Posted on May 3rd, 2013
3
From the Elders, presented on Sunday morning April 28, 2013
Over the last few months the elders have spent many hours discussing and praying through the question, “What is the scope of our vision?” We wanted to discern exactly what God wants us to accomplish as a church.
Of course, the simple answer is to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). It should always be about evangelism and discipleship. As you know, we have identified three pillars that shape the ministries of our church and how we go about making disciples. (1) IMAGE – helping people become conformed to the image of Christ. (2) On Mission – everyone, everyday, and everywhere living on mission and sharing the Gospel. (3) Faith Builders – encouraging strong marriages and strong families where parents are building faith into their children. So, in a sentence, we are …
Over the last few months the elders have spent many hours discussing and praying through the question, “What is the scope of our vision?” We wanted to discern exactly what God wants us to accomplish as a church.
Of course, the simple answer is to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). It should always be about evangelism and discipleship. As you know, we have identified three pillars that shape the ministries of our church and how we go about making disciples. (1) IMAGE – helping people become conformed to the image of Christ. (2) On Mission – everyone, everyday, and everywhere living on mission and sharing the Gospel. (3) Faith Builders – encouraging strong marriages and strong families where parents are building faith into their children. So, in a sentence, we are …
As we thought and prayed about where we are and where God is leading us, we asked a lot of questions.
What do we want to become? What do we hope our church will look like in five years? What are our holy discontents? What do we crave for our church? What will it take to stimulate a passionate love for Jesus that transforms the way we live? And how should we fulfill our responsibility to reach our community?
Flowing out of those months of discussion and prayer, we landed on four areas on which we believe our church must concentrate in 2013.
1. A Passionate Love for Christ – We hope that our church will embrace a definition of Christianity as a passionate, intimate, day by day, moment by moment, personal relationship with Jesus; from which flows obedience and transformation.
We are convinced that everything must flow out of a love for Jesus. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). The person who truly loves Jesus will obey Him, will follow Him, and will do whatever He asks. Love is the catalyst for obedience. We want to create a church culture in which the outflow and manifestation of that love are cheerful obedience in evangelism, in prayer, in stewardship, and so on. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches … abides in Me and I in you” (John 15:5). And Paul said, “For Christ’s love compels us … that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NIV). We believe that a passionate love for Jesus will compel us to live passionate lives for Jesus.
2. A Fresh Picture of Life in Christ – We hope to see changes in lifestyle and priority, a freedom from the world’s way of living, and an urgency for the mission of Christ.
We need a fresh picture of life in Christ. We want to present a fresh picture of Christianity, much like Francis Chan did in his book Crazy Love when he contrasted the “lukewarm” versus the “obsessed.” Jesus’ warned the Ephesians, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). He also said to the Laodiceans, “Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Again, we are convinced that only a passionate love for Jesus will change the way a person lives. We are also convinced that too many Christians today are caught up in a way of living that competes with spiritual priorities. So we want to challenge those competing priorities and free people to live fully for Christ.
3. Personal Evangelism – We hope to see every member of our church reach one other person with the gospel.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul said, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith” (Philemon 1:6, NIV). In talking about the scope of our vision, we talked a lot about our responsibility to reach our community. Paul said he was willing to “become all things to all people” because he wanted “to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19, NIV). Some 37,000 cars drive past our church every day. We are responsible for our community, and we should have a burden for lost people. So, our hope is that each of us would engage with one other person and help that person come to Christ. Our prayer is for a sense of evangelistic urgency to permeate our church.
4. Pray Big – We hope to hear prayers that are big and worthy to be asked of God, prayers of boldness and expectation, prayers of need and dependence, and prayers that deepen our relationship with God and dare to request from God.
Prayer is about relationship and request. We seek both God’s face and God’s hand. The Bible is filled with promises concerning prayer. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you … What father would give his son a stone when he asked for bread? What father would give his son a snake when he asked for fish? If imperfect parents know how to give good things to their children, then how much more will God our Father give what is good to us when we ask? (Matthew 7:7-11, paraphrase). This passage is an invitation to ask, and an invitation rooted in our relationship to God as our Father. And as a church, we want to trust our Father to hear and answer the prayers we pray concerning our church.
It is our hope and prayer that you will embrace this focus for 2013. Surely, these four things resonate with your heart. We believe they reflect the heart of God and the will of God for our church. We ask you to take these priorities to heart, to pray through them on behalf of our church, and to personally commit to living them out in your own life.
