FREE LIVE Verge13 Conference Simulcast - March 1 & 2

Are you interested in changing the world?  Jesus created the local church to do just that.  The Church exists to connect people to Jesus!  Join us this Friday and Saturday for a LIVE (and FREE) Simulcast of the Verge13 Conference with speakers such as Francis Chan & David Platt, along with great worship music with Aaron Ivey Band and some amazing spoken word poetry that will really drive home the message!  This conference will be a great thing for you to attend if you understand the value in investing in lives and fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus in making Disciples.   Anyone desiring to make disciples the way Jesus did, regardless of denomination, church you attend, age, etc. please join us as we partner to change the world for Christ, and begin making disciples in our community and the world!

FREE LIVE Verge13 Conference Simulcast

Friday March 1, 2013 and Saturday March 2, 2013

At Ovid Community Church

www.vergenetwork.org/2013

So what exactly is going to happen at the Verge 2013 Conference Webcast?  Good question.

During the webcast, Francis Chan, David Platt, Dr. John Perkins, Dave Gibbons, Matt Carter, Jo Saxton, Mike Breen, Propaganda, Alan Hirsch, Michael Frost, Jeff Vanderstelt, Hugh Halter, Neil Cole and many, many others will encourage and challenge us to make and multiply disciples of Jesus.

The Conference will include longer plenary messages and shorter TED-style talks, as well as spoken word poetry and worship led by Aaron Ivey Band. We will be challenged and encouraged in the following areas:

The Priority of Disciple Making

The Patterns and Practices of Disciple Making

The Content and Motivation for Disciple Making

The Barriers and Bridges to Disciple Making

The 8 Non-Negotiable Parts of Disciple Making

The Context of Disciple Making

Location of the Simulcast:

Ovid Community Church

793 East 600 South

Anderson, IN  46013

For Map click HERE

Contact: Rob Boyland – (765) 621-6537 or email at rboyland01@gmail.com

Schedule:

NOTE: Attend all sessions or join in on the ones you can attend.  Extended breaks at lunch and dinner for off-campus dining.

Conference sessions are as follows:

DAY 1 - Friday, March 1

Arrive between 9:30am and 10:00am – Conference begins promptly at 10:00am EST

10:00am-12:00am – Main Session 1 | The Priority of Disciple Making: There Is No Plan B

2:30pm-4:30pm – Main Session 2 | Patterns & Practices of Disciple Making: Missional People & Missional Communities

8:00pm-10:00pm – Main Session 3 | The Content of Disciple Making: Getting To The Heart Of It All

DAY 2 - Saturday, March 2

Arrive between 9:30am and 10:00am – Conference begins promptly at 10:00am EST

10:00am-12:00am – Main Session 4 | Culture And Disciple Making: Building Bridges and Removing Barriers

2:30pm-4:30pm – Main Session 5 | The Process of Disciple Making: 8 Non-Negotiable Steps To Making and Multiplying Disciples

7:30pm-9:30pm – Main Session 6 | Living The Future Church: The Context of Disciple Making

Who are You and Why are You Here?

Have you ever heard the stories of someone pushing a person to safety from an oncoming car, or a dog that alerts his whole family to a raging fire in the home, both of which saved lives?  

The news stories (at least the good ones!) are riddled weekly with these “good news” stories of someone (even an animal in some cases) risking their safety or life to save someone else.  The reason these stories are so common is whenever they occur people cannot stop telling the stories of the amazing feat and the incredible compassion and love that someone showed for another person.  So why is that the same story, someone giving their life for the sake of yours and mine, is so hard to tell just because of the name of Jesus?

I have often heard the questions, “How do you know if someone is really growing in their faith?” or “How can you tell if someone is saved?”  The bottom line is this…growing people are changing.  People who are growing in their faith and in their relationship with Jesus Christ can no longer be the same as they have always been.  They don’t only grow in their knowledge of Jesus (head knowledge), they also are growing in their compassion (heart) for the things that God loves (lost and broken people).  Growing people cannot sit on the sidelines hoping someone else will step in and save the day.  Growing people are seeking God’s heart and are looking for opportunities to join Him in His mission to save the world!  Growing people are changing into the image of Christ!

There are really only three kinds of people:

1. People who are far from God.  These are the people we come in contact every day and have an opportunity to build a relationship that will allow opportunities to share how Jesus saved us!  Romans 8:23 says this: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
2. People who have accepted Jesus’ incredible gift of Salvation and in their selfishness keep it for themselves as some sort of fire insurance, never growing or even seeking to grow.  These are people who are not changing and many would say they do not truly know Jesus at all!   They may attend their local church often, but are simply not interested in change.  Revelation 3:16 puts it this way; “So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”  It’s probably not a good thing to have God want to spit you out!
3. People who are purposefully growing in their faith and seeking to make Jesus not only their Savior, but also Lord of every area of their life – 24/7/365!  Romans 10:9 says, ‘That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’ 

So the obvious question is this:  Who are you?  Or maybe more importantly, Whose are you?  Spend some time in prayer this week and earnestly seek to understand who you are on this list. 

