Last Thursday was a remarkable experience with Clayton King, Derwin Gray,  Pete Wilson and 100s of pastors and leaders diving into what God had for us at The Uprising. There’s nothing like seeing pastors and leaders being ignited for the cause of Christ. The potential for the local church is breathtaking…and the stakes for the people in our communities are eternal.

When a leader hears from God and lets it recalibrate his life, heaven and earth can’t stand in the way of what God can do through that leader’s yes.

What happened 2000 years ago in the book of Acts CAN happen again. People’s lives really can be restored and transformed in the local church. People can find hope and healing and LIFE. But it takes leaders leading the way – going out front – shifting the culture - being the impact. It takes a leader to build an authentic culture of redemption where lost and broken people can come face to face with God.

Uprising pastors and leaders…don’t recover from what God whispered to you last week. It’s HAPPENING! Ten came to Christ in Cedar Rapids…four in Youngstown…leaders are stirred up!

Never Recover…You Are the Impact!

The Uprising is underway…and God is moving! Hundreds of pastors and church leaders are being wrecked for the gospel – remembering why they went into ministry in the first place…something seismic is happening in the hearts and minds of leaders!

So grateful for my friends Clayton King, Derwin Gray and Pete Wilson who are here igniting the Church and her leaders to join in the Uprising God began 2,000 years ago. Don’t underestimate the difference a day makes. Listen for the Voice of God. And if you’re not in Lexington for The Uprising today…please pray for what God is doing. When He shifts a leader’s heart…EVERYTHING changes!

Praying this dangerous prayer with every Uprising leader today:

“Jesus, I invite You to do everything you need to do in me so that You can rescue lost people through me.”

The Uprising is just 3 weeks from TODAY, and I’ve got to tell you…I believe the difference this day could make is off the charts! What God has in store for us could transform our lives, our ministries, and the world!

So many days of our lives go by and we barely remember them. But some days – if we will let them – have the power to transform us forever. Jesus is waiting to meet with you here at The Uprising, and He’s got important, shifting things for everyone who walks in the doors.

Not long ago I caught up with 2012 Uprising main stage speaker, Clayton King, at NewSpring’s Unleash conference. Just spending an afternoon together, I was provoked. Clayton is a teaching pastor at NewSpring, the campus pastor at Liberty University and a well-known author. He’s a great guy who you’ll want to hear from. More than that…this is a man who is crystal clear on God’s heartbeat for the gospel. I think God’s going to use him to ignite something new in many of us.

Listen to what he has to say about The Uprising coming up on April 19th:

Uprising Clayton King & Pete Hise from theUprising on Vimeo.

Don’t miss what God wants to do in you this April at The Uprising! Learn more about other main stage speakers, labs and pre-conference workshops here. Or register here, now.

I was in my office a week ago today and the arts team surprised me with something that blew my mind. I haven’t been able to hold it together one time watching it since then.

As we step out and trust God ACTIVELY in every area of our lives…from our sex lives to sharing our faith to our money…THIS is what’s at stake. THIS is the fruit of the work of God in a place where people believe Him and put their faith into action.

Questers…I wanted you to have the chance to see this again. And Uprising pastors and leaders, I wanted to give you a sneak peak of what you’ll see and experience at The Uprising on April 19th with me, Clayton King (teaching pastor at NewSpring Church and campus pastor at Liberty University) and Derwin Gray (the Evangelism linebacker and founding pastor of Transformation Church) and other Uprising faculty.

This is the WHY behind everything we do at Quest Community Church:

Happy Valentine’s Day! (How about THAT for a picture of what real love does in the lives of real people!)

I just got to spend several days with some of the leading pastors of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, and it spurred me on to hear the stories of what God is doing in their midst. I’m so thankful we get the chance to partner together to reach people for Christ and build cultures of redemption.

Here’s a confession: I never knew it was possible. I came to Christ in a culture where churches were NOT advancing, where no one was finding hope in Christ and the idea that the capital “C” Church could be a redemptive force never crossed my mind. I just never knew it was possible. But then…thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit in my life and the influence of one of my mentors, I fell in love with the Acts 2 Church.

The revolution that happened through the local church 2,000 years ago is still possible today! It’s not only possible…it is actually happening. The picture of the Church we read about in the first pages of the book of Acts can come to life here and now. We CAN create loving cultures of redemption… It happened once. It’s happening again.

I cannot believe the church I get to be a part of…a church where the lonely are enfolded, the broken find hope, addicts find freedom, marriages are healed, and real people discover Jesus for who He really is. It is beautiful and messy and unbelievably breathtaking. The stories literally bring me to my knees. Doctors and homeless people serve side by side. Stay at home moms and those in the adult entertainment find healing at the foot of the cross together. Those who have been rescued, who find hope in Christ, become rescuers themselves. I just never knew His bride could be this beautiful.

