You’ve heard the phrase that something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it? Last week a record-making exchange took place. The Scream, a quite famous piece of art by Edvard Munch, sold for $120 million at Sotheby’s. ($120 million!!) I wasn’t exactly an “A” student in “art appreciation,” but I feel like if we’d offered a $50 prize and gave the kids in KidsQuest the whole hour to do that, that some of them would beat out Mr. Edvard Munch! I have no idea how that’s $120 million! Absolutely crazy.

Something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. An anonymous buyer gave $120m for The Scream. The pioneers of this church sacrificed time, money, resources and their hearts to start QCC. Over the last four years, hundreds of families in our Imagine2 journey have invested in God’s kingdom, laying down their dreams to make room for more people to discover God’s great love for themselves.

This weekend we spent a remarkable worship experience together at Quest looking at what God values. It’s quite simple. The story is told clearly on every page page of the Bible. The thing God values most in the world is PEOPLE. He looks past the sun, the moon, the stars, the Grand Canyon and the Milky Way…and He fixes His eyes on YOU. When God sees you, His heart races. He cannot contain His love for you.

1 John says this about Him:

God showed how much he loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

He knows the places you’ve messed up, and He gave His son for you anyway! The priceless One set your value.

God stepped back, the Great Appraiser, and looked at you and looked at me, at Oprah, President Obama, Junior Seau, Hitler, Stalin, your boss, your neighbor, your mother-in-law, your kids who just scratched down your car with the bike that you put together with your own two hands, He looks at your CPA that says you’re going to be audited, He looks at the politician that said one thing and did another, He looks at each one of us and says I’ve appraised you. The appraisal is done. I deemed you worthy of the life of My only child. The best and the worst among us. You are worth that to Me.

The Great Exchange - The pure for the marred. Forgiveness for the guilty. Love for those who hate. The powerful One for the one with no power. The servant for the selfish. The Giver for the taker. The Son of the Most High God, the Creator of everything for the flawed, mixed motive ordinary people like us. He would give His life in hopes that you would give yours for eternity, that you would take the deal. That you’d open your hands and say yes.

It’s not like He waited to see what your answer would be. In fact, Jesus Himself told us few would say yes to the trade. So why did He do it? Because you’re priceless to Him! YOU are the apple of His eye, the remarkable object of God’s great desire. If you will live in that reality, it will change your life!

Come back tomorrow to read more about the Family Meeting we had at Quest this weekend…God did something REMARKABLE in us!

I cannot believe what I am about to type: QUEST IS 13 YEARS OLD! I remember the day we were about to open our doors for the first time. A fuse blew, the bathrooms were still under-construction, our sound board had been out of the box less than 24 hours…but the pioneers of QCC had given it our all. We had taken vacations, picked up hammers, nails and paintbrushes…and turned batting cages into a church! We dry-walled, painted, renovated, invited, gave and begged God that people would come!

And…they DID!

That first weekend…201 people walked our doors!! People came! And they kept coming. And on Sunday, July 11th…Scott and Traci Tomlin came to Christ!! It was ACTUALLY happening! What we had dreamed of, sacrificed for and hoped for was coming TRUE!

A culture of redemption was being formed.

In that first year alone TEN PEOPLE went from death to life! Now…13 years later, more than 21,000 people have come to Christ through Jesus’ work in this breathtaking culture of redemption.

That’s worth reading again.

In worship services and in life groups…in the United States and in India…over coffee and in online chats…more than 21,000 people have gone from death to life!! My sons, oour neighbors, your co-worker, your spouse, my father. One life at a time, one story at a time…real people have found hope in Christ!

Thank you, QCC pioneers for going out front and dreaming this dream with Jesus. This is the most miraculous, loving, honoring community I have ever known.

Questers, you are rare in all the world, and I love you all more than you know.

Pastor Pete

p.s. Join us at ELEVATE tonight at 6:30 as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and give thanks to God for all He’s done in this remarkable community. Can you believe who you’ve become? The miracles you’ve seen? This journey has been like nothing we could have asked or imagined…let’s honor God as we worship Him together tonight! I can’t wait to spend this night with you.

UNREAL!!! If you’re like me, you’re still trying to catch your breath at what just happened over Easter Weekend!

Thank you so much to all of our phenomenal Quest volunteers and to all of you who serve, love, welcome and give with a humility of spirit that’s amazing. You really represent Christ beautifully and you truly honor people. Everyone who walks in our doors matters, and they can tell that because you’re sincere.

People matter to God; and they matter to us. It’s not just a value – it’s real. It’s not just a slogan – it’s the condition of our hearts. It is our understanding of the gospel. Thank you for living it out. I heard from so many newcomers about how that impacted them while they were here. (Well done, Questers!) And newcomers…we really mean it!! You MATTER!

We had thousands of VIPs and guests here for Easter (even in the middle of Spring Break!). And 174 PEOPLE became followers of Jesus on Easter at Quest over the weekend!!! THAT’s RIGHT…go back and read that again, SLOWLY!! 

