The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Central Church Family (Page 18 of 54)

$1.5 Million in Cash and Checks

February 19, 2017 / / 0 Comments

If you give your money out of a sense of duty, there’s a tendency for your giving to be cold. You’ll seek to give the bare minimum — where does it say I HAVE to give ten percent? And there’s no spiritual transformation.

If you give your money so you can gain control, so you can be in charge and make the decision, that’s a self-seeking kind of giving. That kind of giving is more like a manipulative power play and it’ll only result in temporary joy at best.

And if you give your money in order to be seen by others, to impress people, to increase your status in whatever group you’re in, it’ll backfire on you. You won’t know who your real friends are and your identity will be tangled up in your possessions.

All three of these inferior motives for giving can cause us to view our money as something to be used to benefit ourselves. It stifles our imagination. It stunts our transformation. And it doesn’t bring any kind of lasting joy.

Everything changes, though, when we give with the understanding that we are partnering with God in his holy mission to redeem the world. When you fully grasp that God takes the money you give to directly change lives, to directly impact our city and the whole world for Christ’s eternal Kingdom, then the whole thing changes. Then there is great joy in giving as much as you can and looking for ways to sacrifice in order to give even more. Giving your resources to join God’s mission sparks a limitless imagination, it brings unsurpassed joy, and it results in increased spiritual transformation. It aligns your identity and your soul, not with your possessions, but with our Lord and his vision for his Church.

That kind of giving is the kind of giving we enjoy at Central. This church in downtown Amarillo really knows how to give. This is a mission-minded, servant-hearted church that works tirelessly and gives abundantly for the sake of others.

To launch our two-year Ignite Initiative this morning, our church family contributed $1,527,497.56 in cash and checks. More than $1.5-million during one Sunday morning assembly! It’s humbling. It’s mind-blowing. It’s a testimony to the power of our God to provide the resources in giant buckets when his people commit to joining him in his salvation pursuit of others.

I really don’t know what else to write or say.

That’s a lot of money.

I praise God for the ways he is at work in us and through us to bless others with his love and mercy, his forgiveness and grace. I’m so blessed to be the preacher at Central. And I can’t wait to see how our Lord’s going to use this offering to change lives and impact our city for his Kingdom.

Thank you to all my brothers and sisters at Central for your commitments and offerings made with faith in God and with confidence in our vision for more Christian ministry in Amarillo and around the world.

Peace,

Allan

The Launch

February 18, 2017 / / 0 Comments

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Tomorrow morning Central launches Ignite, a two-year initiative designed to enhance and expand our local ministry efforts within the city of Amarillo. Last week we all turned in our two-year financial pledges to fund the vision. Tomorrow we give our money. And I’m going to compare our gifts with a pinball.

Whatever you give, whatever I give, it’s kind of like a pinball machine.

You know, you’re playing pinball and that little silver ball is moving right down the middle and headed for the bottom and it looks like it’s lost. The ball is gone. Game over. But then you hit that little flipper. The flipper! And the ball pops up and now it’s bouncing and pinging all over the place. It touches off a set of strobe lights over there. It bangs into a bunch of noise makers over here. It gets a bonus ball and some extra points up there. It’s just going and going and beeping and buzzing and there’s excitement and energy and possibility and…!

Almost out of nowhere! How cool!PinballBall

Because of Ignite, some of our folks at Central are putting really large sums of money into the plate tomorrow. Because of Ignite, some of our people are putting five dollars into the plate tomorrow when they haven’t given any money to the church in years. Or never.

Your money’s not gone. You’re throwing it into God’s pinball machine and it’s about to come into contact with that flipper. Now you just watch what God’s going to do with it!

Everything you do for God makes a difference. It bounces and pings all over eternity.

Even one cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus makes a lot of noise in heaven.

Peace,

Allan

I Saw Satan Fall

February 12, 2017 / / 0 Comments

LightningIn Luke 10, Jesus sends out 70 of his disciples. He sends them to every town and place, it says, to declare the Kingdom of God is here. He sends them with his power and authority: “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” And they go and they testify and they proclaim, “The Kingdom of God is here!” And they’re blown away by the power of their testimony. They return to Jesus with great joy. They’re amazed by the response to their witness, “Lord, even the demons fall down to us in your name!”

And Jesus says, “I saw it.”

“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” I sent you out to go with my authority. And when you proclaim my truth and declare my Kingdom in my name… I saw it. Satan falls.

And now Jesus is overcome with joy by the Holy Spirit and he thanks God in prayer, “I praise you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth.”

And then he says to his disciples:

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” ~Luke 10:23-24

We are so blessed by God to be alive today during this particular time. We are so supremely privileged to be alive during this current chapter of God’s story. Right now, today, we are living during the last days of the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom. Because of the pouring out of God’s Spirit on all people, through the Church, we get to see things and experience things nobody else got to. We get to participate as co-workers with God as he restores and redeems his creation. We get to experience God’s Spirit moving into and re-creating people. We get to watch as God moves into a place and reclaims it for his glory.

The prophets could only speak of such things; we get to live it! Israel’s kings could only imagine the worldwide spread of God’s Kingdom; we get to help fund it! Peter says angels long to see such things; we get to see them and live them every day!

Our God gives us the opportunity to join him in creating new possibilities, in changing the potential in people’s lives, in participating in his new creation. We are highly favored by our Father!

The prophets gave us the beautiful vision from God: You will be a light to the nations, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, to release those who sit in darkness. The prophets gave us the glorious mission from God: I will make you a light for the nations that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. And now WE get to be that light! He’s chosen US to shine his light!

Here at Central, we’ve seen that chapel that was built in 1929 become a sacred space for five generations of Christian worship and countless numbers of baptisms and weddings and funerals and a launching pad for nearly 90 years of Gospel ministry. We’ve seen it.

