Great Expectations
Great Expectations!
God has greater plans for us than we can now envision! Forty years ago, I had no idea all that would one day happen … and only God knows what the next four decades will bring! Last Sunday, we celebrated the 40th birthday of Rocky Mountain Christian Church. It was a deeply gratifying and surprisingly emotional day for me and for many.
It was a crazy celebration. Our big plans were interrupted by even bigger winds, forcing the closure of our Niwot Campus for the first time ever. That meant that we gathered only at the Frederick Campus for an all-in-one location celebration. It was beyond remarkable. Not only did the team provide ice cream and cake pops after each service (I wish we could do that every week!), but even more, they planned an unforgettable celebration exceeding all expectations.
Special days marking historic events often come off merely as an obligatory nod to the past, not this one. The message of the morning from our new lead pastor wasn’t merely a respectful reminder of the past but an inspiring reboot for the future. It wasn’t just about the past but a dynamic springboard and clarion call to what is yet to come – it was a new beginning.
Here’s a great line from Matt Cote: “We have no idea what hangs in the balance when we say “Yes” to God!” Isn’t that the truth for you? It certainly has been for me.
I had no idea what God had in store for me when I was baptized at the age of 8 - I just wanted to live my life for Christ and go to heaven when I died.
I had no idea what God had in store for me when He clearly called me into ministry at the age of 15 - I just knew it couldn’t possibly be preaching!
I had no idea what God had in store when I asked Linda to marry me at the age of 21 - I just wanted to partner with her for my entire life.
I had no idea all that God had in store when we felt compelled to leave a strong church in Cincinnati at the age of 36 to move to Colorado to launch a new church. We had no idea just how kingdom consequential and far-reaching that decision would be.
God has only and always exceeded my expectations - rarely immediately, but eventually! While we have faced a variety of colossal challenges, now we see more clearly than ever before that the best is yet to be!
I’ve just finished a mind-expanding book: 10X is Easier than 2X. As Ben Hardy unpacks the principles he learned from his mentor, Dan Sullivan (founder of Strategic Coach), I’m reminded how God has disproportionately blessed my life.
The church has grown 10X - from 200 in our first year to 2,500!
Our Covenant Groups have multiplied 10X - from two in the first year to over 20 so far this year!
The Soul Strength book has gone 10X - while the average book never sells more than 1,000 copies – well over 10,000 copies of a book I never planned to write will soon be in circulation, resourcing leaders both nationally and internationally.
Last Saturday night, I reviewed the first message I brought 40 years ago entitled, “Great Expectations.” - here’s an excerpt from April 1, 1984.
We’ve come to praise God for what He has done in calling us and drawing us together - and to praise Him for what He will do through us in the decades to come!
I have a great sense of destiny about this day. I don’t believe that we have come together by accident, or coincidence, or by mere force of human will. I believe that we are here by Divine appointment - that God has caused our paths to cross to do something extraordinary through us - and above all to praise His Holy Name!
In short, I believe we are here on purpose and that we should have great expectations for what God will do …. This is not the time for timidity. This is the time for great commitment, for serious praying, for faithful serving, for sacrificial giving. As the apostle Paul says in Philippians 3, it’s the time for reaching forward to what lies ahead, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
If that’s what you believe - if you are ready to give your future to God, then on behalf of Christ we invite you to come. Come to the One who can give you a new hope, a new purpose, a new joy. Come to the One who is the Lord of the future and who will help you to see that indeed by His grace your great expectations can become reality - indeed, the best is yet to be!
There is nothing more important in life than a sense of sacred calling. I live with an unshakable sense of oughtness, an inner compulsion to live my life for what will matter forever. I believe that is the high calling of God to all who are in Christ – that high stake calling isn’t just for me – it’s for ye!
Grace and Peace,
Alan