“Following Jesus” Series Starts This Week
Now through Easter, come explore discipleship through the “Following Jesus” sermon series.
- March 10 – The Invitation
- March 17 – Those Who Left
- March 24 – Long Distance Disciples
- March 31 – Toward the Cross
- April 7 – To the Ends of the Earth
We’ll learn what discipleship really means, the importance of counting the cost, life transformation, and what discipleship looks like in modern times. See you there!
The Valley Comes with the Vision
Almost without fail, God’s most faithful followers end up in the pit. Or prison. Or exile in the wilderness. It comes with the territory. The valley comes with the vision.
Sometimes the valley prepares you for the vision. What would Joseph have been like if he hadn’t been thrown in the pit, sold as a slave, and shut up in prison on trumped-up charges? The pit, Potiphar, and prison prepared Joseph for the palace (Genesis 50:20). We see the same kind of preparation with Moses tending sheep in exile for 40 years (Exodus 2). Or Daniel and his friends being forcibly removed from Jerusalem and marched to Bablyon as prisoners.
We can look at those instances and say, “See. Just wait. God has a purpose in all of this. He’s preparing you for something greater!”
But sometimes the valley comes after the vision, in spite of the vision, because of the vision. Abel died at the hands of his brother because he was faithful to the vision (Genesis 4). Elijah was hunted because of the vision (1 Kings 17) and then went through debilitating depression after God had used him in a powerful way (1 Kings 19). Jeremiah was thrown in a cistern where his feet sunk into the mud (Jeremiah 38:6). John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus was crucified, and most of the disciples died in exile or as martyrs.
And we ask, “What happened? Didn’t they have a vision from God?”
Yes, they did. And the vision was more important than their comfort. It was bigger than life. It was greater than death. It was more real than the passing things of this earth.
The valley comes with the vision.
New Pastor Marshall Bowers
Pastor Marshall Bowers will be the new pastor at Renew Community Church sometime in June or July 2012.
He brings a mix of rich experiences, including pastoral care, preaching, teaching, and administration to this position.
Until Pastor Bowers arrives, our head elder Jay Perry will be preaching and helping out as much as he can.
Pastor Jay Perry Preaching Nov 5
Pastor Jay Perry will be preaching about building a relationship with Jesus this Sabbath, Nov 5 at 3:00pm.
We begin to experience a prayer reformation when we realize prayer isn’t about getting what you want; it’s about getting closer to God.
The Bible marking class will continue at 4:30pm.
We look forward to great music and fellowship as we worship this weekend. Don’t miss it!
Special Worship Service this Weekend
This Sabbath the youth team from Atlanta Adventist Academy-Twin Cities (AAA-TC) is coming to lead worship, preach and share testimonies. I am so looking forward to what God is going to do among us this Sabbath as we join together to worship.
AAA-TC is our Seventh-day Adventist High School program that is available for our youth. The campus is at Minnetonka Christian Academy, and the students sit in classrooms that are linked live via video to other Seventh-day Adventist campuses in Georgia and Tennessee. Some instructors are physically at our Twin Cities campus, and other instructors are at the other campuses. All the students see and interact with the teacher and the other students in real time. This is the education of tomorrow happening today!
I invite you to attend this special worship service tomorrow and see firsthand how the Lord is impacting and leading our youth. Renew Community Church is proud to support AAA-TC both spiritually and financially. Please consider bringing a special offering for our High School program.
Also continuing this Sabbath is the Bible Marking Class, which follows the worship time at 4:30 pm. See you Sabbath!
Schedule Change Through Oct 22
This coming Sabbath, September 24, we are changing our schedule a little bit. We will continue to have our worship time at 3 pm just as we always do, but we will have the class time at 2 pm instead of after the worship time. To complement with our Decoding Prophecy series which continues over the next several weeks in Shakopee, we will have a Bible Marking Class at 2 pm every Sabbath until October 22. A Bible Marking Class teaches you how to mark key Bible verses on special topics so you are able to give Bible studies to friends.
Also, following our worship time this sabbath we will share some light fellowship food. The goal here is to socialize longer while having something to eat. This is more stand- or sit-and-chat food, not the big entrees that we regularly bring to fellowship meals. So bring some food and invite a friend!
- 2 pm – Bible Marking Class
- 3 pm – Conversation Worship Time
- 4:30 – Food and Fellowship Time
Tearing the Curtain Down
When Jesus died on the cross, the gospel of Matthew says, “At that
moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”
(27:51). This curtain was what divided the Most Holy Place from the
rest of the Temple. It was originally designed by God to be the
shielding curtain of the ark of the covenant, to protect the priests
entering into the temple from the divine glory of God dwelling over
the ark.
But the ark had been missing ever since the first Temple in Jerusalem
was destroyed. So this room was empty when Jesus died. Why then did
the curtain have to tear? What was the big deal?
Bible scholars have pointed to the tearing of the curtain as symbolic
of the new covenant in Jesus Christ; that what used to be off-limits
in the Old Testament was now given free access to all believers in
Jesus. And scholars point to this text in Hebrews: “Let us then
approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (4:16). Our
focus is no longer on a Temple on earth, but on the Sanctuary in
Heaven, where Jesus has gone before us as our High Priest.
All worship and prayer in ancient Israel, while focused on the God who
is King in Heaven, was thought to be channeled through the Temple.
