God Comes Where He's Wanted | The Region - Zach Meerkreebs
Jan 27, 2025
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Zach Meerkreebs, a passionate preacher and community leader, dives deep into the concept of cultivating the altar of the region with heartfelt insights. He emphasizes the need for genuine emotional investment in our communities, drawing parallels with Jesus' sorrow for Jerusalem. The conversation highlights the importance of bold confrontation against distractions, authentic faith over eloquence, and fostering spiritual movements among college students. Meerkreebs inspires listeners to pray fervently and engage deeply with the needs of their city, advocating for a compassionate approach to faith.
The podcast emphasizes the importance of heartfelt emotional investment in New York City, urging believers to pray for transformation in the community.
Consecrated confidence is highlighted as essential for Christians to engage boldly with cultural issues while maintaining humility and authenticity in their faith.
Deep dives
The Mission in New York City
New York City is recognized as one of the most spiritually lost cities in America, with nearly 5 million residents without knowledge of Jesus. In response to this alarming statistic, the church is actively engaging the community in an effort to reverse a significant decline in religious faith over the past two decades. To extend its mission, the church has launched an end-of-year giving campaign called Living the Liturgy, with a goal of raising $3 million to support various initiatives. Among these initiatives are plans for a vocational mission center to address workplace discipleship, emphasizing the importance of integrating faith into one’s professional life.
Cultural Apologetics and Real Estate Expansion
The church seeks to build a center for cultural apologetics aimed at making faith not just plausible, but beautiful, by equipping leaders to tackle complex cultural issues. This approach is designed to enable the church to respond effectively to contemporary challenges and ensure that faith resonates with today's society. Additionally, due to significant growth, the church is exploring real estate expansion to establish a permanent ministry center. This space would facilitate ongoing community engagement and provide a foundation for the church to deepen its roots in New York City.
Brokenhearted for the City
The importance of emotional investment in the city is emphasized, urging individuals to cultivate a heart for the community rather than focusing solely on personal spiritual needs. The teachings reflect on Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem, calling for a similar emotional engagement with New York City. This involves weeping for the city’s struggles and challenges, moving beyond superficial prayers to a heartfelt plea for transformation. By actively praying for God to break their hearts for what breaks His, individuals are encouraged to develop a deeper compassion for their surroundings.
Consecrated Confidence and Courage to Confront
The concept of consecrated confidence is introduced, highlighting the need for Christians to recognize their identity in Christ while exhibiting humility and strength. This confidence empowers believers to confront cultural norms and engage in difficult conversations about faith without sacrificing their character. Examples from the story of Elijah illustrate the necessity of a bold stance against false gods and the importance of representing God authentically in various spheres of life. The church community is called to approach these challenges with courage, relying on God's strength to effect change in their regions.
This Sunday, we closed out our God Comes Where He’s Wanted Series with guest preacher and friend, Zach Meerkreebs, with a teaching on cultivating the altar of the region. Only when we are heartbroken over our region, as Jesus was heartbroken over Jerusalem, will we begin to prayerfully build the altar of our region through Christlike confrontation, conscreted confidence, and faithful contending.
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