You will want to block off your calendars for this one...
Friday May 13th at 5pm---until sundown... details forthcoming
Friday, April 29, 2005
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Uganda Awareness
7:30 1st showing of 30 minute dvd
9:15 2nd showing of 30 minute dvd
music by sydney & melissa in between... tonite atChristian Study Center of Gainesville
I'm off to speak 3 times at a men's retreat... will be back to be with you Sunday morning... Deo volente
9:15 2nd showing of 30 minute dvd
music by sydney & melissa in between... tonite atChristian Study Center of Gainesville
I'm off to speak 3 times at a men's retreat... will be back to be with you Sunday morning... Deo volente
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
new bible study starts tomorrow
7:00pm in Haile Plantation
all welcome
Topic: The Bible's Teaching on Eternal Rewards
376-6944 for more info
all welcome
Topic: The Bible's Teaching on Eternal Rewards
376-6944 for more info
You His Saints
Those words jump out from Psalm 30 today.
"Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name."
We are His people, his holy ones. Sing praises; give thanks.
"Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name."
We are His people, his holy ones. Sing praises; give thanks.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
The Holy Spirit
God’s purpose was not only to secure our sonship by His Son, but to assure us of it by His Spirit. He sent His Son that we might have the status of sonship, and He sent His Spirit that we might have an experience of it. —John Stott
Christian experience is experience of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There really is no such thing as ‘an experience of the Holy Spirit’ from which the Father and the Son are excluded. In any case, the Holy Spirit is a reticent Spirit. He doesn’t willingly draw attention to Himself. Rather He prompts us to pray ‘Abba! Father!’ and thus witnesses to our filial relationship to God. And above all He glorifies Christ. He turns the bright beams of His searchlight upon the face of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is never more satisfied than when the Christian is engrossed in Jesus Christ. —John Stott
We must never divorce what God has married, namely His Word and His Spirit. The Word of God is the Spirit’s sword. The Spirit without the Word is weaponless. The Word without the Spirit is powerless. —John Stott
Christian experience is experience of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There really is no such thing as ‘an experience of the Holy Spirit’ from which the Father and the Son are excluded. In any case, the Holy Spirit is a reticent Spirit. He doesn’t willingly draw attention to Himself. Rather He prompts us to pray ‘Abba! Father!’ and thus witnesses to our filial relationship to God. And above all He glorifies Christ. He turns the bright beams of His searchlight upon the face of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is never more satisfied than when the Christian is engrossed in Jesus Christ. —John Stott
We must never divorce what God has married, namely His Word and His Spirit. The Word of God is the Spirit’s sword. The Spirit without the Word is weaponless. The Word without the Spirit is powerless. —John Stott
Friday, April 15, 2005
If you want the Holy Spirit's power...
... in your life, I encourage you to make Jesus the center of your life. --John Piper
Sunday at Christ Community
9am classes
10am worship
preaching on The Holy Spirit.... from Acts 10 and 11
if you'd like to do some thinking/heart-prep... think thru these elements we'll be using:
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
songlist:
Praise to the Lord the Almighty
O love that will not let me go
God of Wonders
You Are My World
10am worship
preaching on The Holy Spirit.... from Acts 10 and 11
if you'd like to do some thinking/heart-prep... think thru these elements we'll be using:
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
songlist:
Praise to the Lord the Almighty
O love that will not let me go
God of Wonders
You Are My World
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Two of our talented artists will be performing at UF
Melissa Reyes has a recital Saturday at 5:30pm on Saturday. She will be performing works by Mozart, Debussy, and Chopin.
Room 120 of music building at UF
and Kelly MacGregor will be singing opera in a program at 4:00PM in the University Auditorium (under the bell tower on campus) this Sunday, April 17th. It will be scenes from various operas and Music Theatre repertoire (Carmen, The Magic Flute, West Side Story, Carousel, Pirates of Penzance, etc.).
Room 120 of music building at UF
and Kelly MacGregor will be singing opera in a program at 4:00PM in the University Auditorium (under the bell tower on campus) this Sunday, April 17th. It will be scenes from various operas and Music Theatre repertoire (Carmen, The Magic Flute, West Side Story, Carousel, Pirates of Penzance, etc.).
New Research Overturns Conventional Wisdom on Teens & Faith
Unpacking some myths about today's teens.
by Andy Crouch | posted 04/12/2005 09:30 a.m.
No book in recent memory has as much potential to transform the practice of youth ministry as Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton's account of the findings of their National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Smith, a committed Christian who may be his generation's most significant sociologist of religion, carefully designed not only an in-depth phone survey of 3,290 teenagers and their parents, but also crafted 267 in-person interviews. The results overturn nearly every piece of conventional wisdom about teens and faith.
