Last Sunday began one of my favorite times of year - Advent, the celebration of the Incarnation of the Christ. Over the next 40 days, we will turn our focus and spiritual rhythm to the anticipation of Jesus' coming.
This anticipation and celebration is often elusive to us; we so hate to be let down and disappointed. So often we would rather keep the promise of God - with all of its uncertainty - at an arm's length rather than embrace it fully, which demands our trust and faith. But if we are to truly engage in the real depth and meaning of Advent, it begins with the understanding and belief that God keeps his promises.
On Sunday we said it like this: The promises of God are inevitable,
yet often unexpected. And so when Paul talks about the return of Jesus (while referencing a prophecy of the coming of Christ) he writes,"For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
[1 Thess. 5:2]
What we see here is: 1. We can be unaware or unconcerned about Jesus' coming
"As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes." [Matthew 24:37-39]
2. We can be filled with guilt, fear, and shame at Jesus' coming
"What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope." [Amos 5:18, 20]
3. Or we can put our faith and hope in Christ, and be filled with joy and celebration that the day of the Lord has come
"But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night."
[1 Thessalonians 5:4-5] Paul's directive then is that those who believe in Jesus should be:
1) Awake and aware of what God is doing; 2) Clearheaded and have a proper perspective on this life and the next; 3) Prepared and equipped for the unexpected day and work of God. What difference will the incarnation make in
your life this Advent season? Prayer for the First Week of Advent
“Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; that in the last day, when He comes again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to eternal life; through him who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
Last week we wrapped up our teaching series from 1 Thessalonians, examining and discussing Paul's "final instructions" to the believers of the young church in Thessalonica. Paul lays out "what to do until Jesus returns" - an essential teaching for a society that tends to follow the hip and trendy and grows easily tired and bored with the "same ol', same ol'."
Paul's instructions break down into four areas: 1. Do what you do... with JOY
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” [5:16-18]
2. Do what you do... in the HOLY SPIRIT
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” [5:19-22]
3. Do what you do... in HOLINESS
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” [5:23-24]
4. Do what you do... for EACH OTHER
“Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.
I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the
brothers and sisters.” [5:25-27]
You can listen to the message here.This upcoming Sunday we launch into our Advent teaching series, "Unexpected," anticipating the celebration of the arrival of Jesus. We hope you can celebrate with us. In the meantime, have a great week and a Happy Thanksgiving! Music from Sunday was led by Chris Donahue.
Songs were: "Song of the Redeemed" (Charlie Hall), "The Earth is Yours" (Michael Gungor), "Micah 6:8" (Charlie Hall) and "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" (Traditional).
Last Sunday we welcomed Mark and Deb Schory to NewSong. The Schory's will be spending the next few weeks at NewSong as they reacquaint themselves with the greater Boston area and seek God's leading for ministry and church-planting opportunities in New England.Mark joined me in teaching this week from 1 Thessalonians 4 -- if you have missed a Sunday or want to listen to a previous message, you can find the message podcast here. Last Sunday, we walked through chapter 4 and discussed some of Paul's teaching in light of our big idea: that we begin to live for God fully when we are captivated by the story of what He has done for us.This means that many of us find ourselves in an awkward situation - we realize that the Gospel has not really captured our heart and life, and we discover that we are not really living for God, we are merely imitating a life of faith. And we're not alone in this; one of the early churches faced this same situation: "[The Lord says], 'I know all the things you do,
and that you have a reputation for being alive -
but you are dead." [Revelations 3:1] 1 Thessalonians 4 gives us first, some pulse checks - ways to verify that we are alive - and second, some growth points to ensure that we continue to live and develop. We can evaluate our pulse and our growth as we: ++ Manage our relationship with GOD ++
"We urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you
to do so even more." [1 Thess. 4:1]
++ Manage our relationship with OTHERS ++
"God himself has taught you to love one another... indeed, you already
show your love for all the believers... we urge you to love them even more."
[1 Thess. 4:9-10]
++ Manage our SELVES & our LIFESTYLE ++
"Make it your goal to live a quiet life..." [1 Thess. 4:11]
++ Manage our DIRECTION ++
"For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever." [1 Thess. 4:14, 17] Jesus continually challenged his disciples and his audience not to let their lives and their faith become imitations - he wanted us to be full and overflowing with life! As he said, "I have come so that you can have life, and have it abundantly!"To go deeper into 1 Thessalonians 4, listen to the message.
