Friday At Five is our weekly prayer meeting. This is what you can expect when you arrive on Friday evenings. Someone will be at NCCF at 5PM and stay until at least 6PM. Often, the doors will be open before 5 and folks will stay beyond 6.
Usually, we will pray freely. Sometimes, we will pray in a certain direction or for specific occasions and purposes. We will see how the Lord leads.
This will be a great time to bring your prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord. We will want to ask for the resources, strength and empowering of the Spirit to carry out our mission to the Brunswick and beyond. Intercession will play a major part as we pray that people will come to Christ in faith, that others will be healed and that all will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
We could go on, but I think you get the picture. We are coming together at the end of each week to meet the Lord and enjoy His presence.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
On Tuesday, our men’s group will be getting together at Java John’s to begin reading and discussing John Piper’s Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ.
From the Desiring God site:
In this series John Piper seeks to provide a biblical perspective on God’s sovereign and righteous governance over even the sinful acts of men.
History’s greatest sins do not thwart God’s purposes to save his people and glorify his Son; they fulfill them. And knowing this is the key to having “Christ-exalting strength in calamity and Christ-exalting courage in conflict.”
We will begin with the Introduction this week. You can read along for free online or purchase a copy here.
Next up will be Miracles by C.S. Lewis, so keep your eyes open for bargains out there.
Continue reading about Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15 – 17
We covered this text from John’s first letter on the last Sunday of 2009 and it formed the perfect transition into the new year. January is a good time to reflect and resolve: in this case, we may want to reflect on our relationship to the world and resolve to love it less and love God more. I distilled this into three simple (not necessarily easy) steps we can take in the right direction:
- Faith
- Feast
- Fast
We begin in faith, affirming along with Paul the apostle, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) We don’t want to embark on yet another project of self-reformation. Rather, we put our faith in Jesus, offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1&2) and see that faith worked out in our lives.
Second, we want to feast on Jesus and His words. That means time in the Bible, prayer and meditation on the texts and truths we find there. If you have a hard time blocking out time or sitting still for very long, you may want to follow a one-year Bible reading plan to help you along. This is one I recommend.
Finally, we want to fast from the world. God has blessed us in so many ways, yet sometimes we can overdo even a good thing like food, leisure or rest and turn it into a worldly desire. So, fasting is an effective way to discipline yourself and put the things of this life into their proper place. Jesus said, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:14 & 15) We are in the time of fasting, yet many of us don’t know when, how or what to fast from. Actually, the Bible doesn’t talk much about the “how to” of fasting, so many of us don’t fast at all. That’s a shame and, if you find yourself a bit confused or hesitant to fast for that reason, I recommend you look for discussions of fasting online or pick up this book by John Piper, A Hunger For God. It’s one of the best I’ve found on the subject of fasting and prayer.
Be sure to reset your alarm clock for this Sunday, January 10, 2010. We will be starting our Sunday morning service at a new time - 10 AM. That should be a welcome change for those with children and it will open up a number of opportunities for prayer, discipleship, Bible study and fellowship before we begin.
The Men’s Theology group will be changing to 8 AM, as well. We will begin the year with an 8 week course on how to interpret and study the Bible, a foundational skill for the serious disciple of Jesus.
Anyone can join us in prayer at 9 AM, upstairs. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
We got together for our monthly men’s fellowship and kicked off our theme for 2010: Make Disciples. We had a wonderful time of table fellowship. The salad and pizza were prepared to perfection and served by Aaron Crew and Pat Brennan. Then, we spent some time in the Word and prayer, with the goal of making disciples, who love Jesus and bear His image to the Brunswick and beyond.
We took our text from Matthew 28:18 – 20:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Discipleship was a common practice in classical world, but a survey of the NT reveals that much more was required to be a disciple of Jesus:
- First, Steve and Lois Rabey remind us that: Jesus doesn’t call people primarily to a social or political movement or even first and foremost to a life or religiosity or ethical living. More than anything, He calls us to love God
- Jesus calls His disciples to “come and see,” inviting them to join Him in a calling that involves all of life. (John 1:35-39)
- The ultimate goal is to be like Jesus: Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
- We are called to a denial of self and a deliberate choosing of the cross
- We must forsake all to follow Him and exhibit a fervent, sacrificial love for one another in the Body of Christ
- Finally, we share an unswerving commitment to the Word of God and prayer
What are our goals for 2010… what are we aiming for? What can we expect to see by the end of this year, if we are making disciples?
- Greater depth and maturity in our relationship with the Lord
- More and richer relationships between men
- Healthy disciples, like healthy sheep, will reproduce – we expect to see new disciples
What are the values, character traits and content disciples at NCCF will be trained in?
- Prayer
- Bible study habits and skills
- Life skills, living in community and loving others
- Self-sacrifice and giving
- Evangelism
So, we’re spending a year pursuing this one initiative… this one defining goal. We will focus on what it means to be a disciple as modeled in the relationship between Paul and Timothy:
Philippians 2:19 –22 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
If you would like to have someone mentor or disciple you, speak to me the next time we meet or message / call / email me. I will see who’s available and pass that contact info along. If no one is available right now, I’ll steer you to some resources until a qualified mentor is available.
