Every pastor of an advancing church prays every weekend that God is honored, people come to Christ, Christ-followers grow in new and important ways — and that somehow the community coming together for that weekend’s worship experiences does something in the core of the church that radically advances the cause and the name of Christ.

That’s a worthwhile prayer honorable prayer. That is a great and honorable goal, but as we all know, all of those things don’t often come together in such clear-cut ways. As I reflect on Impact Weekend at Quest Community Church though, it appears that on nearly all levels God was gracious toward us. All cylinders seemed to fire, the Holy Spirit answered our prayers and it seems to have occurred in our church. I got more tweets and messages than I can ever remember after one of our weekend worship experiences. We just had a defining weekend at Quest Community Church:

• People were asking to be led to Christ.
• Followers of Jesus were openly repenting for areas of life where they had chosen fear over faith.
• We collectively took steps (some sizable, some small) out of the boat, with our eyes focused on Jesus. (Matthew 14:22-29)
• I loved the opening song reminding us that we live in Extreme Days:

• The video the arts department put together that I posted here yesterday blew me away. REALLY. One of my favorite videos we’ve ever done: I AM THE IMPACT!
• You could feel relief when we clarified that biblical faith is not in any way trusting in ourselves to be capable enough, willing enough or strong enough, but in fact the exact opposite – to reject self-faith and embrace faith in Christ’s power, strength and willingness. Our faith is only meant to be in Jesus alone.
• Just a few of the principles the Holy Spirit was using mightily within the life of Quest:
  • We want to be a church that plays like we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
  • Jesus is more trustworthy than the challenges are terrifying.
  • The greatest enemy in a Christian’s life is also the greatest enemy of the church – fear.
  • We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep.

I loved hearing 1000s of us over the weekend singing at the conclusion of our worship experiences at the top of our lungs, asking Jesus to Give Me Faith – acknowledging that even though we’re weak, His faith can be strong in us.

Welcome to the Era of Audacity, friends. God has raised up this church as a part of His “Capital C” Church to make Him famous — to be a search and rescue mission for the ones He loves. He’s given us the audacious goal of reaching 12.6 million people for Christ, but the only way we’ll make the impact He’s calling us to make — the only way to raise up an army of wholehearted, God- honoring, neighbor-loving, top-of-their lungs worshipping, generous-spirited, servant- hearted, boat-abandoning followers of Jesus is if we choose to become them first. He’s calling us out of the boat – in spite of challenging circumstances, criticism, self-sacrifice, fear or opposition! (Psalm 32) You can do this! Step out in faith. Don’t second guess…get out of the boat! Jesus is always more trustworthy than any challenge you may face!

Let’s DO THIS!

p.s. We are deeply indebted to Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Church for living and leading with a nothing to lose spirit. God used my encounter with their culture to remind me of the audacious faith He planted in me from the beginning and to call me out of the boat.

There is almost nothing on the planet that fuels me more than seeing potential leaders become. For the last six years, I’ve been pouring into leaders through Quest’s Accelerate Leadership Development Program, investing in potential leaders in the Bride of Christ. It’s one of the most expensive investments I make – and hands down, one of the most fruitful. I can’t begin to describe what God has birthed in this process over the last six years. We are not the same church. I am not the same leader.

Last night was a night to never forget…it just smelled of potential! Hundreds of us met in one room – 2010 graduates and the 2011 class all in one place. If the potential in that room is realized in the Kingdom of God, I can’t begin to imagine what He might do!

During the course of the night I watched as 144 2010 Accelerators, Apprentices, & Novices graduated from Accelerate. This is not the end…this is just the beginning!! I loved hearing you recount God’s transformational work in you over this past year…for many of you, it’s been nothing less than revolutionary. I’m so proud of the servants you’ve became.

Then I could barely hold it together (and didn’t on a number of occasions) as we immediately welcomed in a brand new class for 2011. 150 Accelerators, Apprentices and Novices – people ready to become servant leaders in the footsteps of Jesus. We’ll do this together and love Him and decrease so that He might increase and be wrecked and rebuilt that He may make us more like Him.

