“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers….” (1 John 3:16 ESV)

The word “brother” alone shows up over 800 times in the bible, and this is just one family term!  I believe God wants to teach us to how to love through our relationship with our church family and our biological family. What does this look like for us?  What should some of the Rules be for our biological family and our church family?

• A Spirit of Adoption- We have said we are the “church for people who aren’t here yet,” and you are proving it every week!  The way you invite, accept and love people in, is life giving.  When people join your 217group or show up on a Sunday for the first time, you live the vision of being a church where people are rebuilt into their God given identity as the church.  Summer and I are seeking to adopt a child.  Maybe you can’t adopt a child but your family can have a spirit of adoption.
  

• A Spirit of Cooperation - in my family, more gets done if we all yield to one another and pull in the same direction!  We have to be unified.  Inevitably when we try to cooperate we experience conflict. No doubt, you have come into some type of conflict with a brother, father, sister or mother.  During times of conflict we find out what our relationships are really made of, but how we handle the conflict matters just as much as the conflict itself.  Healthy Conflict = Healthy Family and the same goes for the church.

• A Spirit of Encouragement- Never underestimate the power of an encouraging word.  I am constantly using words like beautiful, handsome, princess, mighty man of God, and genius in my house. I recently saw someone at 217church on Sunday give another person a hug and I wondered if that hug was the only form of encouragement that person received that week.  Encouragement literally makes us more courageous to believe in God’s dream for our lives.  It is the catalyst for our health.

• A Spirit of Celebration- Never pass up an opportunity to celebrate!  Other pastors ask me, “why do you make such a big deal of your church anniversaries, events, baptisms? You guys are way over the top!”  My response is “Exactly!”  Should we not be absolutely jacked and excited about every victory God gives us?  The enemy wants us to get complacent and bored.  Not us.

On that note we are going to have a HUGE LIVE DIFFERENTLY party June 3!   This will be our largest celebration EVER!  We will celebrate our 100th baptism, your incredible generosity, the debt you have paid off, the weight lost, new healthy habits, but most of GOD’S TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK in our hearts.  Then Sunday June 10th, we share the vision for the next phase of the church!  Let’s keep going and be encouraged through this…

^“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”   Philippians 3:12

You are a part of something incredible!  Keep on running towards what God is calling you to!

Thanks for being my family,

Josh

1. Caffeine

2. Sugar and Sugar Substitutes

3. Fast Food

4. Alcohol

It is always powerful to see a group of people rally together for one purpose. At 217 these last few weeks that purpose has been pursuing God through physical health. With over 100 people on the weight loss challenge and over 90 on the Daniel fast, there is one key area that we have been growing in as Christ followers during this Live Differently series.

DEPENDENCY

We had a chance to look at the life of Daniel and a few of the friends he had around him as they pursued God’s calling on their lives. Daniel was a normal guy who believed and depended on an extraordinary God. In Daniel 1 he is asked to hop on a “royal diet” and train to stand out among other men doing the same. The challenge to eat well and work out was for 10 days. But instead of doing the royal diet, Daniel ate what God had intended for him. Turns out Daniel and his buddies looked and felt better than any of the other guys on the “royal diet.” As it turns out not only did Daniel feel good and look good but he was given the ability to interpret dreams and see visions. So he became the official dream interpreter for the king.

For Daniel, chapter 1 of his life had nothing to do with a diet and everything to do with dependency on God. Through all the great stories we know about in the book of Daniel, like his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego surviving the fiery furnace or Daniel surviving in the lion’s den, it all began with a diet. The diet taught Daniel to be faithful with the small. Because later he would be faced with some really tough challenges while although much harder to go through, required the same dependency.

“The world will fill you in, but only God will fill you up”

Everywhere we go we are bombarded by the next thing we should buy. The next thing we should watch. Eat. Consume. Order. Subscribe to. When it comes to our difficult circumstances? We are bombarded with all different kinds of voices on how to make it through. Friends. Co-workers. TV shows. Self-help books. We are offered the “royal diet” whether it’s for our food or our issues and there is no doubt that the world can be loud sometimes as it is “Filling us in.”

But much like Daniel, its important for us to constantly remember that it is God and God alone that gets us through our circumstances. Ultimately this fast is not primarily about our physical health rather more our spiritual health. It has to do more with the question “Who am I depending on?” Is it the world that is filling me in or the God that fills me up.

