Temptation; Call it what it is

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I said that I would revisit this topic of temptation as a follow up to last Sunday’s Sermon. First of all, this is an original concept. Someone has though it before, but this is the first I have thought it!☺ (Only saying that to say most profound stuff is ripped off. Not this!)

Premise: I do not think that Christians understand or react to temptation biblically!

First of all, temptation is not an ACT of sin! It is an ATTRACTION to sin. We need to learn to call temptation what it is!

Hebrews 4:15 says simply and clearly that JESUS was "tempted in every way, just as (in exactly the same way as) we are….yet without sin." This word “tempted” is not a different word in Greek. It means what it means!

This makes me think of something profound that Bishop Glenn has recently shared with us at our Christmas Eve Service. “Our God did not avoid earth afraid that we would corrupt him, but rather came to earth knowing that he would transform us!”

However, we treat temptation like it IS sin. We are afraid to share it with others as if we have already sinned. And others often react to the fact that we were tempted with such shock and emotion that we might as well have done it! Don’t believe that? Try telling your spouse that you feel tempted to have an affair at work. (I know that is a harsh example with lots of implications but it gets at my point.) For some, the reaction from the spouse will be just as if they had the affair. So, why would we share the temptation?

My Theory: If we could create safer environments and relationships where temptation could be shared, we would avoid a whole lot of sin, darkness and destruction in our lives.

Listen to this: “When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:13-15

3 Stages:
1. Desire
2. Sin
3. Death

We need to catch ourselves at the DESIRE stage! Get help at the DESIRE stage! Share with someone you trust in the DESIRE stage! I think that the odds are stacked against you to be able to dig out of strong temptation alone!
If we would truly understand the definition and nature of temptation and then respond to it quickly and wisely, then we could avoid quite a bit of destructive and secret sin.

Further Reading:
I Cor. 10:13
Romans 6:12-14

What are your thoughts? I am still developing this. What would you add?

Corn Hole for Missions

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Do you know what Corn Hole is? Well, if not, you are missing out on one of life's most simple pleasures. It is a fun game that anyone can play. Basically, you throw a bag of corn into a hole in a board and it is really, really addicting. My friends and family enjoy playing and we even played at the Church Retreat last year and it ended up being a highlight of the weekend for many.

So, back by popular demand.....we will be having a CCF Corn Hole afternoon. Not calling it a tournament, because that sounds too intimidating! And yes, you can just come watch if you want to.

When? Sunday, February 22nd at 12:30pm (which is also our Missions Sunday)
Where? In the CCF Gym
Why? For fun and for Missions
Cost? Free to enter and play, but accepting donations that will go toward missions for those that will give A small amount can make a big difference.

Here is some guys playing on our very own CCF Corn Hole set. See you on the 22nd!




Family Worship Days

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This Sunday is a Family Worship Sunday at CCF!

Every Sunday at CCF our kids are securely checked into Capi's Kids before their parents even head into worship. Then, the 5th through 12th grades are dismissed a little later in the service. We are so thankful for our Capi's Kids and R.E.A.L. Teens leaders and are proud that we offer excellent age appropriate ministry at CCF. The only challenge to our current model is that we are never worshipping all together as a church. To remedy that, we decided that in 2009 we would introduce 5 Family Worship Sundays where we all stay together in the "big church."

I will share this on Sunday, but here are the purposes of family worship days:

  • Families to worship together.
  • Younger generations to know what an adult worship experience is about and to participate in serving in ministries that make a service happen.
  • Help bridge and connect generations to each other.
  • Older generations to experience some of the elements of the younger generations worship experience.
  • The value of seeing “all of CCF all together all at the same time!”
  • So as to keep the kids unhidden. (Because of the decision to have kids check in before service....without these FWS’s we would never see the kids in 52 Sundays.)

So, this Sunday some youth will join the worship team, some Club 56'rs will assist in ushering, the kids will sing a song and Pastor TC will be bringing the message. Should be a great morning!

--Pastor Noah

Family and Ministry (Warning: Long Post)

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I see my blog as a place to process and to share. I figure the more real and juicy the blog is, the more inclined you will be to read it. Ok, well maybe not that...but....I DO consider this my place to do some real sharing. Today, allow me to speak to an elephant in the room (for some). Family and Ministry.

