2011

12 Ways you can serve in 2012

Dec/31/2011 10:29 AM Filed in: 2012

We serve God by serving others, right? And with the new year upon us, people are looking for new ways to be used by God in others’ lives. Here are just 12 ways you can serve God by serving in the church in the new year.

1. Bring supplies for children's crafts on Sun
2. Join the Sunday Setup crew
3. Volunteer 1x mo in Kidmo or Lil’ K
4. Join the worship team (we need instrumentalists!)
5. Seamless Summer
6. Join the Hospitality team to serve coffee, greet, and smile.
7. Deliver clothes to schools with BRANCH Ministry
8. Join our Tech Team
9. Be a Disciple Now host home in March
10. Give regularly
11. Sponsor a kid for Camp
12. Special event volunteer: Easter, Christmas, etc.

Choosing to Cheat

Dec/17/2011 10:55 PM

Who are you cheating?

You love your family. You love the challenges of your job. But there’s not enough of you to go around. Somebody isn’t getting as much of your attention as they want or deserve.

This little book presents a strategic plan for resolving the tension between work and home—reversing the destructive pattern of giving to your company and career what belongs to your family.

But be forewarned...you will have to cheat.

Making Space

Dec/11/2011 04:34 PM Filed in: Christmas | Series | Message

You might have noticed that it’s been nearly two months since my last blog entry… Been really busy the last little while. You know how it goes, right? I just tend to get caught up in too much stuff sometimes.
makespace1

It’s kind of an ironic situation… MAKING SPACE is what our Christmas series is all about. Sherry told me this afternoon that “this series seems like it is for you as much as it is for anyone else.” She’s right. To be honest, this wasn’t the original series at all. In fact, I had been so overloaded lately, that I had intended to preach through a book about a different topic during these three weeks to reduce the load on my personal schedule. But God very clearly led me in a different direction. This is definitely a series about a topic that I haven’t fully worked out in my own life, and I suspect there are many others out there that struggle with the same issue. I hope this series is a blessing to you this season. You can get the series right here.

Shift your prayer life

Oct/16/2011 07:26 AM Filed in: rewritten | Ephesians | Message | Sunday

For this morning’s message in Ephesians, we’re looking at how Paul the apostle prayed for the church. I thought it would be helpful to link back to an older message on the basics of prayer, so here it is!

SHIFT: Prayer

Blessings Delivered in Christ!

Oct/08/2011 11:50 AM Filed in: rewritten | Ephesians

Isn’t it great to know that God has already delivered to us EVERY spiritual blessing?? IN CHRIST, we have been given ALL that we ever will need.

blessingsdelivered

Ephesians 1 describes these blessings very nicely… Among them, we are chosen, graced, redeemed, reconciled, destined, and sealed! I love the fact that in HIM, we have been given all we need, and in Him, we lack nothing.

It’s not like we have to hope or wish or pray or somehow earn every spiritual blessing. We HAVE BEEN GIVEN them ALL! Many Christians think that growing in Christ means earning more and more of these blessings over the course of their life. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Maturing as a Christian means GROWING INTO the blessings that I ALREADY HAVE in CHRIST!

Colossians 1:11-14 tells us that I have already been qualified, already been delivered, already been transferred, already been redeemed, and I’ve already been forgiven!

God doesn’t withhold his blessings for us. ALL are delivered freely in Christ.

Reading Ahead

Sep/21/2011 10:18 AM Filed in: rewritten | Ephesians

If you’re reading ahead for this weekend’s service, we’re covering Ephesians 1:3-14. There is a LOT of information there… Some really deep theology. BUT don’t let that scare you. We’ll spend the next few weeks looking at this passage and we’ll look carefully at what God says to us there.

One of the things that strikes me about this next section is verse 13… “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

sealed

The words here literally say that “he put his seal on you” by giving you the Holy Spirit. I love the image here! A seal signified the ownership of the king. Anything bearing the king’s seal would carry all of the power and authority of the king himself. Also, anything bearing that seal would come under the full protection of all of the king’s resources. Whoever bore this seal was acting as the king’s representative on behalf of the king himself.

Verse 14 goes on to say that this same Holy Spirit that seals you and me promises that “he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.” We can rest assured that we are “marked…” We are “sealed” by God in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit! That seal forever binds US to HIM!

Speak with, like, conviction?

Sep/21/2011 10:16 AM

I saw this and thought it was funny… But true for people like me, who speak in front of people!

Rewritten

Sep/16/2011 10:32 AM Filed in: Church | Service | Ellijay | Series | rewritten

I am really thrilled to get started on this new series. This one will really be a challenge to us in very different ways than some others. Why? Three reasons… Ephesians contains:

DEEP theology. We will cover the nature of our salvation, (it’s different than what you might think!) the blessings of our riches in Christ, and look at predestination vs. free will!
PRACTICAL teaching. Paul (the author of Ephesians) takes that deep theology and works it into nearly every area of your life: your relationship with your spouse, your kids, your parents, your job, your individual life, and the way you do church.
BATTLE prep. BECAUSE that deep theology is working into your practical life, you have an enemy that wants to stop you. SO Paul tells us exactly how we are to prepare to fight the good fight.

