Chip Wheeler.com

Enjoy The Journey

Everything revolves around the Gospel. Everything. Not only is it the means to salvation, but it is also the purpose of life. So many times we lose sight of the power that can be drawn from the deep pools of living water found within the Gospel message. When forgotten, we begin to lose sight of hope and plunge into the darkness of anxiety and sin. We all face these troubles and must fight to revolve ourselves around the gospel.

As I observe trends throughout the American church I am disturbed that many followers of Christ find themselves revolving around a strategy, personality, method or style. Whether it is the godly elderly lady who sits in the same spot next to the stain glass window dedicated to her grandparents or the young Christian hipster who stands barefooted in the front row listening to the newest rendition of a top 40 worship song – if life does not constantly revolve around the Gospel then we are missing our purpose.

Psalms 119:9 says “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” The Psalmist is clear that to live righteously one must guard themselves with the precepts of Scripture. For the follower of Christ to live out purpose and experience the richness of God – we must revolve ourselves around the power of the Gospel.

The Gospel doesn’t just have the power to save us, but also the power to sustain us. The Gospel is EVERYTHING.

Below is an outline of the sermon from November 27, 2011. You can listen to the audio of the message at www.churchatriverhills.com.

2011 has been an incredible year!! God has moved at River Hills Church in ways that we’ve never experienced before. As we discuss the state of the church it is important to remember Mark 1:32-39. Jesus experienced a lot success, but that was accompanied with challenges. He responded to the increase of his popularity by spending time with God and being laser focused on his purpose. As we think about 2011 and dream about 2012, it is important that we acknowledge the areas where God has moved, the challenges that we face and our pathway into 2012.

Things to celebrate:

1) RHC has grown by 25% this year. Most growing churches average somewhere between 5-10%.

2) We’ve baptized 40+ people this year. This is my favorite thing to celebrate because those baptisms represent changed lives.

3) 65% of the available attenders in our church (not including kids and students) volunteer on a regular basis. This huge!!! Most churches have less that 20% of their folks volunteering on a regular basis.

4) We’ve launched Barrow Ministry Village. A partnership with other churches in the community that seeks to meet the felt needs of Barrow County.

5) We’ve launched the Multiply Network. A network committed to  planting 100 churches in the next 2 years.

6) River Hills now offers two services on Sunday mornings.

7) People from our church have gone on mission trips to Haiti, Peru, Africa and Mexico.

Through your generosity our giving has increased by 16%.

With these success there are some challenges.

1) Our nation’s current economic climate is challenging to say the least. This has severely impacted churches across the nation. One mistake that I have made is hiring too many people too soon. While our attendance matches the amount of staff that we have, our revenue does not. God has convicted me, the elders and our finance team to make difficult decisions so that our church thrives financially rather than survive. The decision was made to not fund the worship coordinator position. Currently Robert Williamson leads out in this area and does an outstanding job. He is a man of competence and character, but tough decisions had to be made. Starting January 1 our children’s coordinator, Elissa Ewald, will be transitioning to worship/production coordinator and oversee kid’s ministry. We have an unpaid intern (Anthony Welch) and many volunteers who will implementing our children’s ministry. Our budget need for 2012 is $4500 a week. This includes monies for operations, missions and reserves. Our operational budget is at the 2010 budget level. Again, cuts have been made so that our church can thrive, not just survive.

2) While we do have 65% of our church volunteering, our kid’s ministry has taken a hit. Due to pregnancies, life-changes, people moving – we have lost over a dozen kids ministry volunteers. We need help in this area. I’m asking for 15 new kid’s ministry volunteers. Please consider serving once every six weeks. God is truly moving in this area of our church – and we’re seeing kids come to Christ and offered hope all the time.

Those are our challenges, and I feel confident that they will overcome them and that Christ will continue to be preached. With that in mind – here is what I believe God is calling us to do in 2012:

1) Volunteer/Missions – we always need more volunteers, but we also are sending mission teams to: Haiti, Peru, and Romania. Not only that, there are opportunities to serve in the community, through small groups and in the church. Please consider being a missionary. Ultimately we wan to reduce the amount of people who do not know in Barrow County and beyond (currently 92% of our community does not know Christ).

