Operation Inasmuch

Chuck Thompson
Missions/Youth Pastor

"Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me."

Matthew 25:40 

WHAT EXACTLY IS OPERATION INASMUCH?
It is one day filled with missions projects where we as a church will serve some of the needy residents and "the least of these" in our community (Matthew 25:40). The message on the back of our Inasmuch t-shirts is "The Church has Left the Building," and that's what we do to share the love of Jesus in some practical ways. We've done a few of these in the past and it's time to do it again. Our next Operation Inasmuch will be on Saturday, April 9, so get ready to serve again!

HOW CAN YOU, YOUR FAMILY, OR YOUR LIFE GROUP GET INVOLVED?
The first step is to prayerfully ask Jesus to open your eyes and help you see this community as His compassionate eyes see it. What needs do you see that you and others can meet? Are there home repair projects, yard cleanup projects, painting projects we could do? Where do you see people who need the Gospel, encouragement, prayer or a friendly visit? If you're having trouble coming up with a project, would you drop by a nursing care facility or other organization to ask them how you could help?

When you have an idea on your heart share it with your Life Group to see if it's a project your Life Group would like to develop. If no one bites on it, or has another project lined up, share your idea with an Operation Inasmuch Lead Team Member, and we'll help promote your idea to others. Previously, we have had Operation Inasmuch folks who participated with home repair and yard work jobs. This was some of our best ministry for those whom we ministered to as well as our church members. The Western Wake Crisis Ministry will channel a few projects to us, but we have the manpower to handle more. If you see the need, make us aware of it, but let's try to focus our attention on the "least of these" in our community.

Yes, we have $$$ budget for projects, and it will be given out on a first come, first serve basis. Contact me to submit your requests.

Below are some ideas to stimulate thoughts for projects:

• Can you or someone in your Life Group sing or play an instrument? How about visiting a nursing home? You could do a short music program. Maybe take some requests. Share a short devotion. Pray with some of the residents. Paint some fingernails. Write letters for them. Visit with those who rarely are visited.
• Could you prepare bud vases, or some type of potted flowers for our teams to give to those with whom we minister?
• Could you donate rolls of quarters for our teams to use as we serve people at area laundromats?
• Could you donate some bags of balloons that we'll use to make balloon animals, flowers, etc. for children?
• Could you serve as a captain for an area of ministry like a free car wash ministry, a yard work crew, a nursing home team or home repair team?
• Could you help prepare food for Saturday's breakfast or lunch?
• Could you fold and label Operation Inasmuch t-shirts?
• Could you donate some Bibles for homeless people?
• Could you help pray for Operation Inasmuch workers that day, do some prayer-walking, maybe make some house calls to pray for needs?
• Could you offer some help with an Operation Inasmuch Bulletin Board?

We're certainly encouraging families to serve together as much as possible. This may mean that parents may bring their kids to their Life Group projects, or that the kids may bring their parents to the Children's Classes projects. OR, you may simply sign up as a family and we'll help plug you in to one of the projects we are providing. Our goal is to have everyone place and informed of their projects at least a week prior to the event (April 2).

T-Shirts
We'd like to give everyone an Operation Inasmuch t-shirt, but only if we have your name and size(s) by Sunday, April 3. We can go as small as a Child's 6-8 and as large as an Adult XXXL (the shirts run a little large). The best way to give us your size is on the Operation Inasmuch sign-up sheet, but you can also send it to us by emailing Betty Coleman or calling 362-6276 (ext. 222). OR, if you are doing a Life Group project, submit your whole list of participants and their sizes to Betty. If you already have a t-shirt please wear it on April 9.

Food for the Operation Inasmuch Participants
We will be serving all participants a free country breakfast at 7:30 AM on April 9. We'll pray and head out by 9:00 AM. We will also be providing a sandwich lunch beginning at 11:45 AM (bag lunches for takeouts will also be available). If you and your family/Life Group would like to participate in either or both of these meals, please contact Betty by no later than Monday, April 4 to place your reservations. We'll also have these meal sign up sheets passed around through our Life Groups.


Operation Inasmuch Sign-Ups
We'll have several Operation Inasmuch project-specific sign-up sheets posted on bulletin boards in the Sanctuary hallway on March 12. You may pick up a general sign-up sheet from the info rack this weekend or download an updated one from the church website next week. When completed, please return it to the Church Office.

Please continue to pray for this outreach ministry and encourage others to get on board with you. Next week we'll post some of the different ministry contact people so you can contact them with your ideas, questions, or concerns. April 9 will be a huge day for you, your family, for Apex Baptist Church, and for the Apex community! Get involved now!

Out of God's Reach?

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

If you missed Pastor Tim's sermon on Saul's conversion from Acts 9 this past Sunday you can listen to it right here, but we also wanted to make available to you the action plan for becoming an Encourager/Discipler that was passed out on Sunday morning in case you weren't able to grab a copy. Here it is:

1. Step One: Finding Someone to Help

• I already know who I will help. That person's name is: __________.
• I know someone I hope to lead to Christ. Then I will disciple that new Christian. The person's name is: __________.
• I will pray that God will bring someone into my life very soon. I commit to be watching for that person and to begin cultivating a relationship as soon as I find that person.

