Start the year off right: Get in the Word

On Thursday January 1st we will start the 5x5x5 plan by reading Mark 1. The Plan is reading  - 1 Chapter a day

• 5 minutes - this is how long it takes to read the average chapter in the New Testament
• 5 days a week - Reading Monday-Friday with the Weekends as time for reflection.
• 5 ways to go connect with others.

This reading plan is from Discipleship Journal and you can pick up a printed version next Sunday at church for the month of January. The app for your mobile devices can be downloaded from You Version: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/232-discipleship-journals-5x5x5-reading-planWe have also added an Old Testament passage that helps connect the passage in some way with God's earlier revelation.

This year we are really going to stress sharing your 5x5 with others, and we are providing 5 ways to personally connect with someone. Choosing one of these 5 ways to connect is what makes it the 5x5x5. It is also how we grow and encourage each other to grow, so let's get busy and begin having Bible conversations with each other this year.  Here are some different ways that can happen:

1. Purposeful conversation: Each day set out to share what you read with someone during the course of the day.
2. Planned interaction: This is you and someone else or a group gathering regularly, once a week and sharing together the things God is showing each of you.
3. Personal testimony: Come ready to share something special from your reading in a group setting with your church family: in a group like Sunday School, Mid-week prayer and Bible study, Ladies fellowship, Men's Breakfast, or in some other way.
4. Partnership Reading: Purposely set aside time with a friend, you family, or your spouse and read through the 5x5 together.
5. Prioritized journaling: As you read jot down some of the ways that God's Word spoke to you and prioritize sharing those thoughts in an encouraging note or email to somebody else each week.

With the above possibilities of having Bible conversations that count, we are providing a R.O.A.D.map you could follow each day as you read:

There are many different methods for reading the Bible. This is called R.O.A.D. journaling. The acronym R.O.A.D. contains the directions. We encourage you to actually write down your thoughts (ie journaling) if you use this method. Here’s the meaning of the acronym:
 

R (Read) -Pray for understanding, then read through the text slowly and deliberately. If you have time, read the text twice.

O (Observe)- Observe the details of the text and try to understand what the author is saying. For example, pay attention to things like: facts (Who? What? When? Where? Why?), repetition, contrast, cause and effect, definitions, explanations, questions, quotations, commands, prohibitions, warnings, promises, etc.

A (Apply)-Answer two questions: What is God saying in this text? What am I going to do about it?

D (Depend)-Pray for continued understanding, trust, and obedience. Ask God’s Spirit to help you apply these truths to your life right now. As the Spirit leads, feel free to praise God, confess and repent of sin, embrace God’s grace, etc

Pragmatism is killing the church

Faithful Gardening

by Travis Allen

When Methodist missionary J. Waskom Pickett published Christian Mass Movements in India in 1933, it would’ve been impossible to predict its impact on American evangelicalism. His observations about rates of conversion and church growth among Indian castes may have seemed innocuous at the time, but his interest in outcomes betrayed assumptions rooted in pragmatism.

Pickett’s book resonated strongly with young Donald McGavran, who carried the baton forward, lighting his “candle at Pickett’s fire.” Using Pickett’s observations, McGavran developed the “homogeneous growth unit principle,” that people prefer “to become Christians without crossing racial, linguistic, or class barriers.” Keeping people as comfortable as possible was the key to higher conversion and growth rates. That’s pragmatism, unvarnished and unapologetic—practical outcomes, measured value, and determined conduct.

McGavran returned from the mission field to plant pragmatic growth strategies in the fertile, Arminian soil of American evangelicalism. It was like pouring Miracle-Gro on weeds. Churches that incorporated McGavran’s seekerfriendly church-growth strategies were booming. The come-as-you-are gospel was more appealing—and therefore more numerically successful—than the gospel of self-sacrifice.

Though today there’s widespread disillusionment with the fields of weeds, many continue to engage in pragmatism. It’s distorting the gospel as it’s contextualized to other cultures and subcultures. And it’s turning the Sunday worship service into a staged event, with all the requisite accoutrements—rock band, “attractional” preaching, and support groups.

Pragmatism is so deeply rooted in evangelical soil that many pastors enter ministry embracing its assumptions. In fact, it’s so native to evangelical thinking that some pastors fail to see the incongruity in teaching the doctrines of grace while practicing Arminian-style evangelism and church-growth strategies.

It’s time to weed the garden. Let’s eradicate every noxious, thorny strategy rooted in pragmatism. Not only does pragmatism undermine the consistency of our theology and practice, but it’s choking out the good fruit of a principle-driven, convictional ministry grounded in God’s Word. So, here are four reasons to don the gardening gloves and grab the trowel:

First, pragmatism clouds the church’s vision. Pragmatism requires us to examine practical results, that is, to walk by sight, not by faith. Yet our judgment is limited and fallible at best; if we are the arbiter of what works, we reinforce prideful self-reliance, which is blindness. God calls us to live by faith. We are to fear Him, trust His Word, and leave the results—and our judgment about what works—to Him. Walking by faith clears the church’s vision.

