Steven Furtick's Blog, page 58

The Part We Play In Our Prayers

Through our prayers, we often call on God to do the impossible in our lives. To solve our unanswerable problems, heal our hopeless causes, make it rain in our barren desert. But what are we supposed to do next? Do we just sit back and wait for God to work? In this clip from the series Get Back Pastor Steven teaches us that only God can provide the supernatural in our lives, but we still have a part to play in our prayers.

Elevation Worship: 14 In 14

A brand new year. A brand new worship album. Kick off 2014 with us by counting down the days until the release of the new Elevation Worship album, “Only King Forever.” Recorded this past July, this new live album once again captures the heart of our church as we bring our praise to Jesus and celebrate all God has done in and through our lives. Beginning today, go to ElevationWorship.com to stream one new song a day for free until the full album releases on January 14.

Making the Most Out of Your Resolutions

When we make certain goals and resolutions, it can be hard to keep pushing forward when we don’t see immediate results. And when we are only looking for something big to happen, it’s hard to notice the smaller milestones and checkpoints along the way. In this clip from The New Rules of Resolution, Pastor Steven teaches us that no matter how little progress we seem to be making, we need to just keep showing up – God may be using this time to take us even further than we thought.

Elevation Creative: Our Hope Is Alive

During our seasons of change, in the midst of growth and decline, what do we cling to? What is there that can withstand the change of time and passing of years? As Christians we know who our hope is – Jesus. He is unwavering in His power and grace and mercy, no matter our situation. And to open our Christmas Eve worship experiences this year, we wanted to celebrate this truth. Our creative, production, and worship teams created a multi-layered element featuring spoken word poetry, motion graphics, projection mapping, and live sound design, to celebrate the unchanging truth that our Hope is alive.

Point the Way, Clear the Path

I get asked all the time how we do discipleship at Elevation. Related to this question, I also get asked how we follow up with new believers.

Do we relentlessly call people until they’re in a small group?

Do we offer 57 Bible studies for people to grow in their faith?

Do we provide a yearlong systematic theology course for new believers?

We do have specific and practical things that we do. But when it comes down to it, our philosophy is pretty straightforward and simple:

1) We point the way and 2) we clear the path.

1) We point the way.

Ultimately, there’s nothing we can do to force people to grow in Christ. Nothing. So whether we offer a 26-option discipleship program or a 4-option one really doesn’t matter. If someone really doesn’t want to grow, they’re either going to say no 4 times or 26.

For that reason, we keep it pretty simple.

We give new believers material to help them grow in the initial stages of their faith and we call and encourage them to get plugged in. We constantly stress the importance of small groups. We faithfully proclaim the Word and encourage people to read it for themselves. In short, we point the way to what it looks like to have a relationship with Jesus for themselves.

If they decide not to walk that way, that’s their decision. And we’ve made the decision that we’re not going to chase all of them down if they don’t.

Some people might say to this: Is that what Jesus would do?

I don’t have to wrestle with that question because it’s exactly what Jesus did. Jesus didn’t hook his finger in people’s noses to make sure they were following him. When you read through the gospels, Jesus always cast His net extremely wide. Everyone was invited to follow. But He didn’t chase people down if they weren’t committed (as in the case of the rich young ruler).

The call was to follow Him. Not be dragged kicking and screaming behind Him.

All He did was point the way. To Himself.

2) We clear the path.

This is where our greatest responsibility comes into play. If we’ve pointed the way clearly and people are responding, it’s our job to make sure the path is clear for them when they decide to walk on it. There’s no room to drop the ball when it comes to people’s spiritual development. If they’re taking a step towards Christ, we’ve got to make sure that step lands unobstructed.

In other words, we’ve got to make sure our systems and processes are running at full speed. And running efficiently. If someone wants to get in a small group, we’ve got to follow up with them quickly. If someone needs counseling, we need to get them into it right away, and into the best counseling available.

Whatever approach your church uses to pull the maximum God-given potential out of people, it really doesn’t matter. Whether you take people through a five-year development plan. Or you just put them into small groups and let the growth happen more organically. Your responsibility is ultimately the same either way:

1) Point the way to Jesus clearly.

