spreading the Word

Months of planning, prepping, and praying have been building toward this Friday night at The Red Barn at Austin Peay for The Uprising! This is our second time at this venue and we can’t wait to fill it up with people. We’re praying that eternity changes for many people who come.

This week our second billboard went up, Facebook ads have been going for a week now, and we’ve hit Clarksville and nearby cities with over 13,000 postcards so far! In addition to that, this week is our final advertising push with an initiative we’ve titled Cover The City. We have at least 3 people or groups signed up for each of the 10 sections of the city where they will target this week with advertising, inviting, and praying. Wednesday is a night of prayer at a local church here in Clarksville, and Friday is the big day. To say we’re a little excited is a major understatement.

Last Thursday, as I prayed and looked over the text I’ll be speaking from, I was brought to tears thinking about all the people who will come who are lost and drowning in sin. I’m praying that this Friday is the day that everything changes.

In addition to billboards, Facebook, and personal invites, our radio spot also starts airing tonight on a local rock station here in Clarksville, Z975, and goes for the rest of the week. Make sure to listen to it below. And if you’re wondering why we’re not advertising on the local Christian station in town, the answer is simple: Christians aren’t our audience!

We’ve put a lot of money and effort into spreading the word so that on Friday we can spread the Word. It’s only through the power of the Word of God that lives will be changed. Join us in prayer for God to move!

The Big Push

Today, we are officially 4 weeks away from the second Uprising here in Clarksville. We’ve spent months and months of planning, prepping, and praying, and this weekend begins the big push…

Tonight at 6:30pm is the Join The Movement meeting, where people from around the city (I know of at least 5 churches that will be represented tonight) can come and sign up to get involved! It’s a big night as we get the teams stoked, united, and praying. We’ll have a couple giveaways as well, so it’s sure to be a good time.

This Sunday at Awaken is also a big push for The Uprising. Only twice in our 3 years as a church have we taken up a special offering, and this Sunday will be the third. One of the items of our “CODE” at Awaken is: Souls are the best way to invest. We believe it’s a privilege to partner with God in His pursuit of the lost, and one way that He’s given us an opportunity to do that is through our finances. As a church, we’ve taken this week to pray about how God would have each of us be invested in The Uprising. This Sunday, we’ll watch as God provides through our generosity!

Since we’re only 4 weeks out, this weekend also marks a great time to begin spreading the word everywhere we go. If you’re in the Clarksville area, I hope you’ll spread the word through social media, personal invites, and more. Be creative, have fun, and pray that God would change lives and change this city!

Here are some ways to get involved:

PRAY: Join the “1 Month of Prayer” Facebook group and get daily updates on what to pray for.

SERVE: Come to the Join the Movement meeting tonight at 6:30pm at Awaken and sign up to serve on a team.

GIVE: In addition to giving at Awaken this Sunday, anyone (from any location around the world) can give online through The Uprising website.

PROMOTE: Grab postcards and posters tonight at the meeting or this Sunday at Awaken and start spreading the word. Tonight, you can also sign up for “Cover The City” by selecting a section of the city that you’ll be targeting with prayers and invites! We’ve got an advertising kit ready to go for everyone who signs up tonight. If you need refills on promo material, let us know at info@wearetheuprising.com.

FOLLOW: Make sure to connect with The Uprising on Facebook, Twitter (@UprisingEvent), and Instagram (@UprisingEvent), and tell your friends to do the same. We’ll have a few social media giveaways as the date draws nearer, so you’ll be glad you connected.

This city is in need of Jesus. Let’s spread the word and fill up the Red Barn on November 9!

1 Month of Prayer

Today begins a 1-month prayer initiative for The Uprising. We worked really hard on a super edgy name for it. Ready? It’s called 1 Month of Prayer! See what we did there?

Since today is the 1-month mark for the event, we’re dedicating these final 31 days to praying for the event. We’re trusting God for all of the volunteers and the finances that we’ll need to run the event. This is a huge step of faith for the few of us churches that are involved, but we know God is big and trust that He can and will provide!

I’m reminded today of a quote from Martin Luther, who said,

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it’s laying hold of His willingness.”

