On the first Friday of March, I was invited to speak at a gathering of the CityReach Network at Stage AE in downtown Pittsburgh.  Stage AE is a concert venue located between the two stadiums in Pittsburgh (Heinz Field – where the Steelers play; and PNC Park).  Hundreds gathered in this location from the six churches that have been planted out of CityReach Church Pittsburgh.

I couldn’t help but think back to a meeting that took place 7 years ago.  CityReach Church Pittsburgh had recently started as a daughter church to the church that I pastor, Allison Park Church.  They were meeting in a small storefront building located on Butler St. in Lawrenceville.  There were about 50 people packed into that little building, as this new church was getting its start.

In only seven years, God has used Pastor Brian Bolt to grow CityReach Pittsburgh to over 500 a weekend.  They have planted five churches and have five more planted to launch this fall! What’s even more amazing is that all these churches are located in the worst parts of the inner cities.  These churches are populated by men and women who have come through Men’s and Women’s Recovery Homes also started by the CityReach movement.

I am so proud to be associated with what God is doing through this powerful move of God!

Thank you so much for praying for the three GRAND OPENING services for these 3 new churches that launched this past weekend. Each launch service was well attended and filled with excitement. We had a total of 585 people combined in these three services.

There were 303 total in Binghamton, NY. Pastor Will Hampton was featured in an article in the local newspaper which raised the profile of this first service of this new church.

One of our main concerns was the weather forecast for Boston. They were predicting 12 inches of snow. Thankfully, the temperature warmed into the high 30s and it all turned to rain!
We could very much feel your prayers.

Both the Link Church (Pastor Caleb McNaughton) and Anchor Church (Pastor Randy Quackenbush) had just shy of 150 people at their Grand Opening services, in spite of the scary weather forecast.

We are so proud of all three of these pastors and their launch teams. Thank you for praying with us.

I love the comparison between an ‘airstrike’ on the battlefield to pray in the work of the Kingdom. Before the infantry marches into battle, planes (and now drones) are sent ahead to bomb the enemy and soften up the lines of battle ahead of them.

We need you to bomb the enemy this weekend!

Would you be willing to set aside 15 minutes at some point before Sunday to pray for the three GRAND OPENING events that will happen on Sunday. Pray by name for:

Pastor Caleb McNaughton and Link Church (Boston)
Pastor Randy Quackenbush and Anchor Church (Boston)
Pastor Will Hampton and Two Rivers Church (Binghamton, NY)

Ask God to provide:

1. Good weather
2. Great response to the invitations given and to the mailers and advertising
3. Anointing on the speaker and the service
4. Souls to come to Jesus even on this first day

WE NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER!

We really need you to step up your intensity in prayer for the three churches that will launch in less than two weeks. On February 24th, all the hard work, all the relationships that have been built, and all the preparation by each of these teams will be realized in this GRAND OPENING DAY!

Here’s how we need you to pray:

1. Good Weather – God we pray for a clear day, for easy travel, and for nothing to hinder people from showing up to church on this Grand Opening Weekend.

2. Holy Spirit Conviction – the Word says, ‘no man comes to Christ unless the Father draws them.’ (John 6:44). Pray for a magnetism to hit these locations that people would be drawn to Christ.

3. Favor On The Details – God we pray for everything to be covered with favor – from the beginning of that day until the end.

4. Anointing On The Speaker – We pray that each pastor would have boldness and clarity to speak forth your Word with power.

We are also believing for over 200 at each launch service (and a total of over 700 combined).

Thanks for your prayers!

Hello prayer partners!

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  He is Lord.  And, as we are inside of 3 weeks from the Grand Opening of Anchor Church, we declare Jesus as Lord of the Church!

Thank you for your prayers for our outreach, Art+Cheer. Over 250 people came to the event! The music was amazing as faculty and students from Berklee and BU performed. Our “dream team” of volunteers served with unity and joy. Shelly and I were so proud of them. We were able to share about Anchor several times through the evening. The event went better than we had dreamed, but isn’t that how God is? (Eph 3:20)

We had our first practice service last night.  We have 2 more before the 24th. Yes, we had some glitches, but there was much to rejoice in!