2. Step Two: Seeking Resources for Helping
Discipling someone is an important responsibility and one that I would never undertake in my own strength. Therefore, I commit to take the following actions in preparation for this assignment:

• Spend time in prayer each day
• Study God's Word each day
• Attend training that will help me share the Gospel and better understand discipleship

3. Step Three: Committing the Time and Effort to Help
Helping someone will require that I spend time with that person. Depending on the person's schedule, I would be able to set aside one or more of the following times:

• Early morning prayer time one day a week
• Breakfast one day a week
• Lunch one day a week
• One evening a week
• One evening a month
• An hour or two on Saturday or Sunday each week

4. Step Four: Planning Actions to Help
Although simply developing a relationship with someone will be helpful, I will also need to take some specific actions that will help that person grow. I would feel comfortable doing one or more of the following as needed:

• Explain the purpose of and encourage baptism
• Encourage to join a church
• Lead to have assurance of salvation
• Help find answers to theological questions
• Be a prayer partner
• Suggest steps toward spiritual growth
• Help win new Christian's friends to Christ
• Be a good listener and encourager
• Lead in a one-on-one Bible Study
• Call every day or two to encourage

5. Step Five: What Else Do I Need to Do?
What else do I sense God telling me to do as I make plans to be an Encourager/Discipler?

The First Bite

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

Phil challenged us this past Sunday to have heart surgery. He used the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch to challenge our church family to go and tell the good news of what Jesus has done. If we're not going and telling then something is not right with our hearts. I don't know how you felt hearing that, but it was like a punch in the gut for me. It's too easy for me to get complacent and exist in my comfortable circle of friends instead of intentionally looking for people who don't know God. To hear those words from Phil was both convicting and hard for me to swallow, if I'm honest, because he was right: there is something wrong with my heart.

How many times have I read God's Word, it's convicted me, and at first, that conviction has tasted bitter to my soul? It has, let me tell you. Most times I don't like what I'm reading (or hearing) at first. It's not until I stop and consider what the Spirit is saying to me that I can get out of defensive mode and transition into I-need-to-change mode.

The way I react initially to hearing truth that stings (or hurts) reminds me a little bit of Tobin, our one year old. He's at the age now where we're trying new foods and are attempting to expand his taste range from just dairy products (i.e. milk in a bottle!). He'll generally open his mouth for the first bite of anything, but his facial expressions after that first bite can be hilarious. We tried peas the other day, and he DID NOT LIKE them! It was evident that they were bitter to his taste buds. I wish I had a picture I could show you, but he starts to quiver and shake his head and screw up his little lips, and you better believe he's not going to open that mouth back up for any round green thing that we might try to stick in there! (You'll have to earn his trust back with some yogurt or maybe some cheese!)

God's Word, while its truths can be painful to swallow at times, searches out our hearts and leads us to life if we're willing to change. If we surrender ourselves to undergo some heart surgery from the Holy Spirit and get our priorities right. I love how Psalm 19:7-10 describes God's Word as faithful and delicious (not bitter!):

The revelation of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
and easy on the eyes.
God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate 
down to the nth degree.

God's Word is better than a diamond,
better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You'll like it better than strawberries in spring,
better than red, ripe strawberries.

Grace

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

Not sure how you feel about Bono, but in light of this past weekend I wanted to share a few thoughts he once shared about Grace:

"You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."

Love interrupts. What a beautiful thing. I love how Thrice puts it as well in their song "Beggars":

All you big shots that swagger and stride with conceit,
Did you devise how your frame would be formed?
If you’d be raised in a palace, or live out in the streets,
Did you choose the place or the hour you’d be born?
Tell me what can you claim? Not a thing - not your name!
Tell me if you can recall just one thing,
That’s not a gift in this life?
Can you see now that everything is grace after all?

Here's the video put together by Adam Davis and friends from this past weekend. Thank you, Jesus, for Grace!

The Creek Church Interview (Part 3)

Here is the third and final installment of our video interview done with Matt Rice, Lead Pastor of the Creek Church, in Cary, NC. We hope you enjoy this insider's look at what makes Matt tick!

Music Recommendations!

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

Now that 2011 has started with a bang I thought I'd give you a few CDs that I would most definitely recommend* to you for this new year! I'll just list them out (in no particular order) and add a few comments about genre, etc.

1. Andrew Peterson: "Counting Stars" (singer/songwriter and very mellow guitar based songs)
2. Charmaine: "Love Reality" (if you're a Mom of a teenage daughter you really need to buy her this CD!)
3. Ivoryline: "Vessels" (some good rock n' roll with great lyrics!)
4. Amberlin: "Dark is the Way, Light is the Place" (another rock record)
5. Andrew Belle: "The Ladder" (singer/songwriter from Chicago; just stumbled across this guy and he's great!)
6. Deas Vail: "Birds and Cages" (piano based pop/rock)
7. Sleeping At Last: "Yearbook" (very mellow with great lyrics! Their Yearbook project is very cool)
8. Lecrae: "Rehab" (hip/hop album of the year!)
9. Brooke Fraser: "Flags" (piano based singer/songwriter; Brooke also sings for Hillsong United)
10. Fair: "Disappearing World"(alternative rock; I love these guys!)
11. Gungor: "Beautiful Things" (a great worship record! You definitely need to get this one!)

* These are only my recommendations and I don't speak for the entire staff at ABC! :)

The Creek Church Interview (Part 2)

This is the second installment of a video interview done with Matt Rice, Lead Pastor of the Creek Church in Cary, NC. In this installment, Matt shares where he sees the Creek heading in the next few years!