It's hard to put into words the value of the Bible. The best advice I can give you when it comes to the Bible is... read it. Here is a link to a plan that will help you read the Bible in a year. I like this plan as it gives room for that occasional day off. Give it a shot, you won't regret it! http://www.navpress.com/uploadedFiles/15074%20BRP.dj.pdf
Don't forget to purchase a ticket for the NCC Christmas Party on Saturday, December 18th! You can purchase the ticket this Sunday at our gathering, or by contacting the office. We are asking for a minimum donation of $10 per ticket. Kids are free! The evening will consist of live music, games, an impromptu Christmas pageant (you just may be the lead!), and a wonderful dinner. All proceeds from the evening will go to McCarver Elementary School. The party is open to everyone, so invite your friends, neighbors, family and workmates!
We will start at 6 pm and end about 8 pm. Even if you can't make it, please consider making a donation.
I'm so excited about the upcoming First Friday which is this Friday, December 3rd at 6 pm. Lee Yarborough will be with us. He's been pioneering and leading for decades in Mexico and beyond. He will share his wisdom on what it takes to be a leader in the church, and beyond. Please consider coming along!
Dinner will be served right at 6 pm. Childcare will be available.
We will gather at Central Lutheran in the Fireside Room (the one that is usually off limits, just past the bathrooms on the basement level).
There is a new feature to our website... an online store! We have loaded it up with recommended books and albums. We hope that your find these resources helpful and encouraging.
There is another aspect to this online store though. The store is made possible by a program that Amazon.com provides. Everything you purchase through our store is actually purchased through Amazon.com. You get their same low prices and shipping rates... and .... NCC gets a small percentage of the sale. Basically, Amazon.com sees us as an advertisement for them and therefore compensates us accordingly. We are essentially just recommending some resources for you.
Here's the even cooler deal! If you enter into Amazon.com through our website, but decide to move from purchasing a helpful book on marriage and decide to buy a 56 inch flat screen TV, we still get the compensation! As long as you enter into Amazon.com through our website we get credit for it.
So if you plan on doing some Christmas shopping through Amazon.com, why not enter through our site and support the mission?
I can't express how excited I am about the upcoming First Friday which is this Friday night at Central Lutheran 6pm. The bottom line is we have a leadership crisis in our culture. We see this in church, but it's not isolated to just church. It's found in households, cities, the workplace, and in our nation. First Fridays serves as an opportunity for us to come and eat, worship, pray and talk about what it means for us to be leaders. All are welcome, as all are called to lead! We want to feed you and need to know how many of you are coming so please RSVP be emailing me.
Tomorrow night is Joining the Church! We will gather at Central Lutheran at 6 pm to eat, hear about the church, and give you a chance to ask any question you want to ask. If you haven't been yet to a Joining the Church night, please consider coming. Childcare is available.
Please email me if you can make it... we want to make sure we have enough food!
We are excited to announce that our kids’ program here at NCC is expanding to accommodate the steady growth we have seen over the recent months. It has been amazing to see all that God is doing in the lives of our kids! We look forward to watching them grow into all that God has created them to be.
As of Sunday, October 17th, there are a few changes that will take place regarding the age groups and sign up process. We will now have four age groups which are: Nursery 0-2, Preschool 3-4, Lower elementary 5-6, and Upper elementary 7-12. Each group will be identified by the colors red, orange, yellow, and green, respectively.
The sign up process will be as follows: Nursery (Red) and Preschool (Orange) will have the sign up sheets in their classrooms upstairs. Parents will be able to sign in and drop off their kids in their rooms by 3:45 each Sunday. After the meeting, parents will need to sign their kids out as they pick them up. Our elementary groups (Yellow and Green) will be signed in downstairs at the table in the back of the auditorium. Both groups will remain downstairs for our time of worship and then will be taken upstairs to their classrooms by theirs respective teachers. Parents will then need to pick them up and sign them out upstairs at the end of the meeting.
We believe that these new groups and small changes in the sign in/out process will improve our program and make it easier for parents and teachers. Our goal is to keep making NCC Kids a place where parents, teachers, and kids can work together for the common goal of seeing lives supernaturally changed by God.
Huge thanks to all our volunteers who make all this possible. We truly appreciate all our teachers who have volunteered their time and energy to be a blessing in the lives of everyone at NCC Kids. Thanks for all your hard work!!
McCarver is looking for people who like kids and like to read. No prepartation is needed for these sessions. Just come ready to read with a child.... Here are the opportunities...
