Jesus and Facebook

About two years ago, a good friend of mine told me that I needed to be on Facebook. Now if you don't know what Facebook is, it's a social networking sight on the Internet that connects people together. My first response to my friend's suggestion was a chuckle and a polite, "Yeah, that'll be the day." I never went for the whole MySpace fad when that was popular, and I figured this was just another thing that would be good for nothing except wasting my time.

My friend was persistent, however, telling me that Facebook had allowed him to reconnect with people that he hadn't seen in years (even decades). He said I'd be surprised how many old friends and acquaintances I would catch up on if I'd only become a member. So, reluctantly, I filled out the electronic registration form and became a Facebook member (feeling embarrassed as I typed in my information).

Initially, I didn't use Facebook much. I did indeed reconnect with many old friends, and it was kind of cool to find out what so many people were up to these days. But other than that, I didn't see much use for Facebook.

About six months ago, however, all of that changed. I was on the Internet one evening, and I started seeing where people were talking about our church in a positive way, and using this medium to invite their friends. A light bulb went on in my head, and I began to see the incredible potential in this social networking thing. Since that day, I've been using Facebook more and more as a tool for ministry. Let's face it, folks, this is the way today's younger generation interacts!

I say all of that to say this: We don't need to be afraid of embracing new ideas and technologies in the work of the church. There have been a lot of changes in the way church is done in the past 200 years, and not all of them have been bad. I mean, really, who wants to go back to the days when there was no air conditioning? I'm glad someone, at some point, made the decision to put air conditioning in at EFBC. There may have even been some opposition to it, thinking that, "We've never done it this way before." But now, with the benefit of hindsight, I don't know of anyone who thinks it's a bad idea.

Yes, it's true that any tool can be used for harm as well as for good. And I know that Facebook is no exception to that rule. In fact, I think there are some folks whose life has begun to revolve around it. But that doesn't mean that we can't use Facebook, and many other new and exciting inventions in our world today, to reach people with the Gospel. Let's dare to do whatever it takes, short of sin, to see people come to new life in Christ. It may not be the way our parents or our grandparents did it, but if people are getting saved, that's all that matters!

Why Not Here; Why Not Now?

OK, so this past Sunday was probably my favorite day at EFBC since I came here nearly eight years ago! What an incredible celebration of Jesus and the lives He has changed (and continues to change)! Great to see five more baptized Sunday! It was really cool to have somebody saved in the service and baptized like five minutes later! AWESOME!

So what's next? I'm not really sure, but I can't wait to see what God has in store. This Sunday we'll jump back into our Why Not Here? series with a message from Isaiah 54:1-4. I realize we just covered these verses on a Sunday night in February, but this will be a very different message. And I'm sure it will come as no surprise, but I'M REALLY PUMPED ABOUT IT!

By the way, if you've got friends you've been investing in, please try to get them here Sunday! Although this series has primarily been focused on the church, this Sunday's message will close with a strong tie in to the Gospel. So invest, invite, and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit.

Don't forget Sunday night we'll have a deacon ordination service for Greg Cupp. The service will be at 6 p.m., and there will be an ordaining council for any ordained men in the church at 5 p.m. I hope you'll plan on being here for this important moment in Greg's life. Ordination services are, for me, always very moving and emotional. This one should be no different.

That's about all for now. Hope to see a packed house this Sunday at EFBC! Hope to see lives changed and eternities altered this Sunday at EFBC! Hope to see God show up in a HUGE way once again this Sunday at EFBC!

Why not here? Why not now? The best is yet to come!

This Sunday at Eulaton...HUGE!

I know I probably keep sounding like a broken record week after week, but can I just say again that I am crazy excited abut this Sunday at EFBC? We're having a Get Acquainted Fun Day, and we're expecting really big things! One reason I believe God has something HUGE in store for us this Sunday is because He's changed my message in the last 24 hours. I was planning on continuing our Why Not Here? series, but God's pretty much told me that we need to put that on hold for a week.

So...my message for Sunday is entitled The Scariest Verses, and we'll be looking in God's Word at Matthew 7:21-23. These are, in my opinion, the scariest verses in the Bible. How many people sit in church week after week, thinking they're all right with God, having no idea that they're headed for an eternity in a place called Hell? According to Jesus, it's a pretty big number, and there's gonna be a lot of surprised people in the day of judgment.

With that in mind, I'm praying that this Sunday God will fill our church with people who need Jesus. Some of them might be people who haven't set foot in church in years, if ever. Some of them might be people that you sit next to week after week who've been faithful attendees for as long as you can remember. Truth is, the faithful attendee who doesn't know Christ is just as lost as the person who's never set foot in a church. I think God's calling us to reach both groups of people. Maybe this Sunday we'll see many of them cross over from death to life. Be praying!