This past weekend we prayed for over 50 people who wanted to be reacquainted with the voice of the God who fills us up over the world thats been filling us in. We remembered that like Daniel, if we are faithful in the small (diet) He will be faithful in the big (lions den).

So as we continue on to the second half of this fast. We aren’t thinking “this food is terrible.” or “I really want a coffee.” We are thinking “This addiction will be broken and this relationship restored.”  Why? Because the same dependency on God for physical health that is getting us through this diet, will get us through our hardest circumstances in life.

We choose this week and going forward to remain faithful to the God who fills us up. Fully dependent on Him who can do infinitely more than we could ever ask or imagine. May you all today walk harmlessly in the midst of your fiery furnace, and may you shut the mouths of the lions in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit!!!

Guest Blogger- Pastor Kevin Namur

What does Physical health look like for us?

“whoever loves discipline loves knowledge…” (Proverbs 12:1 ESV)

Most of us eat what we want, when we want and we use the argument, “it’s my body, so I will do what I want with it.” This is not true, it’s a lie from the culture.  It’s not your body, your body belongs to God and he desires for you to use it to glorify Him.  Discipline can create a marvelous dependance on God as long as your motivations are correct.  but most of us struggle with the nasty ‘D’ word, DISCIPLINE. Here are a few things that helped me as I have started new habits and increased my own discipline factor.

• Be Honest With Yourself- That means we have to address the brutal facts.  You can’t get to where you want to go unless you are honest with where you are.  Know these 5 numbers.  Your weight, waist, blood pressure, blood sugar, & cholesterol.  Get a good doctor to help and monitor these vitals and prevent disease!
  

• Don’t Compare - Nothing will discourage you more if you try and compare yourself to other people.  Some people are gifted to be vegans.  Some people are genetically predisposed to be thin.  Stop worrying about everyone else and what the magazine adds tell you to be and seek God for his plan for your health and nutrition.  What worked for someone else may not necessarily work for you.  Seek God!

• Take it Slow- One mistake we usually make is we pull the plug and make drastic changes all at once.  Then we fail miserably and pile on the guilt later and claim, “we tried.”  Unfortunately, most of us want instant results and instant gratification.  It didn’t take you a week to gain that extra fifty pounds or have high blood pressure so it is going to take more than a week to remedy the problem.

• You Need A Buddy - Seriously, don’t even try and change a major habit on your own.  You need the support and accountability of a friend who will let you succeed and sometimes fail without piling on the guilt.  You need someone who you can model your health after and someone who will celebrate with you.  Isolation = failure.

Treating our bodies well is not an option, its a requirement of those who want to follow Jesus!  The big target on the wall is writing a LIFE TRANSFORMATION VISION for your Physical Health.  You should be doing this in your small group this week. Pray, then write the God inspired vision He has given to you, then make it happen!

^“I urge you therefore brothers in view of God’s mercy to present your bodies a living sacrifice, this is your spiritual act of worship.”        Romans 12:1-2

You are a part of something incredible!  Credit Cards are being cut up, debt is being paid off, people are giving at levels that we have never seen before at 217church!  Are you maximizing your life for the advancement of the message of Jesus?  This Sunday is about nutrition and exercise!  Post your workouts here and be encouraged!

I have to admit, this is really fun!

Josh

When 22 single moms get hand delivered gifts of $500 from the deepest love of a caring church, it is IN YOUR FACE.  When families start stepping up and tithing to advance the work of the local church, It is IN YOUR FACE.  When hearts are transformed you can only sit in amazement, It is IN YOUR FACE.  This is what this week has been like for me.  I have received so many e-mails of thanks from people who have received loving gifts.  I have heard stories of people taking the first steps in financial health through cutting up credit cards, and even a video from a small group of a man ready to change the course of his financial future.  Look, when people in small groups start chopping up their credit cards, it’s pretty much IN YOUR FACE.  I am so pumped about what God is doing and how he is using this series and I want to hear your IN YOUR FACE STORY!  e-mail them to me at josh@217church.com.  Did you pass up a sale?  Cut off your cable?  Sell your car with that payment you can’t afford? Or maybe you and your fiance are trading that extravagant wedding you were planning for an extravagant marriage that will start DEBT FREE!

