Have you ever...?

How is your witness?

Were you ever discipled by anyone?

Could you/Have you discipled another?

God commands that we be disciples of Jesus Christ and go to the nation in order to MAKE disciples.

You see, we are not simply to speak Christ's name into our hearts and become convinced our work is over.

Quite the opposite.

We are to recognize our sin and become so disgusted and utterly repulsed that we enter into a cleansing called Salvation. We're so humbled and amazed at the actions that took place on the cross that we choose to do the unthinkable...

We ask another (Christ) to take over our lives. We completely surrender control of our future in exchange for cleansing (forgiveness) and eternal life.

A Christian disciple is a follower of Christ, but one thing you must know is, the cost of following Jesus Christ is your life.

It will cost you everything.

It's at this point that our work begins.

Matthew 28:19, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."

Luke 9:23 also talks about us full out denying ourselves to follow Christ.

We're CHOOSING to follow Jesus and no one else.

We're CHOOSING to give up our old life.

We're CHOOSING to stop in our tracks, turn around and never look back.

We're CHOOSING a harder life in hopes of saving lives.

No one ever said this was going to be easy.

But the Bible does say time and time again that the world will HATE US for His name's sake.

It says we will be persecuted.

It says that we will have to be joyful in our long suffering.

It says for us to worship in our time of lament.

It says to witness and speak His name even if that means certain death.

So where does that leave many of us in our walk? Where are we, as individuals, in terms of getting the gospel to the nations? In the years that we've been saved, how many people have we lead to salvation by our witness or testimony?

10, 300, 1...none?

I'm guilty of this myself. There was this women I had met a few years back who literally made me question if I loved God as much as I thought I did.

We'd be having regular "girl chat" conversations about the weather, school, weekend plans, football, boyfriends, etc. But her conversational language was much different than mine. Her language oozed her love for Christ. She spoke His name in almost every sentence - and it was never to the point of boasting or doing it to make a point. There was such humility and gentleness in her speech that she made me wholeheartedly desire the love that she had.

She knew Christ differently than I knew Him. She had such an intimate relationship with Him and she mentored me to have the same. She taught me, encouraged me and prayed for me. She cultivated in me the heart of a disciple.

Let's make this a little more interesting.

What if I told you that you would have to endure part of the Tribulation?

What if Christians would be here when the Anti-Christ came to power?

Would our witness and discipling be strong enough to win the hardened hearts of the unsaved during the Tribulation?

Would you even know where to begin because you've never actually had the intense urgency to save someone from eternal damnation by simply talking about the only One you're commanded to love with all of your heart, soul and mind?

Like the book of James, I'm going to impress a call to action. We need to get the scripture to the streets, NOW!

Start a new ministry, make a new friend, talk to the people in the waiting room at the doctors office, talk to the doctor! EVERYONE needs Jesus Christ. Everyone needs to be saved from an eternity of torture and separation from God.

Now let me ask you a question.

Why does no one care anymore?

I know what you're thinking...I do care! We all care!

Then why aren't you screaming His name from the rooftops? Why aren't you telling absolutely every single person you meet how unspeakably in love with Jesus you are? Why can't you name one person you've witnessed to in the last 6 months? Why can't you name one person that you've ever lead to His presence?

Where's the urgency?

The problem is...we think we have time...

-Written by: Kayla Greer

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The Great Commission: Mark 16:15-18

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We are R.E.A.C.H.

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 We are R.E.A.C.H.
We have been convicted by the New Testament writings in Acts about how the first century church looked and functioned, and therefore, R.E.A.C.H. was born.
We desire a purer teaching of scripture based solely on the word of God, and not the confines of a covering.
We seek more direct missions and outreach by rolling our sleeves up and doing it ourselves.
We empower and equip people to be powerful leaders in their own rights in order to efficiently reach a world so desperate for the truth of Jesus Christ.

Below is a list of why we chose a home-based church ministry and the correlating verses.
This is the website where we received much of this information.