When we launched as a church we would read the pages of Acts over and over again, camping out in the description of the church in Acts 2. I would read the last line of that chapter, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved,” and beg Jesus to make it so here. Now we live in that reality.

What God can do through really ordinary men and women is beyond anything we could hope or ask or imagine. 2,000 years ago Jesus launched something remarkable through a small, unimpressive group of people. They weren’t the smartest, the strongest or the most-educated…but they were people who had been with Jesus who lived with His heart beating in their chests.

God used them to launch a revolution. And He longs to do the same through us…in our churches, our communities, our world. He sends us out with the same mission today that He sent the disciples out with thousands of years ago…a simple, singular mission that captures His heart…to seek and save the lost.

The revolution that started 2,000 years ago is still alive today. Join me Thursday, April 19th in Lexington, KY for The Uprising. Come be reminded why you went into ministry in the first place. I can’t wait to partner with you!

• Register now for Super Early Bird rate: $59 (Only now through Feb 1st!)
• Church Planters: $59, Senior Pastor’s Spouse: FREE, Groups of 5 get 1 Ticket FREE!
• Speakers/Presenters include: Derwin Gray (“Evangelism Linebacker”, Transformation Church) and Dr. Gary Benedict (C&MA President)

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!

Yesterday was a fantastic day with Erwin McManus, Pete Wilson and 1000+ pastors and leaders diving into what God had for us at The Uprising 2011.

There’s nothing like seeing pastors and leaders meeting with God and being ignited for the cause of Christ. The potential for the local church is breathtaking…and the stakes for the people in our communities are eternal. I was undone more than once at the crossroads pastors and leaders were encountering throughout the day.

Don’t recover.

When God speaks to your heart, you can quickly move on to the next thing – or you can choose to never recover.

Here’s what I’ve seen…when people hear from Him and let it recalibrate their lives, heaven and earth can’t stand in the way of what He can do through a leader’s yes.

What happened 2000 years ago in the book of Acts CAN happen again. People’s lives really can be restored and transformed in the local church. People can find hope and healing and LIFE. But it takes leaders leading the way – going out front – choosing to build authentic cultures of redemption where lost and broken people come face to face with God.

WHAT IF? What if you stepped into His dreams for your life? Uprising pastors and leaders…don’t recover from what God whispered to you yesterday. Let Him wreck you for the cause of Christ.

Counting down the hours until The Uprising 2011. Pastors and leaders from around the country (and around the world) are arriving in Lexington. Pre-Conference Sessions will soon be underway. And God is ready to meet with us.

I could come unglued at the potential out in front of us. Never underestimate what God can do in a single moment…what God can do in a day, a life, a ministry, a church. When God calls a meeting with you, you want to pay attention. Praying for many of us to be wrecked by what He ignites in us this week.

Pre-conference workshops begin today. Then, I’d love to invite you personally to come experience a real life picture of a culture of redemption in a Baptism Service at 6:30pm and an Uprising Reception with me afterwards. I’ll see you at The Uprising!

Prepping for The Uprising this week and praying for pastors and leadership teams from around the country (and beyond!) who’ll be joining us in Lexington, Kentucky this Thursday.

What if God is ready to unleash something brand new in your heart and your ministry? What if what happened 2,000 years ago in the pages of the book of Acts could happen now? What if God wants to get you ready to make your most significant impact yet? What if?

There’s still time to get to Lexington to join me, Erwin McManus and Pete Wilson at The Uprising this week! Pre-conference workshops begin Wednesday…then come experience a real life picture of a culture of redemption in a baptism service (and Uprising reception Wednesday night)…and then the conference kicks Thursday. Come be ignited for the reason God called you into ministry in the first place. What if the best days of your ministry are yet to come?

As I’m prepping for The Uprising next week, I gotta tell you – I believe what God has in store for us could change our lives…change our ministries…and change the world. 2,000 years ago Jesus launched something remarkable through a small, unimpressive group of ordinary men and women. They weren’t the smartest, the strongest, the most-educated…but they were people who had been with Jesus who lived with His heart beating in their chests.

How did a guy like Peter stand up and lead thousands to Christ that very first day? Peter messed up more often than almost anyone around him…but God used him to launch a revolution. Jesus had expansive plans for his life. And He has expansive dreams and plans for you…for me. He picks to use us to reach a dying world with His heartbeat. He sends us out with the same mission today that He sent the disciples out with thousands of years ago…a simple, singular mission that captures His heart…to seek and save the lost.

The Church is meant to be the heart-beat of Jesus, living out the Great Commission in real, practical, hands-on ways that bring lasting life change and move real people from death to life. The picture of the Church we read about in the first pages of the book of Acts is possible today. We CAN create loving cultures of redemption… It happened once. It’s happening again.

Join me next Thursday, April 14th in Lexington, KY for The Uprising. Come be reminded why you went into ministry in the first place. One day. It could change everything. I’ll see you there!