2010 and Stone Church part two

Well, this is part two of a two part blog on "2010 and the Stone Church".

What are our goals for 2010?

As a Pentecostal church, we would like to grow in the way the church did in the book of Acts.

It was explosive growth – from about 120 to possibly as many 100,000 in 25 years. Who wouldn’t want that?

Let's review: We saw yesterday four principles:

1. We must minister in the Holy Spirit's power.
2. We must maintain a warm fellowship.
3. We must multiply small groups.
4. We must continue to be faithful in giving.

Three more:

5. We must magnify our vision of God.

In Acts 4:24, the apostles had been taken prisoner and questioned before the Sanhedrin. Then they came back and prayed. Notice the prayer: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.”

In the midst of a time of crisis, the apostles acknowledged that God was ruler over everything and ultimately in control.

We know the church is on the winning side. We’ve read the last chapter. We know how it’s going to end. If someone asks why we don’t get discouraged, we can answer: “We know who is going to win. We’re part of a mission that can’t fail.”

That’s why we must continually find ourselves on the offensive.

The Bible says in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it”

Are gates an offensive weapon or a defensive weapon? They’re defensive. You build gates to keep people from getting to you.

So that means Satan isn’t attacking us. We’re attacking him! We’re trying to snatch people out of his grasp. A lot of churches want to play it safe and avoid being tainted. But I believe in a big God who doesn’t want us to hide from the great evils of this world.

Let's not be afraid to rock the boat if Jesus Christ is the captain. We’re on the winning side. When we focus on God, circumstances will seem inconsequential to his greatness. He’s got all the resources we need.

6. We must maximize the power of prayer.

Our annual week of prayer will be January 11-15, 2010.

I am looking forward to this time of fasting and having conversations with God.

If you look through the book of Acts, you’ll see the phrase “they prayed” 48 times. We will have power like the church in Acts when we pray like the church in Acts. Think about it. There was a first-century apostle, James, whom they called “camel knees” because he prayed so much!

The early church was engaged in a spiritual battle. So are we. Spiritual warfare requires the use of spiritual weapons. That’s why we must maximize the power of prayer if we’re going to be like the church of Jerusalem. Jesus said that his house would be “a house of prayer.” Is our church a house of prayer?

7. We must all participate in ministry

People didn't sit on the sidelines in the early church. The church mobilized everyone for ministry. Acts 6 shows this. The church was growing so fast the apostles couldn’t keep up with all the ministry needs, so they mobilized others to meet those needs.

We need you in 2010! We need everyone involved in ministry! We are a team - "Together Experiencing A Ministry".