1. Churches typically met in homes.  (Acts 2:46-47; 5:42; 8:3; 12:12; 16:40; 20:7-8; 20:20; Rom.16:3-5; 1Cor.16:19; Col.4:15; Philemon 2; 2Jn.9-11)

2. When the number of believers outgrew a home, a new church was formed. (Rom.16:3-5; 14-15; Acts 2:41-47)

3. There were no denominations; instead there was one church in each city, meeting in various homes. (Acts 8:1; 11:26; 18:22; Rom.16:1; 1Cor.1:2; Rev.2:1; Col.4:16; 1Thess.1:1; Rev.2:12; 3:7; 3:1; 2:8; 2:18)

4. Elders were local brothers who arose from within a local church where their life and character were known. (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5)

5. Church meetings were participatory and interactive – every member had a function and contribution to make. (1Cor.12:4-27; 14:26; Eph.4:15-16; Rom.12:3-8; 1Pet.4:10-11; Heb.10:23-25; Rom.12:15; 1Cor.12:26)

6. Church meetings were characterized by informality, flexibility, and spontaneity. (Acts 20:7-12; 1Cor.14:26-31)

7. The goal of the meeting was mutual edification. (1Cor.14:3,4,5,12,17,26; Eph.4:11-12,16; Heb.10:24-25)

8. The church was led by a plurality of co-equal Elders. (Acts 14:23; 20:28; Phil.1:1; 1Tim.4:17; Heb.10:17; James 5:14; 1Pet.5:1-2)

9. The church was cared for by a team of pastors who were accountable to each other and the church; they were also known as elders or overseers. No one elder functioned as the head of the church. (Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5-7; 1Pet.5:1-2)

10. Some elders might be financially supported, but they were usually bi-vocational (1Tim.5:17-18; Acts 20:33-35)

11. There was no clergy/laity distinction in the church – all the members comprised a fully functioning priesthood. (Heb.13:15-16; 1Pet.2:5,9; Rev.1:6)

12. The Lord’s Supper was observed as often as the church regularly gathered and was the stated purpose for their meetings. (Acts 20:7; 1Cor.11:18-20,33)

13. The Lord’s Supper was observed as a full meal. (Acts 2:42,46; 1Cor.11:20-21; Jude 12)

14. The Lord’s Supper was observed with glad and sincere hearts as the church not only reflected on Christ’s death, but also on the future marriage supper of the Lamb which it depicted. The believer’s horizontal relationship with other believers was emphasized. (Acts 2:46; Luke 22:15-18,30; 1Cor.11:26; Acts 2:42; 1Cor.10:16)

15. New believers were baptized as soon as it was humanly possible. (Acts 2:37-41; 8:12; 8:36-38; 9:17-18; 10:45-48; 16:31-34; 19:5)

16. Baptism was performed by any Christian. (Jn.4:2; Acts 8:12; 8:36-39; 9:18; 22:16; 1Cor.1:17)

17. The church was not always present when someone was baptized. (Acts 8:12; 8:36-39; 16:31-34)

18.Various brothers taught the church, and allowed the congregation the opportunity to question them and/or add their own insights. (Acts 20:7; 1Cor.14:29-35)

19. The church gave primarily to relieve the poor and assist Christian workers, often beyond their means; they had very little if any administrative expenses. (Acts 2:44-45; Gal.6:9-10; 1Jn.3:17; 1Tim.5:17-18; 1Cor.9:6-14; 2Cor.8:3; Phil.4:15-18; Lk.12:33-34; Eph.4:28; James 1:27)

20. Believers gave voluntarily as God had blessed them and they had purposed in their heart; tithing was not carried over into the NT church. (2Cor.8:3-4; 9:7)

April 19th, 2015

Last week my family and I took a much-needed vacation to Florida. The best part of it...?

Our dedicated and devoted church family met in our absence, and had an AMAZING time of fellowship. They had a chance to connect one-on-one and Rick Frederick lead out in the teaching.

This morning we had a subtly divine worship service.

Once again, we added yet another beautiful family to our fellowship time and it was an incredible morning.

My wife recently became friendly with our newest neighbors, and it turns out they are a ministry family searching for a building to start their own church. They were receptive to our church family, and we are certain they will be life long friends.

God gave both our families a vision of having 'church' in the middle of our cove!
It was wonderful to share dreams and visions...and we're so excited to see what God is going to do with our hunger.

