Imperishable! Unfading!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5, Listen, ESV)

Important Children's Time 9am Sunday

plan to have your children at Oak Hall promptly at 9am Sunday

The Holy Spirit and the Glory of Jesus Christ

Think of it this way. It is as if the Holy Spirit stands behind us, throwing light
over our shoulder on to Jesus who stands facing us. The Spirit’s message to us
is never, “Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me,” but always,
“Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him and hear his word; go to him and
have life; get to know him and taste his gift of joy and peace.” The Spirit, we
might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to
bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together.

—J. I. Packer, KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE SPIRT: FINDING FULLNESS IN OUR WALK WITH
GOD, 2nd Revised and Enlarged Edition. Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 2005, p. 57.
ISBN 08010-6558-5.

The Coffin of Jesus?

Surely this will be at buzz for a few weeks. Titanic man James Cameron will show the world that the coffin and body of Jesus have been found....My brief thoughts on this kind of thing?

1.) Good to be reminded that every Christ follower should be able to give some loving & intelligent response to every new "discreditor" of Christianity. And helpful to reply with, "I can't make the leap of faith required to trust (in this case) James Cameron."
2.) A life transformed by the power of the gospel of the risen Christ is THE ULTIMATE apologetic... actually, John 17 makes me say that lives transformed living in community in the church are the ultimate apologetic.
3.) Don't get sidetracked. I'm actually old enough now to know that this is -- like the 15th or 30th -- thing like this to come along in 20 years of following Christ. Don't "waste" much time on trying to defeat it.

The Looks, by John Newton

I saw one hanging on a tree
In agony and blood
Who fixed His loving eyes on me
As near His cross I stood

And never till my dying breath
Will I forget that look
It seemed to charge me with His death
Though not a word He spoke

My conscience felt and owned the guilt
And plunged me in despair
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there
But with a second look He said
“I freely all forgive this blood is for your ransom paidI died that you might live”

Thus while His death my sin displays
For all the world to view
Such is the mystery of grace
It seals my pardon too
With pleasing grief and mournful joy
My spirit now is filled
That I should such a life destroy
Yet live by Him I killed.

Christ!

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

A Father Writes to His Unborn Child

GREAT stuff here:
excerpt: "I read today that you can now open and close your fists, like miniature hearts budding on your arms. You will certainly hear things that will make you close those fists, make you want to strike out, but do not confuse your enemies. As with your heart, keep your hands open, your ears, and you will hear this: what angers you is not, finally, your neighbor, but the very thing that angers that neighbor, that the world is deformed, infected with shame.

Why are relationships scary? by Paul Tripp

1. You were created to be a social being.

2. We all tend to enter our relationships with unrealistic expectations.

3. We all tend to seek to get identity from our relationships.

4. We tend to be disappointed in our relationships because they were more about the purposes of our little kingdoms of self than they were about the kingdom of God.

--excerpt from longer article here

Announcing Our Worship Intern

Chris Hiatt has recently been asked by the elders to do a 5 month internship as our Worship Leader. Here's a brief bio:

Station in life: graduating from UF College of Journalism & Communication in May with a degree in Public Relations

Born: Dallas, Texas

Has lived in: Texas, SoCal, and Hilton Head, S. Carolina

Hobbies: Music, riding his motorcycle, writing

"I'm excited about what God is doing in the life of Christ Community and look forward to seeing all facets of the music program grow."

What a Promise!

If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said... "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
Now he (Jesus) said this about The Spirit. --Jesus, recorded in John 7

what a great day sunday

super lunch (Thanks Gordons)!, bouncehouse for kids (and Tamara & Rebecca) in the freezing temps.... excellent time celebrating God's generosity to us re: paying off our church property

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. --2 corinthians 8

Morrow Omli is helping with this...

WOMEN’S HEART HEALTH FAIR

IN MEMORY OF JOYCE POKORNY

FEBRUARY 17^th, SATURDAY, 8:30-12:00

HAILE VILLAGE FARMERS’ MARKET

Is Jesus Your Valentine?

So in the deepest sense, only Jesus can be our Valentine.
--Richard Phillips, in this brief article which is quite good on history of the day and how we can use it to grow in Christ

What is Journey of Faith???

Observant eyes have noticed a tab on the church website entitled "Journey of Faith". What is that? Journey of Faith is a church-wide endeavor to :
<> Reflect on the generosity of God
<> Wrestle with our response to His grace
<> Raise funds for our building project

Mailings with more info are in the mail. (This post, like me, needs editing... and i will later)

Invitation

Are you (or a friend of yours?) new/newer to Christ Community?

Do you know less than 10 folks at Christ Community?

Would you like to hang out in a casual environment with some leaders from the church?

Then plan to come to a dessert at my (Rob) home, Friday February 23.

Give a call to 379-4949 (or email lizette@christcommunitychurchDOTcom) to let us know you'll be here... you know, so there's plenty of cake.