I can’t quite describe how beautiful it is to see people stepping forward to become the best leaders they can possibly be. I’m so proud of all of you…thanks for taking Jesus seriously in this offer. Mostly nobody moves heaven and earth.

Looking back over the last year I’m amazed at how much life we’ve lived in such a short time. I’m in awe of the miracles…proud of the ways we’re leaning in to Jesus in the challenges and coming to know the One in whom we trust…and I’m more convinced of what God’s called us to as a church than ever before in my life!

2010 is coming to a close in just a matter of hours, and I can’t WAIT for 2011 (leaders tend to love NEW!). But before we close the page on 2010, I just wanted to look at this year in review. Here’s a countdown of a top 10 list the leaders made at our Christmas Party earlier this month. I can’t believe all this happened in just one year! We are the richest people on earth!

10. MY GENERATION! – This series was actually just that fun. Our unreal music team had a blast bringing everything from Classic Rock, the 80s, Country, Hip Hop and Gospel to life! (Ani – you & your team never cease to amaze us!)

9. QUEST U – Questers dove into the new university model during Celebration in a big way this fall! Hundreds of you spent Wednesday nights ring Quest U dubuilding into your marriages, growing in evangelism, discovering more about your church, learning to study the Bible, diving into who you are in Christ…and more. I got to visit all of the Quest University classes and our faculty hit it out of the park! Thanks for taking the risky step to give us new ways to own our growth in Christ, Celebration Team!

8. FPU/Steps to Financial Freedom – Hundreds of Questers took substantial steps forward in financial freedom this year – taking Financial Peace University and diving into the Tithe Challenge. When we put God first in our finances…we win, God wins, the community wins and the Church wins. This is one of the single most substantial areas of growth I believe God’s wants to unleash in our church…keep stepping forward, Questers!

7. LOST – Do you remember that Easter set?! (Artists…you blew us away!) Hundreds who were lost became FOUND during this series! LOST was a fantastic show, but it’s nothing compared to the One who gave His life to rescue lost people and bring them home!

6. VISION WEEKEND/GOD CAN! - God showed up in a remarkable way over Vision Weekend as we kicked off our God Can series with Nehemiah, that amazing wall, 2 Timothy and people crowding to the front of our rooms for prayer. An incredible launch to a year of getting to know the One in whom we trust!

5. LEADERSHIP RETREAT – In THE most substantial leadership event Quest has ever hosted, 600 leaders and lead volunteers stepped forward to own their ministry as we dove into 2 Timothy together.

4. CRACKING THE CODE 2010! – For the first time ever we brought back the single most defining series our church has ever done! Thousands had their codes cracked in substantial ways as we dove into what holds us back from experiencing God for ourselves and 112 people came to Christ in a single weekend!

3. QUESTAPALOOZA/FALL KICK-OFF: Come See for Yourself! - We invited and people CAME!! More than 400 gave their lives to Christ in a single weekend…and 1000s got a taste of church, of QCC and of God that was not what they expected. An UNREAL series that led into our #2 highlight of the year…

2. SPONTANEOUS BAPTISMS/Come See For Yourself Conclusion - For our fall series conclusion, we took a substantial risk, trading in a proven approach that we know has born great fruit in the past to give a massive part of our services away to baptisms. It was one of the holiest weekends we’ve EVER experienced as a church.

1. THE UPRISING! - Almost 900 pastors and leaders were ignited to recover God’s dream for the local church and reach lost people for Christ. The dream God planted in Acts 2…and the dream He’s planted here at Quest Community Church is going OUT! What happened once is happening again, and Questers are cheering you on Uprising pastors and leaders! (Get your tickets to The Uprising 2011 – April 14th today!)

And…I’ve gotta add my own highlight that hadn’t yet unfolded when we celebrated earlier this month:

BONUS: BEING CHRISTMAS! - Being Christmas will mark us for the long haul Questers…it’s changed us from the inside out. I’ve never seen anything like it in our body. 35,707 lbs of food…9007 new & gently used toys…and the challenge to raise $500,000 in our Being Christmas offerings this month. We just have a few hours left to hit our goal for the Being Christmas Offerings…let’s go for it Questers! Let’s ring in 2011 with wide OPEN HANDS!

