From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

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C.A.N. Conference – AVANT

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Today, I’m privileged to be a part of the C.A.N. Conference at AVANT.

Our church is connected to international partners that are on the field through AVANT.  And, this conference is all about partnerships.  Part of our church’s desire to be wholly engaged includes finding strategic partners and connecting with this.  And, AVANT is one of these partners.  
We’ve brought many of our people to this conference they’ve been helped by it over the years.  So, would you pray for fruit in the nations as we participate in this today.  

Weekend Recap – Mother’s Day / Jesus: Savior of the World

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We enjoyed a great Lord’s Day at Crestview yesterday.  For all women present, they were able to receive this print from Type Tree Designs:

My 5/8/16AM sermon, Savior of the World from John 4:1-42, dealt with Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well in Samaria.  It’s an amazing story of God’s relentless love pursuing people and surely demonstrates that Jesus is the Savior of the world.  I hope you’re helped by it and it helps you exalt Jesus (and I hope the moms in your life were encouraged too).  

Gospel Friday – One in Christ

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As we think about the GOSPEL today, think about how the good news is for all kinds of people no matter what their background is.  Jesus is truly the Savior of the world.  Use this reality to thank God for the mercy He’s shown you through Jesus.  

Design Your Day: Be Present

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I don’t know how you go about planning your day or what you’ll accomplish.  I think about this type of thing a lot because I’m one of those people who plan and stuff.  I was helped by this acronym in Claire Diaz-Ortiz’ helpful (and short!) book Design Your Day.  She calls it being present…

Pray (for guidance/direction)
Read (usually something spiritual or devotional)
Express (put some thoughts down on paper)
Schedule (sketch out an overview of the day)
Exercise (you’ll feel better moving daily)
Nourish (do something for yourself)
Track (at end of the day, trace progress in how much you accomplished in your routine)

May you could try these elements to help you day be better designed.  Listen to Claire…be present.

Weekend Preview – Savior of the World

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This coming Sunday, 5/8/16, is Mother’s Day.  In God’s providence, I’m reaching John 4:1-42 in my series through John’s Gospel, so Sunday’s message will deal with Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the well.  It’s going to be a fun morning.  I love this passage, because it showcases that Jesus is for everyone…He’s the Savior of the world.  We look forward to seeing you then.

Weekend Recap – 5/1/16

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My 5/1/16AM sermon, Exalting Jesus from John 3:22-36, is now online.  This sermon unpacked John the Baptist’s famous words: “He [that is Jesus] must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30).  The point of all of this section of Scripture is exalting Jesus.  I hope this sermon helps you look to Him.

Gospel Friday – Jesus Is Exalted

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I love the realities seen in Philippians 2:5-11…

[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Today, rest in the amazing truth that Jesus is exalted because of His work on the cross to make us right with God.




Seasoned Veterans In The Church

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Confession: I’ve grown up in church from the womb.  My father was a pastor and BOTH of my grandfathers were pastors.  I’ve heard of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to church life.  While there are blessed exceptions, I find that many “seasoned veterans” in church life (those who have been walking with Christ a long time) tend to be troublemakers, lacking passion, and those we have to work to pray some sort of commitment out of.  One faithful “seasoned veteran” in my church sent me this sermon clip from none other than John MacArthur.  You can listen to the sermon here, but here’s what he said…

“You say, “Well, I go to church.  I do my part.”  Well, remember 1 Samuel 15:22 where God said, “To obey is better than [What?] sacrifice.”  Ritual will never replace obedience.  And in 1 Peter, chapter 1, Peter writes that, “We are to gird up the loins of our mind.”  In other words, get our act together.  Pull yourself together.  Get your priorities right as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.  Don’t live like you used to live.  You are to be obedient children.  Luke 11:28: Jesus said, “Happy is the person who hears My Word and keeps it.” Who hears My Word and keeps it.  Paul commends Christians in Romans 16:19, “For your obedience has come abroad unto all men, and I am glad.”  That makes the heart of the pastor glad when the, the obedience of his people is made manifest.

Now, you know some things if you come here, because you’re being taught them; but if you don’t apply those things in an obedient way, you don’t mature. I turned on the radio this week, and I was driving someplace, and on came Howard Hendricks, and he said some things, I thought, that were very interesting.  He said that Christians over 50 should be the most turned on, the most excited, the most committed, the purest, the most enthusiastic, and the most available for service.  Why?  Because they’ve been hearing the Word the longest.  They’ve been applying it the longest.  They’ve been maturing the longest, and they ought to be showing the fruit of that process, right?  I mean the most turned on, enthusiastic, excited, available, dynamic, and powerful people in a church, the very energy of that church ought to be the people who are over 50, over 55, over 60.  They ought to be the like, the joy, the thrill, the energy, the dynamic of that church.  They ought to be the people out on the cutting edge in evangelism.  They ought to be the people out on the cutting edge in prayer.  Why?  Because they’ve lived with God the longest.  They’ve applied the Word, so their obedience pattern has gone on longer.  Therefore, they’re mature more so than those with fewer years, because of constantly applied truth.

But how often have you heard this?”

This is the question.  So, I hope we’ll all strive for faithfulness and passion.  May God’s Word richly bear fruit in all of our lives so that He is glorified through us.  I hope this encourages you and exhorts you to live today.

Exalting Jesus – Weekend Preview for 5/1/16

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This coming Lord’s Day (5/1/16), our church will be continuing to make our way through the Gospel of John.  Specifically, my sermon will be on John 3:22-36.  The point of this potent passage is exalting Jesus.

Exalting Jesus, for many in the church, is one of those “duh” things.  We assume this.  We all affirm that this is reality.  Most wouldn’t dare say we shouldn’t.  But, tease out practicalities and we’ll quickly loose sight of Him for our pet issue.  So, this passage is an amazing corrective and focus for us to not lose sight of the point of the Bible: exalting Jesus.  I hope you’ll join us Sunday for this.