2) Prayer – as Jesus knelt in prayer and nurtured his spiritual vitality in Mark 1, so must we. There will be more emphasis than ever on prayer and a call for each of us to join together in prayer.

3) Small Groups – life happens in small groups. It is not a perfect place, but it is a place to learn, develop relationships and serve others. If our spiritual growth is based solely on Sunday morning worship – that would be the equivalent of trying to drive from Atlanta to Dallas with a half a tank of gas. Get involved in a small group starting in January.

4) Property – the YMCA has been gracious to us in allowing us to meet in their facility for free, but it is time that we stepped into our own place. This is not something that will happen overnight, but it is something we’re going to begin to work toward. My heart in moving our church is not so that we can say that “we have our own place” but to provide a larger and permanent venue so that we can reach more people. We’re going to begin working toward this by doing three things: 1) Prayer – please pray that God would provide a place and the resources; 2) Save – we have a line item in our budget for opportunities and obstacles; 3) Prepare – we are currently developing a team to help guide our efforts and determine what we can and cannot afford. They will be made up of me, a few Elders and other people in our church.

God has done great things – he is doing great things. As we read in Joshua 3:14-17, the people of Israel were facing a great barrier: the swollen Jordan river. They had experienced success, they were facing a challenge, and their purpose was before them (across in the Jordan was the promised land). They brought down the ark and the water parted, but here is what is most important: the water didn’t part until they put their feet in the river. I’m asking you to put your feet in the river with me – and watch do BIG things.

Soli Deo Gloria

??Welcome to Day 1 of the Prayer Challenge. For many of us prayer is not something that comes naturally – we simply may not know how to pray. Today we’re going to focus on a simple acronym that will assist you in prayer: ACTS

Each letter stands for a different aspect of prayer:

A – adoration: time that we spend worshiping God.
C – confession: confessing our sins to God.
T – thanksgiving.
S – supplication. Asking him for specific requests.

Try to focus your prayer time around these four components. Today – spend a few minutes concentrating on adoring God. Tell Him how good He is, how big He is and some of the great things He has done. When I think of adoring God Psalm 8 comes to mind – you may want to read it.

Our www.youversion.com passage of Scripture today is Matthew 6:5-13. Take a moment and read through the passage and maybe even pray the prayer.

Finally, please take a few moments and pray for the Barrow Ministry Village. Pray that God would bless this ministry, provide the resources, give the leaders wisdom and use this ministry to meet the needs of scores of people – and that they might come to Christ.

As always if you have a specific request, email me at chip@churchatriverhills.com and I will pray for you. Have an incredible day.

Chip

I have been extremely proud of our kids ministry. Over the last few months we’ve launched our new family worship experience called FX. If you haven’t participated in this – you’re missing out. Each month during FX parents and kids are introduced to key virtue that is the theme of our Kid’s Connection ministry during that particular month. The theme for November was gratitude (obviously). Knowing that my kids are learning about the virtues of gratitude, the importance of the gospel and the priority of Scripture memory is truly encouraging. We’ve been memorizing I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for your life in Christ Jesus.” Being able to ask me kids their memory verse and what they’re thankful for on our morning rides to school has been awesome.Kid’s ministry is not what the kids can learn at church, but the spiritual concepts we plant in their lives at home.

I’ve noticed on Facebook and Twitter posts that many people are participating 24 days of thankfulness: thinking of something that they are thankful for. As the month closes and Thanksgiving passes themes in Kid’s Connection will change and Christmas shopping will become the current trend in social media – yet – Paul reminds in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances.” Don’t forget that gratitude is a lifelong perspective that needs to be refreshed in the truth of Jesus’ great mercies.

One thing that I am thankful for is River Hills Church. God has blessed our socks off in the last year. We’ve baptized 40 people, grown by 1/3, overcome many challenges, started a new service – and the list goes on and on. This Sunday I will be doing a first in my ministry – I will be delivering a “state of the church” sermon. We’ll celebrate the distance we’ve covered and look forward to specific challenges and vision for 2012. DO NOT MISS THIS! I’m so excited about all that God is doing – has done – and will do.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! May the grace of God through his son Jesus along with the indwelling spirit produce an overwhelming heart of thankfulness in you and yours. Sola fide. Sola Scriptura. Sola gratia. Solo Christo. Soli Deo Gloria.

