Jim Donohue on Evangelism
0 CommentsYesterday, Jim Donohue preached a humbling and provoking message about Jesus’ heart for the lost in Luke 18:35-19:10. In that passage, Jesus explains to his followers that “the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” Jim helped us consider what this should look like in our own lives.
You can listen online or download the message here.
Application Questions:
1. Luke 18:40 (and implied in Luke 19:5) states, “Jesus stopped.” Stopping to befriend blind beggars and evil traitors was an interruption for the disciples, but was always a part of Jesus’ plan “to seek and save the lost.” Where are you allowing your selfishness or pride to hinder you from stopping to reach out to unbelievers?
2. Do you remember Jim’s story of the woman who went on the weekend with her sisters? Where is God calling you to “get your hands dirty” in order to reach the lost? What’s something you can do in the next few weeks to take steps in this direction?
3. Jim exhorted us to urgently seek the lost by intentionally building relationships with unbelievers. When was the last time you were in the home of an unbeliever or they were in your home? What practical changes to your schedule do you need to make to build relationally with the lost?
4. Like Zacchaeus sitting in the tree watching the Savior, there are people in our lives observing our relationship with God. Who are these folks in your life? What steps can you take to reach out to them?
March 28 2009 at 7:00 am
Jim Donohue Is Our Guest Tomorrow
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Tomorrow Jim Donohue will be here to give a message on evangelism. Jim is an Executive Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pa. John David Maresco will lead our time of singing.
Since tomorrow is the last Sunday of the month, we’ll be singing “And Can It Be” from memory! Visit the Hymns: How Sweet the Sound page for more details about the Hymns project.
Looking forward to worshiping the Savior with you!
March 27 2009 at 12:37 pm
“Me Only” Moments
0 CommentsIn this brief excerpt from the message he gave last Sunday, Chris Silard looks at what happens when we suffer from a “me only” attitude—when, in his words, “we are so busy with all of our own stuff that we don’t think we can serve others or we fail to even notice their needs.” The passage Chris reads is from the book, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, by Paul Tripp.
March 26 2009 at 6:25 pm
Put On Your Humble Servanthood
0 Comments“The life of Christ in us should produce humble servanthood among us.”
This was the central thought from Chris Silard’s message (The Call to Servanthood - Philippians 2:1-8) this past Sunday. I thought it would be a good follow-up to make you aware of several immediate opportunities for service in the church. Please take a prayerful look at the list below.
Note: To express your interest in any of these openings, e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Thanks!
Introducing God
Course: Wednesdays, April 15-June 10, 6:45-9:30 p.m.
Training days: Wednesday, April 1, 7-9 p.m. (all volunteers); Saturday, April 4, 9-11 a.m. (hosts/helpers)
Volunteer needs: 2 Cooks, 3 Hosts, 10 Sprouts Kids Club, 6 Food Servers, 6 Take Down Crew, 3 Set Up Crew, 6 Helpers
English as a Second Language
Classes: Wednesdays, April 15-June 24, 6:45-9:30 p.m.
Training: Wednesday, April 1, 7-9 p.m.
Volunteer needs: Teachers, Teacher Assistants, Dinner Serving Team and Greeting Team
March 25 2009 at 3:20 pm
Crabology
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Chris Silard opened his message on Sunday with some observations about the behavior of crabs. His words are well worth repeating here. Thanks again for being with us, Chris!
Have you ever heard of “crabology”? You may not know this, but I actually am a certified crabologist. I’ve studied the habits of crabs for years—as they’re cooking in a pot on my stove! And, here’s what I’ve discovered: Crabs have this innate, persistent desire to survive! You put them in the pot, and what begins to happen? You hear a little noise, and you open the pot, and stuck under the bottom of the lid is a crab, because he wants to get out. But, if you leave the lid off and watch them for a little while, here’s what you’ll see … they make their way to the top of the pot, because they can tell, “that hot steam coming up from underneath is not good for me!” So they climb on top of other crabs, totally disregarding eye balls (or whatever it is crabs have), and they try to make their way, with their claws, to the edge of the pot to survive … only to find there’s another crab holding on to their leg underneath, pulling them back in the pot, saying, “Where are you going? Stay here with the rest of us!”
See, crabs don’t care about the other crabs. They will promote their own interests at the expense of the other crabs. They will step on them and ignore the needs of other crabs to get to the top.
You know, crabs are not the only species on this planet that have this tendency. We do, too. Crabs will climb on others to preserve their lives, but we grasp at the top of the pot while we use or ignore others to preserve our own glory.
Look at verse 3 again with me. Paul commands us, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit.” What’s rivalry? That’s just a way of saying you’re pursuing your own interests at the expense of others. Maybe you want them to look bad; maybe you just don’t care. You’re reaching for the top of the pot, no matter what happens to others.
Conceit just means this: seeking a glory with no foundation in it. It’s empty conceit; it’s vain conceit, because it’s not based on anything true! [We have] this desire that we be esteemed for something we shouldn’t be esteemed for. That’s why it’s empty. What are rivalry and conceit? Competition ... self-promoting pride that says, “Me first!” And that mindset is public enemy number one, in my life and your life, to humble servanthood.
March 24 2009 at 8:00 pm
Prayer for the Nations: Germany
0 CommentsThis is one of the Sovereign Grace Mission videos that we viewed as a church last October. It deals with ministry in Germany, and since we took time to pray for Germany in church this past Sunday, I wanted to post it here for everyone to view again. I’ve included a sketch of the points we covered as we prayed for the German people, along with suggestions on how to continue in prayer. —Josh
Germany is home to over 82 million people. Despite the devastating effects of being at center stage during two World Wars, Germany has rebounded and is once again one of Europe’s wealthiest and most powerful nations.
For 45 years after World War II the country was divided, with East Germany under harsh Communist rule. The “Iron Curtain,” a concrete wall that literally split the country in two, came down in 1990, reuniting the nation.
Sadly, Germany is a spiritually impoverished nation, where only 45% of the people believe there is a God, and fewer than 10% attend church. Moreover, the Christian community that exists is aging; more than half of the Christians are over 50.
As the birthplace of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, the nation of Germany has a rich spiritual heritage. Through Sovereign Grace Ministries, Covenant Life Church has a connection to what God is doing in Germany today.
One of the Sovereign Grace Mission videos [see above] we viewed as a church last October included an interview with Wolfgang Wegert and his son, Christian, of Arche (Ark) Church in Hamburg, Germany. Christian was a student in last year’s Pastors College class, and his dad has been faithfully leading Arche Church for more than three decades. Wolfgang will be preaching here on Palm Sunday, April 5, and telling us more about what God is doing in his country. We are so excited about the work and witness of this church and our growing friendship.
Please pray…
• For spiritual rebuilding in Germany—a new “reformation”—especially among youth
• That the people of this prosperous nation would see their need for the Savior; that they would hear and respond to the truth of the gospel
• The Wegert family, Arche Church and other like-minded churches— that God would strengthen their ministries and use them to build the church and bring many to Christ
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