You Were Made for This

July 2010 Newsletter

Purpose: a priceless piece of clarity absolutely necessary for reaching our potential and truly enjoying life. With clarity of purpose, we enjoy more liberating answers and fewer frustrating questions. Allow me to discuss a few foundational elements of our purpose here at DCC.

As you all know by now, we’ve made some exciting changes to our Sunday morning programming.  The purpose is simple: to open as many pathways as possible for people to approach Jesus Christ.  The summer will mostly be used to collect feedback and tweak the two services toward something perfect for God’s Kingdom. In the fall, we will launch a city-wide advertising effort to get the word out about what DCC has to offer.

I invite you to explore the services and simply choose one that gives you the most freedom to approach the Throne in your own personal way.  After that, settle in to serving your God and your church through DCC’s mission: “Preparing people to love God and each other.”  It’s what you were made to do.

In addition, we’re going to start a sermon series to provide biblical clarity to the reason we’re all here.  I will primarily be teaching through two of the most important portions of scripture: the Greatest Commandment (Matt 22.37-40) and the Great Commission (Matt 28.18-20).  Read through these passages carefully and prepare for a great real-life study on how these direct our lives—giving us potential and purpose.  They are truly what you were made for.

I highly recommend committing to a 40-day reading of Rick Warren’s Purpose-driven Life—even if you’ve read it in the past.  He does wonderful things with these passages.  The already-classic book will provide a great complement to the sermon series and truly enhance your summer “church experience.”

As always, I am excited about the horizon of DCC. We are laying great foundations this summer: both in preaching and in programming. I pray that you join in the effort to push our church to the forefront of God’s growing kingdom.

A Code to Live By

Bible Verses

Proverbs 11.3 (ESV)

Ecclesiastes 12.13 (NLT)

1 Tim 4.12 (NLT)

Deuteronomy 6.6-7 (NLT)

Ecclesiastes 2.22-24 (NLT)

Proverbs 22.6 (ESV)

1 Peter 4.10 (NLT)

Quotes

William Damon (professor of Education @ Brown University)

“When we teach children to concern themselves first and foremost with their own sense of self, we not only encourage self-centeredness but also fail to present a more inspiring and developmentally constructive alternative: that they should concern themselves about things beyond the self and above the self. We fail, that is, to convey to them a sense that there are other important things in life beyond their own individual circumstances and feelings.”

 

Resources

Father Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAKBXBXz1fo

Father Site: http://www.familymanweb.com/

Opening Story: http://www.rhenion.com/catchofalifetime.htm

Book referenced: Lewis, Robert: Raising a Modern-day Knight

Putting God F.I.R.S.T.

Scripture Used

Deuteronomy 6.6-7

Exodus 20.3

Proverbs 12.26

Psalm 50.15

Matthew 6.33

Deuteronomy 6.4-9

 

References

How do I Put God FIRST?

Finances
Interest
Relationships
Schedule
Troubles

Quotes

Taps for Jesus

Scripture References

1 Cor 11.23-29 (NLT)

Acts 2.42 (NLT)

Acts 20.7 (NLT)

1 Cor 16.1-2 (NLT)

1 Cor 11.20 (NLT)

Acts 2.37-38 (NLT)

Mark 14.22-26 (HCSB)

Quotations

Justin Martyr (c. AD 140, First Apology)

“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together at one place…Then we all rise together and pray, as we before said when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought…and there is a distribution to each, and participation of that over which thanks has been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.”

 

References

(Blomberg, C. (2001). Vol. 22: Matthew)

“Jesus’ words here have led to massive debates, intra-Christian persecution, and huge theological edifices, the weight of which they cannot bear. The doctrines of transubstantiation (the bread and wine become Christ’s actual body and blood) or consubstantiation (Christ is really present “in, with, and under” the elements) make no sense of Jesus’ words in their historical context. As Jesus holds up a loaf and declares, “This is my body,” no one listening will ever imagine that he is claiming the bread to be the literal extension of his flesh.”