This morning we discussed our focus. We ought to focus on Loving God and Loving His people. If we are true to these two commandments, all other areas of struggle will fall into place.

Other members brought up different aspects of love and how we need to humble ourselves in order to reach more. We talked about different facets of outreach and how to volunteer and mentor to make disciples.

Our morning was supernatural, edifying, exciting and FULL of love! Our members are excited to come together, and even more excited to go out!

God has been so good to us, and we're humbled.

Pray for increase. Pray for able, willing and teachable hearts. Pray for the impossible.

We love Florida too!

#LoveGodLovePeople

Resurrection Sunday

This was the first Easter (first holiday, period!) we spent together as R.E.A.C.H.!

It was incredible! Our church body was all dressed in their Easter Sunday best and we had the privilege to share our morning with two very recent additions to our church family! They are a beautiful young couple with a driving passion to do the work of Christ!

They add a necessary edge to our church family and we're blessed to have them!

The other precious family that worships with us brought their mother to our resurrection celebration, and we felt absolutely complete!

We all feel like we're standing on the edge of a supernatural awakening, and we're ready to go! We've been given marching orders and we're getting dressed for battle!

More outreach opportunity is coming quickly, and we need more hands! Let's reach the people with the truth of Jesus Christ...He didn't die just for us...He died for ALL! For them...

Be watching for the men's Bible study we'll be starting up soon, and remember our women's study 'Judgemental Stones that Destroy Women' on Friday nights!

#freedomdivine
#theVEILwasTORN

Women's Bible Study THIS Friday

(This is a re-post from kaylaagreer.blogspot.com)

I'm beyond excited to be starting up a new women's Bible study this Friday night in our home.

Friday, March 27th @6pm -please email me kaygreer87@yahoo.com or find my husband on Facebook for more info (Matt Greer).
This Bible study is going to be different. Yes, we're going to study the Word, but I'll be revamping what it means to meet together as women. I'll be redefining our roles, our relationships and the way we communicate.

We will be looking at Judgemental Stones what Destroy Women, and this Friday we'll be discussing the 'BFF Stone'. You're not going to want to miss this!

Other Stones we'll be looking at:
The Stone of Self-Judgement that isn't Reality
The Stone of Calling Hurtful Statements, 'Honesty'
The Stone of Assuming and Not Knowing
The Comparative Stone
The Equality Stone

I'll be combining a lot of these for times sake, but all are important to womanhood and we'll search each one throughout the next 6 weeks!
I pray that your heart is being prepared for this study, as mine has been broken for it.
I'll see you Friday!

Frustrations Of A Father

Ever since I have had the opportunity to own a vehicle, I have tried to keep it clean and looking nice. A shiny car always looks newer, and it just makes me feel better driving a nice clean car.

After all of the snow, ice, salt, etc. from the past couple of weeks, the vehicles were in need of a good scrub down. So I jumped on the first opportunity to do so.

After getting everything set up, I lined the cars in the driveway. Much to my inconvenience, my 2 and 3 year old were wanting me to go jump on the trampoline with them. I kept trying to encourage them to jump without me, but to no avail. My wife tried to encourage the same turning to me and saying, "they just want to spend time with you".
I have never been one to mix work and play, so any time the boys 'help', I just end up becoming frustrated and upset with them.

Nevertheless, I let them out to help, and the inevitable chaos ensued. I promise you, when little boys get around water they grow extra hands just to cause more trouble. There were so many tiny hands in the bubbles, and all of the wash rags went straight into the muddy puddles. There was running and splashing; along with the clean areas being dirtied again. The faster I tried to work, the more spots I was missing.

My clean soapy water kept getting lower and dirtier each time the boys dunked their rags in it.
I was so frustrated that I was about to send them both inside, and then it hit me. Actually, God hit me. Right upside the head. Just like all of those times I was acting up in church and thought I was out of the reach of my father.
He reminded me that there are hundreds of thousands of dad's who would give everything they own for their child to ask to spend some time with them. So many fathers who ache just to see their child one last time. Here I was, being frustrated by my boys for simply being boys. I wasn't willing to enjoy their laughter and rowdiness while I have them by my side.

