Beginning Sunday, January 31, 2010 we will observe communion every Lord’s Day during our time of praise and worship. Christians have practiced baptism for new believers and the weekly breaking of bread for nearly 2000 years and we want to continue this truly ancient / future tradition. In the Lord’s Supper we remember His broken body and shed blood to cover our sins, celebrate His resurrection and abiding presence in the present, while looking forward to His soon return and the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Our weekly meeting at the Lord’s table will provide us with an endless number of opportunities to remember, reflect, repent and return. It can also be a time of joy, celebration and praise as we experience the Spirit of Jesus in our midst and look forward to that day when He returns for His bride, the church.
We will offer the supper in such a way that each one can take a moment or two, during our worship, time to “examine himself… and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 1 Corinthians 11:28 Communion also provides a wonderful visual aid for instructing children in the Gospel and allowing families to participate according to there conscience. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, please join us at the Lord’s Table each Sunday.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20
We began our discussion of Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ by John Piper. We began where most good books begin: in the Introduction. We looked at Joni Eareckson Tada’s observation, ”When it comes to holocausts or other horrors, most of us assume God has his hands tied and his back to the wall. We figure the devil wreaks havoc when God’s not looking; we rationalize the Lord’s ‘mistakes,’ figuring he absentmindedly took his hands off the wheel when tragedies happen.” Have you ever found yourself thinking along those lines? How does the author say we can avoid self-pity or rage and endure such catastrophes with faith and hope? The author leads us to the window of the Scriptures to let us know that God has not been caught by surprise when bad things happen, He doesn’t stand aloof and He isn’t powerless. No, He sent Jesus, Who willingly identified with a sinful and suffering humanity, took our guilt and, despite all appearances, won the victory over and through some of the most spectacular sins. Here are some of the questions we discussed:
- John Piper begins with the creation of the universe. For what purpose does the author tell us the universe was created? What does that imply about our purpose in life?
- What is the apex of Christ’s glory and what part did evil play in fully displaying that glory?
- What is the author’s purpose in writing this book? Do you think his assessment of Christians in the West is accurate or has merit?
- Why do many Christians have a wimpy worldview – what’s missing and where can we go to get what we need to pump up our sometimes wimpy view of God?
- Are you facing or have you faced suffering or a trial or persecution that put your Christian worldview to the test? What kept you from breaking?
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
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
On Sunday evening November 16, 2008, we had our congregational meeting. Mark and Tyler were gracious enough to lead us in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord and Jesus spoke a word of encouragement to us, through Jim, from the Scriptures.
Jim led off with a restatement of the direction the Lord gave us two years ago and a recap of His providence in taking us down the road He’s laid out before us, even through a difficult and heartrending year. The following are a few highlights:
Outreach
We were blessed this year to partner with a number of ministries/churches in Nevada County and around the globe, resulting in the gospel being preached, Christians built up in the faith, widows and orphans cared for and solid relationships established. To view most of these ministries, see the Ministry Partners links in the sidebar on the NCCFToday site.
What Others Are Saying About NCCF
Jim pointed out that, through working with others in the community and abroad, we received a lot of positive feedback from visitors, concerning what the Spirit seems to be doing at NCCF. Many of them took note of our love for one another, a welcoming spirit and the fact that NCCF probably has the largest attendance of any church in Nevada County… 30 minutes after the service has ended 
Those unsolicited observations, expressed over and over, have been very encouraging and we thank God for His grace in this area. Our love for one another is crucial to our witness to the watching world (John 17 and John 13:35)
Our Main Objectives
It was very evident to us two years ago that the Lord was leading in a specific direction. Two objectives were at the top of the list.
1) Provide a Sunday morning and Tuesday evening meeting appropriate for the entire church, involving praise, prayer and the proclamation of the Word.
2) Begin forming small groups to strengthen relationships between believers, focusing on specialized areas of ministry, throughout the week.
Tuesdays and Sundays
Our Sunday morning assembly has undergone some very positive change, particularly in the area of praise and worship, as well as corporate prayer. The worship team meets an hour before we begin, for prayer and coordination with Jim, the media team and the Sunday teacher. The result is praise and worship, focused on Jesus, and a time of solid edification for believers. Pat has taken the Sunday School and nursery under his wing and come up with a unified curriculum from CEF. The result is a Sunday School, fully staffed with folks that love to tell children about the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Tuesday nights have been transformed into a celebration of sorts, beginning with a very large group for dinner each week, followed by youth group, Tina’s class for the kids between the ages of 7 & 12, the adult Bible study and, of course, a nursery. The majority of kids are from the wider Christian community and their friends, so we count it a privilege to minister to them and work hard to be faithful to that calling. The adult Bible study has grown substantially, as well. We have also been blessed with special events, featuring Jim Jessup, Joshua Lickter and our missionaries home on furlough.
Of course, we discussed how an attractive facility, as well as a cheerful staff, are vital to effective hospitality. We have been blessed with both. George and Sandy have the building looking beautiful with tasteful landscaping, a newly painted fellowship hall and a finished kitchen, thanks to Ralph and others. Linda keeps the place spotless and running smoothly. Mike is faithful with the coffee and a crew of women, too numerous to name, provide delicious meals, which are obviously appreciated, based upon the numbers of those joining us for supper!
Small Groups
Small groups fall into a number of categories, with the soire´ at the King’s home busting out to become a Big Group. So, we hope to see some from that group go out to plant more small groups. The college and career group meets at the Mack’s for a time of Bible study, prayer and fellowship. The women’s Bible study and fellowship have grown in number, seeing even greater growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus! The men’s monthly fellowship has grown considerably under Pat’s oversight and we have enjoyed the wisdom of older men in our fellowship, as well as good number of brothers from other churches providing us with a fresh outlook into what it means to be a Christian man. Of course, the men’s theology group continues each Sunday morning and are about half way through Grudem’s Systematic Theology… for the second time.
Finances
Mark Bauman gave us a somewhat surprising financial report. As mentioned, it was a tough year and we saw our giving drop dramatically in the Spring. However, we are finishing the year at the same monthly level of giving we saw back in the first couple months of 2008 and the trend is upward! Praise God for His provision. One new item in the budget is pastoral compensation and we have committed 10% of our budget to that end in 2009 with an adjustment every six months. Our long-term goal is to compensate one or more paid staff within 3-5 years, in faithfulness to God’s Word in 1 Timothy 5 and love for the upcoming generation of leaders at NCCF.
We have so much to be thankful for and we anticipate the Lord’s greater blessing in 2009.
