Capstone Church

It has been a long time coming, but we have arrived to our new series called the Story. We have been praying about and thinking about and working on this series for a long time. I have been eagerly awaiting this Sunday for a while. We started the Story where all good stories start: The Beginning.

God is eternal. No one created God. This is fundamental because if God was created then there is something else out there that is greater than God. if God is not the ultimate/greatest being out there, then he is not worthy of our worship. Our worship belongs to something or someone who is worthy. God is the only one worthy of us giving our lives.

From there we move to a truth that for American Christianity is hard to grasp. God did NOT create all of this for YOU. Sin has instead put our focus on ourselves and satisfied our selfish nature. Sin has taken the emphasis off of the Creator and put it on the created. So why did God create everything? I am so glad you asked. God created everything for his glory and his happiness. He does not revolve himself around you and I. God knows that he is ultimate and he alone is worthy of worship.

So this week, how you will you worship? How will you live in a way that will make God smile? Is there a sin that you need to repent and cast off? How can you worship God through your job, or through school? Maybe your first step is to just reset your mind to meditate on the fact that God is point of creation and not us.

We Worshiped with These Songs:

• Like a Lion
• Our God
• How Great is Our God
• Let Your Kingdom Reign

Today Walt introduced our plans for this Fall. We are going to be starting at the beginning of the OT and preaching through from September to January. We will get from the beginning of creation through King David.

The important part of this series called “The Story” is the emphasis of Jesus in the Old Testament. Most people miss that point. Most people read the Old Testament and never see the connection to Jesus Christ. We separate the Bible into two parts. Those two testaments are still ONE story. They connect. They are not two different stories.

This week I am hoping to drop some more details about this Fall and the tools that will be coming out. I can’t wait. I hope you guys are excited and ready for this new season. Our prayer is that God will strengthen marriages, families, relationships with the truth of the Scripture this Fall. This is an excellent opportunity to examine yourself and put Jesus at the center of your life. Put Jesus at the center of your family. Put Jesus in the center of your marriage.

Let this opportunity stretch you. Don’t back down because you don’t know what is going to happen or because you are scared. Men this could be a great tool to train you in leading your family. I CAN’T WAIT!! It is going to be awesome. Let’s get to it Capstone.

Songs We Used to Worship:

• We Unite (Elevation Worship)
• Like a Lion (Crowder Version)
• Our God (Tomlin)
• Majesty (Delirious)
• Say Say (Stanfill)

Today was a great day. It thrills my heart to hear you singing on Sunday morning. I love it how it sounds like one voice giving honor and worship to the King of Kings.

Walt made a number of statements in his message today. Instead of recapping his message here, we are going to putting those statements up this week on the blog. So please come back this week to the Capstone Blog to continue our focus on the Gospel.

Songs We Used for Worship:

• Stir Our Hearts (Dukes)
• I Stand Amazed (Traditional)
• It is Well (Fields’ version)
• I Surrender All (Capstone Arrangement)
• All Because of Jesus (Fee)

Things looked really different today. We stripped a lot down today in outward demonstration that our church is built on the cross and the cross alone. The front page of the paper today declared the use of music that some of the other churches in our city. We always seem to put more focus on the music or dress or seats, etc. Many people in all the church buildings around our city don’t understand the “why” of church. So for next few weeks we are just going to walk through a few things that have been foundational in how God has shaped Capstone Church.

We are a reflection of God’s reconciliation. We have been reconciled to God so that we can join into the ministry of reconciliation. Let’s just take time to reflect on the passage again. 2 Corinthians 5:10-21

^{10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.11} Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. ¹² Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. ¹³ If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. ¹⁴ Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. ¹⁵ He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. ¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” ²¹ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Yesterday we finished up our GENEROUS series. I am grateful for the opportunity to have a hand in teaching during this series. So many times we are looking for an amount to give, when God is looking at our hearts. We walked through 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. I know I talked really fast but here is the basic outline of the message yesterday.

The Christian’s generosity is

• Built on the foundation of the grace of God. God has lavishly given to us freely. So we respond with cheerful hearts and not begrudging submission.
• That foundation allows us to stand on the fact that we are STEWARDS and not OWNERS. Instead we use our talents, skills, possessions for the ministry of reconciliation.
• We live in that way so that we may live ENRICHED lives.