McCarver:
Wednesday
9:30 – 10:15 Smith 3rd grade
10:45 – 11:30 Miller 2nd grade (session full)
1:25- 2:10 Sasaki 1st grade
2:30 – 3:15 Kahn 2nd grade
Thursday
10:45 – 11:30 Murphy 1st grade
1:25 – 2:10 Hogan 3rd grade
2:30 – 3:15 Nelson 2nd grade
Friday
10:45 – 11:30 Thomas 1st grade
If you are interested in serving in this way, please contact me.
Join us this Sunday (October 10) at 4 pm as we celebrate what God has done among us! We will be gathering for worship, a short time of teaching, baptisms and BBQ! If you are interested in being baptized, contact Bo Noonan.
We also have the privilege of the Church at Cedar Springs (Graham) joining us for the service. Let's show them our hospitality. Here are some ways you can help:
New Community will provide the meat & buns, plates, drinks, cups & utensils. We're asking everyone to bring a dish based on their last name: Dessert (A-M), Side Dish (N-Z).
We could also use some help in setting up before and serving during the meal.
Questions or interested in serving? Contact Michael Gray
Thanks for taking an interest in serving McCarver Elementary School. We,the FYT (Frontier Year Team), have been there regularly for the past month, interacting with children who, despite lack of resources, have all been happy, lively and kind hearted. The fact that some of these children go home to impoverished or difficult homes, yet put on brave smiles at school, really makes us want to serve them more!
If you are looking for ways to volunteer, please see the opportunities below:
In October classes will begin after school for children to study and catch up on homework. The lady in charge of these, Nicole, is looking for volunteers from 4-5:30 pm to come to the school and help tutor .
The school is also in need of adults to monitor recess. Recesses run in half hour increments from 11:30 am-1:30 pm, outdoors when the weather is fine. Caleb and Matt have been enjoying themselves greatly playing soccer with the young lads, while Karissa has been supervising playground equipment.
More opportunities will soon be opened! If you want to serve the school and, through McCarver, reach the city of Tacoma please contact us!
Barbecue celebrating McCarver’s past and its future, as led by the Zina Linnik Project, will be held Sept. 25 from noon to 3 p.m.
City of Tacoma’s Alisa O’Hanlon said the construction of Zina Linnik Park brought about a coalition involving Tacoma Public Schools, Metro Parks, Tacoma City Council, Washington state legislature, local business leaders, university students and community leaders.
“Those of us who were part of McCarver ‘back in the day’ know how special and unique it was. We see the same extraordinary experience for students in the Zina Linnik Project,” said O’Hanlon.
Current and former McCarver teachers and students, their families and community members are invited to share old memories, tour the school and learn more about the Zina Linnik project. For more information, contact O’Hanlon at 253-591-5310.
NCCers, it would be great to have a representation there. This is a great opportunity to see the school, network with others who love the school, and look for more opportunities for us to serve. Hope you can make it!
In our attempts to advance in technology we have realized a glitch in our on-line sign up option. If you have signed up for a small group track online and you did not fill in every option (name, phone number, email) then you are actually not on the list. The system will not just process name only. So sorry for this inconvenience, but if you registered online and you think you didn't fill out all the blanks, please register again. There is no harm in double registering... so better safe than sorry. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
We are very excited for this upcoming week of prayer. From Tuesday, September 21 to Sunday, September 26 we will have regular times of prayer together. I want to challenge you to come to at least one of the gatherings. We certainly don't expect that all of you will make it to all the gatherings (although don't let that stop you!), but we also know that it's good for us to come before God together as His people and to seek His kingdom. We will spend time worshiping Jesus, asking for breakthrough in certain areas, asking for His blessing on this city, and for cities beyond. In fact, on Sunday we are joining with people from all over the world to pray for Zimbabwe! We will have videos from church leaders in Zimbabwe, statistics, and hear their plan to see a nation restored.
Here is the schedule for the week....
Tues: 6:30-7:30 am and 6:00-7:00 pm at Central Lutheran Wed: 6:00-7:00 pm at Central Lutheran Thurs: 6:00-7:00 pm at Central Lutheran (WOMEN ONLY) Fri: 6:30-7:30 am and 6:00-7:00 pm at Central Lutheran Sat: No planned gatherings Sun: 4:00 pm at Central Lutheran
Calling all artists! If you like to paint, draw, doodle, or etch-a-sketch, we need your help. We will be starting a new series walking through the Gospel of John and would like to feature your artwork for our sermon series.