All of the extra work and all of the missed spots seemed to fade from my mind when I began to think of what my heavenly Father must feel like when dealing with us. I read into the frustration that Jesus had with the disciples on many occasions. Either for their lack of faith, their inability to stay awake and pray, their fear or their simple lack of understanding.

I wonder if Jesus was ever ready to throw in the towel, send them on their way and do it Himself?
I wonder if He ever questioned His Father, if all of the extra work and all of the repetitive teaching was really doing any good at all. It seemed as if they would never get it because their agendas of being the greatest in the kingdom was always in the front of their mind.

Before this time with my boys, I had always wondered why He uses us. I could never figure out why He would take all of the extra time to deal with the frustration of our lack of obedience and faith, instead of just destroying the earth all together.

It had never made any sense until those two filthy, soaking wet boys came running up to me. With the biggest smiles on their faces, they yelled, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Now I know, and now I understand.

You may see me driving around town in a shiny, black SUV with dirt spots down along the side. You may wonder why I would take the time to hook up the hose, fill the buckets, get the rags, scrub down the car, and yet, not get it completely clean.
To this I would have to say, "because each one of those imperfections remind me that my children love me, and want to spend time with ME more than anything in the world."

This is what our heavenly Father desires of us, as well. That no matter what this world throws at us, we would always choose Him over it all. Not because we have to, or because we know that's what He'd like us to do...but because we WANT to. Because we can't get enough of His presence. Because being with Him is better than anything else in the world.

650 PROJECT has Begun!

What a truly AWESOME day we had yesterday together at R.E.A.C.H.!

We all gathered at our home to prepare, and then hit the streets after a word of prayer for our safety and the hearts of those we'd encounter.

With our blessing bags in tote we sought out those living on the streets of Memphis. We met some really incredible men!
One, in particular, has a ministry of his own helping the other homeless men, and visiting them to encourage them EVEN though he's homeless himself!
The men were touched and gave us great information on other homeless people in Memphis that needed our help!

It struck a chord with our youth that participated. They got to see, first hand, what compassion looks like. NOT from us...but from those who had nothing. They were willing to give and do more than we could ever dream of doing. These men admitted they made mistakes, and they were humbled by the life they had led.

Another man told us that the media likes to put out that there are only roughly 250some homeless men and women in the Memphis City Metro. He said, in fact, there are between 2,300-2,500.

Even though those numbers are heartbreaking, we are encouraged. We are burdened to do more, to go further and to reach the multitudes!

We are not going to give the names or locations of these men, specifically for their safety, but if you would like to help please contact me through Facebook or bygrace17@yahoo.com

We need workers. The fields are right for the harvest and we're ready to go! We're here to go, to love and to watch His truth set people free!

#handsANDfeet
#time2lovesome1
#650PROJECT
#TheChurchIStheStreets

650 PROJECT

R.E.A.C.H. Ministries Outreach

There are approximately 650,000 people within the city limits of Memphis.

As Sunday rolls around, only 23% of Memphians are walking through the doors of an organized religious establishment.
This includes home churches, all denominations and non Christian places of worship.

This leaves approximately 487,500 people *admitting* they do not attend church for various reasons.
I believe this number to be much higher, especially in Memphis.

Example: a neighborhood church group knocks on your door Saturday morning. They want to know if you attend church anywhere...
Or, even better...a Jehovah's witness knocks and starts their script. You don't normally attend church... ever... so you tell them you already have a home church and you politely send them on their way.

Many people lie about attending a church just to be left alone. Therefore, this is why I believe the number to be much higher than the polls project.

The 650 PROJECT is aimed at trying to reach those who are tired of the questions, tired of religion, tired of Jesus being presented in a 2 minute 'sinner's prayer' with a guy in a suit they don't even know. Our goal is to go where the people are and connect on a level they desire. What better way to reach a desperate world then going directly to the hurt and trying to understand things from their point if view. We're on their turf, on their terms, where they're most comfortable.

No more will we be comfortable to invite the lost into our cozy churches only knowing they more than likely will never show up. Even if they do, we tell them we're glad they came and we'll be praying they return...all the while knowing they never will.
We're seeking active relationships with struggling people knowing God is going to bring about remarkable outcomes!
No more sitting in our churches or homes.

