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Weekend Recap – Home As Mission Center

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On Sunday, I finished leading our adults through Book Three of BILD International’s First Principles series — Participating in the Mission of the Church.   We’ve enjoyed studying these books during the summer the past 2 years.  I like the simple layout of the curriculum: consult the Scriptures, consult the scholars, consult your heart.  There’s much content that is driven in these short books.

Sunday’s wrap got at Acts 10:1-33 and how God used Cornelius (and his home) as a mission center to advance the Gospel.  We were all challenged to dream of ways that our lives could incorporate more intentionality to the mission that God has given us.  So, I’d recommend you consider this resource, but, in a deeper way, if you’re a believer, dream of ways you could strategically help spread the Gospel through your home.  This coming Sunday, new adult Sunday School classes will begin: one on the (not so) Minor Prophets and a class going through Paul Tripp’s DVD curriculum Getting To The Heart of Parenting.

Weekend Recap – He Washed My Feet

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I’m still reeling after the amazing weekend at Crestview.  We look at John 13 and Jesus washing His disciples feet.  Here’s a Southern Gospel song that I recalled today, helping me praise Jesus for His grace to me.  Enjoy…

Verse 1
The moment our eyes met I knew this was the night
That I would betray Him the precious Lamb of God
No other disciple was aware of my plan
‘Til He rose from the table
With something in His hand
His Holy eyes pierced through me
Revealing all my sin
I knew His wrath was coming
And this would be the end
Chorus
But He bowed and He washed my feet
Knowing that I was the cause of His grief
When He should have scolded He whispered peace
As He bowed and He washed my feet
Verse 2
Judas would fail Him but He’s no worse than I
The moment I gave in to Satan’s compromise
Ungrateful that Jesus had saved me from hell
I was walking so proudly
And that’s when I fell
His Holy eyes pierced through me
Revealing all my sin
I knew His wrath was coming
And this would be the end

CCLI Song # 5505320
Rodney Griffin
© 1998 Songs of Greater Vision

September 2016 Song – Our Great God

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We realized that we haven’t taught this amazing song to the congregation of Crestview, so the song for September 2016 is Our Great God by Fernando Ortega and Mac Powell.  Here’s a video to help you learn it.

Weekend Recap – Love To The End

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My 9/4/16AM sermon, Love To The End from John 13:1-38, is now online.  This wrapped up a busy Sunday morning this Labor Day weekend.  And, this sermon helped continue to move the direction we’re heading in the Gospel of John forward.  In this sermon, we have that classic scene of Jesus in the Upper Room with His disciples.  He washes their feet.  He exposes betrayal.  He gives them a new commandment to love another.  So, Jesus is on the move in this sermon to love His closest followers to the end.  In this passage, Jesus moves us to love, too.  I hope it stirs your heart and moves you to action.  Have an enjoyable Labor Day.

Wed PM Programming at Crestview

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CRESTVIEWkids

We kicked off a new year of our school year programming at Crestview Bible Church last night, 6:30PM.  We use the Gospel Project curriculum.  The night looks somewhat like VBS and somewhat like Sunday School.  Specifically, we open with a Scripture Memory verse, some singing, and a preview of the lesson (which at this point makes some connections to Jesus out of Old Testament history).  We go into classes and study the lesson, then some rec time.  Finally, we wrap with a video of today’s story and we’re done.  We’re hoping this intentional time of engagement with kids will produce fruit of belief in their hearts and lives.  If you’re interested in this, join us next Wednesday at 6:30PM.

Weekend Preview – Love To The End

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washing-feet-john13

This coming Sunday, Lord willing, we will continue working our way through the Gospel of John, studying John 13:1-38.  John tells us that as Jesus’s hour has come, He loved His disciples to the end.  He gives an example for service, exposes His betrayer, and even provides His followers a new commandment for how they should act and live.  So, I’m excited to dig into this amazing chapter as Jesus gives us a picture of love that emerges with technicolor brilliance.  I hope to see you this Sunday at 10:15.

Our service will also begin with a baptism, so be on time.

SS Recap – Making A Defense of the Faith

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I posted last week a brief update on the Sunday School class I’m teaching at Crestview.  This class is studying BILD International’s First Principle book, Participating in the Mission of the Church.  In the three lessons in this particular book, we’ve noticed the strategy of the early church: proclaim the Gospel, plant churches, establish leaders and move on.  Then, we saw the role of having good deeds to back up the message we’re proclaiming.  In week 3, we saw how we should speak to make the Gospel attractive and invite opportunities with those who are outside the faith.  In this lesson, the focus was on making a defense, using 1 Peter 3:8-17 as our springboard.

I pointed to Tim Keller’s writings on Defeater beliefs as well as Barry Cooper and Paul Williams’ book If You Could Ask God One Question.  On the whole, though, what stuck out to me wasn’t so much about being ready to get an answer out as much as living in a compelling way that accentuates the defense.  It might be the case that if we were prepared to answer with gentleness and humility rather than know it alls who don’t need others, we’d be able to give a more compelling defense.

Weekend Recap – Funeral / Jesus’s Hour

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Had a busy weekend at Crestview.  First off, David Gaeddert passed away and our church hosted the viewing on Friday evening, following by a funeral service Saturday morning, with graveside following.  The family had asked me to preach the Gospel, and I used the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead to remind people of the compassion Jesus has for us in these moments, how Jesus gives life, and what Jesus being the resurrection means. I closed trying to read Romans 15:13 pointing to Gospel hope.  (We’re still editing the audio, but you can click on the Dave Gaeddert Memorial on our live stream page to watch the video captured).

Then, Sunday quickly came.  I preached on Jesus’s final words in a sermon entitled Come To This Hour from John 12:20-50.  This sermon unpacked Jesus’s final exhortation to the crowds before the upper room, arrest, and crucifixion.  To put it simply, He calls us from ourselves, to believe in Him, live for His glory, and escape judgment.  I hope the sermon encourages you.

This was the weekend.  Feel free to take advantage of any of these resources.  Have a great week.

Gospel Friday – Death? Sting? Victory!

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Today, remember how the sting of death and the grave’s victory is swallowed up in Jesus Christ, the Lord. He conquered death, the grave, and is ALIVE today.  Trust Him?  Lean into Him and find Him faithful.

 

Here’s the beautifully poetic way the Valley of Vision prayer Resurrection, shows this reality:

“Jesus strides forth as victor,

conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing might;

He bursts the bands of death,

tramples the powers of darkness down,

and lives forever.”

 

“Give me the assurance that in Christ I died,

in him I rose,

in his life I live, in his victory I triumph,

in his ascension I shall be glorified.”