Jonathan Herron

IN

Look at John chapter 15.

How many times does Jesus use the word, "In?"

"I am IN the Father as the Father is IN Me."

"Abide IN Me and I will abide IN you."

To be in Christ is to have Christ in you.

God lives in you as you live in God.

In.

Not out.

If you are out, Jesus says you bear no fruit.  No life.

Out = brown, dried-up, dead branches.

In = nutrients, life-sustaining, life-infusing, growth.

The t-shirt is wrong:

Jesus is my Homeboy?

No.

Jesus is my Home.

Good Friday

ZECHARIAH 12.10:
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn."

 

CORRIE TEN BOOM:
"Jesus takes your sin (past, present, & future),
dumps it in the ocean & puts up a sign that reads 'No fishing allowed.'"

 

Passing the Baton

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. - Acts 13.2-3 (ESV)

This is what a movement of God looks like:

127 area teenagers laying hands upon and praying over their new Student Pastor and his wife, Justin and Carrie Bowers.

Last night we passed the baton to new leadership. 
We're behind him heart and soul. 
Colwood Students' best days are ahead!

Lead Forward

Three encouragements for church leaders from the opening words of
the Book of Joshua:

Moses is dead.  Arise.  Be strong and courageous.

1)  Moses is dead.  Honor the past, but do not camp out in the past. 
The season of Moses is over.  That chapter is written. 
Improve upon what was.  
God is not static.  Faith requires forward movement toward where God is going.
Let the future determine your direction.

When we get hung up on protecting past success,
it breeds complacency, which births fear. 
Fear of failure quenches out your faith - - this is why many past movements have become monuments. 
This is why 80% of churches in North America are plateaued and declining. 
This is why every major denomination is dying. 

Yes, honor the past.  But don't freeze yourself in the past. 
Improve, grow, and move forward.

2)  Arise.  Everyone is waiting for you to lead. 
Now is the time and this is the place. 
Don't worry about your age, Joshua. 
God never places tenure above annointing.

3)  Be strong and courageous. 
Over and over during this transition, God declares,
"Be strong and courageous."  God is FOR you. 

Agape Love means God's love is without expectations.  God set the bar and met all the expectations in Christ Jesus.  If you are in Christ, it is impossible for you to "let down" God.  His love has no expectations!  That's why Romans 8 reminds us that its impossible to be separated from God in Christ. 

Be strong - God has not given you a spirit of timidity, but of power (2 Tim 1:7)! 

Be courageous - full of faith.  Lead with clarity. 
Don't allow hesitations or decision paralysis to creep in. 
You don't need to pray about what God has already declared! 

Arise.  Be strong.  Be courageous.  Lead forward.

A Thousand Words

 
Building a Movement of Changed Lives.

Long-Term Momentum for Leaders

2005 notes from Andy Stanley:

New triggers momentum.

Improved sustains short-term momentum.

Small, incremental improvements rarely lead to momentum.

Improving = long-term momentum sustained through continuous improving!

Continuous improvement requires systematic and UNFILTERED evaluation by your Staff Team (people who love Jesus and love you). 

Don't be OPEN to change - be COMMITTED to change! 
Rip apart your service and ministries each week and make changes!

Warning: Success breeds complacency and complacency breeds failure.

Great leaders are BOTHERED when things aren't moving!