There's More In Store

The first month of 2010 is almost in the books. How has it gone for you? Is 2010 what you expected it to be? Better? Worse?

Well, I think for most of us, it's probably a little early to lay out a verdict. But, I will bet that many of the resolutions we made on January 1 have been laid by the wayside. And, some of our resolutions have been revised, or taken a different shape than we originally intended.

How many times has that happened to you -- a dream of yours becomes something other than what was originally envisioned? Sometimes that dream goes sour, and unforeseen details derail it. But, sometimes that dream explodes into the unimaginable.

For the Christ-follower, the unimaginable is what we are promised. Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us that God is able to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. In other words, these ideas God lays on our hearts are only the beginning of a great and awesome adventure.

I was reminded of this truth this week. NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina, celebrated it's tenth anniversary. You can watch the 2-1/2 hour service here. It struck me as I watched the retelling of the church's story, that they had no clue ten years ago that their small group of 15 people, meeting in a living room, would have around 15,000 celebrate together in a special service at the BILO Center in Greenville in 2010.

During the course of the service, pastor Perry Noble read a letter he had written in 1996 to his wife, telling her of the burden God was placing on his heart to start a church that was going to be unlike any other church they had seen. But, even he admits to having no idea how God would take that call to plant a church and turn it into a multi-campus force in South Carolina, on the Internet and in Kenya.

I think about the church I attend, North Point Church in Springfield, Missouri. My family started attending when the church was only 11 months old. At the time, there were only around 800 attending three services in a renovated movie theatre complex.

The kids area was a blast, because the floors were slanted (formerly theatre seating), making it difficult for kids to stand up. The youth room was filled with old sofas (also on a slanted floor), and the theatre seats in the worship center creaked when you sat down to watch the service take place on a cramped stage.

This year, North Point will turn seven. I doubt anyone that attends NPC could have ever imagined how God would carry out Ephesians 3:20. Last year, NPC was the ninth fastest growing church in the U.S. Today, the average attendance is over 4,000. Each week, dozens of people commit their lives to Jesus.

And, we do it over five services on Sunday and SATURDAY. That's right, Saturday. What many people thought couldn't be done is happening at NPC. Other church in the Springfield area, large and small, have attempted Saturday services, but ended them after they didn't live up to what was hoped for. But, NPC recently added a second Saturday evening service to accomodate the growth.

Just like what is happening with these two churches, our minds cannot conceive the many different and exciting things God has in store for His followers and His churches if they are obedient to Him.