Hey C3 Church family!
I just wanted to send a note and let you know how blessed I am to be your pastor. Martha and I are so grateful to serve a church family that has a heart for hurting people and is willing to go “above and beyond” to make a difference for God. We are closing the chapter on the IMAGINE vision and we want to say THANK YOU! Because of your faithfulness and generosity we are in a position for the vision God has for us this year and beyond.
Earlier this year I shared with you that our vision for the next two years is IMPACT. I feel the Lord leading us to take a HUGE step forward as we expand our outreach to Raleigh and South Africa.
Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
And that’s what we are doing with IMPACT! If you would like to listen to the Vision Sunday message you can go to www.c3church.com/resources/series
This past weekend we had our IMPACT Commitment Weekend and hundreds of families turned in their commitment cards to pray and give above and beyond their tithe to support this vision. If you haven’t turned your card in you can do so this weekend or bring it by the church anytime during the week.
This weekend is our IMPACT Celebration Weekend where we ask the church family to bring your first offering to help us take a huge step forward. There are some urgent needs especially in reference to Mganduzweni, South Africa. They desperately need us to build a well to provide clean water, food for the children, and other needs as we start a new church in this village of 170,000 people. I would ask that you pray about what God would have you to give.
2 Corinthians 9:7 says “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Martha and I love you so much! And I can’t wait to see what God does in us and through us! Together we can IMPACT the world!
Pastor Matt and Martha
March 27, 2014
March 12, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Ten
WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER
Pastor Matt Fry
It’s been a powerful 10 Days of Prayer! God loves it when His people unite together in prayer and giving for His vision.
As we conclude what is it that God is telling you to do? What is He telling you to give? Take some time to pray and ask Him to speak to you.
I’ve discovered God speaks to us in several ways:
• God speaks to us through His Word
Take some time to read and meditate on His Word.
Joshua 1:8, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”(NLT)
• God speaks to us through Other People
Often God will use other people to speak to us and confirm what He is saying to us. But always make sure it lines up with God’s Word.
1 Corinthians 14:29, “Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said.”(NLT)
• God speaks to us through His Holy Spirit
Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”(NIV)
As a church family, we can pray, seek God together and bring our commitments and offerings to God to IMPACT the world!
Prayer Focus: Take some time today to let God speak to you. Read today’s scripture , wait and listen to God
March 11, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Nine
Katie Chatham
Ephesians 1:3-5 (NLT) “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
This verse tells us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing! This is not so we can just live safe, comfortable lives. He blesses us so that we can make an IMPACT on the lives of others. One of the many ways we are going to do that is by Impacting Africa!
We also read in this verse that we have been adopted into God's family through Jesus. Without Jesus, we are all orphans, but by His grace we are called His own. Adopting you gave God great pleasure! Imagine the joy it brings Him when we put our resources toward extending love to orphans, widows and those who don't know Jesus yet! Mganduzweni, the village we are adopting, is a village of 170,000 people! God knows each one of them by name and we get the opportunity to show them the love of Christ!
Pastor Matt reminds us often that everything we have comes from Jesus, is distributed by Jesus and belongs to Jesus! And, all the results of what we do are credited to Jesus! Because of Jesus, people who have never had hope before can know what it means to have eternal hope! Because of Jesus, widows can know everlasting love. Because of Jesus, orphans can know the love of their Heavenly Father. And because of Jesus, we as a church can make a Kingdom Impact!
Dave Ohlerking, founder of Children’s Cup, always said, “Hope’s name is Jesus”. When we bring Jesus to the people of Mganduzweni, we are brining HOPE!
Today, thank God for the spiritual blessings He has given you. Give him all the glory for what He has done in your life and what He is going to do through your life. Thank Him for the plan and purpose He has for C3 in Mganduzweni and how He is going to use us to make an IMPACT!
Remember, it's all because of Jesus! Let’s make an IMPACT together in Africa!
