APEX Spiritual Breakthrough Retreat

I’m looking forward to August 21-23. Every few months at APC we host the Spiritual Breakthrough Retreat. Pastor Jeff gives a great description over at his blog. This upcoming retreat, we as young adults are concentrating together on breakthrough. To do this we’ll take part in the retreat, spend a couple nights at the church, and rise up in our walk with God.

The SBR is powerful because it’s an opportunity to set aside time to focus; to sit under powerful teaching by Pastor Jeff; to hang out with a big group of people all hungry for more of God. You don’t want to miss it.

If you’re interested in joining APEX Young Adults in this retreat, leave a comment and let me know. The cost for us will be $30, which includes all retreat materials and food for the weekend. It will change your life.

DS

Weekend Worship Songs (7.18-19.09)

This weekend, Kate Griffin (other worship leader at APC) led worship.

Here’s what we did:

• Faithful (Steve Fee) – really a great upbeat song. Love the declaration.
• I Have Found (Kim Walker) – we’re continuing to reinforce this tune. Really catching on well with our congregation.
• Stronger (Hillsong) – One of the best songs to come out of Hillsong EVER, in my opinion. Can’t get enough of declaring this truth. We actually did a key change in the bridge which seemed to reinforce the “Let your name be lifted higher” very well.

Weekend Worship Songs

I am going to start posting our worship song setlist from the weekends here at APC. I hope this is simply a practical tool for you worship leaders to see what songs we are doing and how they are working.

This past weekend we had a very high-energy set with some spontaneous moments. It was a powerful time.

• Let God Arise (Chris Tomlin)
• My Savior Lives (NewLife Worship)
• I Have Found (Kim Walker) – this was a new song for us. It’s a song that has an ‘immediate’ effect on people – easy to learn and very catchy. I love the simplicity of it and how it leads you to cry out for the glory of God. Great congregational prayer. Highly recommended.
• All Who Are Thirsty (Brenton Brown) – An older song, but a great follow-up to ‘I Have Found’. It’s helpful to have a simple chorus that enables you to continue pressing into God’s heart in a service.

Are there any new songs you are doing?

MCM Ministry School – Now accepting applications!

As I write (and as you read), our first MCM Ministry School class is in Thailand preaching the Gospel. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing young people (and old!) giving their lives for the cause of Christ. That’s why I love the MCM Ministry School. I’ve had the privilege of leading worship  once a week throughout this entire first year and the passion of the students is inspiring.

The MCM Ministry School is designed to provide a prospective student not only with classroom training but with real life experiences in ministry.  Every day we involve students in our PRAYER SCHOOL.  Once a week, we engage in PRACTICAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH in connection with one of eight churches that have been planted in Pittsburgh.  Once a year, the students participate in an INTERNATIONAL TRIP to work in partnership with Mission SOS in a Signs and Wonders Festival among UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS.

The passion of the MCM Ministry School is to raise up faith-filled adventurers who are committed to living out the supernatural lifestyle of the book of Acts.  The practical experiences come in the context of a growing church that is actively planting churches and sending teams to reach unreached people groups.

All the details can be found on the NEW MCM Ministry School Website.  We are hosting an OPEN CLASS DAY on May 8th from 9am to noon for anyone who is interested.

You should check this out!

The Nowhere Lifestyle

For the closing session of our missions trip, I closed with this simple teaching on living a ‘nowhere’ lifestyle – developing a life pattern that reaches out to people. Remember these three F’s:

1. Fix Your Priorities – choose to prioritize outreach as a ‘main responsibility’ in your life
2. Find Joy in Christ – without an ongoing joy in Christ, evangelism will burn out. You must have something to give.
3. Fill Time With People – become a person who engages with people often. Evangelism works best out of relationship.

I’m so proud of the group of young adults that gave their time, passion, and sleep to this week!

The Impossible Side of Worship

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).

