The Secret?

Posted on by Rob Singleton

I already gave it away. Didn’t you get it?

 

The heart is the root.

 

It’s as simple as that. I was reading through Matthew Henry’s take on my quiet time recently when I cam across that simple yet powerful truth.

 

“The heart is the root.”

 

That’s why we unapologetically go after the heart of those who are far from God.

 

You can…

 

  • make them laugh
  • wow them with your intellect
  • dissect one Greek or Hebrew word for every page of sermon notes.
  • Have the best multimedia on earth.
  • Talk real edgy and throw in a few “Christian Cuss Words” (although I think you look like an incredible dork [actually, an incredibly irreverent dork] when you do).
  • Have a light show
  • Smoke machines…

 

You name it.

 

But if your heart is in the wrong place and chasing after the wrong things, you are just a clanging symbol.

 

So, why is Southbrook growing?

 

Because we have a heart after the things of God

 

  • We love God’s Word (the Bible) and are committed to speaking the truth from cover to cover.
  • We love each other (warts and all) and are committed to treating each other with mutual love and respect.
  • We love worshipping God
  • We love serving one another
  • We love gathering together in large groups, small groups and especially on the weekends for corporate worship.
  • We love to see people identify with Jesus through baptism.
  • We love to see those far from God brought near through faith in Jesus and then to watch’em grow!

 

These things are at the root of all we do and who we are. The root is the heart and the heart is the root. When that’s the case—growth is the result.

 

Now, I will zip it and let you hear some comments over the past week or two from those who have seen their hearts greatly affected for Jesus…

 

 

Dear Rob,

 

This is one of those e-mails that I just don’t know where to start so forgive me if I ramble. Firstly I want you to know that you have a very special gift in being able to connect with people openly, honestly and truthfully. You are able to peel away the “stuff” that clouds, confuses and, in my case until Sunday, prevented a relationship with God. On Sunday when I bowed my head I felt the darkness around my heart being ripped away and the true light of my soul was let out. I felt myself being lifted up and bathed in light and love. I saw Jesus reach out to me and others in the room and I felt love, pure love. I welled up with emotion and instead of laughing with joy I found myself weeping with deep sorrow and, at the time, I did not really understand why. I now know why and that is because in my heart I did not feel worthy to receive such amazing love. When I opened my eyes I hugged my wife, who had also given herself to God, and my emotions again flowed out of me. As I walked out of the hall I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned and saw a man smiling at me and I felt love. I cannot remember if he said the words or whether I heard the words in my head but those simple words were “it’s ok”. As I walked into the video cafe I was again filled with emotion, my family gathered around me and not really knowing what was happening hugged me. At 2am this morning both my wife and I could not sleep. My mind was re-running the experience at church over and over again. I turned to my wife and said do you think it could have been Jesus touching me on the shoulder and saying “it’s ok”? And I told my wife that I did not feel worthy to receive such love. And what did “it’s ok” mean? I now believe that I was being told that “it’s ok” to be loved and to let yourself be loved. I would like to find the man that held my shoulder so that I can thank him for caring.

 

I wanted to share my experience with you and thank you for showing me the path to God. You should know that I have always found it difficult to believe in and to give myself to God. I do not know the bible and have not been a regular church attendee until moving to Weddington (originally from the UK). I feel that my journey to a relationship with God truly started on Sunday at Southbrook Church.

 

With love to you and your family.

 

Julian Pinner

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Pastor Rob,

 

Just a note of thanks and appreciation to you for an awesome Easter Service.  We are so blessed to have a Pastor like you lead our church. 

I have been a Christ follower for a long time and I am a visual person and never before have I ever felt like I was right there.  When you spoke about Jesus calling to Mary and her looking up at our Lord and Saviour.  It brought tears to my eyes and I felt I was looking into Jesus’s face.  I saw his face!

Thank you Pastor Rob!  We are so happy to be part of the Southbrook family.  May you and your family have a wonderful and blessed Easter.

 

Sue Lloyd