The one and only Chris Barrineau delivered the second part of our Generous series yesterday. I thought he did an excellent job. I am not a numbers person, but I was getting excited about some of the things that were being put on the board. Here are a few numbers that stuck out to me:

• $70,000 - That is how much money we have given away at Capstone Church. You have been so generous. Keep it up.
• 32% - That is percentage of our budget that we have given away. That is just an amazing thought.
• 30 - That is how many people in a year and a half have walked through the waters of baptism. That is a number that must continue to grow. Stay focused on the mission Stoners.

Today we began a new series at the Gathering. Generosity is something that we tend to emphasize around Christmas time. A lot of time, we will be a little more generous during those times, but generosity does not become a trait that marks us.

Walt preached from 2 Corinthians 8. Our generosity is to be based on the Gospel. I know there are many times when we don’t think we have been blessed. We look around at the people that are near to us, and we compare nickels and noses. The problem is we think that all the stuff that God has given us is meant supremely for us. Instead, we are stewards of the gifts and not owners.

Walt said, “Our joy is NOT found in our situation, but in our Savior.” Let that statement sit with you the rest of the day. We we find our contentment in Jesus and not our stuff, then our lives will be more generous.

Set List:

• Happy Day - Tim Hughes
• You Reign - Capstone Band
• Revelation Song - Kari Jobe
• God of this City - Chris Tomlin
• Solution - Hillsong United

Can you tell that Walt is passionate about the Harvest? Man he was on today. Such great truth faithfully taught from the Word. I am extremely grateful for the passion and abilities of Walt and Chris as they long to reach our community with the Gospel.

Today we focused on our connection with Jesus and the fruit that will come from that relationship. I love what Walt said today: “The fruit comes from our relationship with Jesus, we don’t go bear the fruit and then come to Jesus.” That sounds so simple, and yet that seems to be our tendency as we try to come to Jesus. For some reason we believe that we have to clean ourselves before we come to God. Hello, God sent his Son to die while we were still NASTY. So if he is willing to send his Son at that point, why would you try to clean yourself before submitting to him.

I pray that you will continue to grow on the vine. That you would set your hearts and minds on things above and not on earthly things. That you would preach the Gospel to yourself each day. I pray that as you grow in love with Christ that you would grow in your love for the lost.

Just a reminder, you can go to ITunes later this week and check ou the Capstone Podcast if you were not able to join us this morning. I would definitely say that you need to hear this message. Follow the link here.

Here Are the Songs We Sang Together Today:

• The Time Has Come - Hillsong United
• Rise and Sing - Fee
• Salvation is Here - Hillsong United
• I Surrender All - Capstone Version
• You Reign - Capstone Band

“When we want what God wants for the reason God wants, we are unstoppable.” What an amazing quote. Everyone that I talked to after the Gathering was PUMPED about the message from this past Sunday.

Learning the power of the bunt. Capstone do NOT think that because we are young or don’t have a lot of money as a church that God cannot use us to SHAKE the nations for His glory. All we need is the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God and he through us will make his glory known.

I pray that you live in the truth from the Word that we heard this past Sunday. Don’t miss this Sunday’s Gathering. I believe Walt is going to preach one of the most important messages in the short history of Capstone Church.

Set List:

• All For You (Dukes)
• Saving One (Starfield) 
• Mighty to Save (Hillsong) 
• You Reign (Williams)
• The Stand (Hillsong United)
• No Condemnation (Dukes)

Yesterday began the One Prayer series. Thanks to the advances in technology we were able to have Craig Groschel preach the message yesterday.

During June the theme of the messages will be UNSTOPPABLE. Yesterday, Craig preached about an unstoppable courage that comes from God. I thought the message was great, but there was one specific line and point that is worth repeating.

Our lions (fears) won’t look so big when we are comparing them to God. So many times we back down because of our fears because we don’t view them in light of a big God. God is so much bigger, greater, powerful than anything that we can face.

I loved what Walt shared at the end of the video. Capstone is a testimony of people who have looked the lion in the eye and stepped into God’s power. Walt and Chris stepped out in faith in a lot of areas. Even still Capstone lives on the edge of day by day being led by the Spirit. We continue to look at the lion and step out of ourselves and into God’s power.

Set List:

• Rise and Sing (Fee)



• Saving One (Starfield)



• Jesus Paid It All (Stanfill)



• Glory to God Forever (Fee)



• No One Higher/The Stand (Fee/Houston)