Thoughts From Chris

John the Baptist called people to be baptized after they repented, Jesus taught his disciples to baptize people after they repented, and the early church commanded people to “repent and be baptized.”

Baptism is for everyone who repents and places faith in Jesus. 

Later in January we are having a get together with the four house churches I coach, and we are going to have a baptism and parent/child dedication event.  Many of the house churches are performing baptisms and doing dedications on their own as well. 

However, for those who would like to do this publicly in our Sunday morning service, instead, we will be offering this during the last Sunday of the year.   This Sunday (12/14) is the last day to sign up for either.  To do this you can contact Sue Heckley at sheckley@gracegathering.com.

Whether baptism takes place during a service or within the context of a house church, the most important thing is that people get baptized and follow Jesus’ command.  If you would like to read a short Bible study on baptism, click here. 

Here is a picture of my dinner tonight.  Actually, this is also what I ate for my lunch today.  Actually, this is what I ate for breakfast today as well. 

This weekend many of our teens, from the challenge of Brian Smeltzer, will be eating beans and rice throughout the weekend.   He invited anyone from our church to take the challenge with them also.  I know of many families and adults who will be participating this weekend. 

My family will be in Colorado this weekend at my sister’s wedding (a wedding I have been praying for during the last 15 years by the way). All six of us will be in the wedding.  Should be a great time.

Because we will be gone this weekend, we decided that we would participate in this exercise early (yesterday and today).  It has been very interesting.  Our two oldest kids participated with Kathy and myself.  Our second grade child lasted one day and our third grade child last both days.  I am very proud of them both.

It is estimated that nearly 16,000 children die of starvation every day (click here for hunger facts).  What a concept in the 21st Century.  Nearly half of the world has a regular diet of beans and rice.  It is considered a luxury to simply have food.  The point of our exercise is to place ourselves in the shoes of many in our world (at least in the arena of food).

These last two days have been a little more challenging than I first anticipated.  God has shown me many things, however.  I will not share them at this point becuase many will be taking the challenge this weekend.  It has been very good.

Here are a couple of websites Brian passed to me that are related to this topic.  I encourage you to check them out.

Beans and Rice Link (click here)

Advent Conspiracy Link (click here) (several very compelling short videos regarding Christmas – particularly the one called “Enter the Story”)

Everyone sins – from the most pagan and evil to the most godly and spiritual.  Second Corinthians 7:10 talks about a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow over sin.  One that leads to death and another that leads to repentance.  When we sin, have you thought much about the difference?

I think there are times in my life when I sin (maybe in thought, word, or deed), and rather than having a godly sorrow over it, I have a worldly sorrow over it.   This was always true when I sinned as an unbeliever, but it is sometimes true when I sin as a believer.  Nothing comes to mind right now by way of example, but I am sure if I thought hard enough I could think of several. 

One of the things I have seen over time is that when a person confesses sin “before they get caught” it is almost always because they have genuinely repented over their sin.  This repentance and desire to change have led them to bring their sin to the light (godly sorrow). 

However, when people try to hide their sin, cover it up, and keep it in darkness, and then they get caught, they generally have sorrow, but it is harder to tell if it is godly or worldly sorrow.  If they do have worldly sorrow, the Spirit can change that and bring repentance, but it is very difficult to discern by others, because they wonder, “how long would they have continued sinning, if they would not have been caught.”

The way I have always handled it, is if a believer gets caught sinning and seems sorrowful and remorseful afterwards, I make the assumption it is godly sorrow unless proven otherwise.  Time will tell if it is godly sorrow or worldly sorrow, but I always give the benefit of the doubt.  After all, I cannot see their heart.  Only God can.

Let me encourage you and myself that when we sin, let’s repent and confess it to others before we get caught.  Confessing sin first will render a higher frequency of godly sorrow over worldly sorrow. 

This Sunday we will delve into one of the most unique characters of the Bible – John the Baptist.  Our focus will be on understanding his message.  It was a message of repentance.

What is this concept of repentance all about?

What do you think about the following statement:  “If we misunderstand repentance, we will misunderstand Christianity.” 

Is this an overstatement?

Perhaps our message this Sunday will shed some light. 

This Sunday we will begin a new series that will prepare us for celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas.  It will be a 5 week study on John the Baptist.  I am not sure how many times you have heard a series on John, but I never have.  For a host of reasons John is one of my favorite prophets in all of Scripture.  I have wanted to do a series on him for several years now. 

If you have some friends you have been wanting to invite to a service, this series would be a good time to do that.  While it will be good for all of us to learn more about how God used this unique man to prepare people for Jesus, there will certainly be evangelistic aspects to the series.

Looking forward to God stretching all of us as we study one of the most unique figures in biblical history.