2) Clear the path to Him effectively.

Let’s commit to doing both with excellence so we can see our people become all that God has designed for them.

This entry was originally posted June 29, 2011.

How Christmas Changed the Way We Change

Change is never easy. And it is rarely painless. But it is inevitable. We all go through different times and seasons that require us to change. Some changes we hope for, and other change we reluctantly go through. But often we pray that God would change our situations, rather than praying for a change within ourselves. This Christmas, Pastor Steven shows us through the Christmas story how God changed the way we change, and the promise that remains the same no matter the season we are in.

Christmas At Elevation 2013 Recap

The birth of Jesus represents the greatest change in the course of human history. An event that would affect all of eternity. The moment God came down to rescue His children from themselves and reclaim what was rightfully His. Immanuel, God with us. This Christmas at Elevation, Pastor Steven taught us how our relationship with Christ allows us to embrace whatever change we may walk through. No matter the time or season, we know that our Hope is alive, unfailing, and never-changing – and His name is Jesus.

Why Christmas Was Only The Beginning

When we think of Christmas, most of us picture the shepherds, wisemen, and a star standing still over baby Jesus. As Christians, these images represent God’s greatest gift – the birth of our Savior. Yet, it’s important to remember that the birth of Jesus was only beginning of our salvation. In this clip from Timeless Christmas, Pastor Steven reminds us that what began at Christmas was completed at the cross, when Jesus bridged the gap to restore our relationship with God.

The Best Defense During The Holidays

It’s a fairly common when we gather with family and friends over the holidays to have some tense situations. Sitting around the dinner table with the people who know us best, or have known us the longest, situations come up. Buttons get pushed. Feelings get hurt. Maybe there’s that one jab that always gets you, or that one person who seems to put you on edge no matter what they say or do. In this clip from our series “The Highest,” Pastor Steven teaches us what our response should be by showing us Jesus’ own uncommon strategy for defense.

Your 50%

I recently read somewhere that when it comes to art, “the artist only has 50% of responsibility in creation.” The person who engages with the art has the other 50%.

The painter paints. The viewer views.

The author writes. The public reads.

The band plays. The people listen.

In each case, the artist is only responsible for 50% of the transaction. How the person engaging with the art responds is their decision. And it’s not something that any of us can control. Some people will respond positively. Some negatively. It’s their choice.

The same principle applies when we share the gospel. When we share our faith, we only carry 50% of the responsibility. And this applies whether we’re witnessing to one person, or preaching to crowds of thousands.

This reality should be liberating. As long as you faithfully and adequately deliver your 50%, you don’t have to feel the full weight of responsibility for the other person. I’ve met some people who carry a heavy weight of guilt because of the people in their lives who have yet to find life in Christ. They feel that it’s their fault their family or friends are going to hell.

Their problem is they have a God-complex. A compassionate one, but a God-complex nonetheless. They want to have complete control of the 100%. But the truth is we don’t. No person has complete control over how other people respond to the gospel.

It’s good to feel the weight of people’s souls. It’s motivating to your 50%. But it’s bad to carry around the weight of their will. That’s coveting their 50%. And it will load a weight of guilt upon you that you were never meant to bear. Jesus wants to bear their guilt. If they don’t believe, they will bear it. For your own sake, don’t take something that’s not yours to carry.

It can be frustrating and heartbreaking. There are going to be times when you want more for the people you’re sharing your faith with than they want for themselves. Times when you wish you could have 100% of the control.

But you don’t. You can only control what you do with your 50%.

Maybe you’ve been sharing your faith with a friend for years. But he keeps going further away.

Maybe you’ve been trying to convey the gospel with your parents. But every time they just change the subject.

Maybe you’ve been preaching your heart out, but no one seems to be responding.

Don’t give up. The next time could be the time.

Give 100% to your 50%.

Pray for them like you’ve never prayed before.

And give them room to exercise their 50%.

This entry was originally posted December 8, 2010.