* Closed our our Hostage series today with a message about "Breaking Free from Hang-Ups".
* Preached on the story of the woman at the well from John4.
* People usually think the story is about the woman, but I'm convinced that Jesus was also dealing with the hang up of legalism that so many people deal with.
* I know a lot of Christians who are more concerned with their personal piety than the broken people living around them...this is a real issue that I deal with on a personal level.
* Great summer crowd today...roughly 350 in worship...even with a good group gone to share about our Pekin Campus launch with Ottawa First Nazarene.
* We sent Matt, Chuck, Kevin, Ryan, Dave, Brit, Rhonda, and a couple other families to Ottawa to share what God has been doing at BridgeWay, and to share how they could help us launch another site in Pekin.
* Thanks to Brian Wangler for allowing our team to share this vision with your congregation...and thanks for receiving our team so well.
* Also, thanks for the generous love offering that will cover 1 round of marketing for our fall launch.
* So proud of our Celebrate Recovery Team!
* Saturday night was the kickoff for our Celebrate Recovery ministry at BridgeWay.
* Great first meeting, and a great group of volunteer leaders...and some powerful testimonies of how God is using CR to set people free from addictions and hang-ups.
* Can't wait to see how God uses this ministry!
* I have a couple of big meetings tomorrow...prayers would be appreciated.
* Next Sunday we kick off a new series called "One Prayer"...don't miss it...see you there!

Acts 27:11 "But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship"

How often have people headed into shipwreck because they refused to listen to the word of God. As a pastor one of the most difficult things to do is to warn people of the potential for shipwreck if they continue in the direction they are heading, and to watch them ignore clear direction from Scripture. Somehow they have convinced themselves that they are a special case. That they can ignore the warning signs and come out okay in the end.

Question, what storm are you getting ready to sail into that Scripture would have you avoid, but you've convinced yourself, "I'm a special case"?

Acts 25:2-3 "when the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. they urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way."

It has always amazed me what people are willing to do in the name of defending and protecting their established way of life. I've found this to be true in the lives of individuals when they are trying to protect a sinful behavior or habit in their lives as well. They are so tied to their old way of life that any threat to it must be taken out. I've seen people with addictions to alcohol harm the very people who are trying to help them discover the truth about their situation. All in an effort to protect an old way of life.

What old way of life or habit are you protecting by attacking the people who are trying to help you discover the truth?

Acts 24:25 "As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.'"

Preaching the truth of the gospel will make a lot of people uncomfortable.

I've talked with a lot of people who have done exactly what Felix does...hear the truth of the gospel, become uncomfortable, and send the messenger away with the words "I'll call you when it's convenient".

Listen, we can't wait until it's convenient to accept Christ. Following Jesus is never the convenient thing to do. It calls for right-living, self-control, and an eternal perspective...things that most of us would rather not think about right now....maybe later....when it's more convenient.

Acts 18:17 "Then they (the Jews) all turned on Sostheness the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever."

Legalism eventually turns on itself and devours its leadership. The Jews were attacking Paul because of his teaching of Jesus and of ways to worship God that didn't fit into their rules and regulations. After realizing that their attacks on Paul were not going to work, they turned on their leaders, actually beating them in public. Legalism is a violent approach to faith. It is more concerned with defending a system than it is with knowing and worshiping God. Too often the church has become legalistic, trying to attack people who don't fit into their understanding of how God works. Then when they can't discredit their opposition, they actually begin to fight among themselves.

Too often the church has been more concerned about fighting with its leaders than it is with sharing the message of Jesus with others.

Question: What do I spend more time doing...sharing Christ with others or fighting with others?

Acts 17:11 "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

I love the emphasis on the character of the Bereans. Character makes or breaks you. It is the foundation of all of the beliefs you hold, actions you take, and decisions you make. Consider all of the decisions you've made in the last month...what do they say about your character?

Luke points out that the basis for strong character was found in two things:

1) Eagerness to learn.

2) Careful examination of the facts.

This is the difference between people and character and those without character:

Weak Character says, "I know best"
Strong Character says, "God knows best"

Weak Character says, "I'm smarter than you"
Strong Character says, "Someone is probably smarter than me"

Weak Character says, "Let me tell you"
Strong Character says, "Can you tell me"

Weak Character says, "I don't care about the facts"
Strong Character says, "Let's check our facts"

Weak Character says, "I don't care what the Bible says"
Strong Character says, "Let's see what the Bible says"

How are you doing at developing character?