By praying, we’re not just trying to beg God to do something He doesn’t want to do. Instead, we’re asking that He would do what the pages of Scripture say He wants to do: provide for His people, draw people to Himself, and prove His power and glory! We’re praying completely within His will when we pray for these things, so we can be sure of His answer.

1 Month of Prayer kicks off today with a day of prayer and fasting. If you’d like to join us by fasting, please do. If you can’t fast from food, fast from social media, or TV, or something else, and dedicate that time you would have spent on that to prayer. You can also join the 1 Month of Prayer group on the Uprising’s Facebook page for daily updates on what to pray for and how to pray!

If you’d like to be involved by serving (any church or denomination is welcome to join!), come to the Join the Movement meeting THIS FRIDAY, October 12. It will be held at Awaken Church (585 S Riverside Dr) at 6:30pm. Childcare will be provided, and all the teams that are open for you to serve on will be available for signup! In addition to the Uprising website, you can RSVP for that meeting and spread the word via Facebook as well.

And, if you’d like to be involved financially, this Sunday at Awaken, we’ll be taking up a special offering just for The Uprising! I asked the church to be praying this week about how they’d be financially involved. God may lead some of you to give $10, or maybe He’s really blessed you financially, and you can write a check to fund the whole event. Whatever God lays on your heart, be obedient. You can give this Sunday at Awaken or any time online on The Uprising website.

The stakes are high and Satan is playing for keeps. Let’s trust God for the impossible and pray like He is who He says He is!

The Movement Continues…

Last March, Clarksville got rocked by the first-ever Uprising…and now it’s making its return. The Uprising hits Clarksville for its second round on Friday, November 9, 2012. Check out the video below and make sure to link up with The Uprising online and on social media…

web: WeAreTheUprising.com

facebook: facebook.com/UprisingEvent

twitter: @UprisingEvent

instagram: @UprisingEvent

Rescue Stories

During the Uprising, everyone had a different point of view. Some saw people filing in the doors, others saw the stage get set up and torn back down, and others were backstage as the bands played and message was taught. I also had a unique point of view, as I stood on the stage and presented the Gospel. However, some of my favorite stories came from people I didn’t see…

PENTAGRAM

A few people told me about a guy wearing a 666/Pentagram shirt that came forward and gave his life to Jesus. That’s the spiritual equivalent of a sports player walking to the other team and switching jerseys. Satan must be bumming about that guy!

LEAVING FRIENDS BEHIND

Two of the girls who joined us from Albuquerque told me of a group of friends they saw walk in during my message. There were 4 of them and they looked pretty skeptical of the “preacher guy” on the stage. These two girls felt led by the Lord to pray for them, and so they did, for the rest of the time I taught. At the end, when I gave the opportunity for people to raise their hands to accept Christ, the first hand in the air was from one of the guys in that group of friends. The other three were shocked, but not only was his hand the first in the air, he was one of the first to leave his seat and come forward to pray! He couldn’t wait to surrender his life to Christ, regardless of what his friends might say!

THE RELIGIOUS

After the message, during the concert, I walked outside and saw a young guy with a new believer’s pack in his hand. I asked him about the decision he had made that night. He told me he had always believed he was good enough, and had grown up in the Catholic church, but that night, he knew something had to change. He had the religion part down, but the relationship was lacking. In his packet, he had received a Bible, and he couldn’t wait to read a version of the Bible without the “thee” and “thou” verses!

Those are just a few of the stories of changed lives from The Uprising, but I know there are many, many more. I’ve already heard of people who were directly and indirectly effected by that night, lives that were changed, and faith that was sparked. I believe when the message goes up online, even more will be impacted as well!

Praise God for using a 150+ nobodies to tell a bunch of people about JESUS!

If you gave your life to Jesus at The Uprising, we’d love to hear your story! Email us at info@wearetheuprising.com if you’d like to share!

Just do what you do.

As I’ve been praying and prepping for The Uprising tomorrow, I keep going back to one particular passage that Paul wrote…

“And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

As I prepare to share the Gospel message with who knows how many people tomorrow, it’s easy to begin thinking that the message will only be as effective as my persuasive words can make it.

But that’s a lie.

God didn’t call me (or anyone else, for that matter) to make people into Christians. God has called us to simply deliver the message, and allow Him to cause the heart change.

