2012 in Review [ Pt. 2]

Elevation Church Year in Review

2012 was truly an amazing year at Elevation Church.  For me, at Elevation, I started serving at Elevation's Uptown campus, continued to lead a wonderful eGroup of middle school girls and attend an eGroup of amazing college age students.  Elevation started the year with a twelve night revival, went to Israel for Easter, and Pastor Steven released his second book Greater.  It was a banner year, in deed.

Below are my favorite ten sermon's from 2012.

10.  Suspension of Disbelief (Living a Better Story)  The entire Living a Better Story series was hugely impactful to me this year.  During the second week of this series, Pastor Steven preached from Numbers 13-14.  Suspension of Disbelief is deciding to get lost in the story.  We must believe that what we read in the Bible actually happened.  We must nail or disbelief to the cross.  Another quote that I loved from this sermon was that our setting does not determine our story.

9. The Taurus & The Fox (Grey Matter)  The entire Grey Matter series helped me grow this year.  This series was about those questions that aren't black or white in the Bible.  The answer is grey.  The Taurus & The Fox was a sermon about how to follow God and the closeness that we gain from the journey.  If God gave us directions, we wouldn't get to know him better by following Him. 

8. He's Big Enough for Both - Dumb Dichotomies (Grey Matter) A dichotomy is a division into two mutually exclusive contradictory groups.  Pastor Steven explained some dumb dichotomies; life or death, one God or many God's, spirit or flesh.  We make some dumb dichotomies, too; make plans or trust God, be successful or stay humble... John 1:14 says, where we put an OR, God put an AND.  God can do both.  He is big enough for both.

7. Frustrations of a Fixer (Mother's Day) Pastor Steven preached on the frustrations of a fixer.  God completes us.  No one can complete us, and we can't complete anyone else.  People were not created to fill the needs that God is suppose to fill.  This sermon impactful, because I try so hard to allow other people to complete me. 

6. Timeless Christmas (Christmas 2012) Pastor Steven preached a bold message on the dividing line.  So often, we flirt with the line of salvation.  There are moments in our lives where we can distinctly mark what life was like before and after that moment.  That is the line of salvation.  We must stop flirting with it and cross over the after life after accepting Christ.  We don't have to do anything before coming to Christ.  He already did it on the cross.

5. Digging Ditches (Greater) This is the second sermon in the series Greater, based off of Pastor's second book.  The story of digging ditches from 2 Kings 3 is probably one of my favorite books in the Bible.  There had been a drought, Elisha told them to dig some ditches, and the rain came.  You never read about them actually digging the ditches, but the rain came. 

4. The Power of Multiplication (Banner Years) Pastor Robert Morris from Fort Worth, TX came to preach for two weekends during our Banner Years series.  This was the first of his two sermons.  He preached on the power of multiplication with money.  Pastor Robert shared some stories of his audacious faith in God financially.  His trust in something greater than earthly things was inspiring. 

3. Burn the Plows (Greater) Pastor Steven's second book is titled, Greater.  This is the first sermon from a four week sermon walking through some of the greatest part of his book.  Burning the plows is in reference to when Elisha burned his plows in order to take Elijah's place.  Burning his plows symbolized that he could no longer go back to who he was.  There is something holding each of us back, that we need to burn. 

2. If I Have to Wait, I'm Gonna Get to Work (Waiting Room)  Holly Furtick, Pastor Steven's wife took the pulpit to preach this powerful sermon of working while you wait.  Waiting rooms are one of the most dreaded places.  She preached from Acts 16:22-40.  Paul and Silas were in prison, they didn't complain.  They bypassed the urge to complain and filled the situation with praise.  We must preoccupy ourselves with fulfilling God's purpose instead of escaping our problems.  Finally, we need to embrace the face that our detours are often God's destination. 

1. Continuum of Forgiveness to Bitterness  (How to Hug a Vampire) This was without a doubt, hands down, my favorite sermon of the entire year.  Pastor Mark Driscoll came all the way from Seattle, WA to preach this powerful message on forgiveness.  Pastor Mark preached through Ephesians 4:22-32, what forgiveness is and what forgiveness is not.  This sermon changed the way I looked at forgiveness.