Take A Step

Each year following the 21 days of prayer and fasting, we celebrate with VISION NIGHT!

Vision Night is strategically scheduled after the fast because God has always revealed clear direction for the church during these 3 weeks of seeking Him.  This year was no different.

TAKE A STEP

We believe that is the word of the Lord for Life Church Jersey in 2014.  We experienced amazing things in 2013. (Listen HERE to Vision Night for the all the details.) 

As we enter 2014, God has challenged us to stretch our faith and reach for more.  All He wants us to do is to #TakeAStep.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way."  Psalm 37:23 NKJV

He (big "H") GOD delights in YOUR (little "h") way when you are taking steps toward HIS plan.

Let's #TakeAStep together and accomplish great things for God this year.

Let the Players Play!

The leader or coach's job is to prepare his or her team for game day.  Whether it's a stadium full of people with the entire world watching or a crowd of 100 people about to experience church; the big day is a big deal.

Coaches (pastor in my case) can and should get out on the field during practice.  Show the players how to run the play.  Demonstrate the blocking assignment.  Teach.  Train.  Explain.  Set your players up for a win.  But when game day comes, Let The Players Play!

Coach before the game.  Coach at halftime.  Coach after the game is over.  But, while the clock is running, stay off the field!  Sometimes, the only way the players will learn and grow to play at a higher level is if we let them experience the necessary pain of blowing an assignment that costs the game.  Believe me, they want to win as much or more than the coach.  So, they'll learn from their mistakes...if we let them make a few.

It's hard to watch a player, team, game, or church experience crash and burn.  But, you'll be developing leaders and there will be more wins in your future if you learn to Let The Players Play on game day.

Dan

I'd love to know your thoughts or comments.

21 Day Challenge

Yesterday, I unveiled how we're going to kick off 2014 at Life Church with a 21 Day Challenge. I'm so excited to see what God will do in the lives of individuals and the church as we put Him first.

1 Thesalonians 5:23 says, "Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again."

You make something holy by worshipping God with it. Your body, money, marriage, carrier; whatever it is becomes holy when God is given control and you worship Him. So, beginning Sunday, January 5th, through January 25th, we will kick off the year focusing on the Spirit with scripture reading, the Soul with prayer and fasting, and the Body with exercise.

Here's the 21 Day Challenge...

January 5-11 we will SOAP daily (Bible reading and journaling)

January 12-18 we will add Prayer and Fasting (while we continue to SOAP)

January 19-25 we will add daily exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes (continuing to SOAP and Fast)

* We'll be doing all 3 things that final week!

Let's join together and seek God as we kick off the New Year. I have a holy anticipation that this New Year is going to be a year where destinies are altered and aligned toward God. I believe God is going to do great things in your life in 2014!

Will you take the challenge?

Be Rich!

t’s Christmas! And since this is a season of giving, we as a church

want to go above and beyond in our generosity to those in need.

The Apostle Paul taught Timothy to...

“Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.” (1 Timothy 6:18 NLT)

We are to use whatever we have, whether a lot or a little, to do good and give more. On Sunday, December 15th, we will be practicing to BE RICH as a church.

LCJ uses a minimum of 10% of its income every year for outreach and regular donations to our ministry partners. Jesus told us in Acts 1:8 that we are to share His good news locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. We have budgeted $35,000 to share Jesus with our world throughout 2014. BUT, imagine the impact we could make as a church if we gave our partners a massive jumpstart to their year.

That thought is the heart of our BE RICH Campaign, which is to raise all $35,000 (what we’ve budgeted to give away in 2014) on one day! We’re giddy just thinking about this!!! If you are like us, and we think you probably love to give too, then prayerfully plan how you will join with us to BE RICH.

We can easily reach our goal on Sunday, December 15th if we all give a little extra.

If you haven't begun giving yet, start on December 15.

If you haven't begun tithing (giving 10%) start on December 15.

If you already give regularly, give a little extra.

Here's one way that might help you determine what to give.

If you regularly give...

$20 a week.....give an extra $104 on Dec. 15th

$50 a week.....give an extra $260

$100 a week...give an extra $520

$250 a week...give an extra $1300

$500 a week...give an extra $2600

If you regularly give...

$500 a month.....give an extra $600 on Dec. 15th

$750 a month.....give an extra $900

$1000 a month...give an extra $1200

$1500 a month...give an extra $1800

$2000 a month...give an extra $2400

Life Church Jersey's Strategic Outreach Partners

“And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem (local), throughout Judea (regional), in Samaria (national), and to the ends of the earth (global).” (Acts 1:8 NLT)

Local/Regional

Jesus Loves Jersey

Church Planting in NJ/Northeast

Next Level Coaching Area Pastors

Live Streaming of LCJ Experiences

National

ARC - Church Planting (20% of our missions budget)

Samaritan's Purse - Disaster relief

Finishline - Youth ministry leadership coaching & Jesus Adventure Camp

RMAI - Ministry training for pastors and missionaries

Global

MAOZ - Missions in Israel (10% of our missions budget) We give here first.

