Change the Atmosphere

Welcome to Celebration Church. We are so glad that you are with us. If there is anything we can do to serve you and your family, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We are so glad you are here. This is truly an exciting time here at Celebration as we enter our Heart for the House season and series. We have a Heart for the House because the house had a heart for us. That simply means, we have all benefited from the grace of God. Many of us have come to faith in a place like this. This season, where we discuss stewardship, allows us to remember how we have benefited from the sacrificial stewardship of others and how God invites us to be a part so that it can benefit others and ourselves. The Heart for the House language comes from...

Exodus 25:1–2 ESV

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.

Matthew 6:21 ESV

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Exodus 25:1–2 ESV

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 ESV

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

exodus 25:

If you want to know what is really important to someone, look at how they steward their resources. Meaning, time, talent and treasure. It’s really a matter of stewardship versus rulership. So many of the teachings of Jesus strategically addressed this very concept. We have to ask the question am I a ruler the owns everything or am I stewarding what God has given more and will live a life being sensitive and mindful of how I manage what He has given me? We are aware that there are businesses, politicians, organizations, girls scouts that are competing for your resources. Why? Because they want you to help fund their agenda. At Celebration we have a Kingdom Agenda and that is to; empty hell and populate heaven. Our agenda is God’s agenda and He invites us to be a part of it. What am I going to do with what God has given me? Over the last few weeks we discussed:

Being faithful stewards, not rulers. Taking what we have and making a difference.

The importance of trusting God with our tithes, recognizing that whenever we honor Him with our resources, it invites Him to be the source of our blessings. This may be the next step for some of us.

Today we are going to conclude talking about our over and above giving, Heart for the House.

Questions and Responses

We have traditionally said, we have a heart for the house because the house has a heart for us. Today, I want to expound a little more on what that means. What exactly does the house have a heart for?

Our Church

Matthew 28:19 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

matthew

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Ephesians 4:11 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

Matthew 28:19 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

As a church, we have 2 assignments; Reach the lost and equip the found. Everything we do will land in one of those two buckets. Reaching and equipping. We have several things that contribute to this. Sunday services, serving teams, equip classes, groups…these all contribute to our discipleship journey. That said, we also know that there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done. Our hope is not to build resources that cause you to be dependent on the church. We as the church want to be able to deliver resources to you that can reach you where you are.

We want to create a studio space that allows us to enhance our podcast to include extended teachings. We want the capability to video record and stream our messages.

Camera

Equipment for podcast and streaming

Journals

Josh & Justin Intro talking about resourcing and equipping our church

Tech Package:

Stats

500 Million minutes of Video Watched on YouTube every day

1 Billion weekly users on Instagram

40% more with videos than static posts

What We Currently Do

Talk About Engagement we had online from Hurricane Sunday we had church

Current podcast engagement (Almost 30,000 downloads during Exodus and 4.5 million since the church was launched)

Current podcast engagement (Almost 30,000 downloads during Exodus and 4.5 million since the church was launched.)

Equipping families with ways to continue the conversation on what their kids learn on Sundays (say more here) THE BIG IDEA: there’s no shortage of information, we need revelation and integration.

Equipping families with ways to continue the conversation on what their kids learn on Sundays (say more here)

Heart Behind It All

We have a church that is wanting to be resourced more than just Sundays this will help us do that.

Permanent Location

The tabernacle was constructed in the wilderness because that was the season when the people of God needed to be mobile; however, they were always waiting to get established so that they could have a permanent location. () After years, they finally were at a point where they were ready to build the house of God, commonly known as the temple. This was the desire of David’s heart but it was his son that completed the task. outlines the extensive process of building God a house. That’s where we are church. We have been mobile and believe it is time for us to collect the equipment and resources so that we step into the next season for our church.

Heart Behind It All

Having a permanent location will help us not only resource and equip our current congregation but to also reach and serve our city on a greater level. (This helps us to transition into having a heart for our city)

Our City

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

1 John 3:17 ESV

17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

luke 4:18-

Matthew 25:37–40 ESV

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Would our city miss us as a church if we were gone?