• If you are person number 1, I am praying for you!  I am here when you are ready to talk or ask questions!  God loves you and so do I! 
• If you are person number 3, be encouraged!  You are changing the world and as you join Jesus in His mission to save the world, the world will be a better place and the Kingdom will be bursting at the seams!
• If you are person number 2, my heart breaks for you, and so does God’s.  In one sense you may feel like heaven is in your grasp, but is it really?  That’s only between you and God.  I believe there will be many people missing in heaven who thought they were good enough or thought that salvation is a personal thing only.  My prayer for you is that you would accept Jesus as your Savior but not stop there…I pray you will make him Lord of every area of your life.  You cannot compartmentalize your life AND be a follower of Christ – God and sin do not mix!  He doesn’t want your Sunday devotion, He wants your every day, walking around devotion as you grow in your relationship with Him and are bold enough to share your life with others who need His saving grace and His Lordship over their lives!  Romans 12:1-2 from The Message Paraphrase says it like this: “So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  That type of devotion leads to an amazing life of joining Him in His mission to save and change the world!

Wherever you are in your journey of faith in Jesus Christ, always remember there is another step to take.  God is never done with us!  Whether we are very young, very old, or somewhere in between, God wants to work through each of us to save this lost and broken world!  His plan is never for us to coast into the Kingdom…and reading His word and knowing Him personally, I cannot see how anyone could live a life claiming Him as Savior but not giving Him their life in return.  Don’t waste your life on this world, give your life and service to God to not only change this world, but to build His Kingdom for eternity!  He is that good and He is so worth it!!

A Personal Plea to You...from Me

This question has been piercing my heart over the past few weeks:

Will the Word of God stop with me or spread through me?

With that thought in my mind, I feel compelled to do something about it!  It’s easy for me to post the stuff God puts on my heart so that others can choose either to read or ignore…there’s very little skin in the game in that manner.  But I am pretty sure that Jesus did not tell His followers (disciples) to go make disciples so they would post witty God thoughts or scriptures randomly in hopes that someone may read and choose to follow.  Nothing inherently wrong with that, but I don’t believe it should stop there. 

So…this is what I feel I must do with what God is placing in my heart for those of you I call friends and those of you that Facebook calls friends or Twitter calls followers.  I’d like to personally invite any of you who may not know Jesus to contact me and begin a dialogue.  Not so I can try to convince you of anything.  What I mean is that if you have a longing in your heart, are hurting, have questions, or are simply willing to investigate this man I love named Jesus, please contact me.  I am not looking to debate with anyone about other religions or even the existence of God to those who would call themselves atheists; there will be time for that some other day.  I am talking to those genuinely open and wanting to know why we even exist and how Jesus changed everything for you and me.  He is my Savior, My Lord and my Friend, and He can be yours as well!  Message me on Facebook (Rob Boyland) or Twitter (@rboyland), or email me at rboyland01@gmail.com.  If you don’t feel comfortable with me, please seek someone out who will talk with you about this incredible Savior!

For those of you who are believers in Jesus, who have made Him Savior and Lord of your lives, I have a challenge for you.  When you made Jesus your Savior, you also made Him Lord which means every area of your life must reflect who you are in Christ.  Compartmentalizing our lives into church life and secular life is not possible for those who truly claim Jesus as Savior and Lord.  Your marching orders from Jesus Himself are to make disciples.  You are a disciple, and every disciple must make disciples according to the words of Jesus.  That may mean you copy a portion of this message and post to your friends.  It may mean asking some questions to those in your circles.  It may mean helping someone out in need, even if that need is a listening ear.  Jesus said to Love God and Love Others…that means everyone, but especially those in your circle of influence and in your path everyday.  If you feel stuck or just want some practical thought about making disciples, go to Multiply Movement and download the video in the orange box.  It is kinda long, but it is crucial for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus to step up and begin fulfilling His Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 to go make disciples!

Guys, I am not trying to twist arms or trick anyone into believing something they shouldn’t.  I am simply tired of living a life where I feel awkward in talking to people about Jesus and the amazing gift He gives to each of us in this…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us on the cross as THE FINAL penalty for death and rose victoriously from the dead three short days later as He conquered death once and for all! For everyone who believes in Him and calls upon His name will be saved and will spend eternity in Heaven!  The reason I share this is simply this – I want to spend eternity with each and every one of you and I would not be a true follower of Christ if I didn’t make an effort to share the good news of Jesus with everyone in my little world.  I love you and most importantly, Jesus loves you!

Found People Find People

Yes, the title of this post was borrowed from NewSpring Church in North Carolina, but it holds an incredibly profound message in just four words!

God has impressed on me some questions to pass along for some thought provoking examination of our lives in Christ:

What do you pray for?

What are you pursuing?

What are you obsessed over or preoccupied with?

The first question on prayer – that one is between you and God.  Actually they are all between you and God, but the last two questions are a bit easier for those around you to see.  Kind of convicting isn’t it?  Just review your Facebook posts, emails, checkbook, conversations…are the majority of your “conversations” on subjects such as gun-control, healthcare, economics, sports, shoes, video games, social networks, television shows, etc.?  Many of these conversations may have spiritual implications, but is that where the root of your motives lie?  Is the time spent on these (and other) subjects taking away time that God may want to use to draw people to Himself?  Are the answers to any of these questions self-serving or others-focused?

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus reveals to us what we refer to as The Great Commandment in response to a question asked of Him:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And then, in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives us our marching orders in what is referred to as The Great Commission:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We may care in our hearts, but do we show it in our schedule, time and resources?  Loving someone in our hearts means nothing until you show it with your actions!  James 2:14-17 puts it this way:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

The Great Commandment guides and molds our thinking, shaping our minds to align with God’s will.  The Great Commission guides our actions when we have chosen to follow Christ, making Him Savior and Lord of our entire lives.

Simply put, if we love God and others we will go make disciples who will in turn love God and others and begin making disciples.  This is how we change the world…Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples!  Or as a church in North Carolina puts it:  Found People Find People!