October 8 Unleash the Gospel (Acts 1:8) (Ephesians 3:20-21)
In every contest, there comes a turning point; something that changes the momentum and even the outcome of the game.
We are at that place right now at Rush Creek. With all that God has done in and through us in the past, He has a new and more impactful challenge than any time in the past.
Unleashed: a 2 year generosity initiative that will enable us to cooperate with God in achieving the vision to make a greater impact for Him; to push back the darkness faster & better.
Don’t make Unleashed just about money. It’s about generosity: being generous with God with our time, with our talents, and with our treasure. Generosity is a way of life; study after study shows that the happiest people on earth are those who live a lifestyle of generosity. And so Unleashed is a journey that will increase our inner joy and our outward impact for Jesus.
Unleashed is about each of us taking our (on tablet) surrender to a new level, our faith to a new level, and our generosity to a new level so that we can push back the darkness faster/better
There is a lot of darkness out there. In the Bible, darkness is a metaphor for evil, ignorance, and lostness. Jesus flat out said in John 8:12, ““I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
Jesus said those who don’t know Him and follow Him live in darkness; in lostness. Let’s talk about what lostness means. It means being separated from the One who loves you the most. Living each day without knowing the Lover of your soul; without knowing your purpose in life; without knowing the peace that passes understanding. An existence that will eventually give way to an eternity separated from all that is good. Hell is a place where there is no joy, no peace, no love, no good; only emptiness and despair and pain and suffering for all of eternity. Anybody here want that for ANYONE? I hope not.
Do you know Darkness: (build) Out of approximately 7.5 Billion people on earth, 5.3 Billion live in darkness worldwide. (boy in India, man in London, neighbor) 2 Billion have no gospel witness. (N.Korea; Saudia Arabia; Stans in Eurasia) 260 Million live in darkness in the U.S. 5000-7000 churches are closing their doors each year
90% of American churches have plateaued and/or are dying
Do these statistics bother you? They should. Each statistic is a person; a real person. Each percentage tells a story of advancing darkness. As Christ-followers, we have a responsibility to step up and push back the darkness faster and better.
This is why Jesus said in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus was talking about an unleashing of the gospel locally and globally, wasn’t He? And He was inviting us to join Him in pushing back the darkness by participating in the Unleashing.
I want you to notice that When the gospel is UNLEASHED: (build)
1. We are empowered by the Spirit
Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you” He was pointing toward Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came like a mighty, rushing wind and the church was born. And by the power of the Spirit, the gospel was unleashed throughout the known world, starting in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, then to the uttermost corners of the known world.
But the unleashing was not just for them back then; it is also for us right now. Are you walking in the Spirit? Are you filled with the Spirit? To be filled is to be under the control of the Spirit. And if you are under control of the Spirit, you’re walking in victory over sin and you’re seeing the unleashing of the Spirit in your world.
Was visiting with a guy at our campus who stepped out of the darkness two years ago and now he’s walking in the light and the power of the gospel has absolutely changed his life—and everyone in his circle of influence has seen the change. When we are empowered by the Spirit, the gospel is unleashed in us and through us.
2. We each share our personal story
Notice what Jesus said, “You will be My witnesses”
He didn’t say you might be; you could be; you should be. He said you WILL be. You’re a witness for Jesus whether you like it or not. You may be an awful witness, but you’re a witness.
But if you’re under control of the Spirit of God, He is doing amazing things in your life. And as the Jesus said, “What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.” Luke 6:45 ERV
If your heart is filled with the Spirit then your mouth will be filled with the gospel; you’ll talk about what God is doing in your life.
One of the exciting things that’s going to begin to happen during Unleashed is that as each of us take our (point) surrender and faith and generosity to a new level, God is going to do amazing things in us and for us. And that’s going to generate story after story of God’s faithfulness to respond to our increased commitment.
I received an email a few weeks ago from a lady at our campus. Let me read a few snippets:
I just wanted to thank you for the series "Wonders." It spoke to me LOUD and CLEAR! Recently, I have made a much-needed, but also quite scary, career change. It would be a hardship on us - to go from a set salary to an unknown salary. I love my new job - except the financial strain it caused us. But the first week of the Wonder series - you spoke of FAITH. While I felt I took a leap of faith by leaving my work situation, I was stressed about the money. I was having anxiety attacks - one that even landed me in the ER! That Sunday you called us to come forward and pray w/someone, and I did. The woman who prayed for me prayed that I would have faith—for God to lift my anxiety…and He did!