I have been away for the last few days praying, studying, and writing. I’m trying to be as prepared as possible for this very important series.

Are you ready? You need to be. Frankly, some of this stuff is pretty heavy, and will knock you down if you aren’t ready. So how can you be prepared?

Be praying.
Read ahead. Start this week in Ephesians 1 and read the whole chapter. I will be using the New Living Translation and the ESV during this series.
You Version. Get on their APP with your iPhone or your Android and let it READ Ephesians to you! It is awesome.
Life Group. This will get intense quick. I’m just sayin’. You will need to talk it out with close friends. There is no better format than LifeGroup. If you aren’t in one, we will link you up with a LifeGroup leader this Sunday morning. Just ask at the information desk!

I hope this helps! See you on Sunday!

Everyday Heroes

Sep/12/2011 10:49 AM Filed in: Sunday

What a great privilege to be able to recognize our Everyday Heroes during yesterday’s service. The impact of September 11, 2001 still ripple through time, and it is great to be able to use it in a positive way.

everydayheroes1

These really are a tremendous group of men and women that protect and serve us on a daily basis. I hope you had a chance to shake some of their hands and to say thanks.

Some of my thoughts from the morning service:

Our first responders have awesome vehicles!
Always double-check the video BEFORE you play it.
Coach Tank gets what Coach Tank wants.
Impressed by the great turnout of uniformed men and women.
Did you see the kids getting hosed off after church?? Come on. That was awesome.
The Gospel is relevant no matter what the context.

Thanks again to everyone who made yesterday’s service possible.

Five Strands of Evidence

Aug/27/2011 11:11 AM Filed in: Sunday | Series | Ellijay | questions | Church

Here is an excerpt from one of John Piper’s messages about church membership. He presents “Five Strands of Evidence” from the New Testament that formal church membership is a presumption for all Christians. He says, “Each of these reveals something in the New Testament which would be minimized or denied if there were no definable local church membership.”
I thought it was great background info and thought it would supplement this weekend’s message nicely. You can find this entire message online in audio and HTML right here.

1. The Church Is To Discipline It’s Members
Church membership is implied by the way the church is supposed to discipline its members. Consider the implication of Matthew 18:15–17 where “the church” (ekklesia) appears to be the final court of appeal in matters of church authority as it relates to membership.
If there is no church membership, how can you define the group that will take up this sensitive and weighty matter of exhorting the unrepentant person and finally rendering a judgment about his standing in the community? It’s hard to believe that just anyone who showed up claiming to be a Christian could be a part of that gathering. Surely, “the church” must be a definable group to handle such a weighty matter. You know who you mean when you “take it to the church.”

2. Excommunication Exists
Church membership is implied by the simple fact that excommunication even exists. Paul implies this in 1 Corinthians 5:12–13 where he deals with the necessity of putting someone out of the church. He says, “What have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’”
There are two implications here: One is that there is an “in the church” group and an “outside the church” group. Being in the church is definable. The other implication is that a person can be removed from being “in the church.” Such a formal removal would not be possible if there were no such thing as a clear membership—who is an accountable part of this body, and who is not?

3. Christians Required to Submit To Their Leaders
Church membership is implied in the biblical requirement of Christians to be submitted to a group of church leaders, elders, or pastors. The point here is that without membership, who is it that the New Testament is referring to who must submit to a specific group of leaders? Some kind of expressed willingness or covenant or agreement or commitment (that is, membership) has to precede a person’s submission to a group of leaders.
Consider the way the New Testament talks about the relationship of the church to her leaders.
Hebrews 13:17
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13
1 Timothy 5:17
How is this leadership and this submission going to work if there is no membership defining who has made the commitment to be led and who has been chosen as leaders? If we downplay the importance of membership, it is difficult to see how we could take these commands to submit and to lead seriously and practically.

4. Shepherds Required to Care For Their Flock
Church membership is implied in the way the New Testament requires elders to care for the flock in their charge. Of course elders can extend their love to anyone and everyone, and should, within the limits of their ability. But the question is whether the Bible tells elders that they are to have a special responsibility and care for a certain group—a group of members. Consider Acts 20:28 where Paul tells the elders how to care for their flock.
This verse does not say elders cannot visit unbelievers or those who are not yet members. But it does make clear that their first responsibility is to a particular flock. How are they to know who their flock is? Who are we as elders and pastors responsible for? For whom will we give an account to God?
The way Peter speaks to the elders in 1 Peter 5 is even more clear on this point. Verses 2–3: “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge (tov kleron), but being examples to the flock.”
“Those in your charge” (your portion, your lot) implies that the elders knew whom they were responsible for. This is just another way of talking about membership. If a person does not want to be held accountable by a group of elders or be the special focus of the care of a group of elders, they will resist the idea of membership. And they will resist God’s appointed way for them to live and be sustained in their faith.