Ephesians and Family Life

The family life which God created at the beginning and pronounced to be ‘good’ was spoiled by human rebellion and selfishness. Relationships fell apart. Society was fractured. Love was twisted into lust, and authority into oppression. But now *in the Lord*, by his reconciling work, God’s new society has begun, continuous with the old in the fact of family life but discontinuous in its quality. For now all our relationships are transformed precisely because they are *in the Lord*. They are purged of ruinous self-centredness, and suffused instead with Christ’s love and peace. --John Stott

spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6

Two exhortations stand side by side. The first is general: *Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might* (verse 10). The second is more specific: *Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil* (verse 11). Both commands are conspicuous examples of the balanced teaching of Scripture. Some Christians are so self-confident that they think they can manage by themselves without the Lord’s strength and armour. Others are so self-distrustful that they imagine they have nothing to contribute to their victory in spiritual warfare. Both are mistaken. Paul expresses the proper combination of divine enabling and human co-operation. The power is indeed the Lord’s, and without *the strength of his might* we shall falter and fall, but still we need to *be strong* in him and in it, or more accurately to ‘be strengthened’. For the verb is a passive present which could almost be rendered “Strengthen yourselves in the Lord’ or (NEB) ‘Find your strength in the Lord’. It is the same construction as in 2 Timothy 2:1 where Paul exhorts Timothy to ‘take strength from the grace of God which is ours in Christ Jesus’ (NEB). Similarly, the armour is God’s and without it we shall be fatally unprotected and exposed, but still we need to take it up and put it on. --John Stott

Family Mission Trip to Chattanooga

please see website for details... but a deposit is due by end of Feb

Wow

Reading the bio of Augustine today and came across this quote:
"I struggle mightily with sin & temptation... yet I also have moments of experiencing God that "if made permanent would be hard to distinguish from the life to come."

2 marriage sermons posted

We posted a couple of sermons from CCC past... over at our site

2 marriage sermons

Posted to website 2 sermons on marriage...
one by Steve Lammers on Bible & wives
one by Rob Pendley on Bible & husbands

The Truth About Married Sex

Here is a link to a helpful "balance" to what was preached y'day where i probably made it sound like every married sexual encounter is like a July 4th fireworks show. Not all are...

Excerpt: Much of good sex is just . . . well, normal, everyday. Think about it. Most people in the history of the world have lived in one-room huts, where the kids sleep in the same room with their parents! Countless families have lived in flats, with only curtains for room dividers, your mother-in-law in the far corner, your wife's younger brother sleeping on the couch. Or they've lived in tents, as nomads. Not much sound-proofing or major privacy operative in that housing arrangement! Not much in the way of gymnastics or sound effects is possible unless you have no children. That's not to say that a married couple with children shouldn't get away for a weekend, or close the door, or do things to make sex special. --David Powlison

Stott paragraph on Christian view of Authority & Social Structures

From Sunday February 4 sermon

Lewis ZOE quotes

Golden!

Marriage Resources

Brief look at Ephesians 5 today motivates me to gather some gold for helps:
1. Class Frank Matthews is teaching RIGHT NOW at 9am on Sundays
2.

Tim & Kathy Keller’s Lecture on "Cultivating a Healthy Marriage, followed by Q&A, best $5 you'll spend this year! Redeemer.com

3.
When Marriage Brings Suffering
Gushee article

Sunday 9am (great!) classes; 10am Communion service

In taking the sinner's place on the cross, Jesus became as totally accountable for sin as if he was totally responsible for it.

~John Blanchard

Who delivered up Jesus to die? Not Judas, for money; not Pilate, for fear; not the Jews, for envy; but the Father, for love!

~Octavius Winslow

Communion Helps Here

I've got a friend who...

One thing I've always loved about the people of Christ Community is that they lovingly engage friends and family with the gospel... seeking to listen and understand what our loved ones think about life, faith, etc.

So, I'm thinking that soon we're going to give you an opportunity to complete the following sentence: "I've got a friend who __________________."

Examples:
I've got a friend who thinks all religions lead to God.
I've got a friend who thinks there is no hell.

And then Frank & I might seek to answer briefly the "hangups" and then offer questions that might stimulate & inform the conversation you are in with your friend/family.

Event Postponed

The party--to celebrate God's gracious help to pay off our land--has been postponed. Sunday's weather is stacking up to be cold & rainy.

And, a reminder that Sunday we celebrate the Lord's Supper together.

Find Him Wholly True

Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly
Find Him wholly true.
--Frances Havergal

Are you guilty of this?

"The church was established as a place of grace, the one sanctuary where we should be free to honestly admit our weakness and failure. But in practice it's the place where we are most likely to hide our flaws from others."
--Dan Allender

2006 giving statements 2b mailed this week

sorry for delay

Big Picture

On Sunday we plan to look at a huge hunk of Ephesians together. In studying Ephesians 3,4,and 5 this week I have been blown away with the genius of this book God-breathed through Paul. How practical. How mind-stretching, heart-warming, comforting and challenging.

Their theme is the integration of Christian experience (what we are), Christian theology (what we believe) and Christian ethics (how we behave). They emphasize that being, thought and action belong together and must never be separated. For what we are governs how we think, and how we think determines how we act. We are God’s new society, a people who have put off the old life and put on the new; that is what he has made us. So we need to recall this by the daily renewal of our minds, remembering how we ‘learned Christ... as the truth is in Jesus’, and thinking Christianly about ourselves and our new status.

Here is a link to an extended quote where John Stott summarizes Ephesians Four & Five.

New Book on Messy Relationships

From the guys who wrote HOW PEOPLE CHANGE.

