February 1, 2011 Forward Motion Faith

Nexus Affirmation

Unbelievable!  Kim and I went out tonight to do some shopping.  Understand I can’t remember the last time we went out on a Monday night.  Literally years!  I was assisted by a young man who without a shadow of doubt was meant to enter into my faith journey.  He was in his early twenties, an OSU graduate, trendy, sharp-looking young man and after we entered into conversation with him, revealed he was a believer.  I heard the door open wide on this one!

I asked him if he had a faith preference.  He said yes and went to share with me his commitment to Christ.  He was a guitar player and had been a progressive church that was targeting his age group.  He was a millennial.  He was on my radar big time.  I couldn’t help but discuss more.

I shared with him my desire to reach his age group.  I went on to share some insights to my vision. He was genuinely interested.  I asked him what he was looking for in a venue to express his faith.  He was honest, real and deeply serious about his conversation.  He shared with me that he was looking for something simple.  “No bells and whistles” was how he put it.  He went on to say that it wasn’t about the building, the atmosphere, etc.  He was looking for a place to worship in simple fashion, play his guitar, love Jesus and get involved in a specific area of voluntary service.  Yep! Everything we have researched and read came to surface in this fifteen minute conversation.  He was kind, helpful and absolutely affirmed my burden.  I believe our evening was ordered by the Lord!  I believe our going out tonight was out of the ordinary and ordained of God.  This young man affirmed my burden and vision in an awesome way!  I am so elated!

I can’t explain it.  I can’t discuss my burden without weeping.  It runs pretty deep.  Understand something here.  This is what I call “targeted evangelism.”  We have a target people group.  This doesn’t mean that we are going to avoid others who come to Victory Hill Church.  It just means we are going after a succeeding generation with a passion.  This is going to be a group effort.  Not me alone. It will be an entire congregation in forward motion faith.

I spoke yesterday about Uzza and his untimely death recorded in 1 Chronicles 13.1-10.  While there are lots of dynamics to the story that one could speak on for months – the kicker to this passage is found in verse 10 where it is recorded “and he died before God.” The implication here is that the moment he touched the Ark of the Covenant and broke the law of God – he was struck dead.  Dying “before God” was to say he died in the shadow of the Ark itself.  The Ark represented the manifest glory of God – thus he died before God. 

Understand I see Uzza as a young man who had been raised with the Ark in his home.  The glory of God became resident in Abinadab’s home.  Every day for twenty years Uzza got up, walked by “God”, ate breakfast in front of “God”, did everything in front of God.  God was there.  Uzza learned about God and even how to handle the presence of God because of his father’s heritage – of the tribe of Levi which was charged with the care and movement of all tabernacle furnishings, including the Ark.  But somewhere the line of communication and or care about his learning broke down.   Scripture declares he touched the Ark out of irreverence.  However he got to where he was at – he was on the losing end of this whole ordeal.  He died literally at the “front door” of the Ark.  Right in the face of God!

How many young people will be stacked up right in the face of God because of our lack of passion, energy, burden and labor to reach them?  How many “bodies” will we step over on our journey with the “presence of God” due to our lack of initiative to stop their actions of irreverence?  How many will sit under our responsibility, our efforts to reach them, our burden to go out of our way to touch their lives with the gospel of Christ.  I will be sharing my burden and vision for Victory Hill this coming Sunday, February 6.   I believe the best is just ahead for our congregation as we move in forward motion faith.  We have no choice.  Nexus is our theme for this effort.  Nexus means “connection”.  To be honest, it’s just a progressive term for target evangelism.  Let’s connect in forward motion faith and do what God has ordained for us to do.  We can. We will.  With unity, harmony and shear obedience to God’s call on our church we will reach this group of young adults and their families.  I’m in…how about you?