Isaac did a great job exhorting us all to the mission that Jesus Christ has set for all of his disciples: Make More Disciples!
He reminded us that this mission works because according to Matthew 28:16-20, all authority has been given to Jesus and Jesus is with us to the end of the age.
Christ’s authority and Christ’s presence make this mission possible. So, as disciples of Jesus, we are now called to make our life mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
If you didn’t make it to the Big Meeting or want to review or prepare for care group discussion, the audio and outline and discussion questions are available here.
Next Month’s Big Meeting we start the ‘how to’ of making disciples:
- September 14th (6:30pm for Dinner, 7:45pm the meeting starts)
- Kevin will be speaking on the topic of Sharing Christ from Acts 1:8
Braden
Recently I’ve been spending more time in our local coffee shop—the Starbucks near the Flower Hill Giant. As we’ve been digging into how we can be embracing God’s mission I’ve realized that this coffee shop is one of the few places that functions as a neighborhood gathering place for our community, including our church.
It’s been fun getting to know the staff there, drawing them out about their lives and creating opportunities to communicate the love of Christ to them. In case you frequent this Starbucks or any other place regularly the staff there are very aware of our church & how often our members frequent their establishment. We do keep the place full, don’t we?
Last week Drew Garfield asked thoughtful questions of Ana, the manager whom we’ve become friends with over the last few months. He asked her what her experience has been recently from our members. It was an insightful conversation, very warm & friendly. She’s grateful for our presence there but she did have a few suggestions for us that I’ve captured below. I think it’d be good to think about these categories related to any establishment you frequent. We all need to be reminded that we represent the Lord Jesus Christ wherever we go…even when ordering a latte.
—> Starbucks employees are people too…let’s treat them like it! Learn their names, greet them warmly, take an interest in their life & pray for them.
—> Put the cell phone down when ordering…this is really annoying & potentially disrespectful to anyone who is trying to serve you.
—> Clean up your own mess…your momma taught you better.
—> If you move any tables or chairs put them back before you leave. Try rearranging a friends living room without asking and see what they think…
Thanks for considering these things!
For Christ,
Isaac
Click the following link to download the audio for the 3 sessions and the outlines from the Christian Sexuality conference that was held here at the church on August 6-7:
http://www.covlife.org/resources/series/Christian+Sexuality+Conference
At the July Big Meeting, Isaac preached about the call of 4 of the disciples from Matthew 4:17-22.
They immediately followed Jesus. They followed a person, not a system of beliefs. They were committed to his mission. They were willing to sacrifice everything for his mission.
And our call is the same. We follow a person. We must be committed to his mission. We must be willing to sacrifice everything for his mission.
Here is Isaac’s working definition of a disciple:
A disciple of Jesus Christ is called to be a committed, devoted follower of Jesus Christ
Here’s the link to the mp3, sermon outline, and discussion guide if you missed the message or just want to hear it again:
The Nature of Discipleship
“If only the cross were understood, many complaints would be silenced which murmur against God’s providence.”
—Walter Chantry, The Shadow of the Cross: Studies in Self-Denial, p. 26
In choosing to follow Christ in the way he directs, we choose all that this path includes under his sovereign providence. Thus all suffering that comes in the path of obedience is suffering with Christ and for Christ—whether it is cancer or conflict. And it is ‘chosen’—that is, we willingly take the path of obedience where the suffering befalls us, and we do not murmur against God. We may pray—as Paul did—that the suffering be removed (2 Corinthians 12:8); but if God wills, we embrace it in the end, as part of the cost of discipleship in the path of obedience on the way to heaven.
—John Piper, Desiring God, 1996 Expanded Edition, p. 216
“All too often, our online identity is very different from our offline identity. Our Facebook status projects what we want others to think of us, not who we truly are. Our blog posts are shrouded in airs of intellectualism or edginess. We all face the temptation to project a false image of ourselves because we find the real image inadequate. If we are honest, the real image is nowhere near as attractive as we want it to be. We want to be more beautiful, more successful, more creative, more virtuous, more popular, and more intelligent than we actually are. We all have an image problem. The problem, however, is not that we lack beauty, success, creativity, virtue, popularity, or intelligence. The problem is that we believe the lie that obtaining those images will actually make us complete, happy, and content people.”
