A Conversation with Tony McVickers

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This is true for a new generation radio and now the man who preached in 50 states and 50 days speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarlane in the New Testament book of Ephesians talks about Christ being the head of the church in Christ building up the body of believers. I love it in Ephesians 413 it says the church being built up in Christ quote until we all come into the unity of the faith of the knowledge of the son of God into maturity into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. And it goes on and it says regarding doctrine and our knowledge of the Bible and are yielded next to Jesus, I love verse 14 that we may no longer be tossed about like children, tossed back and forth, to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men by their craftiness in deceitful wiles or deceptions. Rather, verse 15 speaking the truth in love, we grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ hi Alex McFarlane here. You're listening to truth for new generation, and you know the broadcast. We've been doing over the last for five months.

One of the things that we've gotten response have been people from all across America have been asking how we hold our church together in the in these crazy times people being forbidden to meet forbidden to have church out there in California.

I think about our our brother and friend John MacArthur Grace Church is been under such really persecution and out in California Christians been told not to sing. So today I'm so excited because I want to answer some of these questions how do we keep the church healthy in a time of coven. How do we keep the church growing maturing is Ephesians 4 says when we can't necessarily meet like we have been meeting so many of the things in our our annual TNG summer camp didn't happen this year because of the quarantines as far as I can count from February to the present moment. At least 35 to 37 of my own events that I was supposed to speak at didn't happen. So were going to talk with her beloved friend in the ministry. Pastor Tony McVicker's of rockfish church rockfish is is doing it.

They are staying the course when people asked me how Alex can you name a church that you would say is really healthy and fulfilling the great commission making disciples.

And in spite of the challenges of the day.

Can you tell us a church that we can observe and really get some get some fire and some pointers on how to navigate these waters of 2020 and the 21st century always think of rockfish church.

So with that and will will talk about some the things but brother Tony McVicker's your hero to me and many others. Also, thanks for taking a few moments to be untrue for new generation radio. It is an absolute pleasure to be on here. Alex, thank you and thank you for speaking so highly and fondly of rockfish church.

You are a beloved friend. And thank you for having me on today for those that may not be made with rockfish church you are near Fort Bragg here in Fayetteville. I'm told one of if not the fastest growing city in North Carolina. For those that don't know what is rockfish church and what what would you give is a way of description to clear people and what God is doing man we are we are becoming an agile intentional focused weapon in the hand of God, and I know that you that's what we want to be a think that's kind of our our desire. We tried to to to make an atmosphere and to create an atmosphere where were people from any background can come in they can feel comfortable and they can have an encounter with God, which is nothing at the core of everything we do, how do we create an atmosphere that is conducive for the presence of God because that's where change really really occurs and God is as places here on purpose with an internationally minded community just outside of Fort Bragg and is offered us some incredible opportunities with some unique challenges you know Charlotte, North Carolina, which is very large city, not far from here. I read that there are 120 languages spoken in Charlotte. We done here the Bible Belt all across America. There are multiple ethnicities so it's is almost like throughout heartland America.

The mission field is come to us. Would you agree go absolutely and waiting to take advantage of it. But I miss incredible opportunity.

What are the things about rockfish that excite you and for the.

The churches around America that are plateaued or declining as many are a godly remnant. They love the Lord, but they're not necessarily seeing people saved. What are some things that God is doing at rockfish that may be people could begin to do in their own communities there are and and I say this because we've been trying to navigate coded 19 all the stuff with everybody else.

I say this to pastors all the time.

I say this to congregants all the time. There's nobody for me to call nobody who's been through this before. So like I can pick up the phone and say hey what did you do, then there's not this sage book of wisdom concerning navigating these things. We've kind of been intentional and by the grace of God. We've made some mistakes but we've also found some some very practical things that can help us navigate this and what would some of those things, but it will.

For instance, small groups, or Sunday school, Bible study, you know when this particular state amended it was quarantined mandatory lockdown, shall we say, how did you keep your small groups: one of the things you ask a question earlier you said what is most exciting to you about what's going on in America with these churches. The interesting thing that I've seen is we are being forced to think outside the box were being forced to put aside the things that we have went to in our our our primaries and really become agile and rethink things and that is incredibly valuable. We've had to do that in the area of small groups in every area. Some things we've gotten rid of completely some we've doubled down were looking at asset re-allocation of thing, spending where you spend your money, it has to look different now. It really is a new normal wear there and embrace it. Organism incredible opportunities and that's what I most excited about their some good opportunities. If we take advantage of them. We don't do change all that will and coven did has forced every body to acclimate themselves to a changing. These are uncharted waters ultimately forcing the church to learn how to to pivot and adapt a minute long pool is that a good thing there are things that we would've it would've taken us years to accomplish, and put in place that we were able to do in weeks or months under the circumstances. So absolutely, thank God. I believe he's creating again and agility of flexibility that the rigidness we had before would've never worked. I believe God is gonna do something it's special and incredible and in America. I don't believe is done with America and we are going to have to position ourselves to leverage every ounce of one God sending I think that's what you're listening to truth for a new generation Alex McFarlane here is you don't want to miss the next few moments where with somebody who is absolutely absolutely at the forefront of what ministry and evangelism names the 21st century Tony McVicker's rockfish church stated after this brief break truth. The new generation will be back America today is like a patient struggling to live yet is being forcibly euthanized by her quote doctors.

