Where do we experience life change?

Posted: March 30, 2009

I’ve asked Kevin Combs, a friend and fellow church member, to share his testimony.  I hope it will bless and challenge you.

While I have always believed in a Creator, I was not raised in the
church.  After spending some time with my family at Mt. Bethel, I
accepted Christ just before my 30th birthday. Like many of us, I was
content as long as my relationship with the Lord was on my terms.  Why
shouldn’t I call all the shots in my life?  I was quickly climbing the
ranks of a large company.  I was young, smart, and just starting to make
some real money.  I had MY life under control, and I was achieving MY
goals.  The only God I needed was the warm feeling I got during the
Sunday morning sermon.

During a Rock Eagle men’s retreat, I was fired up and signed up for a
Thursday night men’s life group.  I attended the group sporadically for
a while, but I soon allowed my busy schedule and fatigue from the work
week to be an excuse to skip our meetings.  Eventually, I stopped
attending altogether.  I would regularly run into the members of the
group at church, and, rather than pour on the guilt, they would always
tell me they missed seeing me and would love to have me back.  They kept
me on list for the weekly e-mail list, which was a constant reminder
that I was welcome, but I had better plans for MY time.

In 2001, the Lord began to greatly bless me by showing me that I was not
in control.  My company was purchased by a larger one.  It was clear
very quickly that the new management team did not think as much of me as
I thought of myself.  Although I held on for four turbulent years, I was
displaced (their fancy word for fired) in late 2004.  With my
overinflated ego stomped flat, I crawled back to my men’s group,
wondering if they would still remember my name.  Without a hint of
judgment, they welcomed me back with open arms.  With the love of
Christ, they stabilized my shaken world and offered me wise counsel,
plenty of humor and much needed prayer.  I’ve been a faithful member of
the group ever since.

In community, we share our daily struggles and our triumphs. We have
read through Christian books, walked through bible studies, worked on
local service projects and shared plenty of social time.  We try to hold
each other accountable, and we discuss the tough questions about faith,
family and Christian action.  We also find the time to chat about our
marriages, our kids, our jobs, and, of course, football and politics.
Christ has used my relationship with these men to change my heart.  I
know that I can depend on them for anything at any time.  We’re all so
busy.  It’s hard to even consider giving up a morning or an evening
during the week.  Ironically, the time that you set aside to attend a
life group is the greatest gift you can give the other people in your
life.

Where do we experience life change?  I believe it happens most readily
in small communities of faith.  My life group has supported me (and
sometimes carried me) in my Christian walk and helped me become a better
father, husband, and friend.  I can no longer imagine my life without
them in it.  Join a life group.  Don’t delay.  It will change you if you
let it.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but
shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. ~ C.S.
Lewis

Kevin Combs

Join A Life Group!!

Posted: March 27, 2009

I want to challenge you to get involved in a Life Group as we think about stewardship this Sunday.  Stewardship should not be an event we have every year – but rather the life style of the Christian.  Stewardship is not just about money – it’s also about our time and talents.  How are you spending your money, time and talents?

If you are already in a Life Group then I want to challenge you to pray about facilitating a Life Group.  I hope to see you on Sunday!

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:42

7 Reasons to join a Life Group

1.    You will have greater understanding of the Bible in a Life Group
2.    You will begin to really feel connected to God and the church.
3.    Prayer will become a more meaningful part of your daily life.
4.    You will develop friendships with people that will enhance your life.
5.    Inviting friends and work associates to your Life Group is a natural way to share your faith.
6.    You will deepen your understanding of worship.
7.    You will be a New Testament Christian.

For more information on getting involved in a Life Group at Mt Bethel please contact Jody Ray at jody.ray@mtbethel.org or 770-971-2880.

AND THE LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER

Posted: March 18, 2009

What is your definition of “church?” Before you read any further take just a minute or two and think about how you would define church.

The word “church” is derived from the Greek word ekklesia and is used 114 times in the New Testament. In every case this term describes the people of God when they met together in Christian community. The New Testament concept of church (ekklesia) is not a reference in any way to buildings or organizations but rather to the called-out assembly or the covenant people of God. The church was the people wherever they were meeting. In Acts 2:42-47 (NASB) we are given a description of the early church meetings.