* Started a new series called "Hostage" today.
* Too many people are being held hostage by their past hurts, and it has led to present habits and hang-ups that are keeping them from living the full life that God has for them.
* It was an intense day at BridgeWay all day.
* I told Steph right before the message in the 11am service that I felt a heaviness in my spirit that was so great that I didn't know if I could preach...I actually felt that way both services...God was really working both at 9:30 and 11:00.
* Great worship set too..."Today is the Day", "Your Grace is Enough", and "You Never Let Go".
* Had some sound issues at 11am, but pretty flawless at 9:30.
* They really packed them in at 11am today...the First Impressions team did a great job greeting and seating people...very friendly and helped to pack a few more people in.
* Chuck's version of NIN's "Hurt" was hauntingly moving especially at 9:30.
* Appreciated Jill sharing her story with us today...takes guts to put it out there like that for everyone to see.
* We'll be sharing another story next Sunday from Dave Gama...one of the bass players at BridgeWay and a part of the Celebrate Recovery Leadership team...don't miss it!
* Overwhelmed at the stories I heard from people today during the prayer time at the close of worship...God is doing some amazing things in the life of people in our church.
* Prayed with 2 people to accept Christ after worship...God was so present that even without a specific call to salvation there were 2 people who made decisions to follow Jesus Christ!
* So much hurt out there and Satan would like nothing better than to convince you that you are alone in your pain...it's simply not true...everyone has a story of hurt and pain.
* The launch of Celebrate Recovery in just 2 weekends away!
* Looking at the team God has put togther, it's going to be great!
* I'll be there and even offered to grill out for the event...if you're thinking about coming I'll look forward to seeing you there!
* We should have invite cards for CR by next Sunday.
* Watching the Red Wings and Blackhawks play in the Western Conference Finals...1-1 at the end of the first period...go Wings!
* Softball game at 7pm tonight...2-1 so far this season...trying to take our winning streak to 3.
* Planning on watching the Celtics/Magic game after softball...go Celts!
* Also getting pretty excited to welcome a summer intern for the summer...Kyan Glenn will be joining our staff as a summer intern from Olivet starting next weekend.
* Getting ready for the 2nd period to start so gotta go...see you all next Sunday...I'll be preaching on how to break free from Addiction!

Acts 12:5 "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."

This little phrase "but the church" seemed to jump off the page at me today. Peter was in prison, "but the church" was earnestly praying. It's an indicator that Luke is saying, "look out" something big is about to happen here. It looks like Peter is destined for the same end as James (who was killed)..."but the church" was earnestly praying.

What situations in your life look like they are headed for tragedy?

What would happen if the church began to earnestly pray for what appears to be a situation of eminent doom?

What situations in our community appear to be hopeless.?

I believe that God wants to transform seemingly hopeless situations...and he wants to use his church to make it happen.

70,000 people with no church home in Tazewell County..."but the church"....let's finish the rest of the sentence!

Acts 10:15 "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

We love to label things...sinful...not sinful...good...evil...clean...unclean. Not only do we label things and activities, but we also label people. Christian...non-Christian...Sinner...Saint...Godly...unGodly...sanctified...not sanctified. What if we stopped labeling people, and started loving them. What if we stopped trying to clean people up, and let God do the cleaning. What if our job wasn't to label, but to simply share the message of Christ and allow God's Holy Spirit to do the work that we too often try to do for God.

Acts 9:26-27
"When he (Saul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. he told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus."

Imagine what would have happened if Barnabas hadn't seen in Saul what he could be in Christ. Imagine if he hadn't stepped up, stood up, and spoke up for Saul to the other disciples. This was a big risk for Barnabas. It was a bold move. He puts his reputation on the line for Saul, a persecutor of the church, a murderer of Christians.

Question: do I spend more time with the disciples discussing all the reasons why we shouldn't let someone serve in ministry or do I look at what God is doing through them, and speak up, step up, and speak out on their behalf?

