Chili Cook-off Controversy II

What a great day together on Sunday! The promises of God displayed in baptism... the hope of renewal in the grace of Jesus Christ... and hanging together around the fountain while enjoying chili and each other.

The winner will be announced Sunday. Apparently there are charges of voter fraud and hanging chads that still need to be worked out. I think Katherine Harris is being brought in to help!

Enjoying Christ

It is only "Christ enjoyed" which can loosen our hold
of things seen, and of those earthly attractions which
have long entwined themselves around the heart--for
then we have found something infinitely better! --Ruth Bryan

quotes

1. There is really only one thing that can minimize Christ's saving work and that is our failing to lay hold of it. I'm convinced…that this is when we begin to make our forward steps as Christians: When I know through experience that I can lay hold of Christ's blood by faith to cover my sins this morning, and then to cover my sins this afternoon, even if they're the same sins—when I know this, the preciousness of Christ's blood becomes a tremendous reality, I begin to live in the light of His presence and in the light of His work—not just in the past or in the future, but in the present. I begin to live in the reality of the supernatural world…a true Christian is that person who knows, by experience, the ever-present wonder of being able to lay hold of the blood of Jesus and then being able to say thank you, knowing that his or her fellowship with God is completely restored.

--Francis Schaeffer

2. The life of the believer is here described as a delight in God, and we are thus certified of the great fact that true religion overflows with happiness and joy. Ungodly persons and mere professors never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity, but never pleasure or delight. –Charles Spurgeon

4. “The believer is in spiritual danger if he allows himself to go for any length of time without tasting the love of Christ.” --Maurice Roberts

5. Sometimes our religious systems make Jesus so ethereal that He is no longer relevant to anything but theological polemics and doctrinal propositions. You need your soul "washed out" and once again drawn to the One who loves you beyond anything you could possibly imagine. I need it because sometimes I forget. --Steve Brown

6. Cling to the Lord Jesus in your feebleness, in your fickleness, in your nothingness; and
abidingly take him to be everything to you. –Spurgeon

7. “Though your faith is as weak as a single strand of a spider's web, if it is faith in Christ, it is saving faith; because it is not faith that saves… it is Christ who saves.” --John Murray

8. We did not merely say "Be good, come to church." We did not merely say "Keep the commandments" but above all, "Christ is risen, Christ is risen." --THOMAS MERTON

9. “For decades we psychologists looked upon the whole matter of sin and moral accountability as a great incubus and acclaimed our liberation from it as epoch making. But at length we have discovered that to be free in this sense, that is, to have the excuse of being sick rather than sinful, is to court the danger of also becoming lost. For in becoming amoral, ethically neutral and free, we have cut the very roots of our being, lost our deepest sense of selfhood and identity, and with neurotics we find ourselves asking, ‘Who am I, what is my deepest destiny, what does living mean?’” --Hobart Mowrer— former Professor of Psychology at Harvard and former President of the American Psychological Assoc.

10. "Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among them. So we remain alone with our sin, living lies and hypocrisy. The fact is we are sinners. But it is the grace of the Gospel, which is so hard for the pious to understand, that it confronts us with the truth and says: You are a sinner, a great desperate sinner; now come as the sinner that you are, to God who loves you…He does not want anything from you, a sacrifice, a work; He wants you alone. God has come to save the sinner." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

11. Although sorrow for sin is certainly a legitimate aspect of worship, it should be understood as only a moment in worship, not a pervasive tone or atmosphere. In Psalm 51 and Isaiah 6, sorrow for sin soon dissolves into joy as the sinner finds forgiveness through the grace of God. The overall tone of our worship of God is to be a tone of reverent joy. –John Frame

Transforming Grace

"Love in response to goodness, perfection, and
obedience isn't love; it's reward. Only those who don't deserve it can be
loved, and only those who have been loved can love." Steve Brown

What do you mean when you say, "Our Father, in heaven"

2nd in series on concise explanations of the Lord's Prayer, line by line.... you can search for the 1st one on this site...

OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN: The balance is found not in toning down either God's transcendence or immanence or by taking a middle path between this world (the here and now) and heaven (the eternal), but by understanding what our Lord is teaching us as we address God in prayer: "Our Father[immanence] who art in Heaven[transcendence]." Even in this brief prayer our Lord gave us, we have the proper balance between transcendence and immanence. God is completely above and beyond us (transcendent), but we are instructed to call him "our Father." Isn't this a contradiction? Not at all. For in Christ, the Father reconciles us to himself and adopts us as his own children, co-heirs with Christ. --Mike Horton

Offering Hope & Healing

While i was in Crystal River last Sunday I spoke with a dear friend who is open to the idea of coming to Gainesville once per week to do counseling. He is a 50'something who has learned alot from schools and trials. He was on a mission team in Japan for almost 20 years and now has been called to help people appropriate the love of Christ in their times of trial. Do you think there would be enough need in West Gainesville for him to come one day per week?

please email me robp AT christcommunitychurch DOT com
if you think there would be serious interest

sunday at 10 we gather

here is a song lyric that captures part of what we come to do:
"Sing to the King who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation, His empire shall bring
Joy to the nations when Jesus is King"
---Billy Foote and Candi Pearon

"You can’t handle the truth!”

So said Col. Nathan R. Jessep in A Few Good Men. Handling the truth is not an easy thing to do, particularly when it reveals things about us that we would rather not be known. But when it comes to the light of truth exposing the depth of our own sinfulness and idolatry, we find the truth not just difficult but impossible to handle. Only in the gospel can we “handle the truth” about ourselves. Richard Lovelace writes:

“Through faith in the Messiah, the soul is able to face reality again with cleared vision. As T.S. Eliot said, ‘Humankind cannot bear very much reality.’ But through the light shed by the Holy Spirit on the Messiah and his saving work, the soul can take in at a glance the truth about its own standing before God. It can bear the bad news about the justice of God and the depth of its sin, because it can see in the same glance the good news of the grace of Christ available simply through faith”.
HT to this dude

GLOCAL missions

GLObal and
LoCAL.... GLOCAL missions had a great 1st meeting sunday after service. Frank Matthews is mobilizing this group that currently has about 20 people involved.

Who wants welfare?

"Perhaps the most difficult task for us to perform is to rely on God's grace and God's grace alone for our salvation. It is difficult for our pride to rest on grace. Grace is for other people—for beggars. We don't want to live by a heavenly welfare system. We want to earn our own way and atone for our own sins. We like to think that we will go to heaven because we deserve to be there." --R C Sproul.

Missio Dei

The mission of God... missio Dei. God is renewing all things through the ongoing work of His Son... Do you want to hear more about how CCC seeks to extend the grace & mission of God? then come to a brief missions meeting after the worship service sunday

more info on church site

Note to Preachers... YES! this means you, "normal Christian"

“The gospel of Christ crucified and risen is meant to be preached to our soul–both in corporate worship where we hear it week after week, and from hour to hour as we preach it to ourselves in the daily fight for joy…The cross must be central in the fight for joy. We must put ourselves under is preaching on the Lord’s day, and we must preach it to ourselves all day every day” (John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy, 76-77).

Faith & Love

Faith brings and gives Christ to you with all his possessions. Love gives you to your neighbor with all your possessions.

Martin Luther, in Complete Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol 1, pg 34.

Share in the Joy of God

"We are questioning, doubting, sorrowing, trembling; and all the while he who sees the end from the beginning knows what will come out of the present disquietude, and therefore rejoices. Let us rise in faith to share the joy of God.” Charles Spurgeon

Discipleship Course Reminders

faith and union with Christ, lessons 13 and 14

Reminder over instruction

"People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed." --Samuel Johnson, made famous b/c CS Lewis quoted it in Mere Xnity

One Look at Sin, 10 at the Cross

Although sorrow for sin is certainly a legitimate aspect of worship, it should be understood as only a moment in worship, not a pervasive tone or atmosphere. In Psalm 51 and Isaiah 6, sorrow for sin soon dissolves into joy as the sinner finds forgiveness through the grace of God. The overall tone of our worship of God is to be a tone of reverent joy. –John Frame

