Run Your Mouth

5 Ways To Make Him Known
Part 3: Run Your Mouth
Brandon Goff

Have you ever met that person that just won't stop talking about something? It's usually one thing that has them so fixated that they can't discuss anything else. For me, sometimes that is the new NBC hit The Blacklist. I watched the first episode of the series, and was instantly hooked. I immediately began talking about it, discussing storylines with others I knew that watched, and have even gotten many friends hooked on the show since. For one friends birthday I even paid for him to catch up on the entire season so he wouldn't miss out! In fact, at a wedding this past weekend, I was telling another friend about it. I'm that annoying guy that always runs his mouth about something...something that interests him and engages him!

Down south we call that "Running Your Mouth". I think it's time we all begin running our mouths a little more actually. Sometimes we are just way too quiet. No we aren't quiet about our political stance, our opinion about the teen mom down the street, nor are we quiet about the rising prices of everything we need to survive. No... those things we are heard loud and clear! But as soon as we start talking about Jesus and the grace and mercy of God, we aren't heard many times...why? Because we are running our mouths too much about the wrong things, causing others to ignore the important stuff we say!

"What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person." (Matthew 15:18, ESV, emphasis added)

When we run our mouths about something we are actually giving people a glimpse into our hearts. We are asking them to come and see what makes us tick, makes us work. When we run our mouths it WILL define us, and it will give people a glimpse into your heart. So, I ask the question...what are you running your mouth about? If what we say is an overflow of the heart, here my is idea...why doesn't the church run it's mouth about the grace and love of God a little more?

Do you want to make HIM and your church known? Here's what you do...give people a glimpse into your heart! Don't just wait for them to come to your church, but do what the previous posts have discussed, build relationships and go to where they are; and RUN YOUR MOUTH! Run your mouth about how the cross saved your life. Run your mouth about how God believes in you so much He gave you access to Him anytime you need it! Run your mouth about how your church has given you a place to belong and a family to be included in. Run your mouth about how the Holy Spirit guides your steps, and even when you mess up He guides you in the right direction to help you grow.

This week... RUN YOUR MOUTH!!

Lets hangout at your your place

Part 2-  5 ways to Make Him know.

We all feel more comfortable at our own home. We have our favorite chair; we can fix a drink and kick our feet up on the coffee table.  Let's be honest -- it's just more comfortable at home. We reserve the,"Let's hangout at your place,"  to when our house is a wreck and needs to be cleaned, our crazy aunt is in town visiting, or we just got in another argument with our spouse. 

Why do we think that our churches are any different? I remember every time I visited a church for the first time. It always seemed to feel a little awkward. I didn't know anyone, and everyone else seemed like they were already best friends. I never felt like I was dressed right; everyone else had on their "Sunday Best". I didn't know what to expect from the guy on the stage with the title "Pastor."  I wasn't sure if that particular Sunday's message was going to be about the grace and love Jesus has for us all or if the pastor was going to call on me to stand up and point out my sins in front of the congregation.  

Churches hold all types of special events as a way to have people come over and hang out at their house. I'm not knocking it -- I know that many people have met Jesus at these events and have become a part of church families. I know a lot of prayer, time, energy, and finances go into putting these events together.

But, how about we just go hang out at their house? As we look through scripture we see that Jesus made it a point to go where the lost, broken, and hurting were. (John 4:1-26,  John 5: 1-15, Mark 2:15-17)  Let's do the same. I'm not talking about going around the neighborhood knocking on doors and inviting them to our church. I am not talking about standing outside the movie theater handing out tracks with our church information stamped on the back. Once again, nothing is wrong with either of those options. Why don't we just try something a little different? Let us set up in front of our local Wal-Mart or grocery store and give away free hotdogs &  hamburgers and let people know that Jesus loves them. How about a REAL FREE car wash? Everyone gets a little note that reminds them that His grace sufficient. Maybe we could give out water bottles on a hot summer day at the traffic light in town or hot chocolate and coffee on a cold morning. Let's attach a reminder to the cups that tells them Jesus has a plan for their life and longs to be in relationship with them. Let's tell them that He loves them no matter where they are from, what they have done, and how far they feel away from him.  Are we willing to hang out at their place?

