New Sermon Series
September 30, 2009
I'm very excited about a brand-new sermon series we're calling "Why We Believe, What We Believe." It begins this Sunday, October 4th. This doesn't mean we are done with John, its just that we'll be done with John until sometime next year. John is an awesome study and I've thoroughly enjoyed preaching through it. We'll start up in chapter 10 probably in February.
Why stop our study in John? We'll, I really have sensed God calling us again to what Jeremiah describes as the "old paths." Today in the evangelical church, doctrine is often dismissed as outdated. But doctrine is important. We as Christ-followers must know what we believe and why.
Also, we've got quite a few new folks in our church and I think in this "back-to-school" season, its time for all of us to go back to school and learn the essentials of our faith. So here is the schedule for the series:
- Why Doctrine is Important - Sunday, October 4th
- What We Believe About the Second Coming (Prophecy Conference with Dr. Chipchase), Sunday, October 11th
- What We Believe About the Bible and Inspiration - Sunday, October 18th
- What We Believe About The Trinity - Sunday, October 25th
- What We Believe About Christ - Sunday, November 1st
- What We Believe about The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts - Sunday, November 8th
- What We Believe About Man, Sin and the Two Natures - Sunday, November 15th
- What We Believe About Salvation - Sunday, November 29th
- What We Believe About the Church - Sunday, November 29th
- What We Believe About Satan - Sunday, November 6th
Personal Project Updates
September 24, 2009
Its been a while since I updated everyone on some projects I am working on, so here we go:
- Crash Course, Forming a Faith Foundation for Life - This is my second teen devotional. Like Teen People of the Bible, it will be a 100-day devotional. Crash Course is geared for jr high and high-school students and college freshman. The idea is to give them a "crash course" in the "fundamentals of life." It is divided up into five sections: Doctrine, Decisions, Direction, Devotion and Delight. We almost titled it "5 Big Things" because we boiled all of life down to the five important things you want a young person to know in order to be successful for life. I'm really excited about this book. It will be released next Spring by New Hope Publishers.
- Instant Messages, Prayer for the Blackberry Generation - At least this is the working title right now. This book is written to my generation, perhaps 45 and under, 50 and under, who have always known life to be fast, connected, and instant. What effect does this have on our prayer life? In this book I compare and contrast 12 prayers in the Bible with the way we often pray today. I'm extremely excited about this book as well. I plan on doing a teaching series on this at Gages Lake on Sunday Nights beginning in November.
- New Sermon Series at Gages Lake - If you regularly attend Gages Lake Bible Church or listen to our podcasts you'll know that on Sunday Mornings, we're currently going thru the Gospel of John. This Sunday we'll be starting and finishing chapter 9.
- Beginning in October, we'll stop this series for a while and do a 6-8 week series entitled, "Why We Believe, What We Believe." I really feel its important for us to reintroduce ourselves to the basic doctrines of the faith we hold dear, to bring them off of the statement of faith and bring them to life. I'm really excited about this. We will be using, as guides, the new booklets published by the IFCA (of which we are a member.).
- Sunday Evenings - We have two more messages in our Tuff Stuff Series:
- Help I'm Angry
- The Purpose of Pain
- Then we're going to begin a new series "Instant Messages" its about prayer and the subject of my book to be released in 2011.
- Upcoming Events -
- The Bible and the End of Time - One-Day Prophecy Conference on Sunday, October 11th - with Dr. Elwood Chipchase. I'm very excited about this. Dr. Chipchase has preached through Revelation countless times. And we live in scary, turbulent times. The good news is that we know God has a plan for the end of the world. Dr. Chipchases three messages are:
- God's Distinct Plan - Sunday, 9:45 AM
- Seven Years Like the World Has Never Seen - Sunday, 10:45 AM
- The End in View as We Live Today - Sunday 6:00 PM
- Joy Chipchase will be speaking at the Women's Fall Brunch - Saturday, October 10th at 11:00 AM at the church. The ladies will enjoy a wonderful lunch and great fellowship.