Biblical worship will always be shrouded in mystery. While we are commanded to love the Lord “with our understanding”, we will never fully understand. If you are waiting till you fully understand God before you worship, you will never worship. The eons of eternity will be insufficient in revealing the fullness of God.

I love this passage of Scripture. Paul just finished unpacking a very deep theological passage that is Romans 9-11. What is his response to truths that are hard to understand? Worship.

When it’s all said and done, worship remains. When our minds cannot fully grasp the depths of God’s wisdom, what can we do? Worship.

Is this an excuse for lazy Bible study or no Bible study? Nothing could be further from the truth.

If you study the Bible for the rest of your life and seek to understand every theological position, yet lack worship in your heart, it is lifeless. Stare into the mystery of God’s glory today…and worship.

Worshiping is Cherishing

It has been great going through these 40 Days of Consistency with my worship team. It has personally helped me to be driven by Biblical values instead of just a task list. Tasks lists are good, but they must proceed from faith and the Word of God.

Consider the verse for this week:

“I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…” (Psalm 66:17).

It is possible to cry to God with our mouth, have high praise on our tongue, and yet cherish iniquity in our hearts. Remember Isaiah 29:13?

“…this people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.”

God does not listen or receive that kind of worship. It is a dishonor to him rather than a cherishing of His name. The essence of worship is cherishing God. He is our treasure. He is our highest value. Growing in our worship means growing in our cherishing of Jesus.

Is He daily becoming more valuable to you? Are your affections for Jesus growing as you worship with your local church or are you worshiping with your mouth and yet cherishing sin in your heart?

Approaching God with Gladness

Over the past couple months, I have been preparing for a missions trip with the Young Adults. Throughout this preparation process, it has occurred to me that evangelism is only effective if we speak out of experience. Yes, we preach the Gospel. But have we experienced the Gospel? Yes, we tell people God is great. But have we experienced His greatness? Have you ever had a boring teacher throughout high school or college? What makes that teacher boring? The reason is that they are simply spitting out information; they don’t necessarily love what they are saying.

What in the world does this have to do with worship, you may ask? Everything. Consider this Scripture:

“The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Psalm 97:1).

Before you can reflect God, you must experience God. Do you approach God out of duty or joy? Gladness or guilt? The goal of worship is not simply for us to do it, but that the nations might also be glad in God. Your life will speak volumes to unbelievers when they see that you are glad in God, no matter what you are going through.

Will you approach God with gladness this week? Is He your joy?

Special Guest Speaker this Tuesday Night

I am very excited to have Matt & Michelle Brown with us at APEX this coming Tuesday night. Matt is an evangelist who travels the world, preaching the Gospel. Matt and I are friends from college. I have been inspired by his passion for souls and for holiness.

Check out his blog and his website for more info.

If you’re a young adult in the Pittsburgh area, be sure to join us Tuesday night at 7!

What is the goal of your gift?

Have you ever considered that the very use of your gift brings glory to God, if it is used properly? This week I am so excited to share one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Check this out:

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (I Peter 4:10-11).

According to Peter, the context of this verse is related to the end of time. Verse 7 indicates, “The end of all things it at hand; therefore…” Following is a list of what we should do because the end is near: be self-controlled, sober-minded, love one another, show hospitality, and…use the gift you have been given.

There is a way to use your gift so that is brings glory to God, or in such a way that it dishonors God. According to our passage, here are two clues that we are bringing glory to God through the use of our gifts:

• using our gifts to serve one another
• realizing we are stewards of God’s grace

Is it not amazing to realize that the gifts you have are displays of God’s grace to the world? They are meant to showcase His worth, not yours. When we serve one another through His strength, we bring glory to God. If we use our gift in a self-seeking manner, we do not.

Verse 11 reveals God’s goal for God’s distributed gifts – so that “in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Allow God’s Word to penetrate your heart as you realign your foundation for serving.

Spend some time reflecting on this question – “What is the goal of my gifts?”