Rather than presenting new or sophisticated techniques to make relationships flourish, the authors instead focus on the basic character qualities that can only be formed in the heart by the gospel.

Relationships: A Mess Worth Making
byTimothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp

"Take heart, for God is present in your struggles and is fighting on your behalf!”

Read an extended press release here
Amazon link

How Grammar Can Save Your Life

tons o' people... except me of course, struggle to remember what God goes to great lengths to teach us... we don't obey God in order to garner His love & acceptance.... RATHER, His love & acceptance superabounds to us b/c of Jesus Christ... and from that strong & secure position, we obey.

Covenant Seminary Prof has a great detailed explanation of how this works in Ephesians you can read here

6 free sessions of marriage counsel

is what is offered 9am at Oak Hall School starting Sunday.... look for the class led by Frank Matthews

there will also be a study entitled "Knowing God" which will help open up the Scriptures grand picture of who our Great God is. Look for the class led by Scott Perry

Obeying God in a New, Less-Worried Way

"I know the words 'leave it to God' can be misunderstood, but they
must stay for the moment. The sense in which a Christian leaves it to
God is that he puts all his trust in Christ: trusts that Christ will
somehow share with him the perfect human obedience which He carried
out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man
more like Himself, and in a sense, make good his deficiencies. If you
like to put it that way, Christ offers something for nothing: He even
offers everything for nothing. In a sense the whole Christian life
consists in accepting that very remarkable offer. But the difficulty
is to reach the point of recognizing that all we have done and can do
is nothing. What we should have liked would be for God to count our
good points and ignore our bad ones…if you have really handed yourself
over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But
trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in
order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already." --C S
Lewis, Christian Behavior

Christ's purpose for Spiritual gifts He gives

It is the exalted Christ who bestows gifts on his church, that his gifts are very diverse in character, that the teaching gifts are primary, and that their purpose is to equip God’s people for their ministries and so build up Christ’s body. --John Stott, commenting on Ephesians 4

Carried our shame!

Jogging today and these words hit me

You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross
And all my shame .... all my shame!

How astounding is that?! Lord, for grace to know and feel that. How it would free your people.

A Prayer

I bow my knees before God and pray that, according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
--The Apostle Paul
Perhaps you pray this today? For yourself, spouse, children, Christ Community, et al ???

Glory in the cross

Let us, in the words of Jerry Bridges, “Preach the gospel to ourselves daily.”

Let us heed Charles Spurgeon’s exhortation:
“Abide hard by the cross and search the mystery of his wounds.”

Let us respond to John Stott’s invitation: “The Cross is a blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its sparks to fall on us.”

When was the last time?

When was the last time you felt the loss of all confidence in yourself? This quote grabbed me today...... "Just as the sinner's despair of any hope from himself is the first prerequisite of a sound conversion, so the loss of all confidence in himself is the first essential in the believer's growth in grace." --A.W. Pink

Because it is only as we know our weakness that we can experience what Paul, in Ephesians 3, refers to as "the power at work within us". God help us. God help me!

RIDE NEEDED for the INTRO CLASS!

Robert NG is a grad student at UF and a regular attendee of our church.
He would like to attend the intro to CCC class this Friday and Saturday, but does not have a car so he would need a ride.

If you would be able to give Robert a ride to the class, please contact him by phone: 614-806-5804

Friday: Class is from 7pm-9pm. Robert can be picked up from the University of Florida on Friday (Jan. 26), and then taken home after the meeting is over to his apartment on 13th Street.

Saturday: Class is from 9am-12pm. He will need to be taken to and from his apartment to the class.

Overcoming Sin & Temptation

You can read a new translation of this old classic online (they also have instructions for ordering the physical book!)
J. I. Packer says of this book :
"He (the author, John Owen) told me how to understand myself as a Christian and live before God in a morally and spiritually honest way, without pretending either to be what I am not or not to be what I am. It is not too much at all to say that God used him to save my sanity.

Read it here

Preaching the gospel to your own discouraged self

"I am tempted to discouragement -- I look at myself and think: "This is as good as I can be after 35 years in Christ??!!" But then I ask the help of others and discover that they are the same! And then I am reminded by one of those others that my hope is not that I shall be well in this life -- but that Christ was well for me -- and that to be discouraged with myself is to have believed in myself -- and that is the opposite of the Gospel.

So, I need the Gospel. I need the reminder that I must have the blood of Christ and the Spirit of Christ to stand before God and to grow in sanctification. I need the double cure Toplady wrote of -- to cure me of sin's guilt and power. And not only do I need this -- so do my people. They battle the same sins -- they get discouraged by the same repeated patterns of wickedness in their hearts -- and they need to be reminded of the Savior's persistent and saving grace for them.

This is certainly not an excuse for sin -- it is a call to dependent killing of sin -- and not hoping in my growth for joy or life. My sin, in many ways, is a daily reminder of how desperately I need Christ. When I am least dependent I am most out of touch with reality." --These are comments from a pastor in San Diego

Where do you go for power to live as a Christian?