Have you missed it?  Been checked out for a while? Here are some things God has done so far in just 3 short weeks of LIVE DIFFERENTLY:  Remember, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything”

• 78 heart transformations on Easter Sunday - In our largest weekend ever, people stood on resurrection Sunday and started living in the resurrection power.

• 23 small groups have formed with over 250 people meeting every week in homes building 217church strong through deep relationships.
  

• The Tithe Challenge – Over 70 families have stepped up and said, we are ready to tithe and take our financial health to the next level. What about you?

• The Debt Challenge – Countless people are accepting the challenge to cut up credit cards and adopt a plan to get out of debt, PERMANENTLY!

Let me leave you with this short story in an e-mail I received from a single mother:

“As always, I am amazed by my Lords timing.  I have had a lot of trouble with my car lately and finally had to put out the money to get it fixed last week. Because my budget is very tight, I had to use our grocery shopping money as well as the electric bill money to fix the car.  Because of the wonderful timing and generosity of 217church, I will be able to feed my family and get some other necessities this week.”

You are a remarkable group of people,

This Sunday, Let’s get physically healthy!

Josh

So What does growth look like for us?  Let me give you a few words. I think this following verse sums up what we need:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV

• Family - You got it, a tight family.  That means we have each others back! That means our church is like a reality TV show and everybody is watching.  In John 13 Jesus tells us loving one another is the key to church growth.  It is a measurable leverage to achieve health. We must all ask Jesus the question, who is it in our community, in our work place, in our neighborhood who you want us to make a disciple of?  This is the definition of a missionary, “sent ones.”  It’s not just crossing a body of water, but may involve crossing the street. When was the last time your neighbors came into your life?  True biblical mission starts with a deep love for one another on display.

• Intentionality – You have heard the phrase, “if you aim at nothing you will be sure to hit it.”  If we aren’t intentional about loving one another, growth won’t happen.  This is what our groups are all about, Love. This isn’t not a program driven approach but a people driven approach.  If you are in a group, your group becomes attractive when you love intentionally.  Here is a practical way to show it.  Adopt a single mom into your group, then help her and provide for her needs.  Watch her kids, mentor her children.  Her children are your children.  Become intentional.  Through “Live Differently” God is asking us to be intentional and take some faith filled risks.

These next days of Live Differently at 217church will be life changing!  Growth doesn’t happen overnight but you have NO IDEA how one simple act can transform someone’s life.  Every single interaction matters! Let’s love each other 250 STRONG in SMALL GROUPS!  More love = More growth!

It’s a privilege to do this together,

Josh

Let’s tackle our financial health.  Why?  I think it is rather obvious.  Our national debt is $15,621,872,295,348.53 as of a couple hours ago and growing by almost $4 billion per day.   Let’s face the music: This is simply irresponsible!  It is easy to criticize the government but this is not about the government and this isn’t meant to be a political post. This is about us personally.  Our culture is saturated with marketing and reasons why we should buy products we don’t need.  We continually want more than we can afford, experience buyer’s remorse on a regular basis and have problems with over spending and “under giving.”  The average person gives less than 2.5% of their income away and has over $8,000 in credit card debt.  Not at all God’s best for us.

What would it look like if all of us as a church 5 years from now were debt free.  As a church we have zero debt and have never paid a dime to anyone in interest.  The reason we have no debt is it’s so critical to our spiritual health as a body.  Wouldn’t it be incredible to be known as the church full of people who give generously and spend wisely?  I mean you, the people.  Why not? I believe it is possible and probable, but it’s going to take a long term focus and more than anything else, DEEP HEART TRANSFORMATION!

This Sunday we dive into how we work and give.  I love it when I hear of examples of great generosity.  I love it when I hear of people giving to others in need WITHOUT someone telling them to do it, but because it is the right thing to do.  Recently I heard a story of someone bringing groceries to another family who had a house fire.  Pay attention and you will find opportunities abounding around you to give.  You already have the DNA built in you as a Christ follower to enact an irrational generosity plan.  This means that each of us already want to give so let’s stop making excuses and do it.  This week in your small groups you get to write your financial health life transformation.  I will be sharing mine on Sunday with you!  I can’t wait to hear yours!

Let’s make this an incredible season of transformation against the odds!

GIVE BIG!  Can’t wait to see you again.

