Ed Stetzer - Mapping America: Wherever God Has Sent You

Great tool for knowing the people around our church

Ed Stetzer - Mapping America: Wherever God Has Sent You

My Top Ten Theology and Church Stories from 2010 – The Gospel Coalition Blog

A good read!!!!
My Top Ten Theology and Church Stories from 2010 – The Gospel Coalition Blog

Baptist Press - Groups target Super Bowl sex trafficking - News with a Christian Perspective

This is an example of Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? ” (Micah 6:8, ESV) Praise the Lord for these groups.
Baptist Press - Groups target Super Bowl sex trafficking - News with a Christian Perspective

Good stuff, Church!

Acts 29 Network: Seattle, WA >

http://mnnonline.org/article/15071

Tragic death of a young Christian girl who refused to deny Jesus. Pray for her parents and family

http://mnnonline.org/article/15071

Why is X Used when it Replaces Christ in Christmas? by R.C. Sproul | Ligonier Ministries Blog

We tend to get bent out of shape over things we know little about.
Why is X Used when it Replaces Christ in Christmas? by R.C. Sproul | Ligonier Ministries Blog

True Social Justice by Eric Vaughn

This guy uses the medium of poetry/rap to express TRUTH!!! Incredible

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - ...

This video truly shows the common grace of God

International Mission Board :: Pray

This is an amazing testimony to the compassion and power of God and His faithfulness at work through His humble saints! International Mission Board :: Pray

Invitation to a Bible Study

You are invited to join our men's bible study beginning this Sunday @ 5pm at the Church.

A group of men have been meeting for some time on Sunday nights to study the book of Genesis. It has been a fruitful study, but we have decided to change course for a few weeks and embark on a book study that relates to living out our Christian faith in our ever-growing secular world.

The video series that I have chosen to use is based on the book, "How Should We Then Live?" by the late Christian thinker/apologist, Francis Schaeffer. This study includes 10 different episodes (25-30 minutes each), with each episode looking at a different era of history, beginning with the Roman age. In each video Dr. Schaeffer's intention is to demonstrate how a Christian world-view (a way of thinking about the world) is essential for possessing an understanding about the meaning of our lives.

As Christians we encounter people everyday who exist without knowing that TRUTH exists. So many people wonder aimlessly through life; subject to whatever the current philosophy of life may happen to be; without ever having any significant reason for their existence. But the Bible testifies to the glorious fact that meaning and truth are ultimately discovered in knowing Jesus Christ, who is, "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." In each of the 10 lessons, using a significant era in history, Schaeffer will show the futility of trying to find meaning in life apart from God

We will plan to meet for 10 weeks corresponding to the 10 lessons (taking December 26 and January 2 off) Each study will last approximately 1 hour. We will begin at 5pm, watch the video, and then conclude with a discussion of the video material. A study guide will be provided.

Please feel free to invite anyone else that you think might be interested.

God bless,

Pastor David Gibbs

Perfection is measured in Grace

Our willingness to extend grace to others is a measure of our perfection. Unlike most whose claim to perfection is associated with the doing of good things or the abstaining of doing bad things, the one who is to be perfect like His heavenly Father is to demonstrate this perfection through loving, not merely those who are lovable, but especially through loving those who possess no "lovable" qualities. Do I pray for my enemies, for the one who criticizes my efforts, or the efforts of my family; for the one who refuses to acknowledge me or who treats me with contempt; for the one who has robbed me and refused to admit it; for the one who is despised? Jesus shows us that it is the character of the heavenly Father to love; that His perfection is demonstrated in His love for His enemies. We, as His children, are to be no less; we are to show grace; to love our enemies; and in doing so we will reflect the perfect nature of our heavenly Father.

Neither eyes or hands, but heart that's the issue

Reading from Matthew 5:27-30 I was struck by the verse relating to adultery beginning in the heart. It appeared to me, for the first time (for those who have seen this, please pardon my weakness in thought) that when Jesus says if the eye or the hand is the real reason for the sin, then be rid of them, that he was, for lack of a better term, being sarcastic. He had already said that the issue was the heart. It appears to me that he mentions the eye and hand to demonstrate the severity of the issue. Even if one eye or one hand were removed, still one of each would remain. The heart, the heart, the heart must be removed, must be remade. That is his point. We lust because our heart is corrupt. Jesus has come to give us a new heart Jer 31:33. Thankful for salvation, for without it, not only would I loose my eyes and hands in hell, but I fear my entire soul, as well.

Philip Yancey: A Living Stream in the Desert | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Please take time to read this wonderful article. The Gospel truly does transform. Let us trust Jesus and live to His glory

Philip Yancey: A Living Stream in the Desert | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

China Prints 80 Millionth Bible; Demands Not Met | Christianpost.com

What an awesome testimony, but still more needs to be done! Let's continue to pray for the believers in China and that the government of China would loosen restrictions on the publication and distribution of the Bible.