5 Ways to Make Him Known

Part 1 - Real Relationships

I grew up in a church that had all the traditional church programs: Sunday School, Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. We had 2 revivals a year for the adults, vacation bible school for the kids, and summer camp for the teens. Oh, and we did Homecoming: complete with a campmeeting style speaker, potluck dinner on the grounds, and a 2 o’clock Southern Gospel Singing!

We had everything a church was SUPPOSED to have…

        BUT we didn’t like each other.

        We didn’t go on vacation together.

        We didn't attend each other's sporting events.

        We didn’t even eat meals together. (Except Homecoming!)

We attended church together but we didn't  DO LIFE together!

Maybe you’ve experienced surface relationships like that in church. You spoke on Sundays but really didn’t know much about their lives, their kids, or their hobbies. And you SURELY didn’t know anything about their struggles, their doubts, and their fears. Because faith was a private issue,  you didn’t know where they were in their relationship with Jesus.

Jesus never intended for us to live life that way. Actually, when Adam was in the garden of Eden, God said "It is not good that man should be alone..." (Genesis 2:18) God created us to live life in close relationship with other people. He even went so far as to say that people would recognize that we are His followers by how we display our love for each other. (John 13:35) 

We at Forefront wanted to start this blog off with a series discussing what we think are the top five ways to make Him known. What better way to start than by recognizing the need for real relationships in our lives so that others may see and know that we are HIS by how we relate to each other. 

You need relationships. You need REAL relationships. It will not only help you grow in your faith, it will help others see Christ in you.

What would it it look like if you and I were to put down our Christian facades and started being real with one another? What impact would it have on our communities if we stopped pushing the latest fad or program and pushed past the surface friendships that have been fostered in our churches? How would it make a difference in your life if you invested in just a few other people and then allowed those same people to see beyond the mask that you tend to wear? 

 Would you be willing to give it a try? Let's get real. 

Welcome to the Forefront.

Here We Go!

Written by Brandon Goff

Welcome to THE Forefront! You've heard about us. You've seen our logo. (Or we hope you have!) Now... what is Forefront?

Forefront is a one-stop shop for Pastors, Church Leaders, Business Leaders, and Promoters to get practical help in Making HIM known! Who is Him? JESUS! The one that gives us our breath, our life, our very being. We have a team that is ready to serve you, serve Him, and make HIM known! We are blessed to have on our team 2 graphic designers (James Atwood and Bridgett Martin) and 2 pastors who are serious about promoting Jesus and His church (Chuck Barrineau and Brandon Goff). We are a resource for you to learn how to market, promote, and grow the awareness of your church/business and His love and grace!
Here's what you'll find from Forefront beginning this week:

- A weekly blog post by one of our 4 contributors about something practical, helpful, & encouraging.
- A chance to order top notch, cutting edge, professional resources at a fraction of the cost of most printers/designers.
- Humor, Fun, Love, and FRIENDS!

Fill out the contact form below OR EMAIL US for a VERY special deal we have created just for those of you that checked out our Launch Blog!

We are here to help you! We are here to serve you! We are here to be friends with you! We want to HELP you market your church and Jesus with excellence and power! Here's a a little bit about Forefront (a ministry of Faveur & Faveur Ink):
Forefront is tattoos and three-piece suits. Blind to ethnicity and culture. Blind to politics. Blind to socio-economic boundaries. Faveur is the gift of power to the broken – the bridge from weakness to strength. A compass for the crooked roads. Don’t get lost in the rear-view mirror. The journey is ahead. Never set limits to your potential. No one else can. Each of us exists for a purpose. You have a unique set of opportunities. If you don’t take them great things will go undone. You were put here for this.

Not only were YOU put here for this... the people in your church's community, homes, and pews were as well. And we were put here for you. We can't wait to walk this journey with you!