There is no generation gap. The NSYR finds that youth overwhelmingly admire and practice the religion of their parents, just as other studies have shown that teens these days overwhelmingly admire and like their parents. The baby-boomer ethos of adolescent rebellion has disappeared—if, indeed, it ever was so widespread as the media would have us believe.
Teens like church. There simply isn't much hostility to organized religion among 13- to 17-year-olds, Smith and Denton find: "U.S. teens as a whole report that they would like to attend religious services even more than they currently do."
Teens are not "spiritual seekers." Vanishingly few have heard the phrase "spiritual but not religious," the mantra of baby-boomer, mix-and-match spirituality. Less than 1 percent are exploring alternative religions like Wicca. Seventy-five percent of teens identify with some form of Christianity.
So far, so good, for those who would offer Christian faith to the next generation. If only all the news were so encouraging. In fact, these quantitative indicators are overshadowed by what Smith and Denton found out when they sat down to talk with teens one-on-one. It should rock the world of every church in the country: In spite of their generally positive attitude toward religion, almost no teenagers, from any religious background, can articulate the most basic beliefs of their faith. This interview excerpt, with a 15-year-old who "attends two church services every Sunday, Sunday school, church youth group, and Wednesday-night Bible study," illustrates how vaguely most teenagers answered a question about their personal beliefs:
"[Pause] I don't really know how to answer that. ['Are there any beliefs at all that are important to you? Really generally.'] [Pause] I don't know. ['Take your time if you want.'] I think that you should just, if you're gonna do something wrong then you should always ask for forgiveness and he's gonna forgive you no matter what, cause he gave up his only Son to take all the sins for you, so…"
In fact, that is one of the more articulate answers that Smith and Denton report. And it's not that teens are generally inarticulate—when the researchers asked them about pop culture or sexually transmitted diseases, they could give sophisticated answers. They could talk about Will & Grace, but not grace. Of the 267 teens interviewed, only 12 mentioned "repentance" in connection with their faith; 7 mentioned the Resurrection; and 4 mentioned "discipleship." On the other hand, 112 mentioned "personally feeling, being, getting, or being made happy."
So what is the religion that teens hold in such high regard? Smith and Denton sum it up as "moralistic therapeutic deism"—the belief that religion is about doing good and being happy, watched over by a distant and benign Creator whose purpose is largely to help us feel better about ourselves.
And where do teenagers learn this faith that so closely reflects the American therapeutic culture, and so poorly reflects the Christian gospel? The evidence is overwhelming: There is no generation gap, and they love church. So they learned it from their parents—they learned it from their churches. Even their conservative Protestant churches. The fundamental axiom of youth ministry, Smith and Denton say, is, "We'll get what we are."
by Andy Crouch | posted 04/12/2005 09:30 a.m.
No book in recent memory has as much potential to transform the practice of youth ministry as Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton's account of the findings of their National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Smith, a committed Christian who may be his generation's most significant sociologist of religion, carefully designed not only an in-depth phone survey of 3,290 teenagers and their parents, but also crafted 267 in-person interviews. The results overturn nearly every piece of conventional wisdom about teens and faith.
There is no generation gap. The NSYR finds that youth overwhelmingly admire and practice the religion of their parents, just as other studies have shown that teens these days overwhelmingly admire and like their parents. The baby-boomer ethos of adolescent rebellion has disappeared—if, indeed, it ever was so widespread as the media would have us believe.
Teens like church. There simply isn't much hostility to organized religion among 13- to 17-year-olds, Smith and Denton find: "U.S. teens as a whole report that they would like to attend religious services even more than they currently do."
Teens are not "spiritual seekers." Vanishingly few have heard the phrase "spiritual but not religious," the mantra of baby-boomer, mix-and-match spirituality. Less than 1 percent are exploring alternative religions like Wicca. Seventy-five percent of teens identify with some form of Christianity.
So far, so good, for those who would offer Christian faith to the next generation. If only all the news were so encouraging. In fact, these quantitative indicators are overshadowed by what Smith and Denton found out when they sat down to talk with teens one-on-one. It should rock the world of every church in the country: In spite of their generally positive attitude toward religion, almost no teenagers, from any religious background, can articulate the most basic beliefs of their faith. This interview excerpt, with a 15-year-old who "attends two church services every Sunday, Sunday school, church youth group, and Wednesday-night Bible study," illustrates how vaguely most teenagers answered a question about their personal beliefs:
"[Pause] I don't really know how to answer that. ['Are there any beliefs at all that are important to you? Really generally.'] [Pause] I don't know. ['Take your time if you want.'] I think that you should just, if you're gonna do something wrong then you should always ask for forgiveness and he's gonna forgive you no matter what, cause he gave up his only Son to take all the sins for you, so…"
In fact, that is one of the more articulate answers that Smith and Denton report. And it's not that teens are generally inarticulate—when the researchers asked them about pop culture or sexually transmitted diseases, they could give sophisticated answers. They could talk about Will & Grace, but not grace. Of the 267 teens interviewed, only 12 mentioned "repentance" in connection with their faith; 7 mentioned the Resurrection; and 4 mentioned "discipleship." On the other hand, 112 mentioned "personally feeling, being, getting, or being made happy."