Scripture tells us to pray for those in authority over us.  When it comes to our president, our prayers these last 8 years have been on behalf of George Bush.  The eight years prior to that our prayers were on behalf of Bill Clinton.  In January the prayers for our president will shift to only the third person in 16 years, Barack Obama.

Let us continue praying for President Bush.  These are difficult days for him.  Let us also prepare to pray for our future President Obama.   He, as well, will be moving into the position of president in a very difficult time period. 

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in  all godliness and holiness.” (I Timothy 2:1-2)

Tomorrow is a big day for our country as we choose a new leader.  Many countries in our world do not have this privilege and honor.  Maybe you really like one of the candidates or do not care for either; the point is that we live in a country where we actually have a “say.”  We should be very thankful for this opportunity and as believers be a good steward of it. 

For the first time, I took advantage of early voting.  It was a long wait (2 hours), but my wife and I voted on Friday at the County Building downtown.  They are projecting record turnout this year.  When you go Tuesday, plan to wait for a while.

God calls us to make a difference in our world and impact our culture. While voting constitutes a very small part of that, it is a part, nonetheless.  As stewards of the earth and this world, we need to do everything we can to make a difference in serving the world and supremely reaching the world for Christ.

As we do this, it is important to keep in mind what we discussed yesterday in our service:  God is in control of all things, and he can be trusted.  No matter how much our impact as believers does or doesn’t make a difference in our world, we need not worry about anything.  God has this world on an intentional path (note 2 Peter 3), and nothing or no one can undermine his cosmic plan for the universe.  He is absolutely sovereign.

Get out and vote, serve the community in various ways, love people (particularly those who seem unlovable), steward the earth, reach the lost, and do everything in the power of the Holy Spirit.  At the end of the day, as you lay your head on your pillow, place your full trust in God – he is in full control.  God tells us not to worry (Matt 6:34), and the reason he tells us not to worry is because we are not in control – he is. 

And I cannot think of a better person to be in full control of all things than the Triune God, himself!

Here is a passage of Scripture I have been meditating on lately: 

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

There are many things all of us pray about every day that God answers.  How often do we go back in prayer and say, “thank you?” 

This is true for both major areas of prayer and even small areas.  For example, my wife and I pray every night that our kids will sleep well.  How often do we thank God in the morning when they do sleep well?

What percentage of your answered prayers do you go back to God and say, “thanks?”

First, I have some news that is bitter/sweet.  Sal Cavarretta found a new position in Phoenix, AZ.   It is a position he feels passionate about – family ministry.  He will oversee children’s ministry, parenting, marriage, etc.   Sal is very excited and is looking forward to joining a staff team of a 1200 attender church.  It is bittersweet because it is good for him and good for the kingdom of God at large but bad for us (we will miss the Cavarretta family greatly). 

Sal and I have been friends for a long time, and I will miss all of them a lot, but I know deep in my heart that Sal finding this job is a win for God’s kingdom.  I know all the experiences he has had here will make him that much more effective there.  The church in Phoenix wants Sal to implement and build many of the same ministries he built here at Grace.  Sal vehemently would not let me publicly acknowledge him in our corporate service, but if you would like to wish him well and tell him thank you, please e-mail him at Sal@gracegathering.com.

We love and will miss you Cavarrettas!  We pray that God will use you in mighty ways for his glory!  It is not about us/Grace, but all about God and his kingdom!

Secondly, I want to say how encouraged I was these last two weeks as we heard many stories of what God is doing through our church family.  I was blown away, to be honest. 

The Barabbas Family  was one in particular that really moved me.  The mentors, Alex and Emily Lengacher, shared about how their house church had a significant impact in a girl’s life. Through their prayer and love God used them to help save a baby from being aborted.  The girl went all the way to Detroit to have an abortion but then “for some reason” couldn’t do it.  God used this community of believers (Barabbas) to impact her, and they actually ended up having a baby shower for this child and mother.  Does it get much more powerful than that?

They also shared that they lead someone through a Seeking God study and then later baptized this individual in the backyard of a pool.

Lastly, Alex gave a personal account of how five years ago he considered church as a place you simply go and attend.  He was introduced to a house church in Indianapolis where they lived and it was through the relationships in that community that his spiritual life took off.   This is one story of 27 house churches that shared.

I love the reason this community of believers chose to name their church “The Barabbas Family.”  If you want to read what it means, click here. 

We are humbled by the way God is moving in our community.

George Barna just came out with a study showing that 3 out of 4 people who go on a short-term missions trip label the trip as life changing in some way.    Short term missions trips have many advantages.  Both those who go and those who receive are mutually blessed. It also is a great experience that expands our view of God’s activity in different parts of the world.  God is indeed a global God. 

Next month we will commuinicate more information regarding our next trip in 2009.  We are actually planning two trips in two locations: one internationally and one locally. 

Click here to read this article from Barna.