Mooresville Church of God

2011-12-29T11:31:00.000-05:00

Beginning January 8th...a very important series of messages for Mooresville Church of God and our future...

We are asking all of those who consider themselves a part of the MCOG congregation to be in attendance on January 8th and throughout this series.

The call of Jesus is clear...the question, as always, for all of us is...will we hear and follow?

To do anything else is to deny Jesus, His call, His commands and His teaching.

His Way is RADICAL. This isn't just a cool way to think about it. When you break down His teaching and His call to His Church, it is most definitely a RADICAL way to live!

Please be in prayer for Pastor John as he prepares this series of messages. Be in prayer for our congregation that they would have ears to hear and then be not just hearers, but doers of God's Word. Be in prayer for our community, that the resulting mission and vision that God gives will begin to change lives throughout Mooresville and the greater Indianapolis area!

Advent Conspiracy!

2011-11-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

Here are four words that could change your life:

Worship - Rebel - Give - Recieve

BOOM! Your life just changed didn't it!?!? :-)

If your life didn't change on the spot, that's ok. Because if you investigate, embrace and live those four words...eventually...your life will dramatically change.

There's a conspiracy among us! And if we join, it just might change the world!

Forgotten Virtues

2011-10-10T16:35:00.000-04:00

Today's culture has some good and exciting elements to it. It moves, changes and morphs almost daily!

But with all good things, there are some unfortunate repercussions that can happen. Sometimes, important ideas, values, morals and virtues get lost in the hustle and bustle of all the busyness, ingenuity and technology of modern life.

We want to push the PAUSE button for a moment and remember...

...remember some virtues that sometimes get lost
...remember some virtues that are necessary and important
...remember some virtues that are close to God's heart
...remember some virtues that may have been forgotten

Join us over the next 3 weeks as we look at some foundational virtues that God holds up as important for us:

- Loyalty
- Compassion
- Gratitude

Each Sunday morning at 10:30 am at Mooresville Church of God!

THE GRIDIRON

2011-09-01T13:39:00.000-04:00

New Teaching Series

Sunday, Sept. 4
Sunday, Sept. 11
Sunday, Sept. 18

We all have battles to fight in this life. The three primary battlegrounds we fight on are:

- The World - People, Attitudes & Influences

- The Flesh - Our own sin, temptation and weakness
- The Devil - Our adversary, tempter and accuser

We must recognize that if we are to win these battles that we NEED EACH OTHER! We must battle together as one unit...one team...one body!

Just as all successful football teams know, there are some keys to winning battles against tough and determined opponents. Three of the most important are:

- Communication
- Practice
- Equipment

We will be looking at these three keys to winning the battles in our lives!

We hope you will join us for this important and needed teaching series!

We plan to have a little fun along the way too! So join us each week and find out how we're going to build some team chemistry by having a little fun together!

DAD FEST 2011

2011-06-15T13:24:00.003-04:00

Hey Dads! You mean a lot to us! We've got some special things planned for you at Dad Fest 2011 (Father's Day). Don't miss the opportunity to celebrate fatherhood and the great things our dads have done for us. The celebration begins at 10:30 AM at Mooresville Church of God on June 19th. Don't miss it!

Summer Sermon Series!

2011-06-13T15:49:00.002-04:00

Parables & Prophets

Beginning

Sunday, June 26

Mooresville

Church of God

Throughout the summer we will be looking at two key ways that God has spoken through His Word:

- The Parables of Jesus

- The Old Testament Prophets

Jesus was the Master of communicating through stories. He was the most culturally relevant teacher in Christian history! We will examine a few of these stories, the lesson He was teaching through them and what He calls us to learn from them today.

We will also be looking at the Old Testament prophets that God used to speak powerful messages, lessons, warnings, and promises to His people and to the world!

Partner Church Pulpit Sharing!

We are excited to announce that we will be sharing pulpits with a few of our partner churches this summer! We currently partner with Grace Church, 1st Baptist and LifePointe Nazarene. Below are the currently scheduled dates:

July 3:

Pastor Jim Taylor (Grace) will be at Mooresville Church of God

Pastor Randall Garing (LifePointe) will be at Grace Church

Pastor John Crump (MCOG) will be at LifePointe Nazarene

Aug. 28:

Pastor Jim Taylor (Grace) will be at LifePointe Nazarene

Pastor Randall Garing (LifePointe) will be at Mooresville Church of God

Pastor John Crump (MCOG) will be at Grace Church

We hope you will be a part of what God is doing at Mooresville Church of God this summer!

God is at work! Join us this summer!

2011-05-23T12:21:00.000-04:00

As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

The pastoral staff of Mooresville Church of God believes that God is moving and preparing us for increased mission accomplishment and effectiveness! We invite all who read this to be a part of it!

God is always at work in His people and His Church. However, there are seasons when He chooses to work more obviously, even more visibly through His people to accomplish His purposes in the world. We are praying, wondering and suspecting that God is doing this right now in and through the Mooresville Church of God congregation!

When these seasons come it is crucial that a critical mass of people in that congregation devote themselves to prayer, God's Word, serving those who are in need, and serving each other in ways that will require signifcant sacrifice, time, money and effort! Because God is moving among us now, it is critical that we not let a "summer swoon" happen in our lives or in our church!

We recognize that summer is a time for vacations, relaxation, etc. We all plan to spend time with our families on vacation too. However, summer should NEVER be a time when our focus and attention should be reduced or taken off of our God and His mission in the world! And all the more when there is a renewed sense of God at work, doing something new among us! The pastoral staff, team leaders and key leaders of Mooresville Church of God are praying that God is preparing us, our community and our world for nothing short of REVIVAL!

Please join us not only this summer, but in the coming months as God accomplishes His purpose through us!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

New Sermon Series Beginning This Sunday, May 15

2011-05-11T13:36:00.001-04:00

The Jesus I

Never Knew

Jesus is one of the most controversial, misunderstood and catalytic figures in all of human history. People who are not "Christians" often don't know what to make of this man who claimed to be the Son of God. Even people who call themselves Christian have questions, even doubts about a man who lived over 2000 years ago, but who obviously changed the world forever.

Based on the best-selling book by Phillip Yancey, this series will help you know:

Who He Was

Why He Came

What He Left Behind

Will He Really Return?

We invite you to join us beginning this Sunday, May 15th at 10:30 am. Whether you know Jesus or not, we invite you to get to know Jesus in a way you may never have before. We hope you will get to know, "The Jesus I Never Knew".

EASTER SUNDAY CELEBRATION!

2011-04-18T15:27:00.000-04:00

EASTER SUNDAY CELEBRATION

This Sunday, April 24, 2011 - 10:30 AM

Mooresville Christian Academy

4271 E. St. Rd. 144

Mooresville, In.

We invite you to join us for our Easter Celebration! This year we will be holding our Easter service at the Mooresville Christian Academy (see the address above). We will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus by celebrating with 5 persons who will be baptized during our Easter Sunday service! we hope to see you!

TOOLS: Living Out the Spiritual Practices of Jesus

2011-02-21T17:37:00.002-05:00

Tools in and of themselves are nothing special. They might look interesting, but by themselves they are just wood and metal in odd shapes and sizes.

But tools in the hand of a carpenter are another thing altogether. They are powerful, effective, useful and have great purpose!

Throughout the upcoming season of Lent we will look at the TOOLS that God often uses to shape us, make us, even discipline us to look more and more like His Son...Jesus.

What are these tools? Within church culture we call them "Spiritual Disciplines". We could easily call them "Habits" or "Practices" too. However, these habits and practices, when they are used by God...can literally change us from the person we were...to the person God created us to be!

Beginning Sunday, March 13 at 10:30 am we invite you to come and let God work on you...shape you...use His TOOLS to transform you into someone who bears a strong resemblence to Jesus...

Thursday, February 3, 2011 - Weather Update

2011-02-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Mooresville Church of God & God's Shining Light Daycare is open today. However, our parking lot is still completely ice covered. Please take great caution if you are coming to the building today.

Stay safe and warm as we all slowly dig out and thaw out! Have a good Thursday!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 Weather Update

2011-02-02T11:51:00.001-05:00

MCOG and all Wednesday activities are closed or cancelled
for today. God's Shining Light Daycare is also closed today.

We urge everyone to stay warm and safe at home. If you are
able, check on those near you who are elderly, shut-in or disabled.

We give thanks for our public service men & women
who brave these winter conditions and continue to serve our community!

Winter Weather Closing

2011-02-01T09:22:00.000-05:00

Mooresville Church of God and all activities are closed for Tuesday, Feb. 1st. We will update the website, blog and Facebook page for any potential closings for Wednesday, Feb. 2nd. We pray for safety and health for everyone as we wait for the ice and snow to thaw!

Do Something!

2011-01-17T10:49:00.006-05:00

DO SOMETHING!

Impact Your World!

We hope you can join us for a new Sunday morning preaching series that begins on January 30th entitled...simply...DO SOMETHING!

We've spent the month of January exploring God's mission and vision for our congregation and for His Church. Now we want to do something about it!

Each week we will look at a key aspect of our ability to impact our world! In addition we will be hearing from representatives from local ministries and organizations who are doing something to positively impact our community and our world! We will also hear from people in the MCOG congregation who are doing something to impact their world! Below is the series schedule and guests:

January 30 - Topic: Advance Work - Guest: Churches in Mission
February 6 - Topic: Obedience - Guest: Desert Rose Battered Women's Shelter
February 13 - Topic: The Role of Pain - Guest: Crisis Pregnancy Center
February 20 - Topic: The Power to "DO" - Guest: Brad Lindsay, Superintendent of Mooresville Schools
Febrary 27 - Topic: Don't Quit - Guest: Derek & Laura Abner / Dat House
March 6 - Topic: Did Something Celebration - Guests: Camille Melki / Heart for Lebanon

Febrary 27 will begin our 2nd Annual Impact Your World Week! We will be focusing throughout that week on "Doing Something" in our local community, in our state & nation and in our world! Here is our schedule for the week:

Tuesday, March 1 - "Do Something" in our community! We encourage everyone to serve a local ministry or organization on this day of service!

Wednesday, March 2 - We will have our monthly prayer gathering and it will be focused on our state and national ministries of the Church of God!

Thursday, March 3 - We will gather at Mooresville Church of God to pray, put together some care packages and write some notes of encouragement to our international ministry partners in Lebanon, Peru and other locations around the world. There will also be interest meetings for mission trip opportunities in 2011!

Join us and see what God will do as we "DO SOMETHING"!

Mission & Vision Sermon Series!

2010-12-28T12:29:00.001-05:00

Mooresville Church of God

Mission & Vision Sermon Series

January 2 - Purpose: Reconciliation

January 9 - Mission: To Make Disciples

January 16 - Vision: A Healing Community

January 23 - Strategy: Grace + Truth

January, 2011 represents an important season for Mooresville Church of God! We are discovering God's vision for how we will accomplish His mission in our community. We hope you all will join us as we look into God's Word, His mind, His heart and His call to us as His Church!

New Leadership Development Opportunity!

2010-12-22T13:19:00.002-05:00

Beginning in 2011 Pastor John has been offered the opportunity to become an Associate Trainer with EQUIP, the leadership development ministry of John Maxwell.

EQUIP is a non-profit organization specializing in the development of effective international Christian leaders. Founded by Dr. John C. Maxwell in 1996, EQUIP is dedicated to developing servant leaders who shoulder responsibility, meet challenges with courage and creativity and never relinquish their God-given dreams.

This is a volunteer role that Pastor John will be serving in. He will be teaming with Scott McDonald and training pastors and lay leaders in Beirut, Lebanon. They will travel to Beirut twice each year for three years and share 2-3 days of training with church, ministry and business leaders in that part of the world. The training will typically include leaders from Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Pastors and leaders from other Middle-Eastern nations will also participate.

Pastor John is also excited to partner with Camille Melki in this endeavor! Camille is the founder and director of Heart for Lebanon ministries. Mooresville Church of God supports H4L and recently took a mission team to Lebanon to partner with them in their work with Iraqi refugees, the Bedouin population and other impoverished and disenfranchised people in Lebanon. Camille is the Middle-East Coordinator for EQUIP and will be organizing the training sessions that Pastor John and Scott McDonald will be teaching.

There are many ways that Pastor John's role with EQUIP will benefit Mooresville Church of God! One of the most significant is the access Pastor John now has to the EQUIP leadership development curriculum. This curriculum represents 2 levels of Leadership Development training totaling 72 individual training sessions! The access to this curriculum will open the door for a comprehensive leadership development initiative to be pursued within the congregation of Mooresville Church of God! In addition it presents an opporutnity to offer leadership development training to the larger community! Pastor John will also have access to high-impact leaders and trainers who will be teaching, coaching and influencing his own personal leadership development!

Because this is a volunteer role there is significant financial need to help EQUIP provide the needed training materials to the Middle-Eastern pastors and lay leaders. In addition Pastor John will have travel expenses for each of the trips to Lebanon. If you have interest in financially supporting Pastor John's training efforts in the Middle-East please see him for details on how you can be a partner in this vital leadership development initiative!

Emmanuel: Seeking God with Us

2010-10-27T16:33:00.003-04:00

Plan to join us this Advent season as we celebrate:

Emmanuel

Seeking God with Us

Nov. 28 - Finding Hope!

Dec. 5 - Finding Peace!

Dec. 12 - Finding Joy!

Dec. 19 - Finding Love!

Dec. 26 - Finding Life!

Basic Training

2010-10-27T16:19:00.001-04:00

ATTEN....TION!

It's time to get back to some basics of the Christian faith!

We are in the middle of a great series in which we return to some basic topics necessary for everyone who is a believer or still has questions about the Christian faith.

We've already covered topics like:

- God's Word (The Bible) and why understanding it is so key to our understanding of God
- The Church and why Jesus called it into existence

In the next few weeks we will be looking at some other important understandings of the Christian faith:

- Oct. 31 - The Trinity and why God expresses Himself in 3 persons
- Nov. 7 - Giving (Money) One of the most controversial topics but an essential to understand
- Nov. 14 - Forgiving and why it's a key to be able to give it and receive it
- Nov. 21 - The Reason - This will try to sum up the reason that God initiated all of this for our sake

We hope you can join us as we learn and seek God together!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

10 Stops On the Journey of Transformation

2010-09-28T16:11:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to hear Christian researcher, author and teacher George Barna speak on some very important issues facing "The Church" today. There was too much information to share it all, however, here are a couple of big picture statments he made that really made me perk up and pay attention:

He said that researchers have basically known for 25 years or more that the "Congregational" model of doing church has been slowly, consistently, but almost assuredly losing it's effectiveness. The congregational model is basically the way that 99.9% of churches function and operate. His point with this statement was simply to declare that we MUST continue to be innovative and creative in how we will "BE" the church in the coming generations. The old model simply will not work effectively enough to sustain itself for much longer in an increasingly post-Christian and anti-Christian culture in the USA. This is simply one of the great challenges that face churches, pastors, leaders and Christians today! We can no longer fear the reaction of our congregations to change! We have no choice! Be transformed back into the outward-focused movement that was the 1st Century Church or die a slow and ineffective death.

The other statment Barna made was something like this: "You achieve what you measure". He went on to say that for far too long we have measured only numbers (attendance, giving, square footage) and paid very little attention to measuring the transformation of people. He is not suggesting that we not keep track of any numbers. That would be or could be irresponsible. What he is suggesting is that we stop making those measurements our first priority when assessing success and failure at our mission. He is suggesting that measuring transformation in people will drive us to be more effective and thus produce all the numbers we want (my words, not Barna's)! So here are what George Barna called the "10 Stops on the Journey of Transformation". An intersting statistical note before you read through them: 89% of all Chrisitans in the USA never get beyond stop 5. They never grow or deveolop beyond the point of salvation.