"In Christian repentance we do not 'take our sins' to Mt. Sinai, but to Mt. Calvary. Sinai represents only the law of God, and makes us fear God will reject us. But Calvary represents both the law of God and his commitment to save us no matter what--even if his Son has to fulfill and pay our debt to the law. 'Going to Sinai' with our sins means we use the painful fear of rejection to motivate us to change. 'Going to Calvary' with our sins means we use gratitude for his love to motivate us to change. The free love of Christ means that in disobedience, you have not just broken the rules, but spurned the One who lost his Father rather than lose you." --Tim Keller

Ephesians 2:20-22 and the prophets at Christ Community

First, the foundation. Nothing is more important to any edifice than a solid, stable foundation. And Jesus’ well-known parable of the two house builders, with which he concluded the sermon on the mount, taught the need for rock. On what rock, then, is the church built? Paul replies: it is *built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone* (verse 20).
Since apostles and prophets were both groups with a teaching role, it seems clear that what constitutes the church’s foundation is neither their person nor their office but their instruction. Moreover, we are to think of them as inspired teachers, organs of divine revelation, bearers of divine authority. The word ‘apostles’ here cannot therefore be a generic term for missionaries or church planters or bishops or other church leaders; instead it must denote that small and special group whom Jesus chose, called and authorized to teach in his name, and who were eyewitnesses of his resurrection, consisting of the Twelve plus Paul and James and perhaps one or two others. What they taught they expected the church to believe and preserve, what they commanded they expected the church to obey. The word ‘prophets’ also indicates inspired teachers to whom the word of God came and who conveyed that word to others faithfully. The couplet ‘apostles and prophets’ may bring together the Old Testament (prophets) and New Testament (apostles) as the basis of the church’s teaching. But the inverted order of the words (not ‘prophets and apostles’ but ‘apostles and prophets’) suggest that probably New Testament prophets are meant. If so, their bracketing with the apostles as the church’s foundation is significant. The reference must again be to a small group of inspired teachers, associated with the apostles, who together bore witness to Christ and whose teaching was derived from revelation (3:5) and was foundational. In practical terms this means that the church is built on the New Testament Scriptures. They are the church’s foundation documents. And just as a foundation cannot be tampered with once it has been laid and the superstructure is being built upon it, so the New Testament foundation of the church is inviolable and cannot be changed by any additions, subtractions or modifications offered by teachers who claim to be apostles or prophets today. The church stands or falls by its loyal dependence on the foundation truths which God revealed to his apostles and prophets, and which are now preserved in the New Testament Scriptures. --John Stott

Campus Safety Meeting

In response to recent activity in the College Park area, the Gainesville Police Department is holding a residential security seminar, on Thursday, January 18th from 5-7 PM at the United Church of Gainesville, to educate citizens about how to secure their homes/apartments better and other safety issues.

CS Lewis, the versatile friend

The other night I was reading Lewis' Screwtape Letters, as a dosed off. And I thought, "This guy has such an understanding of the human heart and can help you beware the wiles of the enemy."

The next morning I listened as 9 year old Olivia read chapter 1 of Lion Witch & wardrobe... where lewis describes how funny-looking Edmund thought the professor was .... saying something like, "Edmund couldn't quit laughing and had to pretend he was sneezing."
And I thought, "This guy can tell a story the way children want a story told!"

And with that I saw Lewis like a friend. The best kind of friend. He can go sit in your child's room and take them seriously and listen and tell a story. Then he can sit down with you and blow your mind with his ability to articulate the patterns of your heart.... and make you see how great Jesus is. Quite versatile, that Lewis.

Which class are you a part of?

Starting this Sunday at 9am in the media center

Adult Sunday School classes:
God's Plan for Marriage
&
Knowing God

This week they'll both meet in the media center.

Hope For Broken Relationships

Coming soon to Christ Community's lending library. A recent conference done by the gritty gospel folks at CCEF has received rave reviews. Well, we're awaiting the arrival of the audio of the lectures listed below. You are encouraged to borrow 2 CD's at a time through Lizette or Debbie.

1 When Loves Gets Messy by Paul Tripp
2 The Artwork of Grace by Paul Tripp
3 A Stranger Invades Love by Carl Ellis
4 When Love Is In Love’s Way by Paul Tripp
5 Relationships and the Corinthians by Ed Welch
6 Love That Promotes Love by Paul Tripp
7 Restoring Broken Family Relationships by Tim Lane
8 Hope for Broken Friendships by Jayne Clark
9 Restoring Relationship After Divorce by John Bettler
10 They Struggle Like Me by Bill Smith
11 Redeeming Relationships in an Empty Marriage by David Powlison
12 Bridging the Racial Gap by Carl Ellis
13 When Sons and Daughters Say They are Gay by John Freeman
14 Marriage After Adultery by Tim Lane
15 When You Can’t Fix What’s Broken by Mike Emlet
16 Broken Through Child Abuse by David Powlison
17 Personal Relationships by Bill Smith
18 Adoption: From Brokenness to Relationships by Julie Smith
19 Relationships As Stories by Steve Smallman, Jr.
20 Marriage Broken By Pornography by Winston Smith

Last Sunday's Prayers

a couple of folks wondered about the origin of some language i used while praying sunday... yes! it was much too vivid & creative to be mine.... here it is:

Glorious God,
It is the flame of my life to worship You,
the crown and glory of my soul to adore You,
Give me power by Your Spirit to help me worship now,
that I may forget the world,
be brought into fullness of life,
be refreshed, comforted, blessed.