Prayer Challenge

One of the most important activities that a Christ follower and a church can be involved in is prayer. Starting Monday November 28 I’m challenging each person in our church to join me in a 21 day journey of prayer. Here is how it works:

1) Starting November 28 you will receive an email each morning with a short thought on prayer and a prayer focus for the day.
2) This will coincide with a prayer Bible study via youversion.com (will give details about that later).
3) We will end this 21 day celebration with a “concert of prayer” on Sunday December 11 (evening) with all those who participated in the challenge.

My heart for this challenge is that we individually go deeper in our walk with Christ, experience new depths in prayer and pray more as a church.

You will only get the email if you subscribe to the challenge. Once you subscribe you will get an email explaining the challenge in detail – this email will be sent out by November 27. You can subscribe in two ways:
1) On a connect card on Sunday morning.
2) Emailing me personally at chip@churchatriverhills.com

I hope you join me in this 21 day prayer experience. Excited about our journey together.

Chip

One of the most quoted passages of Scripture is Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This is an important text, but it has been used in a variety of different ways:

1) Some use it as a basis to stifle warranted critique and objections.

2) Other note this verse in advocating pluralism.

3) Still, some use it as a basis to declare tolerance.

But what does it really mean? Is it wrong to judge? How do we determine right from wrong, saved and unsaved? The ramifications of this verse and how one interprets it are critical.

The word “judge” comes from the Greek word “krino” and it implies a judgement that is almost synonyms with “condemning.” It also implies a critical spirit, condemning attitude and a overall judgemental lifestyle. Jesus is concluding a series of applications for the righteous life and that entails not to be one who is overly critical, condemning or always looking for the worst in people.

This bekons the question – “how do we judge”? Three thoughts:

1) Don’t condemn

2) Don’t have a critical spirit

3) Be discerning

We all have to judge. As a father I have to discern if my children know Christ as their Lord and Savior, if I assume that they do (when reality they do not) – then the ramifications of that assumption is paramount. When determining that which is false from that which is true, there has to be a massive reliance on Scripture, a prayerful heart, and self awareness (see Matthew 7:2). God calls us to judge, but not to have a critical spirit or condemning attitude – there is an extreme difference between the two.

After reading an article on the ministry of Joel Osteen and watching a video where he was affirming that Mormonism is a form of Christianity I tweeted the following:

Supporting Joel Osteen (or his books) is condoning a shallow, uninformed Christianity – stay away: http://t.co/vnJFJCvR #doctrine

If you know me, then you are aware that I hate dabbling in controversy. I stay away from politics and tend to be more concerned about unifying the body of Christ rather than pointing out division. After reading this article, however, I had to make that statement. As a pastor I am called to “shepherd” the flock. That means that part of my responsibility is to care for, feed, and nurture the church. This responsibility also means that I am to fend off and point out wolves. So here is the question: was I pointing out a wolf or just being mean? Here are a few reasons/thoughts for my tweet:

1)      Doctrine matters. Knowing and understanding truth from Scripture is of ultimate importance to Christianity as well as the believer. Unfortunately we live in a culture that insists on the absence of absolutes, and this affects the church. Instead of raising up truth, what it means, and how it changes us we are more concerned about the person and their feelings. Jesus, the apostles, Paul and others throughout the New Testament totally contradict that statement because they always valued the Truth of God more than the person. Why? Because they understood that the Truth was the only hope in saving, healing or ministering to the individual. If we corrupt that reality, then we refocus others away from Christ.

Do I believe that Osteen is doctrinally off base? YES. Several reasons:

He preaches a prosperity gospel: if we follow and do certain things health and wealth will come to us. That  is absolutely contradictory to the life of Jesus, John, Paul and scores New Testament believers. Believing this places our hope in what Jesus provides and not in Christ. Christ says “come to me and I’ll give you rest.” He didn’t say “come to me and I’ll give you health, all of your dreams and a nice car.” Satisfaction must be found in Christ. Check out this video for a better understanding: Properity Gospel

He affirms that there are other ways to heaven other than through Christ. We see this here: More Than One Way – unfortunately he is wrong by saying he should not judge. The Bible says that we should not “condemn” but we should be able to ultimately “determine” and “discern” whether someone is a follower of Christ or not. Eternity depends on it.