Being Christmas is changing us from the inside out as we open our hands in generosity, Questers. I hope you are loving what Jesus is doing in you.

Please pray for the hundreds who got food at Quest Lexington and Frankfort on Monday night…and for the thousands and thousands who will be picking out toys for their kids this week. He’s got so much more in store for each of them. Let’s ask Jesus to let His revolution of love impact our community in really lasting ways.

I hope these pictures serve as a great reminder of how it feels to live with open hands, Questers. Thanks for living out God’s generosity to the people of Lexington, Frankfort and beyond. You really are Being Christmas!

Way to Go!!! You stepped up and went all out meeting and exceeding our first two goals for Being Christmas!

In just over two weeks, you brought in…

• 35,707 lbs of food…AND…
  
• A tractor trailer FULL of toys!

I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of you. I wish you all could have seen what unfolded Sunday night. Questers would NOT STOP bringing in toys and food! I showed up just minutes before midnight with one last load of donations and we were SO CLOSE we extended the deadline by one hour. As we waited, dozens of us watched and cheered and stood in awe as hundreds of pounds of food and the last few toys were delivered and we went over and above our goals!

Here’s the reality friends…

Every single can of food, every toy, ever dollar you give represents the heart and life of someone who matters…someone very near to the heart of God…someone He cared enough for to die for. They represent real, live people who need to know that God Answers Prayers. Very often we are the answer to their prayers!

This Christmas you are helping HOLD OUT HOPE to the ones He loves!

In a remarkable two week run, we’ve cared for food; we’ve cared for toys. Now it’s time to care for ministries. Let’s finish strong, Questers. Let’s nail this final goal to trust God fully with our resources and fund the ministries of this great church where we’ve discovered the Hope of the World. I don’t know of any better investment on the planet. We can do this!

Come back tomorrow for pictures of Being Christmas! UNREAL!!!

December 7th we celebrated Frankfort’s TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! And in two short years almost 200 people have given their lives to Christ in this outpost of the Kingdom. Do you have any idea how rare that is in all the world?! I’m so proud of you, Frankfort. The impact of your lives and of your yeses to Jesus is making ripple effects in the Kingdom. I’ve loved seeing you grow and put your roots down deep in God’s love, and I absolutely believe the best is yet to come.

I can’t wait to see what God unleashes in the coming year! Happy birthday, Quest Frankfort! Cheering you on.

I put a call out for responses to the question, “What did you see this weekend? What stood out?” and I gotta tell you…you went berserk. I loved your tweets and facebook messages. I cried with you over the extent of your rescue. And I’ve sat in circles with staff members and friends who, like you, can’t seem to talk about anything BUT the miracles we witnessed this weekend.

In fact, we’ve called an audible and switched up our midweek Celebration service to pour out our praise and thanks to God and celebrate God’s great work at ELEVATE tonight at 6:30!

If you don’t usually attend Celebration, I encourage you to be here. We’ll see incredible pictures, hear remarkable stories, celebrate the Lord’s Supper together…and worship the One who rescued us when no one else could!

I loved how spiritually alive it was this weekend…it felt like the ground was dramatically inclined toward the cross. From the 206 people who were baptized (more than 150 spontaneously!) to the 115 who placed their trust in Christ…it was a REMARKABLE weekend. A risk worth taking.

I was going to share more of my reflections today, but I’ve got page after page after page of incredible sightings of eyewitnesses who are just in awe of what God did this weekend. Here are just a few of your reflections…

• I saw my number one person on my impact list stand to receive Christ.
• I saw a friend from high school see Jesus for who He really was and run to Him and make it!
• I finally forgave my abuser and it made a way for him to come home.
• I saw dozens of people waiting in line to be spontaneously baptized!
• I saw everyone from a 6 year old little girl to a couple in their 60s recognize their need for Jesus and respond to Him.
• I saw a 50-year-old man turn from a life full of religion and degrees, drop all his pride and give his life to Christ!
• I watched a girl’s barriers collapse when you said, “God never made someone He didn’t love.”
• I heard an extreme long-shot who had been steeped in pride praying right behind me!
• I saw people leaning out of their car windows as they left between services – yelling, ‘You won’t BELIEVE this!’ ‘Incredible!’ ‘You gotta see it for yourselves!’
• I saw people respond to the reality that “Dead people who get resurrected remember it.”
  
