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Christ Lutheran Church Blog http://www.come2christ.com The Latest TOP 10 Christ Lutheran Church Blog Entries! en-us Copyright 2012 Christ Lutheran Church http://www.come2christ.com/blog/feeds.cfm Sat, 19 May 2012 02:21:08 EST Christ Lutheran Church http://www.come2christ.com/images/logo.gif http://www.come2christ.com Acts Chapter 13 <div style='text-align: justify;'>Acts 13<br><br><img style='margin-right: 4px;' alt='' title='' src='/images/PJBlog.gif' align='left' border='0px'>Paul begins what came to be known as his first missionary journey here in chapter 13.  Eventually he will undertake three separate journeys to bring the gospel to the gentile world.  Pretty much the rest of Acts will chronicle those journeys.<br><br>This mission begins as a result of the church at Antioch getting it into their heads that they should sponsor a new outreach, not just to their own community, but beyond it.  This is a new development for the early church since none of the original Apostles, nor the 'mother church' in Jerusalem is directly involved n this effort.  It is the direct result of the local congregation in Antioch becoming a catalyst for mission.  That, in fact, is the way Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC--the association of congregations to which CLC belongs) is organized.  In LCMC the organizing principles that ministry happens in and through the congregation.  Therefore, if mission is to take place it will be because individual congregations act as the catalyst, rather than waiting for a national structure to take care of it for us.  As a result, CLC places much of its emphasis on supporting mission and outreach, both in terms of financial support to individual new congregations and global ministries, as well as sending our own people on mission...to Arizona, Guatemala, Africa, etc.  It is the New Testament model as illustrated by the church in Antioch sending Barnabas and Saul, who after leaving Cyprus travel through what is now central Turkey.<br><br>By the way, did you notice?  Saul is now called Paul, and will be for the rest of the book. <br><br>Most of the rest of the chapter recounts Paul's sermon in which he again tells the history of Israel. Note that Paul goes first to the synagogue to speak to the Jewish people, but when they reject the message, that?s when he goes to the gentiles.  That will be his pattern throughout all of his missionary travels. <br><br>Seem things to think about:<br><ol><li>Look at Paul's reselling of the history of Israel.  This is not only ahold summary of the Bible up to his point, it also raises the question of what one central truth you would emphasize when called to give an account of your faith.<br><br></li><li>How does knowing the Old Testament help you better understand your faith?<br><br></li><li>Paul handled opposition to his method through direct confrontation.  Not all of us are comfortable with that strategy, nor is it always the most effective.  How do you deal with opposition to your faith?  If you never encounter it, is it because you never speak it?  If you do encounter opposition, what is the most effective way you have discovered to be bold in proclaiming it even if you find that confrontation is not helpful?</li></ol><p><br></p><br></div> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=54 (Judy Barnes) Wed, 09 May 2012 10:48:09 PST Acts Chapter 12 <div style='text-align: justify;'>Chapter 12 ? The Diet of Worms<br><br>Chapter 12 is one of those ?wait, what?? chapters. Things start to get really going. The beginning of this Chapter finds Herod cracking down and cracking heads. First, he has James, the brother of John seized and killed. Then, because the people like this, he grabs Peter during the Passover. Peter gets thrown in prison, and chained to his guards. That is how they really made sure you didn?t go anywhere.<br><br>Now, this is where it gets really good. Peter is chained up one night and an angel shows up to set him free. This heavenly visitor makes the chains fall away and the door opens itself. At first, Peter thinks he is just seeing a vision, but when he gets outside, he realizes that this is real. Smart man that he is, he immediately goes to where the other disciples are. <br><br>This is where the story takes a turn to comedy. Peter arrives at the home of Mary, the mother of John. Everybody is there praying for the safe return of Peter. They had to be flashing back to when Jesus himself had been arrested and held during the Passover. They knew that that arrest led to his crucifixion and death was a real possibility here. So when Peter shows up in the night he knocks on the door, the servant girl is so excited that she runs upstairs to tell everyone without actually letting everybody in. Then, nobody believes her so Peter is stuck out waiting by the gate as the servant girl, Rhoda, tries to convince everybody that she is not out of her mind. Eventually the disciples come down and let him in. <br><br>The last part of the chapter turns us back to Herod and gives us a powerful warning on pride. When some people say that Herod is God to his face and he accepts the praise, he falls over dead and is eaten by worms. Pride is the root of most sin. We think that we know better than God and it leads us to the wilderness. Here Herod is spectacularly punished for his sin. <br><br>Discussion Questions<br><br><ol><li>Who is the most surprising person ever to show up at your door?