This summer will be 5 years that I have been here at CCF. Over those 5 years I have navigated some very unique waters with my family being in the church (or should I say me leading in their church). Together, we have experienced drama, pain, joy, confusion, excitement, fear, honor, uncertainty and passion for God and Church! We began attending CCF in 1995 at Capitol College. We have been involved and committed through the years (with the exception of time when I was at college and my family was at another ministry). As you may or may not know, some of my family is involved in volunteer ministry (Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law) in various ways at CCF and others have recently been hired as part time Staff (Caleb and Tricia).

For some, this is difficult to embrace. I know that. I knew that years ago. I knew that when we made the hires this year. My family knows that. Some people have been hurt in the past by churches run by a family that felt like a dynasty. That left them with a bad taste in their mouth and hesitation when they see lots of one family in leadership. I understand that. We have actually experienced that ourselves in a previous church experience. Others may be afraid that too many decisions will be made at dinner tables and holiday gatherings. Others may struggle with trust. If I confide in one family member, will they all know? These are real questions that do not deserve to be ignored, but rather paid attention to. They, however, are not questions that should disqualify a call, but they should serve to provide increased accountability and wisdom.

Allow me to say that throughout the last 4.5 years myself and my family have put a lot of effort forth into seeking wisdom on the most healthy ways to navigate family and ministry. I have read books, articles, had phone calls and even traveled to South Carolina to a church with 12 family members on one staff and sat at their feet to learn. I have remained convinced that it CAN work and that it WILL work and that we will use our journey of navigating family and ministry to help other families in similar situations.

So, understanding that I am still learning, growing and changing in this area, I have resolved the following things as of today:

  • I am ONE BLESSED MAN to have a family that loves me, loves Jesus and wants to serve in the church. I will not and should not apologize for it. What Christian under the sun should be ashamed of that?!
  • I will strive to Pastor my family as I would anyone else in this ministry. Just as I want to call forth and release gifts in other members, I will do so in my family. Ephesians 4:11-13 defines every member ministry. NOT, every member ministry...except the Pastor's family.
  • I will honor my family, not hide them. I will celebrate them, not conceal them. (They know that this is a big step ahead for me as I used to try to keep them on the DL so no one would get upset because my family did too much.)
  • We will strive to be sensitive to the needs and contributions of others in this great community.
  • We will guard against monopolies and be cautious of excessive ownership. This church is God's...His people...His community. It will never belong to a Staff, a Board or a Family.
  • We will guard against engaging gossip, practicing pillow talk or taking sides by trying to live as Disciples and according to Scripture.
  • We have established accountability relationships with non-family members who are Christian leaders and will assist us in achieving the highest level of integrity in these unique ministry/family relationships! Don't think for a minute that we did not put a lot of thought and prayer into this first!

I thank God for raising my family up, filling them with a love for Jesus and calling them to serve in the local church! If you have questions on your heart or something to share, I welcome hearing from you. In addition, if you hear people expressing their concerns about any of this, direct them to this blog post, please. It may help them feel better just to see it discussed!

--Noah

Taking Down the Wall

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Two weeks ago, we discussed some reasons for why you may feel far from God at times in your life. We outlined why a WALL may form between us and God. You can scroll down on this page right now and read it. I posted notes last week.

Yesterday, we moved into the second part of the question. Okay, if I feel separated from God, what can I do about it? Here is what I shared Sunday that may help us remove the bricks and remain in connection with our Father.

  1. Presence. If we would would learn to thoroughly believe the presence promises found in scripture, we may often find Him nearer. I think that we accuse God of playing hide and seek many times when he doesn't deserve it. See Jeremiah 29:13-14, Matthew 18:20 and John 14:16-17.
  2. Quality and Quantity time with God. If you are not spending time with the Lord in prayer and the Word and you feel far from God, NO WONDER!
  3. Properly define and respond to temptation. James 1: 13-15 says "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." I will post about this in more detail later, but here is the bottom line. If we would stop treating and reacting to temptation like it is sin (because it is not, see Hebrews 4:15), we would avoid a whole lot of mess in our lives! More on this later.
  4. Confession. To God...Acts 3:19. And to others...James 5:16.
  5. Accountability. I believe in personal accountability, communal accountability and layered accountability. I could write about each, but this post is getting too long and you won't read it. This is my theme verse as I personally navigate accountability: Proverbs 27:17 says, “As Iron sharpens iron; so one man sharpens another.”
  6. Obedience. If disobedience builds the wall between us and God, then obedience takes it down. John 14...it says 3 times "obey me" and I will reveal myself to you.