Homeless Community - In Orange County alone there are around 1,400 homeless people needing shelter on any given night. Metro Orlando ranked third nationally for its lack of housing for extremely low-income residents. Few places in the country have enough rentals for residents with limited income, but Orlando’s shortage is twice as severe as the national average.

We are not only going to be partnering with organizations in their efforts to alleviate homelessness but also giving our church community more opportunities to engage in reaching out as well.

Prison Ministry – Up to 6,000 inmates in Orange County jails waiting to be processed daily. Florida incarceration rate is 960 inmates per 100,000 residents. 20%

Senior Care – Over 100 Assisted Living facilities and over 50 Nursing Homes in greater Orlando area

Heart Behind It All

That as a church we would think about and serve those who can easily be forgotten.

Deuteronomy 15:11 ESV

11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Our World

Explain Celebration Church Global Connection

Youth

Reaching and Resourcing The Youth- One Hope, You Version, Funding New Teen Bible App. It is so much easier to deposit and develop than it is to repair. We have traditionally reacted, but we are going to start responding and our response is, we are getting ahead of it.

Building For Celebration Zimbabwe- Pictures from Zim, Currently Feed 60,000 kids a day, Explain how a permanent location will help Zim reach and resource the people there.

Zimbabwe

What part do we play?

I want to spend a few moments talking about how you can change the atmosphere.

john 12:1

John 12:1–8 ESV

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

matthew

Matthew 26:13 ESV

13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Illustration

Have you ever been in an environment when someone went a little heavy on their cologne? Our son Keith Jr was a habitual offender. He would be so embarrassed right now, but he used to go strong on Axe body spray. Every morning before he went to school, he would put on enough so that it lasted the entire day. When we would wake up, the smell would be everywhere. It was so strong it would actually be in our clothes, hair, in the air. Anywhere or anything that it could attach itself to, it would. It would last for what seemed like days. It would literally change the room. It would change the atmosphere.

What if I told you that your walk changes the atmosphere. Your prayers can change the atmosphere. When you serve, you change the atmosphere. When we give, it changes the atmosphere. I believe God has given us a mission to change the atmosphere in our homes, church, city…the globe. However, it requires us to pour out what God has put in our hands. That’s what Heart for the House is all about. It’s about seeing what God sees and using what He has given you to change the atmosphere for others. It’s a matter of the posture of the heart.

Observations/Points

A Thankful Heart

Allow me to set the scene for you. There is a gathering and there are a few people in attendance. Jesus, Martha, Mary, Lazarus and Judas. In , we are exposed to the dynamics of this family. Lazarus was sick and died, Jesus shows up and raises him from the dead. They throw a party and Mary comes in and expresses her gratitude for what God has done. When you begin to pause and reflect on the things God has done in your life, it compels you to respond.

A Generous Heart

Scripture tells us that Mary broke the bottle and poured out all she had. Breaking the bottle meant that she had no plan on holding back. This would have been considered an extravagant gift. Over the top. It is said to have been a years wages. At that time it would have been roughly $10,000. Imagine buying $10,000 worth of Old Spice and not sparingly giving a few drops, but emptying the whole thing? Why? It’s simple…because Jesus is worth it!

A Heart that desires to make an Impact

Mary’s thankful and generous gift changed the atmosphere. The text says the smell filled the house, but my logic tells me it was so much more than that. Most of the clothing of that time was wool and cotton. Those materials absorb smells and it stays embedded and prolonged especially when there is heat. So it stands to reason that not only was the house filled, but that aroma was in everyone’s hair, in their clothes and with the heat, it would stay with them for an extended period of time. In others words, Mary’s sacrificial gift got on everyone. It changed the atmosphere. It had an impact. Her giving changed the atmosphere. The aroma of her generosity lingered in the air after the moment was gone. What if we gave to such a degree, the story of the impact was told after you were gone? Mary is gone but the story of her generosity lives on through us all.

Closing

What you pour out is for you too. It was on Mary’s hair and hands. Open hands mean an open heaven. Mary took her hair and wiped His feet. Understand that the women of that time kept their hair covered. Their hair was considered valuable, their glory. Mary took her lifesavings and gave it to the man that saved her life.

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