It’s finally here…

The conclusion of Cracking the Code kicks in 30 hours! And I’m freaked out over what God’s about to do as we let Him crack our codes. Who are you bringing with you, Questers? What invites do you need to make TODAY?

Pray bold prayers. Get your hearts ready. Don’t stop short – for yourself, or for people you know & love. Get here this weekend and have someone with you. God made us to love us and He wants us to experience Him for ourselves!

p.s. You might want to get here early…the arts team tells me there’s going to be something at the start of the worship experience you don’t want to miss!

Here’s how 1,000 people kicked off our baptism celebration on Wednesday night:

Baptism Wave from Quest Community Church on Vimeo.

Way to go celebrating dozens of radically transformed people going public in baptism. In a world filled with awful news stories at every turn, the HOPE in the room Wednesday night was remarkable. (Do you have any idea how rare that is?)

Congratulations to all of you who were baptized. We’re so proud of you. Let your roots go down deep into God’s marvelous love for you…and keep telling your stories of incredible redemption. You are rescued people!

p.s. Who are you bringing with you for the conclusion of Cracking the Code this weekend?

- Last night we launched our 5th YEAR of Accelerate as 140 of Quest’s leaders and emerging leaders stepped into the most substantial year of leadership development of the their lives. The potential in that room was palpable! When people with the leadership gift step up and agree to let Jesus wreck and rebuild them…shockwaves go through heaven and earth.

- Tonight is Baptism!! Don’t miss story after story of redemption and hope as people go public for Jesus. Who do you know who needs to come with you, Questers? This may be the key in Cracking their code!

- This weekend Cracking the Code 2010 concludes! I’m praying for every single one of us that we won’t stop short. Jesus wants to do a new thing in us…demolishing our barriers to experiencing Him in a way they can never be rebuilt. Do what it takes to be here this weekend and bring someone with you. It may literally change their lives forever.

Please pray, Questers…this is a week that can move heaven and earth. (Get your hopes up!)

This week we continued looking at another one of the defining marks a genuine relationship with Jesus: A confidence that you’ve been permanently forgiven of your sin. Week seven of Cracking the Code took us straight to the foot of the cross and the reality that we were not made to carry the weight of our own sin. Jesus carried it for us, paying the price for your sin & mine. If you’ve never encountered the loving sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for you  personally… I urge you to invite Him to crack your code.

Here’s what I saw as we dove into His redemption of us this weekend:

1. Lorrie’s courageous story of God’s grace & forgiveness in light of her sin was a tribute to His rescue in her life – and a picture of the rescue He wants to bring all of us. When Lorrie confessed the barrier of her sin and received Jesus into her heart 2 years ago, she became a thoroughly rescued person who lives close to the One who rescued her.

2. The artists who led us in worship took us straight to the heart of God…and the mix of stories, video & the arts really drew us close to Him. Thanks to all of you who were so eager to give credit to Jesus that you were willing to go public as a part of this weekend’s story. Seeing you bravely step forward to lay down stones representing your sin at the cross helped us realize the real weight of our own sin in a new way. You are true heroes & God really used you.

3. The quotes I shared at the start of my talk… “I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders; I feel like I’m breathing for the first time…“ led us into a question I watched people grapple with the whole weekend: Do you feel forgiven, absolved and free? Jesus loved you so much that He took all of the weight of your sin on His own back on the cross.

4. Tiger Woods is caught in the headlights of life. The reality that he’s further along than many of us in admitting his sin was a call-up to own the very real sins that have separated us from God.

5. We looked at three Critical Realities regarding forgiveness. (1) You were not made to carry the weight of your sin. Trying to carry it yourself will cause internal fissures you don’t have the build integrity to sustain. (2) Christ came to carry the weight. He paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. (3) We must decide to live at the foot of the cross. It’s at the cross where you understand your value to God.

6. The rocks and chains representing our sin hanging on the cross was an incredible image of what Jesus did for us. So what would your rocks say? You were never meant to carry them.