Ignorance of sin: Non-believing people don't even realize that sin exists in their lives.
Indifference to sin: Non-believing people grow to understand the concept of sin but are indifferent to it. They don't know they should be concerned about it and do something about it.
Concern for sin: Non-believing people become concerned that sin exists in their lives. They begin to search for the answer to the question, "What should I do about this sin?"
Understand a Need for Forgiveness: Their concern for sin becomes a need to be forgiven by Someone capable of forgiving sin. They find Jesus to be the only One capable of this forgiveness.
Embrace Grace & A Need to Grow in Faith: This is the point of salvation. They recieve grace and begin to grow as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Discontent: After salvation and an understanding of God's grace, the nice, comfortable, safe Christianity that is typically taught no longer satisfies. They long for more and are discontent with a faith that doesn't challenge and change them or other people.
Brokenness: They begin to realize that they cannot change the world on their own. They need God, His power and the rest of His people to do it and are broken by their limitations and inadequacies.
Surrender & Submission: As their brokenness takes it's toll on them they throw their hands in the air and cry out "I surrender"! In the Church of God, this is the point which we used to call being "sanctified". Surrendering all of who we are, our will, our desires, our lives to God and His purposes.
Profound Love for God: Having surrendered and submitted to God's will, love and grace, a deep, intimate and profound love for Him develops.
Profound Love for Other People: It is only after understanding and receiving God's amazing grace and love that we can extend that love to others! This is God's mission in the world! For all people to know, receive and share the love of God through Jesus Christ!

What would it look like if we started measuring this type of transformation first, before any other measure of our success or effectiveness? I think George Barna is pointing us in the right direction. I think it's a Christ-like and missional direction. My prayer is that we would all have the courage and faith to follow.

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Reach Out Concert

2010-08-17T18:01:00.004-04:00

John Schlitt, lead singer of "Petra" and internationally-known recording artist, will be featured at Mooresville Church of God in Mooresville, IN on Saturday, September 18 at 7:30 PM. John will also make an appearance on Sunday, Sept. 19 during the church's Sunday morning worship service at 10:30. Petra was founded in 1972, and is one of the world's best known and most successful Christian rock bands, with sales of over 7 million records. Schlitt, a native of Illinois, has been their lead vocalist since 1986. During his time with Petra, he has recorded 16 albums, earning four Grammy and numerous Dove awards, with many #1 and Top Ten hits on the Contemporary Christian Charts. His travels and performances with the group have reached all 50 states and as many as 18 countries. Prior to his time with Petra, Schlitt was lead singer of the rock band "Head East," a Midwest-based rock group which toured the United States in the 1970's and was best known for their classic hit, "Never Been Any Reason." Schlitt's concerts are a mixture of classic Petra tunes in rock, pop, and praise & worship style, such as "Beyond Belief," "No Doubt," and "We Need Jesus," plus hits off his solo albums such as "Show Me the Way," "One by One" and "Inside of You." Tickets are currently on sale at the church office for $5. Ticket prices at the gate will be $10. You can also purchase tickets at www.itickets.com. For more information, check out the church website: www.MooresvilleChurch.org or call the church office at 317-831-1418.

New Preaching Series Beginning August 15

2010-07-23T13:18:00.006-04:00

New Preaching Series!

Beginning August 15, 2010

Making Room for Life

Trading Chaotic Lifestyles

for Connected Relationships

American culture has so many good and exciting things to offer! Innovations, technology, opportunities abound! We really are blessed in so many ways!

But every good thing has a price...a cost...

Another reality of American culture is that we often sacrifice the intimacy and quality of our family relationships and friendships for the sake of the pace and possibilities of our lifestyle. Even more, we sometimes don't think it can be different...even if we wanted it to...But it can be different!

We hope you will join us beginning on August 15th and discover a new pace of life! A pace that allows healthy time for your family, friends...and for God! Hope to see you at Mooresville Church of God!

Welcome to Our World: Lydia Grace Towne

2010-07-09T18:08:00.000-04:00

Welcome!

Lydia Grace Towne

Born July 8, 2010

Mooresville, In.

Congratulations

Jeremy, Raegan,

Tate, Harry and Lauren!

Prayer Summit - Sunday, July 18

2010-07-07T15:34:00.002-04:00

Prayer Summit

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Mooresville Church of God

6:00 - 8:00 pm

Dr. Doug Talley will lead a Prayer Summit for us as we begin this season of covenantal accountability. We will be asking God to pour out His Spirit in fresh power so that His church in Mooresville will accomplish His purposes with effectivness! We hope you will join us as we seek Him together!

Summer Sermon Series!

2010-06-25T23:47:00.000-04:00

Jesus was counter-culture...
Jesus was a rebel...
Jesus was a contradiction...
Jesus challenged the status quo...

For many people the Beatles and the onset of the Rock n Roll era were a time of counter-cultural and rebellious living. And in the scope of American culture that is true. However...

...Jesus had done something similiar in His culture thousands of years earlier. His counter-culture message and challenges to the status quo are powerfully illustrated in the opening words of one of His greatest teachings: The Sermon on the Mount. We call this introductory section "The Beatitudes" and we will spend most of our summer studying Jesus words, message and challenges to the entire culture of His day...and ours!

Join us Sunday, June 27 and for the next seven weeks as we study this powerful teaching of Jesus!

Covenants

2010-05-22T12:43:00.000-04:00

Covenants are a big deal, did you know that?

I found out that if I put up the wrong type of fence or build a storage barn our Neighborhood Association Covenant will likely result in me getting reprimanded, fined or even forced to take down the fence or storage barn. Wow! These people seem to take this covenant serriously!

But covenants are meant to be taken seriously. If you look through the Old Testament you see God weaving, creating, adapting and enforcing His covenant with His people. In fact, it was because His people would not (or could not) keep this covenant with Him that He eventually threw up His hands (so to speak) and decided that something drastic must be done! The covenant progression kind of went like this...

...God makes a covenant with Adam and Eve that allows them to live in perfect relationship with Him forever in the Garden of Eden. They break the covenant. God has to begin again...

...God makes a covenant with Abraham that He will bless Abraham and his family and will bless the whole world through them...if they keep the covenant...but they don't. God has to begin again...

...God attempts to restore the covenant with people like Isaac, Jacob, David, various Judges, Kings and Prophets...but it never seems to work like God had hoped...God has to begin again...

...God decides that a NEW covenant is needed. A covenant based not on the righteousness and obedience of the people...but based on God's righteousness, love, justice and mercy...a covenant established by blood...the blood of His one and only Son...Jesus...who would pay the price for the sin, disobedience and failure of so many people...ALL PEOPLE...to keep God's original covenant...This is THE covenant...the final one needed...to reconcile people and the entire creation back to God!

Covenants are a big deal, did you know that?

And now your pastoral staff and Board of Directors is asking you to support a covenant. A covenant that in essence makes us accountable to our state ministry...and makes them accountable to us. After all...this is what covenants are...two parties mutually agreeing to be accountable to each other for the sake of a larger, more important cause. To accomplish something together they they might not be able to accomplish on their own. This covenant is good...it is coming at the right time...with the right motive...and is worthy of our support.

Covenants are a big deal...in part because when kept, they produce beautiful and powerful results! God is calling us to a new and powerfully productive day of mission-focused ministry at Mooresville Church of God. Let's not miss this opportunity!

Copies of this covenant are available on the Welcome Center in the church lobby. As you have questions email them to the office (info@mooresvillechurch.org) Our state minister, Dr. Doug Talley, will be with us on Wednesday, June 2 for a Question & Answer time at 7:00 pm. We will then vote on acceptance of the covenant on Sunday, June 6 immediately following the morning worship service.

Thank you for your partnership in ministry! Thank you for your prayers and participation in what our God is doing among His people TODAY!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Pentecost Pulpit Rotation

2010-05-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

Join us this Sunday, May 23rd as we kick off our Pentecost sermon series and pulpit rotation!

We welcome Pastor Daniel Miller of the Kelley Crossing Church of God in Frankfort, In. and Pastor Andy Denniston of the Eaton Church of God in Eaton, In.

Series Preaching Schedule:

Sunday, May 23

Mooresville - Andy Denniston

Frankfort - John Crump

Eaton - Daniel Miller

Sunday, May 30

Mooresville - Daniel Miller

Frankfort - Andy Denniston

Eaton - John Crump

Sunday, June 6 & 13

Mooresville - John Crump

Frankfort - Daniel Miller

Eaton - Andy Denniston

Beirut Mission Team: The Story in Pictures

2010-05-10T16:13:00.000-04:00

Here is Rhiannon, Maggy, Ron & Marlene sharing a meal with some of the Cedar Home girls. There are 21 total girls: 13 who range in age from 6 - 18 and 8 college age girls who are in a more independant living arrangement. Chadi & Joyce Melki and their staff are doing powerful and effective ministries with these fine young women and girls!

Here you have our team with most of the Heart for Lebanon team. A talented and committed group of young men and women who are impacting the very culture of a nation by their God-given mission and hard work! Camille & Hoda Melki and their staff are setting an example for how ministry is to be approached and lived out no matter where you live!

Rhiannon McKinley and Marlene Crump are visiting with one of many Iraqi families we visited in their homes. What a privilege it was to sit, talk, listen to their stories and minister to these good people. Many (probably most) of the Iraqi families we met were Christians who had been driven out of Iraq by Muslim extremists who had either killed some of their family members, kidnapped family members or threatened them simply because they were Christians. Most are now waiting to be permanently placed in other countries by the United Nations.

This is Pastor John with a little spitfire known as Simona. She keeps everyone hopping at Cedar Home. She is a great example of the life-change happening with each of the girls that God has entrusted into Chadi and Joyce Melki's hands.

We took some time to learn about the history and culture of Lebanon. What a great and interesting history it has! Here we are standing on a late 1st Century church floor in the city of Byblos. Though we don't know for sure, it's possible that the Apostle Paul, the Apostle John or some of their students might have spoken here at some point! The possibility alone left us in awe. We laughed because anything we have in the USA regarding our history is 234 years old or younger. So sites that are thousands of years old are almost beyond our comprehension!

These are the tallest Roman columns in the world! The engineering feat alone is breathtaking, but the intricate carvings and construction is incredible. You see Pastor John standing at the bottom of the first column and get a sense of how big they are! These columns are a part of a pre-first century pagan temple built by the Romans called Ba'albeck. It was a temple where people could come and worship any god they chose. Throughout the ruins there were sections devoted to certain gods. The temple is in a Shiite village of the same name. It is located in the beautiful Bekaa Valley, a valley set between two mountain ranges in the center of Lebanon. If you travel east from the Bekaa Valley you reach the Mediterranean Sea. If you travel west you enter Syria.

The Beirut Mission team will be sharing during our Sunday morning worship on Sunday, May 16th. We hope you can come and hear about what God is doing in Lebanon!

Beirut Mission Team: Mid-week Report

2010-05-05T18:24:00.001-04:00

Sunday, May 2

After arriving at the airport we immediately discovered that our flight was significantly delayed. This would cause us to miss our connecting flight in Philadelphia. So the airline re-arranged our flight plans, sending us through Philly and London instead of Philly and Frankfurt, Germany. Doesn't sound too bad, except it added around 6 or 7 hours to our total flight time. Other than those changes in our plans it was uneventful flying all night. We were excited to be off on our ministry adventure!

Monday, May 3

After a 5 hour layover in London we headed off to Beirut! We arrived in Beirut around 11:00 pm Monday evening. Flying across the Atlantic Ocean has an element of fun and excitement, but is also really tiring! Fortunately our flights were smooth sailing as we tried to get some sleep and adjust to the massive time change were were about to experience. We lost 7 hours on our flight to Beirut. So when it's noon in Indiana, it's 7:00 pm in Beirut. We were met at the airport by Chadi Melki, the Director of Cedar Home. We got settled in and got a few hours sleep, already anticipating our first day of ministry!

Tuesday, May 4

We met Camille Melki, the Director of Heart for Lebanon at 8:00 am Tuesday morning. H4L's offices are in the Meditteranean Bible College building, right next door to Cedar Home. Camille and his staff took us into downtown Beirut where we distributed food to Iraqi refugee families. These families fled Iraq due to the war and persecution going on there to this very day. We were treated to lunch at a local restaurant by some friends of the H4L ministry: Brother Frank & Brother Stephen! It was a great time of fellowship with these two pastors and leaders from churches in Canada! In the afternoon we went in teams of 4 or 5 to visit some of these families in their temporary homes. It would not be possible to articulate the array of emotions you feel as you hear the stories of each family. There is a bit of everything... sadness... grief... relief... joy... anger... desperation. I encourage anyone reading this to ask one of our team to tell you a couple of the stories they heard. In addition to the Iraqi families, it was so inspiring to see the Holy Spirit power through the H4L staff! We are deeply grateful that God has placed these dedicated and Spirit-led people in Lebanon to minister to these desperate needs! Camille and your staff...THANK YOU for the great work you are doing on behalf of God's Kingdom!

After returning to Cedar Home for the evening we finally got to meet the 21 girls who call Cedar Home... well... home! Chadi & Joyce Melki are truly God's hands and feet for these girls who have all come from very difficult and sometimes tragic backgrounds! Rhiannon McKinley led devotions and small group discussions before supper. We chose a three part theme for the week on the topic of "Purity". Rhiannon's topic was purity in your actions. She did a great job! We then ate supper with the girls and then quickly settled in for our first "real" nights sleep in almost two days! We were ready for it!

Wednesday, May 5

Our day was identical in schedule to Tuesday: Iraqi food distribution in the morning / Visiting Iraqi homes in the afternoon. More powerful moments of ministry with the wonderful Iraqi people and the inspiring H4L staff! We were blessed by our time with all of them!

After arriving at Cedar Home the evening devotion, this time on the topic of "Spiritual Purity" was led by Marlene Crump. Another great job! We played a couple of games with the girls and then shared a great supper with them!

We then walked over to H4L's offices to meet with Milad, one of the H4L staff members. We wanted to hear his testimony of what God had done in his life. It was powerful to hear this man who was raised as a Muslim tell of his encounter with Jesus, the persecution he endured after his conversion, and his faithfulness to God's call into ministry! Thank you Milad for sharing your story with us!

After returning to Cedar Home we had an opportunity to hear Chadi Melki tell of some of the joys and challenges that come with caring for 21 young girls and women who have lived challenging and sometimes painful lives before coming to Cedar Home. Please continue to pray for Chadi and Joyce as they serve these girls! It is a powerful expression of the love of Jesus to watch them live every moment of their lives for others!

That's got you up to date so far! We will share some more in a couple of days! Thanks for your prayers for our team and for the ministries we are serving with! Blessings from Beirut!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Beirut, Lebanon Mission Team Itinerary

2010-05-01T18:49:00.000-04:00

Please be in prayer for our team leaving Sunday, May 2 for Beirut, Lebanon. The team consists of:

Pastor John Crump
Rhiannon McKinley
Marlene Crump
Pastor Ron Crump
Maggy Fisher

Here is the teams itinerary for the week. Pray for them throughout the week as the travel and serve:

Sunday, May 2
- Depart Indianapolis 3:15 pm
- Arrive Philadelphia 5:04 pm
- Depart Philadelphia 6:25 pm

Monday, May 3

- Arrive Frankfurt, Germany 8:45 am

- Depart Frankfurt 10:20 am

- Arrive Beirut 3:05 pm

- Settle in at Cedar Home for the evening

Tuesday, May 4

- 8:00 - Noon: Food Distribution to Iraqi Refugees

- 1:00 – 5:00: Home visits with Iraqi families

- 6:30 – 7:30: Devotion/Games with Cedar Home kids

Wednesday, May 5

- 8:00 - Noon: Food Distribution to Iraqi Refugees

- 1:00 – 5:00: Home visits with Iraqi families

- 6:30 – 7:30: Devotion/Games with Cedar Home kids

Thursday, May 6

- 8:00 – Noon: Breakfast & Staff Meeting w/ H4L Staff

- 1:00 – 5:00: Cedar Home projects

- 6:30 – 7:30: Devotion/Games with Cedar Home kids

Friday, May 7

- 8:00 – Noon: Iraqi Women’s Program

- 8:00 – Noon: Pastor John leading Devotions & Staff Meeting w/ CHO staff

- 1:00 – 5:00: Outdoor Activities with Cedar Home kids

- 7:00: Production of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" by Cedar Home kids

Saturday, May 8

- Site-Seeing Day: Cedars of Lebanon

Sunday, May 9

- Depart Beirut 3:05 am

- Arrive Frankfurt, Germany 6:15 am

- Depart Frankfurt 8:25 am

- Arrive Chicago 10:31 am

- Depart Chicago 1:10 pm
- Arrive Indianapolis 3:04 pm

A Consultation Considered

2010-04-26T13:20:00.003-04:00

After a full weekend of interviews, meetings and reporting, I find myself on this Monday after, still in a state of excitement and anticipation. The report Rev. Dr. Doug Talley shared with us yesterday was extremely constructive and I have a good and healthy pride of what God has done through Mooresville Church of God. We have come a long way and this should be celebrated. But a celebration can easily turn into a plateau. Rather than slipping into a state of satisfaction, we need to push on to the goal of having as Doug put it, "greater impact on the community."

