It’s Legacy Sunday! This is something we are going to do every year, but today is the first time, and you’re going to love it.
The thing is, God has done amazing things through our church this past year and I believe one of the best ways we can honor God is to take a Sunday to reflect and celebrate the things He’s accomplished through us. Wouldn’t you agree?
This has nothing to do with what we’ve done. This is all about what God has done through us. So, none of this is bragging about us. It’s bragging about God. Just like our core scripture says:
Ephesians 3:20 NLT - Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Aren’t you grateful that you get to be a part of this? Aren’t you amazed that God would allow His mighty power to work within you to accomplish amazing things? Come on, let’s give God praise for what He’s doing through our lives.
Some of y’all are numbers people. And you want to know exactly what your giving is accomplishing. We are going to give you that information today.
Some of y’all aren’t numbers people. And you’re really worried right now that I am about to bore you to death. Don’t worry, I won’t over-do it, and this won’t be just about numbers. You are going to hear some stories too.
When it comes to leaving a legacy as a church, you can break it down into three different categories. Here’s the first one:
If all we cared about was our own church, we’d miss out on a lot of opportunities to make a difference. That’s why we are intentional about getting outside of these walls. And the primary way we do that in our local community is by partnering with other ministries.
I hope you’d agree that it really doesn’t make sense to start our own outreach when there’s one that already exists here in our community. It’d be much better for us to support the outreaches that exist and help them further their mission.
Right now, we support two local outreaches, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Owasso and Don't Look Back Prison Ministry.
Here’s the next category:
We don’t just want to reach our church and our local community, but we want to go into all the world just as Jesus commanded us to do.
For that reason, we are intentional about supporting those outside of this country who most of us will never meet. Because every person is important to God, whether they are an American or not.
Currently, we support two ministries outside of this country: Mexico and the Philippines.
Now, here’s the third category:
We’ve talked a lot about how we are reaching outside of these walls through local outreach and international missions. Now, let’s talk about what God has done right here at NoLimits.
Everything we do here is to make an eternal difference in the lives of others. And there are four primary ways we do this. Here’s the first one:
This is how we help people know God. We’re talking about leading people to Jesus for the first time. And we’re even talking about helping you know God more than you knew Him yesterday.
Here’s some stats from Jan-Nov for our Sunday services:
Small groups is how we help people find freedom. Because the only way you can find and stay in freedom is when you develop close relationships with people here at church.
Small Groups as you know them today didn’t start until this past February. Here we are at the end of 2019 and it feels like they’ve always been a part of us which is an indicator of their success. Here’s some stats for 2019:
Growth Track is how we help people discover their purpose. God planned something for you to do before He made you, and this four-step process will help you figure how exactly what that is.
Growth Track is something that’s been missing in our church ever since we started it 11 years ago. But we kicked off our first round of Growth Track this past October and we’ve already graduated 18 people.
If you’re wondering if you should go through Growth Track or not, the answer is yes. Yes you should. And the reason is, it’s a painless way to discover your purpose - the whole reason God put you here in this place, in this time.
Seriously, it all happens in the time you’d be sitting at a restaurant waiting for your food. And we even feed you afterwards. You’ll get home the same time you would if you went out to eat after church.
Growth Track happens every Sunday at 12:30pm, right after church in the auditorium. You can jump in any time. There are four steps and you only have to go through them once. You can even hit them in different months if you need to.
The Dream Team is how we help people make a difference. This is all our teams here at church that make Sunday Services, Small Groups and Growth Track happen. It’s when all this comes full circle.
We currently have 30 people actively serving on the Dream Team here at church. Isn’t that awesome?!
We’re talking about our teachers in the kids classes, the person who made you coffee today, the people who were greeting you at the door, our small group leaders, the worship band, and those who clean up after us.
This is the Dream Team. And everything we do is making an eternal difference in the lives of others. Because, everything we do is so that people can know God, find freedom, discover purpose and make a difference.
If you are not yet on the Dream Team and you’re ready to be on the Dream Team, they way you do it is to go through Growth Track. The reason is, we want you on the right team, and we figure it out through the Growth Track.
Let me wrap this up by giving you some financial stats. This is for all my numbers people out there. You know who you are.
You guys, we get to be a part of this. We get to be a part of the infinite work God is accomplishing through NoLimits Church. And what He’s going to do in the future, what He’s going to do next year, is going to blow our minds.
Let’s end today by reading something that Jesus said to help us understand why generosity and making an eternal difference is so important.
Matthew 25:34-40 NLT - The King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”
On the surface, it seems the whole purpose of this scripture is to give us outreach projects. Like, this is how we reach out to those around us. And although that’s true, I don’t believe that’s what Jesus was trying to get across.
Let me highlight several words to show you what I mean:
Matthew 25:34-40 NLT - “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”
Now, this is a little perplexing. How could Jesus be the one who was hungry and thirsty and homeless and naked? How could these things happen to the one who is above it all?
Apparently we aren’t the only one’s wondering that. Check this out:
Matthew 25:34-40 NLT - Then these righteous ones will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?”
So, what’s Jesus saying here? Does He really need our help? Does He really need us to feed Him and clothe Him?
Well, let me ask you this. What’s one of the best ways you can show someone who has it all that you appreciate them? We’re talking about someone who has more than they need and their stable and enjoying life. How do you show this person that you appreciate them?
You love the people that they love. You invest time into their kids. You help them take care of their aging parents.
I can’t even express how much joy I feel when someone else sacrifices their time and energy to invest into my kids. And that’s the same reason Jesus says this:
Matthew 25:34-40 NLT - “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’'
Being generous with our time and resources is how we honor Jesus. It’s how we worship Him and show Him our appreciation. He doesn’t need any of our stuff, but we can sure use our stuff to love on the people He loves.
That’s how we leave a legacy. And I want to ask you to consider a legacy offering.
Beth and I have actually been talking this past week about what we want to do for our legacy offering this year. We just about have it nailed down, but we need to sit down and have another conversation first.
But once you decide, you can give online anytime, or you can drop it in the offering next Sunday or whenever.
This isn’t something that you have to do. It’s just something that I want you to think about, pray about, and by golly talk with your spouse about if you’re married.
All this talk about generosity has just got me excited about using my resources to make an eternal difference in the lives of others. That’s why I’m making a legacy offering this year that’s above my tithe, and I want to give you an opportunity to do the same.
But, don’t rush your decision. Seriously, I want you to go look at your resources first, see what you have available, and be intentional about your legacy offering.
Maybe all this talk about making an eternal difference is tugging on your heart. The only problem is, you’re not sure if you are going to spend eternity in heaven. Well, let’s get that taken care of today.
Salvation is as simple as believing that Jesus sacrificed His life to save yours. There’s nothing you can do to earn it. It’s all Jesus. And all you have to do is recognize that and receive the gift of new life in Jesus.
When you give your life to Jesus, you immediately transition your eternity from hell to heaven. Jesus takes you in as His own and begins to walk with you as you take the journey into the amazing life He created for you.
If this is you, I encourage you to say the following prayer out loud:
"Jesus, I’ve been living without you and I don’t want to do that anymore. I’ve done a lot of things wrong and I need your forgiveness. I accept Your love and grace for me and ask that You would be my Lord. Thank you for making me new. Thank you for washing away my past. I hand my life over to you and ask that you’d help me walk out your plan for my life."
Congratulations on making the best decision in your life! Giving your life to Jesus is a personal decision. But there is a time to take it public. The way you do that is through water baptism.
Learn more about water baptism on our Next Steps page.
