The Heart of Jesus
Posted: March 16, 2011 Filed under: Mission Leave a comment »Last Sunday, Pastor Steve Burnette, our Community & Admin Pastor at Awaken, challenged us to not just have Jesus in our hearts, but to have the heart of Jesus. This week, we have the perfect chance to live out and apply what we heard on Sunday.
We’re starting a new series this coming Sunday called Christ Alone. We are praying that lots of people will trust Jesus as Savior as they hear what Jesus has accomplished on their behalf by dying on the Cross.
In order for people to hear the Word and trust Jesus, they have to be in the auditorium. And in order for people to be in the auditorium, you and I need to do some inviting. Here’s how we can have the heart of Jesus for those around us who do not know Jesus:
In Matthew 9:36, Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion for them. Who has God given you a special burden or compassion for in your relational network?
In Luke 10:2, Jesus called the disciples to pray for laborers for the harvest. Begin praying for that person’s salvation by name and commit yourself to Jesus as a worker. You can even ask God to send and use others in addition to you to draw them to salvation.
In Luke 10:3-9, Jesus gave the disciples specific instructions for how to engage in the harvest. Ask God to show you how to engage your friend(s) with the gospel. Maybe there is a book or sermon recording you could share with them. Maybe there is an opportunity for you to serve them in a special way. Maybe you have a common interest in a sport or activity. Maybe you could simply go to lunch and talk. Use a Christ Alone invite card to invite them to join you at Awaken.
In Luke 10:10-11, Jesus told the disciples to expect to be rejected. Don’t get frustrated if your first attempts to invest don’t get anywhere. Salvation is ultimately a heart issue and only God can change a heart. Keep praying and investing and trust God to continue to work in their lives.
In Luke 10:1, Jesus called the disciples to go to every town and place “where he himself was about to go.” Get this…I love this…Jesus is already at work in your friend/co-worker/neighbor/family member! He’s given you a burden for them because He is already there and at work and now He is inviting you to join Him!
Ask God to give you a broken heart for someone…Pray for their salvation…Do what God calls you to do to invest in them, serve them, share the gospel with them, and invite them to church…Don’t get discouraged…Trust God to change their hearts…Know that while you are going, He is already there and already at work.
That’s living with the heart of Jesus for those who are far from Him. AC’ers, let’s live this out and ask God to change lives over the next few weeks. I pray that He will find us willing, faithful, obedient, and courageous workers for the harvest.
Passion is Not Enough
Posted: December 1, 2010 Filed under: Mission 1 Comment »I’m really proud of my good friend Greg Darley as his first book, Passion is Not Enough, has officially released. Greg is deeply committed to using the gifts and opportunities God has given him to live out the gospel in a way that honors Jesus and changes the world.
I asked Greg to write a “guest post” to share here on my blog so you can hear his heart and hopefully, take advantage of a special discount to buy the book.
While we’ve most likely never met, I already know you.
You are either a person that is chasing a dream or you’re suppressing one.
The dream could be anything. It could be a book you want to write or a trip you want to take. It could be a business you want to start or maybe even a non-profit. Maybe the dream is to finish that painting or go full time with that part-time hobby.
Dreams come in all shapes and sizes and either you are chasing it or suppressing it. There is no other option.
Suppressing dreams feels safe. After all, no one can laugh at your book or painting if you never finish it right? There’s no financial risk if you don’t start that company right? You’ll be safer without rejection if you just keep it inside. You’ll never fail. No pain. No regret. Suppressing is safe. Right?
Chasing the dream is dangerous. When you finish the book, people might not like it. When you show off the painting, people may not understand it. If you start the business, it may make things tight for a while. If only you would have suppressed it, you’d be safer right?
I think we’ve mixed these two up. In reality, chasing the dream is safe and suppressing the dream is dangerous. There is a reason that you have the dream in the first place. As a quick aside, I’m assuming this is a God-honoring dream that you’ve prayed about and know if you pulled it off would be a good thing.
The problem is we rely way to much on our emotion to guide us. When the opportunity comes to either chase or suppress, most of the time we suppress. But, this is dangerous because you have no idea of what hangs in the balance of your decision to chase that dream.
