Year In Review

Give Lee a hand real quick. She was super nervous about coming up here and doing this. We are at Generations. We we talked a lot about it. We want to help you find your ministry fit. This is an all skate. This is a place where you can participate and not just consumed. And so this is Lee's first time up here hosting until I was so excited that she was able to do that willing to step into that. And so she did an incredible job. Thank you lie. If we haven't met my name is Kyle. I'm the lead Pastor here generation. And on this last Sunday of 2019, if you can believe it. I mean, it's it's crazy to think that in a few short days. We will start not only a new year but a whole new decade the twenties are bad.

So are y'all ready for this 20th of you back now? It's the 1920s but there are 20 20s is finally here. We say at Generations. We are a community people. We are Everyday People committed to explaining God's family together because of Jesus for generations to come and on this last Sunday in 2019. What I want to do this morning is just look at how God has worked in and through generations church. I don't want to take a peek at what 20/20 might hold for us and if you see it or text this morning, I love about what Paul sets up as he says we were all once alienated. From Jesus writing this letter to the church in colossae what he says to them. Is he remembers that this is a church people have suggested use their trying to follow Jesus and at the end of this him near the end of this first chapter in Colossians. Will Paul reminds them as he says, hey, you're all gathered together. You're all trying to follow Jesus well, but let's remember and let's look back at where you once were and what he also does is he calls them to wear to remember what Christ has done any bad wrecks them out what is coming and look for it? And so today we're going to follow some of that same pattern. And so I want to take us on a journey through this past year. What is a set in Colossians here why love is what has you were alien and hostile in your mind expressed in your evil action. He reminds this community of people who are gathered together trying to follow Jesus well, That our commonality isn't just in that they are trying to follow Jesus well. Put in that we all have a pass. We have to send in our lives that we weren't just hostile towards God in our actions in our behaviors. And sometimes we get caught up as followers of Jesus and just look at we want to look at all the exterior and all these do's and don'ts and you're not a follower of Jesus or I wasn't far just cuz I cuz I did all these actions. football Paul reminds this church is that it's it's in their mind and he uses mind here to talk about just their status of their part of their soul. Descent isn't just outward action. It's not just what you do or what you don't do. Send at its core is internal Rebellion against God that manifests itself in our action. It's doing things our way selfishly rather than submitting to God's Will and God's way and he says we've alienated ourselves from God when we sent in in particular this collection Community. He points them back and he says this is where you were you were alienated and hostile you were separate from God. Not just because of your actions, but because the status of your mind and your heart and we have to be able to look at our own selves and remember where we were before and don't we're not perfect now. My hope is that has a church. We are continually looking towards Jesus and becoming like him in our character and priorities. And that we're not alienated anymore because of Jesus and that's what Paul says in verse 22 says but now he has reconciled You by his physical body through his death to present you holy faultless and blameless before and that's the hope. No matter where you come from no matter what you've done no matter how bad you think you were how good you think you are now? The hope that we have walking with. Of being united with that comes through Jesus and his death and his resurrection. And so we could go from being alienated to being to remember. The Christ has died for us. He paid the penalty that we owed. and then also what Paul does is he gives this kind of little caveat this little if if you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the Gospel that you heard. It gives them a level of responsibility in them. See, it's it's one thing for us to say yes. I was a sinner. I was someone who was far from God. And again, we're still not perfect, but it's someone who is trying to cling to Christ righteousness through his death and his resurrection. and so we go from who we were to who were trying to live out our identity rooted in Christ and then pulses

