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It is never too late to start the rest of your life. God is a God of new beginnings, second chapters and do-overs. As Anthony Robbins says it, "The past does not equal the future." I was reminded of this recently in my own life. For years I struggled to make love work, and for years I failed. A few years ago my marriage of 18 years ended in an unwanted, unexpected divorce. But, it is never too late to start the rest of life. On March 4, I began mine as Melissa became my new bride. With my dad officiating, our parents praying for us and our children as our attendants we started a new chapter of life together. I have so many frequent flyer miles we entertained the idea of saying our vows in Hawaii. We wanted to come home and say, "We got Maui-ed!" By the way, David Procter and my friends at Hyde Park Baptist really surprised me on Sunday. When I announced that we would be taking a break, David corrected me by saying, "This isn't a break, it is a wedding reception, complete with wedding cake."
It is easy to get in the rut of believing that because life has always been a certain way that it will always be a certain way. Not true. The past does not equal the future. Today is a great day to begin the rest of your life. The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" You may not have doubled your class in the past; you can double it in the future. You may not have doubled your church in the past; you can double it in the future. The "capital C" Church (at least in America) has been at a standstill. It doesn't have to be in the future. I am all about the word double and challenging groups to double every two years or less. We can take America for God by giving the ministry to laymen who are using their gifts to grow their groups to double their classes every two years or less. If we can perfect this skill of helping groups to double every two years or less it will result in incredible, exponential growth. You couldn't start services fast enough. You couldn't build new buildings fast enough. You couldn't launch new services fast enough to contain the growth of a church where groups were doubling every two years or less. Have you done it yet? Have you doubled a class in two years or less? Have you invited every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month? Have you given Friday nights to Jesus to an informal time of Diet Coke, coffee cake and card playing? Have you done what Levi did? Have you held a "great banquet" and invited some of your friends as well as absentees and prospects? If not, today is a great time to start. The past does not equal the future. Let's get going. Today, is a great day to begin a new chapter in your life I will also be transitioning to a new group life. For the past couple of years, I have been involved with a group called Southwest Christian Singles. Since I am not single anymore, I will be transition from this group to a new for a group life. I am not sure exactly what will be involved, but I am sure it will include Diet Coke, coffee cake and card playing! The goal is the same; the group is different. It is a new day. I can hardly wait. The Bible is full of stories of people with two parts of their life: a before and an after.
Are you ready to begin your after? Are you ready to begin the rest of your life? Today is a great day to begin the after portion of your life. I am praying it includes being a part of a micro-church (Sunday School class or home group) that is doubling every two years or less. I enjoyed hearing David Jordan's dramatic testimony while at Hyde Park on Sunday. His story is one of two major afters. His first after came in his early twenties when God saved him from a life of drugs and alcohol and called him to serve as a minister. He served for a time at Travis Avenue Baptist in Fort Worth. After his marriage failed, he lost his faith and turned his back on God. He fell back into a life of drugs and alcohol and lived that way for a decade. But God. But God had another chapter in his life. He who began a good work in David Jordan's life would bring it to completion. Recently he rededicated his life, was rescued from his drug dependency and has again been called into ministry. His story reminds us that it is a great day to begin the rest of your life. Failure to reach the second half may not have to do with failure or disappointment in the first half. It may have to do with success. Ron Howard was a fantastic success early on with early roles in The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days. But, Ron dreamed of a second act. He dreamt of being a director. After a number of successes in the second act, including directing Apollo 13, Backdraft, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Howard finally won the grand prize with an Oscar for Best Director in A Beautiful Mind. Ron Howard didn't let success keep him from fulfilling his dream. Still, more commonly, it is failure that keeps us from embracing the second act. We need to remember that all successes were failures that kept trying. You only have to be successful the last time! History is full of dramatic before and after stories. Consider. . .
Today is a great day to begin the rest of your life. How do you want your after to be different from your before? Get started. Do something today.
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This is the book that teaches classes to follow up on guests. This is the book that teaches teachers to teach a halfway decent lesson, each and every week, nothing less will do. This is the book that teaches groups to invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month. This is the book that teaches teachers to double every two years or less, and if we can do that, if we can double every two years or less, we can turn the world upside down for our Lord. Come with me, become captivated by the vision of doubling groups. Book Double Your Class and Disciplemaking Teachers offered at a discounted, bundled price. Order Here.
TIGER Training Eight things teachers must have to double every two years or less. I have pastors say to me fairly regularly, "I know your plan will work; I just can't get my laymen to do it. How do I get them to buy in? How do I get them to do it?" If I could sit down with you and your staff, or perhaps a group of pastors in your area, we could walk through and discuss together eight things that teachers must have from you in order to double every two years or less. I would go through the content of this video. TIGER Training is an 8-part interactive video designed to be used by the church staff, or a group of pastors or staff. Order Here.
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Dr. Hovind's Creation Seminar Series is his most popular set of tapes. God has used the message it presents to bring thousands of people closer to Him. This 15-hour series comes on seven videotapes and is frequently updated to provide the most current information available. The Seminar Notebook is included free with the purchase of the complete set -- a total savings of $35.15! Order Here.
Churches Planting Churches is a guide designed to walk your church through the process of planting a daughter church. Order Here. Questions?Many of the articles you see here come from the questions I receive by way of email. Email me your questions related to how to get groups doubling. josh@joshhunt.com
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