China Prints 80 Millionth Bible; Demands Not Met | Christianpost.com

Christian Pakistani Woman Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy | Christianpost.com

We must always remember that to be a follower of Christ comes at a great cost. For some it means premature death through injustice; for others it means a lifetime of surrendering our own wants and needs in service to our Lord!

Christian Pakistani Woman Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy | Christianpost.com

The Apocalypse by Keith Mathison | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org

Helpful thoughts toward gaining a biblical understanding of Revelation

The Apocalypse by Keith Mathison | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org

How essential is a college degree?

Is university really such a good thing? I spent three years learning to be a Trot - Mail Online - Peter Hitchens blog

A Feast Fit for the King | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Thoughtful article providing a Christian response to the current debate over what constitutes responsible eating A Feast Fit for the King | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Wired for Intimacy | Challies Dot Com

An article suggesting that this book needs to be read by men

Wired for Intimacy | Challies Dot Com

Nation & World | Massacre shatters Christians in Iraq | Seattle Times Newspaper

Heartbreaking article! I fear this is not the way to win a nation to democracy

Nation & World | Massacre shatters Christians in Iraq | Seattle Times Newspaper

Delivered from the power of power

How does our faith in Christ deliver us from the existing power structures? Do we fight with the weapons of the world? Do we strive for the power that the world lusts after? Do our hopes for escape from all that is despairing and futile in this fallen world ultimately rest in the acquisition of dominance? These are questions that demand an adequate answer. Think about the world in which we live. If we think about the powers that control how things operate and how decisions are made and how plans are carried through we will discover, without much effort that the power behind it all, is the power, not of faith, but of force. What gets the attention of the world is force. Force is symbolized in a variety of ways; perhaps the most ancient of symbols is that of physical size. All the way back to the days of ancient Israel we learn that the Israelite people desired to have a king of their own, because this was the practice of the other nations around them. The primary quality that the people were looking for in their future king was physical size. Saul, we are told from scripture, was a man who literally stood head and shoulder above his countrymen. So, even though Saul’s character left much to be desired, he was chosen (by the people) to become Israel’s first official king.

This same bias is revealed in the New Testament as well. The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the church in Corinth, must defend his ministry against those within the church who were suspicious of the credibility of Paul due to his apparent unimpressive stature. “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” (2 Cor. 10:10 NASB) Even today, those who have an impressive physical presence are often hurried to the front of the leadership line simply because physical size suggests definite power. This weakness in our thinking does not end with physical size in humans. It certainly translates to every facet of our existence. Bigger budgets, bigger homes, bigger governments, bigger militaries, bigger schools, bigger businesses, all suggest dominant power.

So, reading the Bible, and specifically the book of Ephesians, one is confronted with an enormous paradigm shift in terms of this presumptuous understanding of power. One verse will do to make this point, “…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Eph. 5:2 NASB)

“A fragrant aroma,” this inspired comment by Paul suggests that all of mankind’s willful and ignorant attempts at offerings and sacrifices in the name of and for the purpose of acquiring salvation from their perpetual and futile existence have been a nauseating scent into the holy nostrils of God. The Lord God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, has never been impressed with the offerings and sacrifices of sinful people, under the false premise of gaining and using power, in order to achieve victory over the power of death. This premise has been used throughout history as a means to justify some of the most heinous of crimes against humanity. Every war that has ever been declared and fought has no doubt been justified as a necessary action in the name of deliverance. Yet, what we see in Jesus Christ is a willingness to “give himself up” to the powers that be in order to make known the superiority of the power of God.

This is the paradigm shift, namely that God has called his people to serve Him through faith in His power rather than serving the world’s system through fear of its power. If Christ had responded in fear to the power that Pilate wielded, he would have compromised his faith in the Father and “cut a deal” in order to protect himself from the dominating power of suffering and death. But the power of God is infinitely greater than any power on earth. The Scriptures tell us that the power of God is infinitely greater than worldly power, because this inferior power can only end life; but the power that God has is so great that He can actually raise a corpse to life that has been in the grave 1 hour or 1000 years.

If we are to live in this world and be the witnesses for Jesus Christ then we must live by the power that comes through faith in His name. If we do this then we will not be a people manipulated and controlled by the emotion of fear, but will be a people whose confidence in God is so great that we know that whatever power we face the power of God is ultimately superior. Let us be willing, like our Savior, to even give ourselves up to God in order that our offerings and sacrifices would be a pleasing aroma to

Christianity.com - Blogs - Conversations with Your Favorite Pastors, Authors, Theologians, Speakers

Christianity.com - Blogs - Conversations with Your Favorite Pastors, Authors, Theologians, Speakers

Interesting article dealing with the popularity among young "evangelicals" who may find serving the needs of the poor, much easier and acceptable in the eyes of the world, than planting churches and preaching the exclusiveness of Christ.