see the Temptation. I think it's for us to get on autopilot or in cruise control. Is this a yes, I wasn't who I always was but now I'm trying to live for Jesus. And what happens is then we say, okay. I'm good. Now I've trusted Christ. I can stick it on cruise control. And if you remember the analogy from before our walk with Christ when we try to stick it on cruise control, what will happen is it's like we're trying to be on cruise when we're in a city. Lights. It just doesn't work. We have to consciously and actively choose to follow juice and that's what Paul says remain grounded and steadfast. These are building words. These are words that this metaphor is for Paul to say remain steadfast build your life consciously on Jesus not just on all the good things you've done but build your life consciously. On hey you were once a center. But now you've trusted in Jesus to actively choose this again and again and again and maintain your face so that you're not shifted away from the hope of the gospel and these verses are a little bit of a transition just as we're in a transition Sunday going from 2019 looking forward to 20 20 because what Paul is going to do in the rest of his letter said she's going to address. Teaching in this philosophy of this world that says, yes you trust in Jesus, but let's add on a little more in Paul's going to get into some specifics. It's a pole coming out of this beautiful Christ him. If you remember for the past week, he is the image of the invisible God for everything was created for him and by him in heaven and on Earth is before all things for God was pleased to have all of his fullness 12th and him remembering this about Jesus. Is essential to remaining steadfast and focused as we live a life? on purpose and proximate to people who maybe believe different things than we do numbers think things differently through their behaviors and actions aren't exactly what we would call maybe even good. Is it Paul gives them responsibility to remain steadfast? And then he interesting Lee enough at this last verse he says and I Paul I become a servant of it. This is Paul's way of saying. Hey almond, are you? Are you in? Remaining steadfast and faithful and not being shifted away. I've join my life to the hope of the Gospel. This is Paul's way of saying I want you to join with me. So what is this mean? So for those of you who aren't followers of Jesus in them? Our first kind of meaning out of this as we want you to trust and follow Jesus we want you to take a step and begin to Journey with us so that you can go from alienation and hostility to God for being God's friend and even more than that being God's family becoming part of his forever family and join in with us here at Generations church. And so for those of you who have been yearning for a while moving exploring things of Faith movement say, okay, I'm getting more and a better understanding of Jesus what we wants you to do. Does it take that next step next week? We are having baptism Sunday and that's a perfect wet for you to say yes to Jesus. All right, I've been listening. I've been learning. I've been meeting people who have gone from friends and have becoming like family. I'm in let's do this. That's a perfect next step for you. And for those of you who have said, yes the following Jesus. The simple question or the simple challenge where I think we see in this is where Paul goes. He says he remains steadfast and grounded and say it. And so here's the challenge for those of you who said yes to Jesus. Are you serving the gospel G? Would you agree that you are serve it and you are working to advance?

The will and the way of Jesus so that others come to know the hope of the Gospel that you yourself I've hurt. I said we're going to go on a little bit of Journey and recap this morning. But the foundation is that is that the whole goal as we say, we're Everyday People commits expanding got to live together because of juice for generations to come even just text like this of people who are far from God saying, yes, the following God remaining faithful to him and then extending that opportunity to come to know the hope of the Gospel to to say yes to Jesus. It's remain faithful throughout their life. It's it's going from someone who engaging with Jesus to embody in adopting that character and priorities and then extending that others that's the simple pathway engage and body and extend so that Family of God is expanded. Why because of Jesus for generations to come and you have people in your life who in their present State whether through action or through mindset because they're not joined with Jesus.

Send as alienated a hostile. We want them to go from strangers. an alienation friends and ultimately family That's what we're about here generation. We want to see God's family expand and it starts from Individual believers. Recognizing that they were once alienated Zagat. Open trust and hope of the Gospel that Jesus did come and live died on the cross and was resurrected and then continue from mine themselves that that's why they lived that's who they are. And that's why they're joined to and then extend that to others. And I say those three knows ways the engagement the embody in the extend. Because that's how we this year. When we started in January of 2019.

There was only a few of us. There were a few of us. It was about 10 of us that gather together twice a month. And am I said if you I mean like 10 Pinterest poop when Ruth and I started after a fall of casting vision for Generations church after said, hey, this is who we want to be. This is what we want to do. We started to gather group of people twice a month on Sunday evenings. And our home is in what does it look like to expand God's family? What does it look like to invite people to engage with us to adopt the character and probably did you and then offer that opportunity to others? I'm so in January twice a month started with 10 people. And we would keep meeting and keep talking and we will keep praying We Gather this understand the vision and the values values that you have all heard whether it's been Spirit over self progress over Perfection. Give over get story over sent or send over saying if those are the first time of you hearing those or we're going to continue to talk more about that other coming here. We want you to understand that and the way that they are framed is to help you make daily decisions and your followers of Jesus. So that God's family is expanded. That's why they're framed is over. His life is often about choices. And when we put the spirit of God in his will over what we selfishly may want or we put give over yet or remember the following juices lifelong journey so far progress over perfection.

