mattfry

Dino @ C3

Join us for First Wednesday this week at C3 Church! We will have Pastor Dino Rizzo from Healing Place Church. I have the privilege of serving with Dino on the Association of Related Churches (ARC) Lead Team. Dino and his wife DeLynn started Healing Place Church in 1993 and it has grown to 18 campuses with over 7200 attending each weekend. Mark your calendar, get here early and come with an expectant heart, it's going to be an awesome night!

 

Praying the Sermon on the Mount

Last night we started three days of fasting and praying as we prepare for Miracle Offering Weekend.  God's Word tells us that there are certain things we can only know through prayer and fasting.

You may or may not be able to fast with us, but we do ask you to join us in praying.  We are praying and believing God for the Vision He has given us for 2010 at C3.  Martha and I are also praying with many of you who need miracles in your life, whether they be relational, health, financial...we know God is able to do exceedingly more that we could ask or imagine as we seek Him whole-heartedly.  

Each day during the fast we are reading the Sermon on the Mount together.  Today, we are reading Matthew 5, tomorrow we'll read Matthew 6 and Wednesday we'll conclude with Matthew 7.

Wednesday night at 20/20 Night we will end the fast with a Night of Prayer at 7:00pm, as we come together as a church body to pray and worship together. 

 

3 Days of Praying and Fasting

This weekend is Commitment Weekend and I am so fired up to see what God is going to do through C3 the next two weekends!  As we prepare to bring our commitments this weekend, I wanted to invite you to join us in three days of praying and fasting, starting Sunday evening, November 15.  We will conclude the fast at 20/20 Night on Wednesday, November 18 with a Night of Prayer at 7:00pm.  

We are praying and fasting as we seek God for what He wants us to do the following weekend for Miracle Offering Weekend on November 21 and 22.  

If this is your first time fasting, here is some information, and you can find more resources on c3church.com or in the Source.

What is Fasting?

The fast is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect us with God. As a church, we are fasting to prepare our hearts for what God is going to do, and to stretch our faith to believe Him for big miracles. The best way to do this is to redirect our food source. This is accomplished through substituting our regular food intake with Bible reading, praying, and journaling. The overall goal is to experience a genuine hunger for spending time with God and to grow our faith in what God can do!

Normally, fasting means to abstain from food or drink for a certain period of time as a religious practice. However, it may extend to anything that may be a source of pleasure, satisfaction, or personal gratification. 

Purposes of Fasting:

A) To express love and surrender toward God through an act of sacrifice personal to ourselves.
B) To express distress, grief, or repentance.
C) To prepare for a time of spiritual struggle, decision making, or service.
D) To declare our willingness to put aside things in this life that may hinder our spiritual growth or relationship to God.
E) To remind ourselves that the physical world, and the life we live in it, is temporary, partial, and fading…and that the spiritual world is real, complete, and eternal.
F) To help us find balance in our lives between the physical and the spiritual.
G) To express discipline over our physical lives.

Two Big Weekends

As we conclude our UpRising series, we have two big weekends coming up at C3.  The first is Commitment Weekend, which is this weekend, and Miracle Offering Weekend on November 21 and 22.  

 As we get ready for these weekends, remember to...

Pray - We are challenging each of you to join us a for three days of praying and fasting November 15-18 as we pray and believe for God to do the impossible.  Then on 20/20 Night (November 18), we are going to come together as a church body for a night of prayer. 

Commit - This weekend (November 14 and 15) we are going to be turning in our Commitment Cards during each of our four services.  

Give - On November 21 and 22 we will celebrate through giving at our Miracle Offering Weekend.  Begin praying about what God would have you give that weekend.   

Martha and I love sharing the 2010 Vision with each of you and made a video to share from our hearts about all we are praying and believing God wants C3 to do in 2010.  The best is yet to come!

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Do You Need A Miracle?

I’ve had several conversations over the past several days with friends and I’ve heard the following…

I need a miracle

I need a breakthrough

I’m trusting God for the impossible

I’ve also shared the same with others! I am so thankful that God still DOES the impossible. He never runs out of power or strength. I believe that if we want to see a miracle in our life we need to focus on the God of miracles not ourselves. When I rely on myself I get what I can do, but when I rely on God I see what God can do!

Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who come to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

I also see God work in my life when I get my eyes off myself and give to someone who is hurting or needs hope. Tonight at Vision Night we will have an opportunity to focus on the God of miracles. Join us for a powerful time of worship and prayer. I can’t wait to share with you the vision for 2010! If you live outside the area you can join us live at www.c3church.com/livefeed I am praying for you to see God do a miracle in your life!