Christianity.com - Blogs - Conversations with Your Favorite Pastors, Authors, Theologians, Speakers

Christianity.com - Blogs - Conversations with Your Favorite Pastors, Authors, Theologians, Speakers

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Touchstone Archives: Grave Signs

Touchstone Archives: Grave Signs

Receive to BE!!!

While working on a series of messages from the book of Acts I was struck by the words of Jesus to the 11 Apostles just moments before His ascension on the Mount of Olives. The Lord says in verse eight, "...you will RECEIVE power...and you shall BE My witnesses..." It dawned on me that what Jesus was saying should not be all that surprising. Consider anyone who is accomplished in any field, like, for example, a chef. To BE a chef, one must first RECEIVE proper training, i.e., power. This training comes through various means. The chef to BE may have grown up around parents trained as cooks. Perhaps they received an education from an excellent culinary school. Or they may have simply trained themselves through the rigorous and tedious process of trial and error. Either way, this chef, received power from someone or something outside of himself that made possible his new identity.

This would be true on any level. It would even be true for someone who ends up BEING a fool. The fool has received the power of his appointment through the agency of someone or something that is, at the core, foolish. Consider someone who is idle, for example. The life of inactivity and non-productiveness was empowered by some set of core beliefs or values learned somewhere. Often times this "training" comes from the environment from which one is raised, but not always. It can also be received from certain companions that one has chosen to spend a good deal of time with. Either way, what it is that a person becomes, whether productive or unproductive is the result of what the person has received before hand. In other words, a person is, what a person receives.

Now, the Lord emphatically stated that His disciples "would be" (would become) His witnesses only after they had received power from the Holy Spirit. Approximately 10 days after saying this, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Christ and they engaged in the activity of witnessing to the masses about Christ. They became...after they had received. What is so important to note is that the coming of the Spirit was not contingent upon the anxiety, activity, planning or cleverness of the disciples. What these humble men and women were doing before being filled with the Spirit, and certainly after, was praying together. Luke records in Acts 1:14, "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women..." (NASB). That is it! They were getting to know one another on a deeper level and they were getting to know their God through the practice of prayer.

What an image for those of us today, who would like to be thought of as disciples of Christ and as witnesses for Christ. The lives of these first century Christians were stripped down to the bare essentials, and the essentials were simply to love God and to love one another. Whatever else they might need to fill their time with was never the primary concern. They had received into their very beings the life of God; as a result they had become the very witnesses of His gospel. They had received what God offered, namely, Himself. Consequently, they had become His sons and daughters who would carry his message of forgiveness and salvation to the entire world.

What is getting in our way of receiving from God? Do our schedules make room for private prayer, not to mention corporate prayer? How do we understand our daily responsibilities? Are we working to make a kingdom for ourselves, our families, or our legacy? Or are we concerned only with bringing glory to God and to His Son Jesus Christ? Each of our lives and the activities that we are engaged in tell a story; it is either the story of sinful self, which receives power and inspiration from this fallen world to bear witness to our own glory, or it is the story of redeemed self, which receives power and inspiration from the Holy Spirit to bear witness to Jesus Christ.

Let us receive from God, that we would become His witnesses to the world!

The Lord Reigns

“The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad.” (Ps., 97:1; NLT) Jesus Christ is King and all of Creation is to rejoice and be glad! There is so much that meets the eye and ear to sharply refute this brash claim. One only needs to think of the devastation in Haiti for a poignant example. However, the writer of Psalm 97 lived in the context of much injustice and devastation and even though the exact Author and date of this Psalm are not certain, what is certain is that the nation of Israel, throughout their history, was no stranger to suffering. So why would a writer from Israel make such a claim that Yahweh (The LORD) is KING?

The reason is because no matter where or to what extent injustice seemed to be the prevailing rule, wherever justice broke in and intervened on behalf of the victims, those faithful to Yahweh, like this Psalmist, understood that any and all justice was due to the Lord’s action. It is true that injustice in our world, regardless of the era, is the product of those wielding a temporary power, determined to deny God reverence and honor while positioning themselves to overthrow God and lay claim to His throne. These fabricated, self-appointed rulers, whose heart is blackened by sin, know nothing of the heart of God and therefore they care not for the creation of God except how they might manipulate and use it to gratify the lusts of their own flesh. In the wake of such self-aggrandizement innocent people, to say nothing of the rest of God’s creation, are subjected to all kinds of cruelty, injustice and death. Even a very small study into the history of man is surely enough to ratify this claim. So what does this mean?