A wise man once said, "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." This is good advice especially when thinking about our dreams and goals for tomorrow. There is no doubt that God is revealing his vision to us for an amazing future. Pastor John's leadership during the last 16 months has been pivotal. I pray that we step up and commit to be fully devoted ambassadors of Christ by accepting the recommendations of the consultation team. I fully believe that this will enable us to jump the life cycle generating a new birth with greater kingdom work in the Mooresville community.

I would like to ask each of you to commit to pray for the next 3 weeks regarding the recommendations by the Consultation Team. Pray that people will put greater faith in God and his Word rather than in their own opinions. Pray that conversations during the next 3 weeks will be edifying and that questions will be appropriately directed to our church leadership. Pray also that Mooresville COG will succeed at being the hands and feet of Christ.

If you have any questions regarding the Recommendations please contact any of the Pastoral Staff.

Committed to the Kingdom,

Pastor Jeremy

Great Rules to Live By

2010-04-08T07:56:00.002-04:00

I picked up a John Wooden book on leadership this week and was intrigued with some simple rules that Coach Wooden learned from his father. You won’t find them to be novel in any way. They are a simple set of principles to live by. He calls them, “Dad’s Two Sets of Threes.”

Instructions on Integrity…
1. Never lie.
2. Never cheat.
3. Never steal.

How to face adversity…
1. Don’t whine.
2. Don’t complain.
3. Don’t make excuses.

I had grown up hearing something extremely similar to these rules. The first 3 have always been quite easy for me to follow but the second three convicted me a little bit. More times than I care to admit, I have broken all of the last three rules. I think it’s mostly because there are times when I feel I have a right to whine, complain or make excuses due to the great injustice of adversity. Philippians 2:14 states to, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe…” Paul’s directions to the church at Philippi are still relevant for Christians today. We should be on a journey of becoming blameless and pure having control of our tongue. Too many times have I made situations worse or increased my struggles with adversity simply because I started talking about it in an unproductive way. That’s exactly what these rules safeguard against. When we keep the second 3 rules, it keeps us on the path of becoming rather than prolonging our wallowing in self pity. In addition to afflicting our self through whining, complaining or making excuses we commonly pull someone else into the situation. Usually, this is done behind closed doors with a third party. Most times this only poison groups of people rather than edify them. I believe the only time this can be productive is when someone checks themselves with a confidant rather than anyone who will listen.

Here are some self check questions in regard to how we deal with adversity…

What is your typical response to adversity and setbacks? If venting about a situation is necessary are you sure you are talking to the right person? (The right person would be a confidant who can remain neutral helping you check your reactions) Are you damaging the person you are whining or complaining to? Are you trying to get your listener to be on your side of the argument?

Beginning Sunday, April 11 - Life Hurts / God Heals

2010-04-02T16:28:00.001-04:00

I think it will be accepted as fact if I say, "Sometimes life hurts"...won't it?

I mean life just takes a toll, especially on relationships: Marriages, friendships, brothers & sisters, parents & children, at work, at home, at church, at school...even our relationship with God shows some wear and tear after awhile.

Many people struggle to trust that God really wants the best for them and their relationships. In fact, where there has been hurt...He wants there to be healing.

We will spend a few weeks exploring God's desire to heal what may have been hurt in our relationships. Here are our topics:

April 11 - God wants to heal our relationship with Him.

April 18 - God wants to heal our relationship with other people.

April 25 we will take a one week break from this series as we invite our Executive State Minister, Dr. Doug Talley, to share with us as a part of our Indiana Ministries Consultation.

May 2 - God wants to heal our own self-image, or you may say, our relationship with ourselves.

We hope you will join us this Sunday, April 4th for our Easter Sunday Celebration! We will be putting the finishing touches on our Lent Series: One Month to Live. And then mark your calendars to be with us beginning April 11th for Life Hurts / God Heals!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Beirut, Lebanon Mission Experience

2010-03-22T15:39:00.000-04:00

BEIRUT, LEBANON

MISSION EXPERIENCE

May 2-9, 2010

A 5-person team from Mooresville Church of God will embark on a week-long mission experience in Beirut, Lebanon in early May. The team consists of:

Pastor John Crump

Maggy Fisher

Rhiannon McKinley

Marlene Crump

Pastor Ron Crump

The logos to the left represent the two ministries that the team will be working with while in Beirut: Heart for Lebanon, led by Camille Melki and Cedar Home, led by Chadi Melki.

While working with Heart for Lebanon the team will be distributing food to Iraqi refugee families who were driven out of their homeland due to the war and persecution by Muslim extremists. The team will also be doing home visits with the Iraqi families to minister to the relational and spiritual needs of the families. The team will also have opportunity to minister to the Iraqi women during a special worship service designed just for them.

The team will be lodging at the Cedar Home for girls, an orphanage that ministers to the life-long needs of orphaned girls in Lebanon. While at Cedar Home the team will be leading nightly devotion and game times with the girls as well as doing some assorted projects around the Home.

Both of these ministries are affiliated with the Church of God. The Melki family has a long history of Church of God ministry in Lebanon. Camille and Chadi simply carry on a rich heritage of effective ministry to the people of Lebanon. The leaders and staff of each of these ministries are changing the world through the powerful and mission-focused ministry they do each day!

Would you pray for our team as we travel? Would you pray for God to use us to encourage the Heart for Lebanon and Cedar Home staff and leaders? Would you add Heart for Lebanon and Cedar Home to your list of prayer targets? God is working all around the world and we are privileged to partner with our brothers and sisters in Lebanon to accomplish a small part of the work He has called them to accomplish in their part of the world!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Indiana Ministries Consultation - April 23-25, 2010

2010-03-18T15:35:00.001-04:00

Mooresville Church of God is entering an important season of its life and ministry. April 23-25 will be an opportunity for us to examine our ministries, our practices, our habits, our structure, all of those things that define who we are and why we exist as a church.

Every congregation needs some self-examination as well as some accountability. Indiana Ministries of the Church of God is offering to assist us with both of these productive efforts.

The MCHOG Board of Directors recently submitted an extensive Self-Study to the Indiana Ministries Consultation team. They will review it over the next few weeks, come spend the weekend of April 23-25 with us, and then provide feedback, recommendations and insight for our future ministry and mission here in Mooresville.

Here is a synopsis of the steps and timeline for the consultation:

April 23-24: Consultation team will interview the Pastoral Staff, congregational focus groups and individuals to gain further perspective and information about our ministry, mission and effectiveness.

April 25: Dr. Doug Talley, our Executive State Minister, will be preaching and sharing the Consultation Team's recommendations with the congregation.

May 9: Our congregation will hold a Special Business Meeting to vote on the recommendations put forth by the Consultation Team. If the recommendations are accepted, the Consultation Team will then draft a covenant detailing what Indiana Ministries will provide for MCHOG and what our congregation will do to accomplish the recommendations.

Early June: Our congregation will hold another Special Business Meeting to vote on acceptance of the covenant with Indiana Ministries. If the covenant is accepted, our congregation will be assigned a coach who will assist us and provide accountability for us as we accomplish the recommendations over the next few years.

What is the goal of this consultation and why are we doing it?

The mission of Mooresville Church of God is "To Make Disciples". More specifically, "To make disciples by reconciling people to God and to each other". The goal of this consultation is to make whatever changes are necessary in order for us to best accomplish this mission in our community! To fail at our mission is disobedience and is not an option for our congregation.

Churches all across the United States are failing at their God-given mission. We refuse to be one of them. We are attempting to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to see that our congregation is outward focused, mission focused and people focused! We asserted at our recent "Impact Your World Week" that no ministry, program, practice or habit in the life and ministry of our church is untouchable, unchangeable or sacred. What's working we hope to make better. What's not working will be replaced with mission-focused practices that do work.

We are in desperate need of your prayer, participation, patience and support throughout this process! Will you commit to make this consultation, our congregation and the eventual outcomes a matter of daily prayer? Mooresville Church of God's effectiveness, future and ministry depend on it!

Thank you for your efforts to see God's mission and purpose accomplished in the Mooresville community through this congregation!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Mandie Marine's Blog!

2010-03-12T16:38:00.000-05:00

Hey, just wanted you all to be aware of the great blog that Mandie Marine is updating during her mission work in San Francisco! Here's a link to it...

http://mandiescaliadventure.blogspot.com/

Please continue to pray for Mandie! Pray for safety, pray for strength and courage as she ministers to youth and adults! Pray that God would use her to expand His Kingdom while she's in California!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

One Month to Live Challenge

2010-02-17T18:01:00.002-05:00

Have you ever pressed the pause button on your life to ask some clarifying questions? Stopped, taken a deep breath and REALLY asked yourself if you are living the life that you WANT to live? Have you risked asking your spouse, your kids, your friends, if the life you are currently living is having a positive impact on them or the world around them?

We invite you to consider this question over the next 40 days: WHAT IF YOU HAD ONE MONTH TO LIVE?

The season that Christians refer to as "Lent" begins today, February 17, Ash Wednesday. It concludes on Easter Sunday, April 4th. It is a period of 40 days in which Christ followers are called and challenged to prepare themselves, do some self-examination of their spiritual lives, make healthy and needed changes in their lives so that they can grow closer to God and reflect the life and character of His Son, Jesus. It is during this observance of the season of Lent that we hope you will pose this question to yourself...and then act...in response to what God reveals to you.

People who only have weeks or months to live typically report that they made significant changes in how they lived during their final days. So we wonder...why not start living that way now?

If you want a good place to start in posing this question...and answering it...you might start by looking at how Jesus lived when He knew He only had one month to live. And that's exactly what we will be doing throughout the season of Lent leading right up to our Easter Sunday celebration! We hope you will join us!

Sunday, February 28 -      Living the Dash
Sunday, March 7 -             Live Passionately
Sunday, March 14 -           Love Completely
Sunday, March 21 -           Learn Humbly
Sunday, March 28 -           Leave Boldly
Easter Sunday, April 4 -   Living With No Regrets

So I'm asking myself the question, many people in our congregation are too. Will you ask yourself this simple but potentially life-changing question...What if you only had one month to live? How would you live differently? How would you spend your time? How would you spend your money? How would you treat the people you love? I'm excited to explore this question and the potential impact on our world if we all courageously act on it! Join us!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

What Question Would You Ask God?

2010-01-19T09:11:00.001-05:00

Just about everyone has questions they would like to ask God.

Even people who don't believe there is a God wish there was a God so they could ask Him their questions.

So what are your questions?

Maybe it's something about our world and why He made it a certain way...

Maybe it's about why He made you a certain way...

Maybe it's why there's so much hurt and pain in our world...

Maybe it's why your mother, brother, sister, friend or loved one died far too soon...

Maybe it's something about the Bible, the Christian faith, the Church or some other aspect of our belief systems...

Maybe you want to know, "God, do you really hear my prayers?"

The list is endless isn't it?

Well, all pastors wish we had ALL the answers...but...we don't. Don't get me wrong, we may be able to provide a few answers and assist you in pursuing the truth you're looking for, but make no mistake...we have questions too.

So over these next few Sundays we will answer a few of your questions. I've had probably 15 or 20 questions submitted for consideration. All really good...some just for fun...some out of desperation...all legitimate and worthy of time and effort. Unfortunately, we only have 4 weeks. So...here are the 4 questions we've chosen:

Week 1: How can we know God's will?
Week 2: Will I always struggle with sin?
Week 3: Can we take the Bible at 100% face value?
Week 4: Why would a loving God allow pain and suffering?

Join us as we seek God's answers to these questions together!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Resolute to Grow Spiritually in 2010

2010-01-10T08:11:00.002-05:00

Here is the link to the Lifeway.com assessment tool and plan guide for Spiritual Growth. It's a PDF file so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access it.

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_PDF_DSC_Spiritual_Growth_Assessment.pdf

RESOLUTE!

2009-12-29T13:32:00.000-05:00

Do you make New Year's resolutions? If so, what are yours for 2010?

There are many things in our life of faith that God wants us to make resolutions about...that He wants us to be "Resolute" about.

Throughout this brief series we will examine 3 key areas that God will bless if we are resolute in doing them!

Sunday, Jan. 3 - I Will Glorify God in 2010
Sunday, Jan. 10 - I Will Grow Spiritually in 2010
Sunday, Jan. 17 - I Will Give Generously in 2010

We hope you will join us as we kick off 2010 with a determination, passion and focus to be "Resolute" about the things that matter to God!

God Questions

2009-12-22T10:06:00.001-05:00

Do you have questions you would like to ask God?

Pastor John will be sharing a sermon series beginning January 24th simply entitled "God Questions". While we won't be able to answer everyone's questions with a sermon, we will be choosing a few key questions that we think many people wrestle with.

We need you to submit your questions and who knows, maybe your question gets answered through one of these sermons! Send your questions to Pastor John at jcrump@mooresvillechurch.org. In the subject line just put "God Question". Thanks for your participation in this important sermon series!

Light of the World

2009-12-08T06:31:00.003-05:00

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." -Jesus

Join us for the Brooklyn Tabernacle's "Light of the World" Christmas Musical on Sunday, December 13th at 6PM. The musical will be performed by the Mooresville Church of God Sanctuary Choir, Mooresville Church of God Children's Choir and God's Shining Light Childcare. This celebration of Jesus' birth not only features traditional songs and the biblical story, but also explores the need for us to respond to The Light that came into this world. Come and experience the passion for the Savior, Jesus Christ and his sacrificial love he shows all the world. Admission to the concert is FREE.

You won't want to miss the preview performance of the musical as they perform 2 selections at Meadow Lakes Assistant Living Center located at 200 North Meadow Lakes Drive beginning at 3:30 PM. There is also a Spaghetti Dinner beginning at 4:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall at Mooresville Church of God on December 13. Come early to the musical and enjoy this excellent fundraiser opportunity. For tickets, contact childcare director, Amy Marine at 317-831-1418, Ext. 300.

Letters at Christmas

2009-11-23T15:46:00.007-05:00

We hope everyone will join us this Advent season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior with our sermon series:

LETTERS AT CHRISTMAS

We will hear some letters written by people in our congregation to God! And we will spend our sermon time hearing from some of God's letters to us!

We will focus on these themes this season: Light - Love - Joy - Peace - Life

Join us this Sunday, November 29th as we celebrate the 1st week of Advent by examining the theme of "Light" in the Christmas story! The following weeks will be:

Dec. 6 - Love
Dec. 13 - Joy
Dec. 20 - Peace
Dec. 27 - Life

On December 13th at 6:00 pm our choir, under the direction of our Pastor of Worship Ministries, Jeremy Towne, will we be performing the Brooklyn Tabernacle Christmas musical "Light of the World". Join us at 4:30 that day for a Spaghetti dinner fundraiser for our new daycare center!