The life force within the patient fighting for survival is the honest citizens like yourself team of quote caregivers are the local and national leaders actually contributing to the demise of the patient economy is crashing crime is exploding. The Constitution is being abolished the assault on America how to defend our nation before it's too late by Alex Farland has one single purpose to get you prepared the real source of America's current problems that no one else is talking about and what you can do now to face tomorrow. Regardless of what tomorrow brings. The assault on America how to defend our nation before it's too late. Available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and local Christian bookstore. Alex is written many books to help you defend your faith. One of them answers questions from skeptics it's cleverly titled 10 answers for skeptics today. Skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity, and straightforward truth and in the book Alex McFarland identifies the 10 most common types of skepticism that plagued doubters mindset offers believers proven strategies for connecting intellectually and spiritually with those who are skeptical about the claims of Christianity. Learn how to answer intimidating questions.

Identify the root issue behind those questions and dismantled the spiritual bombshells dropped by atheist plus find encouragement to face hostility by persevering in love. The ultimate apologetic Christians could offer as a witness to our loving God, check out 10 answers for skeptics. When you visit Alex McFarlane.com for apologetics, resources, books by Alex McFarlane and to find out where Alex is speaking. Visit Alex McFarlane.com magnet program for talking with Vickers the pastor of rockfish church and by the way what is the website of rockfish church rock church.com rockfish church.com and you know folks at unit if you're coming through North Carolina. Your going to be stationed at Fort Bragg or whatever. I would encourage you to come and visit on a Sunday. I've told Tony a lot of churches I first probably begin to recommend people coming down here out in a 70 years ago. You will have an amazing children's wing at a beautiful stuff. But even if you can't make a track to North Carolina to visit this cutting edge church in person, you can always go to their website and that I own ask you this you before the break. You and I were talking about being forced to adapt and things that we probably would've taken years to tiptoe into reluctantly look when when the world changes as radically as it has in 2020 it sink or swim. What are some things that we ought to be mindful also that we don't miss what really honestly is a great opportunity there are therefore things that I have discovered that we have discovered is a staff as a church is an organization that are incredibly important that if you will possess. If you will really lean into these things.

You can you can navigate one is a powerful presence. We can never substitute anything for the presence of God.

Rather, that's in our lives at home in our family. If were not meeting or if we are meeting to have a church is not Ichabod you need a church that actually has the presence of God. It's one thing to have somebody who's a good speaker and a good communicator.

It's another thing to have the Holy Spirit working with them speaking to the hearts of people know substitute. The second thing is if you don't have a clear understanding a compelling purpose, you can have it up to have that compelling purpose. Number number three is obvious opportunities. Now this may sound kind of simplistic but a lot of times we miss very obvious opportunities, needs, and transforming the culture to help people see those is important and that the fourth one is kind of interesting. It's something that we have done and must continue to do it's called intentional preparation. I love to break those down.

I love number one. The powerful presence of God. Number two I think a lot of churches might rise or fall on this compelling purpose speak about that how important it is to really know what you're doing that this might sound elementary, but what are we doing as the body of Christ, we gotta have a purpose and a focus of of what were all about. Don't wait a compelling purpose means that if it is worth doing is worth doing. No matter what coven 19 hits find it so do we stop is it an option. This is why one of the most compelling forces in our culture is one of them absolutely that if your purpose is an option.

In other words, if your purpose is not compelling.

You do you really think is going to compel anybody else. So when something comes along, that's bad, but like covet. For instance, we began to encounter obstacles associated with cove at another things and I felt as if God was saying very very clearly Tony, this is not a time to lead through this. It's something that you need to lead in not brew wasn't mean. It means that we embrace the moment we don't hunker down, but we open our eyes wide open to the opportunities that are around us because our purpose is just that. So I gather the staff and would begin to talk.