Those are the values that have shaped Generations Church from the start that are filtered through his work through versus even like this that remember where we were with our righteousness is in Christ and where we are going. and so we can take you to meet and pray and invite people to join the team and in March we were able to serve at a generosity feeds isn't as a supplemental part with Columbia Christian church, and it was an opportunity to practice some of our values give over get And during that time we pray about what would it look like to do an Easter service for Generations church. And I don't know if you remember this part of the story that was over here in the early days when we were praying. It's a god. What do you want for us? What do you want for the church our what's the direction? We're going we were looking for a space to hold an Easter worship service and we were told no nine times by different venues know you can't meet here. No, we don't have space for you know, this isn't going to work out and we continue to pray and seek God as a small community of people. What happened is that turned into an opportunity to do a community event a Party in the Park right up here on a Mountain Vista. And so then that brings us to April and then in April, and we did that Easter, but we saw over a hundred people come out for a free Easter egg hunt where we were able to just connect with you and say we want to be a church that lives out give over yet. We want to add about you. Just want to Simply introduce you to the person of Jesus and so for that and with that we're going to look to just be a blessing. And we saw that come into fruition and what's amazing is immediately after that event. I got a call. We change plans. We did a free event and it was Gary the post Commander for the American Legion and he said it's how I've heard about you guys. Just doing some good stuff in the community. I've heard about your Easter egg hunt I've heard about your genese's I heard even about the prior fault. You guys do it 20 baskets Thanksgiving baskets of food for the community. Would you like to come in and talk and I got to be honest I got time. I'm like, oh my goodness. Like I know what the rent is for this place. Like what's he going to say? Is he going to like charges a little bit more or something like that? And I got to meet Gary for the first time when he says, because of the work that you're small church is already doing. We believe in you guys. And again, this is the first time meeting Gary. This is God's Providence at work. Gary says, I want to rent you unlimited time on Sunday for a hundred bucks a week. That's unheard of in this area if you know anything about rental prices. And he said hey Kyle, I'm going to put this offer on the table as well. If you guys would be willing to paint the interior of the building and redo the ceiling tiles. I'll let you go rent free for a year. You best believe we were painting then doing it and doing some steel ceiling tiles trying to figure out what God has for us so that we can see more people be a part of God's family. He provided us with an opportunity to invest in a local facility the care for the legion cuz if you were in here before the ceiling thousand or before this thing is painted just to be sure if it was yellow. It was nicotine covered. And some of you remember those that smell.

But what's amazing? Is when a group of people are faithful to what God puts in front of her. To watch opportunities that presented so that they can just simply love people. And watch what. Does remember I'm only at 8. A few weeks later. We are at had the opportunity to serve our community once again and may we were able to serve at the Hazel Dell Parade of bands and some of you were there waving signs and and passing out different things. And if you remember when we serve that parade that they just needed some volunteers they were struggling and it was amazing as we showed up that for the parade with our small group of of people and the other volunteers that they had recruited for this event. Then it show up. In fact one guy showed up and said, hey, I can't stay the group. I was supposed to bring a work we're out and they turned and looked at us and said, hey can we move you to different positions and put you different round and after that event. I got an email from the parade coordinators. I from the volunteer coordinator that set a call. I just want you guys to know that Generations Church. You guys were the rock stars of the parade without you and your volunteers. We would have not been able to line up or to make it happen. So because a small group of people were willing to show up and serve there are people that we are able to connect with him serve, but now knows the name. Our Generations Church in remember the goal is not to just expand the name Generations what the goal was that generations to come know the name of the Lord Jesus and sometimes it starts with a connection with people and a church. And so in June reason, I went back first in a fundraising kids again this startup churches. We have to rely on outside financials to help continue to generate Ministry. I'm going to share some really great news in prayer and just answers to prayer after end of this timeline, but when we back and we had more churches jump on board a couple church has jumped on $400,000 over the span of 3 years to invest in what God is doing here in Generations church. And then we had our first Sunday gathering in July that first kind of preview service Sunday Gathering July started with 35 people not knowing what the heck we were doing and how we were going to set up.

And we did it because of Todd's favor and blessing and we continue to invest through party in the Parks. And then in August, we had a another party in the parking lot over a hundred almost a hundred people at Party in the Park just free event to be a blessing to our community. And then as we prepared to gather weekly like this, we've pulled off another generosity feeds event will be packed over 200 people in this space defeat to pack 10,000 meals for kids in our community and we send out mailers and advertisement. To all that. I'm one of the cool things about what God did cuz when I showed up to meet with the president of the Clark County Food Bank He had one of our mailers in his hand and he said how I've never seen a church you'd this impossible and a community. We want to partner with you in the future. This is before we've even had a weekly send again that God is at work in our community. And I don't know what he's going to do with that relationship that gentleman in particular. Has it ever come to a Sunday Gathering but he knows there's a church right here and kind of the Salmon Creek his hotel Richfield area this being purposeful. About their face and a follower ship of Jesus. Swimming Seymour people be parked outside a week are just as much but what happens Monday through Saturday as we do when we gather and we celebrate what happens on Sunday until October. We started these weekly Gathering we celebrated as we had to baptism. Praise God for that until then in November as we think about some of the Outreach that we just came out in 25 baskets with Wii Fit over a hundred people on Thanksgiving Day Jonathan navigation Center volunteering and 60 people at the end of November call generations to their church. So if you think back with me from the start of January, 2019 10 people so now we're 60 people say this is my church. This is where I go and not only that through Sunday Gatherings and through some of the other events that we've done. We had over a hundred people have some relationships physically show up to something of generations this well, that's excluding the 60 people. So they're a hundred and sixty people since the started minimum since January you have gone God's at work here and it's worth me showing up and seen what God is doing.

