"Strangers"

Here’s the video we used Sunday to illustrate the power of friendship, even among “strangers.”

1). Find a Timothy. To whom in your sphere of influence do you believe the Holy Spirit is leading you to “add value”? 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (NIV)

2). Enlist an Epaphroditus. Friendship deepens through service. Philippians 2:25, “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.” (NIV) With whom will you seek to partner in ministry?

3). Invest in a Euodia. Despite the quarrel inhibiting their effectiveness for the gospel, Paul sees great potential in Euodia and Syntyche and challenges those more mature to “help these women.” (Philippians 4:2-3). To whom do you believe the Holy Spirit is leading you to invest?

Fight for Joy: Genuine Friendship (Philippians 4:21-23) Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Dig Deeper

In Philippians 4:21 Paul writes, “The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings.” There were seasons during Paul’s imprisonment and trials that we was abandoned, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me…” (2 Timothy 4:16). Because Paul tirelessly invested in those around him so that he was seldom alone. He even declared earlier in this letter, “it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” (Philippians 1:13)

In these last two verses before his doxology in verse 23, Paul sent greetings to the Philippians from three groups of people. How are these three groups a model for the relationships every Christian ought to pursue?

1. “All God’s people” 

1 Timothy 3:15--

Galatians 6:10--

2. “The brothers and sisters who are with me”

2 Timothy 2:2--

Acts 18:24-26--

3. “Those who belong to Caesar’s household”

Romans 16:15--

Acts 2:42-43, 5:42--

Application

How is the Holy Spirit leading you to fight for joy through the pursuit of like-minded unity within your church family? Do you have a Christian friend of whom you’d exclaim, “I have no one else like him/her?” If not, what do you sense God leading you to do? Is there a “co-worker” with whom Holy Spirit is leading you to partner in ministry? With whom is the Holy Spirit leading you to invest?

Memorize This

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. NIV

2014 Upward Basketball Highlight Video

Thank you Steve, Megan, Andy, Karen and the entire Upward team for a GREAT season!

Glorious Christ

On Sunday Justin & his team introduced us to Glorious Christ. Enjoy!! For the music visit Sovereign Grace Music here.

 

VERSE 1
The radiance of the Father
Before the dawn of time
You spoke and all creation came to be
The molecules and planets
Reveal Your great design
And every one was made so we could see
So we could see

CHORUS
You are the glorious Christ
The greatest of all delights
Your power is unequaled
Your love beyond all heights
No greater sacrifice
Than when You laid down Your life
We join the song of angels
Who praise You day and night
Glorious Christ

VERSE 2
You left the air of heaven
To breathe the dust of earth
And dwell among the outcast and the poor
You came to be forsaken
And died to take our curse
So You could be our joy forevermore
Forevermore

BRIDGE
You’re seated now in heaven
Enthroned at God’s right hand
You’ve shattered death and freed us
From our fears
And though we cannot see You
You’re coming back again
And all will be made right when You appear
And all will be made right when You appear

Content & Generous: The Example of George Muller

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”—George Muller

George Muller is one of the greatest examples I can think of in fighting for joy thru contentment and generosity. George Muller was born in Prussia on September 27, 1805. His father was a collector of taxes and George seemed to inherit his father’s ability with figures. Reading the Scriptures following his conversion to Christ Muller was impressed by the many recurring statements of Jesus for us "to ask." At this point in Muller’s life he and his wife launched into a daring experiment. First, they gave away all of their household goods. The next step was even more daring, he refused all regular salary from the small mission he had been serving. He then set out to establish an orphan home to care for the homeless children of England.

 

Fight for Joy: (Philippians 4:10-20) Questions for Reflection and Discussion

As Paul nears the end of his letter he again thanks the Philippians for their financial gifts and sending of Epaphroditus. The participation of the Philippians in Paul’s life and ministry provides an opportunity for him to teach on the importance of contentment and generosity in the fight for joy.

What do the following Scriptures reveal about the relationship between contentment and God’s provision?