We're hitting the streets, and we're putting our faith to the test.

Let's reach the 650+ thousand people of Memphis with some hardcore truth. Let's physically put Bibles.... not just tracts... but the entire Word of God into their hands. Let's live like Jesus did and seek the hurt of this city knowing that Christ is the only healer!

Let's win back Memphis with love!

R.E.A.C.H. Ministries Outreach

Women's Bible Study

I am so excited to announce the first Bible study I'll be leading out as part of R.E.A.C.H. ministries! This study will focus on women and how to become better at the roles we were given by God. We are going to dig deep into Titus, Proverbs and most of the New Testament in order to reveal what God says about our gifts, talents and how we ought to encourage each other.

Our main focus is going to be Judgements that we don't always necessarily see as judgements. I'll be sharing funny moments, embarrassing times and stories of struggle from my own life, and I will encourage any woman who comes to do the same.

I'm praying for open conversation where each woman feels safe and protected. A study time every week where she cannot wait to come and be with other women who love her and want to build her up in the name of Christ. I have been in non-stop prayer over this study God's preparing me for, and for every woman who should decide to attend.

Over the past two years my heart has been burdened for Women's Ministry. I've gone through struggles of my own which broke and shaped my heart for the journey my Lord has lead me to now. I never thought in a million years I'd be called into women's ministry, and even questioned God if I was able.
Through a couple bold prayers, and some more character-shaping journeys, God revealed a fierce Word in my heart. I'm overwhelmed and humbled, and I'm ready to share what God has shown me!

I challenge you...If you are not part of a women's group/study to come see what we're doing! What an amazing time we set aside for each other and God's word, solely for the purpose of knowing Him and each other better.

So now that you're hungry for this super awesome, knock your socks off Bible study...(!!!)...
WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE?

Friday, March 27th from 6-7pm
@our home (email me for more info: kaygreer87@yahoo.com)
We will meet for 6 weeks every Friday going until May 8th (we'll skip a week in April)

I pray that you'll come! You'll be blessed!

-Kayla G.

God Celebration

Fellowship after service. Always a good time:)

What a mighty God we serve!  And what an amazing day of worship we had together as a church body. It literally felt like we were having a party in the name of Christ.

Our young people sharing the Word.

We talked about counting the cost of salvation and how to live more like Christ commanded we ought to live.
We even started going through our favorite scripture passages and sharing how much it meant to our daily walk. God was moving and everyone felt the love in the room.

We ate, shared and organized new outings. We are so encouraged by what God is doing with our humble ministry. We never expected such amazing relationship and wildly pure worship of our King.

Our baby Asher passed out from all the fun.

We ask for prayers for our ministry and the work God has called us to do. We are stepping out in complete faith, and we are doing what most only dream of doing. We are going out to
love God's people...

Pray we have the words to say.
Pray for our safety.
Pray that we are able to make a difference.
Pray that our hearts stay humble and our mission stays focused!

We'd love for you to help. More details to come. For more info message me on Facebook.

Our children are part of our service time. This gives them foundation and interaction with the whole Word of God.

#time2lovesome1

#TIME2LOVESOME1

Who's ready to be the literal hands and feet of Christ?

R.E.A.C.H is doing just that by reaching out to our local homeless men and women who are literally in our backyard. Our church has decided to make 'Blessing Bags' to take to the people living in tents and begging on the corners of our busy streets.

Our goal isn't just to get the necessary supplies to our local homeless community... we want to form relationships, disciple and offer lasting help and support to these people.  It's time to love someone and that's exactly what we're going to do.

We will soon be rolling out the '650 PROJECT' which ties in with our outreach projects.

Stay tuned! 

Feb 22nd Recap

What an exciting day we had yesterday. Our precious church family arrived and we got right into the meat of the Word.
We started by discussing our week, and my wife lead out in a small worship time. We then got into our teaching on End Times, ISIS, the four horsemen and what it all means to us.

We were all encouraged by the conversation and the desire that everyone had to contribute. My wife will soon blog about End Times and her findings. It's something you're not going to want to miss!!

