Back in the 90s, American Express had an advertising campaign with a catch phrase “Membership Has Its Privileges”. Those willing to pay a somewhat hefty annual fee and charge an even heftier monthly total to the card would be eligible for some pretty impressive membership privileges.
It’s going to be cold tomorrow. For some, it will be tempting to sleep in.
The series we’ve been teaching through is on spiritual disciplines. At times, it seems, we struggle to understand and embrace these disciplines. A first step is to grasp what is meant by the term “discipline”. In this context, it should be understood as a practice that we commit to in order to position ourselves for God’s best. We should also accept that introducing these disciplines into our lives is not easy – if it were, it would not require discipline. Many, if not all, of them are counter-cultural and unnatural to us.
SERIES BEGINS APRIL 8
I’m so excited for us in the coming days and months of this church! To give you a snapshot of the coming days, we will be going through 1 Thessalonians. We will see how focusing on Christ in the future can impact the way we live, individually and together, for the present. I hope you plan to be there, as we will go through this incredible letter and gain focus for your life and life together.
Why is Good Friday called good when so much bad happened? This question is often asked by many, especially from those who are seeking to know more about Jesus. I guess the best answer is that the good was in the background. It had been prophesied for thousands of years that the Messiah would be crucified. In fact the first mention of the Gospel is found in Genesis 3:15. All throughout scripture the Messiah is talked about. It is as if God was saying, “Before I step on this earth, I’m going to tell you over and over that I am coming.” The cross was not the final event. Jesus would rise from the grave that following Sunday. The work of Jesus had to begin with the cross. The cross is where the Lamb of God would spill His blood as the ultimate sacrifice in order to satisfy the judgment of the Father. Instead of God’s righteous judgment falling upon us, it fell upon Jesus. The sin of the world was taken upon Him. And sin had its way or so the enemy thought. Sin tried to take its payment; death, and did, BUT Jesus had other plans. I love what Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus died but he rose from the grave conquering sin and death making a way for us to reconcile back to Him giving us eternal life for those who will believe and trust Jesus. That’s why it’s good and called the Good News! Thank Jesus for the Cross and also for His resurrection. Take some time to consider the Cross and Resurrection to see what Jesus has done for you.
Mission Point is blessed to have some incredible cooks in our church family, so it seemed like a no-brainer to host a prayer breakfast. We planned for 100 guests and invited our neighbors - the staff of Franklin's Printing, the staff of the Department of Children's Services, the staff of the Rutherford County Board of Education - and other friends of Mission Point. By 7:00 am, we were ready; our Mission Point missionaries had prepared well.
“At Mission Point, we don’t have members, we have ... missionaries!”
When no guests came by the scheduled starting time, we decided to go ahead and eat so that we'd be ready when they did. When only two had shown by 7:45 am, we decided to go ahead with our program highlighted by the Pledge of Allegiance led by 86-year-old, retired Chief Warrant Officer Garland Hughes. We finished our planned activities around 8:00 am with no new arrivals. The morning hadn't gone as we hoped and planned, but it was far from a failure.
With no clear idea of how many might come, we had already made plans to distribute the "leftovers". We divided into two teams and carried food to the employees of Franklin's Printing and to the staff of RCDCS. At both places we were greeted with great appreciation and had the opportunity to pray for them. As it turned out, serving these groups at their workplaces was far more effective than had they come to the church. We'd missed a key principle from Scripture. God's instruction to us isn't to gather those we're called to serve, requiring them to come to us. Instead, we are called to go to them, to serve them where they are, as we go.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20a NIV)
I travel 10-12 times a year and miss Sunday worship. I want to make sure when I'm away that I'm still faithful in giving my tithes and offerings, so I set up my giving to be deducted from my checking account weekly. We use BlueFire for our online giving. There are links on our website and Facebook page; there is also a BlueFire app for mobile devices.
Online giving can be set up as recurring or as one-time gifts. A drop-down menu allows for giving to be designated and for givers to monitor their contributions. For those who wish to drop something in the offering plate, offering envelopes are available that can serve as a receipt for gifts that were made online.
To review the link, click on the BlueFire logo above.
Mission Point will partner with CrossWay Baptist Church for a week-long mission trip to the Dominican Republic beginning Saturday, July 15 and ending Saturday, July 22, 2017. The trip will be facilitated by Re-Vision at a cost of $795 plus airfare. We'll likely fly out of Atlanta; that flight is currently $689. An information meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 2, after the 10:00 am service. A $700 non-refundable deposit is due on Sunday, April 23. The balance is due on Friday, June 9, 2017.
The trip will include kids' clubs, construction, 2-3 days of dental clinics, home visits, and other activities based on the gifts of the team. The team will serve in two communities - in Haina and in Los Asises. Once the team and activities are finalized, we will host two training sessions to equip the team for the week. Feel free to invite others to join us, particularly dental professionals. If you have any questions, go to fortheleast.com, facebook.com/revisionus, email doug.campbell@fortheleast.com or call (615) 848-3834.
