Reflections...

* We finished up the series ALL IN on yesterday... spoke on "What An ALL IN Church Looks Like", from Acts 2:42-47... probably my favorite passage in all of Scripture!

* Maybe one of the biggest principles of Scripture that we miss in today's church is that God is a miraculous God (Acts 2:43)! Whether it's restoring sight or restoring a broken marriage... healing the terminally ill or healing a racist heart, God still works in incredible, unimaginable ways! (and don't send me any crazy comments on not being "Pentecostal"... neither am I!!!) He didn't begin to show His miraculous power in the New Testament... it's a thread that runs throughout all of Scripture... and it's a thread that should still be evident in the lives of His people. If we really take Him at His word, our lives (and our churches) will be unxplainable!

* Sometimes we focus so much on the "latest" technological innovation in worship, or the "best" outreach strategy, or how we can we can really "wow" people with our creative environments (and ALL of these are both good and necessary), that - if we're not careful - we can forget how very badly we need the touch of God on our ministry! It is always THE LORD who adds growth to our churches (Acts 2:47). However, if you don't use the creativity, innovation, and strategies that He makes available to you, your services will suck and your church won't grow much. :-)

* I'm realizing more and more that creating environments for people to do life together is essential for ministry. The early church spent a whole lotta time together! (Acts 2:44, 46)

* One key principle of the early church was that they devoted themselves (Acts 2:42) to some basic things early on: the apostles' teaching (learning to live out the life of Jesus), fellowship (community... doing life together, including sharing meals and celebrating communion), and prayer (spending time talking AND LISTENING to God). The part we usually miss out on is that they "devoted THEMSELVES"... they didn't have to be pulled, prodded, or poked - they made a very conscious and intentional decision to passionately pursue spiritual growth! Why do we often see the opposite? Rick McKinley gives a very good reason in his book This Beautiful Mess: "One of the biggest challenges to following Jesus... is not a lack of direction, but a lack of desire. Most of us don't really want to do it." That about sums it up! Usually, the main reason why we don't pursue growth... is because we don't want to put forth the effort. Tight... but true. ;-)