When Peter was called to follow Jesus, he had a choice—chase or suppress. It didn’t make sense. He didn’t have all the answers. Jesus told him to drop his nets in deep water during the day, with everyone watching. That was not how you fished and Peter knew it. He probably thought, what if they laugh at me? What if I don’t catch anything? He was staring at empty nets and Jesus knew that soon the nets would be breaking with so many fish. Peter had no idea of what hung in the balance of his decision to trust Jesus and go for it. If Peter would have said no, the future of the Christian Church may look completely different. He had no idea of what hung in the balance of his decision to go for it.
And neither will you.
Today is the day to begin the chase. Stop suppressing. Start chasing.
If you’re ready to stop suppressing and start chasing, then you should read Greg’s book. Greg has graciously offered a 20% discount to all of my readers. Simply enter the code “Columbia20″ when you checkout and the discount will be applied.
Grateful.
Posted: August 30, 2010 Filed under: Awaken Church, Church Planting, Mission Leave a comment »Almost 3 years ago, Lara Beth and I moved here with nothing but a call from God and a fuzzy picture of what we hoped God would do in Columbia, SC. Our only desire was to plant a church that God would use to transform lives, our city, and the nations.
Without jumping ahead of the game, it is truly humbling to see that dream becoming a reality as Awaken Church gains more and more traction in our community. One word describes my feelings: grateful.
I’m grateful to have the privilege of planting and leading a church where, as of yesterday, 53 people have trusted Jesus as Savior in just under 1 year.
I’m grateful that Awaken has grown in attendance by 50% since June. Many of those who are new to our church have quickly begun serving on our volunteer teams.
I’m grateful to see so many gifted people serve faithfully week after week knowing that they are a link in the chain of life change.
I’m grateful to see a church that has come alive with a sense anticipation and expectation for the grace and power of God to transform lives every time we gather.
I’m grateful to see so many first time guests each week. It seems that God has truly made Awaken a hospital for sinners.
I’m grateful that so many who call Awaken home are living as missionaries in their neighborhoods, workplaces, dorms, and classes.
I’m grateful to pastor a church that is so hungry for the Word.
I’m grateful to be surrounded by a team of leaders who love Jesus, love our church, and love me. They push me to lead out of my calling and gifting.
I’m grateful. AC’ers…I hope you are, too. God is doing a tremendous work and no question, He has given us a wave of momentum.
Let’s ride it with an audacious faith that knows God is nowhere near finished with what He wants to do in and through Awaken Church. Keep praying and keep inviting your friends!
Let’s ride it as a contagious community that reflects the gospel by the way we love, serve, and honor one another.
Let’s ride it with radical generosity by investing more of the time, gifts, and finances God has given us to use for His glory & mission. If you are not giving or serving yet, now is the time!
Let’s be sure to do it all with a sense of deep gratitude. Our God is good and He’s on a mission and we get to be a part of it. May we never get used to seeing God move powerfully among us, but instead, may we anticipate and expect His power all the more.
It’s happening, AC’ers…let’s be grateful and keep pressing on!
Top 10 Ways to Invite Your A-List
Posted: August 19, 2010 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission Leave a comment »Last Sunday at Awaken, we handed everyone a card that looked like an iPhone with 5 blanks on it. We encouraged everyone to write in the names of 5 people they would commit to pray for, invest in, serve, and invite to Awaken. We called this our “A-List.”
Everyday this week, I have received emails and texts from AC’ers who are inviting their A-List to church and their friends are saying, “yes!” Love hearing those stories!
As we fast and pray today, I thought I’d give you a few ideas for how you can invite your A-List to join us Sunday for the start of Going All the Way. It’s been reported that over 80% of people who do not go to church are at least somewhat likely to attend if invited by a friend.
Top 10 Ways to Invite Your A-List to Church:
- Pray for them everyday. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in their lives and melt down whatever resistance might exist.
- Take them to lunch, coffee, breakfast, or have them over for dinner. As part of your conversation, hand them an invite and encourage them to come with you.
- Offer to meet for breakfast on Sunday morning and then ride together or caravan to church.
- Offer to meet them at the door or in the parking lot so you can help them know where to go, get their kids checked-in, and, if you’re not volunteering, sit with them in the service.
- Offer to give them a ride on Sunday morning. This could be especially helpful if you are a college student or young professional.
- Send them a link to our website and highlight a few areas that might specifically interest them. For instance, if they have kids, make sure they see the AwakenKids page on our site.