Christ is changing the world ONE life, ONE redemption…ONE eternity at a time! These are real people with real stories. 174 real people took Jesus up on His offer to START OVER! Can you believe the difference a day makes?!

Hopefully one of those was someone you know, someone you love…someone you invited!

Do the numbers matter? Absolutely! These are REAL people…moms, dads, sons, daughters, grandfathers, grandmothers…dentists, doctors, laborers, students…unemployed people, poor people, white people, black people, Asian people, Hispanic people! People with real lives…with real eternities who just met and responded to the real Jesus. It was a thrill to see people stepping out, taking Jesus up on His offer – especially at the 11:30! (Watch it here.) WOW!

It was a remarkable weekend where we heard and responded to the reality that NOTHING is irredeemable in the hands of our great God. Could you feel it?!

A huge shout-out to Quest Frankfort…you guys were just through the roof! We turned the page this weekend to begin a brand new era of effectiveness and audacity in Christ and in His love in our state’s capital. So proud of you and your whole team of volunteers who loved and blessed that city, Pastor Ken! (Look for an upcoming blog on Frankfort, soon!)

As we look ahead to next weekend, just a few thoughts…

• Questers…bring your friends back this weekend!
• LAUNCH begins this week – for newcomers to Quest – and for new Christians! Don’t miss this great opportunity to get plugged in! We all meet together at 9:30 am Sunday morning before the 11:30 worship experience. Please come back and be my guest!
• For the 174 of you who gave your lives to Christ, I’m so thrilled for you! I’d love to invite every single one of you back to find out how to take next steps in Christ and thrive in your new relationship with Jesus. Launch is a great place to start.
• If you were our guest this weekend, you really are our VIPs! At Launch, we want to help you find out more about Quest and discover how to make this church your church home. Come be a part of the community! You are really, really valued here.

Easter is the irrefutable evidence of God’s great love for us. A love that came not just to die for us, but that PURSUES us – even to the rocky beaches of our lives…REMARKABLE! Let’s dive into that kind of a love together, okay?

p.s. The Uprising is just 9 days away…HOLY MOLY! Pray for pastors from all over the country that we get to bless! Theuprising.org

Pastor Kenny Land was in the house this past weekend wrapping up 2011 & ringing in 2012…a fitting way for our newest QCC Pastor to mark this milestone moment in a milestone year of our church. (Frankfort, I hope you were pumped to see your campus pastor going for it from the main stage in Lexington!)

I love having Kenny and Jess on board at Quest Frankfort. The passion God has placed in Kenny to be ALL IN is who God has hard-wired us to be as a community. It’s who He wired me to be…and I believe it’s how we’ll live out the plans and dreams God has for us individually and as a church. We’re meant to be people who live with audacious faith!

I tweeted this great verse yesterday…a verse I believe to my core:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. – 1 Corinthians 2:9

Get ready for our best year yet, Questers. Go ALL IN with Jesus. I can’t wait for what He’s got in store.

p.s. Here’s a glimpse of what Kenny had to say about this great community and his experience teaching this weekend…let’s follow his lead and go ALL IN in 2012!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The saying goes “Time flies when you are having fun.” If that is true, then this has to have been the most fun I have ever had. It was just 7 months ago when Jess and I moved our family to Frankfort, KY. We had no idea what to expect when Jesus called us to be part of the Quest Community family. All we knew for sure was that He had our “yes” in advance.

Now, in retrospect, I see more clearly the gift he was offering us…

• I see the 72 lives that have been changed in Frankfort since May.
• I see more than 1,000 eternities forever altered in the U.S. alone.
• I see friends we have made that it seems like we have known forever.
• I see ministries exploding in Lexington and Frankfort that are transforming unconvinced people into whole-hearted followers of Jesus.
• I am living out Ephesians 3:20.

I would not have even known to ask Jesus for this beautiful community, and yet it was His plan all along. It makes me believe more for you and for the people I love than ever before.

As we near the year-end, I had a special message for every Quester. Click below to check it out!

Pastor Pete on Being Christmas Offering from Quest Community Church on Vimeo.

There is still time to make your gift count toward the Being Christmas Offering and our goal of $579,750! Together we are giving to fully resource the mission to serve the people of Lexington, Frankfort & beyond!

We can do this together! Here are 3 simple ways to give.

1. Worship Experience Giving 

Bring your gift to any of the weekend services (remember we have special times this weekend– see below!) and drop it in the offering.

2. Mailed In Giving 

Make sure it is postmarked today, December 31! Just send it to: 410 Sporting Court, Lexington, KY 40503

3. Online Giving 

Give online anytime using your debit or credit card. Click here to go to the giving page.

