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On Sunday, February 5th, I will be praying for healing for the people of Avalon Church. No, it is not one of those kinds of healing services. I won’t be wearing a shiny suit, diamond cuff links, and big hair. Neither will I parade people across the stage and “slay them in the Spirit” or anything weird. I do not possess the power to heal but I certainly do believe that God does!

Here is what I mean by a healing service. One of the names of God in the Bible is Jehovah Rapha, which means I am the Lord who heals. God has the power to heal physically but he also has the power to heal emotionally and spiritually. In fact, I believe that there is more need for emotional and spiritual healing than there is for physical healing. So what I will be doing is praying for anyone who wants and need any kind of healing at the end of each service. If you or anyone you know has been sick, in pain, experienced divorce, abuse, hurt by a relative, hurt by a business partner, been cheated on in marriage or business, tricked, embarrassed, ridiculed, stolen from, or if you have bitterness in your heart then you MUST BE AT AVALON THIS WEEK! If you are in need of healing over your hurts and past or if you need forgiveness over what you have done to someone else then you will not want to miss this service. You do not have to be held down by your past. Jesus is better than your past. God has the power and authority to forgive, cleanse, and heal you!

I really believe this will be a powerful service and I expect many people to release their hurts to God. I can’t wait to pray for you!

Pastor Ritchie

This week we are wrapping up the Think Fast sermon series with a Face Book fast. The purpose of this is to get you to spend the time you would normally use to talk on Face Book and pray for and invite someone to Avalon Church. It is pretty simple really. Go on Face Book and post a message like this:

To all my friends: I am giving up all communication on Face Book from January 29th until February 3rd. There is a very specific reason for this and I want you to ask me why. You can contact me through my e-mail at (your e-mail) or my phone number at (your phone if you are brave enough to put it on Face Book). I really want to share something amazing with you so please contact me.

Looking forward to telling you,

Your name

When they e-mail or call you tell them about the Think Fast series and that you want to invite them to attend Avalon Church this Sunday.

Let’s pray for many people to receive Christ this week!

Pastor Ritchie

Pastors, you will want to make it a priority to go to the Refuge Prayer Gathering in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on March 27-29. 2012. My friend, Gene Wolfenbarger, is hosting this phenomenal conference for pastors and leaders. I went last year and it was a great blessing and I enjoyed it a lot. I plan on being there again and I plan on bringing some of my church staff as well. It was, in my opinion, one of the most inspiring conferences I have ever attended. Check it out here for more information.

Ritchie

I am pumped about the plans we have for Theology Unplugged this year and I can’t wait for you to be a part of it. On January 29th we will have first Theology Unplugged of 2012 that will feature a Night of Worship with the Avalon Praise Team and Band. If you were at the last NOW you know how incredible it was. This is music and worship at a “whole ‘notha level.” Just ask anyone who was at a recent Night of Worship and they will tell you how incredible it is.

I am also mixing it up a little bit on the teaching. Instead of teaching a doctrinal topic I will give you an overview of the books of 1, 2, and 3 John and give you the background and main themes so you will know how to read and understand it. I think it will be extremely helpful for those who want to learn how to read the Bible with better understanding. I think it will make the Bible come alive for you.

As always, we will have a special time of communion. I will also give you an opportunity to give in a special offering for our children’s village in South Africa. If you can’t think of anyone to help with the money you give up for Think Fast this will be an easy way to help someone in need.

Make your plans to be there this Sunday, January 29th, at 5:30 PM. See you there!

Pastor Ritchie

The Connection is for anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about Avalon Church or how to become a member of Avalon Church. It is easy and accessible for everyone. The Connection will take place on Sunday, January 29th at 9:30 AM and will meet in the Student Room. Sign up online or in the service by filling out a Communication Card. If you don’t know where the Student Room is you can ask a Guest Services volunteer and they will guide you. You don’t need to bring anything, just show up and you will learn what your next step is.

I am hearing stories of how God is moving in people’s lives through our “Think Fast” challenge. I wrote how it has impacted my life already so now I want to hear your story. What experience have you had in serving others or giving to others? How has it made you feel? Are you glad that you did it? Have you invited someone to attend church at Avalon to hear the “Think Fast” series? I need to hear your stories. When something good or amazing happens let me know by e-mailing me at ritchie@avalonchurch.net or by posting it on Face Book. I can’t wait to hear how God uses you!

Last week we asked you to serve someone you would not normally serve. This week I am asking you to give up something you would normally buy and give the money to someone in need. Remember our definition of a fast; giving up something for something better.

So here are some ideas for you to be on mission this week. Give up Starbucks for a week, pack your lunch instead of eating out, give up a movie night, eat at home instead of eating at a restaurant this week, or give up anything that is a luxury and spend that money buying a homeless family a meal, send it to a orphan in South Africa (we will take up an offering for that on Theology Unplugged this Sunday night), pay for an oil change for a single mom, or any of a number of other things that will get you out of your comfort zone and helping someone who needs Jesus. Give up something for something better.

I can’t wait to hear how God uses you this week.

Pastor Ritchie

Nothing will derail vision faster than disunity in the ranks. It is true of a business, a basketball team, a family, and a church. How many times have we seen the movie where a less talented but determined team pulled together and toppled the more talented, better financed, more popular, but ego-centered team? It is such a popular idea that it has become a cliché.