Bo Salisbury
Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology is now available, all 52 chapters, as a podcast on iTunes. But, here’s the best part: it’s not a narrator reading the text, but Dr. Grudem instructing the course at his home church. Each session includes question and answers from participants. You can also download individual chapters or subscribe by going to feedburner.
This is probably the most widely used theology ever and the men at NCCF have gone through it a couple times on Sunday mornings over the past ten years. Now anyone can join us in the study and discussion. I know that this has been a valuable resource for a number of us, as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.”
That’s the message Pastor Steve Trint brought us from Kampala Church in Uganda. On Tuesday, he encouraged us to seek God’s call and outlined the attributes of the calling of God in your life — the indicators of what the Lord would have you do. There are too many to list here, so you can pick up a copy of the message on Sunday. Friday night, Steve addressed our monthly men’s meeting and urged us to follow our call, overcoming our self-imposed barriers. He took us to Exodus chapters 3 and 4, where we saw Moses’ struggle with his identity, his lack of intimacy with God, intimidation, inadequacy and his inferiority. Through all of his objections, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (ESV) You and I need to remember that, too.
This Tuesday we will begin reading and discussing Tim Keller’s book, The Prodigal God. It’s a nice change-up from the more technical books we’ve been reading at Java John’s and I think it will be helpful to a wider audience. Please feel free to join us in reading and dialogue online or in our gatherings. Don’t panic if you haven’t gotten a copy yet… we will begin slowly and let everyone catch up. This week, we’ll warm up with the Introduction and The Parable.
From D.A. Carson:
There is more than one way to run away from God and defy him. But there is only one way back: God is so prodigal in his grace that he reaches out to humble and restore and receive both. Few books unpack this theme with greater force than this slim volume from Tim Keller.
This is a book that fits nicely with our Mission and reaching out with the Gospel
Continue reading about The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
The Tuesday morning crew at Java John’s just finished George Eldon Ladd’s Gospel of the Kingdom — it was a very worthwhile look at the Kingdom of God and the “already and not yet” quality of Christ’s reign on the earth. We closed with this thought, which is both timely and relevant to our mission at NCCF:
Do you love the Lord’s appearing? Then you will bend every effort to take the Gospel into all the world [beginning with the Brunswick and Nevada County]… All authority is His. “Go ye therefore.” Wherefore? Because all authority, all power is His, and because He is waiting until we have finished our task. His is the Kingdom; He reigns in heaven, and He manifests His reign on earth in and through His church. When we have accomplished our mission, He will return and establish His Kingdom in glory. To us it is given not only to wait for but also to hasten the coming of the day of God (II Pet. 3:12). This is the mission of the Gospel of the Kingdom, and this is our mission.
Over the next couple of months, we will be discussing The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Tim Keller. Even if you don’t join us on Tuesday mornings at sunup, please get a copy and join us in online discussion or when we get together.
Before I move on, did anyone have any comments about The Gospel of the Kingdom?
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance 1 Peter 3:9
My time in preparation to teach through 2 Peter 3:1-10 was rich, as I considered the will of God and the different uses of that term in the Scriptures. There are at least three senses the will of God is expressed in the Bible:
God’s sovereign will: some call it God’s will of decree or His decretive will. It’s sometimes referred to as His hidden or secret will. In this sense, His will is absolute, independent, unlimited and fixed. It’s expressed best in Daniel 4:35 “He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”
God’s perceptive will: It’s God’s will of command or revealed will for all of us in the form of laws and commandments. (as I pointed out Sunday, these are theological labels and not Bible words so you are free to come up with your own categories - if you look this up online you will find a variety of descriptions and spellings of God’s (pre)perceptive will)
God’s will of disposition describes God’s attitude or disposition. It reveals what is pleasing to Him and what grieves Him.
If you would like to pursue the subject in a little more depth, I would direct you to these resources:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/wills_sproul.html
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2009/05/the-meaning-of-gods-will-pt-1.html
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1995/1580_Are_There_Two_Wills_in_God/
I came away, resolved to think and live in such a way that I will embrace God’s sovereign will by following His perceptive will, while asking Him to bring me in line with His will of disposition. I think it looks something like this:
1. God displays His sovereign will in the full range of His glory: mercy and wrath, grace and justice, people living eternally or perishing: I want to trust God and work with Him, not against Him, even though His ways are mysterious and sometimes troubling.
2. He declares “that all people everywhere should repent…” (Acts 17:30) and gives ” His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ…” (1 John 3:23) I must repent, believe and take up my cross daily to follow Jesus. Then, I urge others to do so, as well.
3. God says, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23) I want to have God’s heart for the lost, so I won’t become callous and indifferent to “those who are perishing.”