There are 3 churches that Allison Park Church in Pittsburgh is parenting that open the same day, Feb 24! Please include The Link (Boston) – Pastor Caleb McNaughton and Two Rivers Assembly (Binghamton, NY) – Pastor Will and Crystal Hampton in your prayers. We are believing God for over 700 people combined in these 3 launches. Will you join us in believing prayer?

 

PRAYER NEEDS: 20 DAY COUNTDOWN

• Anchor Church, The Link, Two Rivers Assembly – Randy & Shelly, Will & Crystal, and Caleb
• Over 700 in combined attendance on Feb 24
• Souls to be saved in each launch service
• The power and presence of God to be experienced
• The Word of God to go forth with clarity, creativity and boldness
• Launch teams to grow to reach 60 for each plant
• People who attend to want to come back March 3rd!

Thank you for praying.  YOUR PRAYERS make a difference.  God bless you today!

 

Anchored in Christ,

Randy & Shelly

Ministry can be a bit addictive. Yes, there are times when things aren’t going well. Critics arise. Discouragement can set in. That is one potential trap to avoid. But there is an opposite trap that also can ensnare us. When things are going well. When you are effective in meeting people’s needs. When people are telling you what a big difference that you are making in their life.

There is a rush that comes see transformation in someone’s life by the power of God’s grace. When you see it once, you want to see it happen again and again.

Equally so, there is a certain energy that comes from being thrust into a crisis or a high demand circumstance. Feeling needed. Providing comfort. Being a solution to a problem. This can be very gratifying.

Often the stage of launching a new church is that kind of rush. So many things to do. Vision to cast. People to recruit. You are building something out of nothing. The pace is energizing. The feedback is intoxicating. Even the thrill of risking it all to attempt something new provides a jolt of continual adrenaline.

At some point, however, we hit the wall. Emotion drains out of us. Fatigue sets in. We face some problem that is just too big for us to handle. Or, someone we poured our life into turns around and leaves us or criticizes us unfairly. Or, maybe we just realize that this journey of ministry never seems to take a break. As soon as one Sunday is done, we have to begin thinking of next weekend. (It’s amazing how Sundays seem to come around every 7 days!)

This is when it is good to remember and repeat something to yourself: I AM NOT THE MESSIAH!

There is a ‘messiah’ and He is not me! His name is Jesus. Ultimately, He is the one who is responsible for building His church. He is the only one truly able to transform lives and families. It is His grace which people access, not ours. He is the one we are pointing people toward, not ourselves. So here’s some steps to break the ‘Messiah Complex’.

#1 – TAKE A CHILL PILL

Don’t you wish there was such a thing? What I mean is this: give yourself a break. Stop thinking about ministry. Do something that you enjoy. Take a few days off. The entire world will not implode if you decide to rest. Remember the SABBATH and use a day of our week to rest, get refreshed, and refocus.

I remember a number of years ago taking a few days to get away and pray. It was a stressful time in my life and I was feeling overwhelmed. Everything seemed to be dependent on me. I had several small kids. and was the Lead Pastor of a church, etc, etc. It was a spring day and I was standing outside staring at a tree with birds nesting in its branches. The thought hit me, ‘this tree has been growing in this spot and I had nothing to do with its growth. It doesn’t need me. Neither do these birds who are being fed and finding shelter in its branches.’

Then God spoke to me, ‘I can handle everything else in your life without you too!’ It was a needed reality check for me. So I chose to rest in God and let him carry my world for a while.

#2 – GIVE IT BACK TO HIM

Everything is his anyway, right? The church you serve. The family you lead. The money you oversee. It is His, correct? In John 3, after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist – all of John’s followers left him to follow Jesus.

