Have you seen God help you recently? Was there a concern lifted or a fear avoided? It is our tendency to run to Him when we need help and forget to return for praise and thanksgiving after He has "been there" for us. Monday I read this in Morning & Evening:
Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of earth’s gratitude rises when the sun of heaven’s love warms the ground. Hath the Lord been gracious to thee, and inclined his ear to the voice of thy supplication? Then praise him as long as thou livest. Let the ripe fruit drop upon the fertile soil from which it drew its life. Deny not a song to him who hath answered thy prayer and given thee the desire of thy heart. --Charles Spurgeon
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thinking about 9am service?
On January 13 Christ Community Church will begin hold 2 identical worship services. In an effort to prepare well we are asking each member and regular attender to prayerfully consider making a commitment (short-term, 15 weeks) to one of the morning worship services. In fact, on Sunday December 2, we'll be making that a part of our morning offering; i.e. we'll encourage people to be offering themselves to God for His use in helping reach more people through adding the 2nd service. You'd really be surprised how helpful it will be in planning for this to know that we have 80 people committed to each service for 15 weeks. (We are calling it "80 for 15")
To that end, because the 9am service is the added one and we have more planning to do for it... we are encouraging any who are interested to come for a brief meeting where Frank Matthews and I will lay out what is involved... and answer any questions you may have.
The meeting will be held Sunday November 4... in the theater... shortly after the worship service ends.
To that end, because the 9am service is the added one and we have more planning to do for it... we are encouraging any who are interested to come for a brief meeting where Frank Matthews and I will lay out what is involved... and answer any questions you may have.
The meeting will be held Sunday November 4... in the theater... shortly after the worship service ends.
“Through the gospel, you have both the wind and the tide pushing you forward in your attempt to live a holy life,” Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification
“The vilest sinners are properly qualified and prepared for the Gospel’s design, which is to show forth the exceeding riches of grace when God pardons their sins and saves them freely (Ephesians 2:5-7).” --Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification
''A justification that needs to be completed by the recipient is no resting place.'' --Sinclair B. Ferguson
“The vilest sinners are properly qualified and prepared for the Gospel’s design, which is to show forth the exceeding riches of grace when God pardons their sins and saves them freely (Ephesians 2:5-7).” --Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification
''A justification that needs to be completed by the recipient is no resting place.'' --Sinclair B. Ferguson
A Gate of Heaven...
“I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, ‘the justice of God,’ [Rom. 1:17] because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him.
Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that ‘the just shall live by his faith’ [Rom. 1:17]. Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas the ‘justice of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressively sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate of heaven….” - Martin Luther
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to launch a discussion that morphed into a reformation
Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that ‘the just shall live by his faith’ [Rom. 1:17]. Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas the ‘justice of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressively sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate of heaven….” - Martin Luther
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to launch a discussion that morphed into a reformation
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Youth Group News
from the "Ute" team
Schedule UPDATE: Bowling is canceled. Will NOT happen
Sunday's meeting will be held at the MATTHEWS house... Also, youth group on Sunday is at the Matthews's home at 5PM. We will be playing some EXCESSIVELY fun, but kind of messy games.
Please bring a change of clothes and a towel. Don't forget to invite your friends! This is going to be a super fun time!
Spring retreat Dates:
Middle School....February 8-10, 2008
Schedule UPDATE: Bowling is canceled. Will NOT happen
Sunday's meeting will be held at the MATTHEWS house... Also, youth group on Sunday is at the Matthews's home at 5PM. We will be playing some EXCESSIVELY fun, but kind of messy games.
Please bring a change of clothes and a towel. Don't forget to invite your friends! This is going to be a super fun time!
Spring retreat Dates:
Middle School....February 8-10, 2008
Oh blessed Holy Spirit, my friend!
John Owen has some tremendous stuff in a book on Sin & Temptation...
How does the Holy Spirit mortify sin?
1.) By causing our hearts to abound in grace and the fruits that are contrary to the flesh...
2.) By a real physical efficiency on the root & habit of sin, for the weakening, destroying, and taking it away. He is the fire which burns up the very root of lust.
3.) He brings the cross of Christ into the heart of a sinner by faith, and gives us communion with Christ in His death and fellowship in his sufferings.
What a great thing to pray for our friend, the Holy Spirit, to do in us as commune with Christ and each other this coming Sunday morning!
How does the Holy Spirit mortify sin?
1.) By causing our hearts to abound in grace and the fruits that are contrary to the flesh...
