Sapulpa Campus Blog

I was shocked on Sunday when Greg told us that the average church-going family in the United States gives only 2% of their income as a “tithe” to the church.  Greg also asked us this question, “Can you imagine what would happen if every Christian in our church gave at least 10%?”   So, have you thought about it?  What might God be able to do through our church if we all committed to give faithfully in this way?  We could literally change the world.  We could help feed the poor.  We could send more missionaries to places where Jesus’ name is not known.  We could start new campuses in other parts of the Tulsa area where those who do not know Jesus could experience Him.  Can you imagine?

God says in Malachi, “Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit.  Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land.”  So you have now thought about it.  It’s time to step out in faith and try it.  God says, “Test me in this.”  Test him.  Give and
watch what He does!  Start being rich toward God now.

“The secret of Christian quietness is not indifference, but the knowledge that God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, and worry becomes an impossibility.” - Oswald Chambers

Let’s just say it. Sometimes it’s just hard to trust God. When we look at the bills and then look at what’s in the bank, it can be hard to trust. When the orange light blinks on the dash of the car, we think, “Oh no.” We try our best but sometimes it’s just hard to trust God. We’re not the first people to struggle with this. In fact, the very first couple, Adam and Eve, had a hard time trusting God too. Just three chapters into the Bible, Satan comes to them and says, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” You know the rest of the story. They eat the fruit, sin comes into the world, and they are banished from the garden. The Devil’s basic tactic was to question God’s goodness and God’s care for His children.

The same goes with us.  If we have trouble trusting God, it is likely because we somehow believe that God is not looking out for our very best nor that He loves us and will provide for us.  Luke 12:24 says, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”  If we really believed this, we would trust God and give our money and our possessions freely.  God is good.  He loves you.  He will take care of you.  Trust him.  Be a giver.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” – Philippians 2:5-7

Church is a verb!  Church is about celebrating who God is!  It’s about connecting with others in community!  And it’s about contributing in ministry.  In Philippians 2, Paul says followers of Jesus should live as He lives.  He says that our “attitude should be the same” as Jesus.  Jesus gave His life.  He became a servant and “made himself nothing”.  Paul says we, as believers, are to do the same.  We are called to give our lives away in self-less service.  So, what a you waiting for?  Serve!  Give your life away to others!  Make a difference today!

Maybe you could volunteer at a local school or nursing home.  Maybe you could help an elderly neighbor with a project.  Maybe you have been thinking about helping with the children at church or volunteering with the worship team.  Whatever you do, please do something!  Contribute!  BE a Christian!  Give your life away to others!  Church is a VERB.  Your attitude should the be same as Jesus’ attitude.  Jesus was God yet He suffered and died for you and me.  He became a servant.  If you claim to follow Jesus, He asks you to become a servant too.

What a challenging message we experienced on Sunday!  We all need to connect with others in a Journey Group.  We were not meant to live life alone.   We need people in our lives who are like-minded.  We need people in our lives who love us and others.  We need people in our lives who are committed to us and others.  We need people in our lives who are encouraging to us and others.  One of the best ways for these things to happen is to be a part of a Journey Group.

On Sunday, Greg offered no apologies for being ruthless about asking people to be committed to others in the context of a Journey Group.  On Sunday, we asked people to do one of two things.  First, we asked those who are not plugged in to try out a group.  Then we asked those who are in groups to invite others to their group.  Where are you?  Are you walking alone?  Are you connected?  If not, what are you waiting for?  Are you experiencing community in a Journey Group?  Why don’t you invite a friend or family member to visit your group?

We wrap up our “Church is a Verb” series next Sunday with “Contributing in Ministry” and a special event.  We will have a potluck lunch right after church.  Then we will go out to serve in the Sapulpa community.  See more details below.  Don’t miss out on this incredible event!  Let’s impact our community for Jesus together!

I ran across a video on YouTube this week entitled, “What is the Church?”

Here is how the video answers that question: “Is the church a building?  Is the church a pastor? Or the staff?  Is the church the music?  The tradition?  Or the ministries?  These are all good things but they are NOT the church.  Take them away and the church is still here.  Why?  Because you are still here.  The church is you.  The church is you with a purpose.  The church is you on a mission.  The church is you with a plan, a simple plan – to plug into God at a weekend service, to charge up in a small group community, to live out using your gifts and passions, to pass on your faith to those who do not know Christ.  When you and I live like this, all the things we used to do in church become things we do as the church.  God desires it.  The world needs it.  And we are called to be it.  What is the church?  The church is you.”

This video sums up the Cedar Ridge discipleship process.  You and I are the church.  It’s not about the buildings, the pastor, the music, or the like.  Church is a verb!  It’s you and me celebrating God’s goodness, connecting in a small group community, and contributing in ministry to impact our world for Jesus.  If you missed the message on celebrating together in worship, you can always listen to it online.  Don’t miss this Sunday’s teaching on connecting in a small group!

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” – Jesus in Matthew 13:31-32 (NLT).

This time last year we began the remodeling process of the church in Sapulpa.  Some of you said goodbye to a church that had meant so much to you over the years.  Others began to listen to God’s call to be a part of what He was preparing to do in Sapulpa through Cedar Ridge.  Others were not connected to the body of Christ and some were living life far from God.  It was obvious then.  It is even more obvious now.  The starting of our Sapulpa Campus was a God thing!  In every way, God was moving and setting things in place.  His purpose was, and is, simply this: to see those far from God find their way back to Him.  Lives have been changed.  Those far from God have come near to Him.

Jesus says this is the way it is with His Kingdom.  It is like a mustard seed – the smallest of all seeds.  At first, you might not notice it.  But it’s there.  God is there working and moving and changing lives, changing families, and changing communities.  As we begin this new year, it is obvious there are lives and families still to be changed in the neighborhoods around the church.   Loneliness, economic hardship, heartache, addictions and more dominate the lives of many.  Jesus is their only hope, and God’s chosen method of introducing people to Jesus is through His church.  The church is the hope of the world!  Would you be praying over the next few weeks for God to use the Sapulpa Campus in a great way in this new year to change lives and families around the church?  Would you be asking God to help us to continue to build relationships with those who are far from God?

Thank you for your prayers and for your service!