Live blogging the 2009 Unleash Conference

Session 1: Perry Noble

• 2 Kings 7
• There are language differences between the North and the South
• Shagging in the South means to “dance” – in the North it means “bow chicka wow wow”
• There’s been a major breakdown in communication between Jesus and his church.
• Matthew 16 – Jesus said I will build my church and Hell will not overcome it.
• The Communication breakdown is, instead of asking Jesus to build his church, we are asking him to build our church.
• We’ve stripped the bride down of her wedding garments and placed cheap lingerie on her to make her a cheap slut!
• 3 Questions for the Church:
• 1. Are we willing to embrace change? (Vs. 3)
  
• The # of Christians is declining and its the church’s (corporately) fault. We’ve been unwilling to change!
• Every denomination has been declining for 30+ years, if it were our money we would have done something about it!
• We have to be willing to embrace change.
• Everyone can look at other churches and call the change they need to make, but can you look at your own church?
• Most people cannot change because they are married to an idea, not to Jesus
• Churches have a choice, change or die. – God had to kill off an entire generation before he could take the Israelites into the promised land.
• Grandparents would you give up your life for your grandkids? How about your music in church? We are losing a generation because people want change.
• You cannot manage, orchestrate, or create a move of God…it just happens.
• Acts 1:14-15; Acts 2:41-
• You’ve got to be comfortable being uncomfortable – (My note) YES!!!
• You think this freakin’ building just dropped out of the sky? Do you think we just prayed about a youth building and it just appeared?
• You have to make financial changes!
• Church planters don’t let money guide your decisions, let Jesus.
• The Pastor cannot do everything – If the church is going to be effective the pastor has to get out of the day to day operations of the church.
• New Spring’s youth went from 200 to 800, because Perry hired a Godly youth pastor let him hire a team and moved out of the way.
• If you think a video screen can stop the anointing of God on a man’s life who is called to preach, your God is too small. Multi-site does not stop a move of God.
• The church has to stop competing with one another and start completing one another!
• 2. Are We Willing to Work? (Vs. 5)
  
• The church is more willing to pray about something than actually doing it.
• Is there anything in your church that you are manufacturing energy for in your church?
• We are worried about hurting someone’s feelings but Jesus was not (See Matthew 23)
• Is there anyone on your stage that cannot sing?
• Pastors: A) Have people who investigate the obvious.
• Pastors: B) Ignore the Jackass
• You’re only as deep as the last person you served.
• Do you think when Jesus was dying on the cross he said, “Now my people have someone to preach their funeral?”
• 3. Are we serious about reaching the world?
• Terms that get overplayed in church:
• Contemporary = Our pastor wears a sweater vest, our pastor gets his underpants from Victoria Secret, and we treat him like our boyfriend rather than our King.
• Blended = No one in our church actually possesses a set and will proclaim where we stand, so in an effort to keep everyone happy we reach no one.
• Missional = Most overplayed term in the church. No one is showing up, so we sought out a term to disguise our disfunction.
• Emergent = We’re a bunch of spoiled former church kids who have a problem with authority, even the authority of the Bible, and because of their movement Hell is going to be fuller because we’ve sided with Satan in questioning the Bible.
• Perry, “I’m obsessed with numbers because I was one of those numbers”
• If numbers is not important then why are Numbers all through ACTS?!?!
• The church for years has been cruising around, but it is like a sports car, they have so much power in them, if they would just stomp it, God would use them for things that would blow your mind.
• Don’t compare yourself with New Spring, because he probably wants to do greater things with your church!