We’re two weeks into the “Just Walk Across the Room” sermon series! Some highlights from this weekend…
- I am really enjoying team teaching! This coming weekend Anthony & I are going to tag-team! What do you think about the team-teaching?
- This series has been pretty cool in that it is painting evangelism with a broader brush! Leading someone to Jesus does not always start with “Popping the Big Question” (i.e. “Do you want to know Jesus?”)! It might start with just walking across the room and introducing yourself! If you haven’t read Just Walk Across the Room I really encourage you to do so!
- Northgate now knows that her Senior pastor was a pothead and her Discipleship/Pastoral Care Pastor was an alcoholic! I wonder how that’s gonna work out!
Seriously, I had a guy come up to me after the 9:30 service and say, “Now I know why I fit in here! I love that!
- We had 739 in total attendance this week!
- I am asking God to give us HUNDREDS of unsaved people this year! I want to see Northgate be a rescue center for broken lives! HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COME TO JESUS IN 2007! That means that each one of us have got to start moving across the room and listening to the Spirit!
- The “Big Points” of the message this weekend were… When walking across the room for the purpose of leading someone to Jesus do these three things…
- Start by developing a friendship!
- Discover their story… and listen to it!
- Listen to the Holy Spirit… what’s the “Next step”?
- We identified the “Way you know if the Holy Spirit is prompting you to move…”
- The “Feeling” will be continual (If it’s the Spirit prompting you to “Walk across the room”, He won’t stop!)
- The “Feeling” will be biblical (in other words if you feel like walking across the room to hit someone… it’s probably NOT the Spirit prompting you!)
- I love the lighting in the sanctuary… the way the tech team is changing it to correspond with the various moments in the service!
- Our Drama Team is hitting it out of the park! I just love these guys!
- HUGE props to our Parking Lot crew! These guys stand out there in the cold and make the parking experience fun! I don’t know if it happens to anyone else, but one of them (his initials are Howie Covel) threw a snowball at me last week!
- I am overwhelmed when I watch Northgaters serve! I love you guys! From the parking lot to the coffee shop to the ABF leaders to the ushers… thank you SO MUCH for making the weekend experience a memorable one! I LOVE YOU GUYS!
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Hi Paul! This is the first time I’ve actually been to church when you’ve done the “team-teaching” thing and I like it. Yes, it might’ve been alittle disconcerting to any newcomers to hear that the lead and associate pastors of Northgate were a pothead and an alcoholic, but it makes you real people (“sinners saved by grace”)!! I bet no one actually got up and walked out on you, right? I agree with the man who came up to you afterwards and shared his comment. It is why I’m comfortable at Northgate–we’re a church made up of sinners and there is no judgment for that!! Thanks to you and Vern for sharing such intimate details of your lives in order to show how God is looking for the personal relationship with each of us, no matter what our past, present or future is!! I’m looking forward to this weekend with you and Anthony sharing!!
Way to go Paul!! I think that it is very important that the church knows who you are and where you’ve been. I asked my husband what he thought about your ‘announcement’ and he said that it gave ‘breadth’ to your character.
Your experience with the ‘get down and dirty’ aspects of life should help people appreciate how far you have come with Jesus and in that, how far we all can go with Him. It makes Jesus’ saving grace that much more ‘real’ and the beauty of it is… they see your incredible love for Him now. That is remarkable. ~ Wendy