Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Alive 09 Fest
Well the AFTERSHOCK youth group is off to the 22nd annual Alive Festival today. Please be in prayer for all 46 attendees from CORE'S AFTERSHOCK Youth Group. This is a big event and adventure for the leaders and the youth. Pray for the speakers and bands as the teach and sing for our Savior and minister to the youth. Pray for the hearts of all that attend to be responsive to the gospel message that goes out.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening can be described as a revitalization of religious piety that blew through the colonies in America between the 1730’s and the 1770’s. This revival was part of a much broader movement taking place in England, Scotland and Germany. With these Protestant cultures during the middle decades of the Eighteenth Century, a new age of faith arose to reaffirm the view that being truly religious was trusting and believing in God with the heart. In addition one must rely on biblical revelation and principles rather than human reasoning.
The First Great Awakening began among the Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Reverend William Tennent, a Scots-Irish immigrant, and four other clergymen, all his sons led it. The Presbyterians also established a seminary to train clergymen whose heartfelt preaching would bring sinners to experience evangelical conversion. This college is known today as Princeton University.
Enthusiastic revivals spread from the Presbyterians of the Middle Colonies to the Congregationalist Puritans of New England. By the 1740’s these churches and their preachers were holding revivals throughout the region. The same strategy was used that William Tennent used. There were emotional and even more powerful sermons because they were preached by extemporaneously preachers like Jonathan Edwards who could deliver vivid, terrifying images of the sinful corruption of human nature and the terrors that awaited the unrepentant sinners in Hell. Jonathan Edwards’ most famous hell, fire and brimstone sermon was “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The revivals in the Northern Colonies drew some to the calling of missionaries to the South. Another great preacher of the First Great Awakening was George Whitefield from England. Whitefield was an ordained minister in the Church of England, but he later joined with other Anglican clergymen who shared his evangelical bent. Among the clergymen were John and Charles Wesley. Together these clergymen led a movement to reform the Church of England, which brought about the founding of the Methodist Church in the latter part of the Eighteenth Century. Whitefield made several trips across the Atlantic to preach throughout the colonies. He would usually draw so many people that the meeting had to be held outdoors. His popularity grew quickly and Whitefield’s ministry appealed to such diverse personalities as Jonathon Edwards and Benjamin Franklin. Whitefield preached what all the Calvinists had been preaching for centuries, but he presented the sermons in a rhetorically different fashion. He would make dramatic gestures, sometimes weeping openly, or thundering out threats of hell. The sermons became theatrical performances to draw sinners in.
Throughout the colonies conservative and moderate clergymen questioned the emotionalism and charged that the revivals were disorderly. They were upset with “itinerants”, ministers who, like Whitefield, would travel from one community to another preaching and often criticizing the local clergy. They were also upset with the fact that women and African Americans would set their social status aside to worship in these revival gatherings. The evangelical ministers and converts would retaliate by calling their conservative and moderate opponents, “cold, uninspiring, and lacking in piety and grace.” Battles raged within congregations and whole denominations over the challenges to clerical authority as well as the evangelical approach to conversion from “the heart” rather than “the head.”
We can see that the First Great Awakening left colonies torn apart along religious lines. Anglicans and Quakers gained many new members among those who disapproved of the revival’s excesses. The Methodists and the Baptists in the 1770’s made even more gains from the evangelical converts. The largest single group of churchgoing Americans remained within the Congregationalist and Presbyterian denominations, but they suffered division internally between advocates and opponents of the Great Awakening. The advocates and opponents were known as “new lights” and “old lights”. Civil government was now drawn into the struggles. “In the colonies where one denomination received state support, other churches lobbied legislatures for disestablishment, an end to the favored status of Congregationalism in Connecticut and Massachusetts and of Anglicanism in the Southern Colonies.”
The Second Great Awakening occurred in the Nineteenth Century in America. America contained a vast array of Protestant sects and denominations, with a wide range of doctrines, practices and organizational forms. By the 1830’s almost all of these sects had an evangelical emphasis in common. Evangelicalism became the dominant form of spiritual expression. What characterized this above all else was the pervasive sense of activist energy it released. This evangelical activism involved a doctrinal shift away from the predominantly Calvinist doctrine that was upheld in much of the Eighteenth Century American Christianity. The Nineteenth Century evangelicals, like Charles Finney, Lyman Beecher or Francis Asbury, were just as staunt in their emphasis on the terrible sinfulness of mankind, but they focused on sin as human action. They preached in their sermons, hell, fire and damnation. They also harbored an unshakable practical belief in the capacity of mankind to make that moral action and in mankind’s ability to turn from sinful behavior and embrace moral action. This belief was known as Armenianism, which emphasized the duty and ability of sinners to repent and renounce sin. The conversion was now understood as an experience. Not only did people live by faith, but also by something that happened to them. There was a real, intensely emotional event they went through, or a transformation. One must possess a genuine, heartfelt realization that they stood justly condemned for one’s sins and deserved eternal damnation. Conviction was considered recognition. The convicted person could not earn salvation, but could only fully repent and surrender unconditionally to God’s will and to serve him fully. “It was this act of repentance, surrender and dedication to serving his will that Finney meant when in his most famous sermon he insisted that “sinners are bound to change their own hearts”.” This moment of conversion was when Christ’s atonement for sin through a merciful God would bestow the grace on the repentant sinner.
