Hey Brother!

Wow! Didn’t have a chance to talk to you after the service …just wanted to tell you how powerful the message was today….It was so “real” that people were “still” listening … to the point that you could hear a needle drop….Our prayers are that the Holy Spirit protect, guide and continue to speak into your heart…that you continue to walk in the spirit, leading us to the “Renewed North Pointe Church”.  It is exciting to be part of the church and to see what God is doing.

Jorge & Lisette

I’m just humbled that I get to be used by God. Someone else said to me today, “if we keep this up we’ll be at 10,000 before you know it.”  I want to make clear for one: God is moving supernaturally each week. If I were you, I would not miss another Sunday.

Secondly I’m not in this to grow another mega church where people show up because it’s popular and cool. I’m excited that we are growing so quickly and that everyone can see a future that is bigger than us ahead, but we need your prayers to disciple all those who are coming to christ, and that this will be a church that has no room for earthly things and is aware that time is short so we live as if each day is our last. As we do this, there is no telling what God will bless us with. Thank you for allowing me to be one of the pastors here at the NPC.

Colossians 3:1 1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Paul says don’t set your minds on earthly things. We start putting people down when we set our minds on earthly things.

When psychologists Cliff Nortarius and Howard Markman studied newlyweds over the first decade of marriage, they discovered that couples who stayed together uttered 5 or fewer put-downs in every 100 comments to each other. But couples who inflicted twice as many verbal wounds — 10 or more putdowns out of every 100 comments — later split up.

When we start to put people down it is a clear sign that we have stopped lifting Christ up and taken our eyes off of heavenly things. When we do the price to be payed is great.

So next time you want to put someone down let it be a warning that you need to refocus and set your on heavenly things again. Step away from the situation you’re in, take a breather, pray, take a walk, listen to a worship song. Do something to reset your mind on heavenly things then get back to what you were dong with new focus.

Spent an hour in prayer today. Solid face to face time with God and I’m just blown away more and more each day. With seeing new leaders arise… So many salvations, a need to mentor so many, 16 salvations last month, our fast finishing in 2 days, 160 salvations in a little more than a year and I could go on and on. But why? Why here, me, now? Why are we growing each week?  I am so inadequate, so undeserving, so not the typical pastor. I am the evidence God chooses the least to confound the wise.

The more I look at what is happening and where God has taken this church, taken me, I am made more and more humble and it is why continue to move to what is more and more simple and to do what is biblical. Thank you God. I know that tomorrow it could all be taken away. Thank you for allowing me today!  Thank you everyone who has poured into me, shaped me, corrected me, loved me, prayed for me, forgiven me, allowing me to be your pastor, challenged me, and still allow me to be me. You are the same beloved spoken of in Scripture.

Maybe you’re one of those people trying to hold your family together. You recognized that if you didn’t step up your game your family would fall apart. Your family is made of such a motley crew that they would fall apart without you. In the process of doing so you developed this self martyr complex, this matriarch or patriarch approach to life where you become the life blood of your family. Maybe you began to cover for your family, your children when they sin. Maybe you live in denial of the way your spouse lives constantly cleaning up after the messes they make.

As you’ve done so you are heaping responsibilities and weight on your self that you do not have the strength to carry. We were never meant to be the object that holds the family together.  That is God’s responsibility. Unintentionally you’ve become a statue like nebuchadnezzar made to try to bring his Kingdom of babylon together to prevent his dream in chapter 2 from coming true.

In Chapter 2 of Daniel nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a statue made of gold and bronze, iron and stone. The statue was pieced together to represent the kingdom He had built and how unstable it was. The gold head of the statue represented nebuchadnezzar. So Nebuchadnezzar in chapter three builds an image out of gold to try to bring the kingdom in order.

