Saturday October 25, 2008
… in this issue:
- Olympic gold medals
- Rick Mercer
- Reformation Sunday
- invitations


So did you miss my comments last week about our Thanksgiving weekend adventures and encounters? How cool was it to have dinner with Adam Kreek (and even hold the Olympic Gold medal) on Friday night and then watch live and up close the filming of Rick Mercer on Lake Muskoka on Sunday afternoon. I thought they truly tied into the teaching. One was serious and one was just plain silly. But both spoke of unstoppable courage and unstoppable confidence. You can check out how I develop these thoughts by going to www.churchunstoppable.blogspot.com

Last week I lifted four church activities observed in the Book of Acts that we must approach with courage and confidence – and some of them make us uneasy. Please take 30 seconds to familiarize yourself with this stuff (click here). Know it and live it, and I promise you it will change how most churches do business.

The fires of the Christian Church have burned for twenty centuries! The Holy Spirit of God has infiltrated people’s hearts with a desire to boldly stand against all foes. Unflinching courage in the face of incredible odds, Jesus keeps His church on the move. This series ties in with our recollection of the Reformation tomorrow. We look back over the years and see how believers took a stand against evil, injustice, even Satan himself, even the church itself! And while great leaders worked so hard to ‘keep the main thing the main thing’, and to make available the Bible in the language of the common people, we stand on guard today. Let us not be lulled into forgetting that it was the call to follow Jesus that got the church moving. Let us not forget that wrestling with the Scriptures enables us to see how God wants His influence to flood our families and communities. Let us not forget that the gospel message must be sounded clearly, so that those who hear can both understand and respond.

So that brings us to the whole matter of inviting guests. What is it about invitations that catch our attention? What invitations turn us off? Why do some of us never rsvp? How does the invitation sender feel when it is just ignored?

If your church is not an ‘inviting church’, it needs to be. If it is, I want to hear from you. What is it about your congregation that makes it so? Give us some ideas on how to do this thing of ‘inviting’ well. Go to the safe@first blog right now and leave a brief comment. (click here)

Over the next few weeks I am going to suggest why I think this series, along with the one I will offer early in 2009 will go a long way in helping you understand what I am asking of God for in our church here in Brockville. If FPC is not your home, my guess is that you will be able to apply the same principles to the church you serve.

Really, the questions are pretty simple:
• What kind of church do we read about in the New Testament?
• What kind of church went before us?
• What kind of church are we now?
• What kind of church do we want to be?


FPC: You can view church announcements here.

Until next time, hear these words from our Lord: “On this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” If you are united to Christ and His church by virtue of your faith profession, just like Peter here in Matthew 16:18, then nothing you are going through right now will take you down. You are loved by Jesus, kept by Jesus. Have you ever read the last half of Romans 8?

I am doing my best at staying unstoppable through Christ who is my strength. Sure, sometimes it is difficult – and that is when His spirit and His church takes over. So thanks for being the church.

Doug

Saturday October 4th, 2008


So we are back from a few hectic weeks! Here’s how I spent that time:
• Officiated at two out-of-town weddings
• Officiated at the funeral in Toronto of an uncle
• Spent time in two Mississauga hospitals at the bedside of a very sick brother
• Celebrated the 60th wedding anniversary of my parents and Yvonne’s parents (Yvonne’s parents were visiting from Creston, BC for two weeks)
• Sold our house on the Severn River and moved out 6 years of ‘stuff’

I was so glad to get back to our church last Sunday! What a great sense of support and encouragement I sensed from the people here. (wherever your spiritual home base is, I trust you experience that same sense of community). I was also excited to see many visitors at worship – hope you are praying every week for God to prompt you to invite family and friends -, and the enthusiasm of the children was inspiring. Let me tell you how I was blessed by the many of you who, at the invitation of the Mission & Outreach Committee, stayed for Coffee Hour to hear the update on Youth Unlimited’s first month of a trial ministry in a new location. I stood with one of our new families (two parents, four young children, in Canada only a year) during the two presentations and their hearts were really moved. Immediately they wanted to help. The response to the call for volunteers was amazing. On Friday Joan had five helpers with the Mom’s program – this is a ‘God thing’ as women from The Pier Christian Church, The Reformed Church and First Church came together right here to counsel, encourage, mentor, & feed young mothers and their children in our community. I see a direct link to the subject matter of our current series on The Good Samaritan. Anyway, all this to say that I hope you see, God has something refreshing and stimulating every time His people gather. Pray for the Holy Spirit to meet you tomorrow.

So here is the big question #1: how do you ‘keep your head’ in the midst of the roller coaster of life? When you feel overwhelmed? I would love to hear your thoughts on this tough question. What works for you? Jump to the safe @ first blog and enter your advice.


Big question #2 (choose one of the following):
• How much does it cost?
• Is there not something a little less expensive?
• Do you think the price tags got switched?
• Do you really think I’m prepared to pay that much?

Tomorrow I want to teach one last message in the series about the Good Samaritan. It should amaze/inspire/motivate us when we see this kind man foot the bill for a rescue of someone he is supposed to hate! He goes beyond the call of duty by expending his own resources to clean, carry and ensure the convalescence of the victim. Those of us in church leadership often get maligned for saying this, but nevertheless it is true: Ministry requires money. Your congregation needs you to finance its programs generously. It is worth it when we see even one life rescued from hurt, grief, anger, loneliness, discouragement, guilt, … And as tomorrow is “World - Wide Communion Sunday” how easily this lesson on cost links to the Sacrament.


Big question #3 – Did anyone listen? The story in Luke 10 begins with an expert in the law asking Jesus some questions. Jesus turns the tables and asks questions himself (a good teacher eh?) the scene ends with Jesus speaking some ‘easy to say harder to do’ instructions: GO AND DO LIKEWISE. While people in the church have known this Good Samaritan story for a long time, I suggest that the ending is not so well know. As this law expert departed, and as those standing in ear shot buzzed over the discussions, do you think some complied with the command? Does the picture below convey the reality of some who listen to Jesus? We can only speculate, for Luke does not take time to tell us what happened later.





Listen and live out the ‘Good Sam’ lessons and watch your life change, watch your church grow, watch your neighbourhood change.

You can read all four outline notes and my ‘top 10’ by going to www.agoodneighbour.blogspot.com


Hope you will be at your church tomorrow.

Doug

Ps: #1 A Reminder from the Presbyterian Women of First Church: Don’t forget to get tickets to the special dinner planned for Friday October 24
Ps #2 A Reminder from Mission & Outreach: Your continued support of the Loaves & Fishes project is amazing! This special restaurant reaches so many people in need of a good meal, and your donations of food items on the first Sunday of each month (tomorrow) and/or financially through special designations in your offering envelopes is all part of heeding the lessons of the Good Samaritan teaching. Thanks.