—Jonathan Dodson, Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship, p. 14
In Matthew 10:1-4, Matthew records that Jesus gave authority to his twelve disciples to heal and cast out unclean spirits…and then Matthew lists the names of those twelve apostles (he switches from ‘disciples’ to ‘apostles’ without flinching)...and when he gets to himself, he writes ‘Matthew the tax collector’...insert ‘Matthew, the traitor who turned his back on his people and instead of looking on their plight under Roman rule and seeing their poverty, extorted money from them and helped their oppressors.’
What a great gospel we have that men and women want to be known by their most heinous crimes and shameful ways because it magnifies the mercies and worth of Christ!
-Braden
Seth Remsnyder and Devon Kauflin will be preaching the Word on January 22nd @ 7pm in the Edwards room here in the church building.
Come out and support your friends!
Friends,
I just spoke to Isaac. He sounded pretty tired, but had an amazing report!
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 lead worship and served with drama and skits. After lunch, the youth were broken into discussion groups where they worked through application questions on Drew’s message and continued to build relationally with team members. Later in the afternoon, a few team members had the opportunity to pray for a demon possessed woman. 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. Members of the Kiburara church told our team they believed the demon had been cast out!
Pastor’s 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 1.5 hours 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 Q & A 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. Laverne 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 for continued salvation of the lost. Than many more would come to know Christ!
Christy
Hi Everyone,
Isaac just called with today’s team update:
First of all, he wanted you to know that both Matt Wahl and Jason West are doing great. They were both feeling weak this morning and experiencing the after-effects of yesterday’s heat exhaustion. 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 / 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 US 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 “US 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 US vs Uganda and the US team held their own (only allowing one goal). During the second half they split the teams to make it more fair. In the end, the “Ugandan” team won 2-1. Not bad! The crowed loved it. Anytime, one of the US players would slip and fall or whiff on a kick, the crowed 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 US 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 multigenerational nature of the team. Watching heroes such as Lavern Jackson, Peter & Sherly Giglio, and Frank and Sue Robb has been his joy. These folks have had a profound impact on the teams effectiveness. They are reaching people groups that CLC teams have never been able to reach before. In addition, their energy and servant’s hearts are putting the rest of the team to shame!!!
Christy Sullivan
FROM KURT:
I hate getting these event messages, don’t you?
What i hate even more is having to cancel, but it looks like most everyone will be unable to make it and i am still recovering from sickness. So we will try again for 1/22. Hope to see you then!
Isaac sent this email to the pastors before they left yesterday:
Happy New Year my friends!
Drew & I and 20 of our finest are off for Uganda this afternoon. We would much appreciate your prayers throughout our time away. As before this trip looks to be a great time preaching God’s Word, proclaiming the gospel, and encouraging these new start up churches. The people there are hungry for God and we are blessed with experiencing many conversions every year. May God do this again and more this year!
This trip also promises to be as physically & spiritually taxing as years past. Please pray for me & Drew as we each will be preaching about 2x a day in various contexts. I’ll be meeting with a group of pastors and future pastors & along with Pastor Moses will be teaching them for a 2 day “conference”. My messages for these men will be focused on the book of Titus and specifically: knowing the gospel, gospel-centered sanctification, gospel-centered leadership, and gospel-centered preaching. Can’t wait to serve these guys!
Please pray for all of us…health was a major factor last year (almost all got sick). I’m leaving sick like I did last year and am trusting God’s grace to get me through and even heal me. Also, if you can pray for my wife and boys. I’m leaving a sick family behind as well! Thanks my friends!!!