It doesn’t say what the image was. We only know it was Gold, but taking what we know from chapter 2 we can suppose that it is a “statyou” it is an image of himself in gold but not pieced together with different metals. He tries on his own to bring the kingdom in order by his rules. This never works and it didn’t work for King Nebuchadnezzar and trying to bring your world, your family into balance on your own it will never work. Stop building a “StatYOU”

Ever forget something you shouldn’t have?  Ever forget something you never wanted to forget? At the start of 2 Peter I think the church may have been acting like they forgot something. It is a reminder to me that we need to have people and systems in our life to stir up our minds.

2 Peter 3:1 this is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder. “

So what was the first letter? He wrote 1 Peter. He’s reminding them of a prior letter. Did you forget the last letter i sent you? I can see them standing around looking at each other – “First letter, first letter? who picked up the mail last time? Did you pay our post office box deposit last month? “

We are forgetful. Solomon said so Peter reminds them of his love and God’s love for them in calling them beloved and then says i just want to give you a reminder, i want to stir your mind. He’s not trying to influence, entertain or convict, just stir their minds. Honestly, if we don’t want to listen we won’t. It’s like seed landing on hard ground. Peter is like look, you’ve heard this before so in this second letter I just want to stir your mind.

Sometimes we don’t need a grand new start or to learn a new methodology. Sometimes we just need someone or something to stir our mind out of our forgetfulness. Who is that person in your life who will stir you when you get stagnant? What books are you reading to keep your mind stirred? Are you getting enough exercise or are you allowing laziness and TV and video games to induce catatonic state.  Find a Peter and a letter that will stir your mind this week.

How many times do we fall into the trap of people pleasing? If your experiences have been anything like mine, all it creates is stress and fear, anxiety and trepidation. Look at who the Apostle Paul tells us to please:

Romans 14:17-19 ¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.¹⁹Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

If you want to please someone, please God and he lays out how to do it. Not worldly things, but spiritual things. But these spiritual things only come from God to begin with. Righteousness, is not something we produce. Peace that transcends understanding is from God. Joy is only found from being in the spirit. So Paul says to please God just use what he has already given you. When we please God this way men will approve us. I’m not saying they are going to be more fond of you or celebrate you, but what can they say to the truth, to doing what is Holy and just? More to the point you can be certain that you’ve done all you can do that is righteous and right. You can still have peace even when they don’t want you to.

Most of the time we try to please the people around us, tell people what they want to hear, do what they want us to do, etc. but Paul says that is not the way that leads to peace and mutual edification. Any time we try to get around Scripture and handle a situation, problem, relationship some other way we will not find peace and edification. So start today pleasing God and in doing so you will find yourself bring peace to others as well as yourself and you will learn a valuable lesson that will change your life.

Ever go to someone thinking you were right then to find out you were mistaken. While growing up, I remember hearing neighbors yell at me and my friends- “I’ll teach you a lesson.” Doesn’t sound too swift does it. It’s not always fun to be “taught a lesson.”  I’ve been there many times. Sometimes it’s hard to be humble. However, I’ve found the way to increase your certainty is to simply be biblical. We can’t argue with truth, although I know sometimes it is difficult to accept. Paul instructs us on how to receive biblical instruction:

^{Galatians 6:6 6}Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

When someone sits down and instructs you with Scripture, Scripture is the key, not opinion, not personal ideologies, or philosophies, but Scripture we are to share in it’s goodness. We are to reciprocate goodness back to the one who showed it to us, we are to partake in the fruits of the instruction.

What we aren’t suppose to do is leave upset with ourself, disillusioned that our “instructor” who ever it may be didn’t hear our argument. We are to leave bitter or frustrated with ourself thinking – “if I had just been more prepared.” Look you can prepare a better argument against the truth.

So surround yourself with wise and biblical instructors. Surrender to Scripture. Finally share in the good things it brings to you and reflect them back to your instructor because the Bible says he deserves it.