If you can argue someone into believing in Jesus, someone else can argue them out of it. What you can’t argue with, however, is an authentic move of the Spirit that changes someone from the inside out. If you’ve been changed by the Gospel, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s something different and you’ll never be the same. THAT is what God’s Word does!

So remember, whether you’re witnessing on the street to someone, or preaching to thousands, your words don’t change any lives – only God’s do. Just do the best at what you do and remember that it’s the Gospel that is the power of God to save (Romans 1:16), not the Gospel preacher!

Tattoos for Jesus

One thing I talk about a lot at Awaken is re-gifting the gift God has given you.

Don’t act like you don’t know what re-gfiting is. You’ve probably opened a gift, and as you’re thanking the person for the generous gift, you’re simultaneously thinking of who you could re-gift that gift to.

Every Christian has been given a gift, so that’s not the question. The question is, what will you do with the gift you’ve been given?

(picture by Angela Ashcraft)

As we’ve been prepping for The Uprising over the last few months, I’ve been so encouraged by the amount of re-gifting I’ve been seeing. A great example of that is the tattoo fundraiser that just happened last weekend. A tattoo artist that attends Awaken, Haley, got the idea to offer 5 different tattoo designs on a set date that she’d tattoo on your skin for a minimum donation of $50. Slots filled up quickly, and Haley spent all Saturday afternoon inking people from Awaken, in support of The Uprising.

Haley has a powerful story, which you should take some time to read when you can. She has a lot of tattoos and piercings, and if you come to Awaken, you won’t be able to miss her bright red hair and her infectious smile. Sometimes she’s greeting at the front door, and she serves in Awaken Kids every Sunday. Tattooing was something she was highly involved in in her past, but that she hadn’t done for a long time…until Saturday. The difference is, this time, she was tattooing for Jesus! Her fundraiser is just one example of how God can use our talents and abilities for His glory and an eternal purpose. The hundreds of dollars she was able to give to The Uprising will have an eternal impact on souls.

Tattooing is just one way I’ve seen people re-gift. I’ve also seen a team of musicians and worship leaders come together for practice, gearing up to lead people in loud, passionate worship that night. People have signed up to serve in every position from the merch table to the green room, from a full day of set up before the event to hours of tear down after. We have a full security crew, greeters, ushers, stage hands, video personnel, photographers, a street team, and so much more! We even have a local engraving shop who heard about the event and is donating 700 guitar picks with the Uprising logo on it.

The vision for this event is simple: We want to see churches united, Christian empowered, and sinners saved, under the name of Jesus. We are The Uprising – we’re not ok with just sitting around while people far from Christ die and spend eternity apart from God. We’re rising up to do something about it.

It’s been incredible to see the first 2 pieces of that vision happen already. We have a handful of churches from around the city and from multiple denominations who have attended the Join the Movement meetings, signed up to serve, and even donated financially to The Uprising. In addition to that, we’re also seeing Christians be empowered to use their gifts and creativity to play a part in this massive event.

Of course the goal of uniting churches and empowering Christians is to see the final piece of the vision take place: sinners saved. Every person who serves and invites a friend plays a part in making that happen! It’s amazing what God can do when His people unite!

A Voice in the Victory

Earlier this week, our daughters begged and begged to help my wife make cookies. Their definition of “help” is far different than ours though! For them, help means making a mess, putting their hands in the flour, sneaking bites of cookie dough, and lowering the level productivity in the kitchen. Although their presence in the kitchen is far from the true definition of help, we still enjoy allowing them to have a hand in the process.

The same thing goes for us and God. God doesn’t need any of us to help Him accomplish His will, however, He wants to involve us in the process. His Kingdom isn’t riding on our shoulders, and anything good that comes from us ultimately came from Him, however, He loves to give us a small part in the victory.

Case in point is the battle of Jericho.

God told Israel to march around Jericho, a city with intimidating, impenetrable walls, once a day for 6 days, then 7 times on the 7th day. On that final day, after their final lap, at the sound of the trumpets, they were to scream and shout for victory and the walls would come down. So here’s my question…

Was God relying on the volume of their scream to bring the walls down? 

Maybe if they screamed loud enough, the decibels from their voices would actually crumble the bricks, right? Or maybe the volume of the trumpets would cause a minor earthquake, which would in turn bring the walls down.