We said okay let's let's do the hedgehog approach towards what is it that we are looking to accomplish. How can we accomplish it better. What changes will we have to make. How will we expand our mission of engagement not shrink back. So these obstacles actually drew us back to the drawing board and set our purpose is compelling. It's worth doing. No matter what the circumstances or the situation so we get to pinpoint our failures and we were missing whole demographics on the front of the sleigh and steel were just were still filling in gaps. We analyzed our current resources in our abilities and said okay we need to we need to restructure some things we pinpointed very clearly and embrace like never before and this was the best thing to come out of. We embraced our purpose and said you know what we are going to cut the fat were to cut off the but the dead would want to focus on what God called us to do and yet it took innovation yet it took agility. It took it took changes but it brought unity within the church in those gathering and those not gathering so we created opportunities for those on online, who were meeting and we had those who are meeting which we have been meeting for good while, but that was huge. Having that compelling, clear purpose for people to rally around. What are the purposes and I guess let's call it the assignments that the church in every age is given, you know, we go back to two verses one is the great commandment in the great commission were called to love God with all our heart, so my to strengthen and each other the other. The other is were called to go into the world and make disciples. So we have taken that and condense that and verbalize it in such a way that is very clear and palatable. We exist and we sent this way listener. I believe this is universal, no matter how you say it. I don't believe it's optional, but we exist to make equip and release fully committed followers of Christ the Lord. In a fully committed follower of Christ is a functional definition of a disciple. That's what we are called to do. We can't stop that because a covariate.

We can stop that because of opposition if we have to go underground rather as a revival or revolution that is our mission and our goal is not to change so Christ comes back. He said low, I'm with you, even into the end of the age is not in just yet. So were to keep on doing it will encourage other churches to embrace it and you know there's something compelling about that.

Somebody said of DL Moody back in the 19th century. They said if if a man is lit on fire.

The world will show up to watch him burn and and when we got purpose and a reason to live in and enthusiasm for life because were walking with the Savior I made that is that's a drawing card in itself is we are seeing growth. I was with a starting point classes for class like like most churches do, and it for the first time I was doing this class this past weekend and I think we had like 40 people in the class which was great. You don't turn out that the light when the storm zone so the lighthouse is open, but people are coming, but I begin to ask. I said listen, I said why are you here what brought you through the doors. Overwhelmingly, they said people they said people are excited and engaging and they are speaking to us and inviting. That's the difference. It's not a gimmick.

It's people embracing and understanding the purpose moving in that purpose and evangelizing telling people about what God is doing for its beautiful no substitute but they won't do that if they don't understand clearly the purpose of the mission and the goal that they're trying to embrace as much as I thank God for the pastors like Tony McVicker's but the church members need to say look I need to invite my neighbor. I need to invite my coworker.

I need to invite my friend because they might not know Tony McVicker's but I'm in their life, and I've got a chance and 86% are saying sure if a friend invited me I might go so so it's it's engagement not attendance and some of the challenges that were facing have really primed people to realize that they're putting their trust in a bunch of junk. It's time to really put their trust in God.

So there wide open just when we engage and leverage the opportunity to come right back for the state to continue talking with Tony McVicker's the things that we dare not miss this time of upheaval and change truth for a new generation is back after this you know Alex is writing for many years. One of his classic books is still great. Today is a basic introduction to the Christian faith. It's called stamp courtrooms must know for unshakable faith.

This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt onto solid ground. You'll read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity. They are one inspiration of the Bible to the virgin birth. Three.

The deity of Christ for atonement. Five. Christ's resurrection and six. Christ's return know Alex mixes it up with humor and stories gleaned from decades of working with youth and encourages things to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ.

Simple and straightforward stand courtrooms you must know for an unshakable faith available wherever Christian books are so American today is like a patient struggling to live yet is being forcibly euthanized by her doctors.

The life force within the patient fighting for survival is the honest citizens like yourself team of caregivers are the local and national leaders actually contributing to the demise of patient economy is crashing crime is exploding. The Constitution is being abolished the assault on America how to defend our nation before it's too late by Alex Farland has one single purpose to get you prepared the real source of America's current problems that no one else is talking about and what you can do now to face tomorrow.

Regardless of what tomorrow brings.

The assault on America how to defend our nation before it's too late. Available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and local Christian bookstores in the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism. Alex McFarland is a voice you can trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to the truth for a new generation radio back to the program. You know, as we record this. This is the day that my book fits officially released the assault on America. We must do to save our nation while we have time and I want to thank everybody because, listen folks, it's in every Barnes & Noble in the nation. It's on Amazon.com. The audiobook you can find it AFA store got that as an American family Association AFA store.net but I saw on Amazon the other day. The book is was number 1740 in all of books now that might not sound like much, 1740 out of how many millions of books are in print and I'm I don't make a thing on this book. I purposely wrote it with no compensation whatsoever, and I'm going on a lot of media so I ask you to pray for me. My website is Alex McFarland.com were also in social media please like us on Facebook at rev.

