Friday night, The Church at Chapel Hill will be presenting the 2010 Servant Leader of the Year Awards (The S.L.Y. Awards).  We have literally hundreds of people serving Christ at Chapel Hill and we’re going to celebrate these faithful leaders.

In reality, every Christ follower can be serving in the local church.  There’s so much to do.  Some people might say, “I’m not qualified.” Or, “I can’t speak well.” Or, “I don’t have anything to give.”

Moses gave God those same excuses, and in Exodus 4:2 God simply replied, “What is that in your hand?”  And, Moses said, “A staff.”  The Lord replied, “Throw it on the ground.”

All over Chapel Hill, people have looked in their hand and found time, abilities, energy, and maybe just a willingness to serve…and God is using them.   God can take a simple staff in your hand to deliver people from bondage.  He did it once, and He can do it again!  What’s in YOUR hand?

If you are unable to attend The S.L.Y. Awards on Friday, January 29, tune in LIVE on-line at 7:30PM EDT at churchatchapelhill.com.

Last week, we started looking at some of the characteristics of the Church in Antioch in Acts chapters 11-13.  (Check out last week’s post here.)  These people were showing Jesus to their world and it was making an impact.  Let’s look at a few more things that distinguished this body of believers.  As we look at these things, think about how you or your church may need to change to become more Christ-like.  After all, that is the goal, right?

4. The Church was started by people who were displaced because of persecution in Jerusalem. (Acts 11:19-20)  This is significant because many people who have a negative experience want to blame their circumstances, other people and even God for their misfortune.  Not these Christians.  They realized that God can “work all things for their good” and they began to share the gospel with the people living in the city of Antioch.  Are you letting disappointment limit your life or ministry?

5. They stepped across man-made boundaries to share Christ with Greeks. (Acts 11:20-21)  I believe these people were praying and asking God for direction for their lives and the Holy Spirit helped them to see the lost people around them.  They began to break the box that their ministry had been in because of tradition.  Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit lead you in new ways?

6. These believers were ready to put their money where their mouth was. (Acts 11:29-30)  These believers heard reports of the financial difficulty of their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, so they put their faith into action.  They took up an offering and sent it with Barnabas and Saul to bless them.  Did you notice in verse 29 that it said, “The disciples, each according to their ability…”  They all gave as they were able, not reluctantly or under compulsion, but as they were able.  Maybe Paul was inspired to write to the Corinthian church because of the example he witnessed in Antioch?  The problem with much of the church today is that people are not willing to give according to their ability.  Many people choose to give far less than they are able.  How has God blessed you so that you can bless others?

We will continue our study of this great church next week…

I have been reading through the book of Acts in my Bible reading plan.  As I read Acts 11-13, I wanted to go to Antioch and hang out with the Christ followers there.  It seemed like a pretty cool place.  Here are some of my favorite things about the Church at Antioch:

1. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26)  This tells me that the impact that this group of believers was having on their community was BIG.  They were called “little Christ’s” which implies that their lives looked like Jesus’ life.  That is awesome.  How are you doing at being known as a Christ-ian?  Do people see the life of Jesus in you?

2. A bunch of people were getting saved. (Acts 11:21, 24)  There was probably a lot of passion for God because of all the newly saved people.  New Christians tend to have a contagious zeal about them that I always want to have in my life.  Get me around some new Christians!  How’s your passion for God right now?  Is it less than when you first were saved?

3. News about the revival was traveling fast. (Acts 11:22)  I guess this was more of a “vival” because there was nothing that had happened before this to make it a “revival”.  Are people in the community talking about what God is doing at your church?

We will continue this next week…

We’re beginning a new series this weekend at Chapel Hill. Join us as we look at God’s word and discuss Living the Spiritual Life.

The Internet Campus is off to a great start. Hundreds of people are connecting with us each week from all over the world. What a unique ministry tool and opportunity for our church! Would you consider getting involved? You can help by spreading the word!

We’ve discovered that most of our viewers are connecting with us through social media. Would you consider emailing, tweeting, or posting an invite to http://internet.churchatchapelhill.com ? This is particularly important 15 minutes before the start of service (Sat at 6PM or Sun at 10:45AM).

• Email: Go through your email contacts and invite them to join us.
• Facebook: Post status updates encouraging others to connect with us online. Be sure to include the link from above.
• Twitter: Tweet & Retweet invitations to the Internet Campus. Also, tweet about your experience while @ChapelHill.
• Tag Your Tweets: We have a new hashtag for this series. If you add #SpiritLife to the end of all your tweets mentioning @ChapelHill they will show up in our live stream. Cool huh? Not on Twitter? What are you waiting for? Its time to get connected! Sign up here.

We are very excited about this new ministry opportunity and hope that you will partner with us.