Thursday, April 27, 2006

Hell

sunday will be week 2 of ccc's "2 sundays in heaven series"

so, this is good opp to say that same loving God who created heaven also created hell

as always, tim keller offers a fresh way of talking to your friends about this aspect of God's world
Preaching Hell

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Thursday nite fellas

sex romance and glory of God
discussion at Phegley's home

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Get All that You Can

"If God, in His great grace, has given Jesus to you, get out of Him all that you can, and do not think that He will consider you to be intruding. It is the delight of His heart to give out of His fullness to His needy people; He is best satisfied with you when you are best satisfied with Him; He gets most from you when you get most from Him." Charles Spurgeon

Extending the grace of God

Christ Community exists to experience and extend the grace of Jesus Christ. The extension of that grace involves all of life. I'm thrilled to announce that our own Sylvia Olmsted is now an Associate Dean at UF! Sylvia's servant leadership will bring the blessings of the kingdom in ways that will benefit many people.

Here's the link.

Sex, Romance, and God's Glory

this workshop for men concludes Tuesday 615am at hope church (for morning guys)
and
Thursday night at Phegley's for night owls

Monday, April 24, 2006

Christ Community online sermons

Christ Community sermons are available on our website. We get reports that they are being downloaded from as far away as 13th Street!
Here they are

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Revelation, John Piper, and Left Behind

Item 1: Several people mentioned being helped by today's sermon. I'm glad. Steve's work (which I've seen already) in Revelation next Sunday is really good.

ITem 2: One person asked, "So you don't seem to follow the Left Behind series." Correct, i don't.

Item 3: Another wondered if I could re-state the John Piper comment.
#1. I'm not worthy to carry John Piper's shoes. As a preacher, dad, husband, anything.
#2. He is in the top 10 influences on my life.
#3. When he says, "Do you enjoy more making much of God or having God make much of you (paraphrase)?" I think there's a false choice he's making me make.

I totally get that much of American christianity doesn't make much of God and that is rubbish. But I think there is a better way to say it than he does. He is so popular and right on 99% of the time (wait, baptism if off too, make it 98%) that we all need to be reminded to be like the Berean church in Acts.
All that said, John Piper is one of the men who i sincerely thank God for putting in my path. If I could run 1/100 as faithful a race I would be thrilled.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Sunday with Christ Community

9am classes for all ages
10am worship, there is children's church (Kristin Williams & Lindsey Wagner) this week
this is the 1st of "TWO SUNDAYS IN HEAVEN" as the preaching will focus on helping de-bunk myths of boredom and awaken/arouse anticipation of our life in the City of God.

4:30 CLUB 45 at church house, ends at 6pm
7pm Youth Group at church house

what will we do in heaven?

Much of the language of what we'll do in heaven has to do with ruling, reigning... it ain't watching Oprah... it has a feel of work without the frustrations we normally experience in work. Dallas Willard says:

"We should not think of ourselves as destined to be celestial
bureaucrats involved eternally in celestial administrivia.

We should think of our destiny as being absorbed in a tremendously creative team effort, with unimaginable splendid leadership, on an inconceivable vast plane of activity, with ever more comprehensive cycles of productivity and enjoyment. This is the ‘eye hath not seen, neither ear heard' that lies before us in the prophetic vision (Isaiah 64:4)" --Dallas Willard

Sex Romance & The Glory of God

Tomorrow morning at 6:15am at Hope (corner of Tower Rd & 24th Ave)... we'll complete our workshop/class



Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God (you can listen to the incredible sermon here)

Well, a wise man once said to me... "Whenever you talk about sex, remember this:
<>There are men enslaved to pornography.
<>There are married couples who haven't made love to each other in years.
<>There are men and women so wounded from sexual abuse that the idea of "enjoying" sex feels like an oxymoron.
<> There are married couples who were sexually active prior to marriage and the guilt of it hinders their delight in each years later.
<> There are Christians with warped views... thinking that sex, even between man & wife, is at best tolerable and at worst dirty.
<> Etc.

We all need to be reminded that there is hope. The gospel is powerful and God has graciously given resources for gospel applications to each of our struggles. If this comes to someone's eyes who is ready to reach out for help, great. Contact a friend or talk with me or another elder. We're happy to help and help you find help.

Rob

Near Death Experiences

I won't have time to deal w/ NDE as part of talk on heaven.... here's article if you want.
Bottom line:
satan is described as masquerading as angel of light and so i'd say anyone who returns from NDE saying "it doesn't matter who you trust"... probably smells like smoke.

CLUB 45 sunday at 4:30

Monthly meeting/bible study for 4th and 5th graders
at church house, sunday 4:30-6pm

What you believe about the future

is the main determinant in how you process, how you experience, and how you handle circumstances in the present. --Tim Keller

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

thursday fellas

Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God - New Class for Men

Learn what your wife wishes you knew. This course will focus on what the Bible says a
real man should be. We are offering this during two different times in the week.

for Night Owls, there is a Thursday Evening Class.
Thursday evenings, April 20th & 27th, 7:30-8:45pm.
Taught by Kevin Phegley at the Phegley’s home, just off Newberry Road
Map of 10826 Nw 18th Ct
Gainesville, FL 32606-5479, US
…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.

gold streets in heaven

In Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem is described as being made of pure gold
and precious stones (Rev 21:15-21). It seems that this is pointing to the ultimate
fulfillment of this “commonality of all wealth” theme. No longer is wealth and
power accumulated in the hands of the few.
It is there for all of the people of
God.