* Happy Mother's Day mom!
* That's right she gets the first blog love of the day.
* Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful wife Steph too! Thanks for being a great mom to our three girls.
* I'm never quite sure what to expect on Mother's Day at BridgeWay.
* In most churches Mother's Day is a big day, but in church plants it's usually a little light because people are going to church with their mothers at their mom's churches....so we're usually down in attendance on Mother's Day.
* This year was different...new faces everywhere and 403 in worship...that's crazy compared to where we were just one year ago...God is on the move.
* Today was the last week of our God at the Movies series and we closed out with a pretty intense set list and message on living heroic lives.
* The band's set list was off great: Dangerous by decembradio; Let God Arise by Tomlin; Son of God by Starfield; The Love of God by Mercy Me; and My Hero by Foo Fighters...we closed the service with My Hero and a video montage from The Passion of the Christ...powerful.
* I preached a pretty strong message on living heroic lives modeled after the life of Christ.
* People are looking for heroes, and the church should be full of the most heroic people.
* Too many people settle for talking about what "should" be, rather than helping to bring about what "could" be.
* Heroes have a propensity to take action...the only thing that separates heroes from bystanders is that heroes take action.
* Most people take far to long to act, and by the time they do it's usually too late...this is also true of churches.
* Too many churches today are making changes in 2009 that should have been made in 1989...not only true of churches, but true of individuals, businesses, and non-profits too...hmmm.
* When heroes act they had better be prepared to be misunderstood...Jesus went from being a hero to being misunderstood and crucified in 24 hours.
* Most of us live mediocre lives because we don't want to be crucified...hmmm...let that one sink in.
* Love this quote from Erwin McManus, "Jesus died the most heroic death in history, so we could live our most heroic lives for humanity."
* Okay, I'd better stop...I'm preaching here.
* Exciting week coming up...2009-2010 sermon planning on Tuesday, worship team interviews and creative planning on Tuesday too...Leadership Team planning and meeting Wednesday...POPS in Bloomington and Celebrate Life at Olivet on Thursday, Celebrate Life at Olivet on Friday and Saturday, and then worship on Sunday...Using Monday to prepare to kick the rest of the week in the tail.
* Also really excited about kicking off a new series next Sunday called "Hostage"...we'll be talking about how to be set free from past hurts...bring someone with you who's dealing with pain the hurts of life...I promise you will not regret it!
* One last thing has me pretty excited and that is Celebrate Recovery which is kicking off in just 2 weeks...look out...we're going to make a major impact for the kingdom with this one.
* Okay seriously one last thing I'm excited about...we're down to 21 days in our 28 Days of Prayer initiative...how are you doing...we're reading through Acts, fasting, and praying...I'll share my thoughts on Acts chapter 9 tomorrow!
* Have a great week BridgeWay!

Acts 6:10-11
None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God."

One of the things that I've seen far too often is people who spread lies and rumors about others. I pretty much have no grace for people who tear others down and who spread rumors about others (even if they are true). At our All About BridgeWay Lunch (our welcome class for new people at BridgeWay) I make a pretty big deal that we are not a church that will put up with gossip or speaking negatively about others (regardless of the validity of the rumor). I pray that God helps us all to see the need for a spirit of unity and the power of his Spirit at work in and through our church.

Some crazy stuff going on in Acts chapter 5...Ananias & Sapphira drop dead for lying...hundreds of people being healed...and one of the most influential passages in my ministry.

When God first birthed the dream to be a part of planting a church in my heart I had a lot of questions, fears and even doubts about it. I questioned if I had really heard from God or if I just wanted to do something different. I was afraid of failure. I even doubted my ability to do the difficult work of starting a church from nothing.

I've learned when you are following a dream that God has birthed inside of you that all of these things are normal. Questions, fears and doubts. Even the greatest leaders go through them at sometime.

One of the passages that has really helped me process my questions, doubts and fears has been Acts 5:38-39. Here Peter and the apostles are brought before Gamaliel (an honored member of the Sanhedrin) and Gamaliel says these words about the work of the apostles:

"I advise you to leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

When following the dreams that God has placed inside of you, know this...if they are your idea, they will fail...but...if they have been placed their by God, nothing can stand in your way!

Today is day 4 in our 28 Day of Prayer. As a part of this initiative we also called for our church to fast something in their life to make room for the presence of God. I've received a lot of feedback and questions from people about fasting. Many in our church are fasting for the first time. So here are some basic thoughts on why we fast based on Isaiah 58:

1. We fast to lead us to EXAMINE our MOTIVES.

2. We fast to lead us from SELFISHNESS into SERVICE.

3. We fast to discover the DIRECTION of GOD.

4. We fast to experience the JOY of PARTICIPATION in the KINGDOM OF GOD.

Question: What has God been doing in your life through this period of fasting?

'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

vs29-31 - "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
I'm convinced a great barrier to the effectiveness of the church today is a lack of boldness in sharing the message of Jesus Christ. We think of boldness as being willing to take a stand for Jesus in our workplace by leaving a Bible on our desk, or by praying before we eat lunch. I'm convinced the kind of boldness the apostles were praying for was a boldness to advance the message and work of Jesus no matter the cost. This meant sacrifice. This meant a willingness to lay aside their own personal comfort for the cause of Christ. This is the kind of boldness that many Christians are unwilling to pray for today.

God may we be bold in our sharing of your message. May we cast bold vision. May we take bold actions. May we preach boldly the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. May we boldly sacrifice our comforts and self-interests for the message and mission of Christ!

v2 - "Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts."

Something hit me about this verse this morning as I was reading it. Over the winter I watched the film Slumdog Millionaire, and a scene from that movie came to mind. It was the scene where children, who were living as slaves,were being used to beg for the benefit of their masters. So I began to do some reading on this story. And one of the interesting things I discovered is that there are several scholars who believe that this beggar was not begging for his own benifit, but was being used by others to beg for money. It's very possible that not only was this man captive to his physical limitations, but that he had never experienced a day of freedom in his entire life. That is until he has a life changing encounter with the power of Jesus Christ at work through Peter & John.