So what is the religion that teens hold in such high regard? Smith and Denton sum it up as "moralistic therapeutic deism"—the belief that religion is about doing good and being happy, watched over by a distant and benign Creator whose purpose is largely to help us feel better about ourselves.
And where do teenagers learn this faith that so closely reflects the American therapeutic culture, and so poorly reflects the Christian gospel? The evidence is overwhelming: There is no generation gap, and they love church. So they learned it from their parents—they learned it from their churches. Even their conservative Protestant churches. The fundamental axiom of youth ministry, Smith and Denton say, is, "We'll get what we are."
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
What happened in Acts 10?
Many things, but at cornelius' house you see them all become trusting-followers of Jesus after hearing Peter preach just a little of his sermon. Why?
God enlightened their minds...
spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.
God enlightened their minds...
spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.
Lord, teach Christ Community to pray!
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
What is a Spirit-Filled Church
"Since the teaching of the apostles has come down to us in its definitive
form in the New Testament, contemporary devotion to the apostles'
teaching will mean submission to the authority of the New
Testament. A Spirit-filled church is a New Testament church, in
the sense that it studies and submits to New Testament
instruction. The Spirit of God leads the people of God to submit
to the Word of God." --John Stott, commenting on Acts 2... yet, I think, very applicable to what is a Spirit-filled church in 2005
form in the New Testament, contemporary devotion to the apostles'
teaching will mean submission to the authority of the New
Testament. A Spirit-filled church is a New Testament church, in
the sense that it studies and submits to New Testament
instruction. The Spirit of God leads the people of God to submit
to the Word of God." --John Stott, commenting on Acts 2... yet, I think, very applicable to what is a Spirit-filled church in 2005
You don't speak Korean
On Saturday Steve Lammers and i were at a presbytery meeting. A man spoke to us about the bible's emphasis on congregational prayer as a main work of every local church. Steve and I were very impacted by this teaching. More on that later. For now, one little anecdote:
The American once said to a Korean, "How come the Korean church is able to pray so effectively?"
Korean response: "You don't understand b/c you don't speak Korean."
American: "Tell me anyway."
Korean: "If our prayer meeting is 60 minutes, you can bet that the first 30 are praying for our praying. We feel so weak at prayer that we generally devote 1/2 of our prayer time to asking God to teach us to pray."
I couldn't remember the last time I had asked God to help me become a pray-er. That is why i led you the way i did, on Sunday morning and again in "night church". At least for this week, I will conclude each post with a line of prayer and i ask you to join me in praying it...
The American once said to a Korean, "How come the Korean church is able to pray so effectively?"
Korean response: "You don't understand b/c you don't speak Korean."
American: "Tell me anyway."
Korean: "If our prayer meeting is 60 minutes, you can bet that the first 30 are praying for our praying. We feel so weak at prayer that we generally devote 1/2 of our prayer time to asking God to teach us to pray."
I couldn't remember the last time I had asked God to help me become a pray-er. That is why i led you the way i did, on Sunday morning and again in "night church". At least for this week, I will conclude each post with a line of prayer and i ask you to join me in praying it...
"Lord, teach Christ Community to pray."
Sunday, April 10, 2005
He Will Glorify Me
What is the mission of the Holy Spirit? Jesus told us what the essence of the mission of the Holy Spirit is in John 16:14. He said, "He will glorify me." J.I. Packer wrote a very good book called Keep in Step with the Spirit. His main point in that book is this: "The essence of the Holy Spirit's ministry is, at this or any time in the Christian era, is to mediate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ" (p. 55). In other words, the Spirit is sent to make Christ real to people and to show us who he really is in his glory so that we come to love him and trust him and obey him and show him to the world. -----John Piper
Friday, April 08, 2005
We Lift Our Hearts to the Lord... Sunday @ CCC
Reminders and Reflections as we prepare to offer ourselves to God… heart, mind, strength
And receive from God… all He promises to be for us in Christ Jesus
Reminders:
9am Classes for all ages
Adult class in the library/media center
Rob Pendley teaching on the person and work of the Holy Spirit…
What is up with the tongues in Acts?What do I do about the signs and wonders which I see in Acts and don’t see in Christ Community?
Is Christ Community seeking to be a Spirit-filled church, or not?
What does Spirit-filled look like anyway?
How do I pursue keeping in step with the Spirit?