WRONG.

God didn’t need their trumpets or their vocal cords to get the walls to come crashing down. However, He wanted to involve them because He wanted them to have a voice in the victory!

It’s the same with you and I.

God could send an angel to teach the Bible FAR better than I can every Sunday morning, but He chooses to use me instead.

God could send a prophet/evangelist/miracle worker to your school to share the Gospel with your classmates and teachers, but instead He chooses to use you.

God could appear in a dream to that guy walking down the street, but instead, He chooses to use you to show Jesus to him.

He chooses to use us, not because He needs us, but because He wants us to have a voice in the victory. When the battle has been won, and we’ve shared the Gospel, and prayed, and lived as a witness, then we get to see someone come to Christ, or maybe even led them to Jesus ourselves, it’s a moment of victory. God used YOU to change someone’s eternal destination. It’s nothing you did, but it’s that God did it through you! That’s HUGE!

So step out.

Look for opportunities at school, work, and in your neighborhood, to live as an example and share the Gospel with those around you.

Speak up about your faith and how Jesus changed your life.

Invite people to The Uprising. Don’t worry, we have plenty of invite cards!

You never know how God will use your actions and words. Be bold. He wants to give you a voice in the victory!

Reach more people!

We’re only 3 weeks into January 2012, and it’s already been the biggest month of change and steps of faith since the church began 2 1/2 years ago! In addition to canceling our Wednesday night services, adding an evangelism street team, and launching our biggest, most aggressive outreach to date, we added one more thing on Sunday… a third Sunday service!

Our reasoning was simple. I believe that in 2012, we will see more people make decisions for Jesus, get baptized, and be discipled than in our last 2 1/2 years combined. If we really believe that vision, we had better make some room for what God is going to do!

Our 9am Sunday service could have probably gone on for another couple months as is, but our 11am is continually completely maxed out. We not only have every chair set out that we can fit (see picture below), but on Sunday, we also had people in the prayer room and seated in the foyer to watch the message!

With the launch of our study through Revelation beginning in 4 weeks, The Uprising in 7 weeks, and Easter in 10, we had better make some room!

God used Hebrews 11:7 to speak to me as I prayed and sought the Lord about a lot of these new changes.

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household…” – Hebrews 11:7

Noah wasn’t aware of all the details, but he knew God was about to do something huge, so he prepared himself as he “moved with godly fear.”

For us, moving with Godly fear didn’t mean building an ark, it meant clearing some room. It’s a big step to add service #3 on Sunday mornings. That means everything that happens in 2 services has to now happen in 3. The cost of ministry increases and the amount of people we need involved increases. It’s not a problem. It’s an opportunity. An opportunity to do what we’re called to do as Christians and as a church: REACH MORE PEOPLE!

We’re excited to make the move and I heard nothing but excitement and positive feedback from those who heard the news on Sunday. Beginning Sunday, February 19, our new service times will be 8:30am, 10:15am, and 12 noon.

Here’s the video of me making the announcement on Sunday…

Join the movement

One of the questions I often wrestle with when I feel a nudge from the Lord in a new direction is, “Will anyone join me?”

I know that whether I go alone or not shouldn’t matter, as long as God is leading the way, but I’m just being honest here. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only crazy one or if other crazy people will join me. Last night at Awaken proved that I’m not the only crazy one.

We hosted our first Join The Movement meeting at Awaken, where I was joined by 60 other crazy people who believe that if God is for us, it doesn’t matter who or what is against us! With The Uprising under 2 months away, we are going full throttle with planning, organization, and putting people into teams. Last night, 60 people signed up to serve on 11 different teams (some serving on multiple teams). They signed up for things like security, ushers, counselors, cleaning, setup, and more. It was amazing.

I was so inspired by the faith and unity in that room. At the end, we all circled up, joined hands, and collectively asked God to overcome any obstacles that would try to stop us. It was amazing, and it filled my heart with faith and determination.

As always, I believe God’s plans for this are much bigger than ours. Last night gave me a small glimpse of that.

If you want to be involved, but missed the meeting, it’s not too late. You can email Nicole at info@wearetheuprising.com for more info about which areas are available for you to serve in.

You can also be financially involved with this event by donating online HERE.