Letter from Pastor Mike

Dear Church Family,

We are quickly approaching one of my favorite times of year as a Pastor. It's when everyone is winding down from the extra activities of summer and settling back into weekly routines. I want to extend an invitation of preparation for the upcoming ministry in the life of our church family. Moving together in all God would pour out on our lives corporately as well as individually.

My initial intent for this letter was to let you know about the upcoming opportunities we have to study God's word, worship together, pray, connect with one another relationally, and outreach to our community. These items will be covered in the latter part of this letter. As I sat down to write, a phrase "the heavens were opened" kept coming to my mind. Knowing that I had read it somewhere in God's word and feeling compelled to find it, I went to my concordance. I found the text in Ezekiel 1:1; it reads:

"In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God."

Ezekiel the prophet is given an incredible vision of the power and the glory of God. It was wild-- angels with four faces, wings everywhere-- fire, smoke, lightning, snot and slobber. (my own words added for effect). It was not a vision for the weak at heart. It was a tangible display of the awesomeness of God. I have heard a few messages from this passage, explaining the symbolism and the representation of everything in this particular vision. Reflecting and studying this imagery is a good thing, but I am not convinced that the purpose of God was to give Ezekiel a prophetic puzzle to figure out for the rest of his life.

Desiring to see this picture the way Ezekiel saw it, I decided to read it with a fresh approach. I just stepped back and imagined the picture of the overwhelming, powerful, explosive, creative power of God. The only thought I had after that was-- whoa! Think of it: Ezekiel probably didn't have a pen and paper out counting how many wings the angels had, how many faces were depicted or even asking the question "I wonder what that symbolizes?" In fact, Ezekiel 1:28 says that "when I saw what looked like the glory of God I fell flat on my face." The only thing that was going on in the heart and mind of Ezekiel was-- WOW! WORSHIP!

So why did God open the heavens and show Ezekiel this incredible vision of the glory of God? The answer, I believe, is found in Ezekiel chapter 2. If you read verses 3 and 4 it becomes clear as to why God gave Him a vision of His magnificent glory:

3 He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.

Sounds like a desirable assignment to me; how about you? Look at the list-- these people are rebellious, revolting against God, obstinate, and stubborn. You see in view of what God was calling Ezekiel to do and the people that God was calling him to minister to. There were going to be moments in his life when he would have to remember and call upon the glory and power he beheld through the open window of heaven.

God's presence will always precede His purpose for us. God wants us to be confident in His power, His provision, and His presence as we move forward into our destiny. When we stand in the assurance of His "glory," or "kabad" meaning the weightiness of what God brings upon our life, marriage, children, career, sickness, and city then we will not be overwhelmed, intimidated, or moved by the opposition we might face.

Ezekiel 2:15 says after all Ezekiel had seen in the vision he sat in Tel Aviv near the Kebar River for seven days "overwhelmed." I don't think Ezekiel was overwhelmed so much by the task God was calling him to; but rather overwhelmed by the power and magnitude of the majesty of God himself. While thinking about this overwhelming experience of Ezekiel, the thought came to me: "The more I am overwhelmed by His presence, the more I will be under-whelmed by the situations or God-given assignments in my life." Isn't that where we all want to live: "overwhelmed" by Him, saturated by His goodness to the point that we are no longer overtaken by the difficulty of the world's badness? That God becomes so big in our eyes that we have a difficult time being negative or focusing on the wrong things because we are living a life overwhelmed by all that focuses on the right things?

The Lord is speaking to me and declaring to you that the heavens are open. Those who have ears to hear and eyes to see what the Spirit is revealing will respond. God will demonstrate His glory just like he did for Ezekiel. He desires to bring all He can bare on our lives afresh and anew. To do through His might what we could not do for ourselves. Increasing the confidence to embrace all God has called us to be and do in this coming season of ministry.

On September 10th, New Community Church will be kicking off the fall with a series on the Ten Commandments entitled "Law & Order." We will be taking a closer look into why God gave His people the Ten Commandments, what they meant then, and how they apply now. You won't want to miss a single week of this series. Join with your church family in the pursuit of understanding God's guidelines for life and blessing.

As a church, we will also be launching a midweek gathering time called "Connection Groups." In our ongoing mission to "build solid lives from the inside out," we are providing an opportunity for our church community to multiply their growth as disciples specifically in the areas of intercessory prayer, practical application of Biblical principles, spiritual gifts, and mutual accountability through small group interaction. These groups will fulfill the need and Biblical mandate for discipleship within New Community Church. Connection Groups will begin Wednesday, September 13th at 6:30 pm in the Worship Center. The purpose for these groups is taken from Acts 2:42:

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

The weekly format for Connection Groups will be as follows:
6:30pm Intercessory prayer focused on salvations, healings, and citywide restoration
7pm Corporate worship with music & singing
7:20 – 7:45pm Biblical principle taught
7:45 – 8:15pm Roundtable discussion and application

There will also be opportunities to serve together in a variety of community outreaches during the fall and winter months. NCC is currently in the process of coordinating the dates and location of the events. Further information on how you can get involved in these service projects will be coming very soon.

My prayer is as we stand under the open window of heaven that God will demonstrate His presence personally to us all; that we will be overwhelmed by His glory and under-whelmed by life's demands--that God would bring all that the kingdom of Heaven has for us during this time and that out of His divine grace you will prosper in a greater measure in all that you do. – In Jesus, let it be so!

Serving Him,

Mike Tadlock
Lead Pastor
New Community Church