So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.” John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ (John 3:26-28 NLT)

I love the realization that John comes to – ‘no one can receive anything unless God gives it.’ Sounds like Psalm 127, ‘Unless The Lord builds the house, the laborers build it in vain.’

The other realization is: “I am NOT the Messiah – I am only here to point people to him!’

#3 – DELEGATE AND DEFLECT PRAISE TO OTHERS

Feeling overwhelmed is also a sign that you are trying to do to much and that you are not equipping others enough. So figure out what you can delegate to others and start the process of training them and releasing them to do what is needed.

Nothing breaks the ‘Messiah Complex’ like sharing ministry with others and then when good things happen, making the choice to glorify God and credit others. John the Baptist also said in John 3, ‘He must increase and I must decrease.’ Choosing to let Jesus increase also involves choosing to let others increase around you.

#4 – SET BOUNDARIES AND ESTABLISH RHYTHMS

These healthy decisions need then to be embedded into your schedule. If not, you will quickly end up back in the same unhealthy place. So set up some boundaries for yourself. Take a day off. Set aside a day of ‘sabbath’. Choose to be home with your family during set evenings of the week. Don’t live in a constant state of emergency.

Let these weekly schedule decisions become a healthy rhythm for your life. I have given up on trying to achieve ‘balance’ in my life. I don’t think balance is ever possible. But healthy rhythms are possible and we should strive for them.

#5 – STOP BEING A PLEASER

This may be the hardest thing to do out of the five. We often break our healthy patterns because we like the rush that comes with pleasing people. We also want to avoid the unpleasantness of the disapproval and disappointment of others. People often set unrealistic expectations of us. Then want us to be the ‘Messiah’. We actually giving them a gift when we don’t try to meet those expectations.

They may be disappointed in us. But if they are directed to the true Messiah – they will always find the help that they need.

Food tastes good! It’s not that I didn’t already know that. It’s just that I especially appreciate the taste having just completed a 21 day season of ‘liquid-only’ fasting. Every year, I encourage my church family to do some type of fasting and praying to begin the year. This year, our focus as on this 21 day period of time.

Some people ask, ‘why is this so important?’ and also, ‘how can you go for that long a period of time without eating?’ Let me address question #2 first.

I did not start out with a 21 day fast. For me, I began with a 24 hour fast. The first few attempts at that, I failed and ended up eating by lunchtime. Eventually, I succeeded. Then I tried three days. Eventually, I lasted an entire week. Just like a long-distance runner develops stamina, and learns to read the reactions of their own body – so it is with fasting and prayer. Now let’s answer the ‘why’ question.

#1 – IT ELEVATES MY SENSES

Denying yourself food will make you sense hunger. But it also makes you feel everything more acutely. The morning shower feels much warmer and invigorating. Cold feels colder. Smells are much more pungent. And in my spirit – I can sense the activity of the Holy Spirit much more clearly as well.

#2 – IT WIPES AWAY THE FOG

This heightened sensitivity clarifies my vision. It’s like turning on the defroster in my car to defog the car windshield. All of the sudden, I can see clearer where I am going and what God wants to do in my life. As a spiritual leader, who is responsible for leading others – this is incredibly important for me in order to lead well.

#3 – IT STRENGTHS MY RESOLVE

This weekend I had a conversation with Johannes Amritzer about this very topic. He said, ‘a long fast strengthens my will because if I can say ‘no’ to food for this length of time, then I can certainly say ‘no’ to all other types of sin and distraction. It builds a confidence that I can overcome.

#4 – IT CRUCIFIES MY FLESH

Another way of saying this is that my self-centered nature is dealt a death blow. Dying to self is not something you do for just 21 days. It has to become a lifestyle. Anytime, however, you aggressively kill your own selfishness, you are then able to make great spiritual progress.

#5 – IT INCREASES MY INTENSITY

People always tell me, “I love to hear you preach when you are fasting! Your passion levels are clearly increased.’ It’s not even something that I am totally aware of – and yet there is an obvious sense of authority and push in preaching and in prayer during a fast.