March 10, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Eight
Erin Jones
Today as we focus on Impacting Africa, I want to encourage you to let yourself imagine for a few minutes how blessed you are to live the life that you been given. Even in our hardest times, we are blessed with all the things we have at our fingertips…family, food, shelter, clothing, a great church, the freedom to worship, etc. More blessings than you can possibly count when you really think about it. Now think for a moment of those that are less fortunate than you…no guaranteed meals, no stable home, little to no clothing, family that may or may not be in their life. It’s heartbreaking. But the good news is we have the opportunity to bring them the greatest thing of all….Jesus! As a church, we will be meeting physical needs as well as spiritual needs in Mganduzweni.
Matthew 25:40, “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Whenever we serve, whenever we give, whenever we pray, we’re making a difference. The IMPACT of our serving, giving, praying and going will have an eternal, Kingdom impact. Jesus will be made famous and the good news of the hope found in Him will change you, as you surrender to His will, and those you are serving. Not all of us can travel to Africa but we CAN do something!
In Ephesians 3:17 it says, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
So today, remember as Christ has made His home in your heart and you trust Him on a deeper level that the love you’ve received, you will commit to spread to others. The strength you have gained from His love, you will use to strengthen others. And, the blessings you have received, you will turn them into blessings for someone who has yet to hear of His love.
Prayer Focus: Pray today that God will use you in ways that you have yet to dream about. Pray He would deposit new dreams and desires in your heart and that you would be obedient to step out in faith to be and do ALL that He is calling you to. Together, we can make an eternal IMPACT!
March 09, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Seven
Axel Escarcega
Luke 7 tells us about an evening Jesus spends having dinner with the Pharisees. In this particular instance, a woman who is broken and an outcast in society hears He is in town and rushes to pay Him a visit. She comes in uninvited and slowly approaches Jesus as He sits at the table with the religious elite. Her humility and brokenness is so great that she feels unworthy to even seek His attention; she approaches from behind and washes His feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and anoints them with a jar of incredibly expensive perfume.
A Pharisee named Simon is disgusted by this sight and thinks critically of Jesus for allowing such a sinful woman to come near Him. Jesus gently reprimands Simon by telling a parable:
“ ‘41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
He goes on to say that the woman offered so much of herself because of her great love for Him, yet they had yet to offer any kind affection or serve him in any meaningful way.
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Now here’s the catch: Did you know that Jesus loved Simon and the rest of the Pharisees too? He was spending time with them! Jesus does not base his love for us on a label or on how we act; He loves because He is love. However, this does not mean that we always choose to receive His love and forgiveness.
As our church moves forward with IMPACT, take some time to reflect on our Savior’s love. How long and wide and deep it is! Approach Him in humility and thankfulness for all He has done in your life, and most of all, for who He is. Even if at this point you can relate more to Simon than to the woman, know that God still loves you and wants you to be loved and love others generously. It is only as you choose to receive His love and forgiveness that you will find yourself able to give sacrificially in any kind of way.
Prayer: God, thank you for your unconditional love. Please allow me to recognize it more fully so that I can come closer to loving you and others in the way that you love me. Help me to give of myself to others more freely and meaningfully.
March 08, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Six
Pardon The Interruption
John Cole
How many times a day are we interrupted by Facebook, Twitter & Instagram? Those little notifications that pop-up on our smart phones demanding our every attention. We suddenly feel the need, the draw, the pull-to satisfy “self” and check the number of likes, messages, comments or retweets that we have. Yet how easy is it to view others in need as an inconvenience? The homeless man on the corner, the single mom who has to choose between groceries or gas, the church-goer who secretly struggles with an addiction or the store clerk in need of healing. Many of us have jobs and responsibilities that allow us to become contributing citizens of the world in which we live. But since when did our own agenda or to-do list trump the very opportunities and blessings of God?