The Lord is, as He has always been, KING! As Christians we cannot look at the injustice in the world and draw the conclusion that God is only partially in control, or that He is King of Heaven only, or that He is merely the King of the future who will take the throne only after this world has been destroyed. No, God, even Jesus Christ, is KING forever and always, from eternity past to eternity future. We must believe and trust in our King even when, or especially when, the world around us appears to be subject to some diabolical ruler.

One of the most difficult questions that a Christian will face is the question related to the origin and presence of evil. This question might be worded like this, “If God is in total control and is all-powerful and He is good, then why is there evil and why does He allow people to suffer?” Responses to this or similar questions have been offered by a number of Christians throughout history. One such response can be found in a book that I am currently reading titled, “The Reason for God,” by Timothy Keller. While, Keller does an excellent job being sensitive to the nature of the question and the questioner, he boldly claims that humans are very limited in their understanding, in comparison to the understanding of God, which is limitless and perfect. (I would encourage everyone to read his book or at least this chapter.)

From my own reading and understanding I would summarize my response to this question in the following way: God, in his infinite wisdom, allows for evil, even evil that is precipitated through the freedom of human beings. While God does not endorse such evil and rebellion (GOD forbid!) His attributes, such as, goodness, grace, mercy, kindness, patience and love, can be experienced with acute awareness from the midst of such darkness. This is why those suffering in unimaginable ways in Haiti (or anywhere in the world, for that matter) today can testify that Jesus is King, because He has intervened in their madness and injustice to bring them civility and justice. He is bringing to them the rule of His Kingdom, namely justice, mercy and love and He is bringing it through His very people who offer themselves as His active agents.

This is why we can join the Psalmist in singing out that, “The Lord reigns!” He is on His throne. There is an hour of darkness when the devil appears to be supreme and his rule seems to be final. But it is not so! Jesus gave himself to the powers of darkness in the hour of darkness, in order to demonstrate that He is truly KING! He confronted the very face of injustice, evil and death, only to rise from the grave three days later, victorious. JESUS REIGNS! LET US TELL THE WORLD THAT JESUS REIGNS!

His Happy Citizen, Pastor Gibbs

Luke 9:28-32 Prayer

I thought i'd share my thoughts while reading the Scriptures. Kind of a transparent personal journal. My personal journal is filled with many reflections on the Psalms, because I find it to be a great way to begin the day to read a Psalm and then write a few comments down. however, I'm not limited to the Psalms. In fact, I am working my way through the Gospel of Luke, have preached two sermons this year from chapter nine, and decided to share some reflections on my way through. So, for anyone gracious enough to read on...many blessings!

It is while Jesus is on the mountain, praying that his appearance is transformed. Those talking with him are Moses and Elijah, who, although I believe were present physically, and not just metaphorically, represented the Old Testament Scriptures, i.e., the Law and the Prophets. Is there a lesson hear about prayer that is consistent with the context of the passage? I believe that there is. Peter, James and John are asleep while Jesus is praying and visiting with Moses and Elijah. Jesus has been transformed during prayer while having a spirited and invigorating conversation with the Word of God through the very personal agents of Moses and Elijah. Might this bring to us a stinging conviction that in prayer true transformation of our selves takes place, and communication with God becomes substantive and ethereal?

In this same passage we find three of the more well-known disciples, asleep. Only after becoming fully awake do they see the glory of Jesus! This is no slight matter. When their slumber has been overcome and their spirits enlivened they see Jesus in His glory. We sleep because we are overcome in the shadow of this world. Sorrow, worry, anxiety, despair and physical activity take there toll on us and we are overcome. Our condition, however has no bearing on the truth of God. Jesus is glorified! Jesus is Holy! Jesus is Mighty! Jesus is Savior! Jesus will not fail or be overcome by this world! He had physically endured everything that Peter, James and John had endured, so his reason to need sleep was as great as theirs. But, his reason to stay awake, fueled by his faith in his Father, overcame his need for sleep. It was in this hour of prayer that his Father supplied him with great encouragement through Moses and Elijah, no doubt related to the truth of God, as it has been recorded in the Old Testament. Jesus was renewed through the Word of God, and it was the message of God and His faith in it, that preceded his Transfiguration.

This is what the disciples awaken to...the glory of Jesus Christ. However, it would take some time for them, some struggles, some failures for them to understand the necessity and power of prayer. For in prayer we all come to see the glory of Christ. In this vision our faith is renewed, our focus is clarified and our purpose becomes clear. I suppose, though, we are not unlike these three men, who will use many precious moments to sleep rather than be renewed in prayer.

May it please God to bring to pass in the lives of His children, even this child, a sharper sense of the value and glory of substantive prayer, fueled by the hearing of God's word and the believing in God's word.