Second, pragmatism diminishes the church’s glory. Pragmatism fosters man-centeredness, glorying in man’s ability, ingenuity, and innovation—which is no glory at all. The church is an assembly of sinners, redeemed by faith, who glory in the God of sovereign grace. William Gurnall wrote,

God is more jealous of having the glory of his grace ravished by the pride and self-glorying of the creature, than ever any prince was of having his queen deflowered … to secure it from any such horrid abuse, he hath chosen faith … whose very nature, being a self-emptying grace, renders it incapable of entering into any such design against the glory of God’s grace.

God is the church’s glory, not man. His power is manifest when the church trusts His Word to accomplish His will.

Third, pragmatism supplants the church’s true authority. Pragmatism puts man—his judgments, innovations, and strategies—in the seat of authority. But the church belongs to Christ (Matt. 16:18). As head of the church, what He says is exclusively authoritative (Eph. 4:15; 5:23).

Fourth, pragmatism diverts the church’s purpose. Like waterless clouds, pragmatism finally fails to deliver on its promises. Christ’s Great Commission is to make disciples, which involves baptizing (evangelism) and teaching (edification). We’re to do that without anxiously counting numbers. How many disciples depends on God’s sovereign election, not our methods.

Christ designed the church to be “the pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) by proclaiming the gospel to the lost and teaching the redeemed to practice the truth. That’s Ephesians 4:11-16: Apostles and prophets laid the church’s foundation with the truth; evangelists plant new believers in the truth; pastors and teachers anchor saints by teaching and equipping them according to the truth.

So, pastors should spend their time and energy on studying and thinking deeply about truth. Feeding Christ’s sheep should be their consuming preoccupation (John 21:15-17). They are shepherds, not entrepreneurs. They guide the flock by the “pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) and entrust those words to faithful teachers who will teach the next generation (2:2). The church desperately needs men who will “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that [they] may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).

Pragmatism is poison to the church. Church ministry is about trusting the sovereign will of God and being faithful to plant and water the good seed of the gospel (1 Cor. 3:6-8). Growth, increase, fruit—that’s entirely up to Him.

The Bible - 5.8 Billion got it: 1.3 to go!

An estimated 5.8 billion people now have all or some of the Holy Bible translated into their first language, and the Bible is now in more than 2,800 different languages, according to a recent announcement by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

"Last year, Wycliffe Global Alliance reported that 4.9 billion people could access at least part of the Bible in their first language. This year the number has grown to 5.8 billion," Bob Creson, president and CEO of Wycliffe, told The Christian Post. "This represents tremendous progress toward our goal of starting a translation project in every language needing one by 2025."

Creson also told CP that technological advances in areas like translation are "a critical role in speeding up the translation process."

"Software like Adapt It automates some parts of the translation process, dramatically cutting down the time required to produce first drafts in related languages," said Creson.

"We have also adapted a cluster-project model for translating. Rather than developing each translation independently, cluster projects bring similar languages together so translators can share skills and insights with each other."

Wycliffe Global Alliance, which is comprised of over 120 organizations from more than 60 nations including Wycliffe USA, broke the statistics in a press release.

"There are about 7000 languages in active use and at least one book of Scripture exists in almost 2,900 of these languages," noted WGA. "At least 1.3 billion people do not have the full Bible available in their first language. Over 634 million of these have the New Testament; others have portions or at least some level of work begun."

The Wycliffe organization credited efforts like YouVersion's Bible App, Faith Comes by Hearing audio Scriptures and the "JESUS" film in using twenty-first century technology to reach out to remote regions.

"Though there has been astounding progress toward complete global Bible access, there is a lot of work to be done to reach the 1.3 billion people around the world without the full Bible," commented Creson to CP. "God has been faithful in bringing the people and technology required to complete this mission, and we're confident that someone alive today will start the last new Bible translation project."

Source URL : http://www.christianpost.com/news/wycliffe-reaches-5-8-billion-people-with-bible-translations-129536/

What you and I have in common with Ray Rice: Titus 2

The stories flooding in from the National Football League have been all over the news. Ray Rice knocking out his fiancé in the hotel elevator; Adrian Peterson whipping his son;  indecision; suspensions; drugs; and apologies. It turns our stomach and makes us wonder if fame and money perpetuate such conduct. Talent tends to swell our heads and when we glory in skill and ability played between white lines chalked on a field it’s no wonder kids end up with heroes that have little to no moral integrity. In the end the NFL must begin to care about far more than winning on Sunday and filling stadiums.
 
If you have watched any of the behaviors of football players off the field recently you are aware of the fact that there is a serious problem with domestic abuse. This really shines a light on anger acting out in extreme ways that endangers people. Though we may not be abusers, each one of us carries the marks of our own depravity. Paul tells Titus that though we are given grace by God, we also must get to work denying temptations and sinful tendencies that creep in. Instead we should live in a way that reflects God’s character and His work in our lives.

 

What’s happening in the league reminds us of every individual’s depravity; and if we are honest we also know that what is happening is not isolated to big guys with lots of money. There is a big problem all around us with domestic violence and we must speak out and defend the abused. But we must also own the errors of our own ways too; we are all sinners. We, just like Ray Rice, have done wrong. You may not have beat someone down, but you have committed countless other sins. So, do some introspection too; don't be content to be better than "that guy". Don't ever forget your own depravity; don't ever stop seeing your need for the transforming work of Jesus in your own life.

