-I Hope More People Leave Our Church-

A family is leaving our church.  And honestly, I’ll be glad when they’re gone.

In 2 weeks, the Davidson family is leaving REVO church, and I can’t wait for them to go.  Yea, I called them out specifically on the internet.  It’s my blog, what are you going to do about it?  I’ve got 1 word for it:

“Winning.”

In 2 weeks, this family begins a journey to Salerno, Italy, to be a part of a church plant there.  Less than one half of one percent of that country knows Jesus (that’s 0.05% for you number people), and this family is leaving EVERYTHING they have to go there and tell people about Jesus.  I’ve got 2 words for that:

“Live Sent.”

In 2 weeks, a family will put into practice what we have been trying to teach, preach, and challenge people to do for the 3 years our church plant has been worshipping Jesus in this city.   I’ve got 3 words for that:

“Set the Example.”

In 2 weeks, a family will set into motion a strategy that will land them on the other side of the world, speaking a different language, with 2 kids under the age of 5, driven by an overwhelming desire to do whatever it takes to get people far from God into a relationship with Him through Jesus.  I’ve got 48 words for that:

“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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In 2 weeks, our church has the opportunity to send out a family to the ends of the earth.  We have the opportunity to support them financially, spiritually, emotionally, and strategically.  We get to partner with them in life, ministry, and in the most significant calling that anyone on this earth has ever heeded.  I’ve got 2 words for that:

"Who's Next?”

Easter: Grab a Corner

Mark 2:1-3: "And when Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And Jesus was preaching the Word to them. And they came, bringing to Jesus a paralytic carried by 4 men."

Four men heard that there was an opportunity to see and hear Jesus around their city.  Their thought and goal became simple: identify someone that needs to be changed by Jesus, and ban together to get that person to Jesus.  These men brought someone to Jesus that needed to be changed, and they would not allow ANYTHING to stand in their way.

Will you let anything stand in your way of getting someone to Jesus this week?

Easter: Get Focused

Luke 9:51- "As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."

Easter is only 7 days away.  7 DAYS!  So it's time to focus.  It's time to start focusing our prayers on specific things leading up to this incredible Sunday.  As you fast this week, have a sharp focus on hearing from God and being obedient to what He is asking you to do this week.  Here are a few things to think about.

1.  God, who do I need to invite with me on Sunday?

2.  God, who do I need to follow up with that I've already invited and haven't heard from?

3.  God, who is someone that I haven't seen in a while that needs an invite to come back?

4.  God, where is their "low hanging fruit" around me that I can capitalize on and share the Gospel with BEFORE Sunday?

5.  God, what do I need to do to be prepared to hear from you on Sunday so that I can continue to experience life change through Jesus?


Let's commit to focus on the road ahead of us, and be obedient when God answers these questions and brings people to our minds that need Jesus.

-Jesus Doesn't Forgive and Forget-

You’ve got 30 seconds to open up your Bible and find the passage where Jesus coined the common idea of “forgive and forget.” Ready, set, go!

Found it yet? No? Wanna know why? You guessed it - its not there!

This may be the verse people are talking about: “I, I am he who blots out your transgression for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25).

Now wait a minute . . . isn’t that pretty straight forward? I mean, doesn’t the text say verbatim, ‘I will not remember your sins’? Sure, that’s what the translation says. But remember that sometimes cultural, social, and even grammatical details can be lost in translation. Let’s look at the original text to find out what God is really saying to Isaiah.

The Hebrew word for remember is 'zahkhor.' Despite the English definition meaning ‘recalling something past’, the Hebrew word means ‘actively focusing the mind upon something in the present.’ What God is really saying here is not ‘I can’t remember’, but more along the lines ‘I will choose not to remember.’ God will not focus on your sins in the present day once you ask forgiveness. It’s not that God is incapable of remembering something; He just chooses not to bring it back up. It’s almost like saying, ‘Let’s just act like this didn’t happen and move on.’ God is willing to forgive you of your sins and move on (despite being very aware of your past and the many times you have disobeyed him). Sometimes the grace of God is unexplainable, and we just have to accept it.