#6 – IT ESTABLISHES AN INTIMACY

The combination of the extra time in prayer and the other factors listed above – bring about a very sweet sense of closeness with God. When you go to pray – you step right into the presence of God and feel this wide open heaven. This is the most prized of all of the benefits. Being close to the Almighty. Feeling his pleasure. Hearing his voice. Wow, Wow, Wow! There is nothing quite like it.

#7 – IT INVITES A HARVEST

Hebrews 12 teaches us that God’s discipline in our life, while not pleasant at the moment, brings about a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who are trained by it. Self-discipline can bring a similar harvest in your life. As we sow to please the Spirit and choose to kill the flesh, we reap the benefits of righteousness and peace throughout the year.

Just a few days ago, a man of God felt that God had a ‘word’ of prophesy for my future and my life. I believe that the gift of prophesy is for today. The Holy Spirit speaks through the life of a surrendered believer and provides encouragement that is aimed to build up, bind up, and lift up.

A prophetic word is often futuristic. When we speak, we speak of what we know. We only know the past and the present. Our worldview is shaped primarily by what we have seen and experienced. But God speaks to us from what He knows. He knows, not only the past and the present, but he also knows the future.

Prophesy is God speaking to us from the future. He declares what He knows will happen. He declares what He knows we will become. He provides these ‘words’ to give us insight into what to pray, what to seek out, and how to begin to obey.

But prophesy does not provide us with an entirely complete picture. We only get a small glimpse into what God has in mind. Once we receive this prophetic message, we then have to activate what God has said to us. How?

#1 – PONDER IT

When prophetic things were spoken over baby Jesus to Mary, the Bible tells us that ‘Mary pondered these things in her heart.’ What she was told was too fantastic to even totally understand at the moment. So she just meditated on it and waited on God for more complete understanding.

#2 – TEST IT

People are fallible. We all do our best to hear from God and speak what we have heard. But it’s possible for some parts of the prophesy to be wrong or inaccurate. That does not mean that the entire message is off base. It just means that we have to judge what to hold onto and what to place on the shelf. Gaining insight and confirmation from a mature spirit-filled leader in your life is an important next step.

#3 – WRITE IT

I have found it important to document what was said. I keep a file of moments of prophesy over my life so that I can remember what God has said and celebrate when God brings the things proclaimed into fulfillment in my life.

#4 – PRAY IT

The other good purpose for writing it out is the ability to agree with what was said over you as you pray. So speak forth what God has prophesied to you as you pray. I typically write these ‘words’ out as a declarative statement: ‘I declare that God will …. (fill in the blank).’

#5 – SURRENDER IT

Prophesy can often bring pressure. We feel that we have to perform so that we don’t fail to accomplish the ‘word’ that God has given, that now others might expect us to step into. Remember that prophesy is a declaration of what GOD IS GOING TO DO in your life. Yes, you have to act in obedience to his directives, but ultimately only He can bring it to pass.

#6 – REVISIT IT

Sometimes it may take years for certain words to come to pass. During season of fasting and prayer and at the beginning of every new year, it is good to return to those words and see where things stand. Come back into agreement and declare afresh what God has spoken.

#7 – CELEBRATE IT

When God brings it to pass in your life, don’t fail to give Him praise for being faithful to accomplish it in your life.

Yesterday, I received a text message from Chris Gilkey who planted Reach Church in Austin, Texas – two years ago. It read like this: ‘Standing room only for both services. 48 people prayed the salvation prayer in one weekend!’

Church plants reach more people for Christ than any other method available to us.

In FOUR WEEKS three new churches will hold their GRAND OPENING services. For the next four weeks we are going to pray for these three churches. Let’s all agree on this one thing this week: THAT GOD WOULD DRAW PEOPLE TO THESE CHURCHES BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

1.The Link Church – Boston, MA

2. Anchor Church, Boston MA

3. Two Rivers Assembly, Binghamton, NY