God bless you as you grow in Christ, and God bless The Church at Canyon Creek,
The Elders
Mark Perkins, Chairman
Damon Andrews
Donnie Dixon
David Melles
Steven Testone
Bruce Walker
Monty Watson
What do we want to become? What do we hope our church will look like in five years? What are our holy discontents? What do we crave for our church? What will it take to stimulate a passionate love for Jesus that transforms the way we live? And how should we fulfill our responsibility to reach our community?
Flowing out of those months of discussion and prayer, we landed on four areas on which we believe our church must concentrate in 2013.
1. A Passionate Love for Christ – We hope that our church will embrace a definition of Christianity as a passionate, intimate, day by day, moment by moment, personal relationship with Jesus; from which flows obedience and transformation.
We are convinced that everything must flow out of a love for Jesus. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). The person who truly loves Jesus will obey Him, will follow Him, and will do whatever He asks. Love is the catalyst for obedience. We want to create a church culture in which the outflow and manifestation of that love are cheerful obedience in evangelism, in prayer, in stewardship, and so on. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches … abides in Me and I in you” (John 15:5). And Paul said, “For Christ’s love compels us … that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NIV). We believe that a passionate love for Jesus will compel us to live passionate lives for Jesus.
2. A Fresh Picture of Life in Christ – We hope to see changes in lifestyle and priority, a freedom from the world’s way of living, and an urgency for the mission of Christ.
We need a fresh picture of life in Christ. We want to present a fresh picture of Christianity, much like Francis Chan did in his book Crazy Love when he contrasted the “lukewarm” versus the “obsessed.” Jesus’ warned the Ephesians, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). He also said to the Laodiceans, “Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Again, we are convinced that only a passionate love for Jesus will change the way a person lives. We are also convinced that too many Christians today are caught up in a way of living that competes with spiritual priorities. So we want to challenge those competing priorities and free people to live fully for Christ.
3. Personal Evangelism – We hope to see every member of our church reach one other person with the gospel.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul said, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith” (Philemon 1:6, NIV). In talking about the scope of our vision, we talked a lot about our responsibility to reach our community. Paul said he was willing to “become all things to all people” because he wanted “to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19, NIV). Some 37,000 cars drive past our church every day. We are responsible for our community, and we should have a burden for lost people. So, our hope is that each of us would engage with one other person and help that person come to Christ. Our prayer is for a sense of evangelistic urgency to permeate our church.
4. Pray Big – We hope to hear prayers that are big and worthy to be asked of God, prayers of boldness and expectation, prayers of need and dependence, and prayers that deepen our relationship with God and dare to request from God.
Prayer is about relationship and request. We seek both God’s face and God’s hand. The Bible is filled with promises concerning prayer. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you … What father would give his son a stone when he asked for bread? What father would give his son a snake when he asked for fish? If imperfect parents know how to give good things to their children, then how much more will God our Father give what is good to us when we ask? (Matthew 7:7-11, paraphrase). This passage is an invitation to ask, and an invitation rooted in our relationship to God as our Father. And as a church, we want to trust our Father to hear and answer the prayers we pray concerning our church.
It is our hope and prayer that you will embrace this focus for 2013. Surely, these four things resonate with your heart. We believe they reflect the heart of God and the will of God for our church. We ask you to take these priorities to heart, to pray through them on behalf of our church, and to personally commit to living them out in your own life.
God bless you as you grow in Christ, and God bless The Church at Canyon Creek,
The Elders
Mark Perkins, Chairman
Damon Andrews
Donnie Dixon
David Melles
Steven Testone
Bruce Walker
Monty Watson
by Monty Watson on March 25th, 2013
The Gospel is the story of a great rescue. It is God’s desperate pursuit of those He loves. So desperate was His pursuit that He not only sent His Son, He sacrificed His Son for us.
But there’s more to the Gospel than the heroic death of a good man. The climax of the Gospel is the supernatural resurrection of Jesus and His victory over sin and death; making forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life possible for us.
New ideas and philosophies were debated in the city of Athens every day. The Athenians were a spiritually curious people, but they were also a spiritually confused people. They believed in all kinds of gods. But when you believe in everything, you really believe in nothing. So when “they heard of the resurrection, some laughed in contempt … but some believed” (Acts 17:32, 34). That’s what happened in the 1st century and that’s what happens today. Some laugh and some believe.