If the people of God today could only begin to live this out, how much
different (i.e., set apart, holy) would we be from the rest of society? ---from hope for new york kingdom document

and--by the way--when you read....
No longer is wealth and
power accumulated in the hands of the few.

you shouldn't think, "Yeh, like right now Trump & Sam Walton have it all."

you should think, "Yeh, like right now we (americans) have it all."

sex in heaven?

one thing i'll mention while preaching on eternity is will there be sex in the new heavens & new earth? That doggone NARNIAN gets at it again w/ an answer:

I think our present outlook might be like that of a small boy who, on being told that the sexual act was the highest bodily pleasure, should immediately ask whether you ate chocolates at the same time. On receiving the answer no, he might regard absence of chocolates as the chief characteristic of sexuality. In vain would you tell him that the reason why lovers in their carnal raptures don't bother about chocolates is that they have something better to think of. The boy knows chocolate: he does not know the positive thing that excludes it.

We are in the same position. We know the sexual life; we do not know, except in glimpses, the other thing which, in Heaven, will leave no room for it. Hence where fullness awaits us we anticipate loss.

end of 4 part harmony

Unfortunately for the human race, this creation situation of harmony did not continue. Adam

and Eve, based upon the tempting of the serpent, began to doubt the goodness of God. Because

they doubted His goodness, they were led into disobedience (sin). As a result of their sin, the

world fell apart. This can be seen in the following alienations (ruptured relationships):

 

Heaven

to understand the promises of heaven and our eternal dwellings, you must see what was true at creation.... there was a 4-part harmony: we were cool with God, each other, our own selves, and the environment....

Theological: The relationship between God and people--obedience--humans acting in
accordance with the reality that God was looking out for their best interests; examples
that God was looking out for their best interests—abundant provision, God sees “it is
not God for man to be alone” so He provides for companionship.
• Intra-personal: The relationship of individual people to themselves--Naked and
feeling no shame. People were not ashamed of who they were before God or before
one another.
• Inter-personal: The relationship between people and groups of people--Mutual
delight and appreciation; Adam breaks out into poetry when he meets Eve; goal is for
unity to come from diversity—the two shall be one
• Environmental: The relationship between people and the environment--Nature
provides for mans needs—a river watered the garden; nature dependent on man’s
working to bring forth its fruits. Humans depicted as wise caretakers of the land.

later we'll look at why this is not the way it is right now for us...

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Heavenly Escapism?

Isn't concern about Heaven escapist?

I answer the question with another question, from C. S. Lewis: Who talks the most against "escapism"? Jailers. Is it escapist for a baby to wonder about life outside the womb? Is it escapist for someone on a long ocean voyage to wonder about landfall? Is it escapist for the seed to dream of the flower? It is escapist if, and only if, Heaven is a lie. Those who call Heaven "escapism" are presupposing atheism.
(from Q&A on heaven, by Peter Kreeft)
According to Huckleberry Finn, “Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn’t think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said, not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together.

common questions

How can I be happy in Heaven if someone I loved deeply on Earth doesn't make it to Heaven?

Will there be animals in Heaven? Will my dead cat be there?

Will i be bored there?

Preaching will be on HEAVEN the next 2 sundays at Christ Community

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Calling all men

Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God - New Class for Men

Learn what your wife wishes you knew. This course will focus on what the Bible says a
real man should be. We are offering this during two different times in the week.

For Early Risers, there is a Tuesday Morning Class:
Tuesday mornings, at 6:15-7:30 a.m. April 18th & 25th
Taught by Rob Pendley at Hope Church*. Free Starbucks!
*(HOPE church is located on the corner of Tower Rd & SW 24th Ave)
Or
for Night Owls, there is a Thursday Evening Class.
Thursday evenings, April 20th & 27th, 7:30-8:45pm.
Taught by Kevin Phegley at the Phegley’s home.

He is Risen

Easter Services

9am
&
10:30am

Oak Hall School Theater
childcare offered during both service

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Good Friday

5:30 Friday

a 30 minute guided reflection on the death of Christ

In this quiet service we will think together on the 7 statements Jesus made from the cross... and use them as our guide into thinking on his suffering and death for us.

The somber mood of this service is in anticipation of the celebration of Easter morning.

5:30 until 6pm at Hope Church (corner Tower & SW 24th)
no childcare

Monday, April 10, 2006

Easter

Easter Egg Hunt
10:00-12:00 on Saturday, April 15th.

Easter Services
9:00am AND 10:30am. Both services will be identicle and ~60min. in length.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Sunday, April 9th

Paul Boyd will be our speaker this Sunday.
He will be preaching on, "A Heart For Missions", Psalm 51:1-17.
Our Children will also be a part of our service this Sunday,
with their Spring Music Perfomance!
Sunday School Classes @ 9:00am
Worship Service @10:00am

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

You are inviting your friends

The many names that you are submitting are being prayed for. My heart has been strengthened by your desire to bring people to hear the news of the resurrected Jesus.
Way to go. And may God bring Himself much glory and honor in our midst.
Easter services 9:00am and 10:30am