Alex McFarland and of course, as I'm sure you probably know were screaming three times a week, but what we are trying to get people to if you believe or pray for America be a part of the local church be a part of what I think potentially, and brother Tony also this I think were moving into what may be the most exciting chapter of America's Christian history because God is up to something you said earlier in the program were interfacing revolution or revival, and I'm praying that God and in his mercy will send an incredible move of the Holy Spirit and folks you can be part of that.

But the book I really do think it will inspire you.

I've never promoted my book 17 previous books are write these books. I let them go where God wants them to go but I'm aggressively asking you to go online or go to your local bookstore get the assault on America how to defend our nation before it's too late. Please read this book because were talking about each of us participating in what might be the greatest move of God's Holy Spirit in the history of America. But Tony, let's talk about recognizing opportunities and then as you were saying about being prepared and not letting these great spiritual opportunities pass by you Alex want to thank you that you are on the cutting edge of this your book. Your book really speaks to that.

Please Alex, thank you for the contribution that you have and continue to make to the kingdom.

That sounds like it's right in alignment with what we need to do, which is take advantage of the obvious opportunities. The D consolidation melt the local church is incredible.

I put a lot of hope in that it's God's plan a handle think there's a plan B, but it's the D consolidation is the empowerment of the people through helping them develop a culture that recognizes obvious opportunities in other words, I think, a mistake that we made in the past as a church is to think that we have to present every opportunity and everything has to flow through us.

We are a place of preparation. A toolbox if you will that helps refined tools that can be utilized in the hand of God. Wherever God sees that opportunity and seizing the opportunity means recognizing it.

So what we focused on is developing an attitude, a paradigm that helps people see need as opportunity, whatever that looks like find a need and meet it that his ministry that the very core.

The genesis of ministry is seeing a need and then meeting it with the resources that God is given you in that moment. So how do we help people develop a culture that recognizes obvious opportunities. Now you because think about it during the season. There's been things that we can't do that. A lot of churches are meeting so a lot of those needs aren't stuff that's that's intramural top needs. So how does that work in your community. How does that work with you. Seeing a need and a neighbor, we've come up with some opportunities to help weave we created yard signs and a lot of churches did this to invite their neighbors to Munich to watch online and but I think the biggest thing was creating that culture where people were looking for opportunities to help people.

That's a corporate shift that has to take place, but that's what were talking about. If were going experience a revival. It could be like some of the great awakenings where they didn't go back to church but they took that power and that presence in that serving into the community of open orphanages. They took God into their workplaces.

Another words that wasn't secondary. That became primary and that's how it began to change the culture nationally. Speaking of in the workplace and talking our neighbor to say this I don't sit while the people are afraid right now I'm it we treat our office with a lot of people that they they either don't know the Lord or may be only nominally but I'm talking to grown men, business people, there's coveted there's riots. There's instability. People are afraid and and I know I don't ever want to exploit people, but what I'm saying is, people are open right now. Would you agree Tony, you know absolutely and that was the fourth point that we have seized on and that you see zone.

It is the intentional preparation will I mean by that. We're trying to answer the questions that people are asking not answer the questions that are not asking in and I'm not being ugly on them to try to be nice, but traditionally we have told people things that they're not necessarily looking to get that we live, and I always phrase it this way. I have real problems in this real world and I need real answers and I believe that the biblical principles.

I believe that God provides those real answers like nothing else. And the fear and the real questions that people are having right now.

Who better to answer them.

So the intentional preparation is the idea that when we do our sermon series.

When we engage people we engage them in a relevant cultural way in a way this can speak to them right where they are and like you say do I want to do not try to seize anybody sphere, but we have the answer. We have the antidote to that, but we back off. We don't address the social issues we don't address the unrest, but every body born again or not understands it. There something going on there's shaking in this nation is shaking in the church is God is going to have his way. Watch in a week, we began talking about Ephesians 4 and Christ is the head of the church and we are to mature up into what the truth the truth. Truth doesn't have an expiration date doesn't that's right that's right doesn't change no matter what the cultural pressures are only encouraged if your pastor your leader speak the truth in love. Do not give 1 inch to cultural pressure or social change. God is the same yesterday today and forever. Listen, if it's built on the rock. It's not to be shaken anything else.

Anything else that can be will be shaken. Jesus said build on the rock and all the sand. Tell us again. The website for the church is rockfish church.com. Very simply put in rockfish are going to find. We encourage you to pray for America like Tony said, don't miss these opportunities because, yeah, 20/20 is a challenging time were praying for you to say thanks to so many people that have reached out to us.

We count it a privilege to ship out literature to give guidance. We do our very best to help not only evangelize the lost. But, equip, and coach the saved pastors, churches, families were rooting for you were in this together. You know what, in John 1721.

Christ prayed father that day.

The believers that they all may be one opening one unified why so the wall would believe that Jesus is the Savior, God bless you.

God bless America.

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