As Allen and Tim have already mentioned I too want to thank you for sending the staff to the Together 4 the Gospel conference.
For those of you unfamiliar with the conference this is a conference that meets every other year in Louisville, Kentucky. There are a group of four men (thus the play on 4 in the name) who have put together a program to encourage and bless pastors of local churches. The four men are Mark Dever, Albert Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and CJ Mahaney. They each invite another speaker to present a message, so that we have eight messages from top church leaders. This year the additional speakers were; John MacArthur, John Piper, RC Sproul, and Thabiti Anyabwile. The four who put this conference on do so to: bless local pastors through the messages they give; gathering thousands of pastors and church leaders (this year there were about 7,000 in attendance) for fellowship with each other; and by providing several hundred dollars worth of free, good books to everyone who registers for the conference. On top of those things, just getting away as a staff team for time to build our relationships was very helpful. We were able to talk and plan ministry without the immediate daily pressures of shepherding the congregation. (Huge thanks to the administrative team who stayed behind and the elders who were here to shepherd the flock in our absence.)
This year the theme of the conference was the "Unadjusted Gospel." We were encouraged with the power of the pure gospel (Romans 1:16) and reminded of the calling we have as both believers and as leaders to live in the power of that pure gospel. The speakers addressed issues such as: the church's role in living out and displaying the gospel to the world (Ephesians 3:10); types of pressure to adjust the gospel (modern and postmodern worldviews, aesthetic pressures, therapeutic pressures, pragmatic pressures, etc.); what they had learned in 50 years of ministry; and several other topics.
Being with thousands of local pastors was a tremendous encouragement to me personally. There were thousands of young men who are serving local churches, and committed to keep the gospel clear and to present the truths of Scripture to their congregations week in and week out. I loved the messages and being encouraged to both remember and hold to the gospel by the speakers. Along with that reminder, the interaction with our staff team and with other pastors who were thinking through how to apply what we heard to our situations particularly was powerful. I believe the investment you made as a church will bear great rewards for CPC and for Howard County. Thank you.
Steve
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
News from Session
March 25, 2010
Brothers and Sisters,
Session has been discussing for some time now how best to provide the Lord’s Supper for our congregation. We have had a subcommittee that has been looking in to questions regarding scheduling the Lord’s Supper and also how to encourage the most people to participate in this means of grace. We want to make the means of grace (the Word, prayer, the sacraments, and fellowship)as available as we can to all the people who call CPC their church home.
As a result of this desire we have looked at when we can celebrate communion. After much discussion and deliberation Session approved the subcommittee’s recommendation that we celebrate communion in the morning service four times a year, and at a monthly evening service the other eight months of the year. We considered the pros and cons for the various time slots we have for celebrating the Lord’s Supper , and we concluded that the best decision overall is to have the communion service in the mornings when we do not have Middle Hour classes and Sunday School and keeping the service in the evening on those months when we do have classes between the services.
That means that we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper in the morning services on the first Sundays in January, July, August, and September. We will hold evening services February, March, April, May, June, October, November, and December.
One other thing to note is that this schedule is what we have planned for while we are in our own facility. We are aware that there are restrictions on food in the school buildings. That means we will have to be flexible with our scheduling the Lord’s Supper while we are off site and renting space for worship. We know you will be adaptable to the circumstances in which we find ourselves as we move off site.
Steve, on behalf of the elders
Friday, March 19, 2010
God's sovereignty - man's responsibility
How can it be possible that God is absolutely sovereign over the affairs of all of His creation and also that we are completely responsible for our every action? Puzzling? Yes. Confusing? Sometimes, sure. Contradiction (and therefore not true)? Not at all.
This past Sunday, Allen laid out the case for both these truths from Scripture. The betrayal of Jesus Christ by one of his twelve disciples, Judas, is one of those historical events that causes us to pause and contemplate God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Matthew records Jesus' sobering words highlighting these two truths: "The Son of Man goes as it is written of him , but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed ! It would be better for that man if he had not been born." Here we clearly see the death of Christ as predetermined by a sovereign God and also the sobering reality that Judas, the betrayer, is held responsible for his actions leading to Christ's death. Several other passages point this out as well (see Luke 22:22;Acts 2:22-24, 4:27-28).