- Download a recent sermon, burn it to a CD, and hand it along with an invite card to your friend. Explain that you wanted to give them a taste of what to expect.
- Let your friend listen to a few songs we sing on Sundays. This is will help them get a feel for the style of our service. Songs like “Glory to God” (Steve Fee), “Our God” (Chris Tomlin), the new “Kingdom Come” (Elevation Worship), and “Mighty to Save” (Hillsong) would work well.
- Offer to take them to lunch or have them over to your house for lunch after the service on Sunday.
- If your friend is having a hard time in their marriage, then use this series as a line of hope. Urge them to come for the sake of their marriage.
These are just a handful of ideas – you can undoubtedly come up with your own and come up with some that are event better than these.
The point: make sure you pray for and invite your friends. You’ve got 72 hours left!
What’s the worse thing that can happen? They say “no” or just throw the invite card in the trash. What’s the best thing that can happen? They say “yes”, hear the gospel, God does a work in their marriage, they trust Jesus as Savior, and follow Him all the days of their lives!
The “yes” is big time worth the invite!
Radical Generosity Displayed
Posted: August 17, 2010 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission 2 Comments »One of the values we want to embody at Awaken Church is Radical Generosity. I hesitate using the word radical, though, because it really should just be Biblical Generosity. But, living biblically is living radically these days…but that’s another blog post altogether.
Sunday night, I took our staff and a handful of leaders from Awaken to worship with and visit our friends at Elevation Church in Charlotte. We had an incredible night and at the end of the service, Pastor Steven Furtick invited me on stage, shared about our friendship and Awaken’s story, and let me share for a couple of minutes with the Elevation crowd. It was a powerful and humbling moment.
But it was only the opening act to what was about to happen.
After the service, our team was heading backstage when several people stopped me to offer encouragement and to even pray over me and for our church, which was awesome. But still, just the opening act.
Just as I was about to walk through the door, someone grabbed my arm. It was a high school student who said, “Pastor, I want you to know I believe in you and I will be praying for you. Here, use this let your team know I am praying with and for you all.”
He then proceeded to empty his pockets and invested $11 and a piece of pocket lint into the ministry of Awaken Church. I was blown away.
Now, to you and me, $11 probably doesn’t seem like much. But what was it to this high school student? And what about him committing to pray for me and our church? And what about him fighting his way through the lines of people to make it to us to offer his encouragement and give what God told him to give.
Radical Generosity is not about the amount of the gift, but about the heart, vision, and obedience that goes with the gift. When God calls, you give. Period. It’s all His anyway. And everything you have is meant for His mission and glory.
You can’t go wrong by being generous. You can’t go wrong by being obedient. You can’t go wrong by investing in God’s rescue mission. Believe it and be generous.
Marked by Moments
Posted: October 15, 2009 Filed under: Mission 2 Comments »Our lives are marked by moments.
First words. First steps. First bike ride. First day of school. First kiss. Graduation. Wedding day.
Some are big like those I just listed. Some are small, routine, and seemingly everyday…yet they have a profound impact.
Last week at Catalyst Conference, what started as a seemingly routine moment turned into a huge one that marked me and our family for life. You can watch the video here. Seriously…do it.
As a result of this moment, our family sponsored our first child through Compassion International. We told Jimmy’s story to our girls before we introduced them to our sponsored child, Bontu, a kindergarten-aged child in Ethiopia. Our girls couldn’t wait to write Bontu a letter and now we pray for her each night. They are being marked now and they know God is using them to make a difference in her life and family. And this is just the beginning.
We plan to highlight initiatives such as Compassion as well as adoption very soon at Awaken. Can’t wait to see how God will move as we do!
Seriously…who knew that $38 dollars per month could lead to a life and a moment like this? We serve an awesomely gracious, sovereign, and good God!
Love Columbia Week
Posted: July 10, 2009 Filed under: Awaken Church, Mission 4 Comments »
Beginning THIS SUNDAY, July 12 and running through next Saturday, July 18, we are going to show the love of Jesus to our city through acts of service and blessing.
We call it…LOVE COLUMBIA WEEK!
On Sunday, we’re doing something a little different. We’re meeting at Polo Road at our regular time of 10:30a, but we won’t stay there. We’re going to kick off LOVE COLUMBIA WEEK the right way! I can’t wait to see how God will use our people on Sunday!