1 Timothy 6:7-10--

Hebrews 13:5--

Psalm 107:8-9, 145:16--

Isaiah 58:9-11--

Paul declares in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” How is generosity an act of faith for the Christian who is convinced God will supply all their needs?

What insights about the relationship between generosity and joy are revealed in the following Scriptures?

Acts 20:35--

2 Corinthians 8:2-3--

1 Chronicles 20:13-14--

1 Samuel 1:27-28--

Application

Two specific ways the Philippians partnered with Paul in the Gospel was through prayer and financial generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). How is the Holy Spirit leading you to greater partnership in the Gospel?

Memorize This

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. NKJV

Fight for Joy: (Philippians 4:8-9) Questions for Reflection and Discussion

In his book Your Mind Matters, theologian John Stott affirms, “Opinions are stronger than armies.” Philippians 4:8 reveals a great weapon  in the Christ-follower’s fight for joy: our thoughts, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (KJV, emphasis added).

According to the following Scriptures, to what are believers to focus their thoughts?

Deuteronomy 6:6-7--

Joshua 1:8--

Psalm 1:1-2; 107:43; 119:11--

1 Samuel 12:24--

Romans 12:1-2; 13:14--

Colossians 3:2-4--

1 Peter 1:13-14; 4:1--

2 Peter 3:1-2--

What instruction, caution or warning do the following Scriptures give regarding our thoughts?

 Isaiah 55:8-9; Psalm 92:5; 1 Corinthians 1:18-21--

2 Corinthians 10:5; Colossians 2:8--

Application

Make a list of the eight virtues listed in Philippians 4:8. How is the Holy Spirit leading you to “think on these things?”

Memorize This

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. NKJV

Newsboys We Believe Tour Coming to NMBC April 27th

Newsboys – We Believe Tour is coming to New Monmouth Baptist Church on Sunday April 27th at 7:00 pm. Get ready to experience the Newsboys in an intimate venue, up close and personal with special guests Rapture Ruckus and 7eventh Time Down. These shows WILL sell out, so grab your tickets soon! For $27.50 more, get the VIP experience – a meet and greet with the band plus a special gift from the Newsboys. Proceeds go to Compassion International.

Order tickets online here.

David Wise Testimony

"I think being a good husband
and father is more important than
to be a great skier." David Wise

Yesterday I used as an example of someone living out his "citizenship in heaven" (Philippians 3:20) Olympian  David Wise.Wise is a 23-year-old husband, father and youth pastor and now Gold Medalist Olympian.  The Times describes him as "counterculture to the counterculture described by his competitors as "vanilla.".  He is the undude."  He agrees: "People kind of look at me as the black sheep.  I don't necessarily live the lifestyle that goes along with skiing."

Wise is a regular speaker at Fellowship of Christian Athletes' events in and around Reno, Nevada. You can read his testimony Wing and a Prayer here.

Youth Pastor Wins Olympic Gold  by Jim Denison is ideal for family devotions.

Read the Denver Post's article David Wise, halfpipe aerialist, remains grounded in faith here. Below is Wise's interview with Sports Illustrated following his winning the gold at Sochi.


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Think Like a Missionary--

Think Like a Missionary

This morning we welcomed our Global Mission Partner Christophe whose family is planting a church in northern France. Not all of us can pick up and move to another city or nation, but every Christ-follower is called to think missionally about the community he or she lives.

Missionaries are individuals called by God to carry across lines of culture the good news (Gospel) of love, freedom and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. Missionaries leave the security, familiarity and comfort of their home so that they can impact others for Jesus Christ. God calls some of His people to leave their culture for other towns, cities or nations to be sent out into the world. Consider the following examples of believers in both the Old and New Testament who were sent out and away from their home. How did each receive their “call” and to whom were they sent?

