Remember that the Day Seven Church service will be at Old Town Square in Fort Collins this coming Saturday (8/1) at 7:30 PM where we will get to be a part of an outreach concert.
Hope to see everyone there!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
H.S.L.T.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to come up and sit in on the teaching sessions at HSLT. The schedule is as follows:
Thursday (7/30) - 7:00pm
Friday (7/31) - 9:30am and 1:15pm
Sunday (8/2) - 7:30pm
All teaching sessions will be at Summitview Community Church in Fort Collins.
There is also an outreach concert on Saturday evening at 7:30pm in Old Town Square in Fort Collins.
Thursday (7/30) - 7:00pm
Friday (7/31) - 9:30am and 1:15pm
Sunday (8/2) - 7:30pm
All teaching sessions will be at Summitview Community Church in Fort Collins.
There is also an outreach concert on Saturday evening at 7:30pm in Old Town Square in Fort Collins.
Justified By Faith
It is so refreshing to be reminded in Romans 4:1-12 (our reading for today) that we are ALL made right with God by faith and by faith alone. It was true even for Abraham, the father of the entire Jewish nation, and it is just as true for everyone today - Jew and Gentile.
Are you working feverishly to earn God's grace or are you peacefully resting in your faith - knowing that it is enough?
Are you working feverishly to earn God's grace or are you peacefully resting in your faith - knowing that it is enough?
Monday, July 27, 2009
Just Plain Grateful
I cannot adequately express the gratitude for what God has done in my life. Although I am totally unworthy, He has saved me and forgiven me. In Christ I am free from the curse of sin, i.e. eternal separation from God. I am free to live my life today for Him and if it His will, I will gratefully do the same tomorrow.
If you have believed and received Christ, have you expressed your gratitude for what He has done for you? Make sure to tell Him how you feel that you are His child.
Galatians 3:29 (NIV)
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
If you have believed and received Christ, have you expressed your gratitude for what He has done for you? Make sure to tell Him how you feel that you are His child.
Galatians 3:29 (NIV)
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Law - So What?
Does God's law have any meaning to us today? Absolutely!
God's law, especially the moral law which includes the ten commandments (Exodus 20), helps us to understand right from wrong according to God. Without the law we would have no concept of sin and ultimately we would not understand our need for salvation - to be forgiven for our sins through grace by faith. The law in effect points us toward Christ.
Romans 3:20 (NIV)
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
God's law, especially the moral law which includes the ten commandments (Exodus 20), helps us to understand right from wrong according to God. Without the law we would have no concept of sin and ultimately we would not understand our need for salvation - to be forgiven for our sins through grace by faith. The law in effect points us toward Christ.
Romans 3:20 (NIV)
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thanks
Thanks for reaching out and helping those that are in need by collecting food for the House of Neighborly Service food drive. We collected about 50 bags of food (Summitview and Day Seven collectively).
God is looking for people who are willing to respond to Him in ways that will reflect His glory to those around us and make a difference in our world.
James 1:22-27 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
God is looking for people who are willing to respond to Him in ways that will reflect His glory to those around us and make a difference in our world.
James 1:22-27 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Facets of Unity
I have been reflecting on last week's teaching and keep coming back to the 4 facets of unity that we learned about and so just as a reminder of the importance of complete unity and an exhortation to pursue all of themy, I thought they were worth repeating:
- Theological (what we believe - don't forget to review our Statement of Faith)
- Relational (how we treat one another)
- Missional (what we have been called to do - Love God, love our neighbors as ourselves, love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and make disciples)
- Philosophical (the methods and ways we go about fulfilling the mission)
The Big Picture
Acts 10 is a good reminder to me that I can get so focused on my own stuff, which may actually be great things and even the right things for me personally, but I can forget there is a bigger picture. Just like Peter got so focused on himself and what he was doing for God that he forgot that God had a bigger picture that included both Jews and Gentiles.
It's also a reminder to me that I must not get so set in my plans that I forget that there may be a better plan to fulfill the mission. I can't be deceived into thinking what worked yesterday will work today. I can forget that there is an adversary named Satan that hates God and that he doesn't want whatever I am doing in the name of Christ to succeed. And so he will work against those plans that work towards fulfilling God's mission and so we will have to be attentive and flexible so that we can make adjustments along the way. When it comes to building God's kingdom, change is a necessary component because without strategic and tactical change the enemy will guess and counter our every move.
Hum, what can I change today to further God's kingdom?
It's also a reminder to me that I must not get so set in my plans that I forget that there may be a better plan to fulfill the mission. I can't be deceived into thinking what worked yesterday will work today. I can forget that there is an adversary named Satan that hates God and that he doesn't want whatever I am doing in the name of Christ to succeed. And so he will work against those plans that work towards fulfilling God's mission and so we will have to be attentive and flexible so that we can make adjustments along the way. When it comes to building God's kingdom, change is a necessary component because without strategic and tactical change the enemy will guess and counter our every move.
Hum, what can I change today to further God's kingdom?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
It Seemed Good...
I love the phrase in Acts 15:28 - "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." They were wrestling with and searching for consensus in the Spirit about the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had the firm truth of Christ and they had to take that truth and apply it to their lives and to live it out in a real way.
They sought God's will through His Word and they ultimately arrived at a place of unity through the Spirit and the world has never been the same since - both Gentiles and Jews (all people) are saved by grace through faith.
They sought God's will through His Word and they ultimately arrived at a place of unity through the Spirit and the world has never been the same since - both Gentiles and Jews (all people) are saved by grace through faith.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Assurance of Salvation
I was talking with someone today about faith in God, Jesus and salvation and I was reminded of just how important it is to be well grounded in our assurance of salvation and that once God has saved us that no one or no thing can "unsave" us.