10am Worship in the theatre
Children’s church will be dismissed during the sermon
Sermon will be from Acts 10, particularly verses 44-48
6:00-6:45 Night Church at Hope Community Church
An opportunity for the church family to:
~receive updates on various functions in the life of our church
~share prayer concerns
~be together
We offer childcare for ages 4 and below. Children 5 and above will be in the meeting with their parents.
Reflection:
We really know as much of the gospel of Christ, and of the Christ of the gospel, as we have experience of it in our souls, by the power of the Holy Spirit. All other acquaintance with divine truth must be regarded as merely intellectual, theoretical, speculative, and of little worth.
--octavious winslow
And receive from God… all He promises to be for us in Christ Jesus
Reminders:
9am Classes for all ages
Adult class in the library/media center
Rob Pendley teaching on the person and work of the Holy Spirit…
What is up with the tongues in Acts?What do I do about the signs and wonders which I see in Acts and don’t see in Christ Community?
Is Christ Community seeking to be a Spirit-filled church, or not?
What does Spirit-filled look like anyway?
How do I pursue keeping in step with the Spirit?
10am Worship in the theatre
Children’s church will be dismissed during the sermon
Sermon will be from Acts 10, particularly verses 44-48
6:00-6:45 Night Church at Hope Community Church
An opportunity for the church family to:
~receive updates on various functions in the life of our church
~share prayer concerns
~be together
We offer childcare for ages 4 and below. Children 5 and above will be in the meeting with their parents.
Reflection:
We really know as much of the gospel of Christ, and of the Christ of the gospel, as we have experience of it in our souls, by the power of the Holy Spirit. All other acquaintance with divine truth must be regarded as merely intellectual, theoretical, speculative, and of little worth.
--octavious winslow
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Extraordinary Events in the Scripture
In the Scriptures, extraordinary gifts appear to be limited to a few brief periods in biblical history, in which they serve as confirmatory signs of new revelation and its ambassadors, and as a means of establishing and defending the kingdom of God in epochally significant ways. Without this perspective, some biblical miracles would be trivial and almost on the level of majic tricks. Only within this kingdom context does a floating axe head (2 Kings 6:1-5) or a coin in the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:27) make coherent sense. --Sinclair Ferguson
Powerful Statement
Nancy Spikes, age 70something, said this to me this week:
"It was a joy to be at the women's bible study on Tuesday. Those young women are partaking of the meat of the Word instead of the milk. Jenna Lammers did a terrific job of leading the study of romans 8:28. It was a privilege to be with them."
"It was a joy to be at the women's bible study on Tuesday. Those young women are partaking of the meat of the Word instead of the milk. Jenna Lammers did a terrific job of leading the study of romans 8:28. It was a privilege to be with them."
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Prayer Today, 2 Opportunities
12:15 til 12:45 in Office (off NW 43rd street, call for directions 379-4949 or mapquest location 2830 NW 41st street)
6:15-6:45 at Hope Church (Tower & SW 24th), this one is more "child friendly"
"Do you know, brothers, what great things are to be had for the asking? Have you ever thought of it? Does it not stimulate you to pray fervently? All heaven lies before the grasp of the asking man; all the promises of God are rich and inexhaustible, and their fulfillment is to be had by prayer."
Charles Spurgeon, from "Ask and Have," a sermon on James 4:2-3, delivered October 1, 1882; Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 28.
6:15-6:45 at Hope Church (Tower & SW 24th), this one is more "child friendly"
"Do you know, brothers, what great things are to be had for the asking? Have you ever thought of it? Does it not stimulate you to pray fervently? All heaven lies before the grasp of the asking man; all the promises of God are rich and inexhaustible, and their fulfillment is to be had by prayer."
Charles Spurgeon, from "Ask and Have," a sermon on James 4:2-3, delivered October 1, 1882; Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 28.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Acts 10 stuff
John Piper on Acts 10 ramifications: In other words, with the coming of Jesus into the world and with the final cleansing sacrifice of Christ now offered and with the command to take the gospel to all ethnic groups in the world now given, the old ceremonial laws about foods are lifted and that barrier to the Gentile world is removed.
And so Peter's vision has two points: 1.)the food laws are fulfilled and ended in Jesus (Mark 7:19), and 2.) the people they kept you separate from (the nations, the Gentiles) are not to be considered unclean or common.
Here is a great article on the gospel and people who are investigating Christianity... the Cornelius-types who God brings in our path
more
And so Peter's vision has two points: 1.)the food laws are fulfilled and ended in Jesus (Mark 7:19), and 2.) the people they kept you separate from (the nations, the Gentiles) are not to be considered unclean or common.
Here is a great article on the gospel and people who are investigating Christianity... the Cornelius-types who God brings in our path
more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)