Maybe you are like several in our fellowship grappling with these doctrines. At the end of both services, I recommended a little booklet written by John Piper entitled History's Most Spectacular Sin . We ran out of the booklets (a good thing, right? except if you wanted one!) on Sunday. By clicking on the booklet title in the above sentence (if I have done the link correctly) you should be re-directed to the Desiring God Ministries website where the .pdf of the booklet is available for you to read in its entirety.
I wanted to get this information to you before Sunday, because Allen is preaching from Matthew 27 a sermon entitled, Judas: II - The Downfall of Judas Iscariot. So the topic is still before us!
As the Lord deepens our understanding of His absolute sovereignty and our responsibility, may the conviction of our sin lead us to find comfort in the completed work of His Son on our behalf.
The discovery of these wonderful truths is best accomplished in fellowship.
Looking forward to our fellowship together in His presence.
Pastor Tim
This past Sunday, Allen laid out the case for both these truths from Scripture. The betrayal of Jesus Christ by one of his twelve disciples, Judas, is one of those historical events that causes us to pause and contemplate God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Matthew records Jesus' sobering words highlighting these two truths: "The Son of Man goes as it is written of him , but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed ! It would be better for that man if he had not been born." Here we clearly see the death of Christ as predetermined by a sovereign God and also the sobering reality that Judas, the betrayer, is held responsible for his actions leading to Christ's death. Several other passages point this out as well (see Luke 22:22;Acts 2:22-24, 4:27-28).
Maybe you are like several in our fellowship grappling with these doctrines. At the end of both services, I recommended a little booklet written by John Piper entitled History's Most Spectacular Sin . We ran out of the booklets (a good thing, right? except if you wanted one!) on Sunday. By clicking on the booklet title in the above sentence (if I have done the link correctly) you should be re-directed to the Desiring God Ministries website where the .pdf of the booklet is available for you to read in its entirety.
I wanted to get this information to you before Sunday, because Allen is preaching from Matthew 27 a sermon entitled, Judas: II - The Downfall of Judas Iscariot. So the topic is still before us!
As the Lord deepens our understanding of His absolute sovereignty and our responsibility, may the conviction of our sin lead us to find comfort in the completed work of His Son on our behalf.
The discovery of these wonderful truths is best accomplished in fellowship.
Looking forward to our fellowship together in His presence.
Pastor Tim
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Knowing Jesus is Communal
Knowing Jesus is Communal
The following concept is original to and is largely from Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal God. I hope you will find these ideas on community stimulating and inspiring. Enjoy.
We live in a culture in which the interests and desires of the individual take precedence over those of the family, group, or community. As a result, a high percentage of people want to achieve spiritual growth without losing their independence to a church or to any organized institution. This is often the meaning behind many of those who say “I am spiritual, but not religious” and “I like Jesus, but not Christianity.” Many people who are spiritually searching have had bad experiences with churches and because of that they often do not want anything more to do with the church. Sadly, this interest is God stops at the thought level and is not put into actions because of the disinterest in having to be a part of an organization. Churches can be very unpleasant because they are filled with Pharisees and other unpleasant sinners. Yet staying away from churches just because they have self-righteous people in them is just another form of self-righteousness.
You cannot live the Christian life without a group of Christian friends, without a family of believer in which you find a place. C.S. Lewis was part of a well known circle of friends called the Inkings, which included J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the The Lord of the Rings, and also the author Charles Williams, who died unexpectedly after World War II. In his book The Four Loves, Lewis wrote a meditation on his death in an essay entitled “Friendship” found in his book The Four Loves.
Lewis wrote, “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles [Williams] is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien’s] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald…In this, Friendship, exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to heaven itself where they very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, in why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have”
Lewis is saying that it took a community to know an individual. How much more would this be true of Jesus Christ? Christians commonly say they want a relationship with Jesus and they want to “get to know Jesus better.” As Lewis writes, you will never be able to do that by yourself. You must deeply and genuinely involved in the church, in Christian community, with strong relationships of love and accountability. Only if you are part of a community of believers seeking to resemble, serve, and love Jesus will you ever get to know Him and grow in His likeness (Keller 124-127).
Lewis, C.S. The Four Loves. Ireland: Harvest Books Press, 1960.
Keller, Timothy. The Prodigal God. New York, New York: Dutton, 2008.
The following concept is original to and is largely from Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal God. I hope you will find these ideas on community stimulating and inspiring. Enjoy.