Jesus, The Lord himself, was always on mission and headed to his destination with purpose. He knew that the Father's work had to be done and there were many truths to be taught. But even then, Jesus saw an inconvenience as an opportunity to bring His Father glory. He understood the heart of God and the impact that could be made by serving someone at an inconvenient time.
While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through that entire region. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” (Matthew 9:18-33 NIV)
Here we see that Jesus, at one of His best philosophical moments, in the discussion of fasting and wineskins, gets interrupted by a need that seemed to be helpless and hopeless. It would have been easy to hesitate based on what He was currently doing or to reason that things were just too far-gone. I mean, after all, the woman had already died and he’s trying to teach a lesson. But what was the response of Jesus? Was it to say "thanks, but no thanks," "I'm sorry for your loss," or "if I bring this woman back to life, I may be rejected and associated with satan?” No, the scripture says, "Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.” Jesus knew that the heart of God valued people over personal satisfaction and pursuit of knowledge. People today still may not fully understand fasting or wineskins, but what we do know is that Jesus’ choice to serve someone when it was inconvenient led to five healings on four consecutive occasions. The impact that He made was incredible. By choosing to serve one person, He was able to change the lives of not one, two, or three, but five people. Needless to say, living a life not afraid of interruption and inconvenience places you in a position to experience the supernatural and make an impact for Jesus. It may even take you to your destiny.
As you continue to pray for and serve with Project 919, begin to ask the Holy Spirit to stretch you in your giving and in your serving. Be bold enough to ask for inconvenient opportunities and involve yourself in someone else's life. Ask that God would begin to align your heart with His and the things of heaven, then ask Him how you can respond. You’ll be surprised and what He might impress upon you.
One of the principal rules of religion is to lose no occasion of serving God. Since he is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve him in our neighbor; which he receives as if done to himself in person, standing visibly before us. – John Wesley
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13 ESV)
March 07, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Five
Joshua Jurjevich
One of our focuses for IMPACT is campus development. God has used our facility to bring glory to Him. It is an incredible tool that helps us reach hurting people. We are so blessed to have this beautiful facility. We want to continue to steward the space that we have been given well. I believe that there are many more people that will walk on our property and be impacted by the love God.
You are Called, Graced, and Purposed. Lets look at Galatians chapter 1 verse 15 & 16
“15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.”
Apostle Paul was called by God, Graced by God and Purposed by God.
You are called by God. He had an incredible plan for your life before you were even born. God has an incredible plan for our campus as well. So many people’s lives have been impacted on our campus and so many people are still to be impacted.
You are Graced by God. The bible talks about this marvelous grace. Grace is marvelous, isn’t it? You have a grace zone. Your grace zone is something that you love to do. It is something that has ease to it. It doesn’t necessary mean that it is easy, but it means that God’s hand is on it. Your grace zone is something that you are good at. I many times joke about being on the worship team. That is obviously not my grace zone. I love music and worship, but that is not my “Grace Zone”. I can’t even clap on beat. Somebody pray for this white boy! Too bad we can’t choose what our grace zone is. Your grace zone is something that you are good at and passionate about. God wants to use your gifts and talents to make an impact in this world. God has a marvelous grace on our campus to reach unchurched people. It’s so awesome to see families being able to walk into a life giving facility where they can get their needs met.
And lastly, you are Purposed. Apostle Paul had specific purpose on his life. He was called to preach the good news to the Gentiles. He preached the good news to a specific group of people. You and I have a specific purpose on our life. Lets live our life Called, Graced, and Purposed to make an impact in our world.
Prayer: Lord we thank you for the property that you have blessed us with and all of the lives that have walked through our doors. Thank you that you have called us, graced us, and purposed us to continue to make an IMPACT in our community.
March 06, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Four
Sarah Buss
Then David accepted the gift she brought him and said, “Return home in peace. I’ve heard what you’ve said and I’ll do what you asked.” (1 Samuel 25:35, Msg)
Throughout my life, I have noticed that when I sow into God’s House, He, in return, sows into my house. As I give of my time, gifts, and finances at C3, He is consistently faithful to fill my home with peace and provision.
