Thursday, September 23, 2010

Seeking, and Finding. The end of the Church Me series

(I will come up front and say that this is not an original idea for a post. This is actually from something I heard Pastor David Jeremiah mention a couple of days ago on his radio program.)
When people ask where I go to church, they would be surprised to hear me say Charlotte. I go to Elevation Church, where Steven Furtick is the lead Pastor. My wife Sheyna went to the same college that Pastor Steven and his wife Holly attended. She has followed blogs for the church for years, and this Easter, we finally attended. We have gone ever sense.
People ask me about my church. What kind of church is it? Well, it's different. The music is louder than I am accustomed to (they pass out earplugs at the door!), the presentation is different, and everything is well put together. The preaching, most importantly, is TOP-NOTCH. Pastor Steven hits you solidly in the face with the Word of God. He once described it is "old school preaching in a new school way." Is my church seeker-sensitive? No, not in that sense.
This is where the David Jeremiah quote comes in. He mentioned that someone asked him (since his church is on the west coast) if his church was seeker-friendly, seeker-sensitive, or seeker-focused. He then quoted this verse: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10, part b, NKJV)
He expounded: Jesus is the seeker. Therefore, are we seeker-friendly? Yes, we try to be a friend to Jesus. Are we seeker-sensitive? Yes, we strive to be sensitive to Jesus, and to the leading of the Spirit. Are we seeker-focused? The older we get, the more we focus on the seeker of the lost, looking for the day of Blessed Hope. (I'm sorry, Pastor Jeremiah, if I completely butchered your thought in the paraphrase.)
The point is this: I go to a church that acts in audacious faith, So that people far from God will be filled with life in Christ. Yes, they do some things a little bit different. However- he word is preached in an unashamed fashion. This is what is drawing people in. They are treated well by a courteous and incredible staff. God is honoring the church, because the honor Him that came to seek and save, and it is evident to all to see.
When I did my "Church Me" blogs last year, I did not imagine I would be in such a church. Now that I am, I can't picture myself anywhere else.

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