2.) By a real physical efficiency on the root & habit of sin, for the weakening, destroying, and taking it away. He is the fire which burns up the very root of lust.
3.) He brings the cross of Christ into the heart of a sinner by faith, and gives us communion with Christ in His death and fellowship in his sufferings.
What a great thing to pray for our friend, the Holy Spirit, to do in us as commune with Christ and each other this coming Sunday morning!
How Parenting Grows Us Up
"I believe to the deepest recesses of my being that we must suffer if we are to mature; and that is one way that being parents grows us up." --Dan Allender
True.
True.
Men's Roadtrip, one week from tomorrow
There is still room for 2 more fellas. Contact John Gallagher for more information.
We leave Wed 7th around 5pm and return Sunday the 11th around 1pm. The Gators have conveniently scheduled there game against Spurrier for Sat nite so that we can--after a hard days work--enjoy the game together over dinner.
We only need to bring towels, sheets and pillows. They provide a place to sleep and shower, food including water and power aide on the job.
We leave Wed 7th around 5pm and return Sunday the 11th around 1pm. The Gators have conveniently scheduled there game against Spurrier for Sat nite so that we can--after a hard days work--enjoy the game together over dinner.
We only need to bring towels, sheets and pillows. They provide a place to sleep and shower, food including water and power aide on the job.
Do you?
Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy?
That is membership vow #1 at Christ Community.
To say "I do." to this is to recognize that all of life is grace. It is to sign on to the profession that God's kindness & mercy is the foundation of your existence.
That is membership vow #1 at Christ Community.
To say "I do." to this is to recognize that all of life is grace. It is to sign on to the profession that God's kindness & mercy is the foundation of your existence.
New Chik Fil-A Ad?
Three of our girls were pose with the famous cow from the chik fil-a ads. It was a tremendous honor to have this celebrity in our petting farm at the Fall Festival!
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Blackest Place on Earth
In Mark 3 Jesus states that He is stronger than Satan. Elsewhere in the Bible Jesus' coming is described as being for the purpose of 'destroying the work of the devil'. So, with that backdrop, this quote is especially invigorating:
“It is in His death that He destroys the wolf, so that the blackest place on earth, where the Son of God is crucified, becomes the place where the blackest of evil is subdued by the love of God and made to minister to the redemption of the world. By the Cross all our evil is taken under the command of the sacrifice of Christ and made to work together for good to those who love Him, and who hear and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, not only because by His death our sin and guilt are removed, but because He who died lives again, and is able to make the very grave of mankind to become the cradle of new and abundant life.” - T.F. Torrance
“It is in His death that He destroys the wolf, so that the blackest place on earth, where the Son of God is crucified, becomes the place where the blackest of evil is subdued by the love of God and made to minister to the redemption of the world. By the Cross all our evil is taken under the command of the sacrifice of Christ and made to work together for good to those who love Him, and who hear and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, not only because by His death our sin and guilt are removed, but because He who died lives again, and is able to make the very grave of mankind to become the cradle of new and abundant life.” - T.F. Torrance
Fall Festival Reflections
About 250 people.... many new... having fun... children laughing... money raised for Haiti.... memories for all ages. A tremendous event led by Bonnie Marshall, Sharon Stankunas, and Jessica Zeidler.... more pics to follow, right now i only have this cowboy
When you are caught off guard....
“…Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light. Apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul. Now that cellar is out of reach of my conscious will. I can, to some extent control my acts: I have no direct control over my temperament (emotions). And if what we are matters even more than what we do—then it follows that the change which I most need to undergo is a change that my own direct, voluntary efforts cannot bring about. And that applies to my good actions too…I cannot, by direct moral effort, give myself new motives. After the first few steps of the Christian life we realize that everything which needs to be done in our souls can be done only by God…and in reality, it is God who does everything. We, at most, allow it to be done to us.” C S Lewis, Mere Christianity.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Jesus' Identity
Mark 3 gives us 3 opinions of Jesus:
--He's mad! from his family
--He's bad! from the religious leaders
-- He's the Son of God! from the unclean spirits Jesus has chased out of people
and so i'm reminded of 2 quotes from last century:
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, The MacMillan Company, 1960, pp. 40-41.)
"The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore—on the contrary, they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him 'meek and mild,' and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies." --Dorothy Sayers
--He's mad! from his family
--He's bad! from the religious leaders
-- He's the Son of God! from the unclean spirits Jesus has chased out of people
and so i'm reminded of 2 quotes from last century:
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, The MacMillan Company, 1960, pp. 40-41.)