That is the amazing thing about the Gospel. When we ask God for forgiveness, he forgives our sins, but he does not forget what we did in the past. If you believe God forgets things, then you have pigeonholed the Creator of the universe as nothing more than a nice guy with short-term memory loss. God chooses to give you grace and mercy and eternal life - NOT because he has forgotten every wrong thing you have ever done, but because He loves you that much. Forgiveness always costs somebody. It’s not like your sins just disappeared into thin air as soon as you said a prayer. Your sins were paid for through a sacrifice that cost God His only Son. Sometimes the grace of God is unexplainable, and we just have to accept it.

Instead of “forgive and forget,” let’s change the motto to “remember and forgive.” Remember what God has done for you. Remember how God forgives you of your sins and separates your transgressions from you. Remember how God has forgiven you, and go and do likewise. 

Remember and forgive.

-3 Questions that a Mobile Church Answers-

Every week, our staff and volunteer leaders send out an email to our volunteers telling them 2 things: the "what" and the "why."  What are we doing this week at REVO, and why are we doing it?  Here is the email that Chase Lambert, REVO's executive pastor sent out this week.


Hi Team,

When I go to other churches or hang out with people from other churches they ask a lot of questions about REVO. There are a few questions I hear more often than others.

I want to share these questions and how I answer them with you:

Question: "Aren't you tired of moving those heavy boxes around?"

Answer: No. #1. I've got a great team of volunteers to help carry the load. #2. We're rollin'! Everything is on wheels, so it's easy.

Question: "How do you get all of that stuff done every week?"

Answer: Volunteers. We have 15 people on Strike Force setup team and we work for 4 hours... how many hours did we just work? (The answer is 60 hours!) That's a full work week with double overtime! 

Question: "Why do ya'll do it that way?"

Answer: Life Change! When we pour our time and efforts and resources into people rather than property lives are bound to change.

In September this team put 304 hours into sparking a revolution of life change through Jesus. WOW! You people rock! By setting up a distraction free environment we are making Jesus the center of attention. When we tear the roof off and get our friends to Jesus, their lives will be changed! 

Question: How do you spark a revolution of life change through Jesus? 

Answer: ASK A VOLUNTEER AT REVO!!!

REVO Family Meeting, August 2012

1.  ELDERS AT REVO
The government structure at REVO Church is based on an "Elder Lead, First Among Equals" leadership model.  That means that the Lead Pastor (Pastor Nathan) is the leader of the elder team and leads and directs the church.  The Elder team, which consists of our three other pastors and other elder leaders, guide (from the macro-management level) and oversee the implementation of the vision and mission that God has given Pastor Nathan.  As a staff we have been praying that God would call out and equip men in our city to serve as elders.  After a long vetting process and much prayer, we are excited to announce that Stephen Lockwood will be serving as our first non-pastor elder at REVO.

The biblical qualifications for being an elder are lofty, and the other areas that are specific to the expectations of our church are also intense.  Please pray for Stephen and his family as he steps into this role and helps lead and guide our church as we strive to spark a revolution of life change through Jesus.
For more information on the qualifications and expectations for being an elder at REVO Church, email info@discoverREVO.com.

2.  BIG GROWTH!
God is doing some great things at REVO.  We have seen some great growth over the past 12 months, and even had a spike in attendance over the summer months.  We are constantly reaching 70-80% capacity in our 11:00 worship experience.  To ensure that we are prepared for what God wants to do next, we are striving to take proactive steps to ensure that as many people as possible can hear the Gospel at REVO Church.  

Here are a few of the areas that we are working on:
A.  We are reconfiguring our set-up on Sunday morning to put as many seats as possible in the auditorium.
B.  We are praying over starting a second A.M. service to add to our 2 current services to expand our seating capacity.
C.  We are constantly searching for new facilities to buy/lease that would set us up for future growth and help us to see the mission and vision realized.