After fellowship, we broke for lunch. We ate, laughed, ate some more and simply enjoyed each others company. We even had the privilege of having Mrs. Christal's red velvet cake!! Yum!
Our fellowship went late into the evening, and like last week, we didn't want to part ways. It's absolutely amazing how turning back to the Biblical New Testament church makes people change how they view church and what it means to assemble and enjoy the company of other believers.

We organized outreach projects, Bible studies and so much more that we will be unrolling soon!  If your interest is peeked, if your heart is pricked or if you're simply feeling convicted... we'd love to invite you to see what R.E.A.C.H is all about! Our Bible studies are open to everyone, as well as our outreach projects.

We pray that God revealed Himself in your worship time yesterday as He did ours. If you'd like more info on R.E.A.C.H please find me on Facebook @Matt Greer.

Be blessed & eat cake!

Re-purposed People

Picture Credit

DIYers all over the world love to take something of seemingly little value and create something with a new purpose and of greater value. Whether it is an old tv cabinet or a broken wooden pallet; we all love to watch the transformation of some old worn out item into a priceless work of art! I guess the old saying still rings true "One mans trash is another mans treasure".

Picture Credit

2 Cor. 5:17 explains that once a life has been entrusted to God, the old man has been transformed to a new life with a new purpose and a fresh beginning. When the grace of God is poured out on a life whose world has been shattered, they are forever changed. Whether it is a wife who has suffered abuse at the hands of a drunken husband, a child who has been abandoned by a single mother or man whose wife just left him for his best friend are all able to be re-purposed so that they might see their greater value.

Many people will travel the world over in search of things to cover their scars or to help them forget their pain but they will never find it. Many will seek the arms of a stranger or an old flame to try to be reminded of their worth, but they will never find their true sense of worth and purpose in this world. It must be found in the One who gave His life so that we might have life as is spoken of in John 10:10.

Whether your heart has been hardened by countless years of abuse and ridicule, or if you are just in search of something better...God is simply waiting for you to turn complete control of your life over to Him. He requires you to sacrifice everything so that He can give your life meaning and purpose.
Romans 12:1-2 explains that we need to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God and to allow Him to transform us and renew our mind.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that we are no longer the lord of our life, but we have been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ and our new life should bring glory to God.

We cannot allow the devil or the world to remind us of our history. Once we have been transformed, we have been re-purposed. Our life is now of endless worth and we have been given a higher purpose.

Feb 15th's Praises!

We had such an amazing day of worship this morning! Our home became a place of worship as some incredible people filtered in bringing food and love. Our boys ran around and entertained everyone for a little while, which filled our home with an overwhelming joy and sense of family.

After while, we gathered in the living room for worship. We all had the opportunity to share how God revealed Himself to us over the course of our week, and we were in awe when we realized our encounters all connected in some way.
It was wonderful to sing God's praises in unison, and to feel His Spirit fill our humble space.

We got into our teaching which was about the sacrificial cost of discipleship. We discussed how we ought to trust God with our finances when were called to step out in leaving jobs, places of worship, etc.
We are called to live a life of simplicity as talked about in Matthew 6:25-34.
The world will make lists of "things" you need, however, God has clearly called us to a life of simplicity. 

We had the privilege of one man sharing something he had studied about trials, and how they aren't always bad. Sometimes trials are good in order to teach us something. We learn humility in times of blessings and abundance, and all good trials are learning tools that are given to us in order to shape our character. This all allows our lives, money and  homes to be tools for God to use to further His kingdom.

This ISNT us, but this IS what we look like. Picture Credit

After our fellowship time, we prayed and never even realized that TWO HOURS had passed. We had been so swept away by the Holy Spirit that time literally became irrelivant.
We continued on to lunch where we laughed, told stories and played with our children. It was warm and intimate and everything God intended the church body should be!
Our fellowship continued late into the afternoon, and here is where something amazing happened...

No one wanted to part ways.

We were so satisfied just being together that we weren't worried with our schedules or chores or TV shows that we may have been missing. Some were ready to settle in for a nap with our boys...and we would have been just fine with that:)

We believe this is what God intended His Sabbath to be like. A day of rest, singing praises to His name and loving one another in His name.