Give me knowledge of Your goodness
that I might not be over-awed by Your greatness;
Give me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God,
that I might not be terrified,
but drawn near with filial love,
with holy boldness;
He is my mediator, brother, interpreter,
branch, advocate, Lamb;
Him I glorify,
in Him I am set on high.
Crowns to give I have none,
but what You have given I return.
Let me live wholly to my Savior,
free from distractions,
from carking care,
from hindrances to the pursuit of the narrow way.

I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus—
give me a new sense of it,
continue to pardon me by it,
may I come every day to the fountain,
and every day be washed anew,
that I may worship You always in spirit and truth.

A Prayer for Marriage

Christ, grant that neither grief nor place nor life nor death may part
Those who, enjoying your sweet grace, in You are one in heart.

Spirit of God, whom we adore: preserve, protect, defend,
Increase, rekindle, and restore their love till life shall end.

--Charles price and charles Wesley, music Caithness

Bring your Sorrows to Me

"Bring him here to me." Matthew 17:17

In your moment of disappointment and despair, Jesus meets you with the gracious words, "Bring it here unto me." And now your spirit revives, your heart bounds, at the words, and you exclaim, "Behold, Lord, I come."

Jesus says, "Bring your sorrows to Me." Never did the soul find so powerful a magnet, attracting to itself affliction in every form, and sorrow in every shade, as Jesus. Standing as in the center of a world of woe, He invites every daughter of sorrow, of sin, of grief to repair to Him for support, sympathy, and healing. As the High Priest of His Church for whom alone He suffered, and wept, and sobbed, He unveils a bosom capacious enough and loving enough, and sympathizing enough, to embrace every sufferer, and to pillow every grief. Accept, then, His compassionate invitation, and bring your grief to the soothing, sustaining, sanctifying grace of His heart!

--excerpted from Octavius Winslow, Christ's sympathy for Weary Pilgrim's

Why we need the comforts of the Holy Spirit

In Communion with God, John Owen explains why we need the comforts, or consolations, of the Holy Spirit:

• Without them, we shall either despise afflictions or faint under them, and God be neglected as to his intendments (true meaning) in them.
• Without them, sin will either harden us to a contempt of it, or cast us down to a neglect of the remedies graciously provided against it.
• Without them, duties will either puff us up with pride, or leave us without that sweetness which is in new obedience more examples here
  

A Puritan Prayer -- For Resting in God

O God, most high, most glorious, the thought of Thine infinite serenity cheers me, for I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed, but Thou art for ever at perfect peace. Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment, they stand fast as the eternal hills. Thy power knows no bond, Thy goodness no stint. Thou bringest order out of confusion, and my defeats are Thy victories: The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

I come to Thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows, to leave every concern entirely to Thee, every sin calling for Christ's precious blood; revive deep spirituality in my heart; let me live near to the great Shepherd, hear His voice, know its tones, follow its calls. Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth, from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit. Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities, burning into me by experience the things I know; Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel, that I may bear its reproach, vindicate it, see Jesus as its essence, know in it the power of the Spirit.

Find the rest of the prayer here

Children & Youth Membership Classes

Sunday at 4pm we got off to a great start with our 6-week church membership classes for children & youth.

When every head was counted we had 22 kids and 10 adults helping to teach them.

One thing that i want to let you know.... Parents, you can pray from 4pm til 4:45 while the teaching is going on.

MLK Day

I love Martin Luther King. Yes, i realize he struggled with sin. What great leader hasn't? For that matter... What horrible follower hasn't?

Anyway, if you've never read Letter From a Birmingham Jail... consider it.
or
listen to a speech online....

God Made Us Alive

Ephesians 2:5
"God made us alive..."

...the first effect of the power of God in the heart in regeneration is to give the heart a Divine taste or sense; to cause it to have a relish of the loveliness and sweetness of the supreme excellency of the Divine nature. - Jonathan Edwards

It is Well with My Soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Sermons on Ephesians

To start off the new year we are going (DV) to spend 5-6 weeks sprinting through the new testament book of Ephesians. Two encouragements:
1.) Seek to read Ephesians 1:1-2:10 prior to our gathering Sunday January 14
2.) Pray Paul's prayers for the Ephesian church for Christ Community Church. Hint: they are found in ch.1 and ch.3.

Paul’s readers (the Ephesian Church) are *in Christ Jesus*. This key expression of the letter thus occurs in its very first verse. To be ‘in Christ’ is to be personally and vitally united to Christ, as branches are to he vine and members to the body, and thereby also to Christ’s people. For it is impossible to be part of the Body without being related to both the Head and the members. Much of what the epistle later develops is already here in bud. According to the New Testament - and especially Paul - to be a Christian is in essence to be ‘in Christ’, one with him and with his people. --John Stott

Counseling Appointments Available

Rich Greete will begin his ministry of Biblical Counseling at the church house TOMORROW, Thursday January 11.

As you consider receiving counsel, and interact with others who might be seeking counseling, Rich will be available for appointments at

1:30 (already filled)

2:30--available

3:30--available

5:00--available

6:00pm--(already filled)

Each session will last 50 minutes. The fee is $90 per session.

The phone number for scheduling appointments is 352-613-4549.

Miscellaneous

in the quiet of the morning after Gators win ch'ship... here are the things that capture my attention and might be of interest to you...