The Second Great Awakening had a tremendous effect on society by the number of social reform movements. Finney was a great encourager of these. He believed the gospel did not just get people saved, but was also a means of cleaning up society. He and many of his followers worked to make America a Christian nation. Finney was a strong abolitionist and encouraged Christians to become involved in the anti-slavery movement. Christians became the leaders in many social concerns such as education, prison reform, temperance, Sabbath observance and women’s rights. The Second Great Awakening resulted in the establishment of numerous societies to aid in spreading the gospel. The establishments include the American Bible Society (1816), American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (1810), American Sunday School Union (1817), American Tract Society (1826) and the American Home Missionary Society (1826). The large numbers of Christian workers for social reform became so influential they and the organizations they founded became known as the Benevolent Empire. The Second Great Awakening had a greater effect on society than any other revival in America.
by John Stevens
The First Great Awakening began among the Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Reverend William Tennent, a Scots-Irish immigrant, and four other clergymen, all his sons led it. The Presbyterians also established a seminary to train clergymen whose heartfelt preaching would bring sinners to experience evangelical conversion. This college is known today as Princeton University.
Enthusiastic revivals spread from the Presbyterians of the Middle Colonies to the Congregationalist Puritans of New England. By the 1740’s these churches and their preachers were holding revivals throughout the region. The same strategy was used that William Tennent used. There were emotional and even more powerful sermons because they were preached by extemporaneously preachers like Jonathan Edwards who could deliver vivid, terrifying images of the sinful corruption of human nature and the terrors that awaited the unrepentant sinners in Hell. Jonathan Edwards’ most famous hell, fire and brimstone sermon was “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The revivals in the Northern Colonies drew some to the calling of missionaries to the South. Another great preacher of the First Great Awakening was George Whitefield from England. Whitefield was an ordained minister in the Church of England, but he later joined with other Anglican clergymen who shared his evangelical bent. Among the clergymen were John and Charles Wesley. Together these clergymen led a movement to reform the Church of England, which brought about the founding of the Methodist Church in the latter part of the Eighteenth Century. Whitefield made several trips across the Atlantic to preach throughout the colonies. He would usually draw so many people that the meeting had to be held outdoors. His popularity grew quickly and Whitefield’s ministry appealed to such diverse personalities as Jonathon Edwards and Benjamin Franklin. Whitefield preached what all the Calvinists had been preaching for centuries, but he presented the sermons in a rhetorically different fashion. He would make dramatic gestures, sometimes weeping openly, or thundering out threats of hell. The sermons became theatrical performances to draw sinners in.
Throughout the colonies conservative and moderate clergymen questioned the emotionalism and charged that the revivals were disorderly. They were upset with “itinerants”, ministers who, like Whitefield, would travel from one community to another preaching and often criticizing the local clergy. They were also upset with the fact that women and African Americans would set their social status aside to worship in these revival gatherings. The evangelical ministers and converts would retaliate by calling their conservative and moderate opponents, “cold, uninspiring, and lacking in piety and grace.” Battles raged within congregations and whole denominations over the challenges to clerical authority as well as the evangelical approach to conversion from “the heart” rather than “the head.”
We can see that the First Great Awakening left colonies torn apart along religious lines. Anglicans and Quakers gained many new members among those who disapproved of the revival’s excesses. The Methodists and the Baptists in the 1770’s made even more gains from the evangelical converts. The largest single group of churchgoing Americans remained within the Congregationalist and Presbyterian denominations, but they suffered division internally between advocates and opponents of the Great Awakening. The advocates and opponents were known as “new lights” and “old lights”. Civil government was now drawn into the struggles. “In the colonies where one denomination received state support, other churches lobbied legislatures for disestablishment, an end to the favored status of Congregationalism in Connecticut and Massachusetts and of Anglicanism in the Southern Colonies.”