Teams of people will be delivering Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts each morning next week to area businesses and service agencies like fire stations, police stations, nursing homes, hospitals, etc. Right now, we’re scheduled to serve around 150 people per day!
On Wednesday night, we will love on and serve the 176 residents and numerous staff members at Life Care Center of Columbia, a nursing home less that a quarter mile from our meeting location. We asked what they needed the most…and the answer surprised us. Sing hymns! Yep, on Wednesday night, a team of AC’ers will lead a hymn service at Life Care Center! For those of us who aren’t singers, we’ll love and serve the residents during their dinner and during the service.
On Saturday, July 18, we are going to do a clean-up, prayer walk, and block party at a local trailer park that is a haven for drug dealers and has little to no gospel influence. We are praying about “adopting” this community and these people and this will be the first step towards seeing what God has for us there long term.
Next Sunday, July 19, we’ll meet at Polo Road Elementary at 10:30a to celebrate what we saw God do during the week and to share stories of how we have been impacted.
If you are interested in serving in any of these projects or interested in learning more about Awaken Church, we’d love to hear from you! Email Sam Frye (samlfrye@gmail.com) to volunteer for Love Columbia Week and email me (jay.hardwick@gmail.com) for more info on Awaken Church.
AC’ers…let’s get ready to show our city how much we love Jesus and love Columbia!
Together for the Gospel: Fathers and Sons (Part 1)
Posted: July 9, 2009 Filed under: Leadership, Mission 3 Comments »Be sure to read the introduction and first part of this series of posts on healthy, gospel-centered, mission-driven unity. This series was inspired by conversations I participated in and themes I heard at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting three weeks ago in Louisville, KY.
Almost everyday, I talk with young church planters and pastors from all over our state and around the country. Inevitably, the conversations turn in the same directions and land on the same challenges.
The church planter is struggling to raise money and to make wise leadership decisions in planting his church. His inexperience and hidden fears are being exposed more and more everyday and he knows it.
The young pastor of an already established church is dealing with the inevitable discontent that comes with leading change. He just can’t figure out how to lead his church to renewed focus and gospel-effectiveness. Patience is what’s required and he’s running dangerously low.
At the end of every conversation, I’m left with two feelings. One, an increased level of gratitude for the pastors/leaders who have invested and who are investing in me. Two, an increased brokenness for my brothers in ministry who do not have that kind of relationship.
Fathers, it’s time to step up and love your sons. I’m talking about older, established pastors loving…really loving…the younger pastors and church planters that God has placed around you.
My dad and I were about as different as a father and son can be. He was short; I’m tall. He was stocky; I’m skinny. He was a handyman and could build or fix anything; I call people to build and fix stuff. He was a quiet administrator; I’m a loud motivator.
As different as we were, one thing I never doubted: My dad loved me and supported me. Always.
When I screwed up, he still loved and supported me. When he didn’t agree with me, he still loved and supported me. When I wouldn’t listen and then paid for my mistakes, he still loved and supported me.
Older pastors…us younger pastors need the same kind of relationship with YOU! Yes, we’re different – our hair is different, our dress is different, our worship styles are different, our church strategies are different, our church names are different, our preaching styles are different…
But on one front, we are the same. We love Jesus and we are laser-focused on the Great Commission! And we need you to help us succeed…and by helping us succeed, you are helping the gospel succeed in your city!
This got a little long, so I am breaking it into two parts. Part 2 has some stories and ideas and will post tomorrow…
Together for the Gospel: Sons and Fathers
Posted: July 8, 2009 Filed under: Leadership, Mission 1 Comment »Yesterday, I wrote an introduction for this series of posts on healthy, gospel-centered unity. If you missed it, make sure you read it so that you approach this and the next two posts with the right context.
When I speak of sons and fathers, I am not talking about the biological son/father relationship. Rather, I am speaking of a “son in the ministry” and a “father in the ministry.” Just like every son needs a father, every young pastor needs a “father in the ministry.”
Sadly, just like many sons go through life without a dad either by choice or by tragedy, many “sons in the ministry” labor for the gospel without a “father in the ministry” to lean on and learn from.
If we are going to see healthy, gospel-centered, mission-driven unity, the relationship between sons and fathers must be strong. It’s a two-way street and I’ll talk about the other side tomorrow, but today we’re talking about the foundational side.
Young pastor, just as you are called to honor your biological father, you are also called to honor your fathers in the ministry. If you love Jesus and care about the gospel advancing in your city, you must honor your fathers in the ministry.