If you are All-In at REVO, here is how you can help!
A. When you get to REVO on Sunday morning, sit as close to the front as you can and try not to leave empty seats open.  Our guests tend to come in right before the worship experience starts, so having seats open at the back will make their first time in the auditorium smooth and stress-free.
B. If you aren't serving on Sunday morning, GET SIGNED UP!! The need is huge.  When we start our second A.M. service, we will be offering rWorld (our children's ministry) at both services.  We need people to get plugged in so that kids and families can continue to be loved, equipped, and pointed to Jesus!
Thank you in advance for sacrificing so that we can get the bride to the groom!

3.  ANNUAL REPORT 
We published our 2011-2012 annual report on Sunday.  Our fiscal year goes from July-June, so our annual report will be published every August.  

We publish this report for a few reasons:
A. To be 100% transparent with our finances.  We want everyone to know where the money is spent, what percentages are being used for various areas, and how God is using our generosity to change this city
B. To celebrate the past year, but to also use this as a spring board of excitement and anticipation that for REVO, the best is yet to come!

If you were unable to attend the family meeting this Sunday, you can pick up a copy of the annual report from one of our great Guest Services volunteers at the connections desk before or after our 11am or 6pm worship experiences.  Next week, an PDF of the report will be available at www.discoverREVO.com.  If you have any questions about the report, please feel free to contact our Office Manager to set up an appointment with one of our pastors.  You can reach Kat at info@discoverREVO.com

-2 Fool-Proof Marketing Ideas for the Church-

Last week a guy that is planting a church in the next few months asked me what was the best way to advertise and market his new church.  He had some money put away for signage, mass mailers, advertising, and other ideas to get the word out.

At REVO, we tried a lot of things.  Some ideas bombed and some were successful.  Nevertheless, there is a FOOL-PROOF way to successfully advertise and market in the community.  In fact, these two methods have had more success for us than all of our other attempts combined!

The first is "Word of Mouth."  Having a personal connection with someone is irreplaceable.  People can read a mass-mailer one time and throw it straight in the trash.  They can drive by your billboard and think nothing about it.  Yet, a conversation with someone that they know and trust can be the deciding factor in them attending your church.  A friend can give them a ride, meet them at the front door, and even sit with them during the worship experience.  A postcard can't.

Another reason word of mouth is so effective is that the person that is promoting your church or organization stands to receive no personal benefit from it.  Your friend doesn't get paid if the person comes.  There is no hidden agenda in inviting them.  No one gets a gold star in word of mouth advertising.  It's just real, authentic critique.


The second, and by far the most important and most successful, is "Life Change."  Nothing creates a buzz like someone's life getting changed.  Nothing is more exciting and contagious than a person whose life has been turned upside down by the Gospel message.

Sometimes people that have been believers for a while have lost their zeal about what Jesus has done for them.  For some reason it gets stale and lackluster.  In fact, people can often get in the mindset that telling other people about what Jesus has done in their life is simply voluntary and not really necessary.

A new believer doesn't know any better.  They are on fire.  A new believer can't help but to talk about what Jesus has done and how their life has changed.

Also, a new believer has connections that you don't.  He has other friends that he has been hanging out with that don't like Church, don't know Jesus, and probably wouldn't give you the time of day.  Yet, they like their friend and are willing to listen to him, especially if he is excited and if they can see the difference in his life.  Then your advertising strategy switches back to word of mouth.

So if you are interested in marketing and advertising your church, tell people about Jesus!  When someone experiences life change through Him, you won't be able to shut them up.  They will go places and say things that will impact people you may have never had a chance in reaching.

Instead of just attending or promoting a church, challenge people to Be the Church.

Don't make the Church buy a sign to accomplish what followers of Jesus are called to do!

-Asking For A BIG Favor-