We pray that this Christmas season will be a source of light, love, joy, peace and life for you and your family! Join us at Mooresville Church of God as we celebrate together!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor John

REVIVE!

2009-11-10T15:29:00.002-05:00

Question: How does God tend to revive a person, a church or even a nation?

Well...that's a good question isn't it?

God's word has answers.

The pattern, while not always neat, tidy and orderly, looks something like this:

Brokenness: (Psalm 51:17) God breaks us down, revealing our desperate need for Him! When God breaks you...it's beautiful brokenness.
Repentance: (2 Cor. 7:10) God's call to us is to redirect our lives in His direction...in His way...in His plan...to turn away from self and turn toward Him!
Surrender: (Phil. 3:7-8) It's at this point that God calls us to lose our lives for the sake of His will and His plans for us! He calls for complete surrender!
Holiness: (Gal. 5:22-23) Broken and contrite hearts, repentant and surrendered lives lead to God's work producing holiness...being set apart for Him!
Praise: (1 Cor. 10:31) As we are being made holy by God our lives sing a song of praise to Him and reveal His glory to the entire world around us!

Do you need God to revive your life? Revive your soul? Revive your heart? We most definately need God to revive our churches and our ministries! We most definately need God to revive our communities and our nation! God has given us a path...He has promised us His Spirit and His power! Let's pray together that God would REVIVE His people, His church and all of His creation!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

On Your Mark! Get Set! GO! - Week 3 - Our Purpose

2009-09-28T14:02:00.002-04:00

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Our mission, as given to us by Jesus in the Great Commission is: TO MAKE DISCIPLES (2MD). Someone may approach you and ask the very relevant question, "Why are you supposed to make disciples?" Or they may say, "For what purpose are you making disciples?" At Mooresville Church of God we believe that the verses above from 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 give us the answer to those questions: The purpose, OUR PURPOSE for making disciples is RECONCILIATION. From the moment that humanity rebelled against God and sin entered the world, God's primary task has been to reconcile humanity and all of His creation back to Him! To restore, redeem and reconcile all creation back to it's original, perfect relationship to Him! Our purpose in making disciples is so that every person will be reconciled to God and also reconciled to each other!

This call to be ambassadors of reconciliation presents us with an obvious choice: We can either choose reconciliation in our own life or not. We can either be ambassadors of reconciliation in our world, or not. That choice is scripturally laid before us in Romans 8:5 which says: "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." This quickly brings to mind additional, important questions:

- What does the sinful nature desire? We'll look at original sin to answer that one (Gen. 3:6-9)
- What does the Spirit desire? We'll look at the beginning of the Spirit's ministry for that one (Acts 2:41-47)

The Sinful Nature Desires...

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Genesis 3:6-9

1. The Sinful Nature Desires Self Obsession
Adam and Eve wanted what they wanted (knowledge and power) more than they wanted what God wanted (perfect relationship with them). As a result of their self obesession, reconciliation with God is now necessary for all of us.

2. The Sinful Nature Desires Isolation
When sin crept into the world the immediate reaction of Adam and Eve was to isolate themselves first from each other (fig leaves to cover themselves) and then from God (hiding from God). This is always the outcome of sin! It rips apart, divides and causes division! Our need for reconciliation with God and each other becomes even more obvious!

3. The Sinful Nature Desires Hell
God calls out to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" When God can't find you...you are eternally lost. And being eternally lost means being eternally separated from God. At this point we become desperate for reconciliation with God and with those who are already reconciled to Him!

The Spirit Desires...

Those who accepted his (Peter's) message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:41-47

1. The Spirit Desires Reconciliation with God
After the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early church and they were empowered to do the work of reconciliation, the first thing we see after Peter's first sermon are 3000 people being reconciled to God! This is always priority number 1 for God and His people!

2. The Spirit Desires Reconciliation with People
Immediately after these 3000 people are reconciled to God you see this beautiful community begin to form where they worshipped together, ate together, prayed together, learned together, sold their possessions so no one would be in need! God's presence in their lives led them into life-giving and healing relationships with each other as well!

3. The Spirit Desires Heaven
"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Doesn't that sound like a little glimpse of heaven to you? The final and eternal act of reconciliation with God and His people is when your time on earth is complete and you are in God's presence...in heaven! Once you are in heaven then the original plan God had when he put Adam and Eve in the garden can be lived out to perfection! Perfect relationship, perfect union, perfect world! That's what reconciliation with God brings!

Our purpose: RECONCILIATION! God longs for us to be reconciled to Him, to each other and to become ambassadors of reconciliation in this fallen world! Will you join us in fulfilling that purpose?

In His Grip,

Pastor John

On Your Mark! Get Set! GO! - Week 2 - The Mission

2009-09-20T16:30:00.001-04:00

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everthing I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20

Here's a good clarifying question: If Mooresville Church of God ceased to exist...who would miss us? In other words, are we making such an impact in the lives of people, in our community, and in the world that if we vanished, people would be impacted deeply by our absence. This is simply one of many good questions that we MUST ask ourselves if we are to stay focused on the mission that God has called His church to!

So what IS our mission? What did Jesus command us to do as His body? In the above verses Jesus could not be any clearer! Our mission (if we choose to accept it) is: TO MAKE DISCIPLES! Can you remember that? If not, here's an abbreviation: 2MD! Yes, it really is that succinct! Our mission is to make disciples through every aspect of life and ministry at our disposal. Worship? It's a tool to make disciples! Fellowship of the believers? According to Acts 2 as a result of their fellowship "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved"! Service to our community? God told us to let our light shine so that people would see our good deeds and be led to praise Him (Matt. 5:16)! EVERY aspect of ministry and life is to be used to MAKE DISCIPLES! Start in Matthew and start working your way through the New Testament: Everything Jesus taught and modeled for His followers was designed to make disciples! Preaching, teaching, serving, healing, confronting, debating, loving, singing, enduring persecution...EVERYTHING was for the purpose of drawing people into discipleship with Jesus!

What must happen in each of us as well as in Mooresville Church of God in order for us to accomplish the mission of MAKING DISCIPLES? We can look back to last week's sermon for the answer to this question. As Jesus cleansed the temple in Matthew 21:12-15 he does three things. And Jesus does these three things if He comes into a individual life, into a family, into a business, or even into a church:

1. He cleans out what shouldn't be there: Sinful attitudes and behaviors, disunity, divisivness. All of it!

2. He changes traditions and habits: Any tradition or habit that is a barrier to making disciples must go!

3. He clarifies whose house it is: It's not my house or your house...It's Jesus' house...He sets the mission!

Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me...". In other words, we don't have a say in this! Jesus said it...we decide if we will follow...and if so, then we carry out the mission! And after declaring that all authority was His, He said, "Therefore go and MAKE DISCIPLES, baptizing them...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded"! And then He concludes by telling us to remember and to remind potential disciples that He will be with us throughout the process! He will never leave us or forsake us! He is as committed to us as He is asking us to be committed to Him!

Our Mission: TO MAKE DISCIPLES - 2MD!

Will you join us in this adventure? Will you get into this race? Will you run hard for His sake? Will you strive for the prize? We have a mission...it's a life and death mission for millions of people...ON YOUR MARK --- GET SET --- GO!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

God's Shining Light Daycare & Preschool

2009-09-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

Mooresville Church of God would like to announce the opening of our new daycare and preschool!

God's Shining Light Daycare & Preschool will serve children ages infant thru 12 years.

Amy Marine is our director and can be contacted at 317-831-1418 for details about registration, hours, programming and pricing.

Congratulations to Amy and her staff for their hard work in getting this great ministry organized and ready to serve our community!

Come to our OPEN HOUSE - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 6-8 PM! Hope to see you all there!

On Your Mark! Get Set! GO! - Week 1

2009-09-14T12:13:00.001-04:00

Today was Bridge Day at Mooresville Church of God! Our hope was to begin building a bridge to our community and to people who live near our building. We want to be able to partner with families, with businesses, with public service providers and be a part of the fabric of our part of Mooresville!

To the people of Mooresville Church of God we say a heart-felt "THANK YOU"! The hard work, committment and determination shown by you all has been inspiring, motivating and encouraging! You have truly shown what it means to partner with your pastoral staff to accomplish something great for God's fame, for His sake, and for His church! This is YOUR victory! Well done!

To those who visited with us yesterday in our morning worship service or at the Block Party we say a heart-felt "WELCOME"! We're so glad you spent the day with us! We want to assist you in being a part of the dynamic work that God is doing through Mooresville Church of God in these days! You've come at an exciting and important time in the life of our church! We look forward to connecting with you and serving with you!

Come Home Running

Sunday's message was simply titled, "Come Home Running". We looked at two important Bible passages:

1. The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and how God's extravagent love for us is portrayed through this powerful story of salvation, reconciliation and grace! We looked at the son's past, present and future and tried to put ourselves in his place as he is welcomed home by a loving Father!

2. An unusual moment in the life of Jesus when, with anger and indignation, He cleanses the temple of sinful activities that have been happening there. (Matthew 21:12-15) We looked at how the things He does in that temple are the same things he does in us (since we are His temple now!) when we invite Him into our lives! The 3 things Jesus always does when he comes into our lives are:

- He cleans out what shouldn't be there: Whatever sinful things exist in our life, Jesus' first desire is to clean it out and start the process of making us a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus cleansed that temple of moneychangers and businesses that were needed, but had lost sight of their purpose and role in the temple.

- He changes the habits and traditions: Even after sin is cleaned from our lives we still have to reorient our habits and acitivites so that sin won't creep back in! Jesus changed the habits and traditions of that temple by driving out the cheating moneychangers and re-establishing His house as a house of prayer!

- He clarifies whose house it is: Jesus comes into our lives and reminds us that He bought us at a price (1 Cor. 6:20) and that we belong to Him! He went into that temple, cleaned it out, re-established healthy habits and traditions and then reminded everyone, "It's MY house"! And His house is to be a house of prayer, a place where God can reside.

God really blessed us on Sunday, September 13, 2009! We had 225 people in our worship service, we had approximately 300-400 people at our Block Party. Most importantly we had 12 people who made re-commitments of some type! God's presence and activity in our lives and in His church was awesome!

Thank you Lord for Your grace, Your extravagent love, Your provision, Your promises to us! You've blessed us and we are grateful people today! May our lives and our service be a pleasing response to Your powerful presence and activity among us!

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory!

Humbled by His grace,

Pastor John

THIS SUNDAY - BRIDGE DAY & BLOCK PARTY!!

2009-09-11T13:03:00.004-04:00

This Sunday is our big outreach day! Building a bridge to our community and celebrating life together at our Block Party! Thanks so much to everyone who worked so hard on building renovations, Block Party plans, Daycare preparations...ALL OF IT! We're blessed at Mooresville Church of God with a lot of dedicated and capable Christ-followers!

Pray with me that God will honor our efforst as we honor Him with all we've got! Are you excited? Let's see what our God will do!

"Give Us Clean Hands, Give Us Pure Hearts..."

2009-09-08T12:01:00.004-04:00

In recent weeks we have been asking God to let us see people, our community and each other through His eyes. We've asked, through prayer, for Him to give us His heart for people who are far from Him. We want to weep over the things that make Him weep and rejoice over the things that make Him rejoice! As we anticipate our outreach effort this Sunday, September 13, 2009 -- Our Bridge Day & Block Party events -- we felt the need to ask God to do some interior work on us, His church. So we asked a few key questions:

What Made Jesus Weep?

1. Lost People - Luke 19:37-44
Jesus wept as he looked out over Jerusalem and contemplated how so many people had not believed that He actually WAS the Messiah and had not accepted His gift of salvation through faith in Him. He was moved to tears that anyone would be eternally separated from God! And He asks us to weep over lost people too!

2. Sick & Dying People - John 11:32-36
Some of Jesus' closest friends were the sisters, Mary & Martha and their brother, Lazarus. When Jesus gets word that Lazarus is sick he and his disciples begin to make their way to his home. But by the time they arrive, Lazarus has died. As Jesus sees Mary, Martha and some of their friends and family weeping and mourning, it moves Him to tears as well. Jesus weeps over people who are physically, spiritually, emotionally and relationally sick or dying. Our infirmity in any of these areas moves our Savior to weep for us! We are also called to let ourselves be moved by the sufferings of others as we follow Jesus' example.

3. The Burden of Doing His Father's Will - Luke 22:39-46
As Jesus knelt in the garden called Gethsemane, He cried out to His Father in heaven, He sweat blood, He was in anguish over seeing God's will done on this earth! His words, "...not my will, but yours be done" must become OUR words each day as we seek to actually BE His church! Doing God's will brought Jesus to tears! It should move us in exactly the same way because we are the living body of Christ!

What Did Jesus Tell Us to Rejoice In?

1. When we are persecuted for His sake - Matthew 5:11-12
Jesus didn't just tell us that we would be persecuted for His sake, He told to REJOICE when it happens! While this may not make sense to the rest of the world, this is kind of the point...that the world would see us joyful in the face of persecution, suffering, trouble and hardship! What a testimony to God's grace, power, provision and promises! As we are able to rejoice in our sufferings we grow in our understanding of what Jesus did for us! His sacrifice on the cross was painful and cruel, but through His own power Jesus rejoiced in doing it because it paved a way to His Father for all of us!

2. That our names are written in heaven - Luke 10:20
No matter what happens to us down here on earth we can rejoice because of the promise of heaven! As we are obedient to the call of Christ, receive salvation, pursue holiness and strive to be like Jesus, God imparts an ability to rejoice no matter that...we lost our job...our marriage is struggling...we're neck deep in debt...no matter what comes! We can rejoice because our names are written in heaven!

3. That what was lost, is now found - Luke 15:3-7; 8-10
In these verses Jesus tells two powerful parables that illustrate the rejoicing that happens for us and in heaven when someone far from God comes to know Him personally! However, the second parable, the parable of the lost coin, challenges believers in some ways too: In order to find the lost coin the woman illuminated the darkness and eliminated the dirt. And when she illuminated what was dark and eliminated the dirt, what was lost...was found! In our efforts to reach people who are far from God, we may have to let God illuminate the dark places of our lives and clean out the dirt and dust that has accumulated there. When we let God do that, then our hearts, our minds, our attitudes and our spirits are prepared to be used by God to reach the world around us!

Lord, give us clean hands! Lord, give us pure hearts! Help us to weep for what makes You weep! Help us to rejoice like You rejoice! Help us see the world, people, ourselves and our churches through Your eyes. We need You! Apart from You we can do NOTHING! Come in power and bring glory to Your Name!

Amen!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

2 Sunday Challenge

2009-08-30T22:02:00.005-04:00

This Sunday, September 6th - 10:30 am
A Day of Prayer for Our Community

Please join us this Sunday as we dedicate a day to praying for our community. Churches aren't perfect, nor are people, but our community needs it's churches to step up to the plate and fight the spiritual battles that must be won if we're to see lives transformed and changed!

It is our responsibility to labor in prayer for the people, needs, public servants, schools, businesses and future of the greater Mooresville community! We must also pray for each other as we individually fight the good fight every day at our jobs, in our families and in our church. Won't you join us this Sunday as we carry out an important responsibility of the church: Being prayer warriors for the sake of our people, our church, our community and our world!

Bridge Day, Sunday, Sept. 13 - 10:30 am
Block Party, Sunday, Sept. 13 - Noon - 4:00 pm

Have you invited the person you're bringing to our Bridge Day and Block Party? We need for everyone to bring 1 person! We want to celebrate what God is doing among us by sharing this good news with anyone who doesn't know Him personally!

Come dressed in your shorts and T-shirts, celebrate God with us at 10:30 and then stay for the Block Party immediately after our morning worship service! This is your opportunity to change the world by changing a life! Invite them to be a part of this fun and potentially life-changing day!