Dominican Republic - Missionaries Mark and Stephanie Pyles

Compassion - rescuing & adopting children

A21 Campaign - preventing and rescuing woman caught in sex trafficking

Convoy of Hope - Disaster relief

Why LIFE CHURCH?

We announced to the church last Sunday that our name will be Life Church starting Sunday, September 22nd. I have to tell you that I am extremely excited about this new season for the church! This is a pretty BIG DEAL and I wanted to share the one main reason for the change.

#1 - Make it as easy as possible for all people to find Jesus and follow Him fully!

The church should be the most inviting and attractional place around. The church (a movement of people, not a building) should be a microcosm of it's surrounding community. We want unchurched and de-churched people (used to go to church but don't go anymore) to love our church and attend regularly. So, we started asking ourselves if there was anything that would be a hinderance for someone to step through our doors. We listed the characteristics of the people we feel compelled to love and want our name to be inviting to every person no matter their season of life.
That's when we realized we needed to simplify our name to broaden our reach.

Its Up to You!

Get the most out of your FLC Experience...

Every Sunday at FLC, family and guests come through our doors with some hope or desire for a better life.  We're all hoping and praying God does something supernatural to capture our hearts and turn our lives around.  Whether we're in complete trust and reliance on God or wondering if God can or will help us, we want our time at church to be impact-full.  We're praying for genuine transformation and life-change.

Here's what I know: no matter how friendly our greeters, how safe and fun our kids environments, how awesome our band, and inspiring the preaching; what you get out of your time at church has more to do with what YOU do than what the church does.  Your preparation and participation really make the difference.  Our focus is not entertaining you but experiencing God WITH you.

I've compiled a "to-do" list to help you get the most out of your experience at FLC:
1. SOAP during the week.  Our daily Bible reading plan focuses on our current message series.  You'll be ahead of the game with the inside scoop from God.
2. Invite/Bring a friend.  You'll get the vision of the church more when you bring an unchurched friend.
3. PRAY!  Pray for the FLC experiences during the week as well as when you drive to church every week.
4. Make room!  Come to the 9:30am experience if you're not bringing a friend.  Most guests come to the 11:15am experience and we've been setting out extra chairs almost every week.  You coming at 9:30am really makes a difference to build momentum at both experiences.
5. Arrive early.  You don't want to miss a thing!  We spend a lot of time praying and planning EVERY part of your experience EVERY week.
6. Get a seat as close to the front as possible.  I preach better when you're closer.  Seriously, it's harder to preach when I'm looking past empty seats to see your faces. (The front row is not sacred.)
7. Look for someone you don't know and be friendly.  If you're a Dream Team member or a regular attender than this is your house.  Be hospitable!
8. Invite people to sit with you...on the front row!
9. Participate!  Sing.  Clap.  Lift your hands.  Take notes.  Fill out your connection card.  Give.  Pray. Get in a Life Group.  Go through the Growth Track.

The real deal is that spiritual change does not happen through osmosis or by simply being at church.  Its up to you.  The more you put in the more you will get out of it.  Join with us and lets make FLC the most dynamic experience of your week.  Also, the more you put in the more others will get out of it, too.  Let's change the world!

Lifting people to Jesus with you.

Pastor Dan

Soul Therapy

We are currently in a series at Family Life called "Soul Therapy" where we are working on inside issues. Addiction, depression, anger, and insecurity are the internal struggles we will be defeating.

Check out today's #SOAP from Romans 6 and win the battle within!

S = "So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11 NLT)

O = A big key to our victory over sin is a position of faith and vision. It's seeing ourselves having power to deny sin and believing that we are free from sin's hold. It's the thought that counts! Paul, by the Spirit of God, is telling us in his letter to the believers in Rome, that Jesus has broken sin's power over our lives. We must "consider" ourselves free. #ItsTheThoughtThatCounts If we're to have victory over sin, we must believe--constantly be thinking that we have power over sin.

A = The personal application of this #SOAP is to write this verse down on a 3x5 card, make it our phone's wallpaper, or print it out and put it on a bathroom mirror to be seen everyday. Memorize this verse and recite it when tempted or pressured to sin. Believe we are free from sin's hold even if it was just 5 minutes ago that we gave in to temptation. It's all about changing the way we think.

P = Father God, I pray right now for a clear mind to think Your thoughts about who I am as Your child. I ask that You help me to believe what Your Word says about me. I declare by the power of the blood of Jesus and the authority in His name that I have power over sin. I am free from sin's hold. Thank you for saving me and giving me victory in life.

This Sunday we will be tackling depression! Don't miss it!