Powerful Teamwork

A weekend of sun and blue skies like summer ought to be. Chuck welcomed us and shared a pair of announcements:
1. Someone lost a key last week. See Chuck.
2. Nancy Peyton shared an announcement about the prayer chain. They would like to try it with email this year.

In the past months we’ve begun our services with a call to prayer. Last Sunday our call for prayer was for our nation. This week our prayer is for people with addictions.

Darlene ushered us into worship with the hymn Bind Us Together.

Prayer for the Best family…. Bonnie lost her husband, the children lost their dad.
Prayer for the Paul family who was on their way to do mission work in Japan until struck by a truck in Nebraska.
Prayer for other special needs

Powerful Teamwork

Jeff Hagen was a speaker today. He began with an anecdote about the Minnesota Vikings and how Coach Zimmer is helping the Vikings define their roles on the team and unite them to move toward a common goal... a championship and then a Super Bowl.

He then had us turn to Romans 12:4-8. We each have gifts that different gifts. One of the gifts God has given Jeff Hagen is teaching, and he will be exhorting us this morning.

Jeff is part of an organization called Resolute. The founder is part of the Eagle Brook church in Minneapolis. The objective was to help men form a team. It’s intentional, and has a process. In two-and-a-half year they have graduated 500 men through this program.

When we made the decision to move from the building across the street to this building, it was a remarkable team effort. God has given us gifts to accomplish this, and now are we open to allowing God to mobilize us for the next phase?

There are three key ideas for "church" to work: pray together, play together and work together. “Unless the Lord build this house, they labor in vain who build it.”

Work together, promote events, engage compassionately with the community. The building exists here to engage the lost. God desires compassion more than just coming to church. The church is not just an exclusive club. When we engage the community things can sometimes get broken.

He told the story of the parable of the man who built his house on a rock, as opposed to the one who built his house on sand. What was the difference between the two? The one did what Jesus said to do, and the other did not.

In the Old Testament Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt, but it was Joshua who was called to lead them into the Promised Land. The manner in which this occurred was significant. Joshua and the ark entered the Jordan and got their feet wet, obedient to God, and then God stopped the flow of the river till the people went across, replicating the Exodus across the separated Red Sea. They had to step out in faith first though. There was initially no evidence the river would stop to let them across until they got their feet wet. In this manner the people received affirmation that God was with them in this, and also that Joshua was the man to lead them.

In Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, habit #2 is Begin with the End in Mind. What do you want written on your tombstone? “He slept through life and sleeps here today.” Or “He touched a multitude or lives.”

The Spirit of God stepped in when Israel stepped into the river.

Mr. Hagen then read the Paul's prayer for the Ephesians in chapter 3.

God’s eternal purpose for the church is to be a city on a hill -- salt and light for the world.

"This is my prayer for New Life Covenant," he said, "That everyone will see that New Life Covenant Church is a City on a Hill."

We then shared Communion.