Lord, would you bless our efforts as we look ahead to these important days together! We need Your presence, Your Spirit, Your power, Your boldness, Your provision! We need good weather! We need you to inspire those who are far from you to come. We commit, Lord, that as they come we will do our best to make You known! May all we say, do and accomplish be only and always for Your glory!

In Jesus Name we humbly pray,

Amen!

Are You A Leader?

2009-08-21T21:25:00.003-04:00

Beginning this Sunday, August 23rd, we will spend two weeks examining the topic of leadership from two perspectives:

Aug. 23 - Pastor John will speak about leadership from a pastors perspective. Answering a couple of important questions: "What is the call of Jesus to pastors?" and "How should a pastor lead among the people he is called to serve?" These are key moments for our congregation as we continue to develop the relationship between pastor and congregation. This will help us understand what the pastoral staff is called to do as leaders as well as help us define what lay-leaders within the church are called to do as leaders.

Aug. 30 - Scott McDonald will be speaking to us about leadership from a lay-leader's perspective. Scott is a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. He served in executive positions at Fed Ex / Kinkos for 12 years before taking a Managing Director role with Oakwood Worldwide. Scott, his wife Leisa and their two daughters, Emily and Abby, live in Carmel, Indiana where they attend Northview Christian Life, a thriving congregation of approximately 3000 people. Scott began to sense the call of God to use his own leadership gifts to serve the church as well as expand God's kingdom. Scott became an Associate Trainer with Equip (Dr. John Maxwell's ministry to train and mentor leaders within God's church all over the world). Scott travels to Panama and soon to Guyana to do leadership development with pastors and church leaders in those developing countries. In addition Scott heads up the leadership development ministry of his church. He has served a variety of lay-leader roles in the church. He is passionate about helping pastors lead effectively, and helping lay-leaders lead effectively!

In addition to Scott's Sunday morning message he will return Sunday afternoon at 2:30 and offer a "Leadership 101" course for any persons in the congregation that would like to explore their potential as a leader! You will not want to miss this opportunity to begin exploring how God can use YOU as a leader in His church! We hope everyone will plan to be a part of this excellent leadership training opportunity!

Just Walk Across the Room - Summary

2009-08-17T16:26:00.006-04:00

OK, so here's a quick review from weeks 1-3 of our series "Just Walk Across the Room":

God has called us to reach people who are far from Him. That task is exciting and challenging, but it's not always easy! So here's some steps we can take to (with the help of the Holy Spirit) be productive and successful in carrying out God's mission of reconciling EVERYONE to Him!

1. Enter the "Zone of the Unknown" - This is being willing to walk across that room, even when it's a bit scary or uncomfortable, and reach out to people who need connection with God (and may need connection with YOU).
2. Follow the Promptings of the Holy Spirit - This is simply keeping a prayer connection to God so that as you walk across that room and connect with people who are far from Him, you'll be able to discern what He wants you to say and do!
3. Just Walk!! - OK, no more talking about it...this is actually DOING it! Walking across that room, confident in the leading of God's Holy Spirit and prepared to connect with whomever God has led you to!
4. Develop a Friendship - An old saying goes, "People won't care how much you know until they know how much you care". Do just spitting out the "4 Spiritual Laws" or leading them down the "Roman Road" may not be enough! They will need to see you cultivating a friendship with them first! They want to know they aren't a notch on your evangelistic belt! They are dearly loved by God. They want to know they are dearly loved by you too!
5. Discover their Story - This is simply becoming an expert listener. They will want to tell you their story eventually. You can hear the obstacles, questions, pain and hurdles they may face in coming to know the God that you love! It will take time in building the friendship, but hearing a person's story is a privilege!
6. Discern Next Steps - Once you have begun a friendship and begun to hear their story, you must stay connected to God and use wise discernment in your next steps of helping them draw near to the God who loves them, wants to save them and desires a personal relationship with them!
7. Tell them God's Story - As you discern your next steps the time will come when it's time to tell them God's love story with humanity! You get to tell them the John 3:16 perspective! That God loved them (and us!) so much that He sent His ONLY SON to die in our place! How they receive it and respond is not up to you...your job is simply to tell the Good News of Jesus!
8. Tell them Your Story - After they hear all the wonderful things about God they will likely want to know, "What difference has it made in YOUR life?" That's a question you need to be prepared to answer! So consider what your life was like BEFORE you knew Jesus Christ - How you came to know Him personally - And what your life has been like since! That's a simple but effective framework for telling your story!

As you consider all of the above steps here's a good clarifying question to answer:

What kind of vision for your life are you living? Is it a small, easily manageable, safe vision that requires little or know reliance on God? Or is it a large, sometimes risky, GRANDER vision that may cost you something, but will be exciting, fulfilling and God honoring?

If we are to live the "Grander Vision" of God we must build a foundation for that vision based on these steps:

1. The Priority is People - Luke 5:1-11
Jesus modeled this over and over in the Bible! He made the masses of people a priority and He made the few who followed him daily a priority! He spent time with people, listened to people, healed people, taught people, mentored people, confronted people, rebuked people. His priority was always PEOPLE! In the above Luke passage we see him teaching the masses as well as teaching and calling Peter, Andrew, James and John! He made them push out into deep water to catch the fish! The deep water isn't the safe place, but it's evidently where the fish are! So we too must push out into the less safe places of life so that we can reach those people God is calling us to influence for His sake!

2. The Focus is Their Potential - Luke 5:27-32
Author and speaker Max Lucado once said, "God loves you just the way you are but He doesn't want to leave you that way...He wants you to be just like Jesus"! Through God's eyes we all have almost limitless potential! We MUST begin to see ourselves and other people through God's eyes! In the above Luke passage Jesus sees the potential in Matthew (also called Levi). First is his potential as a follower of Jesus. But also Jesus saw Matthew's potential to reach people who were far from God! And what's the first thing Matthew does? He throws a party! A party where all of his cheating and sinful tax collector friends would hang out with Jesus and all of the disciples! GENIUS! We must see our own potential as well as the potential in those people God calls us to reach!

3. The Starting Point is Prayer - Collossians 4:2-6
So after 4 weeks of preaching and processes, where do we start on this business of walking across rooms, yards, offices, family rooms and bedrooms to reach people who are far from God? Well we start at a very familiar place...PRAYER. We must commit ourselves to pray earnestly, without ceasing and with passion and endurance for the people God has called us to reach! In the above Collossians passage Paul is asking his readers to pray for him and for all of the disciples as they carry out the mission God had given them to reach the entire WORLD for His sake! In fact he starts out the passage by saying, "devote yourselves to prayer..."! Be devoted to it! So what are you waiting for? Start praying for that person right now!

Well, there it is...a good challenge...a dynamic calling...a way of life for Christ followers! Walking, running, calling, emailing, texting, driving, flying...WHATEVER IT TAKES to reach the people God has called us to reach with His love, grace and saving power! So don't wait any longer...

...just walk across the room...and let's see what our God can do through US!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Just Walk Across the Room - Week 1

2009-07-27T13:19:00.009-04:00

"Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend,
somewhere along in the bitterness,
and I would have stayed up
with you all night,
had I known how to save a life".
(How to Save a Life - The Fray)

As I hear the lyrics from this song it brings to mind a number of times in my life when I've seen difficult, painful, tragic or fatal situations in someone's life. Sometimes later I've begun thinking, "If only...if only I could have...if only I would have...if only I had known...". For Christians the statement doesn't need to be, "if only I had know how to save a life". In fact, what if the answer to the question "How to Save a Life" is simply to walk across a room and be willing to enter into the lives of people all around us that simply may need someone to reach out to them.

We know that this perspective does not answer the question fully, but it is a significant first step! Because until we walk across that room there is NO CHANCE of God using us to offer hope, encouragement, healing or new life to the person that the Spirit is urging us to reach. So here are some initial first thoughts on walking across that room and reaching the person that God has called you, prompted you, and challenged you to reach:

1. People who want to reach those whom God has placed in their sphere of influence must first enter the "ZONE OF THE UNKNOWN".

This zone is the place where we wonder, "what's going to happen", "what are they going to think", "what are they going to say to me", "what am I going to say to them". It can be a scary place, because the unknown is always a little scary and intimidating. But we MUST go there if we are to be used by God for His purposes! Think of all the biblical people who entered into difficult, scary, intimidating and unknowable situations simply because God called them to go! Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, Mary, Joseph, Peter, Paul...and of course...Jesus, as He endured separation from His heavenly Father for the first time in eternal history so that we could be reconciled to God! In each of these situations God brought victory and advancement of His purposes and His kingdom through ordinary people like you and me! And He's still doing that today!

2. People who want to reach those whom God has placed in their sphere of influence must stay sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

It is our job to grow spiritually. Churches play an important role, our family and friends play important roles, but it is ultimately our job to grow in our maturity and sensitivity to God's movement and call on our lives! Galatians 5:25 states, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit". This is a great command that will further our ability to walk across that room when God prompts us to do it! To NOT walk across that room, or to put it off or deny the promptings is nothing short of disobedience to God! This is a hard but true word for us today! There are many, many examples of the tragic and sometimes fatal results when the people of God disobey God's promptings to accomplish His will and reach those who are far from Him!

3. People who want to reach those whom God has placed in their sphere of influence must...simply...walk across that room!

Remember Nike's slogan from a few years ago? God is asking us to "Just Do It". When God says go, we go. When God says speak, we trust Him for the right words. When God says listen, we close our mouths and listen to Him and to the person He's calling us to reach! And we do this in the knowledge that what God is asking us to do, Jesus has already done...to perfection. Jesus left a place of security (communion with the Father and the Spirit), took a cosmic walk across time to enter into our world, put on flesh and bones (a Zone of the Unknown for Him!) and being led by the Spirit of God He changed the world for you and me sacrificially giving His life in exchange for ours!

So here are 2 good challenges for all of us today:

1. Just walk across whatever room God is prompting us to traverse in order to reach the person He already has in mind for us to reach!

2. Send a word of thanks to those persons who walked across the room for us! Send a card, an email, a letter, make a phone call, go visit them...whatever it takes...so that they know how much their boldness to walk across that room for your sake means to you!

Let's see what God will do through us as we keeping walk across rooms for His sake!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Important Upcoming Events!

2009-07-25T19:40:00.009-04:00

FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY
BEGINNING THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2009
MOORESVILLE CHURCH OF GOD

All MCHOG families are encouraged to take this course! See Mike & Vanessa True for questions and to sign up!
Cost - $100 per couple
(See Pastor John if financial assistance is needed)

BRIDGE DAY & BLOCK PARTY!!
SEPTEMBER 13, 2010
BRIDGE DAY WORSHIP - 10:30
BLOCK PARTY - NOON - 4:00

This is an important outreach opportunity for our congregation! Plan to invite your friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers...EVERYONE!

See Matt & Maggy Fisher to volunteer for a team for this important event!

Just Walk Across the Room - This Sunday!

2009-07-23T16:43:00.003-04:00

Here's an important question:

How do you save a life?

Well, what if the first and most important step to saving someone's spiritual life is just to walk across the room. Does that sound difficult?

Within the Church we have often made personal evangelism (the process of sharing our faith with others and inviting them into relationship with Jesus Christ) seem like rocket science. We sometimes complicate it. We sometimes make it seem like something that ONLY those with the spiritual gift of evangelism can do. This is a potentially fatal error that we've made in church and ministry life! God calls EVERYONE to reach out and share the new life they've received with those around them!

This Sunday we begin a new 4 week series that will help you learn simple, practical ways to share (not force or coerce!) your faith with those around you. And it may very well start with the simple step of...just walking across a room...and speaking to the person God has prompted you to share with!

Do you want to potentially help save a life?

Then...Just Walk Across the Room!

Hope to see everyone this Sunday!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

P.S. I hope everyone is creatively giving thought to what you will do to multiply the "talent" you were given last week! If you haven't received your "talent", just see Pastor John and we will get it too you! You have 11 more weeks to multiply it! Let's see what God will do!

Imagine...If Jesus' Dreams for His Church Came True

2009-07-20T17:31:00.005-04:00

What do you sing about? This is your joy!

What do you weep about? This is your burden!

What do you dream about? This is your passion!

These three questions were posed to me a number of years ago as help in guiding me toward God's desire and will for my future ministry. As I ponder these questions now, I think they are great for us to ask, but I also wonder, "What did Jesus sing, weep and dream about?" Let's think about that for a few minutes...

If we had to narrow the list to 1 thing that would bring so much joy to Jesus that it would make Him sing, it would be glorifying His Father in heaven! Jesus said, "Father, the time has come, glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you...I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do" (John 17:1 & 3).

What would make Jesus weep? How about seeing his dear friends hurting and grieving at the death of their brother? How about looking out over Jerusalem after He had tried to tell them, tried to help them see that the Messiah had come? How about His anguish in Gethsemane as he cried out that God's will be done instead of His own? Jesus wept. His heart was broken for lost and hurting people...it still is.

What did Jesus dream about? Many, many things. But if we had to narrow them down, here's some biggies: Accomplishing His mission / Seeing the Father's will done / His Church! How about those three for starters? To accomplish His mission, hand it off to His disciples, have them establish His church and seeing the Father's will done through it all! This HAD to be the largest part of what Jesus dreamed about! So what were His dreams for His church?

So many dreams, do you agree? Just like a loving parent, He must have had huge dreams for His followers, His church! But if we had to sum it up in one statement, maybe it would be His dream that they would become EVERYTHING He created them to be. By doing that they would almost assuredly cause many, if not all of His other dreams to come true!

The parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) give us some indication of the passion, conviction and expectation that Jesus had for us to use all of our gifting, abilities, energy, money, resources, time, EVERYTHING that He has placed at our disposal! If we do that we almost surely will become everything He created us to be! And so in this parable we see His pleasure with those who multiplied their "talents" and His displeasure with those who wasted the opportunity to expand His Kingdom! He symbolically uses money in this parable because He knew that we would all relate to the Master and the servants as they toil to multiply what they have at their disposal.

Our congregation began an exercise in faith on Sunday, July 19. To live out and illustrate the possibilities of the parable of the talents we gave each family in our church $50. They have 12 weeks to multiply it. They are charged with using their gifts, talents, abilities, energy, time, EVERYTHING at their disposal to expand what God has given them! Then on Sunday, October 4 we will have a celebration offering when we gather in the multiplied "talents"! We will also hear the stories of how people creatively found ways to be faithful with God's money and multiply it! We felt strongly that this was a strong, safe investment of God's money in God's people! We are excited to see what God is about to do as we strive to be and become EVERYTHING He created us to be!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Bridge Day & Block Party - Sunday, Sepember 13!

2009-07-14T13:46:00.003-04:00

Join us Sunday, September 13 for an important day in the life of our congregation and community!

At 10:30 am we want to build a bridge to our community by inviting them to participate with us in our morning worship celebration! We want to celebrate what God is doing in our lives, in our church and in our community!

At noon we will move outside for our first Neighborhood Block Party! There will be live music, food, games...something for all ages! We are inviting local businesses to partner with us to provide a fun and relaxing opportunity for the people, businesses and church of this neighborhood to connect and celebrate life together!

ALL OF THIS...AND IT'S FREE!!

Our congregation believes that God has called us to be agents of reconciliation in our community. Sometimes that means sharing our faith and meeting urgent needs all around us. But sometimes it just means providing environments where our community can join together to share a meal, have a conversation, listen to some music, play and celebrate together! WE HOPE YOU WILL HELP US DO THAT ON SEPTEMBER 13TH!!

Get the word out to friends, family, neighbors and co-workers! We hope to see you Sunday morning, September 13 at 10:30 and that you'll stay for lunch at our first Neighborhood Block Party!

Imagine...

2009-07-13T13:15:00.006-04:00

Over the past few weeks we've been imagining what could be if God or His people accomplished some big things like...