</li><li>What is the most astonishing thing you have ever seen God do?</li><li>What would you have said if you were there when Rhoda burst in the room saying Peter was out at the gate? </li><li>How would you have felt about God saving Peter, but not James? </li><li>If you were one of the soldiers who had been chained to Peter what would you have said in the morning when was gone? </li><li>What does this tell us about how we, as Christians, should deal with persecution? </li><li>What worldly forces seem all powerful to you?</li><li>If you were on trial for being a Christian, what evidence would there be to convict you?</li><li>What evidence could some ?well-meaning? character witness point to as proof of innocence? </li></ol><p><br></p><br></div> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=53 (Judy Barnes) Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:15:33 PST Acts Chapter 11 <div style='text-align: justify;'><img style='margin-bottom: 4px; margin-right: 4px;' alt='' title='' src='/images/PJBlog.gif' align='left' border='0px'>If you?ve read through Acts 10, then you?ve pretty much also read through Acts 11, because most of the chapter involves Peter recounting his experience with Cornelius and his vision which Luke tells us about in chapter 10.  Peter recounts the events because he?s been called to account tin vs.2 for having eaten with gentiles, a gross faux pas, not to mention a violation of Hebrew law, for any self- respecting Jew.  Just another case, I suppose, of how we tend to elevate rule following to the level of salvation procuring, and replace God?s intentions for his kingdom to reach all people with an exclusivity that shuts people out.<br><br>Here?s a picture of Caesarea from our trip to Israel, where Peter went in vs. 11.<br><br><img style='width: 528px; height: 350px;' alt='' title='' src='/images/Israel%20for%20blog.JPG' align='middle' border='0px'><br><br>Since most of chapter11 is pretty a much a restatement of chapter 10, I?ll let you review Pastor Mike?s post about chapter 10 rather than wading into it again.  Instead, we?ll just jump to the end, beginning at vs. 19.<br><br>Persecution of Jesus? followers is continuing, causing them to disperse from Jerusalem.  As is often the case from our limited point of view, this might seem to be an unfortunate turn in the fortunes of the disciples and those they have gathered around them.  But from God?s point of view, which is so much bigger than ours in which he is able to see what we cannot, the result was that the gospel was spread even further and more broadly.  Isn?t that the way it goes most often?  We are so quick to label something good or bad based on our perspective, but God has a much grander perspective than do we.  And while He did not necessarily desire his followers to be persecuted, He is big enough to use everything to his purpose.  That, I guess, is worth remembering the next time we?re convinced that the unpleasant situation we find ourselves in can?t possibly have any value.  It?s important to remember that since we can?t see what God can see, we should trust the One who can.<br></div><br>Questions to think about:<br><ol><li>Who might God be calling you to share the message of Jesus with?</li><li>What might you consider to be evidence of the hidden grace and mercy of God at work in your life?</li></ol><br> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=52 (Judy Barnes) Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:27:43 PST Acts Chapter 10 <div style='text-align: justify;'>One of my favorite things is when cultures clash and mix.  The boundaries between different groups are fascinating places.  When I was living in Seattle, I was living in a neighborhood where immigrants would move in, get settled and earn some money and then move some place nicer.  When I was there, the Koreans had established themselves and were moving somewhere nicer and the Ukrainians were moving in.  The interplay between different establishments and cultures was something that had to be seen. <br><br>I still remember the Ukrainian Pentecostals meeting every Thursday night in the chapel of the church where I was interning.  One night us Lutherans were having a meeting at the same time the Ukrainians were having a prayer meeting.  At one point, the Ukrainians started singing in the Spirit and it was like an angelic choir had opened up. We couldn?t understand the words, but the total devotion and excitement that they had in worshiping our Lord was something beyond language. <br><br>In chapter 10 of Acts, we are also seeing the clash of cultures.  First, we meet Cornelius, a centurion. Roman Centurions were experienced soldiers and leaders of a hundred men.  We see in verse 2 that Cornelius was a God-Fearing man.  What that meant was that he was a Gentile, but that he wanted to follow the one true God of the Jews.  He gave to the synagogue and prayed, but could not make the full leap to Judaism.  This was common in this time period.  