• I heard a man say that when he heard an atheist share his story of coming to Christ, that was all he needed to take the risk himself.
• I saw five people visiting Quest Frankfort for the first time give their lives to Christ…and then watched four of them get baptized!
• I saw a family of four all stand to their feet to receive Jesus! (And watched three of them got baptized!)
• I saw my longest long-shot stand to his feet to ask Jesus into his heart.
• I am in AWE.
  

Come See For Yourself…what a series! People have taken it seriously and it’s been important. I loved every single week, and something irresistible broke open this weekend. I’m undone by what God just did during the conclusion. UNREAL!

• You may have read my tweet Sunday night…it was like Jesus showed up in a special way, and we were scooped up into the pages of Acts.

• Heading into the weekend, I asked Jesus to bring 3,750 people, but when all the counts were finalized, we didn’t hit 3,750. Instead 4,470 people witnessed this miraculous weekend for themselves! (Our biggest non-Easter weekend ever other than our Grand Opening!)

• I was praying for 100 people to take a risky step and ask Jesus into their hearts…and 112 of His lost kids gave their lives to Christ!

• Did you read that?? 112 people went from death to life before our eyes!

• I loved hearing you guys pray out loud in the room to receive Christ!
  

• AND…on this risky weekend when we had no idea what to expect, I begged God for 100 to step forward to be baptized. We didn’t get to baptize just 100 or 120, 130 or 150…we baptized 206 in the middle of this Acts 2 weekend!

• Carson and Ani took on Miracles like people who actually believed they were possible. And we were eyewitnesses to miracles EVERYWHERE! (Where did you see them? Send out a shout out on Twitter and Facebook!)

Who IS that kid, anyway?

• A HUGE shout out to Frankfort who hosted their very first live baptism services ever. What a day! Frankfort being at near capacity both services was a dream!

• Giving people a chance to respond in every service was a huge deal. Our of the 112 people gave their lives to Christ, six came to Christ over the web, 10 surrendered their hearts to Him in Frankfort, and 96 stood to receive Jesus in Lexington! Just remarkable!

• It was an incredible honor to baptize my own son, Corey (not to mention Sharon and Paul Clement’s son, Renner, and my research assistant Connie’s daughter, Regan.) I’m so proud of you.

• My prayer for Corey – and for all of you – is that, like Jesus in Matthew 3:17, you will always hear your heavenly Dad’s voice telling you, “This is my child whom I love and with you I am well pleased.” His heart absolutely bursts with love for you.

• Baptizing hundreds of you in one day was an incredible experience. I’m so proud of you for stepping forward! Listen for His voice and hear His well done. Way to go!

• Stay tuned for a continuation of this post tomorrow with more of my reflections and some of the miracles you’ve been posting on Twitter and Facebook since the weekend began. I LOVE how engaged you’ve all been. It really is just that REMARKABLE!

p.s. Can’t get enough? Watch again here now.

It’s going to be hard to boil down my favorite things from this weekend and this series to tell you tomorrow in my regular blog, but I still had to get something out right away.

There are times when you read the book of Acts and pray for it to happen. There are other times when you see pieces of it and it feels amazing, like you’ve stepped back 2,000 years and the Holy Spirit being poured out in fresh new ways. And then there are weekends like this one, where everyone kind of feels scooped up in an Acts 2 reality as God leads us out and does the impossible.

As hundreds streamed forward to be baptized and dozens upon dozens ended up giving their lives to Christ, we were eyewitnesses to the reality that when people see Jesus for who He really is, they want Him. It’s like they’re undone and they’re not going to be satisfied until they get rescued by Christ, lay their list of qualifications at the cross, and receive what He’s done for them. It’s just remarkable.

I think one of the baptees said it best when he said, when you have  moment like this, you remember it. It’s safe to say the dead who were raised to life this weekend will never forget it. Neither will I.