Tim Harlow

The Church of Tomorrow is NOW

I was at the wedding of Ryan West and Cassie Dignan on Friday. I’ve known them both well for years. Cassie practically grew up here. It struck me as I was watching the wedding party that the church is really being lead by little kids that grew up around me. There were “kids” in that group of friends that have also already married, like Josh and Lisa (Cawall) Nooner, my kids, and others. Little girls who grew up hanging out around my house (and then young men who started hanging around the young girls that were hanging out at my house).

And there were some of the slightly older group, like Kevin West, brother of the groom, and Sarah, who have kids already and lead worship at Lockport. And there were some of these other mentors in the group, like the Bretzlaffs and the Mitchells. And of course Brian and Cherie Hunt (the wedding was at Lockport), and performing the wedding was Sean (with Tarne) Mixson who has been pastoring these kids since 1996.

It really struck me that a) I’m old, and b) I’m so happy to see how God is working in the lives of the 20 somethings in our church and how proud I am to see them loving and living in Jesus Christ.

The church of tomorrow is not the young people in our congregation. The church of tomorrow isn’t born yet!  The young people in our congregation are the church of TODAY. They are already reaching people for Jesus; and they are learning and growing and really are deeper in their faith than most of my generation. Especially those who have had a legacy of faith in a good church for a long time.  

Honestly, as I think about the kids who have grown up here and gone on to do mission work and ministry and serve God – it makes me excited to grow older and get out of the way and see when the real “ripple effect” of a faithful church will happen.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:1-2

It’s NOW.

Tim

Night is Coming

As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.  John 9:4

So we need to get busy.

I love the way Rick Warren puts it. He asks, “Why doesn't God take you to heaven the moment you become a believer? Have you ever thought about that? Why does God leave you here on earth? Heaven is perfect. And here there are problems and trials, sin and temptation and all kinds of bad stuff. So why does God leave us here?”

Well, there are only two things you cannot do in heaven. Ready? You can sing in heaven, pray in heaven, fellowship in heaven, serve God in heaven, rest in heaven – you can actually probably do anything you want to do in heaven except for two things.

There are only two things you can't do in heaven.

One of them is sin and the other is tell people, who don't know it, the Good News about God's love.  

Now, which of those two reasons do you think you're still alive for?

The only reason your heart is still beating after you come to Christ is because God wants you to share it with people who haven't heard. If somebody hadn't shared it with you, you'd be lost.  So God wants you to pass it on.  

2 Peter 3:9, "God doesn't want anyone to be lost, but He wants all people to change their hearts and lives!”  

I’ve mentioned recently that the U.S. is the third or fourth largest mission field in the world and other countries are sending their missionaries to us. I’m going to stop using that stat even though it’s absolutely true. It makes it sound like a priority, like maybe we should stop worrying about the rest of the world and start concentrating on our own people. I do NOT believe we should do that. We have most of the resources in the world, we need to help them.  

Jesus said the 2^nd greatest commandment was to “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and there isn’t a better way to love your neighbor than to take them to heaven with you.

I asked my friend Warren Bird, a guy who studies churches for a living, how many unchurched people there really are in the U.S.

Here’s what he said:

According to the latest research, more than 1 out of every 3 adults (33%) in America is unchurched. This means they haven’t attended a religious service of any type during the past year. This represents some 125 million Americans.

That number alone would be the 10th largest country in the world!

That’s more people than live in 230 countries of the world (based on lists that name 242 different countries).

Here is a link to the blog he wrote about it. 100 Million Unchurched

Perry Noble says it this way, “Found people find people.”

That’s the ONLY reason you are still here!

Tim