Changed Lives = Church Growth, Pt.9

Every Number has a Name.
Celebrate stories and not just numbers.  In the past 4 months we have seen 40 adults invite Jesus Christ to be their Forgiver & Leader.  I am begging God everyday not to let me, my staff, or my church take this for granted.  It is a special privilege to be entrusted with even just one soul who has given their life to Christ, never mind seeing this happen over & over again every single week.

It is a miracle when one sinner repents.  The Bible says, All of heaven erupts in holy howling when just one person invites Christ to move from the outside to inside; so if heaven does that, so should we!  It really ticks me off when others want to doubt a person’s salvation experience or minimize their first time decision to follow Christ, saying things like, “Well, just give em a week and see how happy they are then.” or “They don’t really mean it, do you see what kind of life they are living.”  Jesus saves us all by grace through faith – even you!  Its the church’s responsibility to help growth 1st time decisions for Christ into fully transformed disciples of Christ!

And that is what we are all about – JESUS CHANGING LIVES.  We want to see all of New England fully transformed by the power of Christ’s love ONE LIFE AT A TIME.  Every number represents an amazing story of life change.  Every number represents a name, which is now written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Every name has a past that has now been forgiven.  Every name has a networked of family & friends who are desperate for the same healing and saving grace found only in the Person of Jesus Christ!

We want to celebrate the stories of those who have been changed by Jesus Christ; we try to do this through videos, baptism parties, blog posts, and by simply praying for every single person who invites Christ into their life and personally lead them to their next step in the way of Jesus!

Steven Furtick recently wrote on his blog:

I think the greatest temptation any church faces is depersonalizing the miracles it so desperately longs to see. There is nothing wrong with praying for God to move in unprecedented ways. We shouldn’t settle for small goals when we have a God who is capable of the impossible. But we do not need to forget that God’s miracles involve people. And these are real people with real needs and real situations.

When you look through the gospels, the amount and character of the miracles of Jesus is staggering. But what may be more staggering is that when you look at each one in its context, Jesus’ concern is not with the grandeur of the miracle itself. But with the fact that His power is impacting and transforming the life of an individual.