Take A Deep Breath

The sun has come forward to greet us as the congregation filters into the sanctuary. Chuck welcomed us today and invited Paula to come forward to remind us of events surrounding Easter breakfast. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt as well.

Tuesday there will be a number of our members going to Chris Jensen to sing to residents there, 2 p.m.
June 12-15 will be VBS this year, 9:30 to noon. Volunteers welcome.

Chuck read from the Psalms to lead us into worship. "Create in me a new heart," David wrote. "Restore to me the joy of my salvation."

Chuck and Darlene then sang "Create in me a clean heart... Cast me not away from Thy Presence, O Lord... and renew a right spirit in me." Our congregational song selection came from the blue humnals this morning. Paula then called the ushers forward to take the offering before our time of sharing pur prayer needs and praises.

Take A Deep Breath

Pastor Terry White took the podium and greeted us warmly.

Our message today will be based on II Timothy 3.

Terry began by noting our embedded beliefs, which are beliefs that are so embedded we are not even aware of them. There are many things in life where we have been taught things a certain way and they seem to be "the right way" as if other ways of doing things are "wrong." He shared, to illustrate, the process of having people help him do drywall work at his home yesterday.

Embedded beliefs are sometimes useful, but sometimes toxic. Changing wrong beliefs or lifestyle patterns is not easy.

Verses 10-17 became his springboard:

10 You, however, know all about my teaching,y my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconiuma and Lystra, the persecutions I endured.c Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse,g deceiving and being deceived. 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 servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Sometimes the greatest lessons we learn are not learned in the classroom. They come to us during the course of life. This is especially true when it comes to matters of faith.

"Everyone who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

One of the enbedded mistaken ideas in the world today is that popularity is the measure of success. Bigger is not necessarily better. Small churches are not failed churches. Mega-church does not mean better or good.

Similarly, when things are hard does that mean something is wrong? Sometimes the correct path is the harder path. In fact, Jesus spoke clearly about the narrow way that few find. Here Paul states straight up that being a follower of Christ will result in persecution.

Paul encourages Timothy to remember the lessons he has received from the Scriptures which he has studied from his youth. All Scripture is God-breathed, and necessary to help us better correct our incorrect embedded beliefs.

What are the embedded beliefs that you hold that God would have you let go of? As you read the Scriptures this week look for those messages that may dislodge or correct our incorrect and imperfect understanding of God's message for us.

In closing Terry asked us to pray for God to illumine us in a new area of our understanding this week.

At this, we celebrated the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

Significant Moments

The summer sun is shining. During the wee morning hours thunderstorms rolled over the region, but the clouds appear to be dissipating, at least for the moment as we gather on the Fourth of July weekend.

"I've been thinking about special moments, unique moments like the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is a unique time in the life of our church with the first evidence of what's to come being the bell tower awaiting in a pole barn at Chuck Vanderscheuren's home.

Announcements
Need people to sign up for the coffee time.

Chuck opened the worship with a passage from Romans. "You are not under the law, but under grace." Darlene, Ken and Chuck then sang a medley about grace, marvelous grace.

A time of worship was followed by a time of prayer.

Significant Moments

On July 4 at 8:30 in the evening as my kids have never been out in the boat as it was getting dark. We were fishing and I threw a yellow Hula Popper into the water. Suddenly a huge owl flies out of the woods directly toward us. Instead of flying up over us it flew down to the water, grabbing that Hula Popper. The line whizzed as the bird flew back toward the woods... Fortunately, he dropped it rather than getting hooked.

Think back about a moment that changed you. A first day of school or moving away to college or a chance encounter that led to marriage. Our lives are shaped by significant moments, and the choices we make. Sometimes these moments sneak up on us. Sometimes it is a tragedy that strikes and changes your life forever.

One thing to remember: God is always in the moments.

What is God doing in this moment? What is God up to? How do we respond?

Brad led us to Mark 1:14 "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God."

John the Baptist was a somebody at the time. John was the man, the "best hope" for Israel. And when he was put in prison, a dark moment for God's chosen people, this is when Jesus stepped in. In verse 15, Mark writes “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

There are two kinds of time. Chronos... chronological, passing, moment by moment, measured on a clock. But in this section Mark uses the other word when he writes, "The time has come." Kairos, not chronos. The Greek word means "opportune time" or "fitting season." It speaks of a moment of redemptive interruption. A significant moment. A new possibility.

Some of you in your lives may feel stuck, in a situation or a pattern. But guess what, you are not stuck. God is in the moment, therefore it is a moment filled with possibility.

The question is, how do we respond?

The way to respond is to repent and believe. Something needs to change and Jesus has to be trusted.

The challenges aren't external. They are internal. The question is not "What is my strategy to get out?" Rather, it is "What kind of person do I want to be?"

At the end of the day the only thing we can really control is what kind of people we want to be in Jesus. The key moments are not about our competence, but about our character.

In addition to "Repent and believe," He said, "The kingdom of God has come near." The kingdom up there has come down here to earth.

Our calling is to connect, grow and become. That's the mission we hold in common.

Will God continue to be faithful as we stick to the mission? Absolutely.

Is there any obstacle to keep us from connecting to that mission? Not if we continue to trust in Jesus.

New Life Covenant Church is approaching sixty years. But though many things have changed, some things continue to remain the same. God is calling us to trust Him, to love people, to live generously, to take bold risks for the kingdom, and then to imagine 60 years from now your grandkids' grandkids gathered together celebrating (probably in some way by then that none of us will like.)

The one thing that matters is that Jesus is Lord, and that He has forgiven our sins, conquered death and one day is coming back. Until then, we have nothing to fear. God is in this moment, and all the moments of our lives.

At this we celebrated the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
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Here's status of the building across the street as of July 6. Stay tuned!