Steven Furtick's Blog, page 72

The Danger Found In Complacency

The life that Christ calls us to live is not easy. Often it means fighting against the current, dealing with great opposition, and struggling through difficult seasons. And during those tough times, we catch ourselves entertaining thoughts of the life we left behind. We picture how easy it would be to let off the gas, set our hearts on cruise control, and revel in the pleasures that world dangles right in front of us. But in this clip from our series The Resistance, Pastor Steven explains to us why the Enemy would love for nothing more than for us to linger in this mindset of complacency.

Elevation Creative: The Rope

We all play different roles in the body of Christ. But each calling is significant. We each were designed for a specific part. And when we begin to not focus on our differences as Christians and unite together under one banner, we become the unstoppable force Christ envisioned for His Church, moving forward together with the same mission. In this video from our series Unstoppable, our Creative team uses a rope to show how strong we really truly become when we unify as one body of believers.

The Right Way to Handle Dysfunctional People

We all know them. We’re probably even related to some of them. We de all we can to avoid them – and yet, they’re still there. The people who suck the life out of us. Why are they like this? And what are we supposed to do with them? In this clip from our series How To Hug a Vampire, Pastor Steven teaches us how to respond to the dysfunctional relationships in our lives in the same way Jesus did.

Finding Purpose In Our Storms

Trusting God during the storms of our lives is one of the easiest things to say – but hardest things to do. Storms are ominous and intimidating, and bring raging doubt and fear with them. But as Christians, we’re on a better boat. There’s someone aboard who has power over the wind and the waves. In this clip from the sermon “Sinkers & Savers,” Pastor Steven shows us who Jesus is and what He is able to do when we’re in the midst of our storms.

Cheering for failure

It’s a sad day when you’re more excited to see the team you hate lose rather than the team you love win.

I’ve experienced this recently. I used to simply cheer for the Clemson Tigers and against the USC Gamecocks. But I recently crossed the line and became more interested in seeing SC lose than Clemson win. Partly because Clemson had a bad season this year, but also because I’ve just grown to hate SC so much that I’d rather see them fail than see my own team succeed.

Often many churches and individuals fall in to this same mindset. They almost rejoice more when they see bad things happen to ministries they disagree with rather than for the good things God is doing in their own church.

For a sports fan, it’s sad. For the Church, it’s tragic. Anytime we get to the point where we’re rejoicing over the failures of other churches, we should weep. And then repent.

I wonder if the problem is that it’s hard for us to accept the fact that Jesus Christ loved and died for the church down the street just as much as He did our own. The church across the nation, too.

That includes the church that fell apart because their pastor had an affair.

The church whose music you abhor that’s failing.

The church that went bankrupt.

The church that tries too hard to be relevant or the church that you think caters to a traditional crowd. And neither is growing.

You may not agree with other churches, their methodology or even some of their theology. But we’re all Christ’s bride. And before He died for all of us, he prayed that all of us would be one. Not that we’d rejoice when one of us fails. Do what you will, but I’d rather not be opposed to the prayers of Jesus. He had a rather effective and powerful prayer life. I’m not going to waste any breath or energy trying to subvert it.

We have to get to the place where we see the success of the church down the street as our success. And their failure as our failure. We should pray for one to happen everywhere. And the other to happen nowhere.

When you see other churches fail, even if it’s because of their own sin or stupidity, don’t praise God for their failure. Pray to Him for their restoration and redemption.

But first, how about praising God for your own successes? Praise God for His faithfulness in your church. In your life. That’s where your most intense worship should be anyways.

This entry was originally posted December 13, 2010.

Elevation Creative: The Messenger

Jesus tells us to follow Him because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But that doesn’t mean the Christian life is going to be a carefree stroll through the Promised Land. Sometimes in fact, it will be quite the opposite. The writer of Hebrews tells us that there will be hardship. There will be sin that entangles us. We will get distracted, complacent, and worn down. But there is hope. We have a Savior. And we serve a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Our Creative team made this video during our series Hebrews 12 to remind us of these powerful truths.

Download this video, and other helpful resources for your church or ministry for free at resources.elevationchurch.org.

Why Jesus Doesn’t Make Us Better People

When Jesus showed up on the scene, He didn’t come to teach us some good techniques to become better people. He didn’t just come to raise the benchmark for living a good life. His purpose was far greater. He came to change the whole system of humanity. He came to restore a broken relationship between God and His creation. He came to give limitless forgiveness to all who believe. And in this clip from our series F Bomb, Pastor Steven shows us the forgiveness of Jesus gives us the freedom to not live better – but live in a brand new way.

When What God Says Doesn’t Match What I’m Living

We all have access to the truths of scripture and we can read the promises and commands of God. So why then do we sometimes feel so disconnected from God? Why do we live in a way that is contrary to who we know we are in Christ? It’s because we’ve got a bad connection. We aren’t accessing what has been made available to us. In this clip from our series I Know He Is But What Am I?, Pastor Steven reminds us about the access we now have to God through the Holy Spirit because of what Jesus has done.

When You Don’t Have the Faith To Finish

Dreams don’t come easy. When God puts a vision in our hearts, understand that it isn’t just going to happen. Our faith in the Father is a key catalyst in our relationship with Him, but following Christ can be tough. We’ll experience trials and pain and critics and self-doubt. Before we even get started, we hear the enemy whisper that we can’t finish. But in this clip from our series Where Are They Now, Pastor Steven gives us courage to begin by reminding us of the faith God requires.

Elevation Creative: When the Sun Goes Down

We pray. We hope. We have audacious faith, believing God for the impossible. And it doesn’t happen. The promotion falls through. The marriage falls apart. The cancer only gets worse. What do we do then? And where is God in these situations? In this short film, part of the curriculum based on Pastor Steven’s book Sun Stand Still, he explains what happens when the sun goes down on our dream, and how God still reigns through it all.

This short film is a part of an eight-part series for church, group, our individual use. Find out more about the short films, the Sun Stand Still Experience kit, and more by visiting www.sunstandstill.com.