Imagine...if all Christians tithed - Did you know that if all Christians around the world tithed their income (gave 10% to the work and mission of the local church and kept 90% for themselves) we would generate approximately 143 Billion dollars more than we currently give! With that money we could fund every church budget, feed, clothe and educate ALL impoverished people around the world for that calendar year, and still have a few billion left over just for evangelistic efforts! Think about that...it is within the power and reach of THE CHURCH to eradicate poverty in our lifetime! God's Word encourages us to give...period. It doesn't demand a certain dollar amount or even (in the New Testament) a certain percentage. But we now know that if we could live on 90% and give away 10% we could change the world for millions of people...in one year. Just imagine...

Imagine...if we saw "the church" as being for them and not for us - You might ask, "what do you mean "them" and "us"?" What we mean is that Jesus intended the purpose and work of the church to be primarily for the lost and hurting people of the world. It was through evangelistic and benevolent ministry that we would connect with people who needed God's intervention in their lives! But over the centuries we have slowly and subtly fallen into a club mentality. A mentality which says, "Hey, this is my club, I give the money to support it, it should be and do what I want it to be and do for me!" This is very, very far from Jesus' hope and dream for His church. It's not about fun events for Christians, it's not about night after night of Bible studies and classes for people who have been in the church for years and years. It's about ministry and discipleship that makes a difference in the lives of people who are far from God or who are hurting, downtrodden, sick or lonely. The purpose of "the church" is to be the people who carry out those ministries, not to just be the beneficiary of them! Imagine if we were not only hearers...but doers of the Word...just imagine...

Imagine...If God Brings Revival to His Church - Throughout biblical history and throughout modern history God has chosen times, places and people to revive spiritually so they could be equipped and empowered to do 2 primary things: 1) Know Him and glorify Him more! 2) Accomplish His mission in the world! If you do a Google search on "Revival"or "Christian Revival" you will find countless articles and descriptions of how and when God has done this over the years in nearly every part of the world! Why should we not imagine that He will do it now...for us? We cannot push a revival button and make it happen. Only God has the ability to revive His church! But we do know that some common denominators were always in place when God chose to bring revival to a group of people: 1) Waiting on God 2) Praying for Revival 3) Preparing our hearts and lives for it 4) Repentance for those things that have been barriers to God using us 5) Requests for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven 6) Resistance to the attacks of the world, the flesh and the devil as they battle against the church and against the purposes of God! Imagine if God brings revival to His church in Mooresville...in the United States of America...and in the world! Just imagine...

This coming Sunday we will be finishing this month-long series with Imagine...If Jesus' dreams for His church came true - What were some of the dreams that Jesus had for His people, His church? Have they come true? Can we be a part of helping them come true? Is there some tangible way that we can participate in the dreams of our Savior? The answer to all of the above (we believe) is YES! In fact, we're going to look at one particular dream of Jesus: That his people would multiply the gifts, talents and resources He gave them to accomplish great things in this world for His sake! And you will have an opportunity to actually live that dream out in a very tangible way beginning this Sunday...join us and find out how!

For His Sake,

Pastor John & Pastor Jeremy

Prayer for the Taylor Family & for Grace Church

2009-07-11T22:38:00.002-04:00

Tonight Mooresville Church of God is grieving with Jim & Sharon Taylor and the entire Grace Church (Mooresville) family. Jim and Sharon's son, Jarrod, died this afternoon (Saturday, July 11). Please join us in praying for the Taylor family, all of their close friends, Grace Church and for our entire community. Jim & Sharon are special people and have become vital leaders in the Mooresville Community. Our hearts are heavy for our friends, colleagues in ministry and brothers and sisters in Christ. Jim and Sharon we love you and extend our hearts and our hands to help and support you during these challenging days!

With much love,

Mooresville Church of God

2009-07-10T11:57:00.001-04:00

A 2 Sunday Challenge!!

Here's 2 Sundays you don't want to miss! In fact, 2 Sundays we NEED you here!

This Sunday, July 12th: As we continue our "Imagine" series we are asking you to imagine...if God brings revival to us! Can you imagine it? But more importantly...can you believe that He wants to? Join us as we seek Him together and implore Him to pour out His Spirit in a fresh, new, exciting way!

Next Sunday, July 19th: You do not want to miss this Sunday! Something will happen that may have never occurred at MCHOG before...we are going to hand out money! You heard right...hand out money. You need to be there to find out why, how much, the purpose and the plan!

Listen...God is moving at Mooresville Church of God! Isaiah 43:19 says, "See I am doing a new thing, now it springs up, do you not perceive it?" Another way to put is, "Can you imagine it?" God goes on to say in Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Let's see what God will do over these next few weeks!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Family Bonds: The State of Our Church Family

2009-06-15T08:27:00.007-04:00

The state of our church family at Mooresville Church of God is:

1) Growing - Numerically and Spiritually!

2) Hungry - We are getting hungry for community impact, healthy relationships with each other and to experience the manifest presence of God in our lives and ministry!

3) Getting Focused - We are steadily getting focused spiritually, in our ministry plan, and on God's call to us as a congregation!

Because of these truths we can say that the state of our church family is:

1) Strong!
2) Good!
3) Forward Moving!

So if this is all true, then some natural questions arise:

1) Where do we go from here?

I believe we stay focused on the major calls of God, including:

- The Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) - This is the heart of what God is trying to do in the world through His church!

- The Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) - This is at the heart of HOW we accomplish the Great Commission; by loving God with all that we are and then loving others in the same way!

- The Early Church Model (Acts 2:42-47) - If this happened once...it can happen again! The passion, determination, power and effectveness of the 1st Century Church can be ours today!

2) What should we be doing?

I believe Jesus' words to His disciples in Acts 1:4-14 detail what we should be doing immediately...Wait...Pray...Prepare! Wait on God to empower, equip and direct us! Pray daily, moment by moment, every chance we get, for this to happen SOON! And prepare our hearts and minds so that when God pours our His Holy Spirit in a new, fresh way, empowering us to do new ministry with new effectiveness, we are ready to act!

3) What are the keys to effective ministry that will change the world?

There are many things we could list: Faith, love, patience, all the fruits of the Spirit and many other godly traits and practices! However, from a "big picture" perspective there are two primary keys:

- Prayer - Jesus said that His house should be called a "house of prayer". We should be crying out to God in prayer, asking Him to empower, equip, resource and lead His church in such an obvious way that we can't miss it, that we will do it, and that we will succeed in it! If we don't ask, seek and knock...God will not answer! We must labor in prayer until God moves and acts on our behalf!

- The Holy Spirit - In his book "Fresh Power", Jim Cymbala says, "The degree to which we understand and experience the Spirit of God will be the exact degree to which God's plan for our churches will be accomplished". God then says in Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty"! We can try every invention of humanity, but until God's Spirit moves in a fresh, empowering way, we will not succeed in our efforts to change the world!

4) What will inspire God to send a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit?

We are planning a preaching series about these things in the next few months (that's how important we believe an understanding of these godly actions are!):

- Brokenness - This is allowing ourselves to be humbled before the Lord. To be broken open so His Spirit can flow out of us!

- Repentance - This is consciously choosing to turn and live differently than we presently are in order to be better used by God for His purposes! Repentance is a key to knowing and following Jesus Christ effectively!

- Surrender - This is choosing selflessness. This is following in Jesus footsteps by saying, "not my will, Father, but Yours be done!"

- Holiness - This is growing in Christlikeness; being set apart for God's purposes; conforming every aspect of who we are and how we live to God's will and desires for us as His children! And it springs from brokenness, repentance and surrender!

- Praise - Everything we are about, everything we do, everything we are should lead to glorifying and praisinng God! Only He is worthy of praise! Everything should eventually, always lead to us praising Him!

Let's begin with prayer and call out to God for Him to give us a fresh empowering of His Spirit and then let's change the world as we act in obedience on His call for His church to make disciples! As we do that together, a beautiful community of faith continues to develop and God is glorified! Let's get praying together...

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Family Bonds: Marriage

2009-05-17T16:54:00.009-04:00

"What if God created marriage to make us more holy than happy?"

This is the question author Gary Thomas asks in his book "Sacred Marriage". If we ponder this question we may find that it can bring a dynamic change in how we view our marriages! If happiness is way down God's list of reasons for creating marriage, then why do we see so many marriages end because "I'm just not happy with this person anymore". What if we began seeing marriage as one of the tools God uses to conform us to the image of His Son. What if we began to view our marriages as a spiritual discipline instead of means to simply meet our needs. What if we began to view our marriages as a sacred possession...a sacred creation of God...a sacred gift? If we could adopt these views our marriages would cry out to the world that our God is good, He is loving, He would die for us (and did!), He wants intimacy and oneness with us!

So in order to investigate this "sacred" view of marriage we must do three things:

1) Search for God in our marriages: We'll call this Sacred Searching

Throughout the Bible you will find God using marriage as the illustration or symbol for what He is trying to do in us and through us to the world! For example: "...as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." (ISA 62:5) Here God uses marriage to illustrate how He feels about His people! He feels like a bridegroom on his wedding day (or even His wedding night!). It describes commitment, passion, intimacy, excitement, joy, love...and on and on!

2) Learn what our marriages can teach us: We'll call this Sacred Learning

Through the illustration of marriage and matrimony God can teach us things like love, perseverance, forgiveness, and servant hood, along with many other necessary life lessons and disciplines! Marriage can be a training ground for so many areas of our life! By learning to love our spouse unconditionally we learn how to love God unconditionally...By persevering in marriage we learn to persevere in many other areas of life...When we can forgive the person who knows us better than anyone, our spouse, we can learn to forgive others for much lesser things...And when we can learn to serve our spouse, even when we don't feel like it, or when we feel they don't deserve it, then we can learn to serve God and learn to serve most anyone!

3) Allow God to reveal His glory through our marriage: We'll call this Sacred Presence

In the Old Testament God gave Moses very detailed instructions for how to build the Ark of the Covenant. One of the instructions was that he was to put two angels kneeling with their wings outstretched toward one another. This gives us a portrait of what marriage can be when we follow God's instructions. How, you might ask? Well, angels are created beings, just like humans, and so God wanted two created beings with their arms reaching toward one another placed on the ark and then he said this in Exodus 25:22, "There, above the cover between the Cherubim that are over the Ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you...". God has promised that when we reach for each other as husbands and wives...He will be in between us...meeting with us...and the closer we get to each other...the closer we both get to God! That's God's promise to us in our marriages!

We can choose to have a sacred view of marriage. We MUST have a sacred view of marriage if we are to see it and live it like God wants. Does God want us to be happy in our marriages? Yes, of course, but is happiness the point? No. God has much higher purposes for our marriages than we often understand or imagine. But if we search, learn and pursue His presence, we'll find that He has beautiful days ahead for all of our marriages!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Family Bonds: Mothers

2009-05-10T19:51:00.002-04:00

2 Timothy 1:5-7 & 3:14-17 reveals a process through which our mothers (certainly Timothy's mother!) can deeply impact our lives! Paul writes to Timothy, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline...¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The process we hear Paul describing goes like this:

1. Our mothers pass on a "sincere faith" to us.

It's important to note that whether you were parented well by your mother or not, this process is her dream for you. She was made in the image of God and, like God, she longs for this process to be lived out in your life! Timothy's grandmother and mother were so influential in his sincere faith that God chose to single them out through the writings of the Apostle Paul!

2. That sincere faith leads to salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Paul refers to "the gift of God which is in you". This refers both to the spiritual gifts and calling that Timothy received, but also to the ultimate gift of God...Himself! His Holy Spirit is the gift in us that will bloom and produce all the good we will every know or do in our lives!

3. The Holy Spirit enables us to understand and apply God's Word.

Paul goes on to tell Timothy that through his mother "from infancy" he was taught the Holy Scriptures. He then details how that knowledge will bless Timothy and those he is called to teach, lead and reach!

4. The we are equipped through the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of God's Word to serve the world and accomplish the mission God created us for.

The point of this entire process is not just to bless us, or honor our mothers, or make much of us in any way! The point of this process is to lead all of God's children to acts of service that will lead others to know and follow Him! Paul said, "so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work"! This is the product...the payoff...the sum total of all the time, energy and effort that our mothers poured into us! God uses our mothers to prepare us to SERVE THE WORLD!

What a blessing mothers are! I know my mom was a key factor in the development of my own "sincere faith". And now I'm blessed with a wife who is blessing her own children in the same ways! Take the time to thank God not only for your mom, but for the ways in which He has used her to prepare you to serve Him well! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Battleground: The Flesh

2009-05-04T07:03:00.006-04:00

What a powerful Sunday yesterday! Isn't it awesome to see God at work in our church? I was overwhelmed with the cardboard testimonies and the power of God at work within people. Thank you to everyone who willingly chose to share their thorns yesterday and to all those who were actively involved in the service.

In James chapter 1 we read that we are tempted when by our own sinful desires, we are led away and enticed to sin. Sometimes we blame God or the devil but the real enemy is our own self. The battle against the flesh is often unseen but one of the most intense battlegrounds we struggle to win on. Yesterday I shared that we can experience victory in the battle against the flesh through...

1. Salvation in Christ Jesus
• John 12:23-26
2. Dying to Self
• John 3:22-30
3. The Power of Holy Spirit Living
• Romans 6:8-14
• Titus 2:11-12
4. Relying on God in Adversity (hardship, problems, difficulty, misfortune)
• 2 Corinthians 12:7-12

Let us have hope during this battle that Christ has already won the battle over sin. Remember that, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness" (Romans 8:26) and that "He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion." (Philippians 1:6) You CAN be the victor and not a victim. I wonder how many others have a cardboard testimony. If you would like to share what battle God is bringing you through feel free to do so at the welcome center or post something right here on the blog.

I'm starting 5 days of spiritual renewal today. I'll be spending much time in prayer, reading and getting some rest from ministry. I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Jeremy

Beirut Trip - Wednesday

2009-04-29T11:53:00.006-04:00

Our trip to Beirut, Lebanon has been powerful, inspiring and challenging, and all of that in only our first two days! We arrived safely late Monday evening and got up early Tuesday to assist in the food program to the Iraqi refugees (see the picture of the bags of food that we handed out). Tuesday afternoon we went on some home visits to meet and encourage some of the Iraqi families. I simply cannot go into detail on this blog what these dear families have endured in Iraq since the war began. I will share more in person when I'm back in the states. Below you see a picture of our home visit team: Bob Moss, Bashir, Milad, Amal and myself. All of them are amazing and godly people, doing powerful work with these Iraqi families! Amal's ministry with the women is one of the most inspiring things I've witnessed in recent memory!

Wednesday morning (Today) we assisted again with the food program. Over the past two days we have provided food to 200 Iraqi families who are trying to begin a new life for themselves in Lebanon, or are waiting on United Nations approval to move to other countries. Wednesday afternoon we again did home visits. We have visited with 10 Iraqi families in their homes and I must say these have been some of the most difficult, but inspiring stories, conversations and encounters I've ever had.

Tonight we will be sharing a dinner with Camille & Hoda Melki, the founders and leaders of Heart for Lebanon Ministry. Camille and I were at Anderson University together and I am truly inspired by the leadership and direction he provides to a variety of ministries here in Lebanon. He's one of the most effective leaders I've spent time with in recent years! Tomorrow we will spend most of our day ministering to the H4L staff and leaders. That will be an honor for me after seeing them in action over the past few days. Friday morning Camille plans to take us on a bit of sightseeing and then Friday evening we have been invited to a dinner celebrating Camille's recent ministry at the Mediterranean Bible College where he served as President for the last 6 years before beginning the H4L ministry.

God is powerfully at work in Beirut, Lebanon! My prayer is that we can be equally as effective in Mooresville, Indiana! I know we will! See you all soon!

