The Journey Starts Here

Video Church & the Race Track

SLIDE #1

Welcome… / Holy Grounds / Benevolence

Prayer

Tomorrow night at exactly 12:00 midnight the world will host in the New Year…2013.

And as I sat in my office this past week and processed that very thought… It became very clear to me that another year has once again quickly passed by.

What a rollercoaster 2012 has been. As a country we have had some great moments… ones we never want to forget.

And unfortunately as a country…we have also had those moments…that if we could we would quickly wipe them away from our past.

So I thought it would be appropriate to take a few moments and look back at several of the major events that shocked the world and our great country during 2012.

In January at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the Kodak Corporation… shared that the company is on the verge of bankruptcy and struggling to survive.

(The beginning of many more to come)

During the Summer Olympic Games in London…5 teenage girls did the impossible… by winning the gold medal in Gymnastics leaving both the world and China in complete shock.

During October… Just outside of Roswell New Mexico…Austrian… Felix Baumgartner becomes the first skydiver to break the speed of sound by free falling from 24 miles up in space reaching a speed of 833.9mph

In November…Hostess Brands Twinkies Company liquidates its funds…closing its doors due to striking workers.

Hurricane Sandy hits the northeastern United States… the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record.

Sandy’s…damage to homes and business was estimated at $65.6 billion dollars which would make it the second-costliest hurricane…behind only Hurricane Katrina.

And finally I believe worst of all…America once again witnessed its 2nd worst school shooting ever recorded in the town of Newtown Connecticut…killing 26 total… of which 20 were helpless kindergarten aged children.

Slide #2

Thinking about both the good and the bad events from 2012 that changed us all as a nation…

I began to think about the World Church as a whole …Was the church effective in how it reached out to those who were in need?

And immediately my thoughts shifted to those of us here today who call VP our current church home… Are we being effective in how we minister?

Have we done our part in reaching out to our community…by sharing God’s life changing message?

Have each of us done our part in reaching out to a world that has no hope of tomorrow let alone an eternity?

The truth of the matter is…for each one of us here today …we can’t pass the blame any longer…we are the only one’s responsible for our actions that we have taken.

I want each of you to personally… (Think about the Cross…Jesus…Sacrifice…Your Service towards Him)

If you had to put a % number on your commitment level to Christ during the year

2012…what would it be?

We all have to put some number down????

I think if each of us were to be honest with ourselves this past year…we can truthfully admit …that we have not given God the % # He deserves?

It’s far too easy to allow selfish motives to creep into our lives…denying Christ the time He rightfully deserves.

Which brings me to the point of my message today…

In 2013…What is our Mission as a church going to be?

How many of you noticed what our new banners said on the sign out front as you pulled in today?

Slide#3 The Journey starts here with us!

We cannot allow the momentum to stop!

2012 for us as a church has been good… (28 salvations on record…20 + baptisms)

So what do we need to do during 2013 to keep the momentum moving forward?

Just like the race track video we watched at the beginning of the service…

Remember the thrust that the racetrack gave the car when it is running out of gas…

In 2013 VP church must remain a…Refueling Station

Slide#4

We are the workers in the re-fueling station…Lives are depending on us.

Matthew 7:15-20

15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits.

Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Our culture is filled with people…and ministries that are filling people up with false doctrine.

This is why Jesus warns us of this in Matt. 7:15.