There were often Gentiles who were attracted to the monotheism of the Jews, but to be fully Jewish, he would have had to become circumcised and not be able to go into the homes of non-Jews or maintain his career in the army.  On the other side, we have Peter. He is Jewish and proud of it.  Normally these two not have much in common. <br><br>But here is where God moves.  First, God tells Cornelius to send men to go fetch Peter from Joppa.  The next day, Peter is praying and he has a vision.  The short version is that God tells Peter to understand that nothing that He has made clean is impure.  This means that God has the power.  As a Jew, Peter was bound by the dietary code of what he could and couldn?t eat.  He couldn?t go into the house of a Gentile. There were very strict rules set about who and what was clean and what wasn?t.  God isn?t changing His mind here.  What He is doing is erasing the distinction between Jews and Gentiles.  Immediately after Peter has this vision, he doesn?t go eat, he meets the three visitors sent by Cornelius.  <br><br>The next day, the four of them truck back to Caesarea and go to the house of Cornelius.  Many things happen, but the main thing is that Cornelius and his household accepts Jesus as their Lord and savior. They get baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. <br><br>What this shows us is that no one is too far from God.  Where we might think that there are barriers to reaching people, God is bigger than those barriers.  There is a two thousand year history of Christian missionaries reaching people with the good news of Jesus.<br><br>Discussion questions<br><br><ol><li>What principles or beliefs do you hold that limit your ability to reach out to people ?different? from your?</li><li>How would others around you feel if you moved beyond those limits?</li><li>What new relationships has God given you recently? </li><li>How has he brought these people into your life?</li><li>Are there things we do that prevent people like Cornelius from coming to church? </li></ol><p><br></p></div><br> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=51 (Judy Barnes) Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:45:53 PST Acts Chapter 9 <div style='text-align: justify;'><img style='margin-right: 4px;' alt='' title='' src='/images/PJBlog.gif' border='0px' align='left'>Sometimes God has to rock your world.  Sometimes God has to throw you off course to get your attention. Sometimes when you are going on your way, and asking God to bless YOUR efforts, God stops you, and gets in your way, and lets you know in no uncertain terms that YOUR efforts and YOUR way have nothing to do with HIS way.<br>    <br>That's what happened to Paul in Acts chapter 9.  God rocked his world.<br><br>When we meet him, Paul is known, not as Paul, but as Saul of Tarsus, which was a town, not of Jews, but of non-Jews ...gentiles.  But Saul took his Jewish faith very seriously, studying under a well known rabbi and becoming a Pharisee himself.  In fact, Paul explains his background for himself in Galatians 1: 'You have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers??   Saul saw his role as being the protector of God's Law, he was to keep everything the same and unchanged, and in his passion for that, he became a murderer.  He instigated the stoning of Stephen ? one of the disciples and nodded in approval (it says in Acts 7) as Stephen crumpled to the ground in his own blood.<br>        <br>It is this Saul, breathing murder, filled with hatred on a self-righteous crusade, who begins his journey to Damascus, because word has it that many of the Jews who have begun to follow Jesus are gathered there.   Saul heads for Damascus, armed with letters that will give him blanket authority to arrest all people who are even suspect of being Christians, both in the synagogue and in their homes.   His effort to persecute is not just impulsive, it is planned and calculated.<br>                <br>And then at noon?. as he is on his way to help out God ?. God rocks his world.   He is thrown to the ground by a light that flashes around him, and he hears a voice saying 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me??<br><br>'Who are you, Lord?? Saul asks with his face in the dirt.  What a tremendous irony...Saul knows this is the Lord...he calls him as such...but recognizes in that blinding moment that he doesn't know who the Lord is.  And then the answer comes: 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.?<br>        <br>Saul, who has invested himself completely, and invested his entire life, in making sure that everything stays the same, finds himself stumbling into the city, blinded by the light, having to be led by the hand, and having to wait to receive instructions. From now on it is God who will tell him what to do, where to go, how to proceed.<br><br>Has God ever rocked your world?<br>    <br>You may never have been thrown to the ground?but has God ever shaken up your circumstances a bit? Maybe you haven't been blinded by a light from heaven, maybe there hasn't been any voice from heaven saying, 'Hey! What are you doing??....but has God ever allowed things to happen in your life that upset the tranquil routine?  Could be they weren't necessarily even very pleasant things. Maybe it even made you ask, like Saul did, 'Who are you, Lord?  Where are you in all of this??