The Church Is Not Lame
September 16, 2009
I just finished a powerful, powerful book by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. I read a ton of books. Sometimes I read books that I can't wait to recommend. This is one. I am a big fan of the church, amidst a growing evangelical culture that is pooh-poohing the church. Every other day there is a book saying "The church must change." etc.
Kevin and Ted are young people who should be a part of this emergent crowd--but they're not. They're solid church people. And they're book is wonderfully readable. Here's the review I wrote on amazon:
A powerful, powerful book. I've been wanting to read this book since it came out. I enjoyed Josh Harris' Stop Dating the Church, which I felt was a concise apologetic for the church. But Kevin and Ted have given the body of Christ a wonderful gift in this book. I have grown weary in the last several years of the constant barrage of criticism of the evangelical church. Every day it seems there is a new book with a "church survivor" whining about how the church failed them and they found God outside the church. The truth is that the church, yes the organized, established Church is the bride of Christ. Christ paid his blood for the Church. So we ought to love the church as Christ loves the church. When Christ stops loving the Church, then its time to pull the plug. But if you know you're Scripture, the Bible says that the gates of Hell won't prevail against the church. Kevin and Ted have produced probably the most thorough, theologicaly sound and humorous defense of the church. What I like is that they have read all of the "church is lame" books (their words, not mine), so you don't have to. I mean they have extensive references and quotes and do a great job of answering all of the common critiques of church life. I especially love their tone. They, unlike most conservative writers, don't create a straw man in their arguments. They don't have an ax to grind, so to speak. They simply have presented a powerful apologetic for the Church God loves and that we should love as well. Is every church perfect? Are many of the criticisms of the modern church valid? Are their glaring holes and problems in today's church? Absolutely. But we're sinners. Every local church is a collection of sinners, so things won't be perfect, won't be done well, and will have room for critique. Plus, we have got to get over this idea that the world at large doesn't like the church. Guess what? Jesus predicted this would happen. The cross is an offense. The Bible is contraversial. We're too invested in being "cool" in the eyes of the world. God's plan in this age is for every believer to be plugged in, contributing to, accountable to, and a member of a bible-believing and teaching local church. Period, end of story. Kevin and Ted have given a powerful book to that end.
I Just Finished a Terrific Book
September 12, 2009
The doorbell rang today and awaiting me was a beautiful new delivery of some books. One I had been anticipating for a while, by Kevin DeYoung, a thoughtful new voice in the evangelical world. The book is Just Do Something, A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will.
Its a short book, but one loaded with powerful wisdom on finding God's will. The truth is that Christians make this much, much harder than it is. I'm not sure if its a conscience wracked by guilt in pinpointing exactly what God's will is (red Subaru or Yellow Nissan?), laziness that we gloss over with spiritual words, or just plain passivity. Either way, we've turned God's will into this yellow, hazy fog that nobody can seem to discover.
That's why I love Kevin's straightforward, Biblical advice. I finished this book tonight and posted this review on Amazon and CBD:
So often Christians suffer from "paralysis by analysis", which is to say we over-spiritualize every single decision. Does God want me to buy a red Jeep or a Yellow Subaru? And all along our inaction, our failure to seize opportunities leaves us living lives without purpose and direction.
Kevin DeYoung tackles Christian passivity head-on in his excellent book, Just Do Something. Oh, this is advice I want to share with young people, old people, and people in between. I have not found a more thoroughly biblical approach to finding and living God's will than this book.
Kevin writes with humor, wit, and humility. He shares a pastor's heart. He writes from a practical, yet biblical Christian worldview. I read a lot of books every year. Very few could I say, without reservation, are life changing and worthy of passing on. This one most definitely is.
I wish every single Christian, young or old, could read this book. Its that good.
9/11 - 8 Years Later
September 11, 2009
For my generation—I’m 31 years old—9/11 was as seminal moment. I still remember that day and following weeks exactly as they happened. I was working on staff at Victory In Grace Ministries. But really “working” is a bad word, because for several days were glued to the TV as the rest of America was.
