Julie's other family, Tracy, Charlotte, Sean
Mark and her brother Mark at Thanksgiving
Julie & I at the Beach for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Photos
Mark and her brother Mark at Thanksgiving
Julie & I at the Beach for Thanksgiving
Visa Success
As some are aware we were applying for e-3 visas. Well, after a lot of messing around (par for the course with INS) we have received approval for these work visas. Thanks to all of you for your prayers.
The Church and the Real World
Church and the Real World
God’s people are His church. The church of Christ is not a place but a people, a redeemed people who owe their whole identity to their relationship with Jesus. All that came through His grace (the power to make it happen) and our faith (the means of access to the power).
Yet often the church gets mistaken for other things. Often it is seen as the field in which we work. We do all our spiritual work in the church and we barely tolerate the world. Yet, Jesus is very clear that the field in which we labor is the world. The church is to live in the world. It is to be a light to dark world. It is here to change the world through the proclamation and incarnation of the Word.
Often the church is seen as the authority in our lives. What the church accepts or doesn’t accept is seen as the final world on what is right or wrong. Yet, Christ never gave it such authority. Jesus has that authority and He never gave it away. The church is not the police of the Word. It is the proclaimer of the Word. God will enforce His word. He told us to teach it and preach it.
Church is often seen a group of people who think they are perfect. Nothing is further from the truth. The church is a hospital for sinners that sinners are never told to leave. They are forgiven and they forgive but they never become perfect until Jesus takes them home to heaven.
The church needs to live in the real world. It needs to teach the ignorant, preach Jesus to the lost, feed the hungry, liberate the enslaved, comfort the hurting, and give hope to the hopeless. Who is the church? It is you and it is me. We have a lot of work to do.
God’s people are His church. The church of Christ is not a place but a people, a redeemed people who owe their whole identity to their relationship with Jesus. All that came through His grace (the power to make it happen) and our faith (the means of access to the power).
Yet often the church gets mistaken for other things. Often it is seen as the field in which we work. We do all our spiritual work in the church and we barely tolerate the world. Yet, Jesus is very clear that the field in which we labor is the world. The church is to live in the world. It is to be a light to dark world. It is here to change the world through the proclamation and incarnation of the Word.
Often the church is seen as the authority in our lives. What the church accepts or doesn’t accept is seen as the final world on what is right or wrong. Yet, Christ never gave it such authority. Jesus has that authority and He never gave it away. The church is not the police of the Word. It is the proclaimer of the Word. God will enforce His word. He told us to teach it and preach it.
Church is often seen a group of people who think they are perfect. Nothing is further from the truth. The church is a hospital for sinners that sinners are never told to leave. They are forgiven and they forgive but they never become perfect until Jesus takes them home to heaven.
The church needs to live in the real world. It needs to teach the ignorant, preach Jesus to the lost, feed the hungry, liberate the enslaved, comfort the hurting, and give hope to the hopeless. Who is the church? It is you and it is me. We have a lot of work to do.
Christmas
What is Christmas?
It originated in some strange mix of worldly religions and state churches. In different nations, the practice of Christmas varies. In England it is Father Christmas who brings the presents. In the USA it is Santa Claus. In the Netherlands it is Cinta Claus. In Australia it is kangaroos not reindeers who pull the slay.
Whatever its origins, when I am asked, “What is Christmas?” my answer is that it is one of the greatest opportunities we have each year to share the real Jesus with our neighborhoods.
We try month after month to try and get people to come to church or come to some outreach activity and so we should. The gospel enterprise is a twelve month a year commission. Yet there is once or twice a year when a large number of folks in our community actually want to come to church. Christmas is one of them. I’m not into celebrating Christmas as divinely ordained act of worship but that doesn’t mean I am going to ignore it either. My neighbors want to come to church and I want them to come to Christ’s church at Glendale. There are some many counterfeit Christ’s out there. My neighbors deserve to hear about the real Jesus.
So, I will exhort the church to celebrate Jesus. That always right to do. If the angels could worship the Christ then so can we. And if my neighbors are deluded enough to want to go to church for a “Christmas” event then I will use that to get an opportunity to reach them with the gospel.
So let’s celebrate Jesus. Let’s sing some songs about Jesus. Let’s raise Him up to the glory of God. Let us take advantage of any opportunity we can. Like Paul said, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
It originated in some strange mix of worldly religions and state churches. In different nations, the practice of Christmas varies. In England it is Father Christmas who brings the presents. In the USA it is Santa Claus. In the Netherlands it is Cinta Claus. In Australia it is kangaroos not reindeers who pull the slay.
Whatever its origins, when I am asked, “What is Christmas?” my answer is that it is one of the greatest opportunities we have each year to share the real Jesus with our neighborhoods.
We try month after month to try and get people to come to church or come to some outreach activity and so we should. The gospel enterprise is a twelve month a year commission. Yet there is once or twice a year when a large number of folks in our community actually want to come to church. Christmas is one of them. I’m not into celebrating Christmas as divinely ordained act of worship but that doesn’t mean I am going to ignore it either. My neighbors want to come to church and I want them to come to Christ’s church at Glendale. There are some many counterfeit Christ’s out there. My neighbors deserve to hear about the real Jesus.
So, I will exhort the church to celebrate Jesus. That always right to do. If the angels could worship the Christ then so can we. And if my neighbors are deluded enough to want to go to church for a “Christmas” event then I will use that to get an opportunity to reach them with the gospel.
So let’s celebrate Jesus. Let’s sing some songs about Jesus. Let’s raise Him up to the glory of God. Let us take advantage of any opportunity we can. Like Paul said, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Travels etc
Julie and I will be traveling back to Australia for a visit together for the first time in nearly four years. I will be there for the first 2 weeks of December and Julie will be there for most of December.
I am really looking forward to spending time with my boys and my mother. It's been a long time. Also looking forward to visiting with lots of my friends.
Had a great Connect Sunday at Glendale. Lots of visitors and lots of connecting. Great to see.
Julie's birthday was also on Sunday and we had visitors all day from all over wishing her a Happy Birthday. She had a wonderful. We went to the Springsteen concert last Monday for our birthdays (Have I mentioned that before). Bruce can still rock at 58.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)