Last night 321 leaders and emerging leaders of Quest Community Church got to gather together to pray for Code Orange Revival. I loved seeing our leaders pray and cheer on what God is doing in Charlotte, NC through Pastor Steven Furtick and the phenomenal team at Elevation. (If you haven’t gotten to take part in Code Orange Revival yet, there’s still time…the 12 night revival is broadcast live on the web every night and there are still 5 nights to go!)

My good friend, Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC, got to speak at the revival last night and spur Elevation on, honoring God and the work He’s doing through Pastor Steven and their great church. It was a rare moment. In the Bride of Christ, we’re called to spur each other on to good works, but all too often churches finds themselves fighting against each other instead. We should be THE most honoring, encouraging people on the planet!

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. – Hebrews 10:24

Uprising pastors and leaders…when was the last time you spurred on what God was doing in another pastor, church or ministry? Go for it! Send them a text, tweet about them, write them a letter to cheer on God’s work in their life and community, commit to pray for an event on their behalf…invite them to The Uprising this April. It’s the whole reason we launched The Uprising to begin with…to spur on pastors and leaders, to help them accomplish all God is calling them to do in their communities!

You’re invited to join us Thursday, April 19 in Lexington for The Uprising. Bring your team (you won’t believe what it does in your church to have them with you!) Invite a pastor from another church. In fact…buy them a ticket. Invest in their ministry in a tangible way. Let God do a new thing in you as you invest in His Bride. (Tickets are available NOW for just two more weeks at our Super-Early Bird rate of just $59.)

It’s an honor to serve Jesus together in their great cause. Let’s spur each other on in new ways this week!

I hate getting up early, but sometimes I do it. Most of us will do things we don’t like if we have a good enough reason…and this week, getting up early is definitely worth it.

This week I’m getting to spend time with our denomination’s President & Vice President, along with great pastors of thriving churches radically committed to loving people to Jesus. I know from experience that my time with these guys will bear great fruit. God uses us to spur each other on, sharpen each other and ready us for the next.

And, the truth is…I’ve learned that God often chooses to inspire us through other people. Being around other great leaders sparks His gift of leadership in us. Hearing creative ideas from others can ignite a brand new approach to ministry or a solution we’ve been looking for.

Please pray for what God wants to spark this week…for us and for all the churches represented here. You might remember a little service we had this fall where 206 people were baptized (more than 150 spontaneously!) and 115 people placed their trust in Christ! The idea to risk our fall series conclusion on a spontaneous baptism service was birthed at this same meeting last year.  Can’t wait to see what God has for us next!