I’ve been spending so much time in prayer for our church family and I’m sure many of you have too. The power has been praying along with Scripture. It is Scripture that fuels our prayers and gives us wisdom. It is the word that cross exams us to make certain that we are praying for God’s heart’s desire and not our own.  This fast has helped me to do that. I have received so much encouragement during this fast as I hear story after story of lives being challenged and changed. I have seen our church and God’s beloved raise their game for Him.

Our young church has seen 4 salvations a week during January. We’ve seen our fast go from the heart of God through an imperfect pastor, humbled to be a part of a great work here to the hearts of the body of Christ to brothers and sisters across the country to others across the globe. It has been absolutely amazing to be a part of this journey to begin 2010. God is using The NPC to leave His mark on our city. What’s going on @ The NPC is God is MOVING! Come make a mark with us!

I shared with our church that we should all be seeking what God wanted us to hear during this fast. As we’ve gone through our series X we’ve prayed and asked God to reveal his mark in our life and the mark we will leave in others. Here are some specific things I have been praying for. I would love to know what you have been led to pray for during this fast. Please share.

1. Our church to leave God’s mark on this city in 2010
2. For those from our church family on missions around the world
3. For Haiti and what our next steps will be to serve the orphanage there
4. For individuals to discover where they will leave God’s mark
5. New Elders and Pastors in The NPC in 2010 and those beginning the process this year
6. For individuals to repent, seek God’s face and share a single  spiritual heart beat
7. For our church family to see God and understand his word more clearly and fuller
8. For the leaders of NPC to have wisdom and lead biblically and spiritually.
9. To disciple all of those coming to Christ each week
10. For God to raise up mentors to mentor
11. For our prayer ministry to be started this year
12. For adding services in Easter and saturday services in the Summer
13. For land and a future full time location as we continue to grow. Potentially buying our existing location expanding and turning it into a future multi campus site
14. Financial stewardship in the body and to be known as a generous church
15. For Pastor Craig and his family as they go through their Chinese Drywall relocation/rebuild
16. For the vision of our church to be clearly caught by those on the fast and to hear the same voice of God
17. For pre-ordained opportunities for our church to share Christ with our neighbors and friends in the tampa, new tampa, wesley chapel, zepherhills, Land O Lakes area.
18. For the families, married couples and singles and teens to recommit their lives to Christ during this fast
19. For the new band members and worship leaders, missionaries, teachers, pastors, who will be raised up and sent out from our church body
20. To keep us humble as God is blessing so blatantly and fully
21. For the nearly 200 people who have accepted Christ in 2 years that they will continue to grow in him and biblical literacy and to be protected from the attacks from the father of lies.
22. For our church to be a seed bed of spiritual marriages and relationships that radiate the light and heart of God.
23. That we will live by Gal. 5:6 “Nothing else matters but faith lived out through love.
24. That there won’t be a course word or joke uttered by those who call themselves Christians at The NPC.
25. That when called upon by their elders and pastors the body has such trust in them and the leaders have such a fear of God and accountability with each other it will be clear it is a word from God.
26. That everyone in The NPC have the opportunity to baptize someone in their lifetime.

God I pray you will let it be so! Forgive our sins. I pray you will grant us the desires of the heart that you are bringing together during this fast. A-men.

John Piper’s book A hunger for God is an awesome book on fasting. A dear friend and sister in the lord sent me a note today that again confirmed our corporate fast. In fact, it was a conversation with her the day before I spoke on fasting at NPC when this woman asked me to pray and fast for her healing so she could boldly present the witness of Christ in a culture that is dangerous towards us and what we believe to be true and what we know to be true in our heart by the spirit. God used her to affirm what he would have this church do and has now used her to encourage us at the 1/2 way mark. I am truly in awe of how God works. She is also fasting with us 1/2 a world away as I pray and fast for her too.

I quoted from this book in my first message 4 weeks ago and because my dear friend has again reminded me of this book and that she is also fasting with us, her church family, on the other side of the globe I feel convicted that I must get this book to you as well.

May God bless you in your reading.