Casual on the Outside - Serious on the Inside

In the Church where I grew up, the experience was very serious on the outside. Everyone wore their Sunday’s best. Children were expected to sit still and be quiet. We sang very serious, formal, dark hymns (a church word for songs).

While we were very serious about our outside religious appearance, we were very casual about our faith experience on the inside. Bible reading in the home was never encouraged. Faith seemed like a once a week, one hour a week obligation.

Rejoice! aims to be just the opposite of my childhood experience. We seek to be “casual on the outside, serious on the inside.” I believe this was Jesus’ way of living. The common person found Jesus very approachable. The ultra-religious found him far too casual on the outside and when Jesus examined their insides, it got personal and they then schemed to kill him.

During the next few months we, at Rejoice!, encourage our community to come as they are, casual. In fact come to worship in your sweats to workout your soul and stay at the health club to work out your body with a free day pass at Family Wellness’ health club.

We also believe there is something very serious about serving and worshiping the living God of the universe. Think about it, if God is “in the house,” we can expect Him to be up to some very “serious” business. (Forgiving people’s past errors, loving people unconditionally, giving his Holy Spirit to purify and perfect, and showing us what His love is really like through the life, love, miracles, healings, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus the Christ.)

We pray that you come just as you are…but we also pray that you leave seriously transformed by the awesome love of God and the Spirit of Jesus the Christ.

Give ‘em Heaven!

Pastor Tim

"Casual on the Outside - Serious on the Inside" Teaching Series

A recent survey done by USA Today found that 79% people in the United States say that “Christians make them sick.” Unfortunately, studies tell us the average person finds Christians to be fake and hypocritical.

We at Rejoice hope to reverse the trends of hypocrisy. We hope to reinvent church for seekers looking for something deeper, more spiritual. We say it this way; we try to be “Casual on the Outside, yet Serious on the Inside.”

Below is the schedule for our new teaching series, “Casual on the Outside…Serious on the Inside. Join us to help reimagine church. Come as you are, casual on the outside…and…we hope that you will leave experiencing the serious transformation of God’s love deep in your soul.

February 3
(re)joice – (Discovering the Difference between Happiness and Joy)

February 10
(re)boot – (if your computer needs to reboot from time to time, what makes you think your body, mind and soul don’t need to also?)

February 17
(re)turn – (God created us for greatness…see John 10:10 and yet to often we settle for less than greatness…we will discuss the way to return to God’s ways)

February 24
(re)lease – (Baggage…we all have it…we all carry it…How do we Let God and Let God?

March 2
(re)discover – (The average home in the United States has 2.4 Bibles. Trouble is many are never opened. Come this day to rediscover Word of God and learn how to read it for direction and purpose in your life.

March 9
(re)deeming brokenness – (If we are wounded on the outside, we put on a Band-aid or see a doctor. What do we do if our wounds are deeper than the skin? Come and learn how God desires to redeem broken people and broken lives.

March 16
(re)charge – (If our electronic devices lose power, we throw out the old batteries and put in new batteries. But what do you do when you lose power and energy in your emotional/psychological/spiritual life? Come and learn how to recharge your spiritual life.

March 23
(re)surrection – Easter Sunday! The day Jesus came back from the dead. God through his death and resurrection has made us Easter people. Learn how Christ resurrection makes it possible for dead and lifeless lives to be transformed into beacons of hope, purpose and life.