Merge Worship

Perry Noble on 2 Kings 7

• Instead of asking Him to build His church, we’ve asked Him to build our church
• It (the church) does not belong to anyone. (elders/deacons) It belongs to Him.
• Getting back to the church we need to wrestle with 3 questions
o Are we willing to embrace change?
• “If you think your poop doesn’t stink. God can’t use you.”
• “Why sit here until we die?”
• I believe every church in America is one or two changes away from doubling in size.
• Churches have been declining in size for the last 30 years. If it was our money, we would do something about it.
• If we reacted to the church as strongly as we reacted to the stock market we would see change.
• If you could do it like you’ve always done it, then He wouldn’t need to speak to us.
• Everyone ca look at other churches and see where they need to change, but can you look at your church and see where it needs to change.
• After being in a church for 5-10 years God asks us to change what we once thought was a good idea.
• We have several people who would give their lives for the grandchildren to see them come to Christ but would not be willing to change their style of music.
• Perry gets his idea that the church should change from the book of Acts. That makes this charismatic dude happy. ;-)
• Thomas taught a skeptics class in the early church.
• Peter taught a class on how to cuss and still be a Christian. Perry teaches that class at NewSpring.
• If what’s going on in your church is manageable it’s not a move of God. Moves of God can not be planned or managed.
• A move of God is messy and if you don’t want messy you don’t want a move of God.
• “NewSpring is the church where sinners go. “They’re all on staff.”
• 4 year old kid said to his parents…”I want to go back to the damn church.” Perry told the parents. “That’s passion. They hired him on the spot.”
• If you’re trying to tell people who can and can’t come to your church, you’re telling God He can’t show up.
• People will leave if we teach on giving. “Just the people who aren’t giving.” :-)
• Perry remembers counting money in the closet of the Fine Arts building at Anderson College.
• He would call people who missed and ask if they wanted to double up on their tithes before he asked if they were sick.
• If it’s God’s will, it’s His bill.
• If you’re a pastor and want to see your church take off, you need to be less involved in the day to day of your church.
• A pastor’s job as related to youth ministry is to fund it.
• We take better care of our senior adults then our money.
• People ask why they have youth. “We spend money on them. Everyone else is.”
• We’ve got to get out of the business of competing with one another and get in the business of completing each other.
• Question 2
o Are we willing to work?
• Our attitude should be that we’re willing to do whatever He asks us to.
• Instead of asking for permission we should place ourselves in submission.
• Working in a church
o Investigate the obvious
• Is there anything going on in your church that you wouldn’t want be a part of if you weren’t getting paid? Is there anything that you’re manufacturing energy for?
• Is there any staff member or volunteer that isn’t getting it done? Sometimes God calls us to hurt people’s feelings. “Brood of vipers.”
• Do you have anyone on stage that can’t sing?
• Have a group of people around you that will keep it real.
o Ignore the jackass
• In the greek jackass is translated “blogger”
• 2 types of jackasses
• the person that takes shots at you without ever attending your church. God calls his church to be above the fray and not to be intimidated by the “jackasses”
• when a move of God is bringing people to Christ who would rather attack it, God or Satan?
• The 2nd jackass is the person who always wants to go “deeper”. “Your only as deep the last person you served.”
• We want more worship. You have 6 other days.
• John Maxwell…”Christians are educated beyond the level of obedience”
• Question 3
o Are we willing to reach the world?
o Overplayed terms
• Contemporary—our pastor wears a sweater vest and we sing songs that makes Him seem like he buys
• Blended—no one in our church possesses a set and will declare where we stand. In an effort to keep everyone happy we reach no one.
• Missional—it’s like a fish saying “I like water. I like water.” We should be missional. Definition---nobody showing up.
• Emergent—we’re a bunch of spoiled church kids who have a problem with authority; included the authority of scripture. We’ve sided with Satan by questioning the word of God and hell will be more crowded because of it.

• Jesus didn’t die so we could form holy huddles in a church to discuss terms while the world around us is dying and going to hell.
• God didn’t call the church to condemn the city, He called us to save our cities.
• “The reason I’m obsessed with numbers because I was one of the numbers.”
• It’s amazing how the church will trust the Holy Spirit for salvation, but not after salvation.