May we all say no to Sin and yes to God more this week! Because here's the deal...

You sin!

And sin separates you from God!

So, may we listen to scripture and start lessening that separation. Some call it sanctification. :-)

--Noah

CCF Ushers...WOW!

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I was soooooo proud of our Ushers today. They were impressive on many levels...in both appearance and performance. They wore matching black and white today for the first time. They served communion with great reverence, care and a personal touch (made possible by the fact that we all wear name tags on Communion Sundays). They were full of joy, meeting needs and making each of us feel well cared for. Thanks, Ushers for helping CCF have a positive worship gathering each week. Your ministry does not go unnoticed.

One more thing....don't they look lovely?!?! Here are a few of them posing for a quick snapshot that Pastor Noah could not resist. :-)

The Preaching Jitters

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I preached for the first time as a teen in 1995. Since then, I have preached almost 200 times. And it does not go away! What am I talking about? The preaching jitters. I am always nervous to preach! It is a holy fear, though. I am not nervous because I think that I am a pathetic communicator. I am not paralyzed to public speak. I am just humbled and nervous about the enormity of the task of representing God and speaking on His behalf. I believe that preaching is God's event! Always has been, always will be. It is a weighty responsibility to deliver a message from God for His people. That is NOT something you want to mess up. Every week I feel under qualified, humbled, nervous, and really dependent on God! The jitters usually land me in the bathroom a lot. Was that TMI? Oh well.

Here's how I see it: I never want the preaching jitters to go away. They remind me that it is not about me. The day that I am confident enough to get up and preach the word of God without some healthy holy tremble is the day I need to reexamine my heart and call. I need Him! And I want to be reminded of that.

--Noah

Message Tomorrow...

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Why do I feel far from God and what can I do about it? This is the two-fold question that we are grappling with right now at CCF.

Last Sunday we looked at the things that separate us from God and make us feel far from Him. You can click here to read the full post from earlier this week.

Tomorrow, we will look at the second part of the question. So, you may have a wall between you and God...what can you do about it? How can you start removing the bricks, taking down the wall and restoring your intimacy with God.

Come. 10:30am tomorrow. I will be sharing 5 ways to tear down the wall and restore closeness to your Maker.

--Noah

The Bowie Project!

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We rent to a church on Sundays. They are a church plant, but they approach church planting differently that I have seen. They gather people from other local churches who come in droves and provide slammin' music and media!! Today, they could not fit in our Worship Center and had 60 people in overflow seating. Click here to get their website. If you do go to the site, you will see CCF building representing!

As I was leaving the church today, their service was over. This is what I saw. Had to ask their parents if I could take a snapshot. Now, this is what I remember about Sunday night church as a kid!! Precious!

MAC or PC?

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This is the ongoing question and discussion. MAC or PC? I think the truth is that many people really do not know the differences between the two. Well, I have been considering making the switch for quite some time. The more I worked mobile, the more I was realizing that I need a system that will allow me to work most efficiently and productively for the church wherever I am at. After lots of research, the guidance of our CCF IT Director Perry Lynch, and 5-10 trips to the Apple store, I made the plunge this week. I could not be happier with my MacBook!!

Things that I love so far:

  • The compact size and weight. I got the 13.3 inch 2.4 Ghz aluminum model.
  • When you shut the lid, it goes to sleep.
  • When you open the lid, it wakes up! Period. You are fully operational and usable in 5 seconds. Period.
  • Finds and links up to the Internet really fast and really easy. Been able to work from most places I have been this week.
  • It is obvious to me that the designer of this machine WANTED me to know how to use it easy. Because I do. Already.
  • The power cord connects to the machine magnetically. That way, if you trip over the cord or your 2 year old son named Davis pulls on the cord, the laptop stays put and the cord comes right off.
  • I could keep going, but let me stop.

Well, this evening, I ran across this blog post and the comments (already over 60 of them) were fascinating to read. Nothing like seeing my decision affirmed and reaffirmed as I read these comments comparing Mac to PC. If you are interested, click here!

Are finances stressing you out?

