Main Session 5

Description: When community works—when it´s characterized by good health and a supportive environment—it can have a transformative effect on individuals, on churches, and within entire neighborhoods. Miles McPherson details the importance of a community–focused church, and the power of community to impact our entire culture.

Speaker’s Bio: Miles McPherson is the President of Miles Ahead, and is an internationally known speaker whose bold, down-to-earth, and humorous style has become his trademark. His relevant message challenges both the young and young-minded and often compels them to recalibrate their lives in light of the Gospel. McPherson achieved All-American honors in college football and went on to play as a defensive back for the San Diego Chargers. He earned an MDiv and is now Senior Pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego, where more than 11,000 people attend one of five weekend services. McPherson is the author of several books and articles, and in 2007 earned an Emmy Award for a documentary on methamphetamine.

Notes:

Before you and I were ever born, before your group was ever created, before your ministry was ever started, before the beginning of the world, God had a plan for you, and it was a lot more than a Bible study in a room.  God has something more for you than a Bible study in a room.

We moved into a new church building about 14 months ago.  Then the San Diego fires started.  We had this great new building, and we weren’t doing anything with it during the fires.  1/6 of the people in the area had been evacuated.  500,000 people were being evacuated.  We decided we had to open up the building as a shelter, but we didn’t have any supplies.  We sent out a text message, and for 13 hours people brought stuff in.  We had doctors and lawyers, clowns, rooms full of stuff, a petting zoo, and 12 evacuees.  Every evacuee had like 150 people serving them.  We had evacuees walking around shopping carts taking stuff to their cars.

So someone got this briliant idea, why don’t we become a distribution center.  Carloads started going out to the places where there were fires and distributing goods.  We sent out flyers telling people they could come stay at our church.

How come Christians are not lining up to to recruit people to run from the fire?  There are people going to hell, and our churches look like Christian country clubs

• Redefine your evangelism starting point as God’s response to a broken world.
  We define evangelism as going and telling someone what they should believe so they can be like us.  Lets squash that.  Let’s turn it around.  Let’s say that the Gospel is not propositional truth.  Romans 3:23 is true.  Jesus did rise from the dead.  That is true, but the Gospel is an experience with Jesus, an experience with a person.  So evangelism is sharing your relationship with Jesus with another person.
  Exodus 3 - I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry.
  Your community, your people are crying, and God has sent us to respond to the cries, not to huddle together.  We huddle together to get our marching orders.  If we fail to respond to the cries, we fail to serve our purpose.
  People are crying.  Sin brings death.  Death brings tears.  Whether they like they’re sin, whether they’re doing it intentionally, their sin will bring tears.
  We need to listen to their cries rather than tell them what to do.  If we don’t listen, we don’t know what to say.
  When Jesus said to remember Him, He said take communion, remember his pain.
• Identify God’s response to the brokenness of your own life.
  You know what the danger of walking with God for a long time is?  We get this feeling we are fixed.  We think if we teach others enough information, they can be fixed like us.
  I found a movie theater that charges $35, and then you can pay to use the bar, order food, etc.  They’re selling experience.
  What is your God experience?  Certainly God is working out something in your life.  If you don’t know that, if your group doesn’t know that forget evangelism, forget impacting anybody.  God is trying to transform you.  Forget being who God wants you to be.  Why is God doing this?  It’s not so you can be Joe Christian.
  1 Cor 1:3-4 - God comforts us in all tribulation, so that you may be able to comfort those in any trouble.
  Let the head stuff come later.  Let it be about life.  Your group is a breeding ground of people who are going through stuff.
• Identify and love the brokenness of those in your church.
  Find the brokenness that God has fixed in you and minister to those people.
  We have a 21 year old girl in our church who is on the street every single day ministering to the homeless.  She takes them to her house.  They sleep on her couch.  They sleep on her floor.  They sleep in her yard.  Why?  Because her heart is broken.
• Identify and love the brokennes in your community.
  Within 10 miles of our church, there are 12 abortion clinics, 17 bookstores, 34 drug treatment centers, 7 homeless shelters, 12 battered women shelters, 280 liquor stores, and 58 escort services and strip clubs.  Every one of these places exist because people are crying.  We need to be caring for these people.  The church is saying “We’re over here.  Jesus died for you.”  The only thing that travels faster than light is darkness running away.  Instead of trying to blast our message, why don’t we listen and open our hearts.  Why don’t we go to the bar and drive home drunk people.
  The people who started the ministries in our church are just turning around the healing that God has given them and offering it to others.
  The community is out there waiting to partner with you.  They really want it, but you have to initiate it.
• Reestablish your evangelistic priority
  The Church is the only institution God created that is designed for the people who aren’t in it yet.  When Jesus died he didn’t die for the righteous.  He died for the sinners.
  God gave you overflow for you to give away.  He didn’t give it to you for you.  God has not given you that big old house for you.  He gave it so you can bless somebody else.
  There’s a guy on a church that looks like Opie.  I found out the other day that he used to be in the Crips.  I told him I wanted him to take me into the hood and meet the people there.
  Let me tell you what will kill your ministry and your small group, keeping it to yourself.  Worry about pushing people, transparency, being transparent.  Let me tell you what won’t kill your ministry.  Doing exactly what God told you to do.

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