BREAKTHROUGH 2007

Dear Worshipers,

Our theme for District Conference again this year is Breakthrough. Our District Superintendent has tried to prepare our district family for this by sending us a wonderful book, Prayer on Fire by Fred Hartley, asking us to read that book and spend some time over the last six weeks to pray and even fast. I have submitted and have been preparing myself for what the Lord will do during these days of our District and Prayer Conference. Now I want to ask you to help.

Will you please pray for our conference this week?

Let me give you a simple list to pray that you may invite the Holy Spirit to magnify Jesus Christ in our midst to the glory of God the Father. I will write it so that you can pray it as you read. Prayer concepts borrowed from Fred Hartley’s book.

• Father God, Send your flaming presence into our District Conference today. Take the dry tinder of the inner lives of these pastors and leaders and show Yourself to be the God who answers by fire. (I Kings 18:24)
• Father, help these delegates to receive this week by faith the infilling of Your Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. Saturate every area of their lives, every cell of their bodies with You holy presence. Take control of them-spirit, soul, and body. (Ephesians 5:18)
• Father, You don’t force Your presence on any of us. You are far too gracious for that. Instead You send Your Holy Spirit to give wisdom into Who You are in principle and revelation into Who You are in reality. Come on our District Conference so that we might have a desire to know You better and better and better. (Ephesians 1:17)
  

Thanks for your prayers. I pray next week I will be able to write of some wonderful breakthroughs in response to them.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Ordained

Dear Worshipers,

We are looking forward to hosting the Ordination service of our upcoming District and Prayer Conference for the Central District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance next Wednesday. It will the highlight of the week for our church to enjoy this special privilege. The conference will consume the week for our professional staff so I do not foresee a tunings coming your way next week. With that in mind I wanted to toss some thoughts your way about Ordination.

When I think of this word within the context of our worship ministries I think of Psalms 8:2. “From the lips of children and infants You [God] have ordained praise.” This is the foundational verse for our Children’s Music Ministry. This is the verse that I use to reinforce to the kids the musical and spiritual principles that we learn and web in a life of praise. God has established that infants and children will give him praise. He has laid a foundation for the praise of His name to be uttered from the lips of young people.

The word for ordain here is the same word that is often used in the Old Testament for foundation, and particularly is used in reference to the foundations of the earth and the foundations of the Temple. Both of these communicate strength and substance. We read this word in Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” [NASB] There is a permanence to them, or at least one that is relative to the age in which they serve the purposes of God.

It is this concept of a permanent designation for a set purpose that is most often conveyed in the New Testament word that is translated ordained. As we see in Hebrews 5:1, “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” [NASB] That is the concept of the word ordain that will be employed next week as our worship ministries provide support for this special service. There will be ten men who will be ordained, permanently designated for the set purpose of communicating “things pertaining to God”.

I want to encourage you to come to this service if you can. You will not soon forget this moment that God ordains this men for service in the Kingdom of Christ. It will be a reminder of God’s ordained purpose in the present order of things.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Alive Forever, Amen!

Dear Worshipers,

I spoke with Kara Brown just after the close of the service on Sunday and she relayed how much she loved that closing song. I know there were several of you involved who found it to be your favorite in the musical, and others who heard for the first time Sunday who would say the same. I have to admit there is an infectious attraction to something about the song, but I want to assert it is much more that the pulsating rhythm, driving text, and energetic arrangement.

It struck me as we were singing through this in Saturday’s rehearsal. The draw of the piece is the joy of life eternal if proclaims, “He’s alive forever, Amen!” And resultantly, “I’m alive forever, Amen!” We know that Jesus is alive, but when we consider that we are alive forever BECAUSE HE IS, oh, what joy!

It is honestly a little difficult at best for us to grasp eternal life. But we believe. It is a comfort that we will live forever, even though we may die. It is a comfort when all is well, but the true depth of peace that it proclaims is best known when we have to stare death in the face. It is one thing to sing these words, it is another thing altogether to live them.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final death, Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand.
‘Til He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

It is yet another thing to grieve the loss of one who has lived them. One who has lived this truth, “In Christ alone my hope is found.” Though we mourn the loss of one we loved, we are consumed with the overwhelming joy that what he believed in his heart is now realized in his experience. And we do not grieve as those who have no hope [I Thessalonians 4:13], for our hope too is in the Lord.

As certainly as Jesus died, and lived again, so do those who are in Christ. We sang Amen at the close of the Good Friday service, and we sang it all the more heartily at the close of the Easter Sunday Morning service. We assent to the finality of death, but acclaim the eternity of life in Christ. Though we may say amen, so be it, when one we love departs from our presence, we will also say amen as they enter the presence of our Lord.

For those in Christ, like Him, are “Alive Forever, Amen!”

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Along the Way with Jesus

Dear Worshipers,

Over the course of the last several weeks Pastor David has been taking us through a wonderful series titled "Along the Way with Jesus". I love that title. That is exactly the path that I want to take. I want my tombstone to read in effect "He walked along the way with Jesus." Don't you? It happens one day at a time.

This week we will have the opportunity to do just that. To walk along the way with Jesus. Through the course of this week we will have our normal Holy Week services, but we have also added a few so that we can step with Jesus as opposed to skipping along.

One first step is a little one with the children in mind and will be on Wednesday night at 6:30 P.M. as we have our annual Egg Hunt at the pavilion of Krepps Park. As usual it will feature the Resurrection Eggs from Family Life which beautifully portray the whole message of Easter in 12 powerful egg-encapsulated symbols. Pray for good weather, a good turnout, and a good message from Pastor Tony.

Our next step takes us into Holy Week and we remember Maundy Thursday. The word "Maundy" comes from the Latin for 'command' (mandatum). It refers to the command given by Jesus at the Last Supper, that his disciples should love one another. In this 7:00 P.M. service we will focus on the service our Lord demonstrated as foot washing is modeled and communion is shared. We will sing a hymn and go out, just as Jesus and His disciples did.

The next step will be on Friday as we take time to reflect on the cross. Beginning at 7:00 P.M. we will share in a service the will provide the opportunity to come to the altar and meditate on the significance of the cross, and the implications on our living. We will leave with "Amen" ringing in our ears, as we confess the needfulness of this dreadful, wonderful moment in time.

Saturday takes us back to Krepps, but on the upper side near the street. We will meet thirty minutes prior to sunset, or around 7:30 P.M. We will take a few steps in the disciples sandals as we try to imagine what it must have felt like to see their dreams die with their Lord. We will pray and wait as the darkness descends, just as they must have been doing.

Sunday will find us at Krepps again as we begin our celebration of the Resurrection at 7:00 A.M. Pastor Drew will bring the message from the Lord. Come and celebrate! Christ is risen!!

We head back to the sanctuary for the 10:30 service. Jesus, No Other King will feature choir and orchestra, as well as narrators, Thomas and Kara Brown. You will not want to miss this glorious celebration that retraces the steps of Jesus through His earthly ministry culminating in that final week.
We finish our journey on Sunday night as we celebrate the newness of life in Christ through the ordinance of baptism. If you have never been to baptism service, or have not been to one lately, come and see the changed lives. Witness the next steps of faith for several who are diligently following in Christ's footsteps, and be encouraged in your walk "along the way with Jesus".

It will be a busy week. Please pray for me and all those involved in the services. Please pray that many people come to celebrate Jesus with us. PLEASE PRAY! And then invite someone to walk along the way with Jesus WITH YOU!!

In Christ,

Pastor Scott