This concept is represented in the story of Abigail and Nabal. 1 Samuel 25 tells their story. The Bible says that Nabal, a businessman in Maon, was very prosperous. He owned thousands of sheep and goats. Yet, he was “surly and mean in his dealings” (v. 3). His wife, Abigail, in contrast, was an intelligent and beautiful woman.
King David, living in the wilderness of Maon, heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. He and his men had spent their days guarding Nabal’s men. They showed integrity, and never once took advantage of them, nor took anything from them. In fact, “they formed a wall around them, protecting us day and night all the time we were out tending sheep”. In return, David asked Nabal to show favor to his men. He says, “What I’m asking is that you be generous with my men-share the feast! Give whatever your heart tells you to your servants and to me, David your son.”
It’s unfortunate, but true, that Nabal’s response is anything but humble and giving. He is pretty ticked that David, someone he really doesn’t know, is asking for provision from him. He says, “Do you think that I’m going to take good bread and wine and meat freshly butchered for my sheepshearers and give it to men I’ve never laid eyes on? Who knows where they’ve come from?”
When David heard of Nabal’s miserly attitude, he became enraged. He gathered 400 of his men, and set out to bring disaster on Nabal and his household.
The Bible says that Abigail “flew into action”. She heard of the trouble her husband had brought on her family and knew she needed to get involved. “She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep dressed out and ready for cooking, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and she had it all loaded on some donkeys”. She didn’t even take a moment to think if or how she should react. She was simply sparked by a desire to be generous, knowing that doing so was her family’s only chance at survival.
When Abigail met David, she humbled herself before him, begging his forgiveness of her husband’s poor choices. She spoke encouragement and blessing over him. In return, David forgives Nabal’s attitude and blesses Abigail. He accepts her gift of provision, and tells her to “return home in peace”. He says, “I’ve heard what you’ve said, and I’ll do what you’ve asked”.
During this season of Impact, we are met with a choice. God, like David, has been our provision and protector. In this season, He is asking us to be generous towards His House. The choice is ours. We can respond like Nabal, deciding that what we have is for us alone, and choose not to give towards helping those we may never meet or be in relationship with. Or we can take action like Abigail, and gather our resources to help those in need.
Like David, I believe God honors our decision to be like Abigail. I have seen time and time again in my own family’s life that when we give to God’s House, He answers my prayers about the needs in our house. No matter what financial circumstance we may find ourselves in, my husband and I have made a choice to be givers. I have seen God continue to multiply what we have as we have been faithful to sow into His House. He is a generous God, and we were created to be like Him. How can we not respond like Abigail and do all that we can to sow into His House?
Prayer Focus: Begin by asking God if you have a heart of Nabal or Abigail. Take time to identify all that God has blessed you with, whether it be in your finances, your life experiences, or your giftings. Seek God for ways in which you can use these things to build His House. Choose to live an Abigail life in which you are called to action, trusting God to fill your personal house with peace and provision.
March 05, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Three
Martha Fry
1 Kings 6:1-13
It was in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, that he began to construct the Temple of the Lord. This was 480 years after the people of Israel were rescued from their slavery in the land of Egypt.2 The Temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.3 The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet[ wide, running across the entire width of the Temple. It projected outward 15 feetfrom the front of the Temple. 4 Solomon also made narrow recessed windows throughout the Temple.5 He built a complex of rooms against the outer walls of the Temple, all the way around the sides and rear of the building. 6 The complex was three stories high, the bottom floor being 7 1⁄2 feet wide, the second floor 9 feet wide, and the top floor 10 1⁄2 feet wide.The rooms were connected to the walls of the Temple by beams resting on ledges built out from the wall. So the beams were not inserted into the walls themselves.7 The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.8 The entrance to the bottom floorwas on the south side of the Temple. There were winding stairs going up to the second floor, and another flight of stairs between the second and third floors. 9 After completing the Temple structure, Solomon put in a ceiling made of cedar beams and planks. 10 As already stated, he built a complex of rooms on three sides of the building, attached to the Temple walls by cedar timbers. Each story of the complex was 7 1⁄2 feet high. 11 Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: 12 “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. 13 I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.”