So there's just a couple other crazy statistics and this is this is just uncommon even though we've only been meeting weekly and Gathering since October. There are these arguments $25,000 given towards Ministry at Generations church this year, which is absolutely incredible without paste the projection flat least 7,000

we've been able to help six families with financially. So far this year whether it's with bills or just helps through your generosity already mentioned the 25 bags for school that feeding the a hundred plus people down at the navigation Center. And I tribute a tribute that bath. The people rallying Around Jesus. I mean just one other crazy things as that's kind of unseen is if you look at the demographics of our church Community we have over six different ethnicities for 3. That's very fun, We want to see that continue to grow expand. Yeah, absolutely beautiful and it's diapers and we all come from different stories from different backgrounds, but we all get to be a part of one thing. And it just has to speak to some of what God is doing his I met and some of you met him a couple weeks ago stand when he came in.

Stan asked him if I could tell the story little bit. He said yeah, he said he'd gone to a couple churches before considered checking it out, but the stand is homeless. And when he came to Generations, he says this has never happened to me before cuz every single person that I met looked me in the eye that didn't make a comment about how I smell and invited me for some food in for some coffee. that's a My Hope Is it that pattern continues the generations church is a place where no matter how someone looks how someone smells how someone prior experience but as we gather and as we go live out our faith every single day, we see people for who they are and who got season and how he loves them.

We be a people he says we are we were alienated a hostile takeover. And because of Jesus he invited us to welcome us into his family. Cindy Partridge Family

So I'm excited to stay and a share. About what potentially could be in January and beginning in 2009. And again, I'm not going to get all kind of details and all kinds of things like that. But here's my question. What could happen if the people of God expanded the family? everyday it started with 10 and now we know that group has friend. That's why I asked that question and I give you this question to write down and ask for some. How do you want to use me in 2020?

Here's what I know. Is every great Revival? history started with a small group of people who are willing to ask God and pray to God intentionally to get on their knees to God. Do it again work moving peoples. Help them go from hostility. Family. Hope them go from alienation French

I just want to throw that out there so you can. How do you want you to explain? Would you ask that question and pray that prayer and just simply bake them?

This is the only region and then Tire country that has never undergone some sort of Great Awakening. Great Awakening happen every couple hundred years because a small group of people pray to God and take out the jewel. Would you move the first Great Awakening swept through the East and kind of down through the South the Second Great Awakening took took some of those remnants and took it clear across the South and even to the west and then later there was what was called this Azusa Street Revival that took from the California in the southern part of the West and kind of swept it back e There's never been a Revival. There's never been a renewal where people and Rose are saying yes to Jesus or churches are just growing and swelling because people are on Mission and are living for Jesus. I want to see the app. in our region my prayers simply this do it again. How God wants to do it again? through people Do people take their faith seriously? remain steadfast and say.

God is already answered where you're supposed to because the fact that you're either sitting in this room or you're in the right job or you're in the right situation that is where you are supposed to be the why is Jesus the what is the for the biblically is make disciples and make disciples and we say that expand the family of God. the question

so I would invite you. Sit on that in your soul some of you I said that in your like I instantly know how God is going to use me. This is what I'm going to do. You're on fire. You're ready to go home of you. That's a little bit of a tougher question. And as you pray and plan, maybe through your resolutions or your goals for 2020 that in some aspect you make that a part of your planning for 2020. How do you want to use me? And if you're still not sure let me get very very practical.

Right work. right like Hobbies right home and then right generation. And I don't want you to put just an activity or something something to do beside each of those. I want you to put a person. the person you work with the person you share like activity with that, you know a person in your home or in your neighborhood and lastly maybe even a person hear a generation. How does God want to use you in the life of that person? So maybe you need to grab a coffee. Maybe you just need to start with friend. with every single person in this room what to God In Prayer over the people they write down. Or the ministry that God has sat in their soul that he's fired you up with a he's giving you clarity about this morning.

We will see God's family expanded. We'll see someone in your life and you will get the joy of seeing someone go from disengage to engage. I'm engaged to somebody in the character in Providence. To the maybe even that person. extending Jesus

we've already seen that and Archer some of you in this room are here because someone extended that opportunity to you.

So my prayer for us as we look 20/20 is that we don't think about more activity or more events or more Ministry type activity going to happen. Would that we be a church and a place? Stop people and seeing people be a part of God.

God I thank you for this group of people giving smell. Some of these people have been absolutely faithful to the calling you placed on it. some of these people in this room have gone just even these few months from someone who didn't know you two is now someone who's walking kind we praise you for that. We praise you for how you've worked this year.

Can I pray that Generations Church filled with people?

Do want to see other people get connected.

polish sternness heart and conviction in a passion

Tunica work in this country with working. This will reach you. Are we just want to see an outpouring of your Holy Spirit Prayer Revival for Renewal that awaken people's hearts that you're boring here. cartoon Thank you for Jesus. In his name we pray amen.

We're going to move into a time of response right now.

Feel free to get up and move about the room.