What a week it was! Following the previous week's snowstorm, I spent a lot of time reaching out to friends and neighbors without power, without heat... some even had to go without coffee! ;) It was a week of need, which means that it was a week of ministry; I was reminded yet again that even the most comfortable of us have moments of difficulty, challenge and need.
And that's a great opportunity to live like Jesus. "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." [1 Corinthians 15:58] In Paul's letter to the young church of Thessalonica encourages them to continue ministering and meeting needs - living the Gospel - in their community, regardless of whether their situations are comfortable or challenging. In fact, Paul emphasizes that their work will not go without result, and he uses his own ministry experience to them as an example.
Paul connects the Gospel and ministry to faith -- he encourages the church to take on the challenge of faith in order to see the victory of faith. But now Timothy has returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love. So we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.” [1 Thessalonians 3:6-8]
Our takeaways from Sunday:
>> Nothing that we do out of love for Jesus is in vain
>> With that realization comes incredible hope and joy – and a desire for more of God, to be with him, to worship him
Music from Sunday was led by Chris Donahue and Travis Jarrett.
Songs were: "Eastern Hymn" (David Crowder), "Our God" (Chris Tomlin), "The Stand" (Hillsong), "Hallelujah" (Steve Deal), "Forever God You Reign" (Steve Deal)
Hey NewSong! Join us Sunday morning, October 16, as we kick off a new teaching series called "Balance." This series leads us to Paul's first letter to the believers in Thessalonica, which was written to encourage and affirm the young church as they embraced the Gospel in their lives - and to help them navigate the the path of following Jesus.
This series asks the big question: "How do you find balance between the life you're living and the life the God has for you?" Come discover the answers with us over the next few weeks as we read 1 Thessalonians.
"Can we only do what the Bible commands, or can we do whatever we want except what the Bible forbids?" [M. Driscoll, "The Elephant Room")
Here is the video that we used to introduce our teaching series, "Proverbia" and launch into a discussion about applying wisdom in our everyday life. Be sure to check back later this week for our Sunday Recap!
posted by The Resurgence | Steven E. Runge “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:18–20).Compare and ContrastPaul offers contrasting portraits of the enemies of the cross in comparison with what believers may expect. In rapid succession, Paul introduces a topic and makes a comment about the enemies. After four such comments, he moves on to contrast them with what believers do or expect. The close parallels in the topics sharpen the contrast between us and them.
The contrast begins with the enemies, citing a topic and then making a comment about it. The outcome of their behavior is destruction, which stands in contrast to our heavenly citizenship (3:20). Paul made the same comparison in 1:28, contrasting salvation with destruction. Next, he tackles who or what they serve. In the case of the enemies, they serve their belly—something that can never be fully satisfied. In contrast, Paul references the heavenly origins of our citizenship by saying that we await the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ from the same place. He is the one we serve—not our belly. In fact, Jesus tells us that if we seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, all the other things that we need will be added (Matt 6:33). “Paul references the heavenly
origins of our citizenship by saying
that we await the arrival of our Savior
Jesus Christ from the same place."
What is it that these folks take pride in? What is their glory? It’s in their shame. This is not unlike those in Romans 1:32 who not only did things worthy of death, but approved of others who did the same. Here in Philippians, the enemies of the cross have their values just as mixed up. Paul contrasts this ill-placed glory with what we aspire to: having our humble bodies transformed and conformed to the glorious image of Christ. They glory in the behavior that will end in judgment and destruction, instead of salvation and glorification.The FocusThe final thing that Paul compares is focus. The enemies have their sights set on earthly things, which is to be expected of someone whose god is their stomach. The reference to heaven stands in contrast with the stuff of earth. Paul closes the reference to the believer’s outlook with how things turn out. At the end of the day, Christ’s glorious power enables Him to subject all things to Himself. This not only means earthly things, but everything else as well (see 2:10–11).
No matter how appealing it might look to follow these folks, the contrasting picture that Paul paints moves beyond the surface to the final outcome. Whoever they are, the Philippians want no part of what they are offering. We are repeatedly warned to watch out for those who will try and draw us away from the truth of the gospel (see Rom 16:17; 2 Cor 11:4; Gal 1:6; 1 Tim 1:3; 6:3). In the end, their ways lead to death and destruction, not the freedom and blessing that is promised. No matter what gain they may offer in the short run, following such people is a losing proposition in the end. This adapted excerpt, courtesy of Logos Bible Software, is from Steven E. Runge’s High-Definition Commentary: Philippians.
Last Sunday we gathered for an outdoor service at the home of Jon & Jacquie Liebold -- we want to thank them for their hospitality and willingness to use their home for the Kingdom.