7. The confidence Jesus offers us of our forgiveness isn’t based on theology, but on a loving, intimate relationship with the One who died for us, paying the price for our sin. The story of the Vietnam veteran standing at the memorial w/tears streaming down his face saying, “This man gave his life for me,” is the way we want to live.

8. It is impossible to stay close to the cross and be judgmental. When people who call themselves Christians are judgmental: (1) Either they are not yet Christians (2) They’ve wandered so far from the cross they’ve forgotten they are brazen sinners.

9. Stay close to the cross. It’s the truest thing we have in this world and the thing we will talk about in the next.

10. Let me repeat my challenge to you for this week: Examine your faith. Walk through the marks. Come next week ready to do something about it. I’m praying for you.

Are you still carrying around the weight of your own sin? You don’t have to.

Jesus loves us so much He paid the price for our sin. Every wrong thing we’ve ever done: every lustful thought, every selfish action. He took our punishment and shame.

He carried the weight of our sin on the cross.

You can be free of it, no matter who you are or what you’ve done.

We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins… Romans 3:22-25a (NLT)

1Thessalonians 5:12-13 says…

“Honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!” (msg)

Tonight we honored Quest’s Worship & Art’s Pastor, Sharon Clements, as she celebrated her 10 Year Anniversary on staff:

10 years ago Sharon stepped into uncharted territory. She was the first QCC staff member I hired, and she learned leadership (& almost everything else about her job) on the fly. Watching her grow and become the leader God called her to be has been a joy — and a reminder of what’s possible when we just say yes to Jesus & no to ourselves. She is a true partner in the gospel, and these words in Romans 16:2 sound a lot like they could be my words about Sharon:

Receive her in the Lord, as one who is worthy of high honor. Help her in every way you can, for she has helped many in their needs, including me.

Thanks for 10 amazing years of laying down your life and leading all of us closer to Jesus, Sharon. I couldn’t be more proud of you. The best is yet to come!

I love being in this series fulfilling 2 Corinthians 13:5 – “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.” (msg)

We don’t have to be afraid to test our faith, because Paul says we can…“Do something about it.” In this series 15-20 people a week have looked at the evidence, realized Jesus wasn’t in their hearts yet and done something about it. Long-shots in the crowd have come home. Brand new people are really grappling with this one. I’m proud of the way so many of you are really taking this to heart. I got to pray this weekend with a woman named Nancy who spent a long time processing this through and finally decided to give her life to Christ! Congratulations to all of you in your brand new relationship with Jesus.

Here are my highlights from Week 6 of Cracking the Code…In Response to Love:

1. What more could you ask for on Valentine’s Day than Avatarts, a Wedding Fail Video, a $3.5M iPhone and the ever-popular power of the slanket? If that doesn’t draw you in, I don’t know what would.)

2. Two NeedtoBreathe songs in one worship experience…plus U2! That automatically takes things up a notch. From Prisoner to In the Name of Love to What You’ve Done to Me, the music this weekend drew us toward love in all kinds of ways. Thanks, Justin, Robbie, Ani & team. Loved it!

3. Wallace’s story was remarkable. You can run the steps all your life and never get one step closer to God. So glad you finally stopped running and received Him for yourself, Wallace. What you were striving for was there waiting for you all along, offered freely by Jesus. Praying for lots of others to follow in your footsteps.

4. The Five Love Languages survey in church went over WAY better than my blog survey. (What have you guys got against Saint Valentine?) I heard lots of you grabbed a cd of “Why Does God Want to Take All the Fun Out of Sex?” after you saw your spouse’s hand raised for Physical Touch. (Keep it between the guardrails, Questers!)

5. Just for the record…anytime we talk about the woman at Jesus’ feet in Luke 7 and Jesus sitting with Peter on the beach in John 21…it’s almost impossible for it not to be a fantastic worship experience. The Bible is just that cool and that freakin’ alive!