Here's your assignment: Step 1: Read through the Gospel of John. Step 2: Look for a passage that stands out to you (it could be from the opening, narratives, healing encounters, Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit, His prayer for unity, wherever). Step 3: Create some art for that passage. Step 4: Digitize it. (scan it, take a high-quality picture, etc.) Step 5: Send it to us (info@ncctacoma.org) along with a description of your work including the passage that inspired it.
Marlene Poe just sent me a link that I wanted to share with all of you. There is a blog that updates and informs about the happenings with Crossroads Community Church in Kezi, Zimbabwe. This is the church that Sam and Marlene (and all of us) have been helping to plant there. Click on the link and become a follower of the blog!
At New Community Church we absolutely love and value small groups! We are really excited about the five small group tracks being launched the week of September 27-October 1. Please follow the link below to learn more about the small group tracks being offered this fall and to REGISTER! Yes, that's right, we are offering online registration. If you registered on Sunday you DO NOT have to re-register online. If you can't remember if you did or didn't, just register online.
Also, if you missed Sunday's meeting, the message was on the importance of small groups. Please listen in on the audio for some inspiration!
We are off to a great start with McCarver Elementary. I can't tell you how impressed I've been with those who have served with such joyful hearts! Thank you so much! I know many of you have been praying and please continue to pray. Today is their first day of school!!!
Tuesday night's Back-To-School Ice Cream social went great. The staff were so grateful for our involvement in distributing uniforms and serving ice cream. In years past, the teachers were required to rotate into the uniform room and serve ice cream, which took them away from connecting with their new students and families/guardians. We had way more people than we needed for the job, but it sent a message to the school that we are all in!
By going to the community, we were able to collect a ton of school supplies and uniforms! It was a great return on taking a stroll down your streets and knocking on a few doors! The staff felt very confident that the supplies would be enough for a long time.
On Wednesday, a group of NCCers went over to McCarver to serve the teachers and staff lunch. This was their last planning day before the students returned and we felt it would be nice to let them know we were standing with them. Alexander Goeting made pulled pork, which was unreal, and we served chicken and salad as well. Each teacher received a business card from us with an encouragement to call us if they need anything.
We found out something very interesting while we were there. There is a group of teachers who have gathered before school to pray for the school. I couldn't help but feel that we were one answer to their prayers. I also can't help but wonder what God is up to!? So exciting.
Next week the three Year Teamers, Karissa, Matt and Caleb, will meet with the guidance counselor and find ways to serve on a regular basis. Please know though that this is not reserved to the Year Team. If you have time to tutor, monitor a recess, help with lunch, or whatever, please let us know!
So proud to serve with such a wonderful group of people! Thank you so much!
Newfrontiers-USA churches are putting together a team of people who have a heart to serve cross-culturally and we're sending them to serve alongside the churches in Zimbabwe. For more information please visit this site. If you are interested in going, please contact Bo Noonan.
In a recent interview, Terry Virgo explains the difference between being 'missional' and 'apostolic'. You may have heard us say that New Community Church is a part of an apostolic movement called Newfrontiers. This may help bring some clarity.
I am so grateful to be serving with such a wonderful group of people here at New Community Church. Your response to the following announcement on Sunday was phenomenal!
In case you missed it, here it is...
Last Spring two of our Small Groups used their outreach day to serve McCarver Elementary School on Hilltop. The school was incredibly grateful. In fact, the principal later mentioned to Jeff and Natalie Eckart that he wished a church would 'adopt' them! Who are we to say no!?!?!
So, starting this school year, we are adopting McCarver Elementary.
The demographic that makes up McCarver's district is the poorest in the state of Washington. The overwhelming majority of students do not live with both parents, and many live without either parent. Some come from shelters or even the streets. Needless to say, they don't have the funds for school supplies or the required school uniform.
We will essentially become the PTA. Making sure the kids have their uniforms, shoes, belts, jackets, and school supplies. This week our small groups will be dropping off grocery bags around their neighborhoods asking them to fill them with school supplies and uniforms. Some are going to their places of employment and asking them for donations as well.
On August 31 we will attend the back to school night and scoop ice cream so the teachers can be available to the students and parents/guardians.
Throughout the year we will be serving the teachers and students in various ways. We hope to tutor students, help organize recesses, support the teachers, and much more.
I am ecstatic about this as our heart is to bless this city! Thanks again for your eager response! Please do pray for resources to be released and for workers to step forward.
