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Oct 22

Memory Verse Hoe-Down

Posted in: Teaching

My memory verse this week is Jeremiah 2:13. Here it is:

for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the foundation of living waters; and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.(ESV)

Here’s a rough breakdown of the verse, in Twitter-like format:

Regardless of what we have done, we are still “God’s people”. He never disowns us! This is awesome news! We aren’t simply guilty of leaving God, just one evil that is more than enough to condemn us before Him. We are also guilty of replacing God with things that could never hold up. Therefore: two evils. God is not simply the fountain of life-giving water. He is the source of multiple waters, all with different flavors and holding different reflections of His goodness. The abundance of life in Him is overwhelming to us…and we have forsaken it. Hewing out cisterns takes work. We could rest in the Great Fountain, but instead choose to work in order to make a replacement that never even comes close. How ridiculous! Not only do we make cisterns, but we don’t even make them for our neighbor. We are utterly even in our idolatry: we make idols for ourselves. The cisterns themselves, upon their completion at our hands, are broken. Immediately upon our finishing of them. They are broken. Not only do they not hold water….but they are unable to hold water. They can’t. Here’s the rub: We have left God, and replaced His overabundant, infinite worth with shattered shards of worthlessness. Here’s the application: what broken cisterns have we made, and are trying to put in His place? Success? Drugs? Porn? Relationships? Alcohol? Control? Self image?

God forgive me. For leaving you, and for replacing you with worthless clay that cannot hold any water at all, much less the abounding life-giving water that You bring. Amen.

Oct 19

Campus Ministry or Church?

Posted in: Teaching

Here’s a great article about the importance of campus ministries…but the overwhelming priority of being involved in a full-fledged covenantal local church body. (Link)

Oct 14

ServeGreenville.Com Relaunch

Posted in: Teaching, Harmony Church, Greenville

We’ve relaunched ServeGreenville.com with a new look, a new vibe, and more importantly a new purpose. Before, the purpose was very vague and not clearly stated, but it was basically helping people get connected to Greenville non-profits, and serving them that way. We’ve now rebranded ServeGreenville.com as a equipping tool for Christians to fulfill the command to seek the welfare of the city, as Jeremiah 29:7 states. Check it out, let me know what you think!

Oct 09

The Gospel-Driven Church

Posted in: Teaching, Church Planting, Harmony Church, Leadership

Yesterday, I headed to Raleigh and Vintage 21 with Pablo for an Acts29 Network luncheon. It was wonderful and uplifting,as usual, and I really learned a lot. I’ll probably total it up in a future post. But for now, I really want to key in on something that Tyler Jones from Vintage21 brought up: the Gospel-driven church. We are increasingly seeing this at Harmony, which is good in that it lets us know that the Gospel is being preached and taught and lived out, but it does indeed increase the “mess.” Here’s a brief diagram that I worked up, and I’ll then explain it after the jump.

[image]

The Gospel Is Preached - This is plain and simple, and it’s where the Gospel-driven church begins and ends. It’s the hill we die on. As the good news of Jesus proclaims, a few things happen. We recognize first of all that we are broken. After all, there is no good news without bad news. The good news is this: Jesus has come to save us. The bad news is this: we need saving. We, along with our world, our broken. Sin has invaded our lives, enslaving us to itself, and has taken us captive. There are addictions, lust issues, word issues, heart issues, and relationships to be healed and mended. As the great name of Jesus is made famous, it makes us realize the depth of our depravity more and more. This leads to the next “step” in the cycle. People Get Messed Up - This is what Tyler mainly talked about. This is when, once people realize the depth of their depravity and pride, they become messed up. They realize that they are sinners in need of a Savior. As this process happens, church gets “messy”. Counseling becomes intensive, discipleship becomes vital, and accountability becomes necessary. Leaders must be raised up in order to encounter, instruct, and encourage messed-up people. Communities form to hold one another accountable, and to further disciple people in order that they may eventually find the answers in Christ that they are looking for. People Look for Answers - As people become aware of their brokenness, they look for answers to satisfy the soul. They look for mercy, forgiveness, and restoration, all of which are found in Jesus. Through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God is made manifest in that the answers, all residing in Jesus (all of the promises are “Yes and Amen”, are preached. This happens through communities (Harmony’s Echo Groups), preaching and teaching (Sunday morning gathering and smaller teaching events), and accountability (diving deeper with one another as we live on mission together).

The cycle just repeats itself as people who have found Jesus relate the Gospel to people in their social circles, who relate the Good News to people in their social circles, etc. As the cycle goes through it’s many iterations, people are drawn to the Jesus who is lifted up, and therefore to the Church. But here’s the rub:

People find Jesus on different timelines. Some people get “stuck” in the mud of their brokenness instead of finding the refreshing fountain of the cleansing waters of Jesus. Therefore, church gets pretty messy, really quickly.

As leaders, we have to prepare in advance for this mess. We must “Gospel ourselves and others” to the point that it is instinct to rely on Jesus, no matter the brokenness placed in front of us. This is what Dr. Sam spoke about: counseling in the Gospel. Both we as leaders and those who follow our example should know the Gospel backwards and forwards in order that when the church gets messy, there are plenty of shepherd-janitor-servants who point to the Shepherd-Janitor-King, Jesus Christ.

Sep 26

Resources Included in Our Conference Bags

Posted in: General, Teaching, Books

Here’s the free swag Desiring God gave us:

Rethinking Retirement (booklet by John Piper) History’s Most Spectacular Sin (booklet by John Piper) Anger Management (Pocket Puritan by Richard Baxter) Broken Down House (Pre-publication Sample by Paul Tripp) Don’t Waste Your Life Field Journals 3-pack How to Be Good and Angry (DVD by Paul Tripp) Always Singing One Note (DVD by John Piper) The Law of Kindness (Book by Mary Beeke) ESV Study Bible Sample (Luke) Everyday Talk (Book by John Younts) Encouragement: How Words Change Lives (Book by Gordon Cheng) What is the Christian Worldview? (Booklet by Philip Graham Ryken) What is Providence? (Booklet by Derek Thomas) The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World (Compilation of Talks from 2006 Desiring God Conference)

Wow. I also have already picked up three resouces from the bookstore:

Death by Love (Mark Driscoll) Spectacular Sins (John Piper) Unnamed Resource for a Leader at Harmony

Memory Verse Hoe-Down

Campus Ministry or Church?

ServeGreenville.Com Relaunch

The Gospel-Driven Church

Resources Included in Our Conference Bags

Derek Brown

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