Battleground: The World (Persecution)

2009-04-19T16:59:00.006-04:00

The world could be defined by the following equation:
Satan's domain + Human sinful nature = The World

Humans are faced with a variety of battles they must fight throughout their lives. For Christians the battles can typically be in one of three areas: The World, The Devil, and The Flesh. This week we look at the battleground we call "The World". Another way to express it is to look at the various ways the world persecutes us! Here are three of the primary tactics "The World" uses against us:

1) Distraction: The world wants to divert our attention away from God! The world tempts us with many lesser things! God offers us unrivaled blessing and yet we pursue other "gods", we worship and serve other "masters". Just a few of the biggies are: Money, Sex, Power and the need for More! God's Word is clear that we cannot serve both God and money. His Word is also clear that sexual immorality is like worshiping something created rather than the Creator. The pursuit of power mimics the pursuit of Lucifer as he sought to sit upon the throne of God. And finally we find ourselves pursuing more and more and more and more of all of these distractions! Psalm 141:8 says, "But my eyes are fixed on you, O sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge - do not give me over to death". The Psalmist understood that to allow ourselves to be distracted from God, to have our eyes fixed on anything else...would bring death. He also understood that to fix our eyes on God would provide refuge during the battles we face in this world.

2) Diminishing: The world wants to devalue the image of God in us! We are told countless lies about who we are and who we can (or cannot) become! We're told that we should conform to the ridiculous expectations of the world: That we should all have supermodel good looks, movie star charisma, pro athlete abilities, and enough money to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous! God's Word, however, paints a picture of love, hope, redemption, acceptance, forgiveness and privilege! All given freely to us by God through His Son, Jesus! We are made in the image of God! We are children of the King! We have been given and imperishable inheritance from God! We owe no explanations, no excuses and no deference to the world! 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that we are a "dwelling place of the Holy Spirit". Do you realize what this means? God has chosen to dwell IN US! What do we need from the world? Nothing! If God is for us, who can be against us!

3) Domination: The world will persecute the people of God! It has persecuted millions and millions of believers before us! Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you". But He also said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." From the Old Testament prophets...to Jesus...to His followers...Stephen...the Apostles...to modern day...Dietrich Bonhoeffer...Jim Elliott...Cassie Bernall...Rachel Scott...to the 171,000 Christians who are martyred each calendar year...We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who cheer us on as we follow and serve our God even against the domination and persecution of the world!

So what tactics do WE use against the world? Well, ours are the common, everyday disciplines and practices that Christians have used for centuries:

1) Worship: Jesus said we were to "worship God and serve him only". As we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, we are less tempted to worship or serve lesser masters and lesser gods!

2) God's Word: His Word is truth! It speaks the truth to us about who we are in Christ, who we can become through Him! His Word is the light for our race through this world! The Apostle Paul called God's Word "the sword of the Spirit", it is one of our most powerful weapons in battle!

3) Prayer: It was Jesus' intimate times alone with His Father in prayer that sustained and equipped Him for the battles He faced against a world that hated Him! Jesus prayed for us! That we would be sustained by God while we were in this world and that God would use us to show the world that Jesus came to reconcile it all to God!

Next week we look at the battleground of spiritual warfare...the devil! We cannot fall asleep and wrongly assume this battle is not raging around us! It's time to engage the enemy! Join us!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Battleground Sermon Series - Begins April 19

2009-04-17T23:29:00.005-04:00

We hope everyone will join us over the next 3 weeks as we explore the three primary battlegrounds that we contend on throughout our lives:

1) The World: It's the place Satan was sent after his expulsion from heaven, it's the place Adam & Eve were sent after sinning against God. So Satan's domain + Human sinful nature = A challenging battleground for all of us!

2) Spiritual Warfare: This may be the most difficult battleground to fight because it can appear to be unseen. Satan and his angels hate the people of God! Satan and his angels hate the Church that Jesus established! This means war! This battle is very real, we must engage it!

3) The Flesh: This is where it gets personal! This is the weakness, failure, and temptation that comes with our sinful nature. This battleground is internal so it often goes unnoticed and unconfronted. This is the battleground within us!

You will not want to miss any of these opportunities to learn and understand the battles that face all people, but especially the people of God! You will especially want to be here on the closing week as we have a special closing to this series that you will NOT want to miss!

Hope to see you this Sunday!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

WILL STARVE FOR FOOD

2009-04-13T06:49:00.003-04:00

Truelife Student Ministries (Junior High & Senior High Youth Ministries) is doing the 30 Hour Famine in association with World Vision on April 24-25. The Famine will be part of the Rock of Love Tour with Meridian Church of God and Avon Community Church of God. Each participant has to raise at least $30 for world hunger and then take part in a 30 hour fast. It's going to be tough but together we can do it. All students who desire to take part in the famine must have a parental consent form filled out and turned in ASAP. See Pastor Jeremy for more information about the 30 Hour Famine.

Voices of Lent: Jesus!

2009-04-12T18:35:00.005-04:00

Today was a great day for Mooresville Church of God! Today was a huge success for a lot of reasons, here are just a few:

- We saw countless MCHOG people bring family, neighbors, friends and co-workers to be a part of our resurrection celebration! Thank you to all who invited and brought guests today!

- We had hoped that today would be another opportunity to increase our momentum and effectiveness in reaching unchurched people. With an attendance of 240 we certainly had opportunity to minister and reach out to many people who are not normally within reach of our influence! Now comes the task of following up with these good people and inviting them to connect with the ongoing life and ministry of our congregation! Very exciting!

- We saw several of our ministries "knock it out of the park" today as we celebrated Resurrection Sunday! Music & Worship, Children's Ministry, Techincal Ministries, Ushers, Greeters, and countless individuals who gave time, talents, energy and expertise in creating an exciting and effective worship environment! Also a special thanks to Kathy Marine for coordinating our Welcome Center and preparing our visitor packets! Too many other names to mention...I'm afraid I would forget someone! I deeply appreciate all of you!

Now are you ready for the two things that make today a GREAT, GREAT day for all of us? Here they are...

- At the end of the service we invited people to make a decision to know Jesus Christ personally. We also invited people to recommit to Jesus. We had 4 persons recommit their lives to know and follow Jesus Christ! We had 3 PERSONS WHO MADE A DECISION TO KNOW AND FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST FOR THE FIRST TIME! Praise God for His powerful and ministering Spirit! Thank you Lord for doing what only You can do...SALVATION!

- At the end of the service each Sunday I ask myself one question: "Did we honor God with our efforts today?" The answer today, without question, is YES! We had the privilege of bringing honor and glory to the only One who is worthy! Lord Jesus we honor You...we thank You...we praise You...we bow our knee to You, for You are worthy!

BATTLEGROUND - Beginning Next Sunday - April 19
Now it's time to set our sights on a new series and new opportunities for ministry! Beginning this coming Sunday we will begin a 3 week series entitled "Battleground". We will look at three primary battlegrounds that we find ourselves on throughout our life:

1) The World: Money, Sex, Power, the world tempts us toward lesser things than God's best!
2) The Devil: This is spiritual warfare! It is a reality that we MUST recognize and engage!
3) The Flesh: This is where it gets personal - weakness, insecurity, failure, sin.

We must fight the good fight on all of these battlegrounds! We CAN WIN as we seize all the provisions God has for us throughout the battle! You will not want to miss these next few weeks! Join us!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope - April 23

2009-04-11T08:18:00.005-04:00

Tell your boss and co-workers! Call all your family members! Tell your friends and neighbors! Dave Ramsey is coming LIVE to Mooresville Church of God! OK, we admit, it's live via webcast, but still he will be broadcasting live and We will be one of the few Mooresville locations hosting this event!

Dave is going to spend some time teaching and explaining what has been happening in our economy, how we should be thinking and responding in the handling of our money, and offering HOPE for a better financial future! Then he will be receiving questions live via phone, email, facebook, Twitter, etc.

We want the entire Mooresville Church of God congregation to come, be a part of this important chance to affirm our commitment to handling God's money in responsible godly ways! But more importantly, we want you to invite friends, family and co-workers who may be struggling and discouraged due to the present economic situation! THIS IS AN OUTREACH EVENT! The point isn't to get people to our church, the point is to minister to the financial situation of many people in our community! So let's do our part to LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS IMPORTNAT EVENT!

Here's the baic information one more time:

Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope
Thursday, April 23 - 8:00 pm
Mooresville Church of God
Live Webcast - Shown live in our Sanctuary

We hope to see everyone there!

Pastor John's Upcoming Mission Trip

2009-04-08T08:57:00.004-04:00

Please be in prayer as I prepare to travel to Beirut, Lebanon April 26 - May 2 to work with Camille Melki and the Heart for Lebanon staff as they minister to Iraqi refugees, victims of the 2006 war in Lebanon and other needy people groups in Beirut.

I will be traveling with Rev. Bob Moss, the Sr. Pastor of Salem Church of God, Dayton, Ohio. Many of you will remember Bob as our former State Minister here at Indiana Ministries. Bob has a long-standing ministry with Heart for Lebanon and at the Mediterranean Bible College in Beirut. We will be going with some specific purposes and goals in mind:

1) To help me connect with the ongoing ministry of Heart for Lebanon and return home as an advocate for the ministry and needs they are facing in Lebanon. Some of you know that I attended college with Camille Melki and have known him for many years. I have been burdened to connect with the significant needs he and his staff are meeting and facing as they carry out the Great Commission in a difficult part of the world!

2) We will spend a couple of days teaching and ministering to the Heart for Lebanon staff. We hope to encourage, refresh and edify them as they carry out the important work they are doing each day in Beirut. Please pray that we will have wisdom to know how we can best teach and encourage them during these sessions!

3) To help me learn and understand the unique challenges and opportunities of doing mission work in this part of the world. I hope to bring mission teams back to Beirut in the future and I hope to learn the best practices in preparing and leading teams in the Middle-East countries.

4) Please pray that God will use this trip to instruct and inspire me as I carry out my leadership and ministry at Mooresville Church of God! I have sensed God's leading to be a part of this trip and I know if God is in this that He will use it to challenge and change me in ways that will benefit the work and ministry He has called me to lead right here in Mooresville!

Thanks in advance for your prayers for a productive and powerful experience as we minister and serve in Beirut! I deeply appreciate all of you and your partnership with me in this mission endeavor!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Voices of Lent: The Servant Girl

2009-04-05T15:27:00.011-04:00

Many thanks to my daughter, Abby Crump for her beautiful portrayal of the servant girl at Caiaphas house. Thanks also to Terry True for a powerful testimony of his encounter with God while on a mission trip! And as always, thanks to the many talented people who lend their vocal and musical abilities to us each week in worship! You all are a blessing to God and to us!

We have a choice to make as we walk this path of faith: Will we follow and respond to "The Crowd" or will we follow and respond to "The Cross"? Peter encountered both and had his choice to make. What choice will WE make?

When Peter encountered this servant girl while at the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas, he encountered something that we all can relate to: He encountered the pressure, the temptation and the oppression of "The Crowd". This girl represents the ways that the world recognizes us and the ways that they see us as followers of Jesus Christ. So what was it that this girl saw in Peter that helped her to know that he had been with Jesus? And in the same way, what does the world see in US that let's them know that we are with Jesus?

Mark 14:66-72

⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said. ⁶⁸ But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking about," he said, and went out into the entryway. ⁶⁹ When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them." ⁷⁰ Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." ⁷¹ He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about." ⁷² Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.

The crowd will recognize...

Who We Are...Our Character

The girl first recognized Peter's face. She saw how he acted, how he carried himself. She got a glimpse of the person that Peter really was. She got a taste of his character. Sadly, Peter didn't handle the situation very well. The impression left with that "crowd" wasn't very good as Peter called down curses on himself and those around him.

However, Luke's account of this story indicates that when Peter denied knowing Jesus, that Jesus looked directly at him. So you could say, that "the cross" was also observing who Peter was and how he handled himself. Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny him, so it is likely that Jesus felt great compassion for Peter at that moment. Though it must have been a great burden to see one of his followers buckle under the pressure of "the crowd".

The Company We Keep...The People We Devote Our Time To

The girl recognized that Peter was one of "them". Who are "them"? Well the people Peter spent his time with were fisherman, tax collectors and religious zealots. All of whom would have been looked down upon by the High Priest and his followers. She would not have thought highly of any of Peter and his buddies!

However, Peter had seen who JESUS spent His time with: Prostitutes, lepers, sinners, lost people, sick people...people who in the eyes of most Jews would have been unclean, rejected, unacceptable to God. So Peter knew that Jesus calls us to spend our time with what the gospel of Matthew calls "the least of these". The crowd may not want to associate with the people that the cross calls us to reach out to!

The Place We Call Home...Where We're from and Where We Plan to Go

The crowd recognized that Peter was from Gallilee. They likely identified this due to his accent and dialect. The crowd will also notice us by "what we say" and "how we say it". We can't fall into the trap of using our Christian lingo in ways that non-believing people will not understand.

However, Peter had been taught by Jesus that he was not made for this world! He had been taught that he was, right now, in the present day, a citizen of another country, another world! AND SO ARE WE! We must seize the promises of God and live like today with the hope and knowledge of heaven on our mind and heart! People will be drawn to the joy, hope, promise and peace of someone who knows they were made to be with God!

The Crowd or the Cross? It's not an easy choice sometimes. Neither choice is promised to be an easy path! Jesus had to make the same choice: As He entered Jerusalem to great fanfare He could have given into the adulation of the crowd, whipped them into a frenzy and gone to war with the Roman and Jewish leaders! But instead...Jesus...consciously...chose the path to the cross. He stopped outside the city, wept over the fact that so many had not recognized the Messiah (Himself!) while He was with them. So many had chosen the crowd, the easy path, instead of the path that leads to real, full, eternal life! Choose this day which path you will follow! The crowd or the Cross!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Holy Week Services

2009-03-31T13:32:00.003-04:00

Great Big Egg Hunt & Pancake Breakfast
Join us THIS Saturday, April 4th at 9:00 am for our pancake breakfast! Then at 11:00 am we'll send the kids on the GREAT BIG EGG HUNT!

Palm Sunday
Join us THIS Sunday, April 5th at 10:30 am for a celebration of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and His steps toward the cross and the empty tomb! There MAY even be an actual donkey involved...ooooo...come find out!

Maundy Thursday Sedar Meal & Footwashing Service
Join us on Thursday, April 9th at 6:30 pm for a traditional Sedar Meal. Raegan Towne will share a portrayal of the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and then we will follow the example of Jesus by participating in a time of footwashing. We hope you will join us as we set our sights on the cross and begin our final journey toward Easter Sunday!

Good Friday Service
Join us Friday, April 10th at 7:00 pm for an opportunity to prepare your hearts for Easter by experiencing the weight of the cross. You will have an opportunity to walk the path of all the "Voices of Lent" that we've heard and find yourself directed toward the resurrected Lord!

Easter Sunday Celebration
Join us as we hear from the final and most powerful voice of this season of Lent: The voice of the risen and victorious Jesus! Join us at 10:30 am as we celebrate the new life we have through Christ Jesus our Lord! Invite your neighbors, family, co-workers, strangers, enemies, EVERYONE!

This is such an important time for the Church of Jesus Christ! A time to remember and celebrate all that our God was willing to do so that WE could be reconciled to Him! Join us!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Voices of Lent: The Rich Young Ruler

2009-03-29T17:39:00.007-04:00

Thanks so much to Craig Stephens for sharing his encounter with God on a loooooong ride home! Thanks also to Johnny Sayer for a moving portrayal of the Rich Young Ruler! It was a great day to be together at Mooresville Church of God! I hope you're all planning to be with us over the next two weeks as we turn our eyes toward Easter! This coming Sunday (Palm Sunday!) we will hear a testimony from Terry True and experience Abby Crump's portrayal of the servant girl who confronted Peter on the night Jesus was arrested! Then we move into Holy Week with our Maundy Thursday Sedar meal and footwashing service, our Good Friday observance and our Easter Celebration! Don't forget that this Saturday, April 4th is our Great Big Egg Hunt and Pancake Breakfast! It should be a lot of fun!

