Where do we go from the Festival of Faith @fbcknox? Through the wardrobe on the adventure blog

C.S. Lewis depicted the conversion of the Christian life like children entering the magical land of Narnia. The icy grip of sin melted away because of the bright light of Christ radiating through the lives of good and faithful sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. The passageway from this world to the next, according to Lewis, was like a wardrobe full of coats to wear in the new world. The children donned the coats, and they "came down to their heels and looked more like royal robes."

Over the past 6 weeks during the Fall Festival of Faith, we have been playing in the wardrobe. The robes are the virtues of the Christ-like character, cultivated and nourished through the worshiping life of the believer and practiced daily in the habits of living as God wants us to behave. God takes our mind, time, relationships, and experiences and restores us to the people he created us to be, good and faithful servants living the character of Christ.

Where do we go from here? That's really up to you. Mark Moeller has already been meeting with people interested in a new Bible study for empty nesters. College students will continue their Tuesday night Bible study led by Scott Erwin. Others have made personal decisions that shape life forever. I look forward to seeing other fruit that is cultivated. Let me offer a few suggestions for the coming days.

1.) Share the experience. As you return to your routines, share testimonies in Sunday School of what the Festival of Faith meant to you. One of the best ways we find meaning from the Festival is through hearing each other's stories in the days ahead.

2.) Pray to want what God wants, not for Encore. The easiest prayer to pray is, "God, do it again." The harder prayer to pray is, "Lord, I want what you want." We love for God to repeat himself, but he asks us to live into the now in our world. The way we do that is by wrestling with the question every day, "Do I want what God wants for me?"

3.) Find some accountability. You will be reading and hearing more about Monvee, an online accountability for individuals. Even if you're not handy with the computer, find someone to help you carry the burdens and live into the restored you.

4.) Cultivate new habits. It takes about 21 days or so consistently to develop new habits, but we cultivate those through regular diet and exercise. Decide ahead of time how you will live the fruits of the spirit, and choose one person, relationship, or office where you will practice those virtues.

5.) Plan for a reunion. You've studied the Bible with another class or met together in a small group with new people. Now plan to get together again in a few weeks for fellowship. Sustain the new relationships in the body of Christ with the one thing that brings Baptists together: food.

6.) Keep worship a priority. My prayer has been that we'll recommit to the worshiping life of the church. This is the garden where the soil of First Baptist is watered and fertilized.

7.) Celebrate forgetfulness. Dallas Willard once said that we know we're getting somewhere in the Christian life when we look back and realize that we have not thought about a bad habit, person, or grudge for a long time. With hindsight we recognize that our minds and lives have moved on. Give thanks when you realize what you no longer think about. The character of Christ is taking shape.

8.) Fill out the Next Step form. Already, 81 people have taken another step in the conversion of the Christian life. This form suggests just a few ways you can make that a reality at First Baptist.

When the children decided to move from the wardrobe into Narnia wearing their robes, Lucy innocently remarked, "We can pretend we are Arctic explorers." Older brother Peter responded, "This is going to be exciting enough without pretending." And so the adventure continues.

What's Your Next Step? Take yours @fbcknox Sept. 26

September 26 is "Next Step Sunday.” On the journey of the Christian life, we do not arrive until the very end. But we do change one step at a time. During the Festival of Faith we have been restored and renewed by the living water of Christ. On September 26, I'm inviting you to make one of three decisions as part of your next step on the journey: Believe, Belong, or Become.

Believe in Jesus. This is the first step for those who have never said “yes” to God's invitation through Christ Jesus. This decision says yes to Christ and requests baptism as a member of First Baptist. Many parents wait until their children are ready to take this step so that they can share the waters of baptism with family. Others have been wrestling with the decision of public faith for a long time.

Belong to First Baptist. Many people attend church for a long time without identifying publicly as a member. You can choose to join First Baptist by transferring your membership from another congregation or by stating your faith publicly in Christ and planting your life in the church membership.

Become a faithful disciple. If you already believe and belong, you are becoming a faithful disciple. This decision could be a recommitment to worship and Bible study attendance. The Festival offers many suggestions to grow deeper as a follower of Christ through our church. Each one fits one of the five areas of the church’s Strategic Plan: Fellowship, Outreach, Mission/Ministry, Worship, and Education. Some of these are new initiatives the church’s ministry councils are planning for 2011. No person can do everything, but everyone can choose one thing that will help them take the next step as a growing disciple.

To confirm the decision, we're providing a “Next Step” form . Below, you will find a description of some of the new ministries for 2011. Please read over the form, pray about your commitments, and fill it out. The most important section of the form is “other.” What next step is Christ asking you to take that may not even be on the form? We want to share this joy with you and pray with you through this process. If you can’t decide what the next step is, a minister will be glad to contact you to help discern the next step. After you fill it out, bring the form with you on Sunday, September 26, and place it in one of the boxes after worship. If you will be unable to join us that day, drop this in the mail or fill out the form online.

I hope you will join me in taking the Next Step to become the church God has created us to be.
 
