Category Archives: Live Differently

Posted on

What Makes Churches Grow?

I have been asked the question and done a lot of research about what makes churches grow.  I have talked to other pastors and leaders and have a passion for helping people succeed in their mission.  I want all our churches to grow!  Not just ours but EVERY CHURCH IN HAMILTON!   Here is the punch line, it’s what I believe…Churches grow when PEOPLE start growing.  Some people would say, what do you mean growth?  Are we talking about people on Sunday? People in groups?  It could be, but I think those numbers are the by-product of people who care deeply about inviting their friends into their lives to share authentic Gospel community.  Does that mean inviting them to “church”?  Yes.  Does that mean inviting them to my small group?  Yes.  It means to be known and to know others. When we invite people into our lives with intentionality, they realize we want to walk through life with them.

So What does growth look like for us?  Let me give you a few words. I think this following verse sums up what we need:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV

  • Family – You got it, a tight family.  That means we have each others back! That means our church is like a reality TV show and everybody is watching.  In John 13 Jesus tells us loving one another is the key to church growth.  It is a measurable leverage to achieve health. We must all ask Jesus the question, who is it in our community, in our work place, in our neighborhood who you want us to make a disciple of?  This is the definition of a missionary, “sent ones.”  It’s not just crossing a body of water, but may involve crossing the street. When was the last time your neighbors came into your life?  True biblical mission starts with a deep love for one another on display.
  • Intentionality – You have heard the phrase, “if you aim at nothing you will be sure to hit it.”  If we aren’t intentional about loving one another, growth won’t happen.  This is what our groups are all about, Love. This isn’t not a program driven approach but a people driven approach.  If you are in a group, your group becomes attractive when you love intentionally.  Here is a practical way to show it.  Adopt a single mom into your group, then help her and provide for her needs.  Watch her kids, mentor her children.  Her children are your children.  Become intentional.  Through “Live Differently” God is asking us to be intentional and take some faith filled risks.

These next days of Live Differently at 217church will be life changing!  Growth doesn’t happen overnight but you have NO IDEA how one simple act can transform someone’s life.  Every single interaction matters! Let’s love each other 250 STRONG in SMALL GROUPS!  More love = More growth!

It’s a privilege to do this together,

 

Josh

 

Posted on

About What Happened Last Sunday

What an incredible Easter!  578 total people made last weekend our largest ever as we launched into “live differently” and it is only the beginning! During this week over 250 people experienced “live Differently” in a small group!  We are already receiving great feedback about the series and if you are not in a group, NOW IS THE TIME! Let’s make the most of these next 50 days. We have 23 groups scattered throughout the area! E-mail dan@217church.com and don’t miss another week.  So what is next for our community?

Let’s tackle our financial health.  Why?  I think it is rather obvious.  Our national debt is $15,621,872,295,348.53 as of a couple hours ago and growing by almost $4 billion per day.   Let’s face the music: This is simply irresponsible!  It is easy to criticize the government but this is not about the government and this isn’t meant to be a political post. This is about us personally.  Our culture is saturated with marketing and reasons why we should buy products we don’t need.  We continually want more than we can afford, experience buyer’s remorse on a regular basis and have problems with over spending and “under giving.”  The average person gives less than 2.5% of their income away and has over $8,000 in credit card debt.  Not at all God’s best for us.

What would it look like if all of us as a church 5 years from now were debt free.  As a church we have zero debt and have never paid a dime to anyone in interest.  The reason we have no debt is it’s so critical to our spiritual health as a body.  Wouldn’t it be incredible to be known as the church full of people who give generously and spend wisely?  I mean you, the people.  Why not? I believe it is possible and probable, but it’s going to take a long term focus and more than anything else, DEEP HEART TRANSFORMATION!

This Sunday we dive into how we work and give.  I love it when I hear of examples of great generosity.  I love it when I hear of people giving to others in need WITHOUT someone telling them to do it, but because it is the right thing to do.  Recently I heard a story of someone bringing groceries to another family who had a house fire.  Pay attention and you will find opportunities abounding around you to give.  You already have the DNA built in you as a Christ follower to enact an irrational generosity plan.  This means that each of us already want to give so let’s stop making excuses and do it.  This week in your small groups you get to write your financial health life transformation.  I will be sharing mine on Sunday with you!  I can’t wait to hear yours!

Let’s make this an incredible season of transformation against the odds!

GIVE BIG!  Can’t wait to see you again.

 

Posted on

Easter – From Sickness to Health

We have all been there, sick, lying on a bed, desperate for disease to be gone, held captive by a virus or imprisoned by a temporary bout with fever and exhaustion.  Most everyone has experienced the moment when your health fails you.  YOU – ARE – SICK and you know you need help.  You need a doctor and there is no denying it. When we are sick we come face to face with our mortality and our illusion of our control and power.

Why does Easter Matter? Let me spell it out for you…P-O-W-E-R!  Without Jesus, you have none but if you know Jesus you are given the privilege to tap into it.  The same power that conquered the grave lives in you. Realize it, Revel in it, Reveal it, then Roll with it! It’s time to activate our faith!