<br>    <br>Paul's experience suggests that life with Christ demands change - lifelong, sometimes painful, occasionally dramatic change, and that the most important thing we can do is to expect that God may be using the situations we find ourselves in and the challenges we'd rather avoid as ways to work real transformation in us.  That's what it means to live by faith....to assume that God is up to something of value when things go off kilter in life, to be willing to poke around in the debris for some signs of what God is doing, to refrain from the impulse to reset the thermostat every time we start getting a little uncomfortable.<br><br>Saul wasn't the only one whose world was rocked that day.  So was the world of a man named Ananias. After Saul saw the light, and was led into town, he was blind for three days, and did not eat or drink anything. And God used Ananias to go and lay his hands on Saul?s eyes and heal them. <br>    <br>Ananias wasn?t too sure he wanted to do this at first. And he had a little chat with God about it.  'God?? he says. ' Don?t you know who this is? How many people has he killed? How many saints has he destroyed? I just think we should leave him blind.?  But God doesn't argue, he just says, 'Go?this man is my chosen instrument.? This is the man who will become Paul and write the lion's share of the NT.<br>    <br>So Ananias goes, and in a huge stretch of faith, as he lays his hands on the eyes of this angry Pharisee who had murdered and imprisoned countless people whom he knew and loved, Ananias calls him 'Brother Saul?.  Ananias sees Saul differently. And as scales fall from Brother Saul?s eyes the first thing he sees is Ananias? face.<br>    <br>God allows things to shake us up from time to time, when we get too static, too comfortable.   By moving things around in our lives, by allowing the unpredictable to occur, we are reminded who it is that is ultimately in control. And we get cleaned up from our pride, our self-sufficiency, our tendency to know the plans we have for ourselves.  When has God rocked your world? Maybe you are going through it in some way right now.  But know this: God is really good at using things that rock our world to open our blind eyes, and reveal himself to us, and set us on a new path to a new adventure with him.<br></div><br>Questions to think about:<br><br><ol><li>How does God get your attention?<br><br></li><li>How do you think Saul felt when confronted by Jesus?  What might he have been thinking about during those three days of blindness?<br><br></li><li>Who has been an Ananias figure to you?  Have you been an Ananias figure to someone else?</li></ol>  http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=50 (Judy Barnes) Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:55:22 PST Acts chapter 8, part 2 <DIV align=justify>Acts 8<BR>Part II -- 'Do you understand?.? (Acts 8:26- 40)</DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR><IMG title='' style='WIDTH: 194px; HEIGHT: 268px' height=598 alt='' src='/images/435px-Rembrandt_169.jpg' width=435 align=left border=0>In the last part of the chapter, Luke gives us a totally different story of evangelism. Here, the Spirit directs Philip to an Ethiopian Eunuch riding in his chariot. This gentleman was a high court official, responsible for the treasury. In this context, Ethiopia doesn?t refer to the area we are familiar with today, but the Upper Nile, what today is Southern Egypt and the Sudan. We know he would have been Jewish, either by birth or conversion, because he is reading Isaiah. </DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>As Philip runs alongside the chariot, he hears him reading this passage from Isaiah and asks if he understands what he is reading. This gives us our first two lessons in evangelism. First, pay attention to who the Spirit sends you to. Second, be ready with an answer. When someone asks us a genuine question, we should be ready. Even if we aren?t sure of some point of Biblical doctrine, we need to know why we believe in Jesus. Here Philip does an inspired job of explaining why Isaiah was prophesying about Jesus and why Jesus had to die. I hope and pray that we can give answers like that. </DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>Next, we have to give credit the Ethiopian. He recognizes what Jesus has done asks to be baptized. You got to love that this guy just dives in and doesn?t hold back. Again, I hope and pray that we can all be that we are that uninhibited in following Jesus. </DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>One of the comments that the great theologian, John Calvin made was that there is so little faith today because we are unwilling to be taught. It is tough for us to admit our own ignorance and ask for help. Again, this Ethiopian provides us a great example. </DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>Immediately, the Holy Spirit whisks Philip away. The only other time we see him is a passing mention twenty years later when Paul stays with him and his four daughters who prophesy. </DIV> <DIV><BR>Discussion questions:</DIV> <OL> <LI> <DIV>What is the relationship between divine preparation and human initiative in this story? </DIV></LI> <LI> <DIV> From the way that God sets up opportunities to witness, how does that free you from fears in evangelism?