Embracing Motion: A Year of Faith and Growth

Devotional

Day 1: Stepping Out in Faith

The journey of faith often begins with small, humble steps, yet it is marked by God's unwavering faithfulness. The Collective Church's story is a testament to this truth, as it started with just nine people in a living room, driven by a vision to create a church that they would want to attend and bring their children to. Despite initial challenges, such as lacking a permanent space and equipment, they trusted in God's call to plant this church. Over time, their faith and obedience were rewarded with growth and transformation, as they witnessed 56 people come to know Jesus and 43 baptisms in their first year. This journey reminds us that God calls us to step out in faith, even when the path is unclear, trusting that He will provide and guide us. [02:59]

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you feel God is calling you to step out in faith, even if the path seems unclear? How can you take a small step in that direction today?

Day 2: Spiritual Motion and Growth

The theme "In Motion" emphasizes the importance of staying active in our faith, avoiding stagnancy and complacency. Just as Paul pressed on toward the goal, we are called to continually seek God's direction and be open to His leading, ensuring that our spiritual lives are vibrant and growing. This requires us to be a church that is constantly moving, following the Holy Spirit's lead, and adapting to the changing needs of our community. By doing so, we can deepen our engagement, not just in attendance but in discipleship and community involvement. [19:33]

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you actively seek God's direction in your life this week? How can you ensure that your spiritual life remains vibrant and growing?

Day 3: The Power of Radical Obedience

Radical obedience to God is crucial for experiencing His blessings. Partial obedience is not enough; we must fully surrender to His will. This obedience often reveals areas of our lives that need transformation, leading to greater spiritual growth and blessings. As we let go of the past and push forward, even when it hurts, we open ourselves to all that God has for us. This requires a mindset shift to be loyal to the future God is creating, embracing the new things He is doing in our lives. [36:14]

"And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'" (1 Samuel 15:22, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel God is calling you to radical obedience? What steps can you take to fully surrender to His will in that area?

Day 4: Embracing the Future

While honoring our past, we must not dwell on it. God is doing a new thing, and we must be willing to let go of past successes and failures to embrace the future He has for us. This requires a mindset shift to be loyal to the future God is creating. By focusing on the future, we can push through the strain and endure in our faith, trusting in the assurance of victory that God promises. As we move into this new season, we are committed to being in motion, seeking first the kingdom, and making disciples. [28:24]

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-19, ESV)

Reflection: What past successes or failures are you holding onto that might be hindering you from embracing the future God has for you? How can you begin to let go and focus on the new things God is doing in your life?

Day 5: Engaging in Community

True church strength is measured by engagement, not attendance. We are called to be active participants in our faith community, using our gifts and talents to serve and build the kingdom. This engagement leads to deeper discipleship and a stronger church body. As The Collective Church looks forward, they aim to deepen their engagement by expanding connect groups, increasing service opportunities, and establishing a headquarters to better serve their community. By doing so, they hope to see 100 people come to know Jesus and 160 people engaged in connect groups. [10:07]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: How can you actively engage in your faith community this week? What specific gifts or talents can you use to serve and build the kingdom within your church?

Sermon Summary

Today marks a significant milestone for The Collective Church as we celebrate our one-year anniversary and Vision Sunday. Reflecting on our journey, we began with a small group of nine people meeting in a living room, driven by a vision to create a church that we would want to attend and bring our children to. Despite initial challenges, such as lacking a permanent space and equipment, we trusted in God's call to plant this church. Our journey has been marked by God's faithfulness, as we've seen growth from nine to over 240 attendees, with 56 people coming to know Jesus and 43 baptisms in our first year.

Our mission remains steadfast: to reach those who don't know Jesus and foster a healthy relationship with Him. However, our theme for the upcoming year is "In Motion," inspired by Philippians 3:12-14, where Paul speaks of pressing on toward the goal. This theme emphasizes the importance of staying active in our faith, not becoming stagnant or complacent. We are called to be a church that is constantly moving, following the Holy Spirit's lead, and adapting to the changing needs of our community.

As we look forward, we aim to deepen our engagement, not just in attendance but in discipleship and community involvement. We plan to expand our connect groups, increase our service opportunities, and establish a headquarters to better serve our community. Our vision is to see 100 people come to know Jesus, 160 people engaged in connect groups, and to launch new initiatives like a Spanish service and a recovery connect group.

Individually and collectively, we are challenged to want all that God has for us and to give Him all of ourselves. This requires radical obedience, letting go of the past, and pushing forward even when it hurts. Our journey is not just about the excitement of something new but about enduring and thriving in our faith. As we move into this new season, we are committed to being in motion, seeking first the kingdom, and making disciples.