Luke 18:16-30
In Luke's account of the encounter between this rich young ruler and Jesus it begins with Jesus speaking to the crowd (likely including this young ruler) and telling them, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it". Immediately after Jesus teaches this to the crowd the young ruler approaches Jesus and says, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Now I don't want to be disrespectful to this wealthy young man, but my first thought here is...DUH!!! I mean, Jesus just said, "if you want to receive and enter the kingdom of God you must become like a little child", and in the next breath this young man says "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Well, either he didn't hear Jesus (which is possible) or he DIDN'T WANT to hear Him (which is likely).

This young ruler had a lot to lose (from his own perspective), but from God's perspective he had EVERYTHING to gain by following Jesus. So Jesus plays along for a bit and says, in essence, "follow all the commandments contained in the Jewish Law". The young ruler replies that he has flawlessly done this for many years! Then Jesus, in essence, asks him to follow the "Great Commandment" - to love God and love his neighbor - by asking him to sell all that he has, give it to the poor and come follow Him. Because this rich young ruler had so much worldly possessions to lose, he goes away saddened, dejected and spiritually lost.

Jesus essentially asks the rich young ruler to become like a little child when he says, "sell all that you have, give it to the poor and come follow me". We know this because what do little children inherently have? Money? No. Knowledge? No. They really don't have much to offer anyone do they? About the only things they can truly offer those in power over them is the ability to love them, the reality of needing them, and the hope of learning from them as they grow. And isn't this what Jesus was hoping for from this wealthy young man? Jesus wanted him to love God and love others. Jesus wanted him to need only what God could provide (salvation!) And Jesus wanted him to come, follow and learn from Him.

So as we ask the question, "What must WE do to inherit eternal life?" We can focus on these thoughts as we decide whether to respond to Jesus or not:

1) Become like a little child: Need Him, Love Him, Cry out to Him when you need Him
2) Depend only on God: Whatever God provides for you, go with that! You don't need more! The rich young ruler depended more on his own wealth, ability and comfort.
3) Obey God and receive what you need: Within the gospel of Jesus Christ we "get to give". That's how it works. When you obey, God provides, and you give, share, serve.
4) Learn Generosity: "For God so love the world he GAVE..." God wants us to grow in our generosity. The rich young ruler didn't want to learn that lesson.
5) Follow Jesus and Learn from Him: Jesus says to us - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

What must we do to inherit eternal life? Jesus call to us is to become like a little child, to essentially have nothing except what we depend on Him to provide. This is a very freeing, liberating and spiritually potent act! "Come", Jesus said, "follow me".

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Voices of Lent: Nicodemus

2009-03-24T08:50:00.010-04:00

Many thanks to Edie Guyder for sharing her personal testimony of her experience of the light and grace of Jesus! Thanks also go to Bruce Marine for his powerful portrayal of Nicodemus! And as always, thanks to our worship team for leading us to the throne of grace!

The Gospel of John records the only written account we have of a conversation that took place between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus. It took place at night time when Nicodemus sought out the rabbi from Galilee. With curiosity, Nicodemus approaches Jesus and starts to investigate who Jesus really is. His quest for the truth takes the conversation through many turns. We can begin to understand the heart of Jesus by paying careful attention to the different aspects of this amazing dialog.

Some People are outright Looking for a reason to Believe in Jesus.
Nicodemus approached Jesus with genuine curiosity and had an openness to the truth. Nicodemus wasn’t your average Pharisee. He was willing to seek Jesus out and interview him in private where he would be willing to form an accurate opinion of who Jesus was for himself. This stood in sharp contrast to the stereotypical Pharisee who is commonly seen in the gospels trying to publically humiliate and discredit Jesus in the midst of a theological debate. Nicodemus had genuine respect for Jesus and even calls him Rabbi. He starts the conversation by making the statement, “We know you are of God…” With this statement Nicodemus admits he already has a reason to believe Jesus is of God. We need to be looking for ways we can share the truth of who Jesus is with those who are open to hearing about him.

Everyone needs to be born again.
Nicodemus asks Jesus to explain and he delves into an explanation of what it means to be born again. Jesus’ answer seems to reference the Ezekiel passage found in chapter 36 where God states that he will “sprinkle water” and cleanse his people. In this same passage God states he will give his people a new spirit and place his Spirit within them, a reference to Pentecost. Jesus then compares the Spirit of God to the wind and states that no one can control it. This teaching on being born again (of water and Spirit) help us understand that all need to be born again (even Israel) and only the Spirit of God can do it. We cannot manipulate the Spirit and make things happen on our own.

Jesus shares the truth of God’s love.
After Nicodemus seems to be confused about the being born again, and the wind teaching, Jesus lays it all out as he explains the entire message of reconciliation. He states that God provides the needed salvation for Israel and the world and tells Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world…” probably the most quoted Bible verse in history. So the options are salvation or condemnation. This all depends on our belief in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Light of the World
and unless we step into that light, we will certainly die. The problem is stepping into the light means that our evil deeds, imperfections and flaws are visible. This causes some to hate the light and for this reason they never enter it. The greatest thing about stepping into God’s light is that things are seen plainly and God gets the credit for the miracles that have taken place in us. Once we step into the light, we have that light living within us. God calls us to take that light into all the world and share it with everyone. Won’t you join us as we share the light of Christ with our neighbors during this Easter season?

Voices of Lent: Simon Peter

2009-03-15T20:23:00.003-04:00

Thanks so much to the worship team, to Matt Richardson for a powerful testimony, to Gary Schrougham for a moving portrayal of Simon Peter, and to all of the creative people whose talents and efforts bless us each week! Mooresville Church of God is blessed with some talented people!

Have you ever felt your passion for something slowly fading away? Maybe it was your work, maybe in your marriage, maybe in your life of faith. It's subtle and slow, but one day you wake up and realize that you simply don't have the passion you once did. And you wonder, "What can I do to rekindle the passion?" Simon Peter set an example for us as he encountered Jesus in a powerful way!

The disciples had just watched and participated as Jesus taught 5,000 people and fed all of them with a little boy's sack lunch. They must have been amazed, excited, energized as they picked up baskets of left overs from the food Jesus provided the people. But then Jesus provides them with a needed life lesson as he sends them across the Sea of Galilee in a boat...He teaches them that while the mountain top times are great, life's storms are bound to come, and when they do, Jesus will invite us to risk faith in the midst of the storm and trust Him! Peter learned this lesson as he jumped out of that boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But during the stormy difficult times, our passion to follow Jesus can fade, and we begin to sink. It's at those times that we MUST remember our passion, reclaim it, and live in passionate dependence on Jesus! Here's what Peter did...

1. He Recognized Jesus Voice
When a sheep strays away from the flock the shepherd will find it, break it's leg, reset it and put a splint on it, and then carry the sheep with him so that the sheep can learn to hear and recognize the shepherd's voice. Peter had experienced some very high and low times with Jesus already and he knew His voice. So when Jesus said to Peter, "Come...", Peter didn't hesitate to reclaim his passion and jump out of that boat!

2. He Responded Despite Fear
When the stormy, painful and difficult times of life are upon us we find ourselves fearful of what will happen, why it's happening, will we survive it, many, many fears! One step to reclaiming our passion to know and follow Jesus is to respond to His voice despite that fear! And even when we respond we fearfully wonder, "What will it cost me to know and follow Jesus?" My time? Energy? Relationships? Money? The answer is often, "yes" to all of the above. It WILL cost us something to passionately follow Him. But...we may just walk on water in the process!

3. He Risked Faith
Peter risked failure by jumping out of that boat! He risked his very life to jump into the sea during a terrible storm! However, there were 11 other disciples sitting in that boat that risked nothing...nothing! And THEY did not walk on the water! Author John Ortberg called the other 11 disciples "boat potatoes", and you just know that for the rest of his life when Peter saw the other disciples he was saying, "3 Baby! I took 3 steps on that water! How many steps did you guys take? I'll tell you how many...ZERO!" Peter risked faith in Jesus, and he accomplished something that was above and beyond his wildest dreams!

4. He Learned Through Failure
While it could be argued that Peter did not fail at all (he walked on water!!), in truth, in his effort to walk out to Jesus, he did ultimately fail. His passion faded when he saw the storm and he began to sink. So the question becomes, "Did he learn and grow from his failure?" And the answer is yes! He learned that Jesus can be trusted to save even at the stormiest times! He learned that he WAS capable of walking on water when he passionately followed Jesus call! He learned that Jesus wanted him to recklessly respond to the command to "come" and to leave the rest to Jesus. And many other life and faith lessons.

5. He Trusted Jesus
He put his faith, his life, his reputation, his trust in Jesus and he jumped out of that boat! He did it! He didn't talk about trusting Jesus...he actually trusted Him! And in Matthew 14:33 we see the result of Peter's trust...it says that all the other disciples bowed down and worshipped Jesus and declared that He was, in fact, the Son of God! Peter's trust led others to worship and glorify Jesus!

Commit today to pursuing the passion to know and follow Jesus! Commit to responding to Jesus' voice no matter the cost. Commit to abandoning yourself to the faith, trust and love for Jesus that would cause us to get out of our boat and live a life of passionate, exciting and fulfilling faith! We say to Jesus, "Lord if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." And Jesus calls to us, "Come!" Don't wait, jump out of that boat, and when you do, you just might walk on the water!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Voices of Lent: The Woman at the Well

2009-03-08T14:27:00.005-04:00

Thanks so much to Maggie Fisher for her moving portrayal of the "Woman at the Well"! Thanks also to Mike True for his work on preparing the set and to Vanessa for being the creative force behind all of it! A huge thanks to Andy & Mike Marine for their work on the video and graphics that will accompany this series of messages! All of these elements help contribute to a powerful opportunity for all of us to experience God in a meaningful way! Pray for Pastor Jeremy as he prepares to preach this coming Sunday on our next "voice": Simon Peter! You won't want to miss one week of this series!

What Satisfies You? John 4:1-42
This is the question that Jesus essentially is asking the woman he meets at Jacob's well in Samaria. He said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." He quickly finds out that she thought a few other things would satisfy her:

A Husband (Human Relationships) - She had been married 5 times and was now working toward number 6.
Water from a Well (Material Things) - She thought something she could see, taste or touch would satisfy her. But she kept coming back to the well and was never permanently satisfied.
Equal Treatment (Status, Position, Power) - She had 3 strikes against her: She was a woman, looked upon as second class citizens in that culture; a Samaritan woman, looked upon as unworthy and unclean by the Jews; an immoral Samaritan woman, looked upon as an outcast in her own community. She just wanted to be treated better!

Jesus sets a powerful example for us in how we should approach people who are far from God. As he approached the woman at the well he...

...Connected with her in a personal and relational way. Basically, he showed her that he really did care about what was happening in her life.
...Confronted with grace & truth the sin in her life. He didn't avoid the truth, but he spoke to her in a spirit of grace and love.
...Clarified some misconceptions she had about God. She wanted to know where she should worship (anywhere as long as it's in spirit and truth!) and when the Messiah would come (Jesus said, "I who speak to you am he").
Commissioned her to go and tell others about Him! And she didn't wait until she was a seasoned believer who knew it all! She went right away, told her own story, and people came to Jesus in bunches!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied". As we hunger and thirst (like the woman at the well) for things that only God can provide we will come to Him, get our needs met and then be sent out in power to draw others to Him! This is the only way for us to be truly satisfied!

And then, when our days on earth are over, we will hear these words in Revelation 7:16-17, "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Now THAT is truly satisfying!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Voices of Lent Begins this Sunday!

2009-03-06T10:55:00.002-05:00

This week we begin our journey toward Easter and the celebration of new life that comes with Jesus' resurrection and victory over death! We hope you are planning to invite your friends, neighbors, family and co-workers to join us during this important and potentially life-changing season!

We will be looking into the lives and hearing the voices of a number of people who either encountered Jesus or contributed to the story leading to His eventual crucifixion and resurrection. Each Sunday there will be a monologue drama that will accompany the message. Here is the series of messages we will be bringing throughout the season of Lent:

March 8 - The Woman at the Well
March 15 - Simon Peter (Pastor Jeremy preaching)
March 22 - Nicodemus
March 29 - The Rich Young Ruler
April 5 - The Servant Girl who Identified Peter
April 12 - Jesus

We hope to pack the sanctuary on Easter Sunday! Let's commit now to getting people here who may need a powerful encounter with the risen, victorious Jesus!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Doing the Math: Living the Reconciliation Equation

2009-03-02T16:15:00.003-05:00

Grace + Truth over Time = Reconciliation

Throughout God's Word we find the Reconciliation Equation lived out right before our eyes. In the relationship of the prodigal son, his older brother and their father...in the encounter of Jesus with the woman who washed his feet with her tears...in the exchange between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery...in the conversations Jesus has with his disciples as they slowly learn how to balance grace and truth themselves...again and again, we see Jesus perfectly balancing grace & truth! In reality Jesus IS Grace & Truth! John 1:14 says, "Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth". He is the author of Truth and the source of Grace!

Ephesians 2:14-16 describes Jesus living out reconciliation as it says, "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which he put to death their hostility."

Throughout the Old Testament we see humanity trying to keep the Law (the Truth) of God. And when they can't keep it they sacrifice...sacrifice...sacrifice...and they keep sacrificing each time they fail to live up to the Truth of God. And just when humanity is ready to throw up their hands and say, "WE CAN'T DO IT! WE CAN'T LIVE UNDER THIS BURDEN OF TRUTH!" God senses that they are finally ready to receive His...........GRACE! And he sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to add Grace to God's Truth! And for the first time in history...reconciliation was possible! We could actually be reconciled to God...because of Jesus!

So as we try to live out reconciliation in our lives, here are some steps to help us accomplish our goal:

1. Recognize the problem: We can't reconcile what we don't see and understand.
2. Repent and live differently: This means actually changing the way we live!
3. Reach for forgiveness: Whether it's from God or from others...you've got to ask for it.
4. Receive forgiveness as a gift: This means accepting it and living like your forgiven!
5. Reflect grace & truth to others: When we've received it, we will want to share it!
6. Reveal a reconciled and redeemed life: Tell the story of reconciliation with your own life!

The Reconciliation Equation is not easy to live...but it is possible to live! In fact it's our mission...our mandate...our God-given role to play...Ambassadors of Reconciliation!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Miscalculations of the Reconciliation Equation

2009-02-24T14:22:00.003-05:00

Grace + Truth over Time = Reconciliation
This equation is not easy to live in the real world. Even at our best we sometimes make some miscalculations and reach a different outcome than we had hoped for. Here's a few of the most common miscalculations:

Truth - Grace over Time = Judgment
This is truth with no grace. This is trying to reconcile our relationship with God and with each other by the letter of the law. This equation judges a relationship by how well we have kept the rules. Truth without Grace eventually destroys relationship. The entire Old Testament is full of laws that the people tried and tried to keep perfectly...but to no avail. It did not save their relationship with God or with each other. It wasn't until Jesus came full of grace and truth that reconciliation became possible for all people. Galatians 5:4 says, "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."

Grace - Truth over Time = License (or enabling)
This is grace with no truth. This is trying to reconcile our relationships by always overlooking the wrong. It's like handing someone a license to sin. This is the attitude, "Hey, I can sin all I want against God and against other people because their going to forgive me anyway!" It's like a battered wife always allowing her abusive husband to come home, even though nothing in him has changed. It's like the parent of a rebellious teenager always bailing them out of trouble and never letting them experience the natural consequences of their actions. Grace without truth is directionless and chaotic, it can can bring insecurity in our relationships because it has no structure (truth). Romans 6:15 says, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" We do need guardrails, guidelines, truth to go along with a healthy dose of grace to bring about reconciliation between us and God and in our human relationships!

There are many other miscalculations we can make that produce things like insecurity, mistrust, irrelevance and isolation. Our goal is to commit to a lifelong pursuit of reconciliation: First with God and then with other people in our lives. As we do that God begins to use us as His "Reconciliation Agents" in the world!