Why God Invented Elders

Why God Invented Elders Ligon Duncan Titus 1:5-9

We already have a divinely inspired model for ministry in the pastoral epistles.
The people of Crete were being transformed by the culture – Paul writes to Titus to tell him how to deal with these matters. He offers apostolic counsel on how a church can deal with pressure to conform to the world.
If God’s people are to adorn the gospel of God in all things, then they need godly elders, who by example in their homes and character, and in their teaching to show people how to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Why did God invent elders? For . . .
1. Discipleship
v. 5 - The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
Shows the discipleship work of godly men who were necessary for the welfare of the church.
Note the plurality of elders – Paul does not exhort Titus to appoint an elder, but a plurality of godly elders.
v. 7 – the elders are overseers. They are appointed for discipleship in the local church – Christian discipleship takes place in the local church. This involves the careful ministry of elder shepherds – that is what elders are for.
In our day it is common for elders to see themselves as a spiritual board of directors. We must not denigrate the administrative function of elders, but we must never let this overshadow his role as a discipling shepherd.
2. Example
Elders are to be an example in two areas:
1. In home life – v. 6
v. 6 shows the importance of faithfulness in the home. These men are examples of what a Christian is like in their husbandry and parenting.
These are those whose children share their faith. If this is what God wants in all the church then it is essential that the elder’s homes show what it looks like to be a Christian in the family.
2. In character – vv. 7-8
vv. 7-8 – when the world says that the reality of the church as embodying the gospel is a lie the church is to be able to point to the elders and say “there are examples of lives transformed by the gospel.” Elders are to be the proof of the power of God in the lives of men.
The elder’s character is a witness to the truth of the gospel.
Paul shows how people can be gripped by sins of the self in verse 7 and says that elders are not characterized by such things.
The elder must love people and he must equally love truth and virtue.
Every qualification in this list has to do with behavior in the home and with character, not a person’s place in society.
Notice that it is godly men that Paul is calling to step up to the plate here.
3. Doctrine.
v. 9 – elders are for the conveying of truth and the confronting of error.
Elders must be orthodox – able to teach and defend the faith. Not only an assent to the truth, but an embrace of the truth. If you don’t love truth you can’t love people the way God calls you to love people.
They are able to convey the truth of the Christian faith. This does not mean that they have to have pulpit power. Elders have different ways of teaching. They don’t have to be grand orators, but they do have to be competent to teach.
Ability to teach is the only competency, outside of the family life and character, which elders are required to have.
Elders are also to be able to warn people against the errors that are the enemies of their soul. They are zealous to defend and promote sound doctrine.
Elders, along with all the heralds of God’s word, will one day stand before God to give an account for how they have shepherded the people of God.

God Welcomes The Sinner, As Should We

"Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among them. So we remain alone with our sin, living lies and hypocrisy. The fact is we are sinners. But it is the grace of the Gospel, which is so hard for the pious to understand, that it confronts us with the truth and says: You are a sinner, a great desperate sinner; now come as the sinner that you are, to God who loves you…He does not want anything from you, a sacrifice, a work; He wants you alone. God has come to save the sinner." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

With Arms Wide Open

True worship always proclaims the gospel, the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ. It proclaims the work of Christ and it centers in the cross. With the apostle Paul we say, "In the cross of Christ we glory." We proclaim liberty to the captive, grace and pardon to all who believe in His name. If sinners come to Him, He will by no means cast them out. --Al Mohler, on Isaiah 6

One way we try, as a congregation, to convince people that the above is true...
To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest; to all who mourn and long for comfort; to all who struggle and desire victory; to all who sin and need a Savior; to all who are strangers and want to belong; to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness; and to all who will come, this church opens wide her arms and offers welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. --from CCC worship folder

Brief Statement on "Why Male Elders?"

The Biblical Position of Male Elders Briefly Stated
Elders are to be men, as stated in 1 Timothy 3:1-3. In 1 Timothy 2:11 women are forbidden to “teach or have authority” over men. In 1 Corinthians 14:35-36 women are not to take part in determining whether a teacher is teaching sound doctrine.

Elders are leaders who admit or dismiss people from the church, and they do “quality control” of members’ doctrine. These are the only things that elders exclusively can do. Others can teach, disciple, serve, witness.

There are a number of qualifications for this office—God must call and give elder gifts. When the congregation elects elders it is not to elect people it likes, but people God has gifted along the lines of 1 Timothy 3. Most men and all women do not qualify and will never be elders. It is not something they can attain through hard work. It is a calling from God the King.

Why does God call certain ones? Because they are inherently more worthy? That has never been the case. It is the same question: why did the Father rule while the Son submitted? The answer is that both were great and wise persons who did not resent the submission-and-rule pattern but rejoiced in it.

Does exclusion from the eldership mean that women are inherently unfit for leadership in the church? The only thing we can conclude is that women do not fit this particular kind of leadership. Consider the types of leaders in Israel. There were prophets, priests, kings, and elders. Though kings had physical, political power over the priests and elders and prophets, they could not take over their duties. Saul, for example was forbidden from doing priestly work, offering sacrifices.