One of the things I love the most about being a part of New Community Church is our involvement in Zimbabwe! I know many of you have heard from Sam and Marlene Poe on their involvemnt, but check out this video interview of Mbonisi Malaba. Let's keep praying for the churches in Zimbabwe and particularly the church plant we are involved in in Kezi, Zimbabwe.
I particularly love Mbonisi's (aka Bones) explanation of the Sovereignty of God!
I recently mentioned to a friend of mine that we were hosting John and Linda Lanferman's marriage course. He told me that they had done the course a few years back in his church. He then told me about a couple that attended the course who were on the brink of divorce. They said they had a loveless marriage and there was no hope. They went to the course with no expectation other than to feel worse about their marriage. God had other plans.
During the course God began to soften their hearts toward each other. John and Linda encouraged people who were struggling in their marriage to engage in a seven week process that has couples really work through issues together. At the end of this seven week process the couple didn't only agree not to get divorced, but they now have a love filled marriage.
If you haven't signed up yet, please consider doing so by emailing Michael Gray or visiting the facebook page. Please also consider bringing friends along who you know could benefit from this.
Looking forward to seeing you all on Friday night at 6:30 pm!
I want to strongly urge that all married couples or soon to be married couples attend this Marriage Course by John and Linda Lanferman. Whether your marriage needs help, encouragement, or just a refresher, this course is for you. John and Linda Lanferman do a fantastic job of communicating the mysteries, trials, joys and reality of marriage. You will find them to be very funny, very honest, and very helfpul. If we're honest, all of our marriages need at least encouragement.
Reports show that over 50% of first time marriages end in divorce. Unfortunately, the statistics for Christian marriages is the same. We need to protect and nurture our marriages as they exists to show how Jesus relates to the Church.
The course begins Friday, August 13th at 6:30 pm at Central Lutheran Church. (409 N. Tacoma Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402) Below is the full schedule. The cost is $10 per couple.
Join us next Sunday (August 1) at 4 pm as we celebrate what God has done among us! We will be gathering for a worship, a short time of teaching, baptisms and a BBQ! If you are interested in being baptized, contact Bo Noonan.
Following the gathering, we're going to have a BBQ in the parking lot. New Community will provide the meat & buns, plates, cups & utensils. We're asking everyone to bring a dish based on their last name: side dish (A-G), salad (H-P), or dessert (Q-Z).
I am so grateful to be a part of a global family of churches! One of the things I love about Newfrontiers is that we are a movement of churches, not just church leaders. One expression of this is when we come together for Celebration Northwest at George Fox University in Newberg, OR. The eight Newfrontiers churches in the Northwest will come together August 6-8 to receive teaching, worship together, play together, eat together, and advance the mission together. We at NCC are so committed to this event that we will be closing down our usual Sunday gathering on August 8th.
We really want all of you to come to Celebration NW. We have put aside money to assist or to pay for people to go, so don't let money be an issue. If you do need final assistance, please do contact me ASAP and register before July 11th before the price goes up.
Here is a link to a video for recent Celebration MIDWEST Conference. This will give you a taste of what we're in for!
One final thought... You may want to take Friday, August 6th off work and leave Tacoma early as traffic around Portland get's nasty around 4 pm. It will make your day that much more pleasant!
We have an exciting week ahead! So much going on at New Community Church. Not only do Small Groups start, but we have the Transformation Team arriving!
Thursday, July 1
The Transformation Team arrives...
Friday, July 2
-The Transformation Team will be in training at Central Lutheran from 9 am to 5 pm.
-Prayer meeting at 6-7 pm at Central Lutheran
Saturday, July 3
-Free Family Carnival at Wright Park - 10 am - 2 pm (invite all your friends!)Bouncy castle, hot dogs, games, prizes, magic, and more...
-Joint Worship Gathering with Church at Cedar Springs (click for directions) in Graham - 5:30-8:30 (We will be BBQing, there will be child care and fun for the kids, worship and preaching from Jeff Gates)
Sunday, July 4
-Freedom Fair on Ruston Way - 10am-10pm (if you'd like to watch the fireworks with people in the church meet a the NCC booth at 7:30 pm)
-No Sunday Meeting at Central Lutheran (the church has left the building!)
You are all invited to be apart of as much of this as you want. We really encourage you to come out to Graham and meet new friends, eat and worship with the Church at Cedar Springs.
Please also pray that we would see lives supernaturally changed as we engage the city with the gospel.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you'd like to volunteer for anything we're doing.
1. There will not a be a prayer meeting this Friday night. (June 25th) A lot of people will be away at the camping trip.
2. If you haven't returned your Joining the Church response card yet please bring it on Sunday. You can just put it in the offering box.