I'm convinced that there are thousands of people living in Tazewell County who have been held captive and are in need of being set free. That's why I'm so excited about our upcoming series "Hostage" that starts in two weeks! We'll be looking at three of the biggest things that hold us captive, and discovering how Jesus Christ can set us free...I can't wait!

One last thought:
v11-12 - "While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them...When Peter saw this, he said to them: 'Men of Israel, why does this suprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?"

I'm reminded here that Peter refused to take any of the credit for what God had done through his ministry. Peter could have said, "Look at what God did through me...if I hadn't been here this man wouldn't have been healed....sure it was God at work, but he worked through me!" But Peter didn't do any of that. He actually realized that what had just taken place had nothing to do with him, and he deflected all the attention back to God. I love that!

Here's some of what stood out to me from Acts chapter 2 this morning:
* v1 - "they were all together in one place"
- The disciples had done exactly what Jesus had told them to do...remain together and waiting for the Holy Spirit. I'm convinced one of the greatest barriers to God's movement is a lack of obedience to do what Jesus has told us to do.
* v12 - "Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?'"
- Great moves of God should bring with them a sense of awe and wonder. I've been amazed at what God has been doing in and through our church.
* v14 - "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd..."
- One of the roles of a leader is to stand up and help people to understand exactly what this move of God means. I'm challenged today that part of my role in leadership is to discern what God is up to in our church and explain it to others in a way that points them to Christ.
* v18 - "Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days..."
- One of my favorite verses in the Bible. The Spirit of God is not exclusive, but inclusive. The call of God is a call to both men and women.
* v37 - "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do.'"
- The preaching of Jesus should always work in people's hearts and should call them to ask the question, "What shall we do." Preaching must always lead to action.
* v39 - "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call."
- Peter is talking about us when he says, "all who are far off"...I like that part.
* v42-47
- A great example of what the church should look like: teaching the Bible, genuine community, prayer, compassion, evangelism.

I'm excited to be reading through Acts with our congregation. I'll be blogging my thoughts here daily over the next 28 days. Here's some of what's rattlin' around in between my ears after reading Acts 1 this morning before worship:

• I love the book of Acts. It is the history of the early church, and it is the inspiration for the way we try to do church at BridgeWay.
• I'm reminded of Craig Groeschel's words at Acts 2 a couple years ago, "What if what happened in here (referring to the book of Acts), could happen out here (referring to the church today)."
• I'm convinced that the reason the early church was used the way it was by God was the power of God's Spirit at work through the people of the church. (see vs. 4&8)
• While I'm not real comfortable with the whole casting lots thing in verses 23-26. I am reminded of the importance of seeking God's direction as we look to place people in positions of leadership within the church.
  
• It's also interesting to note that leaders were selected from within the existing disciples and not from outside...kinda makes you think that churches might want to rethink the strategy of bringing in hired guns from outside the organization who don't really understand what God is doing inside of their local church.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

* Good morning at BridgeWay today.
* If you havn't heard...we're calling the church to 28 Days of Prayer through the end of May! More on this later.
* Did some heavy philosophical lifting today regarding the existence of God.
* If you're looking for a great book that discusses issues of belief and skepticism...check out Tim Keller's "The Reason for God". You can get it on Amazon used for under $14.
* The presence of God was tangible during both worship experiences today...great time of worship.
* I didn't feel quite right in either service...I've been on the road the last two weeks 4 out of 5 days and was feeling the unusual schedule today...thankfully it's back to normal for the next month!
* Great All About BridgeWay Lunch today!
* I believe we had around 17 adults in attendance at the lunch...great time sharing the history, mission and vision of the church.
* Matt did a great job teaching the class...I got to sit back and meet people which was nice...but I still insisted on doing the history part of the class.
* Had another great crowd today...we're now consistently averaging over 350 in worship weekly...very exciting to see all the new people getting connected.
* Missed our softball game tonight so I could go to Helena's school choir concert...it was worth it...and I heard our team won too!
* Very excited about our 28 Days of Prayer initiative that we kicked off this weekend!
* 28 Days of Prayer has 3 parts:
1. Pray (be sure to pick up a prayer guide next Sunday or in the office this week...I'll also be posting it on my blog tomorrow)
2. Scripture (we'll be reading through the book of Acts together...reading one chapter a day...so we started in Acts 1 today)
3. Fasting (we're encouraging everyone to give up something they enjoy for the next 28 days to make room for the presence of God in their life)
* I'll be blogging my reflections on our scripture reading daily on my blog...Matt will also be blogging his thoughts on his blog.
* Looking forward to interacting with everyone over the next 28 days!