We Are Here, Part 2
0 CommentsYesterday was part two of a series on our primary purpose and calling as believers. My focus was on what it means to love the church.
At one point I cited some of the “one another” commands in Scripture—examples of the kind of multifaceted love we’re to have for brothers and sisters in the church. I said we’d make them available online so that you didn’t have to write them all down. Here they are:
• Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:5)
• Honor one another (Romans 12:10)
• Rejoice with one another (Romans 12:15)
• Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
• Carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
• Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• Offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
• Confess our sins to one another (James 5:16)
• Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an mp3.
• Download a summary outline in PDF format.
• Use the following questions for further reflection and application to your life.
1. How is loving your neighbor an expression of loving God?
2. On what is your love for the local church based? Is your loved based on certain friends, a particular leader, or specific activities and ministries? Or is your love because of the love God has shown in the gospel?
3. Have you allowed any offense to divide you from a fellow believer? What can you do to reconcile and pursue unity?
4. Are there any ways that your heart has grown cold toward the church? What would it look like to repent and cultivate a renewed affection for the church?
5. What is the next practical step (i.e., becoming a member, committing to attend and invest in care group, serving, etc.) you can take to express the priority of loving the local church?
January 14 2010 at 3:49 pm
Offering for Haiti
0 CommentsThis coming Sunday (January 17), we plan to receive an offering to go toward relief efforts in Haiti. The monies collected will be distributed to a small list of organizations that provide both physical and material aid as well as gospel ministry in Haiti. The list will include the Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund recently activated by Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Thank you for praying for the people of Haiti, and please consider how God would have you give.
January 12 2010 at 10:25 pm
More Updates from the Uganda Team
0 CommentsBelow are more updates from the Uganda team as phoned in to Christy Sullivan and Kelly Hydoski by Isaac Hydoski, who is leading the trip:
Friday (Jan. 8):
Yesterday morning, the team once again served at the Youth Camp. Drew Garfield and James Overman preached and did an outstanding job. In the afternoon the team went door-to-door in the local villages visiting with people and sharing the gospel. There was great fruit from this, as several people gave their lives to the Lord!
Isaac spent yesterday teaching at the Pastors’ Conference. This time there were 47 local pastors in attendance. Once again, Isaac remarked that these men have had no theological training. Out of the 47 in attendance, 35 did not own Bibles. And these are the sole pastors of their congregations. Isaac spent the day teaching on preaching, leadership, and hermeneutics. He said the time spent with these pastors was extremely encouraging! In the evening the entire team held its second outdoor evangelistic crusade. Josiah Davis “knocked it out of the park” with a clear and impassioned presentation of the gospel. Many people responded and were saved!
Saturday:
Isaac taught at the youth conference, and the team once again served through worship and drama. In the afternoon they distributed Bibles to the over 600 youth (ages 15-29) in attendance. The Bibles were purchased with money given by Covenant Life plus funds donated at New Attitude a few years ago. The team said it was great seeing people read the Bible in their own language!
Perhaps the most encouraging story originated two years ago during the first e-team trip to Uganda. During that first visit, a 14 year old boy named Jared was saved and joined pastor Moses’ church. When last year’s team returned, they discovered that Jared had shared the gospel with his family, and his mother, two brothers and sister all accepted Christ. The only one in his family still unsaved was his father. When this year’s team arrived, Jared asked them to once again pray for his Father’s salvation and also for his healing. His father had apparently been shot recently and was still quite ill. This morning, Jared’s father agreed to attend the youth conference so that the team could pray for his healing. As Isaac was finishing his message, he felt impressed to once again share the gospel and ask if anyone in the audience would like to respond. And Jared’s Father gave his life to Jesus! Afterward the team was invited back to Jared’s house. As they were walking along the street toward his home, many of his father’s friends saw him walking with the team and carrying a Bible. “What are you doing?” they shouted at him. And he yelled back, “I’m a Christian now. I’m saved! And you don’t want to be left behind!”