5. The Metaphor Of The Body
Church membership is implied in the metaphor of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12–31. The original meaning of the word member is member of a body, like hand and foot and eye and ear. That’s the imagery behind the word member in the text. Verse 12: “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”
So the question this imagery raises for the local church that Paul is describing in 1 Corinthians 12 is: Who intends to be treated as a hand or foot or eye or ear of this body? There is a unity and organic relationship implied in the imagery of the body. There is something unnatural about a Christian attaching himself to a body of believers and not being a member of the body.

Expectation For All Believers
So for these five reasons and more we believe that membership is a New Testament expectation for all believers. Each of us should be a member of a local body of believers. That is God’s plan for us and for this church. That’s what we mean by membership. All of those aspects of membership are rooted in the truth that the local church is an expression of the universal church. Part of what it means to belong to the body of Christ is to belong to a body.

Forward Thinking

Aug/26/2011 04:15 PM Filed in: Church | Ellijay

I was thinking about a friend’s very, very traditional church this morning. They are stuck in their old old mud and refuse to ever change. It reminded me of this great quote from Erwin McManus in “The Unstoppable Force.”

If you don’t like change, you’d better not become a Christian. Once you belong to Jesus, change is inevitable. Our whole Christian experience is an experience of change. it is an experience of putting off the old and putting on the new. It is an experience of no longer being conformed to the pattern of this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

He also says, “the Scriptures are a document about change.” and to the church he says “We must go beyond accepting changes of reality and become agents of change.”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” -2 Cor. 5:17

Mcmanus also says

We must never forget that we serve the changeless God of change. God is not satisfied with the status quo. He is not trying to keep up with culture. His greatest ambition is not for the church to become a great imitator of generational trends. He is the God of creativity, the God of imagination, and the God that chose- through his Son- to ignite a revolution. The implications that begin on a personal level always extend to the whole of the people of God.

Getting Ready for Sunday

Aug/25/2011 08:26 AM Filed in: questions | Series | Ellijay

“Can I Be A Christian And Not Go To Church?”
As I am getting ready for this weekend’s question, I remembered that I had a sermon about The Church back in January of this year while we were in the “Epic” series. You can listen to it right here.

I Have Some Questions

Aug/20/2011 02:43 PM Filed in: Ellijay | questions | Message | Series

“I notice you preach from notes… Why aren’t you ‘Spirit-Led?’”

Since moving to the mountains of North Georgia, I have heard this question a time or two. I’m not sure exactly where this particular view of being “Spirit-Led” comes from, but it seems to be from that group of people who believe that a preacher should “receive a word from God,” stand up in front of a crowd unprepared, and just let fly whatever comes out of his mouth. Now, I’m not positive, but I think the mentality behind this method comes from the passage in Matthew where Jesus is talking to his disciples, and he tells them the following:

Matthew 10:18-19You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

I think it is a mistake to interpret this passage the way some seem to. Why? Because Jesus here is NOT talking in this passage to pastors… He is training his disciples who he is sending out on their very first missionary journey to begin spreading the Good News. These guys are brand-new at this, and they aren’t shepherding a group of people. They are heading out for the first time to spread the Gospel. If you’re going to apply this verse to all Christians as a general rule, then you have to apply the whole of Jesus’ training here, which starts out with “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matt 10:5-6) In other words, if you apply all of this equally, then NONE of us as Gentiles should have ever heard the Good News to begin with!

Now, contrast that with what you read in the three books written specifically to pastors; 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. They’re called the “Pastoral Epistles,” and they are written to instruct pastors in how they are to be most open to being used by the Holy Spirit in people’s lives… These letters are filled with language such as

1 Timothy 4:14-16Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. 15 Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.2 Timothy 2:15Work hard (“study” in the KJV) so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

2 TImothy 4:2-4Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

Titus 1:8Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized.

Simply put, God has clearly instructed pastors to “study,” to “work hard,” and to “be prepared.” I have a divine responsibility to keep a “close watch” on staying with “good teaching” that is “sound” and “wholesome.” This means being responsible for what I say… Praying, studying, and researching so that what you hear me say is truly HIS Word, and not simply my opinion.

I believe that I am VERY “Spirit-Led.” I do not believe that the Holy Spirit only moves on Sunday mornings… In fact, I believe that I am led by the spirit IN EVERYTHING I do. The Spirit leads as I:

travel

pray for the church
meet with our board
plan out our next big event
have coffee with a lost friend
take out the trash
pray with a lonely person
write this blog entry
have dinner with my family
AND as I prepare for Sunday’s message!