But if the resurrection is true, then it trumps all other beliefs. If it’s true, then it is the greatest event in human history. And this Easter Sunday, I hope you will join us at The Church at Canyon Creek to hear … how the greatest event in history can make the greatest difference in your life.
Monty Watson, Senior Pastor
www.churchatcanyoncreek.com
But there’s more to the Gospel than the heroic death of a good man. The climax of the Gospel is the supernatural resurrection of Jesus and His victory over sin and death; making forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life possible for us.
New ideas and philosophies were debated in the city of Athens every day. The Athenians were a spiritually curious people, but they were also a spiritually confused people. They believed in all kinds of gods. But when you believe in everything, you really believe in nothing. So when “they heard of the resurrection, some laughed in contempt … but some believed” (Acts 17:32, 34). That’s what happened in the 1st century and that’s what happens today. Some laugh and some believe.
But if the resurrection is true, then it trumps all other beliefs. If it’s true, then it is the greatest event in human history. And this Easter Sunday, I hope you will join us at The Church at Canyon Creek to hear … how the greatest event in history can make the greatest difference in your life.
Monty Watson, Senior Pastor
www.churchatcanyoncreek.com
by Damon Andrews, worship pastor on January 26th, 2013
There is a poignant story about worship in the Old Testament. The people of Samaria (Israelites) had been taken into captivity by Assyria, leaving their towns empty. The king of Assyria decided to send people from several other countries to resettle in these towns to replace the Israelites. After a short time, he received this report, “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.” In response, the king sent one of the Israelite priests back to Samaria to teach the people there “how to worship the Lord.” They assumed that God was not pleased simply because they were not following the right procedure or form. “If we learn how to ‘do it right’”, they thought, then God would be pleased.
But there was still a problem. The people learned how to worship the Lord, but they also continued to worship their own false gods. Their hearts were divided. You see, the fundamental issue was not a question of form. The problem was that their hearts were not fully devoted to the one true God. The story concludes with this sad epitaph: “Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.”
Fast forward 750 years to another story. While Jesus was traveling though Samaria he stopped at Jacob’s well and had a conversation with a Samaritan woman. After some profound interaction in which Jesus confronted sin in her life, the woman made a statement which implied a question about worship. She said “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
She had made the same wrong assumption as her ancestors. She assumed that God would be pleased if she learned to “do it right” by worshiping in the right place. Jesus answered, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” Jesus’ answer pointed out her mistaken emphasis on questions of form (Where should we worship?, When should we worship?, How should we worship?) and revealed the truly important question, for the Samaritan woman, and for us as well, “Is your heart fully devoted to the one true God?”
Discussion Questions
In what ways can our hearts be divided? What are examples for us of idols that might keep our hearts from being fully devoted to the one true God?
What are some questions of form that we sometimes mistakenly believe are important to pleasing God?
But there was still a problem. The people learned how to worship the Lord, but they also continued to worship their own false gods. Their hearts were divided. You see, the fundamental issue was not a question of form. The problem was that their hearts were not fully devoted to the one true God. The story concludes with this sad epitaph: “Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.”
Fast forward 750 years to another story. While Jesus was traveling though Samaria he stopped at Jacob’s well and had a conversation with a Samaritan woman. After some profound interaction in which Jesus confronted sin in her life, the woman made a statement which implied a question about worship. She said “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
She had made the same wrong assumption as her ancestors. She assumed that God would be pleased if she learned to “do it right” by worshiping in the right place. Jesus answered, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” Jesus’ answer pointed out her mistaken emphasis on questions of form (Where should we worship?, When should we worship?, How should we worship?) and revealed the truly important question, for the Samaritan woman, and for us as well, “Is your heart fully devoted to the one true God?”
Discussion Questions
In what ways can our hearts be divided? What are examples for us of idols that might keep our hearts from being fully devoted to the one true God?
What are some questions of form that we sometimes mistakenly believe are important to pleasing God?
by Mark Perkins, elder on December 26th, 2012
Given the season, our local Christian radio station has been playing a variety of Christmas songs. Some are oldies such as White Christmas and Frosty The Snowman, but one Christ-centered songs caught my attention and reminded me once again of the good news of Jesus’ birth. Most of you are familiar with the words of “Oh Holy Night”, but let me encourage you to review the beautiful lyrics of this song that remind us that Christ is still the central focus of Christmas…
Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the
soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and
glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
O night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine
For me this song captures the essence of the gospel message about the coming Savior announced by the angel in Luke 2:10-11,
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Jesus Christ is God the Son, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross as the redemption from sin for all who repent and place their faith in Him as Savior. The sinless life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the only basis for our salvation and is the source of hope sung about in this beautiful Christmas song. As we enjoy this Christmas season with our loved ones, may our hearts be filled with love and adoration for our Savior Jesus Christ.