2 Kings 17:27-28--

Jonah 1:1-2, 3:1-2--

Mark 1:2-4--

Luke 9:1-6--

Acts 16:6-10; Galatians 2:7-9--

Acts 18:24--

Acts 26:15--

All believers are called to share the gospel and think missionally about the culture in which
they live. What do the following Scriptures reveal about this call? What is our motivation?

1 Chronicles 16:23-24--

Psalm 96:2-3--

Isaiah 6:1-10--

Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15 and Acts 1:8--

John 20:21--

Application

In John 20:21 Jesus commands, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” How is the
Holy Spirit leading you to think missionally in your home, neighborhood and workplace?
Read 1 Corinthians 9:11-14 and Colossians 4:3. How are you being led to support our local and global missionaries?

Thoughts about youth sports on Sundays

An increasing number of youth sporting events
 and practices take place on Sunday mornings.

I recently received this email message from a dad who was struggling over the prevalence of youth sports on Sunday, “I’d like to get more involved (in ministry) eventually, and I don’t want to make sports before church in the lives of my kids, but I’m not sure what else to do.  I am praying on this...it’s a struggle.” Pastor and Newark, NJ native Martin Odom wrote in the Patriot-News, “It concerns me that many of the sports enterprises for young people in our area hold the majority of their contests on Sunday mornings. I don’t know when Sunday morning became the optimal time for football games and soccer matches, but it keeps many young people out of church on Sundays.” Read the rest of his op-ed here.

Ultimately each family must settle on their own convictions (see Romans 14:4-6). Some will come to the same conviction as Olympian Eric Liddell did, “God made countries; God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And I for one intend to keep it that way.” Read more about Eric Liddell in a family-friendly devotional format here.

Caz McCaslin, the director of Upward Sports in a blog post yesterday suggested some families viewing Sunday morning as “their personal ministry outlet.”  McCaslin writes,

Churchgoing families missing church to attend their kids’ sporting events on Sundays IS a problem…but it’s not nearly as big a problem as all of the families that don’t attend a Bible-believing church at all.

If they won’t come to church with us, then we are commanded to BE the Church to them! I believe God is providing our church member families with an opportunity to use their gifts and talents in sports to share the love of Jesus at those events. 

Read Caz McCaslin’s blog post Youth Sports on Sundays: A Paradigm Shift here.

What are your thoughts?

What would it look like for us to train, pray over, send and celebrate families whose “mission field” is their child’s athletic field?

Friend Sunday, March 30, 2014

Bring a Friend to Friend Sunday March 30th at 9:00 or 10:45!

When life gets too busy—with work, children's activities, even church—it's easy to let relationships take a back seat. But friends are an important part of our lives, and having a supporting group of friends can make life's challenges easier. Even Jesus had 12 friends He did life together with! How about you? Do you have great friends or just great acquaintances? Learn how to be a better friend and build deeper relationships on March 30th during Friend Sunday! This special service is dedicated to welcoming friends to our church, celebrating friendships, and discovering what it means to be a true friend. We will be taking time to learn about various kinds of friendships that can help carry us through life’s trials, celebrate life’s joys, and make life’s journey more meaningful. So invite someone to come with you—it's the friendly thing to do! 

Fight for Joy: Think on these things... (Philippians 4:1-9) Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Dig Deeper

In Philippians 4:4 the Apostle Paul declares, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Here, as New Testament scholar Todd Still observes, “Their rejoicing is to be Christological (“in the Lord”) and continual (“always”). Professor Still suggests Paul’s motivation came from Psalm 34:1, “I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips” (HCSB). Read Psalm 34:1-22. What additional clues suggest Paul might have received motivation from this Psalm? What encouragement does this Psalm offer to
“rejoice in the Lord always”?

In Philippians 4:8 Paul lists eight virtues upon which his readers are to mediate. According to the following Scriptures, in what ways does Christ fulfill these virtues?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7--

Galatians 5:22-23--

Colossians 3:12-15--

Application

Invest time this week meditating on Philippians 4:8. In what specific ways it the Holy Spirit
leading you to choose joy?

Memorize This

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. NKJV