From the Blog
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Worship and Witness is…Missional
In the 96th Psalm, the Psalmist wrote that the nation of Israel should worship and bear witness to the glory of God so that all the earth would join in. The mission of that nation was to let their worship of God be a witness among the nations. We too can be missional through our…
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Worship and Witness is…Relational
Why is there divorce, murder, and war? Why are we relationally broken? Our sin has separated us from God. We need to be relationally restored. We need to be reconciled to God and with others. In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he told them that God’s reconciling love should move them to…
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Worship and Witness is…Transformational
Do you feel like your are running in place sometimes or just not moving at all? Sometimes we can feel that our lives have no meaning or that we are going nowhere. We often put our focus or our worship on things that don’t move us or give us meaning. Newton’s first law of motion says that, “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” You may feel this way now, like a stagnant person or a person in motion towards the wrong things. God has designed us for more. He is the unbalanced force that can get us not only moving but moving in the right direction.
In the book of Romans, Paul appeals to his fellow believers that they would become living sacrifices as worship before God. He tells the believers in Rome that their worship of Jesus will transform their life. We too can be transformed by our worship and witness of Jesus. -
Worship and Witness Is…Foundational
We are all worshipping, but sadly many are worshipping false idols which leave us in lack or with a void. We put our hopes and dreams and affections in things that neither help us nor ground us in anything. Right worship puts the foundation in our lives. Some of us put worship on this day or in this box, we put our witness in this box, but the call to Christ is a completely de-compartmentalized life of worship. The truth is everyone worships something and everyone bears witness to that worship, but God has called us to a specific worship and witness.
In the gospel of John, Jesus revealed Himself to a Samaritan woman as the only foundational way to worship and witness God. We can receive Jesus as the only true foundation for our worship and witness. -
A Shared Focus
The early church had a shared language–– it was the language of prayer. It was a shared focus, one that focused on spending time together talking to God in prayer. How are you doing in this area? Do you pray? Do you pray with your spouse, with your kids? Do you pray with your family?…
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A Shared Food
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There’s something about shared food, a shared meal that leads to authentic community. Every culture has its own distinct food. So does the family of God. However, isn’t the physical, but the spiritual food that makes for an authentic Christian community.
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A Shared Family
Just as our physical birth means we are a part of a family, our spiritual birth makes us part of God’s family. The early church cultivated that shared family by being devoted to the fellowship. Learn how we can cultivate a shared family in our church today.
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A Shared Faith
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The first century church had four devotions. The first was the apostle’s teaching. They were devoted to the preaching, teaching, study, and obeying of God’s Word.
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Raise Up Your Child in the Lord
What is your parenting approach? Where did you learn how to be a mom or dad? Was it from your parents? From friends or a book? Or are you just winging it? The apostle Paul told the Ephesians how to raise up their children according to God’s plan. As Christians, we can follow God’s Word…
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Cooperating with God’s Goal (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28)
What’s your life goal? Do you have one? What do you think God’s goal for your life is? Would you like to know? What is God’s goal for your life? That you become like Christ. Born again with a new nature, becoming like Jesus, so that you might be ready for Christ’s return. In Paul’s first letter…