Finally, I want to encourage you to take a few moments and listen to a beautiful rendition of O Holy Night performed by the Christian group Point of Grace by selecting the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpxrK5ItgG0
Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the
soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and
glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
O night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine
For me this song captures the essence of the gospel message about the coming Savior announced by the angel in Luke 2:10-11,
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Jesus Christ is God the Son, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross as the redemption from sin for all who repent and place their faith in Him as Savior. The sinless life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the only basis for our salvation and is the source of hope sung about in this beautiful Christmas song. As we enjoy this Christmas season with our loved ones, may our hearts be filled with love and adoration for our Savior Jesus Christ.
Finally, I want to encourage you to take a few moments and listen to a beautiful rendition of O Holy Night performed by the Christian group Point of Grace by selecting the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpxrK5ItgG0
by Monty Watson on December 17th, 2012
An admission. I have it when stores put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. To me, it takes away from Thanksgiving and prematurely gets the consumer ball rolling toward Christmas deals. I admit it. I hate it when they do that.
Another admission. It takes me a while to get into the Christmas spirit. I know it’s the same time every year, but it always seems to creep up on me. Part of the problem is that, in a church, we have to start planning Christmas in September. Another problem is the weather in Texas. It’s not even cold yet and Christmas songs are playing on the radio.
Here are some signs that suggest you may not be in the Christmas spirit yet.
• If your Christmas tree is really small and says “air freshener” on it, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• If you’ve been arrested for ramming a SUV with a Christmas wreath wired to the grill, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• If you wish April 15 would hurry up and get here, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• If you miss coverage of the Presidential election, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• And if you hear “Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?” on the radio and scream, “No! I’m not listening!” then you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
I hope that’s funny and not true of you. But to help you get into the Christmas spirit, here’s what always helps me. My advantage is that I have to plan early, get into the Bible, and search for fresh ways to tell a familiar story. And every year, it’s certain verses that stick out and grab my attention.
I love how the angel explained what was happening to Joseph. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). I love how the angel calmed the shepherds and said, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you GOOD NEW of great joy which will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). And I especially love that the angel made the announcement of Jesus’ birth so personal to the shepherds. “For today in the city of David there has been born FOR YOU a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
“JESUS … GOOD NEWS … FOR YOU.” Year after year, this is what draws me in and connects me to the true Christmas spirit.
So if you need some help getting into the Christmas spirit, don’t rely on a Christmas movie or more lights hanging from your house. Pick up your Bible and read the story. “For today in the city of David there has been born FOR YOU a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
Another admission. It takes me a while to get into the Christmas spirit. I know it’s the same time every year, but it always seems to creep up on me. Part of the problem is that, in a church, we have to start planning Christmas in September. Another problem is the weather in Texas. It’s not even cold yet and Christmas songs are playing on the radio.
Here are some signs that suggest you may not be in the Christmas spirit yet.
• If your Christmas tree is really small and says “air freshener” on it, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• If you’ve been arrested for ramming a SUV with a Christmas wreath wired to the grill, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• If you wish April 15 would hurry up and get here, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• If you miss coverage of the Presidential election, you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
• And if you hear “Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?” on the radio and scream, “No! I’m not listening!” then you may not be in the Christmas spirit.
I hope that’s funny and not true of you. But to help you get into the Christmas spirit, here’s what always helps me. My advantage is that I have to plan early, get into the Bible, and search for fresh ways to tell a familiar story. And every year, it’s certain verses that stick out and grab my attention.
I love how the angel explained what was happening to Joseph. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). I love how the angel calmed the shepherds and said, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you GOOD NEW of great joy which will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). And I especially love that the angel made the announcement of Jesus’ birth so personal to the shepherds. “For today in the city of David there has been born FOR YOU a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
“JESUS … GOOD NEWS … FOR YOU.” Year after year, this is what draws me in and connects me to the true Christmas spirit.
So if you need some help getting into the Christmas spirit, don’t rely on a Christmas movie or more lights hanging from your house. Pick up your Bible and read the story. “For today in the city of David there has been born FOR YOU a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
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