Sunday Recap (3/25/2007)

What a day!!
--We had over 1300 again in worship for the 2nd week in a row!!
--We had a record crowd in our Inquirer's Lunch!!
--We interviewed two potential staff members for children and youth/generational ministry.
--We kicked off the community Youth Revival tonight, Oasis, with about 1200 students packed into the Wink and over 40-50 decisions made for Christ!!

Great service this am ... we have hit some hard stuff the past few weeks on discipleship type themes as we taught on evangelism and then the cost of following Christ and last Sunday was Vision Sunday. So this week we went back to a felt need type focus and talked about taking strategic "Pit Stops" in life (using the NASCAR parallel).

Here's the message rundown:
*Life consists of WOW and VOW moments.
--The WOW when everything is good and awesome and our passion and focus are strong (honeymoon, closing the deal, buying your home, first date, awesome church service, etc.).
--The VOW is when your just keeping your commitments as best you can even when you may not 'feel' like it.
--The WOW enables and encourages us to keep the VOW. Like in NASCAR if the drivers never took a 'pit' stop, they'd never win or even finish the race. We need WOW moments in our relationships with each other and with God.

Matt's definition of 'pit stop':
strategically and temporarily pulling out of the race of life so you can ultimately race faster, race farther, and race better.

Taught from Matthew 17:1-8 on the Transfiguration which was a big WOW moment. It followed a big VOW command in Matthew 16 to 'deny yourself' to follow Christ.

Here's the main points:

v.1
1) You were made to go places with God--God wants to take us to the mountain. Jesus led them away from the hustle and bustle of life for planned experience ... where He could WOW them. Later, these would be the men Christ would build His church through.

v.2-5
2) You were made to recognize and respond to God.--When we see who Jesus really is, we're WOWed and we then want to "listen to Him."
--We have to be available for God to take us places with Him where He reveals Himself to us.

5 WOW moments with God that are available to us:
1) Baptism
2) Lord's Supper
3) Weekly Worship
4) Small Group community
5) Time by yourself with God
--Talked about how easy it is to spend time with God. He wants to WOW us with Himself through His Son and His Word.

3) You have to be available.
--Busyness is a choice.
--If we give God some of our time, He'll make something of it and something of us.

v.6-8
When is the last time you saw nothing but Jesus?
What are you doing to let God 'WOW' you so you can keep your commitment ('VOW') to Him?