Pastor Bill's Blog

INTRODUCTION – Map of Abraham’s journey from Ur to Egypt to Canaan – 600 miles from Ur to Haran – 500 miles from Haran to Canaan – 250 miles from Canaan to Egypt – 10 to 20 miles per day

 Hebrews 11:10(NLT)  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

 1.             The decision to be a risk taker

 Hebrews 11:8(NLT)  It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

 Christopher Columbus first went to King John of Portugal with his idea to find a westward sea passage to Asia but after months of waiting, the answer was no thank you. – Queen Isabella’s response to Columbus’s idea was that his price was to high and that he wanted too many ships. – It took Queen Isabella six years to agree. Christopher Columbus, having given up, was four miles out of town when the Queen’s courier caught up with him and shared the news. – It wasn’t easy to get the money or the ships, but it was even harder to find a crew. Many people still believed that the earth was flat and that at some point a ship would hit a waterfall and fall off of the side of the earth.

Believing what God said – Confident in God’s provision – Going without knowing

2.             The tenacity required for the journey

Hebrews 11:9(NLT)  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.

From Ur to Haran – leaving father and family there – Ur to Canaan – Canaan to Egypt – split with Lot – encounter with Melchizedek – rescue of Lot from Sodom – Hagar and Ishmael – entertained visitors from heaven – Isaac on Mount Moriah

Living in tents

3.             The power of daring faith

Hebrews 11:11-12(NLT)  ¹¹ It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. ¹² And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

In 1922, Aimee Semple McPherson had $5,000 to begin building a church . She asked the contractor, “What will this $5,000 do?” He replied, “Lady, that money will dig a hole.” She said, “Dig the hole. God will fill it.” On January 1, 1923, Angelus Temple was opened (with a seating capacity in the sanctuary of 5,000) debt free

Barren made fruitful

God keeps His promise

A whole nation – from one man who believed

4.             The promise is in the source

Hebrews 11:17-19(NLT)  ¹⁷ It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s pro mises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, ¹⁸ even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”  ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

In the movie The Blind Side – Michael Orr tells the NCAA rep – you haven’t asked my why I want to go to Ole Miss – it because that’s where our family always goes – it wasn’t about playing football – it was about connection to the source

Relationship – connected to the source produces the product – not the product itself

INTRODUCTION – The importance of perspective in viewing reality

THE BUZZARD:  If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:  The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor
or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:  A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the
bottom…. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10(NLT)  ⁹ There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. ¹⁰ He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

1.             Glancing back

Salvations – 292 total: – 127 Kids Blitz – 62 Cross N Dagger – 103 other

Attendance average:  2009 – 550 – 2008 – 444 – 2006 – 329/up 221 since 2006

Missions giving:  2009 Undes ytd – $64,296.23 – 2009 Total ytd – $169,256,88

Community Groups:  20 with 227 participants

Daymaker volunteers:  106 – Ushers/Greeters/Coffee House/Welcome Center

Warehouse:  Students – 80 – Workers – 14

Children’s Ministry:  Straight Up – 46 – Birth – 5^th grade – 180 – Workers – 101

*Birth thru 2 years – 38

2.             Looking ahead

Continuing to grow and to reach new people

Continuing to expand reach – neighbor, city, country, world

Continuing to effectively impact the next generation

Continuing to be innovative – Pink Droyd – Cross N Dagger – American Heroes

3.             Challenging opportunities

Crossing every barrier – Monday night 17 people went to the streets of Fort Wayne to share Jesus with the homeless.  Hot coco,peanut butter sandwiches, pretzels, homemade Christmas cookies along with other snacks…singing Christmas carols, visiting with compassion and sharing Jesus when the door opened…giving out socks, hats, gloves, blankets and clothes too. – Dec 10 participating in the service with the various religions represented in Fort Wayne

Maximizing our building – 727 two weeks ago on Sunday – 624 last Sunday – first December to be over 500 in attendance on any Sunday – need to increase early service attendance – ready to shift and to expand as we grow

Expanding our resources – Asked Ray to share info – 448 active family units at LBC – General Fund – 125 giving units who have given $1000 or more in 2009 – 178 giving units who have given$1- $1000 in 2009 – 145 who have given $0 – if everyone giving less than $20 per wk would give $20 per wk – would be above budget for the year

Increasing Biblical integration – 7 basic videos for new believers packs/for new believer classes/for one-on-one mentoring – meetings with staff/tomorrow on Community Groups

4.             Jabez resolution

A New Year – A New Decade – began the last decade – millennium – fear of Y2K – in 1999 4.6 million websites – today – 100 million websites – over a billion users worldwide – 350 million on Facebook begun in 2004 – Youtube was begun in 2005 – Iphone/Blackberry now make a phone a place to send email – text messages – take and send photos – play games – watch videos – and get GPS directions

BLESS ME – EXPAND MY TERRITORY

BE WITH ME IN ALL I DO

KEEP ME FROM ALL TROUBLE AND PAIN

Luke 2:1-7(NLT)  ¹ At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. ⁴ And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁵ He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

1.             The promise fulfilled

General Douglas MacArthur – I said, to the people of the Philippines whence I came, I shall return. Tonight, I repeat those words: I shall return!  after his arrival in Australia from the Philippines (1942-03-30) – I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil.  on landing in Leyte, Philippines (1944-10-17)

First promise of redemption – Genesis 3:15

The power of Satan broken

The curse of sin broken

The release of redemption and restoration for man

2.             Both God and man

O Holy Night – Long lay the world in sin and error pining.  Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.  A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger; in all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,

Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace.  Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.  And in his name all oppression shall cease.

The full rights and privileges of the God of the universe

The full capacity to experience the challenges and vulnerabilities of man

The greatest potential of heaven released to dispel the greatest despair of man

3.             Essential obscurity

Coach Jim Caldwell – Best record of any rookie coach in NFL history – played for Iowa – assistant coach for several college teams – head coach at Wake Forest from 1993-2000 – built to one winning season – record at Wake Forest – 26-63 – 1-10 one year – 7-5 best year – worked under Bill McCartney – Joe Paterno – Tony Dungee

The hope for the extra-ordinary to emerge from the ordinary

The precision of a defined moment

The contrast of heavenly and earthly thinking

4.             A new world order

Industrial Revolution – late 18^th century – led to the Technological Revolution which produced the Information Age which is being overtaken by the Attention Age – marked by the ability of individuals to create and consume information instantly and freely as well as share it on the internet using social media – blogs – myspace – facebook – youtube – twitter – LAST SUNDAY ON YOUTUBE

How Jesus came was not what people expected

Set in motion the release of God’s Kingdom on earth as He walked the earth

Will ultimately replace all other kingdoms

It is a Kingdom generated in the hearts of men – built on relationship