Finally, Mormonism is not Christianity. The Bible affirms that Jesus is God – the only God, the 2nd part of the Trinity. Mormonism does not. To say that Mormonism is Christianity just because they both say they follow Jesus is like saying that baseball players and football players play the same sport because there is a ball and they both run. Just doesn’t work. We need to pray for them, minister to them, be kind to them, and show them the gospel.

Finally, he never calls people to repentance. Salvation is necessary for repentance. Hope is contingent on salvation. So therefore, hope and repentance are linked.

2) Just because someone has a large church or others have been impacted in a positive way doesn’t mean that they are sound theologically. Remember – God used a donkey to speak to Balaam in the Old Testament, David an adulterer wrote the Psalms, Rahab a prostitute helped Israel, and the list goes on. All of them were called out on their sin and all of them were used by God. What does this mean? God determines – not us. There are scores of stories of pastors who have cheated on their wives, beat their kids, stole money, murdered people – whom God used to see people saved.

Finally,

3) If you are a leader and a pastor, like Osteen, you will face (from a Biblical point of view) a greater level of accountability and scrutiny. Osteen is preaching a Gospel that is watering down the message of Christ. Therefore, we would be wise to stay away. If we want to be motivated check out some Lou Holtz videos or go visit the man who lives in the van down by the river – but pastors should be more about sharing the Bible and its truth rather than motivating people to being more positive.

I was very strategic in this blog and the tweet. Why? Because I desperately want people to savor and experience the truth Gospel of Christ – our only hope.

Comments/dialogue are welcome.

This weekend is going to be incredible! Here are a few highlights:

1) Thursday night – 5-8 – Barrow Tailgate. Come out to Holly Hills for fun, food, and games. River Hills will be providing the bounce houses. Last year there were 1000’s of peeps!

2) Friday night – Battle For Barrow – Appalachee vs. Winder-Barrow – don’t miss it!

3) Sunday morning – launching our newest teaching series “This Is Your Story” – don’t forget to bring a friend, it is going to be an intense worship service.

4) Sunday night – 2-5 fall festival at the YMCA.

5) FX – family worship experience. If you missed the last FX – don’t miss this one. It will start at 5 p.m. at the YMCA. Bring friends and make sure you wear a costume!

Pray that God would use each of these events to expand His kingdom. Fired up!!!

Fall is my favorite time of the year. College football, cooler weather, colorful trees and vegetable soup. Yes I said vegetable soup. As the seasons change so do our eating habits and I love vegetable soup. Not only do I enjoy eating it, I like cooking it as well. Something about putting the right ingredients into the pot and allowing the aroma to fill up the home is like creating a masterpiece of culinary contentment.

I believe at River Hills Church we have the right ingredients in the “pot.” Our worship team is incredible (preforming at Faithfest this Saturday), kid’s ministry is exciting, two services, an incredible staff, a church that is welcoming and exciting, focused small groups, and the right congregational leadership all blends to make an irresistible gospel aroma in our community. I believe that God is calling us to turn up the heat and allow this body of Christ to reach beyond anything we’ve experienced.

I’m challenging River Hills Church to invite everyone you know to worship at 9:15 or 11 a.m. during the month of October. No gimmicks. No incentives. Just church. Our vision to bring truth and people together is ready to become an even greater reality. Please join me in connecting with the disconnected and see lives change. I’m praying that on October 30 we see the largest crowd we’ve ever experienced at River Hills. There will be no mail-outs, banners or crazy initiatives – just you and me bringing those we love most to experience the One who loves us (and them) even more.

Begin to invite, pray for and encourage everyone you know to join us during the month of October – can’t wait to see what happens.

Yesterday we launched our 2nd service, small groups and new student ministry – and it was incredible! We had one of our largest crowds ever and small groups kicked off with a bang! I am so excited about what is going to happen in the life of our church – but we cannot get complacent. I want to challenge everyone to invite as many people as possible to one of our two services during the months of September and October! My prayer is that we will in the near future have to start a 3rd service in order to free up space for more and more people. IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!

God is doing some great things in our church and I cannot wait to see what happens in the months to come! See You Sunday!