Women were prophets and also were heads of state. On the other hand women could not be priests or elders. Not only were women precluded from the priesthood, but so were all men not of the tribe of Levi. Was God being arbitrary? No, he was acting like a King. He called some to be people into some kinds of leadership and precluded other people from other kinds. Sometimes the preclusion was done on the basis of gender, other times on the basis of nationality. All people gladly submitted to God’s Lordship if they understood his rights over them. –by Tim & Kathy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC

For a much longer article, see Vern Poythress'

Tracing Out the Lord's Prayer

We've been saying the Lord's prayer weekly of late. It seemed wise to begin walking through it...bit by bit.

First my take on OUR FATHER...
The first two words communicates that we are a people. I am part of the community of grace. Also, that we have intimacy, family love, with God.

Now something by Octavius Winslow
To see my Father's smile reflected in the smile of my Savior; to behold His glory beaming in the face of Jesus; to hear His voice in the echoes of Christ's love; to trace His compassion, tenderness, and sympathy in the very words and works and tears of the Great High Priest, even when the discipline of the parental rod is the most severe, this is heaven upon earth.

Read the rest of his teaching here.

Redeeming Science

Redeeming Science is the title of a forthcoming book from Vern Poythress. Poythress has degrees from from Harvard & Westminster Seminary. Here is a link to a longer article that contains link to get contents and chapter 1 as pdfs.

How Can We Keep From Singing?

(I think this is an old civil war song that has been recaptured lately)

My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation.
I hear the real, thought far off hymn
That hails the new creation
Above the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?

What through the tempest loudly.....

Sunday's Sermon

Sunday I am preaching on the formative nature of corporate worship. That is fancy way of saying that the pattern of people's worship SHAPES the way they interact with God, almost subconsciously.

So the points of the sermon will be the cycles of our corporate worship
#1. Praise
#2. Renewal
#3. Commitment

"Scripture sets the terms, and in Isaiah 6:1-8 we see a picture of authentic worship." --Al Mohler

Our Affection for One Another as Christians

What is the point of referring so often (in the New Testament) to very precious friends as being in Christ or in the Lord? It comes from a very intense feeling of being rescued from infinitely long suffering at infinitely great cost and then placed together into an infinitely safe and happy place. Listen to Romans 5:9. “Since . . . we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” And Romans 8:1. “There is . . . now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We have been rescued from infinitely long suffering, namely, the wrath of God. We have been rescued at infinitely great cost, namely, his blood—the blood of Christ. And then, put together into an infinitely safe and happy place, namely, in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever watched on television as trapped miners are rescued after being hundreds of feet underground for days with their families keeping vigil on the ground above? When they come out, they are not the only ones hugging and kissing. Everybody is hugging. There is something deeply bonding about a family defined by imminent loss and glorious rescue, safe on solid ground, surrounded by people they wouldn’t trade for all the gold in the world. --john piper

What is the gospel?

The Greek term “gospel” (ev-angelion) distinguished the Christian message from that of other
religions. An 'ev-angel' was news of a great historical event, such as a victory in war or the
ascension of a new king, that changed the listeners’ condition and required a response from the
listener. So the gospel is news of what God has done to reach us. It is not advice about what we
must do to reach God. What is this news?
God has entered the world in Jesus Christ to achieve a salvation that we could not achieve for
ourselves which now 1) converts and transforms individuals, forming them into a new humanity,
and eventually 2) will renew the whole world and all creation. --source, Redeemer Pres. Manhattan

Chili Cook-off Controversy

The names of chili that people plan to enter has stirred up some controversy. Here are the first 5 of 12 we received Sunday. Sign up Sunday to participate. The event is Sunday October 29, at Oak Hall immediately after the worship service.