We’ve seen a modest commitment to Ted and Dot Stewart back in 1961 turn into Great Cities Missions and thousands of new Christians in a hundred new churches in dozens of cities in Latin America. We’ve seen it.

We’ve seen the Upreach Center, the house Central reclaimed and redeemed in 2001, become an outpost for Loaves and Fishes, CareCentral, and Prayer Breakfast, compassionate ministry and outreach to the poor that was un-thought of twenty years ago and continues to grow today. We’ve seen it.

Just in the past year-and-a-half, we’ve seen God change the Route 66 strip club into The PARC where our city’s homeless are being gathered into Christian community around morning Bible studies and prayer in a context of God’s limitless love. We’ve seen the Planned Parenthood building become the regional headquarters for CareNet, where unwed mothers are taught that every human life is precious to God and devastated families are given love and support and resources in the manner of Christ.

We can join our Lord in declaring together, “We see  it!” We see Satan fall from the sky! Praise God, we get to see it and experience it; we actually get to participate in it. The great prophets and Israel’s kings and the angels in heaven are jealous. Who knew God believed you and I were so special!

Peace,

Allan

24 Hours of Prayer

February 10, 2017 / / 0 Comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI spent the 9:00 hour this morning with Nancy, Shelly, Dick and Crista, and Pete. I shared the 2:00 hour this afternoon with Larry, Drew, and Bruce and Celia. Over the next several hours, through the night, and into tomorrow morning, more than a hundred of my brothers and sisters at Central are praying in the chapel. We’re gathering in the presence of God, in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by the power of his Spirit to lift up prayers of intercession for our Ignite Initiative. We’re praying for Bivins Elementary and the homeless in our city. We’re praying for CareNet and single moms. We’re praying for the poor, the marginalized, the immigrants, the disabled, and Martha’s Home. There are more than a thousand prayer requests in those envelopes. And they are all being faithfully brought to our Father’s throne by his servants at Central.

What a blessing to pray for an hour with my siblings in Christ. What a joy to listen to their hearts being poured out to God, to participate together in bearing one another’s burdens, to form closer friendships in the foxholes of intercession.

May our Father bless all who gather in the Central chapel during these 24 hours. May the prayers of the saints bring him glory and praise. May we be transformed during these hours to be more like our Lord, trained to consider the needs of others more important than our own. And may his will be done in and through these hundred Christians and these hundreds of requests just as it is in heaven.

I can’t wait for my next hour at 11:00 tonight.

Peace,

Allan

Legacy of Bold Faith

February 8, 2017 / / 0 Comments

CentralCharterMembersBefore any of us were born, Central Church of Christ was answering the call of our God and taking bold action to advance the Kingdom in Amarillo and throughout the world. This church, established by nine Christians with a Sunday assembly at the Potter County Courthouse on October 2, 1908, enjoys a rich heritage of big decisions and daring moves that have impacted the whole world for our Christ. Right now we’re praying and planning together for what we’re calling Ignite Initiative, the latest in a storied string of bold ventures to proclaim and live out the Gospel in new contexts and exciting ways.

This past Sunday we looked back at the history of this great congregation. And Kevin captured it perfectly in a video that everybody’s still talking about today. The video expertly brings together our past and our present and points us toward the future — our former elders and their wives in various places around our building, fading in and out with the old black-and-white stills from more than a hundred years ago, juxtaposed with the plans we have for the next few decades.

I feel very blessed — privileged! — to belong to a great church like Central. This is a church with a long record of faithfulness and a strong commitment to God’s vision and mission here at home and all over the world. Please be in prayer as we make spiritual and financial commitments to the vision this Sunday. Our prayer is that God’s will be done in and through this church in Amarillo and around the world just as it is in heaven.

Peace,

Allan

Blessed at Central

February 2, 2017 / / 0 Comments

CentralPreachersI don’t know all my sins and shortcomings. I don’t know all the many ways I’m sure I fail as a proclaimer of God’s Word. I’m not aware of every single way I most surely disappoint the people in our church. I don’t know all the variety of things I do and say that are just not enough, things that could be done and said much better by a better person, a guy with more talent, a person better equipped.

But I do know a lot of those things. I am well aware that I fail often, that I disappoint plenty, and that my efforts are usually not enough.

When I’m alone with God in this beautiful 90-year-old chapel at Central, I become acutely aware of my own unworthiness to be in a leadership role with this great and faithful church. Who am I? What am I doing here? I feel incredibly blessed just to be in the middle of these wonderful saints. I feel so privileged that God would let me be a member of this church family. But he’s made me the preacher! What a joke!

Who am I to pray in the presence of this godly group of shepherds? Who am I to lead this incredibly talented and dedicated company of ministers? How can I further inspire this gathering of Christ-minded disciples who for years have been serving and ministering with power and grace throughout this city and around the world?

I have no business being the preacher with these people at this place.

It’s hilarious!

CentralWorshipCenter1980sOur Lord proves to me over and over every day that his grace is sufficient. He reminds me every week that his strength is made perfect in our weakness. He continually shows me that he arranges the parts of the body exactly the way he wants them. And he makes it work here at Central.

Thank you, Father, for moving me to Amarillo to be blessed by this faithful body of your children. Thank you, God, for the difficult challenges and the easy lay-ups, for the incredibly high mountains and the devastating valleys, for both the really good times to keep me encouraged and the really tough times to keep me humble. I need all of that. And I need to experience it with a generous, gracious, patient, forgiving, loving community of Christians.

I ask myself often how in the world I ever wound up at Central. And then I fall to my knees in humble gratitude and praise.

Peace,

Allan

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