Day Three: June 2nd
As Christians, we are on a journey to become more and more like Christ in every area of our lives. The work of salvation is an indescribable transformation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17) that is graciously given us in a moment of prayerful surrender. The word early church fathers used to describe this is justification, and it means to be made right with God.
However, the moment of salvation is not the finishing line of our Christian walk. The opposite is actually true! It is only the starting point. As sons and daughters of God, we have so much to inherit and grow into on our journey with Christ. The early church fathers had a word for this too: sanctification. It’s a larger word that simply means the process of being made more like Christ. It’s the process Paul is alluding to in Ephesians 4:15.
While we are in fact made right with God in a moment, it will take a lifetime to allow His nature to become our nature in every part of our lives. As servants of Christ, no area is to be withheld from His leadership: not our marriage, self-identity, dreams, use of time, habits, health… or even our approach to generosity and our finances.
In Hebrews 12:2 it says, “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” There is a great principle hidden in that passage that would be easy to overlook if we were in a rush while reading this passage. Did you catch it?
Remember that Jesus is about to give a great gift. His gift is the most extravagant and generous gift this world will ever know: His perfect life being offered so that our imperfect lives may be redeemed. How could He do that?!? Part of the reason is revealed in Hebrews 12:2. It was “the joy set before Him” that gave Him purpose, strength, and follow through on that day He walked the road of calvary.
Jesus teaches us here that when we walk into seasons of generous sacrifice that we must not just see the act of sacrifice. We cannot focus solely on the “ask” we are faced with in the immediate. Think about the harvest. Think about the miracles on the other side of our communal generosity on Provision for the House weekend. Think about the great provision that God has promised for those who faithfully build His house.
As we step into this special weekend, let’s allow this season to make us more like Christ in the area of our generosity. Let’s not relegate our sanctification to only our worship, prayer life, or marriage… allow Christ to make you like Him in your dealings with finances, sacrifice, and generosity.
No farmer would dare sow a seed in the ground without first considering the harvest he intends on the other side of his planting season. His desired harvest determines the seed! Allow your desired harvest to determine your seed. Don’t allow your current circumstance to speak to your seed, but rather allow your seed to speak to your season!
Let’s believe and pray for a supernatural harvest this weekend as we come together believing for $650,000 over and above our tithes, offerings, and Wave Foundation commitments. Like Jesus at the cross, let’s think about the joy set before us this weekend. Let’s think about the harvest. Let’s think about the miracles. Let’s think about His supernatural provision!
Day Two: June 1st
Most of us have had countless interactions with LEGO toys over the years. Some have experienced the building process as young builders bringing your imagination into the physical world around you as you pieced those colorful plastic blocks together. Others have had the joy of being the parent who pried them out of your toddler’s mouth while simultaneously rebuilding the same set again and again and again when your five year old broke it to pieces during an aggressive play time.
Whether you’ve used LEGOs as a young engineer or as a parent, you’ll remember that moment of opening the box: hundreds and hundreds of technicolor pieces strewn across the building space. On their own, each piece seems small and seemingly insignificant. However, as you took part in the building process those same seemingly independent and unrelated pieces came together strategically to build castles, fire trucks, airplanes, and so much more. In much the same way, God is piecing together His church, and, through her, He is piecing together His salvation story for all mankind.
Paul was teaching the Corinthian church when he wrote,
“The body is a unit though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ… Now the body is not made up of one part but of many… The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable… but God has combined the members of the body… so that there should be no division in the body, but that it’s parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12,14,21-22, 24-27)
True, the context of this passage is spiritual gifts BUT it shines a great light on how the Bride of Christ is structured. In the plans and purposes of God, it is as if we each hold a LEGO piece in our hands. On its own, the piece looks out of place and simple. Yet when it is incorporated into the bigger plan, it serves an essential part in the completion of a great God breathed design.
As we approach our Provision for the House offering on June 5, see the bigger picture. Remember you are a part of God’s bigger plan. We will not reach our communal goal of $650,000 on a single Sunday unless we come together, unless we realize we are part of something Heaven is building. We are a church that is called to break down walls and bring answers, but it will not happen without our active participation. As we each bring our own faith filled, generous gifts on those days, let us remember that we are a part of a greater plan that God is building and we each have a role to play.
Did you ever have that moment when you were building a LEGO set all those years ago and you realized you couldn’t find that one piece? It meant the draw bridge couldn’t function. The bulldozer tread was unfinished. The police car had no windshield… unless the piece was found. On June 5, let’s all make sure that our own personal “piece” will not be missing when God begins constructing a great miracle for our church and for each of our lives!
Day One: Tuesday, May 31st
Wave Church is a growing church in love with God, life, and people. The key word in that last sentence is growing. We do not believe that we have arrived as a church. In fact, we’ve only just begun. 2016 will be a year of faithfully taking another step into the direction of all that God has called our faith community.
This year we are believing to raise $650,000 towards obtaining a permanent venue for our Richmond campus. While this Richmond campus is our main focus, this offering will also help with funding for our Seaboard Campus parking lot expansion and any finishing expenses for our new Norfolk Campus building. Ten percent of the funds raised during Provision for the House will be given to various local and global missions efforts. These efforts include building a home for orphans with Watoto Ministries in Uganda and helping establish our Chesapeake Campus. Like previous years, our giving to Provision for the House is over and above our tithes, offerings, and Wave Foundation commitments.
The prophet Isaiah was speaking prophetically to God’s people when he said in the 54th chapter of his book, “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” One of the consistent signs of health is growth. By God’s grace, we are not just a church in love with God, life, and people. We are a growing church! The weekend of June 5 will be a time of Wave Church enlarging. It will be a time of lengthening and strengthening what God has called us all to be a part of.
The great thing about being a part of a Kingdom venture is that it means you are also part of a Kingdom promise. The portion of Isaiah’s text that we read from earlier goes on to say, “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.” It should be noted that this is not a suggestion for the people of God but rather a command.
As we begin a fast today in faith for all God will do in our midst in just a few short days, may we all search our hearts and find it within ourselves and our finances to bring generous gifts to the house of God, gifts that do not harbor fear or doubt or shame. As we walk into God’s house this weekend and help our Richmond campus step into its next chapter, let us give with great faith, great joy, great boldness, and great expectation.
We are excited for the doors our generosity will open in these next few days! God is moving in Wave Church. We have seen tremendous growth; so much so that our Richmond family is in desperate need of a new property on which we can build a home of our own! A new service has been born in Chesapeake. Norfolk is constructing a new facility as we speak… Let’s enlarge our house! And through our giving, let’s stretch, lengthen, and strengthen our church’s ability to boldly preach the Gospel throughout the greater Richmond area.