Why does Easter Matter? Let me spell it out for you…P-O-W-E-R!  Without Jesus, you have none but if you know Jesus you are given the privilege to tap into it.  The same power that conquered the grave lives in you. Realize it, Revel in it, Reveal it, then Roll with it! It’s time to activate our faith!

On Easter, April 8th 217church launches into a new series Live Differently focusing on 4 areas of health:  Spiritual, Financial, Physical and Family.  The only way you will be healthy is through the Power of the resurrection.  One of the things I have come face to face with is the actual weight of this series.  There is a ton of material to cover, a huge amount of work to be done in our hearts, and a multitude of opportunity for us to make excuses for ourselves. But let’s not shrink from the challenge, let’s get transformed against the odds.

So How do we get healthy?  I think this following verse sums up what we need:

“I pray the eyes of your heart will be enlightened in order that you may know the hope in which he has called you to, the riches of his glorious inheritance of His holy people…” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV)

• A Heart Change - You can try harder all you want…and it won’t matter.  You can get an accountability partner…and it won’t matter.  You can read another motivational book…and it won’t matter.  Your heart has to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit.  There is no substitute for real heart change.  Everything else just treats the symptoms. Are you using drugs to treat your symptoms?  What are you “medicating” with? Its a never ending cycle.

• A Hope Transplant - Are you kidding me?  Do I really have to write this?  Yes I do, because I know although many of us have known Jesus for years, we have lost our hope.  Our daughter Lydia was born during a time of discouragement in our life. Her middle name is HOPE.  Her name is a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness.  Hope gives us the strength to make it through one more day.  The resurrection moves us from despair to HOPE!

• An Inheritance By-Pass - We work so hard to accumulate here that we forget the inheritance we already have both HERE and THERE (yes I am talking about earth and heaven)  We worry so much about material things we fare distracted from the spiritual dimension of God’s eternal provision. It sounds incomprehensible, but the inheritance I am getting is NOW through dynamic power of the local church. LATER it will be through the second coming of Jesus because Jesus isn’t dead.  Death has no sting and has been defeated and Jesus is preparing a place for us.  (John 14)

These next 50 days of Live Differently at 217church will be life changing!  It starts with EASTER you NEED to be there.  You will have the opportunity to join a 217group and experience the Live Differently field guide as a heart renewal covenant. How will you make the most of What God will do?

We got this!  That stone rolled away was just the beginning,

It’s on!

Josh

Why are we making such a big deal of this? It’s all about the PEOPLE and God’s love for US… Here is how you can help create a BUZZ!

People find 217church through you, and I think we are on the brink of some pretty incredible stuff!!  This is Central New Jersey, where we haven’t seen a church planting movement in decades.  However, you are starting something BIG!  You do an AMAZING job when it comes to reaching your friends and family members who do not know Christ and bringing them to church!  I talked to someone just last week who was a friend of a friend of a 1st time visitor just TWO WEEKS AGO!  We have seen 90 baptisms and we are just getting started.

There are a few days left…YOU can get involved and help us spread the word about Easter at 217church…

• Go to our 217church Facebook Page and become a “fan” if you are not already.
• Share the link to our Easter Services Event on Facebook Here on your facebook page!  Use the Invite button to invite your friends.
• Put a link to our Web Site which has our service times.
• We have created EGG HUNT AT THE THEATER on Easter at 11:30am for kids. Invite your neighborhood kids & families!
• Tweet about the site and Facebook pages above with a link and a hash-tag #217Easter12.
• Pray like crazy that 2 Corinthians 5:17 would become a reality and that people would become new creations on EASTER SUNDAY!
• Re-tweet and link to this post to help people get the word out about Easter at 217church!

It’s going to be the BEST EASTER EVER!!!

You are a swift and potent social media force!  LET’S DO THIS!

Did you know that more people will die from heart disease this year than any other cause? Why? We eat a lot of junk! The truth of the matter is most of us treat our bodies like a human dumping ground as opposed to a temple of the Holy Spirit. We “calorie up” with sugar saturated drinks, eat way to much fast food, and exercise for some of us consists of going for a run…from the couch to the refrigerator. This is not God’s best for us. God cares about our bodies and he wants us to take care of what He has given to us. Tired of those extra few pounds you are carrying around?  Sick of low energy days and unhealthy habits?  Do you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure?  As Easter is just a few short days away, I want to take time to introduce you to another key area of health we will be tackling through the “Live Differently” series.  It’s about transformation against the odds.

