Keep Going

In 2017, I moved to Minnesota for a job at a school here in the Twin Cities region. And I connected to this church, Cities Church, and I never went anywhere else. I was a member here for six years. And had the privilege of serving as a pastor for the last few years of that. 

In summer of 2023, my wife and I moved to Florida with hopes of planting a church. And that became a reality in October 2024 when we launched Horizon City Church in Winter Garden, Florida.

Not long after, someone who knew me a long time said:

“You’re different from before you moved to MN.”

And he highlighted the ways he thought I was different… (better)… he said:

“What happened?”

I said:

“Cities Church happened.” 

Cities Church, you shaped me profoundly! When people ask about how I approach preaching, I can’t help but talk about Jonathan Parnell, David Mathis, and Joe Rigney.

When I’m asked about people who have greatly encouraged me, I can’t help but mention: Ben, Katelyn, Ken and Sue, Joshua and Erica, Max and Abi, Dan and Jamila, and Kevin, and Warren, and Mike and Karin.

To the elders of this church, little pieces of you are in me. You shaped me, and you came with me to Florida. You’re impacting people 2,000 miles away. 

When people show up on Sundays and I’m asked about the way we structure liturgy, the way we structured membership, our leadership pipeline, and our statement of faith, I say, “I got all that from Cities Church.”

This place, this church, this people, profoundly shaped me and my wife. And so, in-turn, that has trickled down to the church we planted.

And I know I’m not the only one. There are dozens of people across the country, like me, impacted by this church.

Cities Church, you may not even realize it but you are having a disproportionate impact.

You know that old maxim: “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”?

Well… this ain’t vegas.

Cities Church… what happens at Cities Church, does not stay at Cities Church. The things that happen here at 1524 Summit… they dont stay here, they go beyond this place impacting other places, like Central Florida. 

Our church in Florida, Horizon City, is less than 16 months old. But in a short period of time we’ve seen a lot of fruit! I could give you a list of dozens of names that have been greatly impacted. And Cities Church… you are a big part of that. 

You may not even realize it, but the good things that have happened in this congregation are having ripple effects.

So my encouragement to you this morning, my exhortation is: Cities Church, keep going. 

Keep going. Keep going.

Even when you face opposition… When people mock you… or try to make life hard for you. When people call you unintellectual because you believe in the book of Jewish fables…

Keep going. 

Dont quit.

Keep praying. 

Keep serving.

Keep being generous.

Keep leaning into relationships.

Keep doing the things that need to be done… the good deeds you know to do… so that this church can continue to expand its influence in these Twin Cities and beyond.

Galatians 6:9,

“… let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap…”

Cities Church, you are gonna reap a great harvest. Keep going. Keep going. Don’t quit.

Of course, sometimes we lose a sight of this, don’t we? I know I do. We forget that God has promised a reward in the age to come. We forget that our efforts have ripple effects. We get our eyes off the prize. We get lazy… or apathetic… or angry… or jaded.

And we give up… we stop doing the good things that we know we ought to do. 

We sin. 

Cities Church, don’t go down that road. 

This, of course, reminds us of our need to confess our sins.

As you know, it is the practice of Cities Church, and it’s our practice each week at Horizon City too, to pause each week in the middle of our gathering to take a moment of silence to take inventory of our hearts and minds and to confess our sins to him. 

Let’s do that now. Would you pray with me?