Thank you again for the moments and days you prayed for us this past year. God has worked among us and now we are coming together in love for the sake of the Gospel. June 15 was not the end, but just the beginning. Please share with your church the challenges that are relevant to our churches. In fact, a PDF can be downloaded here and you can print these challenges for your people as an insert on an upcoming Sunday. For our SBC entities and state conventions, we hope you are praying through the challenges relevant to you. The link to the five minute video of the GCR Highlights on June 15 is: http://vimeo.com/13371234.

Finally, we need to pray for our SBC entities and their trustees that have to work through the actions of the convention that were taken on June 15. Additionally, please pray for our new President, Bryant Wright, and I hope you will visit his website at pray4sbc.com. We have much to do, so let’s get it done for the glory of God. We must be busy about presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and making disciples of all the nations.

1,000 Thank Yous For Praying For Us,

I am so excited to have Dr. Charles Lowery back this week to continue the series, “How to Live A Balanced and Blessed Life.” Last week he taught us how to RELAX and begin to trust the Lord in all things. Don’t miss this Sunday as he preaches on, “How to Stay Up in a Down World.” You will laugh and be challenged in your walk with Christ!

We are pressing forward on our plans toward the launch of the Fayetteville Campus. If you are interested in signing up to be on the launch team, please let us know. We will be selecting 250 to help us begin this campus. You can sign up online or in the foyer after any of our worship services. Please continue to pray as we push forward with this strategy to reach Fayetteville.

And finally, let me continue to thank you for your heart and diligence toward our “Summer Program of Giving.” Because of your faithfulness this summer, many people in our region and around the world have heard the Gospel. This is evidence that we are committed to being a “sending” church.

Have a great weekend, and don’t miss Sunday!

Enjoy these photos from July 4, 2010!

*Photos courtesy Brian Armas and Rachel Blackwell

Friends, pray for our nation. While we celebrate it, we have great need to pray for it. Again, do not miss my message this Sunday morning, “If I Had One Last Message to Give to America.”

I have been on national television for about 20 years. In fact, upon Richard Jackson’s retirement from the North Phoenix Church, I became the Invitation to Life preacher for the Southern Baptist Convention’s former Radio and Television Commission. Through the years, we have been on the former ACTS network, WGN in Chicago, and for the past several years, only on the DayStar Television Network, which is a growing national and international Christian Network out of Dallas, Texas.

I announced to our congregation today that for a season of time, two or three years or perhaps for a long time beyond, we are suspending our national and international television ministry in order to allocate more money to seeing the nations come to Christ through the work of Southern Baptists. I shared with them that I had to ask myself several hard questions: Is the pure Gospel being preached on this channel by someone besides me? The answer is yes. Is this the best way to appropriate monies so the Gospel can go where it has never been before? The answer is no. While exceptions to this might be justifiable on a secular network, I felt the answer was no on this network, even though we had witnessed many come to faith in Christ. I felt for us to allocate more monies so that more missionaries could go to North America and to the nations of the world would at this time be more beneficial for Kingdom work. Therefore, on Sunday, July 18, we will have our last national and international television broadcast for this season of our lives.

Therefore, under clear and definitive leadership from the Holy Spirit, we are suspending this national and international broadcast in order to allocate more monies to reaching the nations. If we ever go back on television nationally and internationally, it will be beyond the monies we will begin allocating in October of 2010. We will continue to have a weekly reach into our region and perhaps our state through major television affiliates.

The entire experience of some of our Southern Baptist Convention leaders questioning the Great Commission Task Force’s recommended Great Commission Giving, saying that it jeopardizes the Cooperative Program, never made sense to me at all. Why? Well, I knew our own growing commitment to the Cooperative Program. The following has been our journey in monies allocated to the Cooperative Program:

COOPERATIVE PROGRAM GIVING
2007-2008 $243,000
2008-2009 $350,000
2009-2010 $400,000

In the past two years, in the worst of economies, our Cooperative Program gifts have increased 64.60%. This $400,000 we are giving to the Cooperative Program this year is coming from a budget allocation, as well as some monies that come from the “Reaching Our Mission Offering” our people give to annually. With the decision announced today to suspend our national and international television ministry in order for more monies to be allocated to the nations, we will begin to give the following to the Cooperative Program, which is our financial priority as Southern Baptists to see the nations come to Christ:

2010-2011 $500,000 (October 1-September 30)

We are praising God for this decision our leaders have made with us. Therefore, when September 30, 2011 arrives, we will have seen our Cooperative Program giving double over the past four years in some of the worst years of economic challenges in our history. An article reported that our $400,000 gift to the Cooperative Program this year places our church in the Top 50 Southern Baptist Convention churches in total giving to the Cooperative Program, so perhaps this elevation to $500,000 will move us into the Top 25 or 30 churches in total Cooperative Program giving. This has occurred even while last year our own church cut our budget $600,000 and our staff team is closing in on year two without any raises. Hopefully, this 2010-2011 budget will permit me to grant salary increases to our team. The great news in this Cooperative Program allocation as well is that all these monies will come from the source of our budget alone, be consistent annually and become our base commitment in years to come. This will also allow more monies in the future to be allocated through our “Reaching Our Mission Offering” for Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. This past year may have been our best for those offerings due to our church walking with me in this GCR process. I shared with our team, as well, what I feel these two offerings need to become in the next years and I believe we will see it happen.

This is a huge, strategic shift for us both in ministry and financially, but we are confident of God’s leadership. Our church broke out in spontaneous applause when I announced this to both of our campuses today. Neither Jeana or I expected that at all. With Internet technology, television is changing anyway, and we will engage in new ways to connect through the web around the world.