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Based on the passage of Scripture from Acts here are some of the concepts used to describe the lifestyle of the church in Acts:

  1. The devoted themselves too “the teaching of the Apostles.” We have the Scriptures.
  2. They devoted themselves to “fellowship.” The New Testament church was a faith community where people gathered together and shared their lives with one another. They were “breaking bread from house to house.”
  3. They were of “one mind.” They had a common goal and vision.
  4. They were “praising God.” They worshiped together.
  5. They were breaking bread (probably the Lord’s Supper) and praying for one another.

The end result of this vibrant faith community is found in verse 47: “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The early Christians made a huge impact on their world. There was a transformation taking place in their character as the Holy Spirit worked in them that attracted people. Qualitative change in character opened the door for people to receive the gospel message, and, in so doing, people found healing and a deep sense of community which gave them purpose. The Church corporately also made a great impact on the world because no where else could you find slaves and masters, Jews and Gentiles, nor rich and poor engaging in fellowship around the table and showing a real love for one another. It was this love that overflowed out of them that greatly influenced people. Sadly, in our modern society, it’s hard to distinguish the lifestyle of the Christian from any other group – even those who profess no belief in God.

We are living in a time in history when the Church can really make an impact by sharing the gospel with people. Our world is in desperate need of a relationship with God that can only be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God loves us unconditionally and with no strings attached. It’s up to us to recapture that sense of God’s love so much so that it overflows out of us and into the world around us.

The Spirit of Resistance

Posted: March 14, 2009

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor, theologian, and the founder of the Confessing Church during the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s.  Bonhoeffer, along with other pastors and congregants of the Confessing Church, participated in the German Resistance movement against Nazism.  In 1933, the Gleichschaltung forced all protestant churches in Germany to merge into the newly created Protestant Reich Church, which was a tool to promote and support Nazi ideology.  The Confessing Church pastors and congregations, through a series of secret meetings, decided that the German Church was not an “organ of the state” for the purpose of strengthening Nazi ideoloies and their war agendas, but rather had the sole purpose of promoting Christ and the Great Commission.  Those protestants who opposed the Protestant Reich Church were forced to go underground to worship together and to share the gospel.  The Confessing Church engaged in many forms of resistance including hiding many Jews from the Nazi regime.

Bonhoeffer was arrested in March 1943 and imprisoned for his work with the Confessing Church and his participation in the German Resistance movement.  While in prison he wrote:

“Jesus does not promise that when we bless our enemies and do good to them they will not despise us and persecute us.  They certainly will.

But not even that can hurt us or overcome us, so long as we pray for them.  For if we pray for them, we are taking their distress and poverty, guilt and perdition upon ourselves, and pleading God for them.

Every insult they utter only serves to bind us more closely to God and them.  Their persecution of us only serves to bring them nearer to reconciliation with God and to further the triumphs of love.

It is only when one sees the anger and wrath of God hanging like grim realities over the head of one’s enemies that one can know something of what it means to love them and forgive them.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Hanged in Nazi Germany 1945

Bonhoeffer made a great impression on the lives of thousands of people during these years surrounding the rise of Nazism.  Today Bonhoeffer is still affecting the lives of people through his writings.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a man filled with the Holy Spirit who made a great impact on his world – he was one of God’s “special ops” for the Kingdom.  I hope you will join us this Sunday in the Encounter service as we continue our series Mission Impossible.

Jody

Are You The One?

Posted: March 11, 2009

One of my favorite people in the Bible is John the Baptist.  He was the one who was to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.  It’s amazing who the people God chooses to deliver His messages.  Think about it for a second, God chose John to be His greatest ambassador for the kingdom and the gospel.   John was a really interesting guy.  He wasn’t really into the cool clothing of the day; Johns choice of camel’s hair clothing wasn’t really in style.  John also had very different taste in what one would call “fine dining.”  The Bible tells us he ate locust and wild honey.  He wasn’t politically correct, nor was he a fan of the religious establishment.  John did not really care because he was on a mission.  His mission was to prepare the way for Jesus, speak the truth at all costs and rebuke sin.  It was this last characteristic of John that got him in so much trouble.