On Easter, April 8th 217church launches into a new series Live Differently focusing on 4 areas of health:  Spiritual, Financial, Physical and Family.  The only way you will be healthy is through the Power of the resurrection.  One of the things I have come face to face with is the actual weight of this series.  There is a ton of material to cover, a huge amount of work to be done in our hearts, and a multitude of opportunity for us to make excuses for ourselves. But let’s not shrink from the challenge, let’s get transformed against the odds.

So How do we get healthy?  I think this following verse sums up what we need:

“I pray the eyes of your heart will be enlightened in order that you may know the hope in which he has called you to, the riches of his glorious inheritance of His holy people…” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV)

  • A Heart Change – You can try harder all you want…and it won’t matter.  You can get an accountability partner…and it won’t matter.  You can read another motivational book…and it won’t matter.  Your heart has to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit.  There is no substitute for real heart change.  Everything else just treats the symptoms. Are you using drugs to treat your symptoms?  What are you “medicating” with? Its a never ending cycle.
  • A Hope Transplant – Are you kidding me?  Do I really have to write this?  Yes I do, because I know although many of us have known Jesus for years, we have lost our hope.  Our daughter Lydia was born during a time of discouragement in our life. Her middle name is HOPE.  Her name is a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness.  Hope gives us the strength to make it through one more day.  The resurrection moves us from despair to HOPE!
  • An Inheritance By-Pass – We work so hard to accumulate here that we forget the inheritance we already have both HERE and THERE (yes I am talking about earth and heaven)  We worry so much about material things we fare distracted from the spiritual dimension of God’s eternal provision. It sounds incomprehensible, but the inheritance I am getting is NOW through dynamic power of the local church. LATER it will be through the second coming of Jesus because Jesus isn’t dead.  Death has no sting and has been defeated and Jesus is preparing a place for us.  (John 14)

These next 50 days of Live Differently at 217church will be life changing!  It starts with EASTER you NEED to be there.  You will have the opportunity to join a 217group and experience the Live Differently field guide as a heart renewal covenant. How will you make the most of What God will do?

We got this!  That stone rolled away was just the beginning,

It’s on!

Josh

 

Posted on

Getting Healthy #3 – Physically

Easter is ALMOST here!  On April 8th we launch into a new series Live Differently focusing on 4 areas of health:  spiritual, financial, physical and family.

Did you know that more people will die from heart disease this year than any other cause? Why? We eat a lot of junk! The truth of the matter is most of us treat our bodies like a human dumping ground as opposed to a temple of the Holy Spirit. We “calorie up” with sugar saturated drinks, eat way to much fast food, and exercise for some of us consists of going for a run…from the couch to the refrigerator. This is not God’s best for us. God cares about our bodies and he wants us to take care of what He has given to us. Tired of those extra few pounds you are carrying around?  Sick of low energy days and unhealthy habits?  Do you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure?  As Easter is just a few short days away, I want to take time to introduce you to another key area of health we will be tackling through the “Live Differently” series.  It’s about transformation against the odds.

What does Physical health look like?

“whoever loves discipline loves knowledge…” (Proverbs 12:1 ESV)

Most of us eat what we want, when we want and we use the argument, “it’s my body, so I will do what I want with it.” This is not true, it’s a lie from the culture.  It’s not your body, your body belongs to God and he desires for you to use it to glorify Him.  Discipline can create a marvelous dependance on God as long as your motivations are correct.  but most of us struggle with the nasty ‘D’ word, DISCIPLINE. Here are a few things that helped me as I have started new habits and increased my own discipline factor.

  • Don’t Compare – Nothing will discourage you more if you try and compare yourself to other people.  Some people are gifted to be vegans.  Some people are genetically predisposed to be thin.  Stop worrying about everyone else and what the magazine adds tell you to be and seek God for his plan for your health and nutrition.  What worked for someone else may not necessarily work for you.  Seek God!
  • Take it Slow- One mistake we usually make is we pull the plug and make drastic changes all at once.  Then we fail miserably and pile on the guilt later and claim, “we tried.”  Unfortunately, most of us want instant results and instant gratification.  It didn’t take you a week to gain that extra fifty pounds or have high blood pressure so it is going to take more than a week to remedy the problem.
  • You Need A Buddy – Seriously, don’t even try and change a major habit on your own.  You need the support and accountability of a friend who will let you succeed and sometimes fail without piling on the guilt.  You need someone who you can model your health after and someone who will celebrate with you.  Isolation = failure.

Treating our bodies well is not an option, its a requirement of those who want to follow Jesus!  The big target on the wall is writing a LIFE TRANSFORMATION VISION for your Physical Health.  We will be doing this in our small groups starting the week of Easter.  Write the God inspired vision He gave you then make it happen!

“ I urge you therefore brothers in view of God’s mercy to present your bodies a living sacrifice, this is your spiritual act of worship.”        Romans 12:1-2

How can you live more healthy spiritually, financially, physically and in your family?  I believe is starts with a heart change and then a commitment to a 217group.  You will grow more in a group than you will on your own. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)  These next 50 days of Live Differently at 217church will be life changing!  join a 217group today! How will you make the most of each Life Transformation Vision?

We can do this, together!  Josh