A letter to our new churches!

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As some of you know, we took the two multisite campuses that we started and have officially launched them as new churches! That transition is official and complete as of January 1st, 2013. Here is a letter from a proud and grateful pastor to those 2 churches.:

River City New Braunfels and Northwest,

Well, the transition is complete and you guys are launched as 2 new Christian fellowships! I just want to write you a brief note to say how proud I am of you and how much I enjoyed being your pastor. I am so grateful and excited to see the good fruit that God has produced in you during our time together.  

When that small group of people started meeting in our home and decided to call ourselves River City Community Church, we hoped to grow and one day launch other fellowships. It is amazing to see that come to fruition. I'm not sure we understood the size vision that God had for us. I'm still not sure we understand how big God's vision is for River City!

I pray for you as you take off on the next leg of the journey. I pray for your new pastors as they give leadership to what God intends to do in and through you. I encourage you to support them and pray for them. They carry a great weight of responsibility and your support will mean a lot. 

One of the things that River City Community Church was founded on is a stubborn faith in a Big God! Don't ever leave that legacy behind. Don't let fear keep you from following Him, no matter where He leads. Remember, obedience is where the power of God is released!

Thank you for letting me lead you as we started these works in our region. Please know what a joy it has been. I look forward to our new relationship as churches partnering together for the Kingdom. If I, or the staff of River City Community Church, can do anything to help you, please let us know. We are family and I look forward to our fellowship together.

I pray that the Lord gives you great fruit as you continue to call people to follow, connect, grow, serve, share!

Reaching for real life,

Sean

Learning to hear

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I received a note from a lady named Donna who was looking for God's leading for a particular situation and was not sure how to discern what He was saying.  Here was my response...

Discerning God's voice and direction is one of the biggest challenges that we face as believers. Every Christian, no matter how long they've been walking with the Lord, deals with this from time to time. 

A great place to start is understanding that we have lots of "voices" in our lives, offering direction. We have God's voice, but then we have voices like our own desires, friends opinions, and cultural or family expectations, as well. Understanding this challenge makes us aware that not every impulse we feel is, necessarily, the leading of the Lord.

When learning to discern God's leading, the scriptures are where we begin.  The bible is God's given and established word.  Nothing He ever says to us will contradict the scriptures. So, being a person of the word teaches us what God has already said and what He desires and values.  

The next place to go is to mature believers who are committed to you, and care enough to tell you the truth. That's why the scriptures tell us to gather together with other believers.  Any of us can get confused and conflicted, and none of us are objective when it comes to our own dealings. We need other believers who can remind us of what God has said, in spite of how we may feel in the moment.  Your small group leader or another mature believer you trust would be a great place to start.

I encourage you to keep seeking God's direction in your life. There is nothing like regular time with Him in prayer and the scriptures to train your spiritual ears to hear His voice above all the other noise. 

I hope this helps!