Sunday:
Sunday was “awesome!” In the morning, the team split into six groups of three to four folks. Five of the groups visited area churches (each consisting of about 30-40 people), and Isaac’s group visited an area that Pastor Moses has been eyeing for a future church plant (there are four believers in the village). Peter Giglio, Dan Patch, Matt Wahl, Ian Lotinsky, Drew Garfield, and Isaac all preached. Ian got quite a surprise though; he was unaware that Pastor Moses held two services with his congregation, and he had to come up with a second sermon on the spot!
Of the five groups that visited area churches, the remainder of the team all shared their testimonies and encouraged the members with Scripture at each service. As for Isaac’s team, the morning was a little different since there was no current church. They began with visiting people in the community; Laverne Jackson, Jess Cook, and James Overman each shared the gospel with folks, and all three people dedicated their lives to the Lord! The group then held a service. Jess Cook shared the moving and deeply emotional experience of losing her brother, Caleb. Isaac then preached a sermon on Jesus raising Lazarus. Two additional villagers professed faith in Christ. By the time they left, the believers had increased from four to nine in that area! God is faithful. What an encouragement to Moses as he seeks to plant a church there as soon as possible!
Sunday afternoon consisted of the team breaking into two groups: men and women. The men led an outreach at the local prison. Ben Hughes, Frank Robb, and Olu Edegbai all shared their testimonies. Isaac said the gospel evoked a wonderful response; many professed faith, and the team prayed for the prisoners. The ladies, led by Sue Robb, spent the afternoon meeting with and ministering to the wives of the villagers who live just outside of the prison.
Monday:
Monday will be the last day of ministry in Uganda for our team. They will participate in the baptisms of three locals who have professed faith in Christ. Also, Isaac will help officiate the weddings of at least five couples, and our team will be in attendance. The evening will conclude with a community dinner provided by Covenant Life to bless the local villagers. This is also where our friends will say their farewells for this year to our dear brothers and sisters in Uganda.
Note: The team is scheduled to arrive at BWI at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (January 13). Photos are from the 2009 trip.
January 11 2010 at 4:00 am
We Are Here, Part 1
0 CommentsToday I preached the first message of a three-part series that looks at our purpose as Christians and as a church family. Based on the priorities Jesus established in Mark 12:28-34, my focus was on loving God and our response to Jesus’ greatest command.
Options:
• Listen online or download an mp3 of the message.
• Download a summary outline in PDF format.
• Use the following questions to reflect on how to apply the message to your life:
1. Are there any parts of your life that you have segmented into the spiritual and the non-spiritual, into “God’s part” and “my part”? What repentance is required to bring every aspect of your life under Jesus’ rule?
2. In order to express your love for God, are there any areas of your life where you need to stop what you’re doing and repent of it?
3. Where have you reduced your Christian life to a list of activities? How can you cry out to the Holy Spirit to fan into flame fresh affection and love for the Lord?
4. Where have you grown cold in your love for God? Where have you turned from your first love? How can Jesus become your greatest treasure and dearest friend?
5. If you asked those closest to you, what would they say you are most passionate about? How can you grow to be a passionate lover of God?
January 8 2010 at 5:42 pm
Uganda Update: Fruitful Ministry
0 CommentsHere’s further news phoned in yesterday to Christy Sullivan by Isaac Hydoski, who is leading the team serving in western Uganda:
Youth Camp
The majority of the team spent today serving at the Kiburara Youth Camp. Over 600 youth were in attendance. Drew preached in the morning, and the rest of the team led worship and served with drama and skits. After lunch, the youth broke into discussion groups where they worked through application questions on Drew’s message and continued to build relationships with team members.
Later in the afternoon, a few team members had the opportunity to pray for a woman who appeared to be experiencing demonic oppression. As they were praying for her, the woman went into a fit, fell to the floor, and threw up. Immediately following this violent reaction, she stood up and began praising the Lord!
Pastors’ Conference
Isaac spent the day serving 35 local pastors. They began by sitting in a large circle, where Isaac had the opportunity to spend about an hour and a half drawing them out about their lives and ministry. Out of the 35 men present, 20 do not own a Bible. In fact, no one in their congregations owns a Bible. These pastors have had no theological training. Many of them have not even completed grade school. They are simply servants who have been radically saved and called to share God’s love with others! Isaac said listening to their stories and experiences was enlightening. He and pastor Moses were able to provide Bibles to all the men. The rest of the day was spent teaching sessions on the gospel, justification, and progressive sanctification. Each topic was followed by a question and answer time. The Ugandan pastors are hungry for God’s Word and asked a ton of questions!