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Are you stressed out over finances? With statistics where they are, it is obvious that there are people among our CCF family who are struggling financially. Maybe it’s pay cuts, lay offs, foreclosure, bankruptcy, fear, confusion, stress, etc. Whatever it is, the reality is that some of you are hurting. Some, we know about. Others, we do not. Maybe you are too afraid or embarrassed. We want to tell you this...do not suffer in silence!! This is the body of Christ and there IS something that we can do!!

What CCF cannot do: we cannot pay your bills or bail you out financially. We just do not have it. We also cannot give you official legal advice as that is not our role.

What CCF can do: Pastors can meet with you confidentially and provide care, support and prayer. We can provide pastoral counseling and assist you in finding financial and legal counsel. Small Groups and Small Group Leaders can support you in community, prayer and relationship. We can direct you to resources that we are aware of that assist people in various ways and we can believe God with you, walk with you and pray fervently with you! You are not alone and you do not need to be embarrassed and suffer in silence. We are here!

Small Group Swell

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You ever have something sneak up on you and pleasantly surprise you? Well, that happened to us today as we were wrapping up the Capital for print. We launched Small Groups under Pastor Nelson's leadership exactly 2 years ago next week! As I write, we currently have 23 Small Groups at CCF! The full list with all the details will be featured in the February Capital debuting this Sunday.

We are THRILLED with the fact that we have 23 groups. They include:

4 Sunday Morning Groups
2 Sunday Evening Groups
2 Kids Small Groups
8 Youth Small Groups
6 Evening Weeknight Groups
1 Support Group

We also have about 35 Small Group Leaders. This ministry is taking off! Before you know it, we will move from a church WITH Small Groups to a church OF Small Groups!

The vision is becoming reality!

The Weather

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I do love the snow. And I do love the way that inclement weather just changes the whole feel of the air. Routines change, things get thrown off, extra family time gets snagged. Love it. The downside of it is that things that people really look forward to get bumped. So...

In keeping with our CCF policy...since PG County Schools are closed, all evening events and activities are canceled this evening. Help spread the word!

The church office will be on code red (just made that up). What that means is that some will make it in, some will not, but you should get a warm body if you call.

Enjoy your day!!

--Pastor Noah

What Teens Believe

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Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton in their recent book, Soul Searching discuss the results of an extensive survey of the religious beliefs of American teenagers. Smith and Denton summarize what they discovered through the following five-point creed:

  1. A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.
  2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
  3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
  4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
  5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

I have one question for you to ponder after reading this:

How/from whom/where did these teens develop these beliefs?

If you said "their parents", then we agree!

We have our work cut out for us, church.

Emotional Experience or Divine Encounter

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I know that we are emotional beings. I recognize that some of us grew up in church environments that were vibrant and expressive (using nice terms). Others of us...not so much. Perhaps you spent more time in contemplative, reverent and reflective worship environments.

In either case, allow me to share something was developing in me last week during message prep. I posted yesterday that one of the ways that we can distance ourselves from God is by over-sensationalizing our relationship with him.

My observation here is informed by 24 years in Pentecostal churches and almost 5 years of leading a Mennonite congregation:

  • Some of the most expressive and emotional believers I have met have exhibited some of the poorest Christian behavior when no one else is watching. (or as I said Sunday "they leave church and have screwed up by the 2nd traffic light")
  • And of the most unexpressive and contemplative Christians that I have seen have exemplified very, very deep faith a righteous living. (they may make it 10 traffic lights)

So...what am I saying?

I am saying that we need to be seeking divine encounters, not emotional experiences. God wants us to experience Him and to be changed by him in a way that leads us to right living. And He is a LOT more interested in us living and being great, then feeling great.

I think this issue rears its head most often through statements like this: "I did not feel the Lord during worship today." or "I want to go back to blank church because they know how to do church."

So, what are we seeking? Emotional experiences or divine encounters? Hype or transformation? Something God-inspired or man-made? Just thinking with the volume turned up. Paul had a divine encounter in Jail, for crying out loud.

More on this later.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Pain

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Click here to read this post. Pray for Granger Community Church today. This will be a tough week for them as they lay off staff. My heart is sad for them, but my senses are also well aware that this reality could be imminent for any church at any time. This is church that I follow in Indiana. A Methodist church that is doing really relevant ministry! God, be with them and the families impacted.