This Sunday is the perfect time to invite your friends and family members to Eulaton. With it being our bi-annual fun day, you can let them know that we'll be having lunch after church (can anyone say fried chicken?), as well as fun and games after lunch. I believe this will be the year we revive the big softball match-up out in the field. It should be a lot of fun.

Let me remind our members that Sunday's lunch is a potluck meal. Please bring as much food as you can this weekend. The church is going to be purchasing 200 pieces of chicken from Wal-mart, but this will not nearly be enough food. We need as many folks as are able to bring side items and dessert. And maybe even some more fried chicken, as well; you can never have enough of the good stuff!

I realize that most of our folks usually dress casual anyway, but for those few who don't, this might be the Sunday you want to give it a try. Besides, softball and horseshoes are no fun in a dress or tie.

Oh, and one more thing. If you get people here this Sunday, I promise you they're going to hear the Gospel! God's burned a message into my heart that I can't wait to share, and I'm praying for changed lives and for Hell to be less populated after we're through!

Let's pray for God to do HUGE things at EFBC this Sunday! Let's come expecting God to show up in a HUGE way! Let's worship Him like the HUGE God that He is! And let's never forget that the best is yet to come!

Eulaton On My Mind

Nearly eight years ago, God put a burning desire in my heart to go home. He put a burden in me for the community where I grew up, attended school, and where a large part of who I am today was shaped. Although I didn't know it at the time, God already had a plan to bring me back here.

I'll never forget the day when a good friend called me and told me that Eulaton First Baptist was looking for a pastor. He asked me if I'd possibly be interested. I can't remember my exact response, but it was something akin to, "Does the Pope wear a funny hat?" I was incredibly excited, and somehow I just knew that this was part of God's plan and I was going to end up at EFBC.

Fast-forward nearly eight years, and guess what? That burden for my community is greater today than it was then. We've seen some great things happening in recent months, but I believe God's work here has only just begun. After the success we've seen recently, it would be really easy to put things on cruise control and just decide to coast from here on out.

Problem is, there are still people all around us who are lost and rushing headlong into a Christless eternity. Having a burden for this community means we don't slow down until every person in Eulaton, Anniston, Calhoun County and beyond professes Jesus as their Savior. Or until Christ returns, whichever comes first.

So let me ask you: Do you have a burden for your community? Have you noticed lately that there are people all around us who are headed to a place called Hell? Do you believe God could spark a community-wide, county-wide, state-wide, or maybe even nation-wide revival and that it could begin with us? Some might say "no," but I say "why not here?"

This Sunday, we're going to focus on our community. Some people call it Wellborn; some people call it Eulaton. I'm honestly not so concerned about what name this community is known by; I'm much more concerned that Christ's name is known in this community! Our Why Not Here series will continue this week, and we'll be looking at Nehemiah 1-2. I've also got a little presentation at the end of my message that I hope will inspire you about the possibilities for our area.

Why not Him? Why not us? Why not here?

The best is yet to come!

Why Not Here?

Now that Super Sunday is behind us (and WOW, it was AWESOME), it's time now to focus on the question that I've been asking a lot lately: "What's next?" Here's the way I feel about it: why can't every Sunday be Super Sunday? Let's not wait till Easter 2011 to see again what we saw on Easter 2010. Let's resolve that we're going to keep investing, inviting, and praying that God will keep on keeping on and that every Sunday will be SUPER!

Remember last August when I asked the question, "What would it look like if Acts 2:47 happened at 1835 Gate 8 Rd?" Acts 2:47 tells us that, "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Could you imagine if that happened at EFBC? That would be at least 365 baptisms in a year!

Well, call me crazy, but I can't get that vision out of my head. Some people may say that it's impossible for that to happen at a place like Eulaton. Others might say that I'm out of my mind to dream such an improbable dream. Still others might laugh at the notion. To those who doubt, my question is simply this: "Why not here?"

Sunday morning I'm beginning a new series of messages entitled Why Not Here?, and I know this will come as a shock to everyone but: I'M REALLY PUMPED ABOUT IT! God's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance...why not here? Jesus said He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it...why not here? The first church saw people being saved every single day of the week...why not here?

This series will be a bit unusual, because we're going to be looking at Old Testament passages that aren't normally associated with church growth. What you'll find, however, is that the principles taught in so many of the great stories from the Old Testament are timeless and apply to all facets of your life and the life of the church. This Sunday, April 11, we'll be looking at one of the most well known stories in the Bible (it's found in 1 Samuel 17 if you want to get a head start).

Are you ready for Sunday? Please hear me church when I say that Super Sunday wasn't the end, IT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING! God's got so much more in store for this church and this community that it blows my mind when I think of the possibilities. Let's just keep our eyes on Him and not ourselves, because He's the reason we're seeing what we're seeing. God is working, lives are being changed, eternities are being altered, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!