We stand on the shoulders of these men. We run on the trails they have blazed. We harvest the fields they have planted and toiled in for years. Yet we often treat them like their voices, labor, experience and leadership are meaningless and antiquated.
We think…what they couldn’t do, we can and will. The questions we perceive they could not answer or didn’t answer well, we will answer and we don’t need them to help. The ideas they could not or did not run with, we will run with them…and we will succeed…without their help.
In the midst of our white-hot vision, we forget that some of the men pastoring in our cities led with the exact same white-hot vision 30 years ago. We forget that the men who seem so antiquated to us now were pushing the envelope years ago. We forget that they were the church planters who planted churches way before it was cool to plant churches. We forget that they were the missionaries taking the gospel to the nations way before there were the resources available like we have today.
We forget that they have learned and forgotten more than we could have possibly learned to this point. We forget that they have made mistakes that we are about to make…and have learned that lessons that we need to learn. We forget that they have led people, led change, celebrated victory and endured pain much, much more than we have.
We forget. And when we forget, we get arrogant. And when we get arrogant, we hurt the gospel because we break unity. We become idolators, worshipping our way as the way, our voice as the voice, our church as the church. It’s sinful and it must stop.
In order to see healthy, gospel-centered, mission-driven unity in our cities, the needed posture is honor. Young pastors, we must honor our fathers in the ministry. They’ve already earned it. Now, we must show it.
Young pastor, when was the last time you shared a cup of coffee or a meal with an older, established pastor simply to ask questions and learn from his experiences? Young pastor, when was the last time you wrote a thank you note to an older, established pastor? Young pastor, when was the last time you prayed for an older, established pastor and asked God to bless and use him and his church?
Sure, some won’t respond. It might surprise you who will and who won’t respond. But it doesn’t mean that you don’t show honor. For the ones who do respond, you have a gift…a true gift. You have a father in the ministry.
I am convinced that if we will give honor, we’ll see the kind of response we really want and need from our fathers in the ministry. More on that tomorrow along with some personal stories…
Fathers, Sons, and Brothers…Together for the Gospel
Posted: July 7, 2009 Filed under: Mission 8 Comments »It didn’t take much thought to pick up on a theme that seemed to run through every sermon, every presentation, every hallway conversation, and every shared meal at the SBC Annual Meeting two weeks ago. In fact, this theme didn’t just pop up when everyone descended on Louisville, KY – it was evident in conversations and meetings I had been a part of in our state for several months.
Jesus prayed for it in John 17, Paul called the church at Corinth to display it in 1 Corinthians 12, and Paul called for the church at Ephesus to protect it in Ephesians 4.
The bottom line is that if we are going to see a true, Great Commission Resurgence…a true move of God in our denomination…or any denomination or church or anything else for that matter…there must be a healthy, gospel-centered unity already in place.
The call for unity in the SBC is a call to move past generational and methodological differences in an effort to partner together for gospel advancement in our cities, our nation, and around the world. We can do far more together than any of us could do apart. And when we display gospel unity to the world, they see and believe in the One we love, worship, and preach (John 17).
The flip side is also true…when we bicker, compete, fight, slander, gossip, and act like fools, we do serious damage to the gospel work God has called us to locally and globally.
Uniting around the gospel is hard…kind of like sometimes your marriage is hard, your kids drive you crazy, and you wonder if it’s all worth it. But to disregard it and act like we are exempt from it is to completely disregard Jesus’ prayer for us to be one.
The gospel-centered unity that we need is not just in our individual churches. While certainly that is important and applicable, the greater need is that we begin to see gospel-centered unity in our cities. That pastors who love Jesus and are focused on the Great Commission lock arms together for the gospel in their city. That church planters are welcomed with opened arms by existing pastors and churches. That older, traditional church pastors and young, hip, contemporary pastors meet at the same table with the same broken heart for the city and the same determination to see the gospel advance and the same commitment to work together to see it happen.
Over the next couple of days, I am going to share 3 key relationships where I think this kind of gospel-centered unity needs to be more clearly seen. In each relationship, there is a natural posture and there is a needed posture. The natural postures fight unity because they’re born in pride while the needed postures foster unity because they are born in humility.
I hope you’ll track with me and engage in the conversation. Let’s get together…for the gospel!