For the gospel,
Isaac
Hey Vince,
Thanks for leading last Friday at the Soup Kitchen. My 1st experience at the Soup Kitchen was about 3 months ago. All I did that day was just set up, but when I left at 3pm I noticed a line of people and cars in the back of the church and couldn’t believe all those people were about to enter the church. So that curiosity made me come back.
Last Friday as we prayed as a group I couldn’t pay attention because I just keep looking at the doors and couldn’t imagine me being on the other side waiting for free food. Once the doors were open it was like a scene from “NEXT”—everyone running to their table and within seconds, soup and drinks where being severed. I was a part of the “talking team” so I just had a chance to take a step back and observe for the first 10 minutes as people where getting served. Then it was my turn to join the fun. I just went around talking football and cracking jokes to break the ice and to my surprise everyone there seemed very happy to talk. I asked them if they attend this church or a church in the area. No matter the response I told them that we attended CLC and would love to have them as a guest and gave them an English or Spanish invitation. I did not get a chance to pray for anyone but I saw two other members for CLC praying for some people I already spoke with and that provoked me to have more faith next time and ask if they also need prayer.
I think this is a great way to serve and reach out to the community. I look forward to doing it again in January and just experience this event with other friends and family members.
Thank you,
Dennis Castaneda
In April a caseworker from the City of Gaithersburg, put me in touch with an older couple named Mark and Julie. They’d been living in the same dingy apartment building for over twenty years and had just been informed that they would need to move. Julie had mobility issues and Mark wasn’t able to keep a steady job. Their sole income came from welfare checks and most of it went to pay rent. Sometimes, they went without food for an entire week until their next check arrived.
When I met this couple, two things immediately struck me - it was very dim in their apartment - and I was grateful for that. There seemed to be a coating of grime and filth over everything in their small two-bedroom apartment. Everything was old and shabby. Except for the smiles on Mark and Julie’s faces. They lit up when we were introduced. Right then I had a fresh vision for serving these people - I wanted to do what I could to help them and show them Christ’s love.
My care group decided to adopt this couple. We picked up boxes and other supplies to assist with the move. Five of us met at Giant to buy sandwich foods, then made our way to Mark and Julie’s. They were so blessed when we told them we wanted to share our lunch with them and give them all the leftovers.
The ladies in my caregroup immediately engaged Mark and Julie and began fixing them lunch. Our men didn’t waste any time either. They jumped right into boxing up the apartment and hauling out clutter. After five hours we were about halfway done. But I felt like I was on holy ground. The way Angel, Gerre, Jessica, and Lena served was exemplary. They jumped right into serving, not waiting for someone to tell them to do something, but taking initiative. And doing an outstanding job. I was so humbled to see them entering into the filthy world of that apartment, engaging with the dirt and grim with a smile, all because they wanted to serve this couple they had never met before. That was Christ-likeness on display. They weren’t just there to do a good deed and move on. No, they drew out Mark and Julie about their lives and beliefs. And they wanted to do more!
Two Tuesdays later, we used our caregroup time to continue the job. Brian Whalen, Susan Alexander, and Erin Jones were able to come this time. I was thrilled that Mark and Julie would meet different members of the caregroup, because I knew each person was a unique testimony of God’s love. I was also excited for my group to catch a vision for serving and laying their lives down.
We spent around two and a half hours going through their bedrooms packing up their stuff and throwing out what they no longer needed. And when we were finished everything was mostly packed and ready to go.
We chose Sunday afternoon for the final move. After several trips back and forth everything was in the new place, the old apartment was cleaned out, and Mark and Julie were settled in their new home.
We probably spent 5 hours moving them that final day, but God gave each of us so much joy in our serving, that the time seemed short. It was awesome to see how we were able to help in such a tangible way to dramatically improve their standard of living.
It encouraged me to see folks in my caregroup give of their time and energy to serve this couple we probably will never see again. And to see them do it for God’s glory, not for an earthly reward.
- Nick
- The Tedesco CG