1. rich greete links
Rich Greete's fine sermon from Sunday, and information about his counseling services at the church house (New Tab under “Ministries” called “Counseling Services”)

2. Resolutions? helpful--BRIEF--stuff on fighting temptation by centering on Christ resolutions

3. When the Darkness Will Not Lift: doing what we can while we wait on God
John piper has a 79 page book available online

4. Oh yeh: gator photos here

Anticipating God's Feast

"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” --from Isaiah 25

Counseling Appointments at Church House

Rich Greete will begin his ministry of Biblical Counseling at the church house on Thursday January 11.
As you consider receiving counsel, and interact with others who might be seeking counseling, Rich will be available for appointments at

1:30 (already filled)

2:30--available

3:30--available

5:00--available

6:00pm--available

Each session will last 50 minutes. The fee is $90 per session.

The phone number for scheduling appointments is 352-613-4549.

Communion Sunday, Prepping Your Heart

Friends, though January feels half over, this is the 1st Sunday of the month, and per usual we will partake of Holy Communion together. Couple o' thoughts as you prepare:
1.) You will remain at your seat and we will pass the bread and wine down the rows
2.) This text is in the bulletin/worship folder to help frame people's thinking:

Communion, also called The Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist, is the family meal of Christians. We invite all committed followers of Jesus Christ to partake of this sacrament: those who are baptized members of a congregation which proclaims the gospel, who are at peace with God and with their neighbor, and who seek strength to live more faithfully for Christ. If you are not a Christian, or if you are not prepared to share in this meal, we encourage you to spend this time in prayer using the prayers provided on the next page as guidelines. We hope that this time is helpful to you as you
consider your relationship with Jesus Christ and with His people, the church. Note About Communion

Wine: The outer ring of the tray contains non-alcoholic grape juice; the other cups contain wine.

Sunday, Come Thirsty.... and flat broke

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price." --The Prophet Isaiah

Children's Membership Class

There is a children's membership class beginning January 14. More here

http://www.christcommunitychurch.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=276

Communion Sunday January 7

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26

The Lord’s Supper is an act of worship taking the form of a ceremonial meal, in which Christ’s servants share bread and wine in memory of their crucified Lord and in celebration of the new covenant relationship with God through Christ’s death.

The Paradox of the Incarnation... Merry Christmas

"Infinite, and an infant.
Eternal, and yet born of a woman.
Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman's breast.
Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother's arms.
King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph.
Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter's despised son."

-Charles Spurgeon

Caroling at Palm Gardens

Palm Garden of Gainesville
227 S.W. 62nd Boulevard
Gainesville, FL 32607

we'll meet in the parking lot just before 5 so we can sing to the folks during their five o' clock meal

then we'll head over to a soup dinner & bonfire

Immanuel means God...With...US

Live in a realizing sense of the Lord's presence. Do not be satisfied with a religion of which this is not an essential element. Seek to live in this atmosphere, and in no other. Go nowhere, and indulge in no recreation from which your Lord will be absent. O be jealous of His presence! Let not worldliness, or levity, or coldness thrust Him from your arms. And should you walk in darkness, or wade through affliction, or battle with Satan, unconscious of the sustaining, cheering presence of Emmanuel, yet fear not. He is nearer to you than you imagine. Unseen, unheard, and unfelt, Christ is still at your side, "A very present help in time of need." He knows your sorrow, sees your difficulty, is acquainted with all your mental despondency and spiritual distress, and presently your tear-dimmed, cloud-veiled eye, shall be open, and you shall see Emmanuel at your side, in all the benignity of His love, and in all the might of His power. Soon we shall realize this presence in glory, unshaded by a cloud, unmingled with a tear. No more darkness, no more grief- no more sin, and no more separation- "Forever with the Lord." Walk in the sunshine of this blessed hope, and you shall walk in the light of life. ---Octavius Winslow (more)

How God's grace meets us in our sufferings

How does God’s grace meet you in your sufferings? We can make
the right answer sound old hat, but I guarantee this: God will surprise you. He will make you stop. You will struggle. He will bring you up short. You will hurt. He will take his time. You will grow in faith and in love. He will deeply delight you. You will find the process harder than
you ever imagined—and better. Goodness and mercy will follow you all
the days of your life (Ps. 23:6). No matter how many times you’ve heard
it, no matter how long you’ve known it, no matter how well you can
say it, God’s answer will come to mean something better than you could
ever imagine. --David Powlison

Joseph's SOng

Have you thought lately of the place Joseph plays in the life of our King Jesus? I've always thought Michael Card's song rings true:

How could it be this baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefullyThe Son of God,
the angel said
How could it be, Lord? I know He's not my ownNot of my flesh, not of my bone
Still Father let this baby be The son of my love

Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours
How can a man be father to the Son of God
Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king?

Elisabeth Moore Matthews

7 pounds 10 ounces
20-21 inches

They are calling her Elise! Mother and child are spending tonite (Tuesday) at home.

Jesus took your tears and made them His own

From the very beginning, two thousand years ago, the followers of Jesus have always maintained that he took the tears of the world and made them his own, carrying them all the way to his cruel and unjust death to carry out God's rescue operation; and that he took the joy of the world and brought it to new birth as he rose from the dead and thereby launched God's new creation. --NT Wright

safe & happy baby Matthews girl is born!

details Tuesday!