We believe this strategic and financial move for our ministry will result in placing the Gospel into our state, nation, and world in a more effective long-term way. Please pray for God’s blessing and financial provision for our ministry. We must do so much more in years to come to get the Gospel to the nations. I thank God for this GCR process that has so changed my life and perspective. Thanks for walking with me through this GCR journey. May we truly see a Great Commission Resurgence.

May the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Glory of God be extended to the nations!

Late that afternoon and evening, gather with us for our “Fireworks at the Crosses” at The Church at Pinnacle Hills. Last year’s crowd was estimated at 4500-5000 people. It is the greatest fireworks show in our region. If you have been before, I know you will not miss it. If you have never been before, come this year! It is fun, exciting and inspirational. Right before dark and the fireworks display, I will baptize at the foot of the crosses. If you have been waiting to be baptized, wait no longer. Call one of our offices today or sign up online. Just think – you will be able to say, “I was baptized on July 4 at the foot of the crosses!”

Four Fun Sundays with Charles Lowery will highlight July 11, 18, 25, and August 1. While I will be here some, I wanted you to hear Charles (in all of our services) talk about what it means to be “Balanced and Blessed.” Charles was with us about three summers ago and our people loved it! It is a great change of pace for our church as we hear and see God use his unique giftedness among us. Do not miss any of these Sundays.

We need your financial support this summer. Please give consistently and faithfully. We are counting on you to stand with us weekly.

Thanks for Investing in The Summer of 2010!

Some matters occurring of great significance:

1) Over 500 students are attending Student Camp this week. With the oil spill in the Gulf, our camp had to change locations. We were able to secure Camp Windermere in Missouri. We are most grateful.

2) July 4 we will have our God and Country Celebration in the morning services at both campuses. This will be comprised of wonderful music, powerful drama, and a biblical charge from God’s Word.

3) Fireworks at the Crosses will happen on the evening of July 4. Please do not miss this incredible celebration. It is fabulous fun for all.

Pray for Sunday and join me for the last message in our series.

As the GCR presentation is made on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. (EST) and the messengers have an opportunity to discuss and determine the destination of the seven recommendations of the GCR Task Force, we are trusting God for His will to be done.  We believe Southern Baptists desire greatly to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations. Wouldn’t it be great if in our time of sharing about Christ’s Commission to our church, His Spirit just fell upon us and we were all enveloped in His presence? From that point and place, we will experience a Great Commission Resurgence.

As we enter these final hours would you remember to pray for our seven points of prayer?  Please use this guide in these final hours:

SEVEN POINTS OF PRAYER for the GREAT COMMISSION RESURGENCE Task Force and the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention

On Tuesday, June 15, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST), the Southern Baptist Convention will make its decision on the report and recommendations of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force.

In order to prepare for this spiritually, we are inviting you to agree with us in prayer over the following “Seven Points of Prayer.”  Please begin praying with us daily all the way through June 16.  Thanks for your faithfulness.

Prayer Point #1:  Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us during our time of hearing, discussing, and determining our actions towards this report and recommendations.

Prayer Point #2:  Pray that the messengers of the convention will lay aside all personal and preferential agendas and embrace the will and purpose of God as they hear the formal report and recommendations of the GCR Task Force.

Prayer Point #3:  Pray for the GCR Task Force to make their presentation in the power of the Holy Spirit and to be able to answer any questions and concerns of the messengers, resulting in honor being brought to Jesus Christ.

Prayer Point #4:  Pray for Dr. Johnny Hunt and his presidential message to the Southern Baptist Convention on June 15^th at 11:10 a.m. (EST) and for God to use him among us powerfully.

Prayer Point #5:  Pray for Dr. Ronnie Floyd and his presentation to the Southern Baptist Convention at 2:45 p.m. (EST) as the Chairman of the GCR Task Force and for God to use him among us powerfully.

Prayer Point #6:  Pray for a genuine spiritual revival and awakening to be experienced by the people of God, resulting in a mighty move of God and the resurgence of the Great Commission through each of our lives and churches.

Prayer Point #7:  Pray for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Glory of God to extend to all the nations and people groups of the world.

Pray daily:  “May they all be one as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.  May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.” (John 17:21)
Please pray through these personally and gather in groups to pray.  May we come together in love for the sake of the Gospel.  May the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Glory of God be extended to the nations.

1000 Thank Yous for Praying.

Let’s imagine “What If” the GCR recommendations are overwhelmingly adopted by the messengers of our convention next week.

(1) What If…the GCR brought together our convention of churches who rallied around our missional vision and we saw more people saved, baptized, and discipled than we’ve seen in decades?

(2) What If…instead of the demise of the Cooperative Program, we saw a dramatic increase in Cooperative Program giving?

(3) What If…we planted countless churches in our unreached and underserved regions of our own country?

(4) What If…we reached more unreached people groups around the world as a result of more funding and focus going to the nations?

(5) What If…our national entities, state conventions, and local associations partnered with and assisted our churches to greater Great Commission fulfillment than ever before?

(6) What If…we captured the heart of generation who is ready to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth?

(7) What If…we united like never before, creating a new and healthy culture that is God-glorifying in our convention?

“What If”…we had a Great Commission Resurgence?

This is not about the SBC. It’s not about a Task Force. It’s simply about the Gospel. As a convention of churches, what gives us the greatest opportunity to get the Gospel to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations? I believe the GCR is a step towards that goal. I’ll be voting yes…and I’ll be hoping, praying, and working towards the “What If.”