John the Baptist was in prison because he rebuked Herod Antipas of Galilee openly and sternly for seducing his brother’s wife.  During a visit to Rome, Herod lures his brother’s wife to return home with him.  Upon returning home he divorces his own wife so that he could marry his sister-in-law.  John publicly and very sternly rebuked Herod for his sin.  The problem was that it was never safe to rebuke a king and because of his actions he was thrown into prison.

In Matthew 11:1-3 John, while in prison,  sends messengers to Jesus to ask him a very important question.

“Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

“Are You the One?”

It’s really a great question.  It’s a great question that every one of us at some point must answer for ourselves.  Jesus – are You the One?  I think John questioned Jesus because he was wondering if Jesus had forgotten about him.  I can imagine that John’s circumstances caused him to question whether Jesus truly was the Messiah.  Jesus, remember me?  I’m the guy who told everybody you were coming?  I’m on your team Jesus.  Have you forgotten me?  Are you going to leave me in this prison cell?  Jesus are You the One, or should we look for someone else?

Have you ever felt like John?  Have you ever questioned if Jesus was really the One?  Have your circumstances caused you to question whether or not Jesus can deliver you from the prison?  Jesus, are You the One?

It’s a vitally important question for all of us to answer.  If Jesus is not the One then we need to stop following Him today!  If that’s the case, then let’s  sell the church property because this whole thing is just one big made up story that has been crafted in the minds of men.  It’s all a really bad joke.

But on the other hand – IF JESUS IS THE ONE – then we need to follow Him at all costs.  We need to follow Him with everything we have – with all of our attention and all of our energy.  If Jesus is truly the One, then we need to follow Him with a reckless abandonment, with every fiber of our being.

I really like how Jesus responded to the question in verses 4 – 6:

“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

The question: “Jesus, are You the Coming One or should we expect someone else?”  Again, this is a very important question because how we live our lives, the day to day activities, is a testament to what we believe and reflects what our answer to that question is.

Mission Impossible?

Posted: March 4, 2009

“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33)

You may remember the popular network television show that aired during the late sixties and early seventies titled “Mission Impossible.”  I was to young to remember the original series, but I’ve seen the reruns and I’ve seen the recent blockbuster movies starring Tom Cruise.  The series is about a small group of highly trained men and women called the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) who are sent on a series of seemingly impossible missions.  Each week is filled with action and suspense as the IMF team, against overwhelming odds, seeks to save the world from all sorts of dangers.  What made Mission Impossible so popular was the ability of the IMF team to encounter and overcome each challenge that stood in the way of completing their mission.

The mission of the church reminds me of “Mission Impossible.”  At times it seems like our mission in the world is full of impossible tasks.  Can you relate?  Have you ever felt that what God is calling you to do – or maybe what you secretly dream of doing for the Kingdom of God – is an impossible mission?  Do you despair or are you fearful that what needs to be accomplished in your life, in the lives of our family, and in the world around you is an impossible mission?  I believe the early disciples experienced these same feelings.  When they received the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) they must have thought the job they were commissioned to do was an impossible task.  Surely they experienced feelings of fear and at times even despair.

I think what we need in the church today is a dose of “Great Grace.”  This grace is the ability of God to do through a person what ordinarily could not be done.  The word “great” in this passage from Acts is derived from the Greek word “megas.”  It’s where we get the prefix “mega,” which means very large in size or proportion.  The Apostles and the early church operated out of “MEGA GRACE.”  If we are going to accomplish the mission that is before us we are going to have to operate in “Mega Grace.”  Our mission is the same commissioning of the first disciples and the early church.  It’s the same mission that burned in the hearts of men and women at the start of the Wesleyan revival several centuries ago.  Our church can’t settle for being average because our commission is not an average commission.  It’s easy at times in the midst of change and as we look to a future that’s filled with unknowns to start thinking in terms of “impossibilities.”    Just remember we don’t enter the mission operating from our own power.  Those same men, who once ran in fear when Jesus was crucified, became the first Apostles and they went out in the face of overwhelming odds and literally turned their world upside down.

God is up to something incredible at Mt Bethel and I believe with “Great Grace” we too can turn our world upside down.  I hope you’ll plan to join us this Sunday, in the Encounter service, as we begin a our new series – “Mission Impossible.”