We live in a culture in which the interests and desires of the individual take precedence over those of the family, group, or community. As a result, a high percentage of people want to achieve spiritual growth without losing their independence to a church or to any organized institution. This is often the meaning behind many of those who say “I am spiritual, but not religious” and “I like Jesus, but not Christianity.” Many people who are spiritually searching have had bad experiences with churches and because of that they often do not want anything more to do with the church. Sadly, this interest is God stops at the thought level and is not put into actions because of the disinterest in having to be a part of an organization. Churches can be very unpleasant because they are filled with Pharisees and other unpleasant sinners. Yet staying away from churches just because they have self-righteous people in them is just another form of self-righteousness.
You cannot live the Christian life without a group of Christian friends, without a family of believer in which you find a place. C.S. Lewis was part of a well known circle of friends called the Inkings, which included J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the The Lord of the Rings, and also the author Charles Williams, who died unexpectedly after World War II. In his book The Four Loves, Lewis wrote a meditation on his death in an essay entitled “Friendship” found in his book The Four Loves.
Lewis wrote, “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles [Williams] is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien’s] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald…In this, Friendship, exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to heaven itself where they very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, in why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have”
Lewis is saying that it took a community to know an individual. How much more would this be true of Jesus Christ? Christians commonly say they want a relationship with Jesus and they want to “get to know Jesus better.” As Lewis writes, you will never be able to do that by yourself. You must deeply and genuinely involved in the church, in Christian community, with strong relationships of love and accountability. Only if you are part of a community of believers seeking to resemble, serve, and love Jesus will you ever get to know Him and grow in His likeness (Keller 124-127).
Lewis, C.S. The Four Loves. Ireland: Harvest Books Press, 1960.
Keller, Timothy. The Prodigal God. New York, New York: Dutton, 2008.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sunday's Sermon
Just two clarifications:
1. In case you lost the forest for all the trees, if you boil it all down, Matt 24 is saying: Jesus gave a very detailed prophecy of an extremely unlikely event 40 years in the future (like me forecasting the destruction of Washington D.C. in the lifetime of many here, and saying that not one stone of the capitol building will be left on another, and it happens in 2050), and that event was the judgment of Israel for rejecting their Messiah. Then He says His Return will be some unknown time after that, but be ready, alert and hopeful, because just as surely as Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, so He WILL COME AGAIN! If you still are putting Jesus off, that is a warning; if you love Him, that is a promise.
So we DID have the lasanga Sunday evening. He did not come at 2pm. But He WILL come, and it could be any time. So cast aside your small ambitions that are tied to this world, and live for eternity. Live so that at His coming you have no regrets (well at least not major ones!).
2. Concenring the illustration from the movie, "Under Seige". It was brought to my attention after Sunday that there is a sleazy scene in that movie, which I either did not see, or totally forgot. In any case, while the scene I reported makes a vivid point, I cannot recommend the movie for viewing.
SO live this week in the light of His Coming.
Allen
1. In case you lost the forest for all the trees, if you boil it all down, Matt 24 is saying: Jesus gave a very detailed prophecy of an extremely unlikely event 40 years in the future (like me forecasting the destruction of Washington D.C. in the lifetime of many here, and saying that not one stone of the capitol building will be left on another, and it happens in 2050), and that event was the judgment of Israel for rejecting their Messiah. Then He says His Return will be some unknown time after that, but be ready, alert and hopeful, because just as surely as Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, so He WILL COME AGAIN! If you still are putting Jesus off, that is a warning; if you love Him, that is a promise.
So we DID have the lasanga Sunday evening. He did not come at 2pm. But He WILL come, and it could be any time. So cast aside your small ambitions that are tied to this world, and live for eternity. Live so that at His coming you have no regrets (well at least not major ones!).
2. Concenring the illustration from the movie, "Under Seige". It was brought to my attention after Sunday that there is a sleazy scene in that movie, which I either did not see, or totally forgot. In any case, while the scene I reported makes a vivid point, I cannot recommend the movie for viewing.
SO live this week in the light of His Coming.
Allen
What is your only comfort in life and in death?
Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A: That I am not my own, but belong - body and soul, in life and in death -- to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.
-If you grasped these things wth your whole heart, how would it affect the way you handle suffering?
A: That I am not my own, but belong - body and soul, in life and in death -- to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.
-If you grasped these things wth your whole heart, how would it affect the way you handle suffering?
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