Reflections on AWAKEN and the Future

Been trying to process last weekends services at the Civic as Real Life celebrated Easter and kicked off a new message series called AWAKEN.  It's funny how a moment or two can completely change your perspective and completely change how you view the future.  I thought AWAKEN could be a big weekend for us but I had no idea God wanted to bless it in such an incredible way.  I figured that we might have a total attendance for the weekend of maybe 150, boy was I wrong.

Some might say I didn't have much faith.  Maybe.  I feel better about saying I just didn't have a great expectation.  I thought we'd have more than normal but I was unprepared for the number of people who just continued to pour into the Civic Center Saturday and Sunday.  When it was all said and done we had counted 260 people between the two services and estimated about 60 of those Sunday had attended Saturday night.  So we had a total of 200 different individuals celebrate Easter weekend with us.

On top of that we were able to baptize nine people into Jesus Christ and who knows how many others God has been working on during the week!  I heard from so many different people, statements like, "If I would have known church could be like this I would have come a long time ago."  or "This is not what I expected church to  be like, I will definitely be back next week."  It was also amazing to me that people both nights hung around after the service was over and talked and ate and got drinks, like they didn't really want to leave!  What a grace soaked, Holy Spirit involved weekend!

Real Life exists to help every person possible find real life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  And since He is the only way to eternal life, real life, we want to make sure that everybody knows how to enter into that relationship.  See, it's not about us.  It's not about comfort.  It's not about getting our church quota in for the week or month.  Life is about connecting with people so we can have the opportunity to connect them with Jesus.  AWAKEN was just that, an opportunity to connect with people, but our ultimate goal is to help them see what life could really be like with Jesus.

So, aside from the things I could have done better, that will have to be improved on in the coming weeks and certainly if we do that again, here's what I think God was saying to me over and over again last weekend.  "Look at what could be.  See what I see."

I've been here since the beginning when less than a dozen people met in my living room.  We had big dreams.  But life and difficulties have a way of pounding some of those dreams down into more "realistic" hopes.  I thought God was telling me the possibilities are bigger than I have thought possible.  One of our Elders, Bob, said to me yesterday as we talked about the number of people who were there for AWAKEN, "...and there are a lot more people in El Dorado who aren't connected to Jesus."  The field is indeed large.  The harvest within that field could fill the Civic Center multiple times each weekend.  There is lots more to do.  And bigger dreams to be dreamed.

I was reading in John 7 today and the Holy Spirit just kept pounding me with the idea that God's time is always right.  He is never late.  He is never early.  When we try to rush Him we mess things up and end up falling on our faces.  When we are too late we miss out the full measure of His plan.  But when He acts and we respond on time He brings together our willingness and faith with His blessing and plan and the results are more and better than we ever imagined.

So here's the bottom line.  God's got a bigger plan for Real Life to continue to connect with the disconnected and share the hope of real life in Christ with those who are trying to find some meaning and hope in this life.  And when we wait and watch and pray, He will show us the right time and way to respond to all that He wants to accomplish through us for His glory.

Are you ready?  God's got more coming...