I am always in awe of how detailed and beautiful God’s temple was. In Exodus 35-40 you get the details God had for the first temple and now in 1 Kings 6, Solomon is building a Temple for the Lord.The details are amazing, and I think it is interesting that God is all about the details.
It was a beautiful building that was built on the highest point in Jerusalem. It was also built on the mountain where Abraham was asked to sacrifice Issac and then God provided a ram. It made the statement that God is the one true God. You could see if from far distances, like a lighthouse, leading and guiding people and giving them hope. People traveled from all over the world to go to the temple. Some traveled 3 times a years while others tried to make it once in their life.
I think that is what C3 Church is. A beautiful building that displays God’s greatness. It makes the statement to our community that God is here. It is a beacon of hope for the hopeless. We want C3 church to be a place where ALL are welcome.
Look again at this verse: 11 Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: 12 “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. 13 I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.”
God was concerned about the details of the building, BUT He was more concerned about the hearts of the people. God wants us to live a life of obedience to Him. To keep all that His Word tells us to do. And if we live a life that obeys the Lord He will never leave us. He will always be giving fresh vision for C3 throughout the generations.
We want to always be working to keep God’s House in the best shape possible, but more importantly we want people who follow Him wholeheartedly in obedience.
You can do this by yourself or with your family: Have everybody share what is their favorite room in C3 Church? Then ask the question how has your life been different since coming to C3 Church? Lastly, what is something God is asking you to step out in obedience and do?
Prayer:
God, thank you for Your House. A place where we can gather together and worship you with other people. Thank you that Your house is a place of hope in our community. We praise you that you not only meet us at Your House, but You are always with us, You never leave us or forsake us. Show me today how you want me to walk in obedience to Your Word. God I ask that C3 Church would lift high the cross of Jesus until the end of time, and that as we follow in obedience it would effect generations in our family line until the end of time.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
March 04, 2014
Impact Devotional ~ Day Two
ONLY ONE THING IS NEEDED
Chris Pipes
When I was in college I remember one of my professors who told our freshman health class to be sure we had eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, and eight hours of leisure. “Life must have balance,” he said.
I don’t agree with his formula, but I do agree that life must have balance, and that balancing act must begin by putting our relationship with the Lord first. Don’t take my word for it because it’s in the Bible.
Jesus once told Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus that she needed to rethink her priorities. Martha was a little upset with Mary because she dropped what she was doing to sit at the feet of Jesus. Martha, however, continued with the housework until she had enough. “Lord,” she said, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40)
But Jesus told Martha that it was Mary who had made the right choice by putting the Lord first in her life. “You are worried and upset about many things,” He told her, “but only one thing is needed.” (Luke 10:41-42)
Well Martha apparently heeded Jesus’ advice because when He arrived to call Lazarus from the grave, it was Mary who stayed in the house and Martha who went out to greet Him. Even though Lazarus had been dead for four days, Martha told Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11:21)
You probably never realized that it was Martha to whom Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus even asked her, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
Her reply confirms just how much Martha’s priorities had changed: “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” (John 11:27)
It’s not hard to become a little confused about our priorities. We’re always trying to steal a moment here and there, or squeeze little more out of life. Yet when our backs get up against the wall, it’s then that we somehow find the time to look up and ask the Lord for help, finally realizing that Jesus was right all along: “Only one thing is needed.”
As we take time to pray together as a family for IMPACT let’s remember this simple truth: Only one thing is needed…put God first! That doesn’t mean that life will be a bed of roses, but it does mean that God will be there to guide us in the way we should go.
Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”