What Kind of Church Are We?

Hi, my name is Charles, and today we're talking about what kind of church we are.

So, what kind of church are we? We are a church that values being H.O.T. — humble, open, and transparent. We like to say:

God does not bless who you pretend to be. He blesses who you really are.

The Easter Suit

I don't know about your experience with church, but I grew up as a pastor's kid. I'll never forget a specific Easter when my dad took me to the mall. I'm not going to lie to you — the only way to describe it was that it was a little bit of a rough, ghetto mall.

We walked into this store where they had these long suits with plastic over all of them, and I bought this all-white long suit. I looked like a 2005 NBA draft pick. I got these white gator shoes, got all dressed up, and that was a picture of what church had been known to be: on this one day of the week, you put on your best.

Now, there's nothing wrong with putting on your best. But there's a part of that which makes us feel like we have to present a certain way, act a certain way, and be a certain way if we're going to go to God's house.

Representing God in a New Way

Here at Transformation Church, one key part of our vision is representing — showing God in a new way. Being H.O.T. is a key part of that. It's being humble, open, and transparent people of integrity.

We like to say it's about progression, not perfection. When you come to church, you're not showing up trying to act a certain way or trying to make people think you're someone you're not. You can come being honest. You can be humble enough to say:

• "You know what? I didn't have a good day, or a good week."
• "I don't know what you're talking about."
• "What does that song even mean?"
• "I'm being honest — I'm struggling with my faith."

Wherever you are, we are saying that God doesn't bless who you pretend to be. He blesses who you really are.

Open vs. Transparent

I love this idea of being H.O.T., specifically the two ideas of open and transparent.

Think of a house or a window. At our home, we have a little tiny backyard, and there's a play set that takes up most of it for the kids. Our two bedroom windows are right by the backyard.

This morning, the kids woke up, got dressed, did their whole morning routine, and had some time before school, so we sent them outside to play. As they ran around, my wife and I always crack open the little back window so we can hear everything that's going on.

Here's the idea: there's a difference between an open window and a transparent window.

• When the blinds are open, I can see out to everything. That's transparency — I can see what's going on.
• But openness is a different level of access.

What This Looks Like in Our Lives

When we say we are open and transparent, here's how it plays out:

• Transparency means we share honestly: "Hey, I'm struggling. I have a weakness. I'm struggling with my faith. I'm trying to figure out what I believe about God. I prayed, and it didn't happen, and now I have questions."
• Openness means we let people in to help: "Can you help me with this? I need accountability. I need you to pray with me. I need someone to help me with my kids because I'm a little overwhelmed right now."

Sometimes pride will tell you that you can do it by yourself — that you don't need anybody's help, that you have to get it all together first and then present. But that's not true.

It Starts With Humility

Here's the thing: openness and transparency only work with that first part — humility.

If you're not humble enough to be honest, to be open, to be transparent, you will never find some of the most beautiful relationships and friendships. Some of the biggest transformation in your life will happen when you are H.O.T. — when you are humble, open, and transparent.

Your Challenge: Pick One Thing

Being H.O.T. is not something we just say. It's something we live. So here's my challenge for you today — right when you stop watching this video, what would it mean to take one step closer to being H.O.T. in your life?

Here's what I want you to do:

1. Pick one thing. Not a million things. I'm not talking about a massive confessional where you come up and tell everything you've ever done. No — pick one thing.
2. Be honest with God about it first. Here's the funny thing about God: we act like we're tricking Him, but He already knows. Sometimes we come to church performing — "No, I'm fine, I'm good." He already knows you're not. But something special happens when you say, "God, I'm honest. I'm not okay. I'm struggling. I need You."
3. Then take the step of courage to be honest with another person.

Overcoming by Our Testimony

The Bible says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. — Revelation 12:11

The last portion of that scripture often goes missed. It says these people overcame by the blood of the Lamb — that's what Jesus did — and by the word of their testimony. But there's a third part: they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death — they didn't hold on to their lives too tightly.

How did these people overcome? They were humble enough that they weren't holding on to their image so tightly, trying to protect it so much, that they couldn't be honest. You have no idea what could happen if you would be honest with someone else.

This Is Who We Are

What I want you to know is that here at Transformation Church, this is who we are: we are a church that values being H.O.T.

My prayer is that it would not just be the organization, but that it would be me and you — the organisms — who live this out.

We love you so much, and like we always say: go out and live a transformed life.