And, guess what… YOU have the Holy Spirit in you, too! If you are in Christ, then the same Holy Spirit that lives and operates in me lives and operates in you as well.

Romans 8:13-17
For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,* you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.

Sunday Rundown

Aug/11/2011 05:41 PM Filed in: Service | Ellijay | questions

Wow. I am really surprised at the amount of response that I’ve received from this past Sunday’s message on what the Bible has to say about divorce. As I stated at the beginning of the message, this topic obviously touches many, many people. I believe that the broken marriage is one of the biggest indicators of the spiritual health of our nation, and of the church. What a difficult position we’re in!

I don’t know about you, but I am THANKFUL to God for marriage. What an awesome idea that was, huh? I am so grateful for a Godly wife who loves me and shows me Jesus every single day.

I’ve always said that the key to a successful marriage isn’t FINDING the right person, it is BECOMING the right person. That’s what love is, isn’t it? It is being willing to lay down your own personal preferences… YOUR OWN wants and needs… Living completely for the other person. That’s what Sherry does for me, and for our children.

If you want to hear Sunday’s message, you can find it right here.

Also, I know that we were a little short-handed in Kidmo this weekend, and I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone over there for flexing around to make it happen. (Thanks, Crystal for stepping it up!) You guys really make ministry to young families possible. You are awesome.

Sunday Morning Worship

Aug/05/2011 04:17 PM

Lots of you guys have asked for our worship music… I thought I’d just help you out a little.

There are more of those available on YouTube.

First Question

Jul/27/2011 10:24 PM Filed in: questions | Series | Message

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

This is the first, and possibly the hardest question that we’ll be answering during this series on Questions. This one was pretty popular, as a lot of people asked one variation of this or another.

Think Ahead:
You don’t have to look far to find suffering. Scripture says that there are basically THREE types of suffering that we humans must endure:
>Suffering caused by particular sin
>Suffering leading to God’s greater good
>Suffering caused by cosmic evil forces

Read Ahead:
Psalm 102:1-28 (what the psalmist says about suffering and crying out to God)
Hebrews 12:5-12 How does God use suffering in our life?

Listen Ahead:
These are some of the songs we’re singing on Sunday morning
My Glorious
We Are Hungry
Sing Sing Sing

Faith in the midst of suffering:
We had some very powerful testimonies along these lines just a couple of weeks ago at our Lord’s Supper service... You can download the podcast right here from our server, or here from iTunes.

Dealing With Questions

Jul/27/2011 04:53 PM Filed in: Message | Series | Ellijay | questions

The “I Have Some Questions” series begins this Sunday! This will be a bit of a departure from our normal practice of digging through books of the Bible, so I thought I’d give you the quick rundown on how this series has been pieced together.

First, I spent some time praying about the idea and direction of this series. I knew that some people would prefer the ability to submit questions anonymously, so in addition to our weekly “response card” that is handed out in the service, I set up a web page where questions could be submitted without names or email addresses. Over the course of several weeks, we received well over 200 questions on cards and on the website. Most came in online. Nearly all were anonymous. Some questions were very general, some were very specific. Some questions were theological in nature, and some were obviously very personal.

A couple of weeks ago, I printed all the questions out on cards and spread them out on a big table in our conference room. As best as possible, I grouped the questions into categories. (I landed on seven of them... One category being “questions that don’t fit into the other six categories.”) After grouping them, I spent some time thinking through and praying through them. I did my best to distill each category down to it’s own central question, which became the individual message titles for the series.

Once I had the questions formulated, It was time to start gathering resources. Books, articles, podcasts, lectures... Anything that could help shed light on these very difficult answers to some very personal questions.

The ultimate goal is NOT to discover what Steve says about these questions... Not to discover what individual authors say, or even what the church says. The objective in this series is to go back to the Word of God to discover what HE says about them. HE is the truth, and He is all we need.

We Aren't The Only Ones

Jul/19/2011 05:17 PM

Hey! Does this look familiar?? (in some ways.)

• A USA TODAY look at the five largest and five fastest-growing school districts in the continental USA found that all 10 had granted permits for religious congregations to hold weekend worship.
New York City, the largest, is typical: Christian churches are the primary clients because Muslims and Jews worship on Fridays and Saturdays, when school spaces usually are being used for student activities.
• Acts 29 Network, an inter-denominational, Seattle-based evangelical coalition that has started 350 churches across the nation in the past five years, estimates about 16% of these meet in school spaces.
"We don't have a hidden agenda. Our heart is to serve the community just like schools serve the community. ... They're designed for large groups, and they've got parking," says Scott Thomas, Acts 29 president.
• A 2007 national survey of newly established Protestant churches found that 12% met in schools, according to LifeWay, a Nashville-based Christian research agency.