John Eubanks family "Ain't Real Texan Chili"
Larry Eubanks family "Tearfully Excellent"
Krista Wilson "Chomp Chowder"
Brandon Wilson "Gator Heat"
Matthew's family "un-named currently"

Spotlight

Want to use this space to let you know of some local ministries Christ Community supports financially on a monthly basis. The emerging missions team (contact Frank Matthews to be involved) is looking for ways to make CCC support of these ministries more wholistic(sp?) and hands on

Arbor House Christian Maternity Shelter
A shelter for pregnant women ages 18 and up.
(352) 371-2229 http://www.afn.org/~momhome/

Obeying 1 Corinthians 15

excellent 3 minute audio on how to make corporate worship services comprehensible to our unchurched friends who visit with us
http://www.desiringgod.org/media/audio/conferences/national2006/carson_excerpt_how_to_contextualize_a_church_service.mp3

An example of Leaning Hard on Jesus

One man I have learned much from is Paul David Tripp. His book, "HOW PEOPLE CHANGE", is golden. Recently I learned that his twentysomething daughter suffered a tragic injury and Paul is keeping people updated via the internet. It was this young woman to whom I was referring yesterday when I mentioned someone who was emotionally strenghtened by the visit of her elders.

I also recommend you reading some of these entries to see how valuable Christ is as a father wrestles with the suffering of his daughter.

http://nicolenews.blogspot.com/2006/05/accident-and-since.html

Approval Granted by Alachua COunty

On Friday we received word that we have approval to build a church facility on Parker Road!
Celebration gathering to put up the "FUTURE HOME" sign to be announced soon.

No word yet

as of thursday nite we have not heard anything from our land engineer about his presentation of our site plan to alachua county

friday sweat

To those who are interested and have the time available!

Come cut up this Friday at the church house. We will be cutting up a big dead tree and trimming the existing tree canopy for future bon fire wood.
We are getting together some time after the parade (2pm?).
Bring any of the following: gloves, chainsaw, hedge trimmers, yourself, your friends.
A chance to get to know others better and cut and burn, baby! more info? 359-8494 Kevin Phegley

What's the difference?

great quote in a great article by Steve Brown:
"I'm torn between my love for (and particular views on) America and my love for and Jesus' views on the kingdom. Where does compassion for the homeless translate into "get a job, dummy?" Where does my belief in and my promotion of capitalism cross the place in which the clerk where I get my cleaning done has $50,000 in medical bills and no health insurance? Where do I draw the line between being an "in-your-face," angry patriot and being a weenie? How do I deal with my growing weariness of and anger with racial "victim-hood" and my awareness of real racism? What's the difference between creating (perhaps out of compassion) a permanent "underclass" in America and destroying the family fabric of society, and my call to love and to have compassion on the poor? How is one to love gays and lesbians without giving approval to a lifestyle that is clearly not approved by God?

It goes on and on; and, as you can imagine, I have particular views on all of those issues and a thousand like them. I'm not talking here about the particulars, but the attitude of a Christian (regardless of political persuasion) to the dual citizenship that we all have.

I think I've found the key. The key is in the tears."




Read the Whole thing here

More from Psalm 29

On Oct 1 as we meditated together upon
ASCRIBE TO THE LORD THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME...
and that God has said in Isaiah that he will not give his glory to another. He won't GIVE it, but Romans 8 says He will SHARE it with the ones that by grace he has made fellow-heirs with Christ.

I just saw this from John Piper and it would have fit great there:
"It is true that we have been made his children, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. But we will never treasure that truth the way we should until we tremble at this one.

O that every person in this postmodern, self-exalting world would come to say, “I am totally dependent on God, and immeasurably less valuable than he is. And this is the beginning of my joy.”

The Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Postmodern World :: Desiring God

Tim Keller lectured on the "Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in Our PostModern World" recentlyThe Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Postmodern World :: Desiring God

Marriage Tune-Up

November 17 & 18 The Marriage Tune-Up Conference offers you the unique chance to work on, and celebrate your marriage in a relaxed atmosphere filled with laughter, insight, and interaction with your spouse. Jeff and Debby McElroy, founders of Forever Families, Inc., have designed the conference to be unlike any other you’ve attended on marriage. They are real people. No psycho-babble. Just plain talk from the heart of their marriage and family to the heart of yours. Their unique blend of comedy, honesty, drama and insight will leave you with more than just information. You’ll have the feeling you’ve experienced a landmark moment in your marriage and family. Conference topics will include God's Design, Communication, Intimacy, Conflict Resolution and Spirituality. Held at Westside Baptist Church

Thursday at 1:30

Christ Community's plan for use of the Parker Road land is scheduled to be decided upon by Alachua County on Thursday October 5.

This falls under Initiative 2 from the Vision Night.

Tonite 8pm... our own Dr. Sarah Hamersma

will be lecturing at the Christian Study Center. 8pm

Zephaniah 3

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.