3. If you have any questions about the Holy Spirit please feel free to email me and I will do my best to answer them on Sunday, via email, or one on one.
This Sunday we will be announcing our Summer Small Group Tracks! You will also have a chance to register for one. The main themes of the summer are having fun and gathering people. Each group will exist to build community through BBQ's, hikes, fun in the park, kickball, etc... And to invite friends, family and neighbors into a 'non-churchy' environment. Please come on Sunday to hear more!!!
Also, don't forget prayer on Friday night from 6 pm-7 pm. David and Clare Andrews will be with us from Brighton, England. It will be a great chance to hear from them about what God has put in their hearts and for us to pray for them. We will gather at Central Lutheran.
Mark Batterson writes, "Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery." This coming Sunday, June 13th, we will embark on the chase. We will preach a series on the Holy Spirit called the Wild Goose Chase and together pursue the mystery of God's Holy Spirit indwelling in mere human beings.
The series will begin with a broad scope of God's presence with His people throughout history and what that means for us now and will end with narrowing in on the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to believers to equip them for the mission we have been called to.
I know this series will bring up quite a few questions, hence the mystery, and I will do my best to answer them each week. I encourage you to write down your questions on your connect cards and before each sermon I will try my best to address them. (No worries, you will remain anonymous.) If I can't get to them on a Sunday, I will respond to them via email or in person. If I plan on covering that question in a sermon I will let you know which sermon it will be covered in.
Our desire at NCC is to NOT pay lip service to the Holy Spirit, but to acknowledge, pursue and delight in the person of the Holy Spirit. I want to invite you to come with open hearts as we unpack the scriptures and chase the goose!
Perhaps you have a friend that would be interested in this series. Please invite them along!
I wanted to follow up my Sunday message with a few thoughts on Joining the Church.
1. We are asking for all of you to come Thursday, June 3rd at 6:30 pm at Central Lutheran. We don't want to assume anything... if you were one of the original 8 adults on the church planting team or you came for the first time last week, we would like for you to be there. I know many of you have served and loved the church so well and we're not diminishing what you've done at all, we just want to take another step forward and call people to once again declare their commitment to NCC. Please RSVP to me so we can make sure we have enough food for everyone!
If you can't make it that night but want to state your intention please let me know.
2. We plan on running a Joining the Church night four times a year from here on out. We will have the booklets available for people who come and want to know more about who we are and how they can get involved.
3. By attending the night you are not necessarily stating your intentions to join NCC. The night will consist of dinner, a short time of clarification on our distinctive's as a local church, and hopefully a sufficient question and answer time. We would ask that you read the booklet before the evening and write down any questions you may have. We will then give you a chance to respond by filling out a card. We hope that your hearts are joined to what we are doing, but if not, no worries, we would love for you to continue to attend NCC gatherings or perhaps we can help you find a church that better suits you.
If you did not pick up a manual on Sunday night and would like one sooner than this coming Sunday, please email me and I will send you an electronic copy. If you didn't hear the message from Sunday you may find it helpful to listen to that as well.
Please do prayerfully consider coming along on Thursday, June 3rd at 6:30 pm (Central Lutheran)! Hope to see you all there.
Husbands, your wife going to the Women's Conference? Come and pray at 6pm at Central Lutheran. Bring the kids. We'll eat pizza after the prayer meeting!
The NCC Summer Camping Trip will be June 25-27 at Kopachuck State Park (in rural Gig Harbor). This year we will have a group site that is more private than previous years. Once again the cost will be very low and will prove to be a great time of hanging out and getting to know each other. More details will be released soon, but please do save the date!
The third element of making/becoming a disciple of Jesus is impacting the world around you and beyond. The Bible is clear that God's plan of redemption includes all that he created. He has commissioned us to make disciples of all nations, all people groups, and history as we know it culminates in a new heaven and a new earth. Jesus isn't kidding when he said, "I am making everything new!"(Revelation 21:5)
He is uniting the nations as one new race on the earth, many different languages, many different colors, but all raised to life in Christ Jesus! A forgiven and commissioned people! With our chains held high, we march on the world proclaiming the best news an ear could hear. All disciples of Jesus are called to make an impact on the world around them and beyond.
In the diagram below, you see that all societies on the earth have these domains. When trying to sort out where we should start this mission we can become overwhelmed. Engaging in these domains simplifies how we do this. You may be a teacher, a nurse, or a banker, all of which, in reality, are mission fields. This puts a new perspective on Monday mornings.