</DIV></LI> <LI> <DIV> Deep down do you feel successful people need Jesus less than poor beggars do? Why or why not?</DIV></LI> <LI> <DIV>Would you know the Bible well enough to address the eunuch?s questions?</DIV></LI> <LI> <DIV> How can you grow in your faith so you will be prepared for similar opportunities? <BR></DIV></LI></OL> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=49 (Judy Barnes) Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:31:21 PST Acts Chapter 8, part 1 Acts 8<br>Part I ? I?d like to buy me some Holy Spirit (Acts 8:1-25) <br><br><div style='text-align: justify;'>At the end of chapter 7, we saw the martyrdom of Stephen and at chapter 8 opens with this ominous statement, 'On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.? (Acts 8:1). <br><br>The rest of the books of Acts tells the story of how the message of Jesus spread. The early Christians were driven out of Jerusalem and the Jewish territories where they were at home. Now, the game has changed. <br><br>We see this first with Philip. We first meet this Philip in Chapter 6, where he is one of the deacons who was asked to bring food to the widows. Now, he leaves Jerusalem and arrives in Samaria and preaches the Gospel. What we see in Samaria is the template for much of what we see in the last three quarters of Acts. A Christian shows up some place unexpected, preaches the word, miracles happen, people convert, and then, trouble happens. <br><br>The first part may be the biggest scandal in this story. Samaria was not a place for Jews to go. As it says in John 4, ?For Jews do not associate with Samaritans?. This centuries-long rift between the Samaritans and the Jews made Philip?s arrival an outrage. But the miracles that happened, and the message of Jesus, brought many to faith. One of the people who believe and get baptized is a magician by the name of Simon. He had done many amazing things over the years, but now he wants to follow Jesus. <br><br>Peter and John arrive and then this is where the story gets really interesting. In verse 17, Peter and John start laying hands on people and praying for the Holy Spirit to enter. When Simon sees this, he offers money for them to lay hands on him so he can have the Holy Spirit and then pass it on to others. The issue is that Simon wants to do this as a money making opportunity. <br><br>There is always the temptation to make God into our house pet. We want him to be trained to do what we want. It has been human nature since Genesis. Peter and John tell him that if he doesn?t repent, it won?t end well for him. <br></div><br>Discussion Questions:<br><br><ol><li> Do you think Simon?s words in Verse 24 reveal a change in heart?<br><br></li><li>What prejudices were you brought up with? How is the Gospel breaking through these in your life?<br><br></li><li>What was your primary motivation in first receiving Jesus as savior? <br><br></li><li>What is your primary motivation in continuing in your faith? <br><br></li><li>How has jealousy of other Christians affected your faith? </li></ol><p><br></p><p> </p><p class='MsoNormal'><a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_169.jpg'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_169.jpg</a></p><p class='MsoNormal'><br></p><p class='MsoNormal'><a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_169.jpg'><br></a></p> <br> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=48 (Judy Barnes) Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:44:20 PST Act Chapter 7 <span style='font-weight: bold;'>Acts 7 -- The Truth is not always well received.</span><br><br><div style='text-align: justify;'>In Acts 2, Peter gets up and gives this powerful sermon on how Jesus was the fulfillment of all the prophecies and how it was the sin and hardheartedness of the people that nailed the long-promised Messiah to the cross. Here in Acts 7, Stephen is hauled before the ruling council and charged with blasphemy. And in response he, like Peter, recounts the history of God?s work. He walks through the movement of God from Abraham, through the patriarchs and Moses to Jesus. <br><br>The rulers have a choice. They can a) repent, believe, and be baptized like the people did on Pentecost, or b) kill Stephen. They go with Option b. And the next thing you know, Stephen is being hauled out and stoned to death. <br><br>This is the first appearance of the man we all know as Paul in the story. He was young at the time and a highly regarded Pharisee. We?ll see his conversion story in Acts 9, but I did want to touch on one point here. A lot of people think that God changed Saul?s name to Paul like he did with Abraham. That isn?t why Saul has two names. He is working in a bilingual society with most people speaking Greek and Hebrew. When he is in Jewish circles, he is known as Saul (first king of Israel). When he is among Greek speakers, he is known as Paul (Shorty). We have a similar thing here where in one context you might be introduced to somebody as Jorge and in another place and time he is George.  