In my years of ministry I have observed churches that made you scratch your head and wonder why more was not being done for the Kingdom of God in them. They had talent, resources, and opportunity, but no real growth. I really believe that one of the key factors to church growth and fulfilled vision is this little thing called unity. It is certainly not the only factor, but I have never personally seen a church grow without it.

So why is unity so important in the church?

1. Jesus prayed for unity in the church.

John 17:23a “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.

If Jesus prayed for unity in the church then it must be important. He prayed that the church would follow the example of the God the Father and God the Son. What could the primary reason for this unity be? Point two answers that question.

2. Unity is necessary for the most effective presentation of the gospel.

John 17:23b “Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Notice how this kind of unity is tied to the spreading of the gospel. “Then the world will know…” I believe a church that is unified around the mission of spreading the gospel will model the kind of unity that the Father and Son have. I also believe that Satan knows the best way to keep a church from fulfilling its mission is to get people arguing over non-essentials. This kind of disharmony causes the church to become inward-focused and to lose its evangelistic passion.

3. Unity is necessary for the power of God.

2 Chronicles 30:12 “Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD.”

When God’s hand is on a church or a group of people his power rests on them. This power is necessary for the unity of mind and purpose that is needed to follow the word of the Lord. It is critical to elevate the mission of bringing God glory through our obedience to the highest level in order to have this kind of unity. In other words a church cannot focus on the minor things but the major thing! Too often we divide ourselves over things that do not matter. Don’t mistake diversity for disunity. We can be wonderfully diverse while being totally in harmony over who we are in Christ. If God created over 400,000 species of beetles why would he not want churches with unique personalities and abilities to reach people!

4. Unity keeps the church body growing, maturing, and working at its fullest potential.

1 Corinthians 12:12 “…just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

Ephesians 4:3 “…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

While some Christians think that spiritual maturity is achieved through amassing knowledge about the Bible the Bible actually shows us that spiritual maturity is achieved through obeying what the Bible says and fulfilling the mission of telling everyone everywhere about the gospel.

5. Unity flows from love and love unites the church in its mission.

Colossians 3:14 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Without love there is no unity whatsoever. This love must be focused on and received from Jesus Christ. There is no other way to keep harmony and stay on mission.

6. Unity keeps Christ at the center instead of us.

Ephesians 1:10b “…to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

It is not about you but it is about Christ! My plans, my desires, my preferences, my agenda, and my feelings are nothing compared to the gospel. When we become unified around that mission it changes everything and makes our churches more effective in fulfilling God’s mission for our lives.

The Psalmist said it well when he wrote “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 131:1

Pastor Ritchie

The Connection is for everyone who wants to learn more about Avalon Church and for those who want to know how to become a member of Avalon Church. It is easy and accessible for everyone. Our first “Connection” for 2012 will take place on Sunday, January 29th at 9:30 AM. The group will meet in the Student Room. Sign up online or in the service by filling out a Communication Card. If you don’t know where the Student Room is you can ask a Guest Services volunteer and they will guide you. You don’t need to bring anything, just show up and you will learn what your next step is.

I hope you are finding a huge blessing from the things you are doing for Think Fast this week. I know I am. To recap, we are in a series called Think Fast and we are asking you to give up something for something better. This week we asked you to give up something you would normally do and spend that time serving someone you would normally not serve.

Last night I set out to find someone who was homeless in our area so I could do something for them. Surprisingly it did not take very long. I had heard that there were people living in the woods behind a motel off of Highway 138. When I went in to speak to the night manager she told me that there were indeed several people who lived in the woods behind her motel. She told me that they would stay there until they scraped together enough money to stay at the motel for a few nights. She knew these people and when I asked about them I was shocked to find out about them. These were not the typical drug-addicted, alcohol-soaked people who we smugly think deserve what they get because of their decisions. (It is amazing how superior and high-minded we are at times, isn’t it? I wonder if God thinks that we are awesome when we act that way.) These were parents. There was a single dad with three elementary children; a single mom with a two-year-old; and a couple with a teenage girl.

My service was that I bought and served them a hot meal. When the manager called them to come to the lobby of her motel I was saddened by how beat-down these people were. They thought it was trick. They did not even want to come to the lobby because they thought something bad was going to happen. I decided to leave the food with the thankful manager so that I would not embarrass these struggling people. I let her know that Jesus and Avalon Church loves them.

I know that I am prone to hyperbole. I have to be honest, though, this changed me. I am under no illusion of the grandeur of my actions. I know that they were appreciative but they will face the same struggles today as they did yesterday. I made a difference for a few hours. Maybe they will have some hope because of it, but I can’t get out of my mind the picture of a single dad with three elementary children to feed. This is a dude who is trying, I think. My prayer is that God will give him a break, a blessing, an opportunity.

My goal in this sermon series is to change people’s lives. I want the impact of our serving, giving, and leading to help others, to point people to Jesus, and to change lives. I can say with 100% certainty that it already has.

I just did not know that the life that would be changed was mine.

Ritchie

That’s right. I did not stutter and I am talking to you. Small Groups are for winners so guess what happens when you get in a small group? That’s right, you win. Group Connect is on Sunday, January 22nd at Avalon Church. If you are currently in a group you will want to be there for an awesome time of food, music, and fun. It is going to be so great that you will be tempted to rip your shirt off and run across stage, but you won’t because that would be weird and inappropriate, not to mention embarrassing and awkward. If you are looking to get connected to a group (and who isn’t, right? I mean, come on. Winning! OK, that sounded like Charlie Sheen so I’ll stop) then you have to be there too. I will see you there!

Pastor Ritchie