Tipping Sacred Cows

-I want to talk to you about transitions that need to happen in the church world. In the process I am sure I will TIP SOME SACRED COWS!

• Citipoint is in a time of transition

• At the same time the church, as a whole, is in a time of shifting…

o From affluence to influence

o From consume to contributor

o From selfish power to servant power

o From program investment to people investment

• The world believes that the church is...

o Insignificant...insufficient...irrelevant

• Yet, God is going to raise His church up with…

o Power...Prominence...Position

• These may be challenging times for the church

• But they are great times.

• My fear is that we become so enamored with having church

• That we lose the purpose of having church

• We must understand that our transition is positioning in a place to do and be what He has called us to do and be

• We are, in fact, a Chosen Generation

• Our purpose of coming to church must change

o It’s not socializing or fulfilling religious duty

o It’s no longer being satisfied with two perfectly sung songs

o 20 minutes of poetic phrasing / called preaching

o We must have an encounter with God

o We must get in the place where heaven opens

o We must change ourselves

o So we can change our world

o My position is as a watchman on the wall

o I am not here for your entertainment

o We have destroyed the purpose of the pastor in the church

o We have everything except what the Bible declares

o I must not only lead a charge

o But prepare the church for the same charge

o I cannot be satisfied with our accomplishment

o But with an undying, unyielding passion, push, press on

Transition – a passage from one position to another

- transitions – most painful / most fruitful

 We are all living in a time of major transition in the church world

o And while it may be very painful

o I believe they will be the most fruitful season

 Because in

Acts 2:17

“In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh”

John 2:10

“The master of the banquet saves the best wine for last.”

 God is transitioning His church for a great end time harvest.

 And is ready to pour out new wine

 But, we are still stuck in an old wine skin system!

Systems:

 Saul – Man’s choice - religious

 David – God’s choice - spiritual

 Lot – Sodom – misplacement of

Fathering anointing

 Abraham - Fathering anointing

Many sons

Etc.

 Babylonian 3 Hebrews, broke

 Systems / Cultures have to change

 We can remodel / spend money and dress up an old system

 And not change anything

 We live under old systems

 Samuel was replacing the old system of Eli

o Saul – David

o Abraham – Lot

o Babylon – 3 Hebrew boys

 We are in a transition:

 Globally

 Ecumenically

 Socially

 Governmentally

 Personally – Citipoint

Transition = a passage from one place to another

 New wine is poured out into new wineskins.

 God can’t pour new blessing (wine)

 Into old wineskins (systems)

 We break systems by tipping sacred cows

 And having new wineskin (systems)

o The church can no longer be for those who want to

 Play church

 Control a Pastor

 Have a little word and a lot of self

 Debate

 Power Struggles

1. SACRED COW NEW WINE SKIN

Church as Mother Church as Father

• We live in a generation that has been over mothered and under fathered

o Mother is the nurturing one

o Mother is the encouraging one

o Everything in the church is fine when we operate in a mothering system

o But people get upset when the fathering system steps in

o Because this generation is not accustomed to a fathering system.

• Father

o Sets the system – an order

o Disciplines

o Guards the gate – Adam

o Give banks to the river

• The role of a father is of great importance

o In family life

o And church life

• Under-fathering is dangerous because

o No vision

o No rules

o Guidelines

o Standards

• Just as over-fathering

o Abuse of power

 Authority Rests in the relationship not position

Relationship is not build from authority

MALACHI 4:5-6

5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."