6.  We continued looking at five of the marks of genuine followers of Christ this week because the truth is that for many of us…the reason you don’t experience God is because you’ve never received Him in the first place! (Watch last weekend for the first and most foundational mark…you don’t want to miss it):

7. This weekend’s marks: I’ve been changed & have an enduring desire to follow & please God. This is the mark of a heart that is eager to learn, grow and obey the One who saved you. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them.” Many people have a desire to please God…ask yourself, “In following Christ am I responding to His great love for me or am I trying to earn His love or serve Him out of duty, fear or  proving myself?”

8. And: I have a sense of abiding joy due to my relationship with the One who lives inside of me. You now walk with Jesus and the temporary circumstances can’t rob you of that life-changing truth. Seeing the smiles on the faces of our partners in India who’ve given up their families, homes and everything about the life they knew before to follow Jesus…that’s what joy looks like. C.S. Lewis once said, “I doubt whether anyone who has ever tasted joy would ever exchange it for all the happiness in the world.”

9. When we receive Christ a vertical joy is deposited in us with horizontal impact.  My whole life is affected because the joy of Christ has been deposited in me.  I didn’t choose to be joyful…I chose Jesus. As a result, His character builds in me. Is your joy from Jesus or is it circumstantial?

10. And finally…the time we spent with Jesus looking into our eyes like He looked into Peter’s 2,000 years ago on the beach was breathtaking. Hearing His voice ask us, “Do you know I love you?” Do you really know? was a highlight that caught me off-guard in every worship experience. He wants you not just to know it, but to experience it…every single day. (And you can!)

Miss this weekend or wanna watch it again? You can watch it here.

Seriously, Quest Community Church. I’m wrapping up this Valentine’s Day weekend, but before I sleep, I just wanted to tell you…I love you and I can’t believe I get to serve God by serving the best, most loving people on the planet. I adore you all.

I’m really honored to get to serve as your pastor. Here’s a glimpse of how I feel about you guys:

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy… – Philippians 1:3-4

Prayin’ for you as we head into the two final weekends of Cracking the Code. Keep lettin’ Him demolish your barriers. You are meant to live in a barrier-free relationship with Him.

Okay, okay…you’re killin’ Valentine’s Day on my survey! (Vote now & help save V-Day!)

Whichever way you voted, I’m not sure what makes so many people feel so strongly about this holiday, and I don’t have a clue where you are or what’s happening in your life this weekend. But (whether you voted for Valentine’s Day or against it)…here’s a great truth to remember: God loves you. He’ll never leave you or forsake you. He’ll never bail on you. He’s not waiting to see if you’ll measure up. You are the treasure of heaven, and nothing you can do or say will ever stop Him from loving you.

Need to hear it from His mouth? Listen to this…

“I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!” - Jeremiah 31:3b msg

Happy Valentine’s Day weekend, Questers! You are loved by God Himself.

P.S. Come out for Cracking the Code…In Response to Love this weekend. (Saturday at 5:55pm & Sunday at 9;30 & 11:30.)

This world is desperate for leaders who will follow the call of God on their lives to reach a dying world for Christ. And very few sign up.

Mostly nobody lays down their lives to do what leadership requires. It is incredibly rewarding…the richest life on earth, but it’s also costly, inconvenient, and very hard. It brings the highest highs and the lowest lows. In a high stakes game with real people, real eternities are on the line every single day. Real leadership is hard…almost always.

Tuesday night I looked out at 38 Accelerated leaders who spent the most intense year of their lives learning what it really means to lead out in the most critical mission on the planet. 38 broken, rescued, advancing leaders who’ve not just learned leadership principles – but who’ve laid down their lives for the sake of His lost kids & to lead in the Bride of Christ. After 12 months, these Accelerators were ready to graduate, leading the way for almost 200 participants in Quest’s Accelerate Leadership Development Program.

I believe in you, Accelerators. I’ve watched you agree with Him over the last year for a bigger work in your lives than you ever thought was possible. Keep agreeing with Jesus. Lead, realizing that real people are in your wake. Say no to the god of self, let your heart break with His and stay close to the cross. You are one of the mostly nobodies. Thanks for leading out in the Bride of Christ. Now lead with all diligence.

Cheer them on, Questers! Pray for them, and follow them. These leaders are moving heaven and earth.