LESSONS FROM UNLEASH2012

I had the privilege of attending Unleash2012 at Newspring Church (www.newspring.cc) in Anderson, S.C. and it was a great day of worship and encouragement. The whole day was a blessing but the morning worship service impacted me more than anything. I thought the best way to share it would be to share the notes I took. The message was preached by Perry Noble, senior pastor of Newspring, it is from Joshua 1;

Four Things God is Saying to Church Leaders

Joshua 1:1-11

1. Let Go (vs.1-2a)

• "Moses my servant is dead..." It's time to let of the past in order to move into the future. 
• Moses was a great leader, and his legacy should be celebrated, but now he is dead and it's time to move on. 
• We need to talk more about our dreams than our memories. 
• What, in your church, is dead that you need to let go of? 
• If Joshua and the people of Israel had never let go of Moses, they would never have seen the great miracles of God that He performed on their behalf. 

2. Get Ready (vs. 2b-4)

• Joshua didn't have all the details, but he told the people to get ready anyway. 
• People think you are crazy when they can't see what you can see. 
• Don't apologize for having a big vision. 
• The church today has more potential to reach the world than it has ever had. 
• We have to be passionate about the things God is passionate about. 

3. I'm Here (vs.5-9)

• How many times in the Bible does God say - "I am with you?"
• Even if people leave, God is still with you.
• Every Sunday, our biggest obligation is to help people meet Jesus and realize that He is with them always. 
• When you realize God is with you, you will have ...

                   ... Power to preach His word.
                   ... An increasing love for God's people - Moses cared more about
                       his people than he did his position.
                   ... An increasing love for God's vision.

4. Let's do this! (vs. 10-11)

• God has a strategic plan for your church - "Listen to Me, believe Me, do what I say."
• Illus. skydiving requires and incredible amount of faith; you strap yourself to someone you do not know, and then jump when he says jump. Following God requires faith to strap ourselves to Him and jump when He says jump. 
• God specializes in destroying "I don't think that can be done" mentality. 

I hope the notes encourage you. A video of the sermon should posted on the Unleash2012 website by the end of the month. It's well worth the wait!