The Second Great Awakening occurred in the Nineteenth Century in America. America contained a vast array of Protestant sects and denominations, with a wide range of doctrines, practices and organizational forms. By the 1830’s almost all of these sects had an evangelical emphasis in common. Evangelicalism became the dominant form of spiritual expression. What characterized this above all else was the pervasive sense of activist energy it released. This evangelical activism involved a doctrinal shift away from the predominantly Calvinist doctrine that was upheld in much of the Eighteenth Century American Christianity. The Nineteenth Century evangelicals, like Charles Finney, Lyman Beecher or Francis Asbury, were just as staunt in their emphasis on the terrible sinfulness of mankind, but they focused on sin as human action. They preached in their sermons, hell, fire and damnation. They also harbored an unshakable practical belief in the capacity of mankind to make that moral action and in mankind’s ability to turn from sinful behavior and embrace moral action. This belief was known as Armenianism, which emphasized the duty and ability of sinners to repent and renounce sin. The conversion was now understood as an experience. Not only did people live by faith, but also by something that happened to them. There was a real, intensely emotional event they went through, or a transformation. One must possess a genuine, heartfelt realization that they stood justly condemned for one’s sins and deserved eternal damnation. Conviction was considered recognition. The convicted person could not earn salvation, but could only fully repent and surrender unconditionally to God’s will and to serve him fully. “It was this act of repentance, surrender and dedication to serving his will that Finney meant when in his most famous sermon he insisted that “sinners are bound to change their own hearts”.” This moment of conversion was when Christ’s atonement for sin through a merciful God would bestow the grace on the repentant sinner.
The Second Great Awakening had a tremendous effect on society by the number of social reform movements. Finney was a great encourager of these. He believed the gospel did not just get people saved, but was also a means of cleaning up society. He and many of his followers worked to make America a Christian nation. Finney was a strong abolitionist and encouraged Christians to become involved in the anti-slavery movement. Christians became the leaders in many social concerns such as education, prison reform, temperance, Sabbath observance and women’s rights. The Second Great Awakening resulted in the establishment of numerous societies to aid in spreading the gospel. The establishments include the American Bible Society (1816), American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (1810), American Sunday School Union (1817), American Tract Society (1826) and the American Home Missionary Society (1826). The large numbers of Christian workers for social reform became so influential they and the organizations they founded became known as the Benevolent Empire. The Second Great Awakening had a greater effect on society than any other revival in America.
by John Stevens
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Where’s the Children
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." in Matthew 19:14 niv. Some parents were bringing children to Jesus for Him to pray for them. But the disciples felt this was a misuse of Jesus’ time. They began reprimanding those bringing their children. It appears that the disciples had already forgotten what Jesus had said earlier about the value of children and the seriousness of causing them to fall in Matt.18. Jesus scolded the disciples, telling them to let the little children come. Anyone who comes to the Lord in faith is a worthy subject for the kingdom. Jesus had time for the children, and He did not depart from the region until He had blessed them.Where are the children today? Statistics are staggering on the emotional and physical demands that our youth face. There are academics, sports, social pressure, and environmental challenges. They seem to be pushed to grow up faster and faster. But, where is their support system, where do they go to gain insight and wisdom for the challenges that confront them on a daily basis? There are the parents, other family members, teachers, coaches and yes, the church. But are we all doing enough? These youth of today are not only our future but our present. We must not lose sight of the importance of investing in the lives of our young people. Jesus placed a high priority on ministering to the children which insinuates that we should too. As a parent how much time each day do you spend with your child? How do you use that time? How do you invest in their lives now and for eternity? As a teacher or a coach how do you encourage and build character and self esteem in these young lives? Is it not just as important to learn the alphabet as it is to understand healthy relationships? Is it not just as important to learn how to lose well as it is to win well? And the Church, it is exciting to see churches serving together to accomplish successful outreach ministries like Upwards Basketball, Vacation Bible Schools, Fifth Quarters, and the list goes on. These are ministries that not only teach life skills but leave an eternal mark on the hearts of these young lives. Can we do too much, can we get too creative, and can we love these children more than we should? I don’t think so. It is cool to see churches getting out of the box per say and focusing on the lives and spiritual future of our children. This focus will make a difference in how the community views the church and in the direction these children choose to follow.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Czech Republic Missions Trip 2009
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." esv
I have been blessed these last few weeks to travel abroad to the Czech Republic with Grace International Ministries. After the grueling eleven hour plane ride and a little jetlag, the excitement began. Our mission team of four, Todd Richmond, John and Sandi Dossal and I began the week by visiting Kralovapolska Church members in the city of Brno where we also enjoyed worship on our first Sunday. The reception we received in each house we visited was wonderful. We found a community of believers excited and passionate about their faith and life lived for Christ. The city of Brno was beautiful and full of movement. The people in the second largest city in Czech transitioned from one tram to another and from one shop to the next. Life was fast-paced and there seemed to be much to accomplish. We spent time at one of the castles and highest points of the city late one night just praying over the people of the city for a great awakening in their hearts to God’s truths.
Mid-week we all enjoyed a small group meeting at a new church plant in a neighboring city, Slavkov. Eleven families were gathered for worship in the Word, music and prayer. It was an exciting atmosphere with a promising future. Once again the people were all very warm and welcoming and passionate about Jesus.
