October/31/ 2021 Filed in:
All In 2021Proverbs 27:23 “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; 24 for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.”
1 Samuel 3:1-10 “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Why does Next Gen Ministry matter?
1. God speaks TO young people
Isaiah 55:11 ESV “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Psalm 8:2 BSB “From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
1 Samuel 3:1 “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.”
a. Family matters
b. Frequency matters
c. Environment matters
d. Teachers matter
2. God works THROUGH young people
1 Samuel 3:11-18 “And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” 15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”
I Timothy 4:12 “ Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
3. The church is called TO young people
1 Samuel 3:19-21 TLB “As Samuel grew, the Lord was with him and people listened carefully to his advice. 20 And all Israel from one end of the land to the other knew that Samuel was going to be a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord began to give messages to him there at the Tabernacle in Shiloh”
October/23/ 2021 Filed in:
All In 202165 people completed Lifetrack and became Members of Lifegate
74 people Baptized
16 children Dedicated
28 people went on a Mission Trip in 2021
278 people gave to the Mission of Lifegate Church
58 people Committed their Life to Jesus
WE WANT OUR DREAMS TO BE BIGGER THAN OUR MEMORIES.
Judges 2:8-11 “Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance…in the hill country of Ephraim…
After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals.”
Ronald Reagan “Freedom is never more than just one generation away from extinction”
Three major shifts in our culture…
1. Screen discipleship
2. Family breakdown
3. Decline in church attendance
What does it take to raise up future generations?
1. An example that is AUTHENTIC
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commands that I give you today are to be upon your heart, impress them on your children, talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates”
2. A church that is STRATEGIC
3. An experience that is DYNAMIC
Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
October/01/ 2021
Wonder-filled
“It’s one thing to be lost Wondering about God another to be lost in the Wonder of God.”
I. Jesus was filled with Wonder….
1. Wonder-filled Words
Matthew 7:28 (NLT) The crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority.
2. Wonder-filled Works
Luke 5:26 (NIV) Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."
Mark 9:15 (NIV) As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
Luke 19:1-10 (NIV) 1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
A. Zacchaeus had issues…
1. A chief tax collector.
2. He was rich.
3 He was small.
The wonder of Zacchaeus
Luke 18:15-17 (NLT) 15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. 16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.
A. Curiosity.
Proverbs 25:2-3 (NIV) It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
Things that squelch curiosity….
- Making excuses
- Being unteachable.
Looking elsewhere.
B. Joy and gladness!
Luke 12:32 (NLT) It gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
“Holiness that isn't happy isn't holiness.”
III. Cultivating Wonder
A. Go out on a limb
B. Posture Yourself
C. Respond to the invitation
Luke 19:10 (NIV) The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
“Zacchaeus went from being lost in sin to being lost in wonder!”