Consistent with our human nature, we tend to categorize our lives as either "good," "bad," or somewhere in-between. Within our discussion, we examined some of the shared life experiences and emotions that everyone goes through at some point, regardless of the "quality" of our lives. From Ecclesiastes, we highlighted three experiences/emotions that we all share:
1. I’m frustrated
[Ecclesiastes 1:2-4] – “Life is useless, all useless. You spend your life working... but what do you have to show for it? The world stays just the same.”
2. I’m tired
[Ecclesiastes 1:5-8] – “The sun still rises, and it still goes down... the wind blows… round and round and back again. Every river flows into the sea... [then] the water returns to where the rivers began and starts all over again. Everything leads to weariness – a weariness too great for words... “
3. I’m unfulfilled
[Ecclesiastes 1:8-9] – “No matter how much we see, we're never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we're not content. History merely repeats itself...
We then moved over to Paul's teachings in his letter to the church in Rome:
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
[Romans 5:3-5]
and in his second letter to the church in Corinth:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:16-18]
This reminds us of two Kingdom truths:
1. Hope is the trust and acceptance of God’s love for me, forever.
2. Hope enables me to live with the eternal perspective Jesus teaches I should have for my life
And this hope is lived out in:
>> Prayer -- hope is renewed and refreshed as we grow closer to Jesus
>> Giving -- hope is demonstrated as we trust God to provide
>> Service -- hope is active as we live fully & freely for Christ
>> Sharing Jesus -- hope maintains its eternal focus when our focus is Jesus
Music from Sunday was led by Chris Donahue and Travis Jarrett.
Songs were: "Shadows" (David Crowder), "Eastern Hymn" (David Crowder), "Marvelous Light" (Charlie Hall), "Your Love Oh Lord" (Third Day), "Only the Blood" (Village Church), "The Old Rugged Cross" (Traditional)
Last week we looked at Ephesians 1:15-23 and spent some time discussing Paul’s prayer for the believers in Ephesus in light of God’s sovereignty and authority. Paul is not a fatalist –he absolutely believes that prayer moves the heart of God, but he also understands the truth that the power is not in prayer, but in Christ alone.
And so Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians/believers addresses:
o First, that we would know God and that we would increase in that knowledgeo Second, that we would receive the revelation and wisdom of God in our lives
Paul views that revelation from God’s spirit practically demonstrated in our lives as: 1) The Hope of His Calling – we are called to follow and have faith in Jesus Christ to eternal life; 2) The Inheritance of God – not just next life, the Kingdom of God in this life; 3) The Power of God – that it is to those who believe, and that it enables us to continue to believe.
[posted by The Resurgence | by Thomas Weaver]Okay I’m not a Christian, but I’ve finally made the decision to come to your church this Sunday. Don’t expect much from me though. If something comes up I might not, but right now I’m planning on it. I feel like I need to go, but I’m not sure why. I want to tell you a few things about myself before you meet me.1. I’m not going to understand religious language or phrases so be aware of that when we talk. I don’t understand slain in the spirit, God is moving in me, covered in the blood, I need to die to self, you just need to be in the Word, what you need is a new life, etc. If we have conversation filled with religious talk, I’m probably not going to understand half of the words...and maybe think you’re a little crazy.
2. When you ask me how I’m doing, know that I don’t trust you. I’m probably going to lie and tell you I’m fine. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; it’s just that I come from some pain and am not sure if I trust you yet. How about you tell me your story first? If I like you and get the vibe that you’re not trying to capture my soul or anything, I’ll tell you mine.
3. I’ve got pretty rough language and I can be bitter and angry about some things. If I sense in you a mindset of superiority, I’m out. If you are just waiting for your turn to talk instead of truly listening to me, I’m not going to be interested. Don’t expect me to be exactly like you.
4. Don’t make a big deal of introducing me to everyone you know. I understand a couple of people, but please; don’t set up a welcoming line. I’m just there to check it out; I need a bit of space.
5. I’m going to be looking for genuine interest in me. I don’t want to feel like your personal salvation project or be a notch on your “I saved one” belt. If this Jesus is who you say he is, then I’m looking forward to seeing him in you. That’s how it works, right?
6. I’m going to have questions. I need truth, not your preferences or your religion, so can you just tell me what the Bible says?
7. I need to feel welcomed. Is there a time limit or something on my visit before I’m supposed to feel unwelcomed? I mean, I’ve been to other churches and there seemed to be a push for me to make up my mind or something. How long until I’m unwelcomed?
Thanks for hearing me out. I’m pretty sure I’m going to come this Sunday. But I might not.
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