Christmas Gift Idea

What do you give that person who has everything? Perhaps you give clean water to people in Africa, in honor of your friend/family member/co-worker???

It is difficult to argue whether or not a person should have clean water. It is also difficult to deny the equation: $1= clean water for 1 person for 1 year.

more at www.bloodwatermission.com

A Moral Imagination

"We will need to nurture in our children (and ourselves!) a moral imagination which can distinguish between prudence and prudishness."

quote from Steven Garber in an article about movie-watching, Don't Leave Your Brains at the Door

What is a "family" worship service

We are having a "family" worship service on December 24th at 10am, and again on 31st. What does this mean? Basically:
1.) no long sermon
2.) no childcare except for wee ones
3.) entire service is singing & scripture readings
4.) the noise of children is expected (and appreciated, for the most part)
5.) the entire service lasts 50 minutes

Jesus, King of the World

Thinking today of in our worship service, people from:

USA
Canada
Puerto Rico
Cuba
Australia
Guatemala
Texas!

and these are just the ones I (Rob) personally know of and can remember to mention

sunday december 17

ZERO nada NOTHING at 9am
10am worship service in theater (children's church during sermon for K-2nd grade)
child care for ages 4 and below throughout the service

Chrisianity 101

"If there is, among the distinctive articles of the Christian faith, one which is basic to all others, it is this: that our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man for our salvation. (F. F. Bruce)

Membership Class for Children

Please be aware that Frank & I are teaching a new members class to children in early 2007. There is PREP work for parents to do... and registration! So check it out.... here

http://www.christcommunitychurch.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=276

The Virgin Birth, a Miracle

Sunday I will be preaching on...

"Why the Virgin Birth is Necessary"

and i won't have time to go into depth about Miracles in general.... so i will post some stuff this week.... Batting Leadoff, CS Lewis:
The Grand Miracle.
One is very often asked at present whether we could not have a Christianity stripped, or, as people who asked it say, 'freed' from its miraculous elements, a Christianity with the miraculous elements suppressed. Now, it seems to me that precisely the one religion in the world, or, at least the only one I know, with which you could not do that is Christianity. In a religion like Buddhism, if you took away the miracles attributed to Gautama Buddha in some very late sources, there would be no loss; in fact, the religion would get on very much better without them because in that case the miracles largely contradict the teaching. Or even in the case of a religion like Mohammedanism, nothing essential would be altered if you took away the miracles. You could have a great prophet preaching his dogmas without bringing in any miracles; they are only in the nature of a digression, or illuminated capitals. But you cannot possibly do that with Christianity, because the Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion being that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing nature up with Him. It is precisely one great miracle. If you take that away there nothing specifically Christian left. There may be many admirable human things which Christianity shares with all other systems in the world, but there would be nothing specifically Christian. Conversely, once you have accepted that, then you will see that all other well-established Christian miracles--because, of course, there are ill-established Christian miracles; there are Christian legends just as much as there are heathen legends, or modern journalistic legends--you will see that all the well-established Christian miracles are part of it, that they all either prepare for, or exhibit, or result from the Incarnation. Just as every natural event exhibits the total character of the natural universe at a particular point and space of time; so every miracle exhibits the character of the Incarnation. Now, if one asks whether that central grand miracle in Christianity is itself probable or improbable, of course, quite clearly you cannot be applying Hume's kind of probability. You cannot mean a probability based on statistics according to which the more often a thing has happened, the more likely it is to happen again (the more often you get indigestion from eating a certain food, the more probable it is, if you eat it again, that you again have indigestion). Certainly the Incarnation cannot be probable in that sense. It is of its very nature to have happened only once. But then it is of the very nature of the history of this world to have happened only once; and if the Incarnation happened at all, it is the central chapter of that history. It is improbable in the same way in which the whole of nature is improbable, because it is only there once, and will happen only once. (God in the Dock pp. 80-82)

Pascal and the movie "Crash"

This summer i watched CRASH. What a movie! This film does a tremendous job of helping you see that every person is both remarkable and repulsive. As Pascal put it:

It is dangerous to let a man recognize too clearly how much he has in common with the animals without at the same time helping him to realize his greatness. It is also unwise to let him see his greatness too clearly without realizing his baseness. It is even more dangerous still to leave him in ignorance of them both. So it is advantageous to draw attention to them both.

Every person you have seen today. Every person you'll see at the Mall this Christmas. Dignity beyond our imaginations b/c they are image bearers of the eternal God. Every person you saw in church yesterday, especially those two pastors!... depraved beyond your imagination and in need of the blood of Jesus. Schaeffer called us glorious ruins.... broken & beautiful.

Extending God's Grace through Christmas Blessings

Over the past several weeks CCC has generously been pouring out Gods love to others. Here some ways this has taken place not to say look at us BUT more to say see GOD in us.

Operation Christmas Child- 101 boxes sent- huge thanks to Bonnie Hall and Leslie Marshall

CCC Christmas Event- 345$ offering collected to be given to Arbor House Ministries for unwed mothers here in G-ville

Work day at Arbor House and church house. Many great hands on things accomplished but many relationships developed too.

Women’s Christmas night collected many items for Ronald McDonald house.

These are all formal events there are many more people that are reaching out in lots of different ways that I cannot mention here or don’t even know about.

