How to set The Church apart

Isaiah 43:10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me
Yesterday I was talking with Denise Whited about what it takes to set the church apart from other social organizations and I pointed to the fact we need to make decisions differently - to wait upon the Lord and follow his lead.  Certainly we are called, I believe, to surrender ourselves, including our opinions, intellect, common sense, and cleverness to His perfect leadership in order to make Godly decisions.  No where in scripture do I find "God gave us a brain and expects us to use it."  Instead I find, the calling to surrender ourselves and follow Him. 
Much more important to setting the church apart it think is that our witness should testify to the reality and benefits of serving and being in relationship with God.  After all, there is so much competition in these days for our time, what incentivizes those unfamiliar with God to want to know Him? 
I deeply appreciate the hard work and dedication that our staff is putting into the worship experience in our church.  As a member of the choir, I have a little insight into how hard they're working to build a cohesive experience that builds on the theme of the sermon.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate Dave Barkalow.  He delivers insightful messages with clear application to my life and does so in a transparent way that shows me how he has applied these truths in his life making application even more clear to me. So what's missing?  Response.  A response from us that says we worship a living God who is making a real difference to us.  Where is our testimony of God's activity in our lives?  Where are the examples of where we put our faith in God and He was faithful?  Where is the celebration of God's works?  How are our lives a testimony to the reality of God?
Yesterday Ryan received a substantial scholarship to MSU.  Yes I'm a proud Dad, but this is clearly God continuing to lead and guide Ryan.  Ryan was the kid that struggled to make B's in HS and his mother and I knew college was going to be difficult for him academically, and for us financially.  Yet, he received a very clear calling into church ministry while still in HS.  He desired to be obedient, and began asking the "how" question.  Late in his Jr year he felt compelled to dual enroll at NWFSC and followed in obedience.  His grades jumped a full letter across the board.  Since then he has explored majors, sought advice from numerous pastors on how to pursue his calling and continually prayed about his next steps.  To make a long story short, he has prayed for some time that he would receive this scholarship as part of an overall fleece to confirm that he is really supposed to pursue the path he is on.  Reja and I didn't think he would be notified about this scholarship until June, yet we have orientation this weekend and must put down $$ for housing.  We thought we would have to do so at risk.  God stepped in and gave us confirmation to "get on with it!"  Praise God from whom all blessing truly flow!
You could congratulate Ryan and dismiss God's involvement.  Yet I know him and many of you do as well.  He's a great kid, but wasn't the kid clearly on track to receive scholarships.  In order to pay for 4 years of college and 2 years of seminary, He felt compelled to stay at NWFSC for two years at drastically reduced cost to us, pursue this scholarship to offset the next two years, and then utilize the savings to go on to seminary.  He didn't make up this plan overnight, he prayed earnestly about it and God has given him the answers he needed just when he needed them. 
We clearly serve a risen Savior who is in the world today and active.  How can we make Him better known to a world that doesn't know they have a need for this Savior?