This is why Daniel the prophet continued to pray towards Jerusalem
even after the Temple had been destroyed in the 6th century BCE
(Daniel 6:10). Evidently the ark of the covenant had been lost or
hidden when the destruction happened, and it was never recovered. The
Temple was rebuilt, but there is no record of the ark being moved back
into it. Yet the priests continued the rituals and the people
continued to worship towards the Temple.
Maybe, just maybe, when the curtain tore, God was revealing the
emptiness of the Temple. Instead of inviting people into the Most
Holy Place, God was showing there was nothing holy about it without
His presence filling it.
His Son Jesus, sent to heal the sick, cast out the demons, and save
from sin was nailed to the cross as a base criminal, receiving an
execution far less humane than what modern dictators today receive for
international war crimes. The Bible says that the religious leaders
that condemned Jesus wanted Him to die in time to celebrate the
Passover (John 19:31). These actions are so uncharacteristic of the
actual legacy the rabbinical Jews left the world in the first several
centuries of the Common Era. It seems that both Jews and Christians
alike recognized how empty the Temple had become when Jesus hung upon
the cross.
I have felt how empty my own heart is in worshiping God. There are
times that God has torn the veil away and revealed the lack of His
Spirit in my heart. I think this is exactly what God desires when we
look at Jesus on the cross. This is what God is really like: He dies
for you, He comes back to life for you, He brings you back to life.
We just need Him to tear the curtain down and let the secret out: we
are empty. We need to be filled once again with Him. Let Jesus, who
walked out of the tomb, walk into your Most Holy Place.
This is what the Living Ark series is all about. Take a listen to the
first episode, “On the Move.” Track with the series over the next
several weeks. And let God tear the curtain in two.
Pastor Adam
Worship at Lions Park September 3
This Sabbath, September 3, we will meet at Lions Park in Shakopee for an unplugged worship time.
Lions Park is right across Adams Street from our regular location, New Creation Lutheran Church. Let’s enjoy worshiping the Creator outdoors! There will be no regular sermon, but instead an open testimony time to share the ways God has called us to step out in faith and what He did and is doing now. We will also have a potluck-style fellowship meal afterwards. This is picnic-style, so bring a dish ready to share. Invite a friend!
Where: Lions Park in Shakopee, Adams Street (Just across the street from New Creation Lutheran)
Shelter 2 (across the parking lot from the children’s playground)
When: 3 PM
If the weather is bad, we will meet at New Creation Lutheran.
See you there!
Understand Bible Prophecy
On September 8, a great event begins in Shakopee that you don’t want to miss! Decoding Prophecy is an evening Bible presentation series that will take you on an incredible journey through the most compelling book of our day, the book of Revelation in the Bible. You may have heard a lot of wild things about Revelation and what it says about our world today.
This series by Michael Sady will answer your questions and show you new questions to ask about living in the days just ahead.
Michael Sady will teach you sound principles of reading and understanding the prophecies of the Bible. More than that, he will show you another compelling example of a person in a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.
I encourage you to check out the website for this event, www.DecodeProphecy.com. You can check out the event schedule, register for FREE, and send invitations to your friends.
Decoding Prophecy starts September 8!
AmericInn Hotel Conference Room
Canterbury Road and Highway 169
Serving with Honor
The Bible poses the question to us, “Are not all angels ministering
spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews
1:14)? The word “serve” here is the same one the apostles use in Acts
6:2 when they are dealing with a division in the church between
Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews. The Greeks were complaining that their
widows weren’t receiving help with food like the Hebrew widows were.
In response, the apostles said, “It would not be right for us to
neglect the ministry of the word to wait on tables.”
Because of the way it is phrased in the NIV, I used to think the
apostles were belittling this act of service. But this is a
colloquial way of expressing the literal words: “to serve meals.”
Still, are the apostles saying that they are too important to deal
with piddly little matters of food service to widows? Evidently not,
according to what they say in verse 3: “Choose seven men from among
you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn
this responsibility over to them.”
Why would waiting on tables require being filled with the Spirit and
wisdom? Because the issue wasn’t food service; it was prejudice in
the church. There were sensitive issues to deal with here and people
were angry. They weren’t seeing eye to eye, but were looking at
family trees and entitlements. “I have more of a right to this than
you do!” Men of spiritual wisdom were needed to serve these people.
And then the apostles say, “We will give our attention to prayer and
the ministry of the word” (verse 4). The word “ministry” here is the
same word for service that is used in the expression, “wait on
tables.” The apostles weren’t saying that serving food wasn’t an
important act of service, but that they were serving food of a
different kind.
The Bible says, “There are different kinds of service, but the same
Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:5). Each of us are called to a ministry, to
serve others’ needs in different ways. Do you know what your serving
ministry is? Does it serve people’s needs or does it bring you
accolades and honor?
Paul tells Timothy, whose name means “One who honors God,” to
“discharge all the duties of your ministry.” Literally translated,
he’s saying, “Fully accomplish your service.” You want to honor God?
Throw yourself wholeheartedly into the service ministry that God has
designed for you. This, among other instructions that Paul gave to
Timothy, is what the Living with Honor series is about. Listen to the
podcast or stream it now to hear more about ways to honor God in your
life today.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what role you play, whether you are
high-profile or low-profile, wealthy or meager in resources; God has
designed for you a ministry of serving other people’s needs. After
all, every single angel in heaven is a ministering spirit, serving us
humans here on earth. Are we better than angels? No, and even the
Lord of angels and all else in creation became our servant as well.
How could we not honor Him by serving with everything we’ve got?
Happy listening . . . Pastor Adam