"The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore—on the contrary, they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him 'meek and mild,' and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies." --Dorothy Sayers
.....an interviewer of Bono of U2 marvels : "That's a great idea (slvtn thru the cross), no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has His rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?"
Bono of U2 comes back, "Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.' . . . So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. . . . The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched."
Thursday, October 25, 2007
CALIFORNIA FIRES: MNA DISASTER RESPONSE PROVIDING ASSISTANCE
The wildfires in Southern California continue to drive ever greater numbers of people from their homes. The churches of South Coast and Pacific Presbyteries are currently assessing damage among their members and their communities. No damage is reported thus far to PCA church buildings. Many PCA families have evacuated and it is uncertain when they will be able to return home. A number of PCA family homes have been reported destroyed; the condition of many other PCA family homes is unknown at this time. MNA Disaster Response is working with PCA leaders in the area to formulate a response plan. Check back often for updated information. We are also keeping in touch with the other NAPARC churches. For a report from the churches, go here: http://www.pca-mna.org/disaster/07fires/fireupdate.php
For now, you can:
• Pray that God will provide PCA members with strengthened faith and opportunities to serve fellow believers; pray also for God’s people as they serve others in their communities, demonstrating the Gospel through acts of mercy.
• Prayerfully consider a financial contribution. Gifts will be used to meet the needs of any PCA families who are affected, and to provide resources for PCA people to serve others in the community. To give a gift, go here: https://processor.pcanet.org/mna/donationsII/donation.cfm?MinistryTypeID=33
We do not know at this time how much volunteer assistance from outside the area will be permitted by local authorities; if you would like to volunteer, please register your team, go here: http://processor.pcanet.org/mna/events/signin.cfm?eventid=2
The wildfires in Southern California continue to drive ever greater numbers of people from their homes. The churches of South Coast and Pacific Presbyteries are currently assessing damage among their members and their communities. No damage is reported thus far to PCA church buildings. Many PCA families have evacuated and it is uncertain when they will be able to return home. A number of PCA family homes have been reported destroyed; the condition of many other PCA family homes is unknown at this time. MNA Disaster Response is working with PCA leaders in the area to formulate a response plan. Check back often for updated information. We are also keeping in touch with the other NAPARC churches. For a report from the churches, go here: http://www.pca-mna.org/disaster/07fires/fireupdate.php
For now, you can:
• Pray that God will provide PCA members with strengthened faith and opportunities to serve fellow believers; pray also for God’s people as they serve others in their communities, demonstrating the Gospel through acts of mercy.
• Prayerfully consider a financial contribution. Gifts will be used to meet the needs of any PCA families who are affected, and to provide resources for PCA people to serve others in the community. To give a gift, go here: https://processor.pcanet.org/mna/donationsII/donation.cfm?MinistryTypeID=33
We do not know at this time how much volunteer assistance from outside the area will be permitted by local authorities; if you would like to volunteer, please register your team, go here: http://processor.pcanet.org/mna/events/signin.cfm?eventid=2
Being with Jesus
Mark 3:14 "Jesus appointed twelve to be with him..."
Only through intimate contact would his followers really get to know Jesus and be able to fulfill the task of bearing witness to Him. Only in this way would they be fully exposed to the powerful influence of his life and ministry..... years later, the secret of their power was that they "had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Through Scripture and by Christ's Spirit, it is still possible to be with Jesus. We should therefore take careful note of the effects of such communion and long for them in our own lives. --Sinclair Ferguson
a prayer: Oh, Jesus... may you so visit Christ Community that we would say with confidence, "We've been with Jesus." Would you empower us to help each other--and those you are bringing to us--to commune with you. In our own hearts... let us be with you. In our family life... let us be with you. In our corporate life as a church family... let us be with you!
Only through intimate contact would his followers really get to know Jesus and be able to fulfill the task of bearing witness to Him. Only in this way would they be fully exposed to the powerful influence of his life and ministry..... years later, the secret of their power was that they "had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Through Scripture and by Christ's Spirit, it is still possible to be with Jesus. We should therefore take careful note of the effects of such communion and long for them in our own lives. --Sinclair Ferguson
a prayer: Oh, Jesus... may you so visit Christ Community that we would say with confidence, "We've been with Jesus." Would you empower us to help each other--and those you are bringing to us--to commune with you. In our own hearts... let us be with you. In our family life... let us be with you. In our corporate life as a church family... let us be with you!
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