What does Physical health look like?

“whoever loves discipline loves knowledge…” (Proverbs 12:1 ESV)

Most of us eat what we want, when we want and we use the argument, “it’s my body, so I will do what I want with it.” This is not true, it’s a lie from the culture.  It’s not your body, your body belongs to God and he desires for you to use it to glorify Him.  Discipline can create a marvelous dependance on God as long as your motivations are correct.  but most of us struggle with the nasty ‘D’ word, DISCIPLINE. Here are a few things that helped me as I have started new habits and increased my own discipline factor.

• Don’t Compare - Nothing will discourage you more if you try and compare yourself to other people.  Some people are gifted to be vegans.  Some people are genetically predisposed to be thin.  Stop worrying about everyone else and what the magazine adds tell you to be and seek God for his plan for your health and nutrition.  What worked for someone else may not necessarily work for you.  Seek God!

• Take it Slow- One mistake we usually make is we pull the plug and make drastic changes all at once.  Then we fail miserably and pile on the guilt later and claim, “we tried.”  Unfortunately, most of us want instant results and instant gratification.  It didn’t take you a week to gain that extra fifty pounds or have high blood pressure so it is going to take more than a week to remedy the problem.

• You Need A Buddy - Seriously, don’t even try and change a major habit on your own.  You need the support and accountability of a friend who will let you succeed and sometimes fail without piling on the guilt.  You need someone who you can model your health after and someone who will celebrate with you.  Isolation = failure.

Treating our bodies well is not an option, its a requirement of those who want to follow Jesus!  The big target on the wall is writing a LIFE TRANSFORMATION VISION for your Physical Health.  We will be doing this in our small groups starting the week of Easter.  Write the God inspired vision He gave you then make it happen!

^“ I urge you therefore brothers in view of God’s mercy to present your bodies a living sacrifice, this is your spiritual act of worship.”        Romans 12:1-2

How can you live more healthy spiritually, financially, physically and in your family?  I believe is starts with a heart change and then a commitment to a 217group.  You will grow more in a group than you will on your own. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)  These next 50 days of Live Differently at 217church will be life changing!  join a 217group today! How will you make the most of each Life Transformation Vision?

We can do this, together!  Josh

What does financial health look like?

“But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6 ESV)

I am in the process of gathering all my financial records for 2011 and completing my taxes.  Have you gone there yet? My taxes are complicated so I hire someone to assemble them and complete them for me.  At the end of the process, she gives me the report and I pour over it.  It is a great opportunity to reflect on God’s blessings.  I review the year and see how much I owe.  I see how much I paid in interest on my house and how much I gave.  It’s all there and I use tax time to do a heart check on what I value.  I review the year and how I spent all the money that was entrusted to me.  Am I content with what God gave to me to manage? Taxes are very revealing, the numbers don’t lie!   So what is our responsibility when it comes to money?  Here are a few principles to get you started…

Know what you OWE - This is a non-negotiable!  If you are in denial about what you owe, you will never be able to go forward on solid ground with a plan to get out of debt.  It may be discouraging, but you can either pay now or pay later.  Keep this verse in mind and let it motivate you as you gather your records. “The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7 ESV)

Know what you OWN- Do you own cars, jewelry, antiques, a house, any retirement funds? To go forward you need to know what you own.  This will help you to understand what you might need to sell in order to get out of debt.

Know where it is GOING- You must get on a budget!  A budget is just planned spending, it’s a God-inspired plan of how he wants you to spend money.  Do you ask God where you should give, save and spend?  The monthly inflow and out-flow of how you spend money IS A SPIRITUAL ISSUE.

Financial health is not an option, its a requirement of those who want to follow Jesus!  The big target on the wall is writing a LIFE TRANSFORMATION VISION for your Financial Health…

²⁸ Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that ^(A)we may present everyone ^(B)mature in Christ. ²⁹ For this ^(C)I toil, ^(D)struggling ^(E)with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.  Colossians 1:28-29

How can you live more healthy spiritually, financially, physically and in your family?  I believe is starts with a heart change and then a commitment to a 217group.  You will grow more in a group than you will on your own. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)  These next 50 days of Live Differently at 217church will be life changing!  join a 217group today! How will you make the most of each Life Transformation Vision?