Our Blog

Pastor's Points May 2016

Dear Church Family,

Recently I have been reading a little book called, Understanding the Great Commission and in this little book it list four practices of a Great Commission church.  Of course, we know that this is a reference to Matthew 28:18-20 where Jesus gave his final command to his followers before ascending to heaven.  Here are the four practices of a great
commission church as enumerated in Mark Devers book.

1. Cultivate a Culture of Discipleship among its own members.
2. Cultivate a Culture of Evangelism.
3. Work to reach the unreached through missions.
4. Look for internationals in your own city.

• I found this take on the Great Commission interesting because of where God has us right now as a church family. As I shared with you last month we are in the process of evaluating how we as a church encourage our members to “grow”.  And to cultivate a culture of discipleship in our church we need to help every member own the responsibility for helping other believers grow in the faith.  Pastors are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12), which means the work of the ministry belongs to all the saints. 
  
  
• Second, we need to make sure that we are encouraging a culture of evangelism as well. You need to be confident that when you invite your non-Christian friends to one of our worship services that they are going to hear the gospel clearly proclaimed.  But also we need to make sure that we are training our church family in evangelism so that you will be prepared and confident to share your faith when the opportunity comes your way.  And finally, the church can also provide resources that you can use to give to your non-believing friends to help encourage conversations about who Jesus is.
  
  
• Third, we need to continue to reach out to unreached people through our mission’s effort. We do this through giving monetarily to our mission offerings.  We need to continue to encourage this giving, but we also need to continue to encourage our church family to go on mission as well.  We have many opportunities to go on mission through our church mission trips in the U.S., but also with our ministry partner Culture Waves Global to reach the unreached
   peoples of the world.
  
  
• Finally, we can participate in looking for internationals in our own city as we work together to support our new Spanish church plant that is starting in June. We are looking to effectively reach out to those who may not speak
  English with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You can participate by praying for our church planter and his wife Alfonso and Wendy Soto.  Also, if you speak Spanish we would love to talk to you about helping us as we look to communicate through all of the details of the start-up of the Spanish speaking church plant.

I am so thankful to be a part of a church that loves the Great Commission!!!  I cannot wait to see what God has in store right around the corner!!

I love you and I love being your pastor,

 Pastor Alan

Speaking the Truth In Love May 2016

I recently attended a counseling conference at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary on the topics of depression and hope in Christ.  I would venture to say that many members in our church wrestle with what Charles Spurgeon called, “the dark night of the soul.”  Christians become depressed. There is so much more to be said about this, but I want to encourage you that in the midst of your sadness it is possible to hope in Christ and strive for joy.

One of the speakers at this conference, Dr. Stuart Scott, gave an incredibly hopeful and practical lecture on seven biblical truths that help us remain steadfast in the midst of our depression.

1. Rehearse the gospel of Jesus daily. (Titus 3:3-7; 2 Timothy 1:12)

¨ There is nothing inconsistent with an unbeliever being depressed, but the Christian has the truth and hope of the Gospel to rely on.  Remind yourself of it daily.

2. “Believing” and “hoping” in God are verbs. (1 Peter 1:13)

¨ Our hearts will wander away from concentrating on God if we let them.  Actively pursue Him in belief and hope by getting to know Him through His Word.

3. This is a spiritual war - "fight the good fight of faith". (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

¨ The world, the flesh, and the devil are our enemies.  Fighting them requires extreme effort and endurance.  We will either make wise choices by God’s grace through faith or foolish choices by the flesh through unbelief.

4. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing your mind one thought at a time. (Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 4:4-9; Lamentations 3:1-20, 21)

¨ Knowing God’s Word is crucial to being able to renew your thoughts, your affections, and your actions.  Take each thought or feeling captive and seek to renew it with Scripture in the power of the Spirit.

5. Joy and sorrow are inseparable. (2 Corinthians 6:10; Philippians 4:4)

¨ We live in a world where joy and sorrow are completely inseparable.  To some extent, until Christ comes and renews the created world everyone will be affected by suffering and sorrow. But we have the power to rejoice in the Lord despite this reality.

6. We must be others-minded and not self-focused. (Proverbs 18:1; Philippians 2:3-4)

¨ The most depressing thing is to be self-focused.  Isolation is destructive and disastrous.  We must have the counsel of God’s Word because it is our daily bread. We should not starve ourselves from what we most need.  It is through the meditation of Scripture that we are led to pray and to know what to pray.  

7. We must have an eternal perspective. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Revelation 21:4)

¨ We must be focused on the long term and not only the short term.  Our ultimate hope is found in Christ and the hope for the new creation to come.

These truths can help equip you with hope to combat the sadness and sorrow that you might be experiencing.  “Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings; It is the Lord, who rises with healing in His wings; when comforts are declining, He grants the soul again, a season of clear shining, to cheer it after rain.” (“Sometimes a Light Surprises” by William Cowper; ref. Malachi 4:2, 1 Peter 5:7)

Suggested Resources for Further Reading:

Robert B. Somerville, If I’m a Christian, Why am I Depressed?, 2014.

Ed Welch, Depression: Looking Up From a Stubborn Darkness, 2011.

Charles Hodge, Good Mood, Bad Mood: Help and Hope for Depression and Bipolar Disorder, 2012.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression, 1965

Speaking the Truth in Love,

Nick