The Right Kind of Compromise

June 2010 Newsletter

What can Moses’ law on animal blood teach us today?

     The early church’s handling of the Old Testament prohibition against eating blood provides today’s church with a wonderful example of Christ-like compromise, Spiritual maturity, and Christian liberty. In Acts 15, the leaders prayerfully—and successfully(!)—handled a hot issue that had the potential to split the church.

     It is beautiful to see that this letter expressed the loving unity of people who had once been debating with each other and defending opposing views. The legalistic Jews willingly gave up insisting that the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved, and the Gentiles willingly accepted a change in their eating habits. It was a loving compromise that did not in any way affect the truth of the Gospel. As every married person and parent knows, there are times in a home when compromise is wrong, but there are also times when compromise is right.

What did this decision accomplish in a practical way?

1. First, it strengthened the unity of the church and kept it from splitting into two extreme “Law” and “grace” groups. President Eisenhower called the right kind of compromise “all of the usable surface...”

2. Second, this decision made it possible for the church to present a united witness to the lost Jews (Acts 15:21). For the most part, the church was still identified with the Jewish synagogue; and it is likely that in some cities, entire synagogue congregations believed in Jesus—Jews, Gentile proselytes, and Gentile “God-fearers” together. If the Gentile believers used their freedom in Christ to eat meat containing blood, this would offend both the saved Jews and their unsaved friends whom they were trying to win to Christ. It was simply a matter of not being a stumbling block to the weak or to the lost (Rom. 14:13–21).

     We today can learn a great deal from this difficult experience of the early church. To begin with, problems and differences are opportunities for growth just as much as temptations for dissension and division. Churches need to work together and take time to listen, love, and learn. How many hurtful fights and splits could have been avoided if only some of God’s people had given the Spirit time to speak and to work?

     Christians need to learn the art of loving compromise. They need to have their priorities in order so they know when to fight for what is really important in the church. What a wonderful opportunity to exercise our freedom in Christ and demonstrate our Christian maturity!

     As we deal with our differences, we must ask, “How will our decisions affect the united witness of the church to the lost?” Jesus prayed that His people might be united so that the world would believe in Him (John 17:20–21). Unity is not uniformity, for unity is based on love and not law. There is a great need in the church for diversity in unity (Eph. 4:1–17); that is the only way the body can mature and do its work in the world.

For the Kingdom,
-bill

Note: Portions of this are adapted from W. Wiersbe’s commentary works.

A Salute to Moms

Mother’s Day 2010

Scripture

Rom 16.1-13, esp. 13 (NLT)

John 2.1-3 (NLT)

Quotes

Rudyard Kipling:

If I were hanged on the highest hill, I know whose love would follow me still.
Mother of mine, Mother of mine.

If I were drowned in the deepest sea, I know whose tears would come down to me.
Mother of mine, Mother of mine.

If I were damned by body and soul, I know whose prayers would make me whole.
Mother of mine, Mother of mine.

Anonymous

Wherever I wander; wherever I roam;
wherever mother is; there is home.

Resources

Pictures from Israel Pilgrimage (Online Album)

What is the Church?

May 2010 Newsletter

May this old children’s hymn touch our hearts, and may we always remember the faith we held as children.

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together!
All who follow Jesus, All around the world! Yes, we're the church together.

The church is not a building, The church is not a steeple;
The church is not a resting place, The church is a people!
And when the people gather, There's singing and there's praying;
There's laughing and there's crying; sometime All of it saying:

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together!

All who follow Jesus, All around the world! Yes, we're the church together.

We're many kinds of people, With many kinds of faces,
All colors and all ages, too, From all times and places.
I count if I am ninety, Or nine, or just a baby;
There's one thing I am sure about, And I don't mean maybe:

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together!
All who follow Jesus, All around the world! Yes, we're the church together.

One of Many Faces for Jesus,

-bill