Same guy, different context. <br><br>Now, I do want to bring forward a theological point. When Stephen gets stoned, we see the Trinity reflected. In verse 55 and following it says, ?But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  'Look,? he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.? The Trinity is a tricky concept. It takes a lot for us to get our heads around the fact that God is three in one and the Bible doesn?t have many clear places where we see all three persons of the Trinity, but this is one. <br><br>The bigger picture to come back to in this passage is that Stephen is brought before people who can command his death and he is faithful to Jesus. He doesn?t deny who he is and what Jesus has done, even upon pain of death.  <br><br>Come back next week and we will see the message of Jesus spread to the unlikeliest of places. <br><br>Discussion questions:<br><ol><li>Why is it so much easier to get mad at God or, even better, his messenger than to repent? The Pharisees are doing what many of us do, they get mad and lash out. Why do we do this?<br><br></li><li>Do you know the story? At some point, somebody is going to ask you about your faith and do you know the story well enough to tell it? You don?t have to remember what town Abraham was called out of, but you do need to know the basics and be comfortable with it. </li></ol></div><br> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=47 (Judy Barnes) Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:12:44 PST Acts Chapter 6 <DIV align=justify><IMG title='' style='MARGIN-RIGHT: 8px' height=100 alt='' src='/images/PJBlog.gif' width=100 align=left border=0>We?re up to Acts 6 in our weekly blog, and it all sounds oh so familiar. In vs. 1 we get the first instance in the book of the developing rift that is occurring between gentile Christians (Grecian Jews is what it says in the text), and Jewish Christians (Hebraic Jews). This is a struggle that is going to plague the early church throughout the rest of Acts and be reflected in much of the remainder of the New Testament.   It is basically a division between the old guard (Christians from a Jewish background) and some of the new upstarts who are coming into the church (Christians from a non-Jewish background).  In this particular instance, the church has a food distribution program going ? kind of a meals on wheels effort ?  and apparently some people are being neglected.  That doesn?t sit well.  So what do you do when you feel like grandma is getting left out of the church?s ministry?  You go complain to the church council, that?s what you do. </DIV> <DIV align=justify> <BR>And that?s what they did.  In vs 2, the disciples meet and decide, 'We have a problem?.  They can?t do it all?they can?t preach and teach and also wait tables.  They can?t focus on everything at the same time and be effective in any of it.  They can?t write their sermons and simultaneously visit all the shut-ins.  Something has to give.  So here is what they decide:  The twelve will focus on the preaching and teaching, on prayer and the ministry of the word, while others will take on the ministry of visiting and distributing food.    Seems like a wise approach.</DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>In fact it is the way the ministry at CLC is organized.  The fundamental assumption in our congregation is that everyone is a minister, everyone has a ministry, and every ministry is valid.  In order to provide ministry to everyone, we all have to be doing ministry together.  Pastor Mike and I aren?t the hired ministry guns; we do a particular ministry while all members of the congregation are released to do ministry as well.  Therefore, as an example, the major portion of ministry that involves visiting homebound members and bringing them communion is done by members of the congregation who have been trained for that ministry.  It?s not that this ministry is not important enough for the pastors to do, it is that all our many ministries are important, and we all share in them together.  All our people are important and so we organize ourselves with the goal that all our members receive care and attention.   That way we can all focus on the ministries to which we are called and for which we are suited and skilled.  Pastor Mike and I concentrate on some ministries, members of the congregation concentrate on others, and ministry happens throughout the congregation.  It?s all about freeing the church for mission and ministry. </DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>Also, note the result in vs 7: The word of God spread and the number of disciples increased rapidly.  As members of the congregation take their own call to ministry seriously, as more and more members recognize their own call to ministry, the result is growth in the fellowship.  Did you know that CLC is growing?  We have thirty more adults in our current Basics of Faith class.  Worship attendance is up in 2012 by 6% over last year.  You know why?  Because so many people in the congregation are doing their ministry?leading Bible studies, teaching Sunday school, working with youth, organizing women?s retreats, serving meals at, sharing their faith, inviting others to worship.  </DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>Of course when you choose to be bold in your faith and ministry, it sometimes gets you into trouble,  Just ask Stephen in the second half of chapter 6.  He is hauled before the Sanhedrin.  