Epic Ending This Week

Jul/18/2011 06:11 PM Filed in: Epic | Message | Series | genesis

After beginning our walk through God’s EPIC work of redemption beginning last September, we are finally bringing it to a close this coming Sunday. I really hope and pray that this has been a beneficial study for you during this time. As you know, we broke this long study up into seven smaller series. Do you remember all of them?

...

As I was putting these pictures on here, it got me to thinking about some of my favorite quotes from this series... Here are a few of them:

“The journey is not about doing what He says, but being where He is.”
Epic 01: What Are You Waiting For?

“You can’t grab hold of God’s promises until you let go of everything else.”
Epic 03: When God Doesn’t Speak, Return to the Altar

I loved both of those Melchizedek messages.
Epic 05: “Who Is Melchizedek?”
Epic 05A: “Let’s Make A Deal?”

“God’s delays are not necessarily denials.”
Epic Fail 01: “How Long?”

“Prayer is about us joining God, not God joining us.”
Epic Gift: Naughty or Nice

“Living enslaved to the Law is a mockery of God’s gift”
Epic Gift: All I Want For Christmas

Walking in patterns of blessing... This was a good one, too.
Epic Timing: Obey and Pray (short version)

Possibly my two FAVORITE messages from the whole series came during the Joseph story:
Epic Dreams 07: “Forgiveness and Trust” (Forgiveness)
Epic Dreams 08: “Change Is Good”(Repentance)
In fact, my favorite quote from those is right here:
“The sacrifice of Jesus was sufficient to buy forgiveness FROM God FOR you... So effective that it buys forgiveness FROM you FOR others.”

As always, all the messages from this series can be found on our podcast page. I hope they’re a blessing to you. If so, be sure to share them with others!

Tags: ellijay, message, series, genesis, epic

Study Week Continues

Jul/13/2011 02:33 PM Filed in: Ellijay | Ephesians | Study | Series | rewritten

My study week got off to a great start on Monday... I spent the afternoon making notes on Ephesians 1-3... I now have a bunch of these big pages covering my living room walls! I am really excited about this study, which will begin in September, right after Labor Day.

Here are some of the resources I am using to study with this week:

Logos Bible Study Software
Indispensable! I literally have nearly a THOUSAND resource books on my hard drive, cross-referenced, and instantly accessible. It contains original language study material, commentaries, theological resources, and tons of other stuff... HOURS of work completed with a few mouse clicks!

An Exposition of Ephesians
This awesome 7-book commentary by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is just amazing. It is actually one of my Logos resources, and I’m finding it to be invaluable.

New Testament Commentary
William Hindriksen
This is one of my favorite old standbys from college days. You can’t get a digital copy, but thank God for Amazon.com! I bought some of this commentary series for $30-50 back in the day. Now you can pick them up for under $5 used!

Blue Letter Bible
This is a great free resource for anyone to use... Has commentaries, articles, charts, maps, and links to all kinds of other cool stuff.

Youversion.com
This is QUICKLY becoming one of my favorite resources... I’m amazed at how many people are using their FREE mobile app to study God’s Word, to formulate reading plans, to take notes in church, and to even have the Bible read to them! It is really very cool... I had to drive from Ellijay to Blairsville today, and I listened to the entire book of Ephesians each way!

Study Week!

Jul/10/2011 04:46 PM Filed in: Ellijay | Church | Ministry

Well, my family is leaving me.

Okay... It’s just temporary. But it will feel like forever, I bet. My girls (Sherry and Lauren) are heading to Florida for two weeks, and my son, Zac is out of town for the week, leaving me at home here in Ellijay all alone with the dogs. Man, it will be QUIET around our house!

I am actually looking forward to it a little bit... I’m planning to hole up here at home for the week, without the cellphone or TV, just focusing in on the upcoming school year. I am praying through, reading, studying, and mapping out what may be the next message series or two. Here is what I’m thinking right now... It will be interesting to see if God confirms or readjusts during the week.

“Questions” series: July 31- September 4
Ephesians: “Rewritten” September - January??
“2012” series January??
“Making Love Last” February
“Parables” March - April
??? May - July

Please pray for me during the week. I will let you know how it goes!

Repentance AND Faith?

Jul/04/2011 09:15 AM Filed in: Epic | genesis | Ellijay

It is easy for us to forget that repentance is a vital part of our saving faith. Let’s be real clear... Salvation is based on the gift of God in Jesus Christ alone. Anything besides faith in Christ leads you into a “works-based” salvation. Your works just cant save you. But this is important: Faith is BASED ON repentance. They are two different sides of the same coin.

Repentance without faith (changing your mind about sin, but not trusting in God) is simply you trying to work it out on your own. It is law... Not grace. It is a works-based salvation.