We no longer have to just punch in and punch out, rather we live as a missionary (def. one sent with authority) to our domains. Sure we want to live that way in our neighborhoods as well, but the beauty of the domain you work in is that people all over the world are working in that same domain. This gives you an opportunity to have a global impact! Currently, some of the most effective kingdom proclaimers are not 'traditional missionaries', rather businessmen, ambassadors, teachers, and doctors. They have a lot easier access to nations that 'missionaries' might not have. They also relate to people a lot easier as they engage them in their domain. Then as life happens, the opportunities come to demonstrate and proclaim the kingdom of God.
When you engage in disciple making, make it clear that they weren't saved for themselves, rather for God's global mission! Train them to clearly communicate God's redemptive plan (see our podcast for a series called The Story). Practice communicating grace and mercy. The more confident you are in communicating something, the more likely you will actually spit it out when opportunity arises... and trust me, the opportunity will always arise. All humans are wired to try to figure out meaning.
Let's go for it! What if we were a church that made disciples?
This summer you all have a great opportunity to serve other Newfrontiers churches in the US! Transformation Teams are being formed now to serve churches in Chicago, St. Louis, and Joplin, MO.... not to mention Tacoma! If you are interested in joining one of these teams check out this link.
As far as the team coming to Tacoma goes....
We will need people to house the out of town team members. We will need help with the outreach we are doing (especially at the Freedom Fair!)
Please consider giving your time and resources to serving one of these churches!
The second element of becoming/making disciples of Jesus that I mentioned on Sunday was Transparent Connections with Other Christians. This is rooted in the 'life on life' discipleship model.
The model we've often adopted in the West is the knowledge on knowledge model. Some one lectures, or recommends a book then expects that information to transform the listener. Not exactly the Jesus model. Jesus simply said come and follow me, not come to a one hour lecture. He withheld nothing from his disciples, living life in front of them and with them.
I often think of the time Jesus was sought out by his mom and brothers. They were trying to get him out of the public eye as they thought he was out of his mind. The disciples had a front row seat to this interaction. The rawness of a son interacting with his mom and brothers. How did he handle their accusations? How did he respond without being angry or disrespectful? This would have been difficult to cover in a lecture.
This is life on life. This is a messy, messy model, however it's highly effective. Just look at the results Jesus got.
Remember, Jesus had a method to sharing life...
He had 1 - John
He had 3 - John, Peter and James
He had the 12
He had the 70
And He had the masses
I find this to be so helpful. Who do I give my time and energy to? Who do I open up to? Who holds me accountable and who do I hold accountable? Who is really speaking into my life? i.e. my marriage, how I'm doing as a dad, my relationship with Jesus, my finances, my influence on people outside the church Who do I go to when I need encouragement and prayer?
Who is your 1? Your 3? Your 12? Your 70? Your masses?
I highly recommend that you figure this out and begin to live life on life with these people. I don't know what is more difficult to hear, that someone is really struggling, or that no one new this person was really struggling. I often hear this when divorce is on the table. "We had no idea they were struggling." The Gospel is that we have been reconciled to God and to each other. (Ephesians 2:16) We have been made new, not only that, but have been added to a new race of people. We all have the same story, creation - chaos - redemption - new creation. Shame and guilt have no hold on us. There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.(Romans 8:1) We can be honest, we can speak freely with each other out of love.
I mentioned in the previous post that there is power in asking questions. This is how we get to know each other. We need to get over our western privacy issues and ask the hard questions and... answer the hard questions. There is too much at stake. The 1, 3, 12, 70, masses model helps us in this. We don't have to air our laundry to all, just to those who really care, those who can really help.
I pray New Community Church is full of transparent relationships!
I hope Sunday's message on What if We Made Disciples? was inspiring, but I know it may have left some questions unanswered. I want to follow up that message with a series of posts that I hope fill in some gaps. Feel free to comment on each post and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.
The three crucial elements of discipleship are: 1) Interactive Relationship with God, 2) Transparent Connections with other Disciples (Christians), and 3) Impact the World Around You and Beyond. I'll post on each one separately.
Interactive Relationship With God
Becoming a disciple of Jesus and making a disciple of Jesus is first and foremost about Jesus becoming our Savior, Lord and the thing we treasure more than anything else in this life. In the Old Testament one of the ways God revealed himself was as El Shaddai, which can be translated, God the Enough. Is Jesus enough? This is a great question to ask ourselves and those we are discipling into Jesus.