Outdoor Evangelism
This evening the team did their first outdoor evangelism. Lavern Jackson and Jason West shared their testimonies, and Ian Lotinsky preached the gospel. About 20 people responded and professed Christ as their Savior. Among them were several young men in their 20s and various teenagers.
Prayer Requests
Jenny James came down with a stomach bug and had to return to the team’s lodgings today. She is doing better and resting comfortable now, but please pray for her complete healing.
Tomorrow the team will repeat the same schedule they had today. Please pray for continued strength and health. As you can imagine, they are all exhausted. Pray also that many more would come to know Christ.
January 6 2010 at 5:31 pm
Uganda Update: Soccer Match!
1 CommentsVia Christy Sullivan, who is acting as liaison, here’s another Uganda team update from Isaac Hydoski:
First of all, Isaac says that both Matt Wahl and Jason West are doing great. They were both feeling weak this morning and experiencing the after-effects of heat exhaustion from the previous day of hard physical labor. In light of this, they decided to stay back and rest. When the team returned to their lodging this evening, they found the guys 100% recovered! Thank you for praying. The remainder of the team is in excellent health. God is definitely answering prayers.
This morning was the beginning of the team’s ministry at the Kiburara Youth Conference. It was also the their first experience with monsoon rain. Immediately upon arriving at the conference sight, the skies opened and it began to pour. It rained for over two hours, which necessitated a rearranging of the conference schedule. Instead of preaching, the team used that time to befriend and hang out with the youth. Isaac said that this “hang out” time was a great foundation on which the team can build throughout the conference. Just before lunch, the rains cleared, and the conference began.
A member of the Ugandan Parliament was there to welcome and thank the U.S. team for the work they were doing. He also honored pastor Moses for his ongoing work in the Kiburara region. It is quite significant for a Member of Parliament to speak at this type of event. It appears that the Lord is greatly elevating the influence of pastor Moses in that area.
After lunch, the team was scheduled to play a “U.S. vs. Uganda” soccer match. They were expecting a nice friendly game with some of the locals. To their shock, they discovered that pastor Moses had advertised this match on both radio and television. Over 1,000 spectators arrived to watch. Local radio stations showed up to cover the event. And the “local” team from Kiburara trotted onto the field in full uniform! The players were all extremely tall and athletic and had coaches warming them up. Isaac said it felt like they were about to play in the world cup!!
The first half was played U.S. vs. Uganda and the U.S. team held its own (only allowing one goal). During the second half they split the teams to make it fairer. In the end, the “Ugandan” team won 2-1. Not bad! The crowd loved it. Anytime one of the U.S. players would slip and fall or whiff on a kick, the crowd erupted into laughter. After it was all over, pastor Moses told Isaac that the work they had been doing on the widows’ homes along with this soccer match was massively unique to the Ugandan people. The U.S. team’s humility in serving would spark an interest in the local people and potentially open many doors for the gospel throughout the remainder of their trip!
Finally, Isaac mentioned that the highlight for him so far has been the multi-generational nature of the team. Watching heroes such as Lavern Jackson, Peter and Sherly Giglio, and Frank and Sue Robb has been his joy. These folks have had a profound impact on the team’s effectiveness, and their energy and servant heart have been a great example.
Also, a note that came from Kelly Hydoski later in the day:
Isaac called me this afternoon, and as we were talking, he realized he forgot to mention a couple of opportunities for us to come alongside the team in prayer. Tomorrow and Friday, Isaac will be leading a conference for pastors that Moses has organized. They are anticipating around 100 participants, and Isaac will be preaching three times each day. For those days, since Pastor Moses will be with Isaac, Drew Garfield will be leading the entire youth conference with help from the team and some of our Ugandan friends.
Needless to say, I’m sure everyone would love prayer for these events! Please pray for wisdom, stamina, and that the gospel would go forth as the team continues to labor for God’s glory.