Key Takeaways

1. Embrace the Journey of Faith: Our journey as a church began with humble beginnings, but through faith and obedience, we've seen God's faithfulness. This reminds us that God calls us to step out in faith, even when the path is unclear, trusting that He will provide and guide us. [02:59]
2. Stay in Motion Spiritually: The theme "In Motion" encourages us to remain active in our faith, avoiding stagnancy and complacency. Just as Paul pressed on toward the goal, we are called to continually seek God's direction and be open to His leading, ensuring that our spiritual lives are vibrant and growing. [19:33]
3. Radical Obedience Unlocks Blessings: Obedience to God is crucial for experiencing His blessings. Partial obedience is not enough; we must fully surrender to His will. This obedience often reveals areas of our lives that need transformation, leading to greater spiritual growth and blessings. [36:14]
4. Forget the Past and Focus on the Future: While honoring our past, we must not dwell on it. God is doing a new thing, and we must be willing to let go of past successes and failures to embrace the future He has for us. This requires a mindset shift to be loyal to the future God is creating. [28:24]
5. Engagement Over Attendance: True church strength is measured by engagement, not attendance. We are called to be active participants in our faith community, using our gifts and talents to serve and build the kingdom. This engagement leads to deeper discipleship and a stronger church body. [10:07]
** [10:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:59] - Opening Prayer
[10:07] - Celebrating Our First Year
[13:51] - The Excitement of New Beginnings
[16:03] - The Challenge of Complacency
[17:29] - Adapting to Change
[19:33] - Theme for 2023: In Motion
[22:33] - Giving God Our All
[23:42] - The Call to Radical Obedience
[24:24] - Denying Ourselves and Following Jesus
[26:14] - Forgetting the Past
[28:24] - Embracing the New Thing
[30:23] - Pushing Through the Strain
[32:11] - The Endurance of Faith
[35:19] - The Assurance of Victory
[36:14] - Walking in Radical Obedience
[39:05] - The Love Language of Heaven
[41:11] - Understanding the Father's Love
[42:49] - The Cost of Disobedience
[45:55] - Miracles in Motion
[47:44] - Vision for the Future
[50:04] - New Initiatives for 2023
[52:39] - Partnering in Renewal
[53:34] - Invitation to Know Jesus

Sermon Clips

Here are the selected quotes from the sermon transcript:

1. "Since we've started, we've sensed that God has, I don't know, every month, what do I say? He's given us a theme. Our mission, our vision, our values never change. The vision is always the same, to reach people who don't know Jesus and bring them into a healthy relationship with Him. But our theme changes. We always sense that God gives us a specific word, a specific text, and a specific theme, and that is kind of what we shape our year around." [00:43] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "I want to give you the history. I want to go back, back, back a year and a half. And when there was a few of us, there was about nine of us, and we weren't, I wasn't working. We weren't working at a church anymore, and there was a group of us that weren't really attending church, or maybe watching online, but we had a sense that God was trying to do something in us and through us, and we were trying to discern what that was. And my wife and I felt that God was calling us to plant a church." [04:36] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "I didn't call people to follow a building, I called people to follow my son. And so in that moment, I got convicted in my own insecurities, and we stretched out, and we began to kumbaya like hippies, man. We had no sound system. The kids were in the corner freaking out because we hadn't established kids' ministry yet. And there's like nine of us, we had different colored chairs back then, similar to now, some things never change." [08:55] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "We don't count attendance as a win. The reason I don't count attendance as a win is because we're not here to create attenders. We're here to create disciples and followers of Jesus. And we also know that the average attendance of church in America is one in three, if not one in every four weeks. At post-COVID, it's actually farther. So it'd be really hard for us to try to count a win being attendance. Engagement is a win." [12:19] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "If we're not careful, we too can come into a place of complacency, in a place of stagnancy. And another thing that'll also, that kind of we have to be mindful of as a church, that we can get stuck in the past. You're like, it's only been a year. I know, but it's past. We can get stuck in our past accolades and our past wins and the past things that God has done and we get so stuck in the past, we realize that God is calling us to create a church for here and for the future." [16:26] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "The theme for 2023 is going to be in motion. That we are going to be a church that is constantly in motion because the Holy Spirit is constantly in motion. God is in motion. God is always at work. God is always moving and we want to follow the move of God." [18:35] (16 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "I really believe it's time for the church to get in motion, but I also believe more so it's also for you individually to stay in motion or get in motion. To continue to move towards everything that God has for you. So the question is, how as an individual and how as collectively us as a church, how do we stay in motion? How do we get in motion? Well, the first thing is, is you or we have to want all that God has for you and all that God has for us." [19:33] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "You can't want everything that God has for you without you giving God everything that's in you. And so in this year, I've made a decision that as individual and as a church, that I'm giving God my everything, that I'm giving God my all. See, Jesus was willing to do that. We say, Jesus, we want to be like you until the rubber meets the road, and now we have to walk out the very words of the Lord." [22:48] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "Obedience is the key to your blessing disobedience is the lock that keeps the door to your blessing closed. I want you to know that some of you I want you to understand that on the other side of your obedience is your blessing on the other side of your obedience is your miracle on the other side of your obedience is your freedom on the other side of your obedience is your joy on the other side of your obedience you'll find your peace." [43:32] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "In this year, I want you to get everything that God has for you, but I want you to give God everything that's inside of you, and I want us to walk in a new level, in a new layer of obedience to see the miraculous happen. We've seen it done within a year. Imagine what he's going to do this next year. This year, your obedience will elevate you to a new level. To a new place." [46:40] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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