Jesus doesn't become ultimate in our lives just through intellectual ascent. We can study the Scriptures and find his value, but we must also experience it in our lives. We must, as the Psalmist implores us to do, "taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8) I love this invitation!
How do we get to this place?
1) God's Holy Bible -
The Bible is the primary authority in our lives. It is everything we need to know about God, but certainly not everything there is to know about God. It shows the proven track record of God with His people. It shows us that God is the great Sovereign, the great King of all. It clearly lays out who we are in Christ. It tells us of the character and the attributes of God. The Bible is the history of redemption. It is totally God-breathed and all scriptures are useful for our lives.
But if we're honest, there are some portions of scripture that are difficult to understand. Below are some helpful tools to help us understand the scriptures. Remember, the primary lens that we must read the Bible through is God's plan of redemption. It is the central theme of the Bible. Everything in the Old Testament is a spotlight that shines toward a redeemer and everything in the New Testament shows us that Redeemer and the implication this Redeemer has on us. Teach people to love this gift. Teach people to hear God through His word, and to apply it to their lives. As they do, they will taste and see that He is good and enter into this interactive relationship with Him.
Paul simply says, 'imitate me'. 2 Corinthians 3 talks about us being letters of recommendations! We 'recommend' this new covenant of grace. As you shine with the glory of the Lord you lead people into worship and an interactive relationship with God. Be open about how you relate to God and what that looks like. This is how I pray, this is what my personal times of worship are like, this is what I do in the corporate times of worship, this is how I listen to God. Your life will demonstrate how to have an interactive relationship with God.
Then ask lot's and lot's of questions. Asking questions demonstrates that you care and are interested in that person. It will also help you gauge where that person is in this interactive relationship with God. I find it very peculiar when I meet with someone who wants to be 'discipled' and they never ask questions. It makes me wonder if they really want my input, or if their hiding something, or they want to prove to me how much they know. Both parties need to be open and honest about everything. This is life on life. This is Jesus' model of discipleship.
Jesus was a great question asker and the disciples asked Jesus some great questions too (and some dumb ones, which is helpful!). This is how we value people and train people.
Your life will show people how to have an interactive relationship with God. Like the Psalmist, we can invite people to taste and see that the Lord is good... through our lives. Does your life say Jesus is enough?
3) Worship, Worship, Worship!
Worship literally means to 'shape-worth' in something. It helps put everything in perspective. We need to discipline ourselves to worship in all situations. Worship puts everything in the right perspective. It was David's worship and understanding of God that killed Goliath. He knew who God was and he knew how God felt about His people... and then he acted on it.
Worship is not only for the tough times though. In the good times worship helps us to not grow self-righteous. We continue to ascribe worth to God, the maker of Heaven and Earth at all times. Worship is our primary calling as Christians. One day missions will end, but worship will never cease. As we declare the awesomeness of God in our lives, we really begin to taste and see!
One way to do this is to buy worship CD's, turn the volume up so you can't hear yourself sing, and let it rip. I mean really go for it. Know that God loves it when we come to him with nothing in our hands, without fear, without insecurity, but as His kids. Some people talk about having 'quiet times' with God... that's okay sometimes, but what about 'loud times' with God?
Finally, remember we are all in process. The grace of God is sufficient in all times. Walk through life with people. One sure way to lose a person is to run way ahead of them, they'll stop trying to keep up! We wouldn't teach kids to dunk a basketball before we teach them how to dribble, pass and make a lay up. Lay the foundation of grace in the person so they know where they stand before God and how they got into that place. Otherwise, we can easily lead people in legalism and striving. Enjoy the process of growing together!
The registration deadline for the Women's Conference in Silverton, OR is Friday! This means you need to have your registrations and checks in the mail by Friday. Please let us know ASAP if we can help get you there. We DO NOT want money to be an issue. You can email me or call 253.241.6203 to let me know.
As soon as we know who all is going we will talk about rides and all that.
I don't usually do this, but I really want to recommend that you listen to Sunday's message if you weren't there. We have embarked on a new series called What if? and we really feel that it will shape us as a new church and propel us forward. If you were unable to make it or need to continue to process it please listen to our podcast. I am really looking forward to seeing God's transforming power working in us and out of us!
This Sunday we will start a new series called What If? This series will call us to reevaluate what the Kingdom is and how the church fits into it. Jesus' main message was that the Kingdom of God had come... he proclaimed that and demonstrated that.
Somehow over time in the West some churches have lost sight of the Kingdom and have focused on meetings, conversions, and resourcing a few people to do Kingdom stuff. (Certainly not bad in and of themselves, but certainly has not produced the transformation we all long to see!)
