Mission of God

In Acts 13, we see a great diversity in church leadership, and we begin to see the mission of God, which is greater than the Church itself but uses the church strategically. Holy Spirit is moving to finish the work that Christ began. Listen to “Mission of God” now…

Acts: An Introduction

This week, we begin a new series in Acts, and we start in Luke 24 and fast forward through Acts 12. (We covered those chapters in our previous Praexis series). As we study the rest of the book, we’ll look at how Christ is building his church and expanding his kingdom. Listen to “Acts: An Introduction” now…

Covenant Membership

Today we look at covenant membership in the church and what it means to see the beauty of the gospel completed by God himself in lives, both individually and corporately. Listen to “Covenant Membership” now…

PastorCam Episode 5: Gilion Testimony

Pastor Lane interviews Dallas and Heather Gilion about Heather’s forthcoming book, Dancing on my Ashes. A modern day story of the book of Ruth in many ways, Heather talks about why she felt God was…

Community Groups & Campout Sign-up Underway

The fall “semester” is underway at LifePoint Church and the Young Adult/College Ministry offers a way for you to get connected to the life of the church.  Read on for a quick overview of some of what’s available.

There are few better ways to foster spiritual growth than gathering with fellow Christ-followers to study scripture and how it impacts one’s life.  At LPC, we believe that the Bible has limitless value for young people in all life circumstances.  There are three community groups that specifically target the college or young professional stage of life, but feel free to attend any of the several offered throughout the week.  The Gilion CG, hosted and led by Dallas & Heather Gilion, meets at their home in Ozark each Sunday evening.  The House CG, hosted and led by Kit & Kylie House, meets at the King residence in Springfield on Monday evenings.  The Goings CG, which is designed specifically with college students in mind, is led by Jon Goings and hosted by Jared & Colin.  This group meets Thursday evenings and is located in Springfield.  Individuals new to LPC are encouraged to try out a few groups to see which might be a good fit.

Also coming up is the 4th Annual YA/College Camping Retreat.  Each fall, the young men of LPC venture to the Buffalo National River for a weekend of food, fellowship, hiking and devotion.  It’s truly a great time to enjoy friends and make new ones amidst some of the most beautiful scenery in the Ozarks.  Expect to be both challenged and encouraged a bit both physically and spiritually as we spend some time exploring biblical manhood and the great outdoors.  Perhaps we can even get a repeat of last year’s wood-chopping “competition.”  You had to be there ….  Anyway, all you will need to bring is a small backpack, a sleeping bag and appropriate clothing/footwear.  Food and all other gear will be provided through a $15 fee.  Check the video for a little preview: Guys Campout Video.

Praying & Fasting: A Call Into God’s Image and Movement in Mission

Wednesday, October 7, is the first day of participation for a movement toward the heart and glory of God among LifePoint church. Without desiring a program or campaign, we are calling our people to pray and fast to seek the face and heart of God at this time in our church’s life. At our fifth anniversary, amidst all that we have to celebrate (and that we are doing), I am reminded that we are not all we need to be, we are not all God intends us to be, and we are not all that we are going to be, by God’s grace. But what we are is desiring to be as God would have us to be. I say this in this manner to emphasize that against the hyper-churched culture in which we live, we must repent of our idolatry of religion that perverts the world’s understanding of ‘church’ and return to Jesus as the consuming center of our lives.

We need the gospel to radically re-define the church; not in what we do, but in our identity and how we faithfully express that identity as a city of light in the city of the world. The city on a hill will be defined by four characteristics.

1. The gospel will shape us. No more offering to God what we think will best suit people in receiving the gospel. The gospel, as THE power of God unto salvation, is our beginning, means and end. What will reach people will be what the gospel shapes our lives for the glory of God. We will be counted worthy of God’s calling when we are made worthy to be called by the gospel.
2. The gospel will empower us. We do not need some form of entertaining appeal that loses power when the plug is pulled. We need a God-originating, Jesus-exalting, Word-driven, Spirit-filled revelation of glory and truth that only comes when Jesus is proclaimed as the good news of redemption for the reality of life. We need God to take the ‘bread and fish’ of our labor and make it into a movement that touches far more than our hands can.
3. The gospel will motivate us. The measures of success that drives people to compete and be recognized in the world will not measure before God. We will be measured by how we stewarded all that God has given to us; beginning with the gospel. When our stewardship begins with the gospel, the resources needed do not depend on what we have, but on what God will provide to fulfill the work he began. We must enter into the reality of life around us (brokenness, hurt, darkness, addiction, idols, busyness, procrastination, etc.) to reveal the power of the gospel through us; redemption through repentance and forgiveness.
4. We need the gospel to overflow from us. What is produced by the presence and labors of LifePoint is the fruit (sweet, enjoyable, nourishing) of eternal life in the hearts and lives of people. Our city should be different because LifePoint is present.

I look forward to all the God will do among our people. I’ve already heard one testimony that humbled me today. A mom prepared a lunch for her 16 year old son. When they prepared to leave for school she noticed it still in the fridge. When she asked what he was planning to do for lunch, he replied “LifePoint is praying and fasting today.” I know one mom that is big-time proud today!

Are you with us? Let us hear your stories of what God is doing either in the comment section of this journal entry, on facebook or by sending an email to us at info@lifepointozark.com.

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. —2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

First 5 Next 5

Today is our fifth anniversary, and Pastor Lane reminds us how far we’ve come and what we’ve left to accomplish. Therefore, now is the time to be praying for LPC. Pastor Lane provides five prayer requests that we all need to bring before God for our church. Listen to “First 5 Next 5″ now…

For a supplement to this week’s sermon, check out our live worship experience Twitter page. It’s almost like being there…

Sermon Series | Ethos:Engaged

1. The Heart -This week, we begin a series on LifePoint’s ethos and how we are to engage in it as Christ-followers. Worship Pastor Dennis Smith challenges us to engage our hearts in worship while we study the dichotomy of a sinful woman and a prideful Pharisee. He provides four ways we can expand the gospel in our lives. (September 6, 2009)
2. The Mind. Once again we study Luke 7:36-50, but this week Pastor Lane challenges us to engage our minds with the gospel. We carefully look at the Pharisee, the problem with his mindset, and the dangers in the application of our minds. But Pastor Lane encourages us with four patterns of thinking as we embrace this challenge. (September 13, 2009)
3. The Hands. Our response to Romans 12:1-2 is to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. Divine usefulness happens when we give ourselves to God out of divine sacrifice. In this sermon from Pastor Dennis, we study two engagements of the hands and how to make those engagements happen. (September 20, 2009)
4. The Feet. As we conclude our series on LifePoint’s ethos, Pastor Lane teaches about missions and provides five weapons from the Bible’s five instances of the Great Commission to use as missioners in our everyday lives. (September 27, 2009)

Download all four sermons (87 MB).