Next Step Commitments (coming in 2011)

Outreach:
Social media team uses Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs to build relationships for Christ. People who regularly use these programs will enjoy this process.
The “Welcome Wagon” will reach new residents in East Tennessee. Volunteers are needed to design and distribute this information.

Missions:
Restoration House is a home for one (1) single mother and her children. We are partnering with Fellowship Church, Cedar Springs Presbyterian, and Central Baptist Bearden, and many others in this ministry. Volunteers will be needed to mentor and support this family.

Community garden will be planted in the South Knoxville community in partnership with Operation Inasmuch, Habitat for Humanity, and the Missions Council. Volunteers will be needed to plant and tend the garden in our neighborhood near South Knoxville Elementary School.

New Initiatives

Move Downtown and join the neighborhood. Downtown Knoxville is alive with new residents and opportunities to live among the largest un-churched population in our community. Relocate your life, neighbor the community, and share the gospel.

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered ministry to help people recover from their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Our Pastoral Counselor, David Lovett is exploring this ministry.

For more information about these and other items on the response form, just check the box, “Ask a minister or deacon to contact me.”

Miraclous Recovery and the Love of God from Knoxville to Huntsville @fbcknox

FBC Stories - Link Hudson from First Baptist Church, Knoxville on Vimeo.

Link Hudson serves every day as a husband, father, soccer coach, Sunday school teacher, video producer, and mentor to so many college students. But his powerful story of recovery is a testimony of God's love through the FBC family from Knoxville to Huntsville. He share his story with us today as we kicked off the Fall Festival of Faith.

Living on Deadline

Sometimes you need a deadline, the date that says, "by this time," I'm going to buy the house, remodel the bathroom, purchase the car, make the change.

The only timeline for God's movement is on our watch. For God, we're always living in the eternal now. Any time is the right time. But for calendar-bound believers, having a date on a calendar gives us time to set priorities, change our thinking, commit to renewal, and to join others in the decisions.

From August 22-September 26, our church family will be in a season of renewal called the Festival of Faith. September 26 is "Next Step Sunday." On the calendar, it's the deadline to make decisions to take the next step of faith that comes out of your decisions during the Festival. They might be the decisions that you've been procrastinating longer than the repairs to the kitchen sink. Spiritually, it's never too late. But sometimes there is comfort in knowing that other people will be making decisions on the same day. You won't be alone on Sept. 26, and I'm inviting you to make 1 of 3 decisions: Believing, Belonging, or Becoming.

Believing in Jesus. This is the 1st step for those who have never said yes to God's invitation through Christ Jesus. This decision says yes to Christ and requests baptism as a member of First Baptist. Many parents wait until there children are ready to take this step so that they can share the waters of baptism with family. Others have been wrestling with the decision of public faith for a long time. This is your step.

Belonging to First Baptist. Many people attend church for a long time without identifying publicly as a member. You can choose to join First Baptist by transferring your membership from another congregation or by stating your faith publicly in Christ and planting your life in the church membership.

Becoming a better disciple. After you believe, what next. The Festival offers many opportunities to grow deeper as a follower of Christ. We will offer you a chance to serve on mission, participate in future Bible studies, or volunteer in a ministry of the church. We will have a commitment form available on Sunday Sept. 26 for you to respond to the invitation to become.

Each door of faith is so important and appropriate. Set the deadline to take the next step, and be open to Christ's movement this month.

To register for the Festival of Faith click here.

For more information about the Festival of Faith click here.

Diving into the Festival of Faith

I am not a diver. I have tried and failed enough times to take the plunge that the cannonball will have to do. I have learned through enough attempts that (1) I never feel as if I'm ready to dive. The closer I get to the water, the less willing I am to go. (2) I should have started learning to dive much earlier in life. (3) It's never too late to try to dive in.

When do we ever feel as if we're ready for renewal, refreshment, or challenge in life? As a young person, the youth minister did the hard work for us. He placed the event on the calendar, and the parents paid for the trip. But even then as a teenager, I was sort of glad all that remained in the woods or on a college campus. We never feel ready for revival; and when we do, we're usually thinking that someone else needs this more than us.

During times of change, life has a way of handing us gifts. Over the last couple of years, the people of God have sensed the need to return again to Christ and his work again to create us and shape us to become the people he intended us to be when he formed us in the garden. Seasons of renewal set aside 40 days to develop new habits, disciplines, and ways of living surrendered to "Jesus Christ as Lord."

I invite you to pray with me for the Festival of Faith Aug. 22-Sept. 26. During this season, we are going to ask people to make three steps of faith: to Believe, to Belong, or to Become.

To Believe in Jesus as Lord following that commitment with Baptism.

To Belong to the body of Christ of First Baptist Church as a member.

To Become the person that Christ created you to be through the work of First Baptist.

Pray for people who need to make public decisions about their relationships with Christ. Pray for families who are waiting for children to be baptized so parents can join them in the water. Pray for guests who will be contemplating decisions to join us on the journey of faith. Pray for the steps that you need to take to become the person Christ created you to be.And together, maybe we can take the dive.

For more information about the Festival of Faith or to register for a small group, click here.