Putting out two Communicators in quick succession today because there are separate things which I think should be of interest. This one is intended to be an index to Matt’s message of last Sunday which was also covered in Friday’s Pulse. The previous Communicator was about Thursday’s Council Meeting.
Not everyone attended or has viewed Matt’s message on unified church service from last Sunday and, while it is available to view on the Effort Website (Media > Sermons & Worship > September > 1100 Mosaic), not everyone is willing to watch it all. But there is likely to be ongoing discussion of what he said and it is good to be able to check what he specifically said. So, below is a set of bullet points that he made and timecodes for the 1100 service so that you can check for yourself. Below that is a similar set for the much shorter video that was part of this week’s Pulse.
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Abstract 1100
https://subsplash.com/effortchurch/media/mi/+6fhb6td
25:10
25:50 Prayer important.
27:04 What was sabbatical like?
Netflix, pilgramage? No
What is direction of church to be?
Distance and perspective
28:20 Ambiguity of measurability of church performance.
Basic, countercultural, radical
Jesus
No flash
Fishing for people
30:10 Army of love
30:30 Difficult things are of value.
We are in that season.
31:00 Season of Covid. Loss of senior Pastor.
31:15 Not firing on all cylinders.
31:55 I see a church where generations mix, children will be the church, not divided by preference, new believers compelled by what they witness.
33:10 Significant questions with significant answers – from the Bible.
33:50 Old Testament – lots of mistakes.
34:40 Core issues in our hearts control real success.
35:20 Israelites in exile.
36:40 Good people doing good things.
Rebuild Temple, Spiritual Recommittment, Rebuild walls.
Mixed results.
38:00 Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah.
39:15 Arc of Old Testament – Restoration
Not fulfilled
40:15 Used car example.
Works but deep hidden problems.
Add fixes but problems continue
Carfax?
42:10 Zerubbabel New Temple – Elders wept.
Ezra teaching Torah – Leaders improper marriages
Nehemiah rebuild walls – Leaders cheat to enslave other Isreelites.
God, remember that I tried.
45:20 Grave consequences did not change the human disposition.
45:50 Still in exile. John the Baptist new return from exile based on repentance and forgiveness.
46:50 Covid led to an exile and isolation.
Desire to rebuild the temple (Sanctuary)
47:35 How to break the exile cycle.
48:00 Matt’s history.
49:00 Heart transformation over the years.
50:05 Need to get back to normal. … what feels comfortable.
50:50 Issue: church division
51:15 Conversations:
11AM – those folks, their building, fancy clothes, old music
09AM – heretical rock music, we paid for their building, jeans
53:15 Still divided – food unites, little else
53:40 0930 folks sacrificed by moving to the FLC
54:10 This message was loud in the spirit to Matt.
“As long as worship is divided so too will the church will be divided.”
54:55 Unified is a scary word.
55:50 Music is wonderful. Blending music is too much compromise.
56:30 Mosaic of the kingdom. Individual tiles mortared together. Look from a distance to see the big picture.
57:20 We are meant to be unique, not blended with other people.
57:55 We created an 0930 mosaic and a different 1100 mosaic. Lacking a united vision.
59:20 What would one mosaic look like as a church?
59:45 Mosaics cannot live in two places.
1:00:00 Problems of the physical FLC. We have worked hard to make it work.
1:01:00 Sanctuary is smaller. Seats are better. That is the place for the mosaic.
1:01:35 More than mechanical changes needed.
1:01:50 One kind of service. Celebrate all the preferences. It is just music.
1:02:35 Christ is the mortar to hold it all together.
1:02:55 Logistically: Each service includes all music that varies in styles.
1:03:50 There will always will be one song that connects with you. Other songs connect with others.
1:04:20 Get used to getting your preferences some of the time while others get their preference some of the time.
1:05:10 Consumerism has done a number on us.
1:05:28 Don’t want to have idols.
1:05:55 We all connected a little bit. That is good enough.
1:06:20 One Mosaic: One church, one worship, one people
(church operates as Christ intended the church to operate)
1:06:55 Illustration of Californian, New Yorker, Korean
Size of bubble
Kingdom size bubble
1:08:05 One Mosaic: better stewards of time, talent, energy, finances
(for congregation, volunteers, staff)
repurpose FLC for original use
1:09:52 One Mosaic:
solid, healthy foundation
(for church growth across all generations & next Senior Pastor)
1:10:10 Preferences do not become idols.
1:10:35 Not supposed to be like the world (separated). Not easy. Sacrifice all around. Called to be one church.
1:11:25 Not a presentation of what will be. What could be. Needs to be a conversation. Has been discussed with Council, Staff, teams. Not been opposed.
1:12:30 Next season will be the best season we have ever had.
1:12:45 We can become one church over more than food.
1:13:10 Closing prayer.
1:14:23 Questions: Matt@effortchurch.org, Staff, Council
Prayer
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Connection – The Pulse – 09242021
https://mailchi.mp/7919a9a417b9/the-pulse-5652673?e=6706db6359
1:05 Where heart is.
1:31 Contacts. Good.
1:53 Called to learn from Bible. Ezra, Nehemiah
Called to rebuild. Success. Deeper issue is heart transformation.
3:00 Pray, trust, finding Senior Pastor
3:35 Return to pre-Covid.
Two buildings and congregations?
4:25 Us vs Them
9 vs. 11
Separated in worship
5:00 Worship is attitude towards God.
5:18 Need to unisolate, bring together.
5:45 Good worship styles need to live in tension.
5:55 Preferences sometimes.
6:10 Talk to Matt, Staff, Council
6:25 Timeline – speak now.
6:45 We want to hear your voice.
7:00 Grateful for feedback.