Ephesians 2:8
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Faith without repentance (believing in God without turning from sin) is not real faith... God says trust ME with your life by turning it over to me and living the way I have called you to live. "belief" without repentance is not really belief.

James 1:17
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.* Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

The very first sermon that Jesus preached in his ministry was simple...

Mark 1:15
"The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News,"

This is an important concept for all believers. You can listen to this week's message about repentance in Jacob's family right here.

All Orchard messages are also available on iTunes as podcast downloads.

Got more questions?

Jun/20/2011 05:36 PM Filed in: Ellijay | questions | Message | Series

Wow! I have been totally amazed at the questions that people are asking. Our next series, “I Have Some Questions,” begins in July. This afternoon I printed out a consolidated list of questions that have come in on response cards, email, and via the website. I’ve roughly organized them into several categories, and am starting to think and pray through these. Obviously, we won’t be able to answer ALL of the questions, but we will give it our best shot!

It’s STILL not too late to ask your question! You can do so anonymously right here!

Got Questions?

Jun/13/2011 10:33 PM Filed in: Message | Series | questions | Summer

Getting ready for this next series we're doing, called “I Have Some Questions.” its all about some of the confusing, or unanswered questions on people's minds. Here are a few of the good questions I've received so far:

I am a strong believer. I know I have been saved and blessed beyond belief. Yet still, I occasionally have thoughts of unbelief. Why?
Why is homosexuality wrong and will they go to heaven?
Where is Children/Youth Ministry in the Bible?
The Bible says divorce is a sin, but what if the marriage is abusive?
If we are forgiven for all sins, is there still punishment for those sins in Heaven? also are all sins forgiven?
What is the deal with the naked guy in Mark 14?

These are just some of the questions that have come in so far... What are your questions? Email them to me here, or submit them anonymously right here. I would love to read them. Who knows? Maybe we’ll base a message on it.

Storm Relief

May/10/2011 05:53 PM

As I’m sure you’ve seen, the damage and destruction in Catoosa County around Ringgold is just unbelievable. Seeing the way homes have been completely wiped out brings back memories of the aftermath of Hurricanes Andrew, Hugo, and Katrina. Much of downtown Ringgold is simply destroyed. 8 people lost their lives in this little county... 7 of them in this valley where we worked last week. There is far, far more help needed than we can possibly provide.

I’ve got to give a big shout out to our church, though. I am so proud to be part of a group of people so willing to drop everything and head over to help out. These people have spent their own money, and used their own equipment to help in any way possible. I watched our people work it all day long, never complaining, never slowing down. What an amazing job!

It was so touching to talk with one homeowner, who said that he had been a Christian and a church attender most of his life, but never really given “missions” a second thought. But, after seeing the outpouring of assistance from us and other groups like us, he said he was changed, and would never turn a blind eye towards this important work again.

A mom cried with us as she talked about the way God had been the one constant in her life throughout this entire ordeal. Her faith was just as strong as ever, even though the valley she lived in was nearly destroyed.

There is more to be done, and we’re heading back tomorrow. If you want to contribute, it is NEVER too late! You can click over to our giving page and contribute right to the disaster relief fund. Please join us in this important effort of serving others for the sake of the Gospel.

Turning Two...

Apr/26/2011 07:47 PM Filed in: Ellijay | Church

Has it been two years already?

Our first “official” worship service in the movie theater. It was Easter Sunday, 2009. We had been praying, planning, and working hard at getting started for several months. Our very diligent launch team had mailed out several waves of postcards, had ads in the newspaper, and had been talking to anyone that would listen. But twenty minutes before the service, NOBODY WAS THERE! My friend Doug and I had just come back downstairs from setting something up, or getting something ready... I don’t remember what. But we looked out the front window of the movie theater, and the parking lot was empty. Had we failed? Did Ellijay want nothing to do with us? This was going to be much harder than we thought. We prayed. “God, we will obey you, even if nobody but us show up.”

By the time we looked up from our prayer, the parking lot was filling up, and people were streaming into the building. We launched The Orchard Church officially that day with about 120 people in attendance. Many of them are still with us two years later. (Some I’ve never seen again!)

I remember a lot of great things about these first two years... Our first baptism service. (The river was COLD!) Cleaning the theater late on Saturdays. (and calling Mucho’s our “fellowship hall”) The movie mini-series that we did our first summer in the theater. (Wish we’d done Star Trek) Starting the BRANCH ministry, launching Lifegroups and youth ministry. Watching God provide the money to buy all our portable gear, and moving into the school. (Back to one service!)

Yep, there have been a lot of changes at The Orchard Church. There will always be change. But the MOST IMPORTANT thing will always stay the same...

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. -1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Our location, style, and schedule may change from time to time, but the Gospel will always remain the center of everything we do. It’s in our DNA. it is who we are. That’s not our definition. That is God’s. That’s why the church is the hope of the world. It isn’t about good teaching, or social justice. It isn’t about being “the place to be.” It is about believers walking in the pattern of the Gospel and preaching that Gospel to a generation desperate to know Him.