The short book of Titus records a short primer on life, godliness, and ministry in this letter from Paul to another one of his spiritual sons. Titus 2:11-13 holds some important reminders for every believer. God is doing a work in us and as he works on us, He also has some things He tells us to work on. There is no doubt that salvation is a work that he has done in us, but he is then teaching us that we need to take some things seriously as we follow our new Lord and Savior.

So what are we to be doing? We need to say “NO”. “No” to everything that is anti-God;  and “No” to everything that causes us to desire things that are not from Him. There are many things that we could lust after that will drive us away from His good intentions and plans for us. Money, success, “greener” relationships, power, prestige, or making “happiness” our god. Paul tells Titus to say “no” to these things and “yes” to thought-filled living, right steps, and a God-reflecting life. Paul tells Titus to be motivated by the fact that Jesus is returning and exchange sinful habits and lifestyles for new steps that sober, righteous, and godly. This means each of us, including Ray Rice, can find forgiveness and empowerment for a new life and purpose in the saving work of Christ on the cross. He died so we would be forgiven and be transformed into His disciples.

So let me pose this question: when Jesus returns will He find you reflecting Him and living as His redeemed child? When He returns what will He find you doing? Will you look like Him and zealously be doing His work? Or will you look more like a football player who made his ambition about an inflated piece of leather, a wad of green paper, or abusively controlling those around him. Will you be on your own agenda or on His mission for you? Are you living in light of what he has redeemed you for, or borrowing from the trash He rescued you from?  Why not get back in the real game and live for something that will last: get busy trading in the world’s garbage for eternity’s treasure.

Igniting fire for life in Christ: 2 Timothy 1

Over the last year there has been this pile of brush down near the softball field on our church’s property that has kept expanding. Broken branches, dead, bushes, and who knows what else has been thrown there. This past Friday night we decided to have the biggest bonfire in Michigan and set it ablaze. If you know me well, I’m not exactly the camping type so starting a fire for me usually includes lighter fluid. So I left the job of lighting it to someone else. In no time the pile was lighting up the entire area. It is amazing to watch just one little flame engulf an area and multiply its heat.

In 2 Timothy 1 Paul uses language that we can appreciate if we have ever seen someone who knows what they are doing when they start a fire. Paul tells Timothy to “stir up the gift” or “fan into flame the gift” that God had given him. I remember watching this happen around the campfire. Just as it looked like the fire was dying, someone begins to blow or fan the ashes or embers. At first it looks like it is going to put the fire out, and then a flame bursts out and the fire begins to grow and then spread. All the fire needed was to have some fresh oxygen to grow.

This is the message Paul is giving Timothy. Do you ever feel stagnant spiritually? You begin to lack desire, or you can tell that there is something missing. Your zeal, your prayer time, your trust in God, even things like reading the Bible and going to a worship service become chores. You are not alone, it happens to all of us. It happened to Timothy and even Paul.

Spiritual apathy is a casual complacency that sneaks in and eventually has the effect of

Sharing words that encourage: 1 Timothy 1

What words should you share with someone you are trying to encourage? What are the things that you need reminding of in your daily walk? I find it interesting how some people have a knack for saying just the right thing to calm your soul and put you at ease. And then it is crazy to think about that one individual who has the total opposite effect and always says something that just doesn’t set well…. Uh, that’s being kind, because they usually say something that makes your blood

Are we fools? 1 Corinthians 4

We are fools for Christ’s sake. Fools – fools in the eyes of those around us; fools to those that don’t walk or talk like us. Fools for believing in the unseen God. Fools for having a hope in a far better future. Fools for yielding to a higher power who we know by name. Fools for allowing that unseen One to dictate our courses of action, give purpose to our existence, or demand our life consecration. Fools for Christ’s sake – those words were used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 4 to remind Corinth that outside of faith and the promises in Chris,t his actions and the suffering he went through to be a faithful steward just did not make sense to the apostate world around them. To choose the preaching of the cross had left them imprisoned, hungry, naked, tortured, suffering, and left for dead. He adds these words, “We are made as the filth of the world. And are the offscourging of all things.”

This was the life of Paul. This is what he was called to. This was the otherside we often forget of seeing the power of God ignite the church planting movement throughout the Roman Empire. The reminder serves as my personal chastisement for seeking comfort over Christ, for choosing the easy path, and for going to spiritual war without my armor. If we follow Paul’s example than we too open ourselves up to being viewed as fools. The alternative: live life no differently than the masses who have no lasting hope, no eternal purpose, and no Savior in the Christ who died that we might live for a kingdom yet unseen: Yes, Live foolishly. Live for the glory of the Creator. Live in light of following Sovereign God. Live in the reality of an eternal existence. Live because you have been granted the privilege of knowing and talking with and spending forever with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To Him that’s faithfulness; to everyone else that’s foolishness. I trust you choose to live foolishly.