* * * * *

Special Weekend Service Times this Weekend!
Dec 31 & Jan 1

Lexington Campus: Saturday at 5:55pm, Sunday 11:30am ONLY
Frankfort Campus: Sunday 11:30am ONLY

Find out more at www.questcommunity.com

I hope you had an amazing Christmas. My family and I had a rich time together celebrating and spending time with good friends. This really is one of my favorite times of the year…giving gifts, surprising my boys, living in the overflow of God’s unbelievable generosity to us, as He sent HIS boy to us 2000+ years ago.

I loved celebrating with Questers and our guests last Friday and Saturday in our seven Christmas Eve Services over two campuses! If you were one of our guests, please know that we were so honored that you joined us. There’s nothing like this remarkable community. Over 3600 people got to be encouraged with the truth that God is indeed with us…a reality that changes everything. And He will be our light…a light the darkness can never extinguish.

We were all reminded of His great love for us, 100s and 1000s were exposed to the truth of Christ, and dozens placed their trust in Him. The question I asked at all of our services rings out, where do you look for hope?

The only indestructible hope in the world is found in Christ! And His light has dawned.

Listen to my favorite new Christmas verse of the year, Luke 1:78-79…

“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

How about THAT as a promise?

When the real world turns back on after Christmas, remember Jesus will guide you on the path of peace. For all who find themeselves in dark places…and for those who struggle in the shadows, the morning light of heaven is HERE. The encounter you had with Him at Christmas isn’t meant to stop there. He will always be a light in the darkness. And His peace can rule your hearts and minds always.

I love you, Quest. And I’m so grateful to be your pastor. Have an amazing time with family and friends this week, and draw close to the One who moved heaven and earth just to be with you!

A few random thoughts on this Friday afternoon…

1. I absolutely LOVE our church! This week I got to be a part of two Christmas celebrations…one for our leaders and one for our volunteers. As I spent time in those settings, I could not get the thought out of my head how much I love this community! You are remarkable people, and so many of you are living out God’s dreams for your life. I am so proud of you! Thank you for making this community what it is. You are an integral part of what God is doing here, Questers!

2. Being Christmas gifts are being delivered today! Pray for students in Lexington & Frankfort who are receiving the overflow of God’s love for them through your lavish generosity! Don’t you wish you could see their faces?! I can’t wait to hear the stories! Let’s finish this year’s Being Christmas initiatives with strength, giving generously and sacrificially and fully resourcing all of our ministries in Lexington. Go all out in giving back to the One who gave His life for you!

3. As my friend Steven Furtick wrote earlier this week, I want to challenge you to Be a  Bringer!!  Steven ripped off that phrase-be a bringer- from @KevinGerald. He uses it to remind his church of their responsibility to be witnesses for Christ. Not only should we invite people to come to church this Christmas – we should bring them with us. We should do whatever we can to compel them to come. We’ll be doing our very best to make Jesus crystal clear this weekend and over all of our Christmas Eve worship experiences…and when people see Jesus for who He really is, they want Him. Let’s be bringers this Christmas. Your invitation could make all the difference!

Extreme Unity… not a topic the enemy is thrilled to have discussed in the local church. Earlier this year Transformation Pastor Helen Musick taught on this topic and she was red-hot! While she spoke, a storm that felt like it could take out the city passed over QCC – it felt like a physical reality of what was happening in the spiritual world as God fought for this topic to ring out.

For 12+ years as a church, we’ve lived in a culture of redemption where from the beginning, unity was a non-negotiable.  I believe it is an essential ingredient in why more than 12,000 people in the U.S. alone have come to Christ in 12 years here. (And not with out a few storms here and there!) Unity is something we fight for because there is an enemy for fights against it, an enemy who knows and fears the power of unity. The enemy knows if we will be the answer to Jesus’ John 17 prayer, people see who He really is and why He came…they’ll see that the Father loves US as much as He loved His own boy! (UNREAL)

Need a little review?  Here’s some great questions Helen gave us when she taught on this topic. I hope they’ll help you see how you’re doing in this area:

Extreme unity actively works for unity and is marked by a love that is reckless and irrational.

Extreme unity lives without lines.

• What are the lines in my heart?
• Who is it that I find difficult to accept because they are different than me?
• Where are there lines in my heart that keep me from loving recklessly and irrationally?

Potential Action Steps: Seek to add value to everyone you meet today.

Extreme unity joyfully honors those that lead.

• Do I find myself critical because of my perceptions and preferences regarding some aspect of the church?
• Do I pray for those God has given the position of leadership?
• Do I joyfully honor those that lead me?

Potential Action Step: Write a letter or make a phone call to thank a leader in your life for building into you.

Extreme unity assumes the best and is quick to forgive.

• Do I take things personally and find myself easily offended?
• Am I able to love others by assuming the best of them?
• How quick am I at forgiving?

Potential Action Step: The next time you’re unsure of someone’s motives or you’re feeling offended, actively BELIEVE THE BEST.

Will you choose to be an answer to Jesus John 17 prayer?  If you do, you’ll find His love irresistible through you and to you!