(I sent this to my leaders the other day and wanted to share it with you.)

I want to encourage you today….LET’S DREAM BIG!!

Check this out:

EPHESIANS 3:20

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

Let’s expect big things for SouthView and pray and believe God for them. Let’s be proud of what God is doing and speak like it. I know that I personally have a habit of making excuses to people sometimes (“Don’t come yet, we don’t have a building”, “Our worship isn’t right yet”, “We are still trying to figure out our service”,” We don’t have a fulltime Pastor”, “We don’t meet every Sunday”…etc etc etc). Isn’t it amazing that Jesus NEVER made excuses when He was on this earth. No matter the conditions or circumstances, he spoke and acted in power. No excuses were made when he didn’t have enough food to feed the 5000 people….he just MADE the food become enough. No excuses where made when Jesus was born in a lowly stable, and no excuses were made when David (just a young kid at the time) got up and defeated Goliath.

God doesn’t make excuses, He makes things happen. We need to have that same expectation and power going on in our lives on a daily basis. As Christian leaders, we can have the habit of making excuses because we aren’t “there yet”. Where exactly is “THERE” anyway? We will never be “there” as long as we walk on this earth, so let’s get out of that mindset of “I’ll be able to minister to my neighbor when I get my life right,” or “One day, when I get stronger in the Word, I will start to talk to my co-workers about Christ.”

I know the devil LOVES excuses. That’s how he gets the people of God to become useless. Most people think it’s the job of their Pastor to reach people for Christ. NOPE…it’s the job of all Christians to share God’s love with others and reach out.

God has challenged my thinking lately. I have a little battle in my mind pretty much everyday. I always seem to go back to my “little” thinking instead of thinking with the mind of Christ. I do believe in what God is doing here in our church. It’s something that will grow strong and make a BIG impact on this community. I know that God has big plans for SouthView, plans that will blow my mind! I’m already trusting and seeing what God’s going to do, before it’s done.

I’m believing God for 250 people to be in our church by next year….There I said it. It’s out there. I know that God desires people to be connected with others, so why wouldn’t He want people to come to church? I’m beginning to lose the “fear” of “numbers”. God wants us to believe for big things, since He is a BIG God. For that ridiculously comment of “it’s not about numbers” is about as stupid as saying it’s not about the money in regards to your job. Come on…it’s definitely about the numbers. God wants us to reach as many people as possible with the love and message of Christ. If we stay in our church with 50 people and never grow, where’s the life in that? The Word of God says “you will know them by their fruit”. I want people to know Mark Rampulla as a very fruitful person. I want people to know SouthView as a very fruitful church. I want people to see our leaders as very fruitful people.

I’m here to encourage you today….God has big plans and He’s looking for people with a Big heart and Big vision to help accomplish His goals. I want to be included in that list….what about you?

M