I still remember the feelings I felt on 9/11. It was as if a giant protective bubble over America had burst and now were like everyone else on the planet: vulnerable, scared, angry.
We had thought that two oceans could protect us and that we could wash our hands of the news overseas. But we couldn’t and we can’t.
I watched those towers fall, I couldn’t get enough of the story. But I also remember a lot of good that came out this monumental tragedy.
First, there was the unity. It wasn’t a fake unity, but something real, something human. For several weeks, even months, the sniping, the jealousy, the pride was stripped away. People hugged more. People cried more. People worried about family more.
I remember taking a trip across America, from Illinois to Florida. I remember seeing “God Bless America” on restaurant signs, on billboards, on gas station marquees. I remember having impromptu conversations with guys on Harleys.
Secondly, there was a call to duty. It really started with our leaders. I’ll never forget President Bush standing on top of the rubble and uniting the nation. Democrats and Republicans were together behind their leader. They sang God Bless America on the capital steps. People gave blood in droves. People went down to New York and volunteered. Churches offered relief and ministered to the sick and dying.
But that was 8 years ago. And a lot has changed, for me personally and in our country. I’ve since gotten married, bought a house, had two kids (on on the way), wrote two books, and am pastoring a church. It’s been an active 8 years.
Our country has changed in many ways. We’ve been engaged in the fight against terror. Fear is now a part of our vocabulary.
We have no where near the unity we once had. In fact, we may be more partisan than ever. Cable news and talk shows are stirring up the political anger and hyberbole. And now there are so many ways to hate on people, through blogs and comments on articles and Twitter and the like.
Sadly, I don’t think we’re a more Christian nation. Immediately after 9/11 there was a short-term revival, but it didn’t last, because it wasn’t necessarily based on truth, but on religion.
I’ve also grown up. I used to think America needed political solutions. I used to think that every election was the “most important of our lifetimes” and now I think each election is important but just an election. I now fully realize that our hope is not in man, our hope is not in a party. Our hope is not in a tired set of bullet-points, but in a Person, Jesus Christ. There is evil in the world, because there is sin in the world. But there is a Savior who offers redemption, freedom, and hope.
Two really great 9/11 retrospectives:
Return to the Cross
September 3, 2009
Sunday is going to an awesome day of worship at Gages Lake. We're going to have a baptism and communion service. And our text in the Gospel of John fits so perfectly with communion. My sermon is "Return to the Cross."
Here is a little snippet of the sermon:
As a Christian, we return to the cross, because that is where life makes sense again. Nothing God asks us to do makes sense without the cross:
- He asks us to take up our cross, because He took up His. Its only our reasonable service.
- He asks us to forgive our deepest hurts, only because He forgave us our most heinous sins. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- He asks us to deny ourselves, because He denied Himself, his rights and went to the cross.
- He asks us to give sacrificially, because He gave all.
- He asks us to serve others, because He served us.
Christian, return to the cross. If you try to live your Christian life without the cross, you’ll end up practicing religion. You’re faith will be dry and routine.
But if you return periodically to the cross of your Savior, where he hung and bled and died for yours sins, you’ll willingly follow Him.
I'm closing with this quote from the late pastor, Ray Stedman, from his sermon, “The Breakthrough Point”
It is very good for us often to remember the story of the cross. It is good to remember all the detail that is given in the Gospels about how in the upper room he was "exceeding sorrowful unto death"; the shadows of Gethsemane; the deep darkness of his loneliness; his prayers; his disappointment with his disciples; the bloody sweat that fell from his brow; the traitor's kiss; the binding; the blow in the face; the scourging, the smiting, the spitting, the buffeting, the mocking; the crown of thorns; the sorrowful way through the city streets; the burden of the cross; the exhaustion that he endured; the collapse; the stripping; the impaling upon the cross; the nails through his hands; the jeers of his foes; the flight of his friends; the hours on the cross; the darkness; the terrible cry that came from his lips, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"; the thirst; and the triumphant cry at the end, "It is finished."
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