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Weekend Preview – The Witness of John

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This coming Lord’s Day, we’ll be continuing our work in the Gospel of John looking at John 1:19-34 (we will also have Small Groups and I’ve written small group questions for this passage here).  The big idea will be what we learn from John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus.  Our witness is bigger than us and it’s about Him.  So, I’m hoping this coming Sunday helps encourage people with how they can bear witness to Jesus in more skillful ways.  I hope you’ll join us.

Weekend Recap – Into John and 33

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My 3/6/16AM sermon, The Word from John 1:1-18, is now online.  This sermon meant we are now actually digging in to the Gospel of John verse by verse.  This sermon, in particular, sought to answer the question, “How would you introduce Jesus?”  Many of us might go all kinds of routes in helping others understand Jesus, but John takes us to the preeminence of Jesus, carries us through creation, to the work that Jesus would come to do and how He took on flesh.  It’s much deeper than we would think someone would go.  But, that’s what made this sermon so fun.  I hope you’ll listen and find encouragement in it.

Our men continue to work through the 33 series on A Man and His Work.  I was encouraged last night seeing how Nehemiah was afraid, but that didn’t keep him from dreaming.  The work of prayer and planning, cultivating and creating, can prove monumental at times.  This series is helping me think in better ways about my work.  I hope others can join us.  The next lesson happens on April 3.

Weekend Preview – The Word

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This Sunday, Lord willing, we will start our study of the Gospel of John.  We will be looking at John 1:1-18.  I mentioned this past Sunday that I try to read the Gospel of John each week reading 3 chapters a day.  At the very least, open to John 1 and dig into this amazing opening.  How would you introduce Jesus?  John begins here…

Weekend Recap – Baptism and Introduction to John’s Gospel

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Enjoyed a full Sunday.  We opened our service with a baptism and I was privileged to baptize my oldest as well as another friend of his (you could check this out on our livestream page where video of this is archived if you’re interested…it’s after the opening hymn).  My sermon was a little different than normal in that I used it as a deeper meditation to prepare for the Lord’s Supper.  Also, the sermon itself was an Introduction to the Gospel of John using John 20:30-31 as my springboard.  Starting next Sunday, I will be preaching through John’s Gospel.

Weekend Preview – Ordinances and John

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This weekend we are anticipating a full day at Crestview on 2/28.  We will be opening our service with some baptisms.  We’ll also sing, hear some insight for our upcoming study of John’s Gospel and come to the Lord’s Supper table together.  I hope it’s a rich time of fellowship and worship for you.  Plan to join us as 10:15AM or by our live stream.

Weekend Recap – Waiting Expectantly

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My 2/21/16AM sermon, Waiting Expectantly from Luke 18:1-8, is now online.  This passage ends with a question, “When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?”  And, what I teased out was what the parable was about – inspiring people to pray consistently and not lose heart.  I hope it encourages you.  It also helped launch our church’s Week of Prayer.  Here’s more info on this week in the life of our church.

Gospel Friday – You’re A Child

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If you know Christ, trusting Him as your Lord and Savior, then you are not separated from Him, but you are a dearly loved son or daughter.  Today, then, call out to Him with confidence…

[6] And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
(Galatians 4:6-7 ESV)

Poor Thinking about Missions = Poor Practice

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There are all kinds of myths when it comes to the cross-cultural work that the church has been called to engage in.  One of these has to do with the “native missionary” (or a missionary who grew up in the culture and Western church can support at a much cheaper rate than sending our own).  Yes, Gospel partnerships need to be formed for the good of the global work.  But, this kind of thinking and the practice that emerges from this kind of thinking can easily be abused as this story shows.

Here’s an episode from last year’s Mission Table that discusses To Send or Not To Send.

Engage with this content and consider what God might do through you.  Or, as the Scriptures say, come, let us reason together…

Weekend Preview – Week of Prayer 2016

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This coming Sunday at Crestview, we will kick off our Week of Prayer.  I plan to preach on persistence in prayer from Luke 18:1-8.  We will be distributing a Week of Prayer devotional, giving you many ways to connect together in prayer this week, as well as, tools that will help you pray for our body in the coming year.  I hope you plan to join us.  It’s going to be an amazing week, begging God to move among us.

Weekend Recap – Imitate Good

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My 2/14/16AM sermon, Imitate Good from 3 John is now online.  I had a blast as this sermon wrapped up a long series on John’s letters as well as gave me a chance to preach with my friend Matthew Ellison.  The sermon looked at the book of 3 John and its call for us to imitate good.  We met three characters:
Gaius – a fellow worker
Diotrephes – a major problem
Demetrius – a fine example

After I unpacked this letter and the way it compels us to imitate good, Matthew came and fleshed out how we can apply this when it comes to serving those who have gone out for the sake of the name.  I hope this sermon encourages you, too.