churches and meeting our newest addition to our pastoral staff, our new East Windsor Campus Pastor Luke Fraser and his wife Ashlee!

November 16- Vision

We are the church that meets at two theaters!  Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 9:30 & 11am and Starplex Cinemas in East Windsor, NJ at 10:15.  Our new East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information.