When we got home, I told my husband something that had been weighing heavy on my heart for years. I told him that no matter what, I would be giving 10% off the top first and foremost of whatever I make to the church. When I got my 1st commission check and proudly wrote the check knowing God will be faithful to always provide.
Let me ask you a question: was that story about money—or faith? Was it about money—or surrender? It was about faith and surrender. I got another email that talked about how God had spoken to them about being bolder to witness to workmates and how God gave him that boldness.
This is why our Primary Goal: 100% Engagement What if everyone who called RC home embarked on this journey of prayer and surrender and God did amazing things and we shared those in LG and with family and friends—even with workmates or classmates—what glory God would get from that and the Body of Christ would be built stronger and healthier than ever. The darkness would be pushed back here and literally around the world.
**Our Secondary Goal: $22 million over two years (Build) You noticed on the video that our strategy to push back the darkness is a 3 pronged attack. The first is Unleash the Power. These are our ongoing ministries week in and week out. Over a two-year period we envision a $13.5M investment. The 2nd prong is Unleash the Potential. This is expands our footprint throughout our local community and we envision a $5.5M investment over two years. The 3rd prong of our attack to push back the darkness is Unleash the People. This increases our commitment to enter into dark places outside of the Metroplex. We envision a $3M investment over 2 years. That’s $22M over 2 years. Our annual income this year will approach $7M annual income x 2 = $14M over 2 years (build) So over 2 years we could expect about $14M. But we’re praying that Unleashed: $22M over 2 years An $8M increase over two years. And it’s going to take all of us taking our surrender/faith/generosity to a new level to meet the challenge God has put before us.
3. We participate in His grand purpose
Why did God save you? To have a family? Earn money? Gain comfort? Get an education? No. He has a much higher & grander purpose for you than that. He saved you to know Him & make Him known; to participate in His grand purpose of piercing the darkness where you live, work, and play; to participate in His grand purpose of pushing back the darkness better and faster.
I love Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen”
Can you honestly say this morning that He is doing above and beyond all that you ask or think? Some can answer yes; but most I suspect cannot. But that’s what He wants for you—and Unleashed will be an opportunity for you to experience a level of power and peace and purpose that you never have before. If each one of us embark on this journey, it will not just change us individually, it will change the trajectory of our church for generations to come.
A few practical things. Practical steps for Unleashed: (build)
Attend your group each week If you’re not in a group, we have an on-campus experience for you. (on campus group slide) You will get life-changing content in groups that you will not get on Sunday mornings. These will be six week groups meeting in fam theater??
Read and pray through the Unleashed Book (pic)_You’ll get a copy today as you leave the worship center. Bring it with you Each Sunday and bring it with you to your group.
Don’t miss even one week of this series. I’ve been praying that no one will go out of town and no one will even get sick. 100% participation.
Advanced Commitment Night: October 22nd The book you’ll receive today will have a commitment card. We’re not asking you to fill it out now; all we’re asking you to is begin praying about your role in Unleashed: how can I take my surrender, my faith, my generosity to a new level. And even tho the commitment card has space only for the money portion of your commitment, we will be challenging you to take your generosity up in every area of your life. Advanced Commitment Night is Sunday evening, Oct. 22nd from 6-7:30 at the Mansfield performing Arts Center (pic). Childcare will be provided at each campus. Believe me—you won’t want to miss this!
Commitment Sunday, November 12th For those who will not be able to make the big shindig on Advanced Commitment Night.
Prayer Initiative:
Weekly 11:30 on Wednesdays Staff has been praying together at 11:30 on Wednesdays since March. Set on your phone/watch to join us at 11:30 wherever you are. Or you can join us in person in the Compassion loft.
November 10-11th 24 hour prayer vigil You’ll be hearing more about this in the weeks to come.
When I came to Rush Creek, I dreamed of being a part of a church…. And now, 23 yrs later, I can tell you that God has done above and beyond all that I ever thought or asked. But when I look forward to this challenge, I know He has much more in store for us. For the past 4 ½ years I’ve been praying for an Awakening at RC; an unleashing of the Spirit in a way I’ve never experienced. Unleashed could be just that because it is about God getting more of our hearts (draw heart in red) If someone came up after the service and handed me a $22M check—I’d take it! But we’d still go through Unleashed, because of the heart change that needs to take place at Rush Creek. If everyone of us takes our surrender and faith and generosity to a new level, you know who will be most upset? Satan. Who will be most pleased? God. Let’s do this!