It is exciting to see the awareness and passion grow to extend God’s grace to others in some many ways.

Haiti Haiti Haiti 9am sunday

come to the media center to experience a multi-media presentation as steve and mo omli and kevin phegley report on their recent trip to help the Church in Haiti

Jan 3:16 (Haitian Creole Version)
Paske, Bondye sitèlman renmen lèzòm li bay sèl Pitit li a pou yo. Tout moun ki va mete konfyans yo nan li p'ap pedi lavi yo. Okontrè y'a gen lavi ki p'ap janm fini an.

The Prophet Isaiah advent readings

Friday, Dec. 8 Isa. 3:8-15

'Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him.'-Isaiah 3:10

It is well with the righteous ALWAYS. If it had said, 'Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in his prosperity,' we must have been thankful for so great a boon, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a gift from heaven to be secured from its snares: or if it had been written, 'It is well with him when under persecution,' we must have been thankful for so sustaining an assurance, for persecution is hard to bear; but when no time is mentioned, all time is included. God's 'shalls' must be understood always in their largest sense. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of evening shadows until the day-star shines, in all conditions and under all circumstances, it shall be well with the righteous. It is so well with him that we could not imagine it to be better, for he is well fed, he feeds upon the flesh and blood of Jesus; he is well clothed, he wears the imputed righteousness of Christ; he is well housed, he dwells in God; he is well married, his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ; he is well provided for, for the Lord is his Shepherd; he is well endowed, for heaven is his inheritance. It is well with the righteous-well upon divine authority; the mouth of God speaks the comforting assurance. O beloved, if God declares that all is well, ten thousand devils may declare it to be ill, but we laugh them all to scorn. Blessed be God for a faith which enables us to believe God when the creatures contradict Him. It is, says the Word, at all times well with thee, thou righteous one; then, beloved, if thou canst not see it, let God's word stand thee in stead of sight; yea, believe it on divine authority more confidently than if thine eyes and thy feelings told it to thee. Whom God blesses is blest indeed, and what His lip declares is truth most sure and steadfast.

- Charles Spurgeon

Emanual:God is with us Christmas offering

This Thursday night during the CCC Christmas event at Oak Hall that begins at 7 to 8 pm, there will be an OFFERING taken. ALL of this MONEY will go to ARBOR HOUSE MINISTIRES, a local Christian ministry that we support.

Arbor house focuses it's ministry to unwed mothers, providing them with resources, a place to stay, counseling and more during this their time of being with child and helps them beyond getting back into the world with a child.

Please consider being a financial blessing to this Gainesville ministry this Christmas season through the offering tomorrow night. You can write checks to CCC or give cash- all the money will go to support them.

Tomorrow Night 7pm

An hour of Christmas music & Scripture readings for the whole family.

spurgeon hymn

Charles Spurgeon wrote a verse in a communion hymn,
“What food luxurious loads the board,
When at His tablesits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns theguests to meet!

Tradition

G.K. Chesterton:

Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death.(Orthodoxy, pp. 64-65)

Isaiah 1 commentary

Not only feel sorrow for the sin committed, but break off the practice. We must be doing, not stand idle. We must be doing the good the Lord our God requires. It is plain that the sacrifices of the law could not atone, even for outward national crimes. But, blessed be God, there is a Fountain opened, in which sinners of every age and rank may be cleansed. Though our sins have been as scarlet and crimson, a deep dye, a double dye, first in the wool of original corruption, and afterwards in the many threads of actual transgression; though we have often dipped into sin, by many backslidings; yet pardoning mercy will take out the stain, Psalm 51:7. They should have all the happiness and comfort they could desire. Life and death, good and evil, are set before us. O Lord, incline all of us to live to thy glory.
matthew henry

women's christmas party

This group was runner-up last night. We can't publish a picture of the winning team because they are already struggling with pride and being pictured here as champs could be their undoing!
Several pictures here

7pm Thursday Night

Still, Still, Still is what you heard y'day in the worship service.

That and more, including solos and scripture readings. Thursday nights one hour program begins at 7pm in the Oak Hall Theater.

word for the day...

puckish \PUHK-ish\, adjective:
Whimsical; mischievous; impish.

No one has ever seen God...

2 times in the bible this phrase is used... No one has ever seen God...

John 1:18
No one has ever seen God;
the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God;
if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Once God's answer to his "unseen-ness" is Jesus, and once it is... His church loving each other!

With Whom Do We Commune in Communion?

The Lord's Supper is not all about you and your private relationship with God. Its about your vertical relationship with God of course, but it is also about your horizontal relationship with your fellow believers as well. We have been reconciled to Christ corporately, and one of the functions of communion is to bind us to each other. --Ben Witherington

WORK DAY for Women children and men

Just a quick update for the confused- Workday which is Sat from 8-12 am is for everyone who is willing. Men women and children.

There are 2 work sites.

1 - is at Arbor House doing some yard work and decorating the house for the single pregnant moms. Tamara Johnston is the contact. She would love to have you join the group that is going. Call here for more details. 332-5403

2-Church Property.- leaf blowing, tree/bush cutting, bathroom fixing, lights to be worked on -great fellowship and fun together. show up at 8 with work gloves, saws, bush cutters, and anything else you meet think would be helpful. Call Frank for more. 275-2687

hope to see you there rain or shine