 

UPRISING CONTINUES...MARRIAGE & FAMILY

I am so excited to share that this weekend Martha and I will be team teaching on family and diving into Ephesians 5. This message is not only for married couples.  It’s for singles, single again, and our next generation. Our family is where our ministry begins and in today’s world when the family unit is attacked from every angle we need to be sure we have God as our center. This weekend Martha and I will give insight to how we have kept God first place in our marriage and in our family. I can’t wait to see you this weekend. Check out this video of Martha and I teaching together.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE CALLED IF...

I am going to share with you 10 characteristics of someone who is called by God.  The first one is You Know that You are Called if…

1. YOU WON’T QUIT WHEN TIMES GET DIFFICULT

When you are called by God you can’t quit or throw in the towel. In the fall of 1983 as a freshman at Liberty University I felt God was calling me to serve Him. During that semester I surrender my life totally to Him and have been serving in ministry ever since.  At times I served as a volunteer and other times as a paid staff member. There have been many times that I’ve been discouraged and wanted to quit. I didn’t want to quit on God but there were times that I wanted to quit ministry.  But time after time I could hold on to the truth that God has called me to this. And there were a couple of times that was the ONLY thing I could hold on to!

I had the privilege of serving on staff with Dr. Falwell, The founder and Chancellor of Liberty University and Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church. He would often challenge us  to “cut the words quit and can’t out of your dictionary and vocabulary!” That’s great advice. Paul writes while in prison, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Great leaders and pastors don’t quit when times get difficult.  In fact you see a new level of passion and determination during tough times. I heard someone say recently that ministry challenges can lead to a breakdown or a breakout. I believe God wants us to breakout and make a difference for Him. If you are tempted to quit today…. DON’T.  Find someone in ministry that you trust and share your heart with them.  God’s not finished with you yet!

2 Corinthians 4:7-10, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE CALLED?

Several months ago I woke up early in the morning and felt God speak to me and tell me to get back to the basics.  At first I wasn’t sure what God was saying to me but as I continued to seek Him and His Word it became clear that God was restoring me and reminding me that He has called me to be a pastor.  If we aren’t careful we can easily get side tracked or off focus and I believe God was trying to keep me focused on my calling.  This is one of the scriptures that God sent me to…

2 Timothy 1:8-9, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.  But join with me in suffering for the gospel, but the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace….”(NIV)

The question I have for you is what has God called you to? All believers have been called by God to serve Him. Every believer is a minister!  A calling from God is not something we seek but someone that God is seeking for.  He is looking for men and women who will receive the call. Oswald Sanders, “In Paul’s day, only a deep love for Christ and genuine concern for the church could motivate people to lead.  But in many cultures today where Christian leadership carries prestige and privilege, people aspire to leadership for reasons quite unworthy and self seeking.” Spiritual Leadership, page 14

God says that He saved us and called us to a holy life… And when we live a holy life we are making a difference with our lives.  But there is a difference between being saved and being called. 

SAVED - We find our identity in our salvation. Our identity is found in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not works, so that no one can boast.”

CALLED – God has called believers to serve Him.  But we shouldn’t find our identity in our calling or title. We find out our identity in Christ.  Being called is not about a title or position.  It also doesn’t mean that we have to be a paid staff member at a church or ministry. In fact some of the real Kingdom Builders that I know serve God’s House and their income come from other employment.

Many pastors and leaders live saved but they don’t live called. God is calling us to step up, step out and lead out of our calling from God to make a difference for His kingdom!

Over the next few weeks I will share with you 10 characteristics of someone who is called by God.

ARC All Access Conference on GodTV

In April, C3 had the awesome opportunity to host the 2009 ARC All Access Conference.  Pastors, staffs, and church members from all over the US joined together for three days and heard powerful teaching from several influential pastors of large churches.  

We found out last week that GodTV will be airing portions of this Conference TODAY and TOMORROW.  I strongly encourage you to watch the conference live or record it for later viewing.  For a highlight, check out this video.  If you have DirectTV, GodTV is on Channel 365 or you can stream it online at www.god.tv/stream (Free Account Required) 

Whether you're a pastor, a leader at any level or church life, or praying about planting a church, these teachings will train and inspire you.

Speaking Schedule/Topic:

Matt Fry - "The Heart" - Airing Monday, October 26 at 9pm; Tuesday, October 27 at 2am; Tuesday, October 27 at 1:30pm

Rick Bezet of New Life Church - "A Life Giving Church" - Airing Tuesday, October 27 at 9pm; Wednesday, October 27 at 2:30am

Ed Young Jr of Fellowship Church - "Betrayal" - Airing Monday, October 27 at 4:30pm

4 Days Away!

We are just four days away from Friend Weekend and our Tailgate Party. I have been praying for the friends that I have invited and I can't wait to see all that God is going to do as we reach out and invite our friends this weekend. It's not too late to get the word out through Twitter, Facebook, email and phone calls. Get on your computer, phone or walk across the street and invite your friends. As my friend Marty says, "Friend Weekend, it's just not as much fun without your friends!"