The following is what God has to say on the topic:
John 10:28-29 (NIV)
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
The following is what God has to say on the topic:
John 10:28-29 (NIV)
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
Making a Difference
John 15:16-25
My thought from today's reading is simply this:
God chose me. He chose me at the right time in my life to be saved - for me it wasn't until I was 29 years old. That was when it was right for me. I can second guess God all day and ask - God, why didn't you save me sooner? From my perspective, it would have saved me a lot of grief in my life if I would have gotten saved when I was 11 instead of 29. But for whatever reason, God chose to save me when He chose to save me and that's that.
And He also chose me to make a difference - He saved me for a reason. To "bear fruit."
He didn't choose me to win a popularity contest. In fact, when you claim allegiance to Jesus Christ, be prepared to face ridicule, persecution and harassment. That's just the way it works. Being "close" to Jesus has always been a dangerous place to be. Following Christ is not for the faint of heart.
By the way, have you submitted your "But When God" moment yet? See the "But When God" section in the right sidebar.
My thought from today's reading is simply this:
God chose me. He chose me at the right time in my life to be saved - for me it wasn't until I was 29 years old. That was when it was right for me. I can second guess God all day and ask - God, why didn't you save me sooner? From my perspective, it would have saved me a lot of grief in my life if I would have gotten saved when I was 11 instead of 29. But for whatever reason, God chose to save me when He chose to save me and that's that.
And He also chose me to make a difference - He saved me for a reason. To "bear fruit."
He didn't choose me to win a popularity contest. In fact, when you claim allegiance to Jesus Christ, be prepared to face ridicule, persecution and harassment. That's just the way it works. Being "close" to Jesus has always been a dangerous place to be. Following Christ is not for the faint of heart.
By the way, have you submitted your "But When God" moment yet? See the "But When God" section in the right sidebar.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Saved To Serve
Isaiah 49:1-6
I am a Gentile that by God's grace and my faith in that grace, have been saved to serve the God of the universe. I don't get to choose how I serve Him - the Master gets to direct my servitude. I don't get to choose my reward - the Master rewards me however He sees fit.
Praise God today for the opportunity to serve Him. To be used by Him for His glory. Maybe, just maybe, one day I can say as Paul said:
Galatians 1:24 (NIV)
And they praised God because of me.
God saves us by grace through faith and He does it for a reason - to bring glory to Himself. We get to be a part of that process - unbelievable!
I am a Gentile that by God's grace and my faith in that grace, have been saved to serve the God of the universe. I don't get to choose how I serve Him - the Master gets to direct my servitude. I don't get to choose my reward - the Master rewards me however He sees fit.
Praise God today for the opportunity to serve Him. To be used by Him for His glory. Maybe, just maybe, one day I can say as Paul said:
Galatians 1:24 (NIV)
And they praised God because of me.
God saves us by grace through faith and He does it for a reason - to bring glory to Himself. We get to be a part of that process - unbelievable!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
But When God...
I finally got my testimony - my "But When God" moment (Galatians 1:15) - written that takes about a minute to read (actually 1 min. and 5 sec. - but if I read it really fast it's probably right at a minute!!). Anyway, I thought I would share it with you as just one example:
"I grew up not knowing much of anything about God and nothing about Jesus. When I was 13 years old my dad died in a car accident and I spent the next 16 years of my life believing that God was vengeful and I wanted nothing to do with Him. I struggled with selfishness, anger and greed and I tried to fill the void in my life with addictions and immorality but everything left me empty inside.
When my soon-to-be wife, Therese, and I moved to Colorado, a coworker of hers invited us to her church (Summitview in Ft. Collins). I reluctantly agreed, thinking that I would just have to go one time and that would be it. So we went one week and then several more and I was amazed to discover people that believed the bible was actually true and they applied its truth and principles in their lives.
It wasn’t long before someone shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with me and it made sense to me and I simply accepted His free gift of grace. Since then my life has been totally transformed - I am a different person.
It's not easy and I still have struggles and mess-up all the time but God has filled the void in my life and by His grace I have a sense of meaning that I never had before. I now know that God is not vengeful but rather He loves me and has a purpose for my life."
That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)
Share your "But When God" testimony by clicking the link in the "But When God" section in the right sidebar.
"I grew up not knowing much of anything about God and nothing about Jesus. When I was 13 years old my dad died in a car accident and I spent the next 16 years of my life believing that God was vengeful and I wanted nothing to do with Him. I struggled with selfishness, anger and greed and I tried to fill the void in my life with addictions and immorality but everything left me empty inside.
When my soon-to-be wife, Therese, and I moved to Colorado, a coworker of hers invited us to her church (Summitview in Ft. Collins). I reluctantly agreed, thinking that I would just have to go one time and that would be it. So we went one week and then several more and I was amazed to discover people that believed the bible was actually true and they applied its truth and principles in their lives.
It wasn’t long before someone shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with me and it made sense to me and I simply accepted His free gift of grace. Since then my life has been totally transformed - I am a different person.
It's not easy and I still have struggles and mess-up all the time but God has filled the void in my life and by His grace I have a sense of meaning that I never had before. I now know that God is not vengeful but rather He loves me and has a purpose for my life."
That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)
Share your "But When God" testimony by clicking the link in the "But When God" section in the right sidebar.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Galatians Series Part 2
We encourage you to take a listen to Part 2 of the Galatians series, you can download it and listen to it by clicking here.
The Think It Through can be found here.
We encourage you to listen to this message this week as we will share Part 3 this coming Saturday. Also notice the "But When God" section in the right sidebar as described towards the end of the message.
The Think It Through can be found here.
We encourage you to listen to this message this week as we will share Part 3 this coming Saturday. Also notice the "But When God" section in the right sidebar as described towards the end of the message.
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