Two years? We’re just getting started.

EASTER service rundown

Apr/25/2011 11:18 AM Filed in: Ellijay | Easter | Sunday | Service

Yesterday’s Easter celebration was just awesome! It was great to just be able to worship together with everyone and know that we were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with the church all around the world.

Here are a few of my thoughts from yesterday’s service:

Our regular band members continue to have to flex around each other’s schedules. Thanks, guys, for being so flexible. As always, we are looking for more people to join this team. Let Rachel know if you’re interested.
Loved the “It Is Finished” song that we ended with! If you liked it, you can listen to it right here.
Our Children’s Ministry volunteers are OFF THE CHAIN!! You guys just plain rock. I hope I get to be like you when I grow up.
The message of “The Veil” was very meaningful to me, personally... I hope you liked it too. It can be download from our podcast feed right here. It will be on iTunes by Tuesday.
We had lots of video yesterday! Five of them all together! That was a lot.
What a great feeling that auditorium had with so many people in it. We were just shy of 300 people... Not bad for a two-year old rural church!

For me, the BEST things about yesterday’s service had to do with God moving among us. Not only was it incredible to really sense the Holy Spirit’s presence in a vibrant way, but to look around and SEE so many people who were specific answers to very specific prayers over the last few weeks. LOTS of our body had been praying for individuals who just needed an encounter with God... To stand there and watch as person after person who we had been praying for walked through the doors was just a moving experience. I have to admit getting a little choked up before the service even started.

All in all, I know of several people that crossed the line of faith and stepped into a new relationship with God yesterday. The Kingdom is forever changed, and we had a hand in that! Praise God!

Why Reject Esau?

Mar/01/2011 07:49 PM Filed in: Epic | Ellijay

Occasionally, people ask really, really good questions.

On Sunday, we talked about God’s unconditional love for us despite our sin... If you missed it you can download it here. We looked at the life of Jacob a little bit, and we concluded, based on Genesis 27 and Deuteronomy 7:6-8 that “it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. In other words, He loves us because He loves us!

On a response card, someone asked the really great question... “If God loves us because He loves us, then why did he reject Esau?”

I think this is a great question. I was talking with a friend about it on Sunday afternoon, and I pointed back to the passage in Romans that we had looked at earlier that day in the service...

Romans 9:11-16
But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.” In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”
Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”
So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

The point being that God DIDN’T choose to love everyone equally! He chose to love Jacob and he chose to reject Esau. Esau was outside God’s promise to Abraham.

Well, this did NOT sit well with my friend. She said “I just don’t like that. I can’t believe that my God would love some and not love others. That just makes me mad.”

“But,” I said, “don’t forget that God CREATED us to represent HIM on the earth... To reflect HIS glory and to be in relationship with Him. But God didn’t break that deal... WE did. We broke the deal when we chose to rebel against him by sinning in the Garden of Eden. We rejected God. At that moment, ALL of us were guilty of being criminals against God, and we fell under the death penalty. None of us any longer deserved God’s love at all. But God chased after us by CHOOSING to love one people among this world of sinners. He called Abraham and promised that the entire world would be blessed through his offspring. That line of offspring went from Abraham through Isaac, to Jacob, and then to all of Jacob’s children, who became the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel was the chosen nation... Unique in this world because they were loved by God.

And then it happened. The fulfillment of the promise as God wrapped himself in flesh and became a Jewish man, living without sin while here. He took my punishment and opened the door for me to have a relationship with God. That same passage goes on to say:

Romans 9:25-26
“Those who were not my people, I will now call my people.
And I will love those whom I did not love before.” And,
“Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ”

So, in the Old Covenant, you were born into God’s promise and His love. In the New Covenant, you are BORN AGAIN into His family!

Romans 10:9-10
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

Blessings

Feb/07/2011 09:22 PM Filed in: Epic

This past Sunday, we talked about moving in the patterns of God’s timing. The big key was that “the servant’s obedience put him into position to receive God’s blessing.” In Matthew 5, Jesus preached his famous “Sermon on the Mount,” where he described what the Christian life looks like. His message starts off with specific characteristics of movement in His timing. He gave clear instruction on how to step into the blessing that He desires to give. Have a look!

Matthew 5:3-10 (NLT)
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Lots to Cover

Jan/26/2011 08:43 AM Filed in: Church, Ministry | new members

One of the things that the Board and I have been talking about is a better process for new members and new believers at The Orchard Church... You know... Someone makes a decision to join the church, or to become a believer, and we shake their hand and welcome them. We invite them to the Orchard Orientation. We invite them into a lifegroup. We recognize that this isn’t really sufficient, and we are talking about what to include in the process.