If you did not have an experience like this, this morning...and would like to have this experience. We encourage you to try REACH. We'd love to have you!

Pictures will come soon. Until then, be blessed. God is everywhere.

City Serve Camp 2015

                                                                                                                                                                       
It's camp time again!

REACH loves City Serve and we are excited to go back for the second year! We're looking for students 6-12th grade to come with us for a week long camp.
We will serve this city and share God's love through rebuilding outreach projects. We will seek God and connect with other students in the city through our worship times together everyday.

$175 Per-student
May 31st - June 4th, 2015
To sign up to go with REACH, please contact Pastor Matt: bygrace17@yahoo.com
Mrs. Kayla: kaygreer87@yahoo.com
Or through this blog or facebook (Matt Greer)


View Flyer here:
http://mygrove.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/City-Serve-Camp-Flyer-Samantha.pdf

Sign up today! Let's REACH out to our community!

Take the Scales Off (Part 2)

A couple days ago I talked about how bold Jesus was when He spoke, and how particular He was about the faith and integrity of those people who called themselves "Christ-followers".

Today I'm going to focus on the choice to become a Christ-follower, and what most don't understand about what's required to make that choice.

Let's look at Luke 14.
Here, again, we see Jesus with a crowd of people! They gathered from all over, just like in Matthew13, and they wanted to hear Jesus speak.

Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." (HCSB)

Here's a fun little scenario of what I would imagine the dialogue to be between Jesus and His disciples:)

Jesus - "You gotta hate yourself, your wife, your kids, your family...orrrr you can't follow Me. Ohhh yea, and...you gotta take up your cross and carry it. Okay? Great, thanks!" 
Disciples - "Jesus, what are you doing, man? You can't tell people they've gotta hate their families and themselves. What's this deal with carrying stuff?"
Jesus - "Funny, you guys still don't get it, do you?"
Disciples - "Maybe just explain it some more..."
Jesus - "k."

He goes on in Luke 14:28-30 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?" (HCSB)
 
Do we really want to spend all this money to build something that we'll never be able to finish because we werent willing to count the cost to begin with?
He doesn't want us quitting half way through. He doesn't want us to say, "well I didn't know how hard this was going to be...I didn't know how much I'd have to believe and sacrifice and do, I didn't know 'I Do' meant forever....I DIDN'T KNOW THE COST"

Jesus didn't want people in the crowd because everyone else was doing it. He didn't want people to build their faith in Him half way and then decide that it was too costly to finish!
We have far too many half way Christians out there and it's time we finish what we've started!

True Christ-followers, who have built their faith and counted the cost of sacrificing all for His Name's sake need to be seeking the "half wayers". We need to be mentoring, encouraging, teaching, disciplining these people into full faith.
The churches and number seekers need to STOP dumbing down the sacrifice Christ requires in order to be His follower! People need to understand up front what they're getting into!

Picture Credit

We don't want to buy a car that we're told is amazing, brand new, only 20,000 miles and has a new paint job -- only to get it half way home; it breaks down, the sticker falls off and it really has 200,000 miles, the paint peels off and then it explodes.
"Half wayers" are like this. They are sold a lie that all Jesus required is for you to recognize your a sinner, repent and believe. Even though this is true, where is the conversation about total loss of self? Sacrifice of your current lifestyle, making other believers as we're commanded, full commitment and fidelity to our spouse, honesty, integrity, upholding of the Word of God, loving others as yourself...etc, etc.

You get the picture.

People get half way in and they say, "I thought you only said I had to believe and repent...I didn't know I was signing up for all this. It's too hard for me."

They end up walking away because we haven't finished our job as disciples. We count our next salvation on our statistic sheet for next years church calendar and we're done with them.
When's the last time someone checked in on your faith?
All of our faith wavers at different points in our life. Do you have a body surrounding you who is more than a body...more like a family. A family who will walk with you and uphold you in your struggle in building your tower for the Lord.

That's what we do here @REACH. We want to see finished towers...we want to see people pick up where they left off and have enough dignity to start the building process again.

#takethescalesoff (Credit)

#TAKETHESCALESOFF