This Sunday we will ask the question, What If the Church was the Missionary?
I am so grateful for the growth we have seen at NCC. I continue to here amazing testimonies of how God's grace has totally affected people's lives. I love that! However, now is the time for us to unite as God's people and pray let Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!
This is a good time to bring along a friend or family member who may wonder what this whole church thing is about. Hope to see you all there!
This Sunday we will gather to proclaim and celebrate the resurrection of our Savior! I look forward to joining with all of you and our guests to declare the most wonderful of truths. Please come a little earlier than usual and consider parking in the upper lot if you can. Also, it would be helpful to sit toward the front and the middle as people will be staggering in full of ham and chocolate a little late no doubt.
Directly after the meeting we will be having an Easter egg hunt. Parents will need to get their kids, bring them down, and be present during the hunt. We are hoping for good weather, but even it's not we are hunting eggs!
I will be preaching on the subject of "Why do You Look For the Living Among the Dead?" from Luke 24. I love the resurrection narrative and hope to capture not only this story, but invite people to life. As you know, all of life is worship, why worship the dead and dieing when you could worship the living?
“The early Christians did not believe in the resurrection of Christ because they could not find his dead body...They believed because they found a living Christ” C.T. Craig
Attention all NCCKids workers (well, minus the nursery workers)! This Saturday at 10 am there will be a brunch for you! It will be a time of hanging out and also rolling out the new curriculum. Please let Wes and Malena know if you can or cannot make it!(It's at Central Lutheran in the hall we meet in on Sundays)
We are so grateful for your service to our kids! Thank you!
I want to continue to recommend the recent Prophetic Seminar that we hosted at NCC. I know you know that I thought it was good... here are the endorsements of others.
Ruth and I thoroughly enjoyed the teachings on prophesy by Sam Poe. His mix of solid biblical understanding coupled with years of experience brings a balance to this often misunderstood or abused gift. Anyone seeking to use or know more about the gift of prophedy would get the insight needed from these teachings. The section on weighing prophesy is a must for our present times. We came skeptical and left encouraged. -Kent and Ruth Beahler
The prophetic seminar gave me some new insights into the relevance and benefits of prophecy. I felt like I had a better idea of how it was used in the early church and how it applies to modern Christianity through various biblical references. -Tom Valdez
I am so grateful that we were able to have Brian Nelson with us on Sunday. Brian did a great job of explaining what Friends and Servants does and how we can get involved. For more information check out this website.
If you want to get involved please email Brian or inquire at NCC.
Join us as NCC hosts a seminar on the prophetic, February 13, 9:00-3:30. Sam Poe will be giving a very practical teaching/workshop on the biblical basis and use of the prophetic in the church.
Teaching will include: The Nature of Prophecy, the Ministry of the Prophet in the New Testament Church, the Primary Purpose of Prophecy, Prophecy in the Gathering, and Weighing Prophecy.
Just a reminder... This Sunday we are gathering at 3:30 for a Super Bowl Party. Bring some food to share. We will provide drinks, cups, plates, bowls and utensils. Don't forget to bring a friend or two as well!
There will be a room set-up on the side for kids. They will watch a movie and play games. Parents will be asked to share the responsibility of looking after them.
Men, there is still time to register for the Newfrontiers NW Men's Conference. This is going to be an excellent time of worship, teaching and hanging out. Please click here to register!
As soon as we know who all is going we will arrange some car pools. Please do consider going!
I'm sure you have heard of the devestation in Haiti. If you would like to help you can donate money at www.worldvision.org. Please also pray for the rescue workers and locals who are working diligently to find survivors!
I want to highly recommend joining a Small Group as they are a great opportunity to be a part of the community, to serve others, to learn, and to have fun. As we get bigger as a church we also need to get smaller. Please check out the link and sign up soon!
We are going to have a packing team at 711 St. Helens at 9 am and a loading and unloading team at 2 pm. If you can help with either team that would be wonderful!
This Saturday at 9 am we will be moving almost everything out of 711 St. Helens. We are reserving a moving truck and could use some muscle/organizational help. If you are available please get back to me.
Last Blog Post...
-
I want to thank all who are following my posts on my blog site. It’s an
honor to be able to share with others who are on Christ’s mission together.
I have ...
The Birth Of Jesus-A Prophetic Awakening
-
After the death of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the last Old Testament
prophets to write scripture, there were no more recognized prophets in
Israel for ...
