John Ortberg on Vision and Methods

John Ortberg wrote the following on the Monvee blog:

Where this vision is lacking, we can try to push people into all kinds of methods of spiritual growth. We can flood them with classes and bible studies and small groups and services, but it is like pushing noodles up Mt Everest.

We might think of four quadrants:

• Where people have methods but no correct vision, there is legalism.

• Where people have vision but no wise methods, there is frustration.

• Where people have neither vision nor methods, there is apathy.

• Where people have right vision and effective methods—there is growth.

So I find myself thinking a lot about spiritual vision these days. It poses two questions:

Am I teaching this vision? I’m constantly trying to find ways to teach so that people understand that what Jesus offers really is the only way to what they want the most, in their best selves.

Am I living this life? There is no talk in the world captivating enough to speak louder than my life. It was Jesus’ life that made people want so desperately to hear Jesus’ message.

Article published in local newspaper

I forgot to mention that I had an article published this past Wednesday in our local newspaper - the Waseca County News.  You can read it online.  It's titled "The Amazing Grace of Easter".

The Gospel - God loves you

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

The Good News

What is the Good News?

Well, let's start with what the Good News isn't. It isn't that you can attend church, that you can fit in with a new social group or that you can pride yourself about how good of a person you've become.

The Good News is that God loves you.

Now you might be saying to yourself, "Yeah, sure I knew that. God is love and I'm a pretty good person, sure, good news, great."

But, that's not just it.

The Good News is that God loves you.

Now tell me, what have you done for the Creator of the universe lately? He gave you your life, yet what do you do with it? Do you pursue your career? Do you entertain yourself with media? Do you spend your time eating and drinking and making yourself merry?

But we all know such moderately innocent pursuits do not stop there.

Do you lie? Do you lust? Do you obsess over your money? Do you tolerate the Lord's name to be used as a cuss word? Do you envy what people around you have? Do you yearn for any of your passions above Him?

Do you honor Him with your life?

Take a look at it from His perspective. God is perfect; He created you to be with Him, but how have you received Him? (With indifference) How often have you even thought of your Creator, the all powerful being who loves you? Once a week? Once a month? But we do more than that. We oppose Him. We are daily, hourly committing imperfect acts which we morally smear against God's face. He loves us and we throw Him on the wayside of our lives collectively spitting in the face of the One who created us.

And what must a perfect Creator do to the creation which constantly dishonors Him? He must separate Himself from it. Just as a judge can't harbor a criminal, so too, God can not tolerate rebellion. It must be punished. But...

Here is where we get to that Good News. At the same time that we were collectively spitting in the face of the Creator who loves His spiteful creatures, we have a God who set about to save anyone who would come to Him. This is the greatness of the Good News: "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 (ESV)

That is the sweet news of the Gospel: God loves you.

He did not let the relationship of Creator and creature remain broken. Instead He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for your rebellion and for your sins. He paid the penalty, He paved the way.

So let me urge you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to the God which you have lived your life against. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might be reconciled.

Repent of your rebellion.

Put your faith in Jesus.

Live your life for the God who loves you.

That is the Good News.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might BRING US TO GOD.... - 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)


(Written by Bryan and Caleb at 10:31 Sermon Jams)

Sermon - Titus 2:11-13 - Amazing Grace

http://wasecachurch.org New sermon is posted - Titus 2:11-13 - Amazing Grace

Here's a Taste:

Then verse 12 and 13 come along saying, God’s grace “teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”

How amazing is that? Not only does God’s grace save us, but if we embrace it, it will empower us to say no to the bad things of this world? That is the freeing power of grace. Through grace we can be set free from the things that haunt our past. Addiction, abuse, neglect, anger, pain, suffering, lying, cheating, stealing, whatever it is, in the grace of Jesus Christ WE CAN BE SET FREE! How many of you believe that? Well you all should! Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I’m free at last – right? Jesus died to set each and every one of us free. And we have to lean into that grace, and onto that grace to sustain us.


Click here to read the full sermon!

What I Want vs. What God Wants - Steven Furtick

When I want what God wants for the reasons God wants it I’m unbeatable and unstoppable. - Steven Furtick

What People Believe

Newly released results from The Harris Poll® show that a very large majority of the American public believe in God, miracles, the survival of the soul after death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the virgin birth. But what may be surprising is that substantial minorities believe in ghosts, UFOs, witches, astrology, and the belief that they themselves were once other people. Overall, more people believe in the devil, hell and angels than believe in Darwin's theory of evolution.

Some of the findings in this new Harris Poll include:

* Eighty percent of adult Americans believe in God — unchanged since the last time the question was asked in 2005. Large majorities of the public believe in miracles (75%), heaven (73%), angels (71%), that Jesus is God or the Son of God (71%), the resurrection of Jesus (70%), the survival of the soul after death (68%), hell (62%) the virgin birth of Jesus born to Mary (61%) and the devil (59%).

* Slightly more people — although both are minorities — believe in Darwin's theory of evolution (47%) than in creationism (40%).

* Sizeable minorities believe in ghosts (44%), UFOs (36%), witches (31%), astrology (31%), and reincarnation (24%).

Interestingly, slender majorities of all adults believe that all or most of the Old Testament (55%) and the New Testament (54%) are the "Word of God." However, only about a third of all adults (37% and 36%) believe that all of these texts are the word of God. Only 26 percent of all adults believe that the Torah is the word of God, even though it is the same as the first five books of the Old Testament.

Regarding religiosity and religious practice, less than a quarter of Americans describe themselves as "very religious." However, a large majority (68%) describe themselves as either very (23%) or somewhat (45%) religious. A quarter (27%) of adults say that they attend church once a week or more, compared with 36 percent who say they attend less than once a year or never (18% each).

This nationwide survey of 2,126 U.S. adults was conducted online between November 10 and 17, 2008, by Harris Interactive.

(from FotF's Pastor's Weekly Briefing)

First Congregational Church of Waseca, MN Christmas Eve Service

Come and celebrate the birth of
Jesus Christ our Lord!

First Congregational Church of Waseca, MN invites you, your friends, your family, your neighbors, and even complete strangers to join us for our Christmas Eve service, 8:00PM December 24th, 2008.

We are located at 503 2nd Ave. NE in Waseca, MN (click here for a map). The church is located just to the North of the Central Intermediate School. Christmas Eve service will begin at 8:00PM and will be followed by an afterglow that everyone is invited to in the church basement where treats and refreshments will be served.

We will NOT have church service Christmas Day, but will join together again for Church December 28th at 10:00AM for our regular service. No Sunday School December 28th.

Trevin Wax is giving away a bunch of books!

Blogger Trevin Wax is giving away his 10 favorite books from the past year.  For a chance to win click over to his blog and read the post for requirements.  Yes I am entered.