INSIDE THIS CONNECTING POINT
- A Very Surprising Statement
- EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE Begins This Sunday
- Annual DIFFERENCE MAKERS Conference (October 10)
- Response To The “Death Of A Pastor’s Wife” Netflix Documentary
- Vicki Is Doing Well - Thanks For Praying
Let me make a statement that will surprise most people - that is that God is far more interested in changing our mind than He is in changing our circumstances. Now, we want God to change our circumstances. We want Him to take away all of the problems, all of the pain, all the sorrow, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the sadness. And God will say to us, “I know that’s important; but more important than that is what’s happening in you.” God is far more interested in changing our mind before He changes our circumstances because nothing happens in our life until we get our mind renewed. The Apostle Paul talked about that in Ephesians 4:17-19. Paul wrote,
“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” (Ephesians 4:17-19)
Paul was saying that people live sinful, shameful, foolish lives because they have “closed minds” and “hard hearts.” He then goes on to say,
“Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” (Ephesians 4:23)
Here is what those verses tell us. They tell us that no lasting transformation takes place in our lives until our thoughts begin to change. That’s because “the way we think determines the way we feel, and the way we feel determines the way we act.” So the key to transformation starts with our thoughts.
Since so many of life’s challenges begin in our mind, we’ve chosen EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE as this year’s Spiritual Growth Emphasis. Many of life’s problems begin in our mind; and then lead to directional, emotional, physiological and relational challenges in our lives. If we think that we can’t do something we don’t try it. If we’ve had hurtful experiences in life, we can’t get them out of our mind. If we get obsessed with needing something or someone, it dictates what we do. The failure to tame and transform our mind leads to bad decisions and consequences in our lives. But if we do learn, with God’s help, how to tame and transform our mind we will find ourselves making choices that lead to very good consequences in our lives. And we’ll also have more peace, joy and purpose in our lives as well.
Here are some steps that you can take to benefit the most from our 5 week (September 13 - October 11) EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE Spiritual Growth Emphasis.
- Join us this Sunday (September 13) at one of our Celebration Campuses (or Online) as we kick off EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE. I’m convinced that if you will join us this Sunday you will understand why it’s so crucial to work on getting your mind right, even when outwardly everything already appears to be right. So be sure to join us this Sunday, and bring a friend with you.
- Join a Life Group for 5 weeks, so that you can learn from God’s people as well as from God’s Word and Spirit how to apply these life-changing principles and practices we’ll be learning about. We have Life Groups for teens, college students, young adults, couples, single adults, senior adults, men and women. We also have Hybrid and Online Life Groups as well as In-person Groups. You can connect with a Life Group this Sunday in and following our Worship Services, or by contacting one of our Staff members, or by going to www.celebrationchurch.org/lifegroups.
- Acquire a copy of the Every Thought Captive Book (written by Kyle Idleman) from Amazon or some other book source. Sometimes free copies of the book can also be rented from Hoopla through your Public Library System.
To experience positive life changes we have to change what we think about - because “the way we think determines the way we feel, which determines what we do and also determines the relationships of our lives.” We’re going to help you learn how to focus your mind on good and godly thoughts and desires in EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE. And as you learn how to do that you will find yourself becoming more like Jesus and experiencing more of His peace and power in your life.
This year’s DIFFERENCE MAKERS CONFERENCE for Celebration’s Leaders and Future Leaders will take place on Saturday, October 10. This is our annual gathering where Difference Makers from all of our campuses join together to worship, grow, and encounter the Lord. This year, we’re excited to welcome keynote speakers Pastors Chris and Zach Stephens from Faith Promise Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, alongside powerful breakout sessions led by some incredible Pastors and Leaders. Early-bird tickets are $25 now, but prices will be going up soon. You can reserve your spot today at celebrationchurch.org/dmc.
This past week I posted on my personal Social Media Accounts my Response To The Netflix Docu-Series - The Death Of The Pastor’s Wife. I took time to watch the Docu-Series because I’d heard so many of our members and other Pastors talking about it. And then I felt impressed to write a response to it. You can read that response here. Let’s all pray for Churches to have real “accountability structures” like we have at Celebration, pray that God’s people will focus on following Jesus rather than following gifted but carnal leaders.
My wife Vicki is doing well. Many of you have reached out to us after learning that Vicki had a Myocardial Infarction (mild heart attack) on Monday. But after undergoing Angiograms on the arteries on both sides yesterday, they have discovered that she doesn’t have any blockages (or if she did they disappeared). They don’t know what caused the issue, but she did good through the Angiograms. She will be coming home today to rest and recuperate. Thanks for praying, and for your expressions of love and concern.
We love and appreciate you at Celebration. If you want to Learn more about Celebration’s ministries, share a Prayer Request with us, or Give to support God’s work, you can do so by going to www.celebrationchurch.org. Lives are being changed, marriages and families are being restored, and people are experiencing the transforming power of Jesus here through the ministry of Celebration Church.
Gratefully yours,
Pastor Dennis Watson
Lead Pastor, Celebration Church
dennisw@celebrationchurch.org
dennis.watson.96
