Be wide open to the plans and opportunities God has for you. He has tons in store for you. Your job is to just Say YES!

Matthew 25:14-30 – “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone. He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last – dividing it in proportion to their abilities – and then left on his trip. The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money for safekeeping. “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of gold said, ‘Sir, you gave me five bags of gold to invest, and I have doubled the amount.’ The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Next came the servant who had received the two bags of gold, with the report, ‘Sir, you gave me two bags of gold to invest, and I have doubled the amount.’ The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of gold came and said, ‘Sir, I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You think I’m a hard man, do you, harvesting crops I didn’t plant and gathering crops I didn’t cultivate? Well, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with the ten bags of gold. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

When you go to God in prayer, you aren’t a bother. He loves to spend the time with you as well as give you the desires of your heart.

John 16:24 – You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

This weekend Assistant Pastor Justin McCarty took the stage for the first time in our new room and reminded us how much God wants to be in a constant conversation with us. I loved getting to sit beside you, Questers, and be led by Justin as he brought us God’s Word. Here’s what he got to see from his new vantage point:

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When the lights came up on 800+ attentive faces (in one service), I knew — in a brand new way — the Jump had happened! It was an absolute privilege to give Pete a breather and teach for the first time in the new auditorium. (Thanks, Pete!) I’ll never forget looking out on the faces of so many new Questers and helping them tune into what God has been longing to say to them. Here’s a glimpse of what I saw:

1. How cool was it to have our kids up in front, leading us in worship right alongside Jon Headley during Be Still?  I loved how it set us up with a great picture of what a soft heart to God looks like from the very beginning.

2. I could feel how much this was the #1 UAsked4It survey question! People were leaning into hear and taking notes like there was a test later. I sensed the same desperation to hear the voice of God in everyone I spoke to as I sense in my own heart every single day.

3. I heard from so many different people how much they not only needed to hear this message, but how much they needed a conversation with God. I loved that we gave our people some time at the end to just listen and talk with God about what He was showing them. Thanks so much to Sharon and the worship team for a beautiful version of Word of God Speak that gave us space to encounter Jesus.

4. When I talked about how God leaves impressions directly on our hearts and pressed my hand into the big red play-doh heart, it was so much of a prayer for our church. I pray that we would be people who are softhearted and so near to Jesus that His fingerprints are all over our hearts from the constant conversation. Meeting so many people after this weekend and hearing how God had spoken to their hearts…and talking to others who’d been in tears throughout the service made me realize that He’s definitely answering that prayer!

5. I won’t forget seeing people’s responses when I lifted the box and a million strips of paper fluttered out onto the floor, representing the sin & self that fills our hearts, making us hardhearted. The initial surprise gave way to a deeper recognition of the million ways that we’ve crashed through God’s guardrails in our lives. Bringing the words of God from Isaiah 1:18 was like throwing a life preserver out to people: “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I can make them white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I can make them white as wool.”

6. I think my favorite line of my whole talk was “Jesus on the cross was the clearest that the voice of God has ever been to our world.” The picture of God shouting over the cross to our world, “I love you! Can you hear me now??” was one I’ll never forget!

7. Another part of God’s Word that rang out huge to everyone lugging around a heart of stone, missing out on a relationship with Jesus was His amazing promise in Ezekiel 11:19 – “I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart…” It’s amazing news that if you haven’t ever experienced the voice of God, you can exchange a heart of stone for the soft heart of Jesus at the cross.

8. I can forget how easy it is just to step into the conversation with God. The simple steps that I walked everyone through seemed so helpful to many: Make the Time. Get Quiet. Share your heart, openly & honestly. Listen expectantly for His Voice. Respond to what He says.

9. Talking to different groups of people before we stepped into our quiet time of conversation with God was one of my favorite moments of teaching ever. It was heartbreaking to see the wreckage of hard heartedness, whether it was from believing lies about God, sin & self, or the lack of a relationship with Jesus. But the voice of God was so present & thick, offering the restoration of a soft heart to anyone who would get their hopes up. Questers, you went for it…you believed Him — way to go!

10. The simple truth is that God speaks through other people! I can’t tell you how many times over the past 3 weeks I’ve experienced God’s speaking to me through Pastor Pete (and if I counted the last 8 years — I can’t begin to keep track of it!)  In light of that, I can’t wait to be at Building Dedication this Friday night at 7pm to hear from Bill Hybels — the man that God spoke through to ignite Pete to begin Quest Community Church! I hope everyone will be there, eager to hear what God wants to say to us through Bill Hybels and Pastor Pete as they share the stage!

Don’t get caught in the trap of seeking after God’s blessing. Seek only after Jesus, and  growth and blessing will follow.

Matthew 5:3-12 – “God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them. God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.”

Building Dedication from Quest Community Church on Vimeo.

Don’t be discouraged by your progress following Jesus. Remember the God who forgives you is also the One who transforms you. And He is faithful and true. He will finish what He’s started!

Philippians 1:3-6 – Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

How’s that for a promise of the faithfulness of God?

As one who wears the name of Christ, you want to love what He loves…Jesus loves people relentlessly & selflessly.

Luke 19:41-44 -But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, He began to cry. “I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you.”

Jesus weeping over the state of the people He came to seek and save. What a picture of God’s heart!

Followers of Jesus get to live in Grace! Dispense it, lavish it , offer it. God gave it to you…now you give it to others. Wanna fun way to put this into practice? Look for opportunities to offer grace today & go for it. Watch what happens. Grace is always shocking!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9

When you ran to Him, you made it. He forgave you, adopted you & filled you with His light & love. Now live out loud…tell everyone. Are there people in your life who don’t know yet that you gave your life to Christ? Make the phone call, set up a lunch date, stop by to see them…just make it happen! Jesus wants to SHINE through you!

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:13-16 msg

To all of you in your first 30 days with Jesus, I’m praying for you. I hope you’re experiencing His love in brand new ways every single day. God has never once forgotten His people & He’s not gonna start with you. Wondering how He feels about you? Check this out from Jeremiah 31:3b in the Message paraphrase:

“I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!”