Forward in Faith: Consecrate, Serve, and Connect Our Community

God invites worship without the crutches of convenience. The stripped-down room and silent screens let the song’s prayer breathe: “I will make room for you to do whatever you want to.” That call sets the posture. The heart, not the hardware, carries the weight of worship. Across the world, countless believers gather with nothing but willing hearts; the same posture belongs here.

Forward in Faith then steps into view as an act of consecration, not a list of projects. Joshua’s word stands at the banner: “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Consecration insists that before God does something among a people, God does something in them. So the two-year initiative asked households to set apart their hearts and resources, trusting God to refine desire and reorder loyalties.

God’s faithfulness shows up in concrete fruit. Thirty-one baptisms across English and Spanish ministries tell the story of new life. Facility updates, rebuilt reserves, and a first-time Honduras team mark steady, quiet faithfulness. Generosity flowed out to local and global partners. Doors opened: meals for students through BRED, teacher care and field trip scholarships at Blackwell, recovery groups, youth drama filling the room, a homeschool program using the grounds, and a packed Easter event where most guests were neighbors, not regulars. The pattern looks clear: consecration births connection.

The culture’s irony then gets named. Digital life connects everyone and still leaves souls unheld. In that gap, the church becomes a connecting hub. Time, energy, and resources get aimed at real relationships where those far from God find a seat, a name, and a next step. Empty chairs stop being decor and start being assignments.

Stewardship serves the same aim. HVACs, roofs, and parking lots do not preach Christ, but they whisper a first impression to those deciding whether to risk a visit. Thoughtful care of the house keeps the front door open for the heart-work God loves to do.

Joshua’s final charge sharpens the moment: “Choose this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” That word for serve sits close to worship. Service becomes the lived shape of adoration. As households draw that line, God refines a people who are ready for the next thirty years as grateful stewards and bold neighbors. Communion then lifts the center back into view. Jesus remains the reason, the meal, and the way forward.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Consecration comes before God’s wonders. Preparation in God’s presence precedes any public “amazing things.” Projects do not generate power; set-apart hearts do. When consecration leads, outcomes become grace rather than grind. Holiness becomes the runway for mission. [23:18]
• 2. Worship beyond conveniences reveals allegiance. When the gear goes quiet, the heart speaks up. Stripped worship exposes where comfort had become a crutch and lets gratitude grow honest and loud. The global church already sings this way; local hearts can learn the same freedom. [13:33]
• 3. Generosity opens doors of mission. Gifts turned into baptisms, partnerships, scholarships, and neighborly presence. Money followed mercy, and mercy found people. Facilities mattered too, because a kept house welcomes a hesitant guest. Generosity became connection with a face and a name. [27:23]
• 4. A disconnected culture needs connection. Screens knit schedules but fray souls. The church can answer that ache by becoming a hub of presence, prayer, and friendship. Empty seats are not statistics; they are invitations to seek the one who is still outside. [45:38]
• 5. Households resolve to serve God. Joshua’s line in the sand still holds power in a pluralistic world. Service is worship with sleeves rolled up and loyalties made plain. When a household chooses God first, a church gains ballast for the long obedience. [51:05]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [12:29] - Stripped-down worship without tech
• [13:33] - Invitation to wholehearted worship
• [20:13] - Forward in Faith backstory
• [21:23] - Twofold aim and ministry plan
• [22:32] - Banner verse and consecration
• [24:52] - Gratitude amid challenges
• [25:53] - Thirty-one baptisms celebrated
• [27:23] - Generosity to missions and outreach
• [30:11] - Community partnerships multiply
• [31:56] - Easter outreach welcomes neighbors
• [45:38] - A connected yet disconnected culture
• [47:51] - Facilities and first impressions
• [50:27] - Choose this day to serve
• [56:07] - Communion: remember Jesus

1. What specific command does Joshua give the Israelites in Joshua 3:5, and what promise follows?
2. In the sermon, what examples were shared of God’s faithfulness through the church’s consecration (e.g., baptisms, community partnerships)? [25:53]
3. How does Joshua 24:15 frame the relationship between serving God and cultural pressures?
4. What practical steps did the church take to prioritize connection in a disconnected world (e.g., scholarships, facility use)? [30:11]

1. Why might consecration (setting oneself apart for God) be a prerequisite for God doing “amazing things” among a community?
2. How does the act of serving God, as described in Joshua 24:15, differ from merely worshiping Him?
3. The sermon emphasized that “empty chairs are assignments.” What does this imply about the church’s role in addressing cultural loneliness? [46:54]
4. Why might maintaining facilities (like HVAC systems or parking lots) matter for ministry, even though they “don’t preach Christ”? [49:18]

1. What distractions or “conveniences” in your worship routine (e.g., reliance on music, screens) might need to be stripped away to focus more fully on God’s presence? [13:33]
2. Where in your life (finances, time, relationships) is God calling you to consecrate yourself first before expecting Him to act?
3. How could your household practically declare, “We will serve the Lord” in a culture that prioritizes comfort, busyness, or self-reliance?
4. The church’s Easter event saw most guests as neighbors, not regulars. Who in your neighborhood or circle feels “outside” connection, and how could you intentionally invite them? [32:59]
5. The sermon described generosity as “connection with a face and a name.” What local or global need could you sacrificially support to create that kind of personal impact?
6. Facilities like parking lots or roofs were called “whispers” to hesitant guests. How does the way you care for your home, workplace, or church reflect God’s welcome to others?
7. What “empty chair” in your life (an unresolved relationship, an unspoken invitation) is God asking you to see as an assignment this week? [46:54]