Out of the Abundance of the Heart

Saturday, February 19, 2017

Building People of Substance for Works of Power

We are on a mission, Friend.

This week we are celebrating 13 years as a church. Faith Christian Fellowship of Tucson had its first public service on February 22nd, 2004 in an old tavern on 1st Avenue. Turnout was pretty sparse, but we just kept at it, and it has been an adventure. This is the fourth church that Judy and I have pastored, being in on the ground floor of the last three. Each of them has had a little different flavor, as God’s mission for each one has been slightly different. Whether you are an individual or you are starting a church, it is incredibly important that you

know what God told you to do, and that you have a vision of how to go about it. For FCF Tucson, He said, “Open a fountain of my healing power in this place.” That has been the backdrop to all we have done here: building an atmosphere where God can do His healing work in the whole person. To that end, we have a specific operating philosophy and a set of values that keep us on course.

FCF Tucson Operating System: CPR

· Celebrate the goodness of God. God is good all the time. He wants the best for every person who comes in our doors. Health is good, sickness is bad. Abundance is good, lack is bad. Joy is good, depression is bad. Peace is good, torment is bad. You get the point. Sunday morning is particularly geared to celebrate and cast the vision of what a good God looks like. John 10:10

· Prepare willing people. Every Christian has a gift and a place of service. Part of the pastoral ministry is to prepare people to fulfill that purpose. We have our in-house ministry school, FMTI, with classes scheduled on Thursdays and Fridays at regular times throughout the year to do exactly that. Ephesians 4:11-12.

· Repair broken lives. Our culture produces broken people at a remarkable pace. In addition to physical healing, folks come to us in all kinds of personal disrepair: addictions, marital calamities, abuse survivors, financial chaos, etc. On Tuesday evenings, we get down to brass tacks on the subject of faith and healing. In addition, we have practical training seminars on the second Saturday of the month to offer usable information in all these areas. Psalm 103:1-5

Our Values: The Word and the Spirit, Keepin’ it Real.

The written Word of God in the Bible is the measure and source of all faith and practice. We value accurate, simple, practical Bible teaching. We look to Scripture as final authority in life and ministry. We value and promote the ministry of the Holy Spirit in all His gifts and manifestations. We are an actively, publicly, and unashamedly Spirit-filled church. In all we do we want to be genuine and transparent. We are not here to provide entertainment. We are here to worship God, reach the lost, and disciple believers. To the best of our ability, what you see is what you get, and it reflects who we really are.

Somebody Said: Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission. Zig Ziglar

Scripture Reading: Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to His disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” (Matthew 9:35-38 NLT)

I wrote this to introduce you to FCFT if you don’t know us, to stir you up if you are a part of FCFT, and to inspire you if you don’t have a mission. If you are starting a business, a church, or a life, spend some time with God defining who you are, what you do, and what’s important to you. Let those things guide you in your daily decision-making and you will