But because God has a sense of humor and apparently loves irony, it simply provides yet another opportunity to witness to Jesus, which Stephen does by uncorking the longest sermon in Acts, in chapter 7.  Even when your faith is challenged, it just gives you yet another opportunity to speak the name of Jesus.</DIV> <DIV align=justify><BR>Questions to think about:</DIV> <OL> <LI> <DIV align=justify> Acts 1:8 is a clear statement of the church?s primary mission.  In what ways do we allow ourselves to get hung up on somewhat incidental issues in the church (6:1-2) such that we lose focus on our primary mission? What are some common distractions to our primary mission?<BR></DIV></LI> <LI> <DIV align=justify>Verse 8 calls Stephen 'a man full of grace and power?.  What two adjectives best describe your life of discipleship?  What would be different if you were 'full of grace and power??<BR></DIV></LI></OL> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=46 (Judy Barnes) Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:46:01 PST Lent FAQ <div style='text-align: justify;'>Instead of our usual walk though Acts, I?d like to take some time to talk about Lent today. We just entered the season of Lent and there are usually two questions that people have about Lent. I was planning on addressing one of these in my sermon last night, but things went in a different direction.<br><br><span style='font-weight: bold;'>1.  Do I have to give something up? Why do people give up things? </span><br><div style='margin-left: 40px;'>Often, I?ll hear people talk about giving up something they really like so they can feel miserable during Lent. So they deprive themselves of a pleasure like coffee, chocolate or the original Star Wars.  The unspoken assumption is that if we are miserable, we are closer to God. That isn?t true. I mean, if you really want to make yourself feel miserable, feel free to go shell out $12 for the Phantom Menace in 3D. It is your money after all. But it won?t bring you any closer to God. <br></div><br><div style='margin-left: 40px;'>The point of giving something up is to make room for a new spiritual discipline. This year I am giving up reading the <a href='http://online.wsj.com/home-page'>newspaper</a> for Lent. Part of my daily routine has been to read a real newspaper for as long as I can remember. But lately, I?ve noticed that when I read the news, it is not good for my spirit. When I read everything related to government, the economy, and the election, it puts me in a foul mood. So, I?ve suspended my delivery for the next forty days so I can make room for other spiritual disciplines. Ideally, we should be trying to do this all the time, but Lent is ideal for it. <br></div><br><div style='margin-left: 40px;'>If you want to give up something for Lent, there are two things to keep in mind. First, remember that Jesus said that the Sabbath was created to serve man, not the other way around (<a href='http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%202:27-28&version=NIV1984'>Mark 2:27-28</a>). If you are giving up something, make sure that it helps draw you closer to Jesus. If not, why are you doing it? Also, know that if you are being really traditional, the 40 days of Lent are counted Monday to Saturday with Sunday being a feast day. So, if you gave up good scifi, you can still watch Doctor Who on Sundays, after church, of course. <br></div><br><span style='font-weight: bold;'>2.  Where did Lent come from? </span><br><div style='margin-left: 40px;'>The first reference of Lent come from Irenaeus (d. 203) writing Pope St. Victor I, back in the second century. Lent is one of the first regularly celebrated parts of the church year. The Church would use the time of Lent to fast, pray and get ready for Easter.  The current form of Lent that we practice goes back to the 300?s with the Forty Days being counted back from Easter. <br><br>If you grew up in a more Evangelical tradition, you probably didn?t celebrate Ash Wednesday or mark Lent in any way. This was because a major section of American Christianity reacted to a lot of high church traditions of Catholicism and threw out everything good and bad. I had a brother in Christ down in Texas, who grew up in a non-denomination tradition. Once I asked, ?have you ever been to a Good Friday service?? He looked at me perplexed, ?uhh, yeah, no, wait, a what?? <br> <p class='MsoListParagraph'>For more information, check <a href='http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0527.html'>here</a> or <a href='http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/lent.html'>here</a>.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  </span></p><br></div><span style='font-weight: bold;'>3.  Bonus Question: Why is Easter when it is?</span><br><div style='margin-left: 40px;'>Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. So, it can be anywhere between March 22 and April 25th. This has been the tradition since 325 and is that way because is based on the way Passover was determined. Passover, Easter, and the Eastern Orthodox Easter are all based on different variations of the same thing, so they can be the same week or totally different.<br></div></div><br><br><br> http://www.come2christ.com/blog/post.cfm?e=45 (Judy Barnes) Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:48:08 PST