In reading through “Essential Church,” a book by Thom and Sam Rainer, they suggest the following topics be included in the New Member’s Class.

1. Doctrine/beliefs of the church
2. Polity/government of the church
3. Church constitution and bylaws
4. Purpose of the Lord’s Supper/Communion and Baptism
5. Church covenant and church discipline
6. Expectations of members
7. History of the church
8. Tour of church facilities
9. Denominational information (if applicable)
10. How to become a Christian
11. Budget/financial support of the church
12. Requirements for church membership
13. Ministry opportunities in the church
14. Overview of spiritual disciplines
15. Introduction to church staff
16. Church mission statement
17. Spiritual gifts inventory
18. Support of missions
19. Brief evangelism training

Whew! That’s a lot, isn’t it? How long should this class be, exactly? Currently, our Orchard Orientation covers a lot of these bases. What do you think should be included? Email me and let me know what you think!

David Nicholas

Jan/26/2011 07:50 AM

My good friend and one of my fathers in the faith, David Nicholas passed away last night in Florida. I don’t know if you had a chance to meet David. He wasn’t just an active participant at The Orchard Church, where he attended Chuck and Gail Vautrot’s lifegroup...

David Nicholas planted churches. He started with Spanish River Church way down in Boca Raton, Florida over 40 years ago. While he remained the pastor of that great local body, he was bitten by the church planting bug. Hard. He went on to plant churches all around the United States. He started a church planting network in Haiti, where literally thousands have come to know Christ. David was a man gifted in evangelism, always clearly communicating the “Bad News/Good News” as he called it.

Since retiring from Spanish River Church in May of 2009, David started “The Church Planting Network,” assisting church planters in spreading the Gospel. David happened upon The Orchard Church while we were meeting in the movie theater. He and his wonderful wife Nori owned a retirement home here in Ellijay. David told me once that he would NEVER have planted a church here in North Georgia... “Hearts are just too hard here,” he said... But David became instrumental in helping us clarify our mission and purpose as a church. As an experienced pastor, David invested into me personally. God used David in a powerful way in my life and in the lives of many other church planters.

Speaking of Living as Representatives...

Jan/20/2011 10:42 AM

I don’t know if you saw it or not, but we got another “thank you note” in the newspaper this week from some of our local schools! Shhh... Don’t tell them, but it is really OUR HONOR and privilege to be able to represent God into the lives of kids. Thanks, church, for continuing to be image bearers of GOD, making the Gospel relevant to our community!

Living as Representatives

Jan/19/2011 12:22 PM Filed in: Epic | Ellijay | Abraham

I think this “Epic Life” flashback series that we’re doing right now is one of my favorites. If you haven’t been around for it, you can listen in right here. It is cool, because each message kind of builds upon each other, and it is all tying together very nicely.

I really got a lot of comments on this past week’s message, called “Epic Life: Work.” In it, we talk about the difference between our JOB and our WORK. It was really a good one for me, personally. One great passage that we didn’t get to this past week, but that we’ll be touching on this coming week is found in Colossians, where Paul gives us some really very practical ways to represent Christ in this world. If we can bear God’s image in these ways I think it would result in some amazing life change!

Colossians 3:16-4:5
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.
23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
4:1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart...
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.
6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

So, I have to ask the question... How am I representing God in Gilmer County this week? What about in my family? Am I loving as a representative of God? Am I working and obeying as a representative of God? Am I devoted to prayer? Do I live wisely? And who’s life is being changed as a result?

Happy New Year

Jan/05/2011 03:56 PM Filed in: new year | Ellijay

I received this in an email this afternoon. I thought this was a great thought to start off the new year!

If you Google the statement “A New Year, a New You” you will find a myriad of companies making the promise that their product is exactly what you need for a better new year.

Each year, millions of people make a list of resolutions for the New Year. The fitness center fills up, budgets are made, and diet plans are forged. Come February, the gym is half empty, you’ve lost track of your checkbook, and that cheeseburger tasted delicious at lunch.

According to Opinion Corporation of Princeton, 8% of people are always successful in achieving their resolutions, 19% achieve their resolutions every other year, 49% have infrequent success, and 24% (one in four people) NEVER succeed and have failed on every resolution, every year. Whew, that’s depressing.

It’s the same with our spiritual life. We all have good intentions, but often times lack the structure to follow through on our resolutions to grow deeper in our relationship with God.

Recently, we talked to John Ortberg, author of The Me I Want to Be, about unique plans for your spiritual growth. He said,

"What would grow an orchid would drown a cactus.
What would feed a mouse would starve an elephant.
The key is not treating every creature alike.
It is finding the unique conditions that help each creature grow.
God never grows two people the same way."

This year, a worthy resolution is to be intentional about discovering the unique conditions that help you grow closer to Christ.

"God is a Hand-Crafter not a Mass Producer." John Ortberg