The Kingdom of God Is Like an Automatic Garage Door

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Garage door openers are "of da' debbil, I tell ya'...dey da debbil." Excuse me for changing the words, ever so slightly, of the Waterboy's mom. She thought that anything that was outside of the way she was raised in the swamps of Louisiana was of satanic origin. That included her son's desire to go to college and be a waterboy. Or even worse was that devil inspired foolsball (she meant football).

While not every thing is the modern world is demonic, I can tell you that garage doors have taken our neighborhoods away from us. People can drive up their road, pull into their driveway, and then open and close the garage door without ever leaving the comfort of their air conditioned car, truck, SUV, or even a moped. I wish that it was like this video...at least there are people outside and you could say hello to them.

How does this speak to us? Because of all the inventions of our modern world (air conditioning, electric lights, television, video games, and GARAGE DOOR OPENERS), the church is going to have to be more intentional to make friends. Friendship that goes beyond the casual hello to a passer-by. Friendship that really cares. You see, people around us are hurting need to know someone cares. Christ has called us to be those people that touch lives and heal homes and encourage the discouraged. We need to be the ones who walk into their lives when everyone else walks out.

That's what small groups are all about. We show one another Christ's love. We demonstrate Christ's love outside in the world. We have a place where people can come hear the Bible taught and develop friendships that can last a lifetime. We even get beyond the modern conveniences and reach into the lives of people God has placed around us.

Are you are part of a small group? Christ has called His church to togetherness. You cannot be an obedient Christian and not be a part of a "one another" group. It is all about "one another" in church. Truthfully, "isolation" should be a bad word in the Christian's vocabulary. Get in a small group today. Get involved in someone's life today. Host a small group this week. God wants to use you transform and impact lives. Care for people.

Thinkin' Bout Oceanside

• Sun Stand Still - Are you tired of the same old, same old. I hear the word boring so much these days. Here's something that is exciting...God wants to do the miraculous in your life! Do you have the faith to believe He can? That's our newest series, Sun Stand Still, that begins this Sunday. This study is with Stephen Furtick who will lead the small groups as I preach messages that will inspire you to believe God for the impossible. Be there every exciting week!
• Oceanside Saturday Night - Starting Saturday night, September 17th, Oceanside begins a New Time for this Generation. With media su much a part of the lives our this generation, we want to be able to reach with the hard hitting message of the Gospel using their language of technology. Pray for us and get the word out. Who can you invite to attend the first Saturday night service?
• ScareMare - No, it's not a nightmare. That would be too gentle. It is a ScareMare. Using the reality of death as a backdrop, we look forward to scaring people out of hell and into the kingdom of God. Jude 1:23 exhorts the church to snatch them out of the fire...the exact words are, "save others by snatching them from the fire." We want ScareMare to be that catalyst that demonstrates to them that death is real, and that eternity is certain as we ask them, "Where will you spend eternity?" Get involved and be a part. We need you no matter what you can do.

Loving others first,

Pastor Trey Rhodes