As the week neared the end we traveled by train to a church in Nachod. There we were graciously greeted by Pastor Rosti and Dana and a loving congregation of people. We enjoyed a 40-Something’s meeting, a youth group meeting and a vibrantly alive Sunday morning worship service. The Word was presented, communion was served and Christ was exalted.
Before making our long journey back over the ocean and returning to our families we traveled by bus to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. There we met with some Reach Global Missionaries for dinner and fellowship and spent a night enjoying the sights and history of Prague.
I am thankful for the opportunities God has given me to meet new friends and to team up with them in prayer and missions.
I have been blessed these last few weeks to travel abroad to the Czech Republic with Grace International Ministries. After the grueling eleven hour plane ride and a little jetlag, the excitement began. Our mission team of four, Todd Richmond, John and Sandi Dossal and I began the week by visiting Kralovapolska Church members in the city of Brno where we also enjoyed worship on our first Sunday. The reception we received in each house we visited was wonderful. We found a community of believers excited and passionate about their faith and life lived for Christ. The city of Brno was beautiful and full of movement. The people in the second largest city in Czech transitioned from one tram to another and from one shop to the next. Life was fast-paced and there seemed to be much to accomplish. We spent time at one of the castles and highest points of the city late one night just praying over the people of the city for a great awakening in their hearts to God’s truths.
Mid-week we all enjoyed a small group meeting at a new church plant in a neighboring city, Slavkov. Eleven families were gathered for worship in the Word, music and prayer. It was an exciting atmosphere with a promising future. Once again the people were all very warm and welcoming and passionate about Jesus.
As the week neared the end we traveled by train to a church in Nachod. There we were graciously greeted by Pastor Rosti and Dana and a loving congregation of people. We enjoyed a 40-Something’s meeting, a youth group meeting and a vibrantly alive Sunday morning worship service. The Word was presented, communion was served and Christ was exalted.
Before making our long journey back over the ocean and returning to our families we traveled by bus to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. There we met with some Reach Global Missionaries for dinner and fellowship and spent a night enjoying the sights and history of Prague.
I am thankful for the opportunities God has given me to meet new friends and to team up with them in prayer and missions.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
"Whatever"
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. esvJesus encouraged His disciples to have faith in God the Father. Faith that rests in God’s providential will, His omnipotent power and unfailing love. Jesus said with a bit of hyperbole that whoever says to this mountain go, throw yourself into the sea, it will be done for him by God. The one clause is the absence of doubt and unwavering trust in God, that the petition will be granted. Such faith seems difficult especially considering the economic situations many people today find themselves in. But do we truly and faithfully believe that prayer, more specifically our prayers tap into God’s power to accomplish the humanly impossible. Even if at times it is as simply profound as giving us an attitude adjustment. Jesus is encouraging us that have a relationship with Him to believe that we have already received it on the Biblical mandate that our petition was in harmony with God’s will. 1 John 5:14 says; And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. esv God is always ready to respond to His obedient servants request made in prayer, and we can pray to Him knowing that no circumstances or difficulty is impossible for our Sovereign God. The question is; are we living a “Whatever” life? Do we wake up saying whatever you have for me today Lord that brings you the most glory that’s what I’ll gladly take. Whatever you need me to do and be to answer someone else’s prayer, guide me, lead me and I will go cheerfully. Whatever I say let it be your words trumpeting from my lips, let it encourage others in the faith and volcanically erupt with your honor. Whatever my life is let it be all you are intending it to be to spread your wondrous beauty and love. I pray you desire to live the “WHATEVER” life for God.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
"I Refuse To Be Discouraged"
I refuse to be discouraged, To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted, and here's the reason why . . .
I have a God who's mighty, Who's sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me, and I am on His team.
He is all wise and powerful, Jesus is His name;
Though everything is changing, My God remains the same.
My God knows all that's happening; Beginning to the end,
His presence is my comfort, He is my dearest friend.
When sickness comes to weaken me, To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God; Into His arms I go.
When circumstances threaten, to rob me of my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast, Where all my strivings cease.
And when my heart melts within me, and weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms, He soothes my heart and soul.
The great "I AM" is with me, My life is in His hand,
The "Son of God" he is my hope, It's in His strength I stand.
I refuse to be defeated, My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me, as through this life I trod.
I'm looking past my circumstances, To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God, I'm resting in His love.
His grace is everlasting, He helps me to endure,
When all the world is doubting, in him I can be sure.
I give God thanks for mercy, My eyes are on His face;
The battle's His, the victory is mine; He'll help me win this race.
Author unknown
I refuse to be discouraged, To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted, and here's the reason why . . .
I have a God who's mighty, Who's sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me, and I am on His team.
He is all wise and powerful, Jesus is His name;
Though everything is changing, My God remains the same.
My God knows all that's happening; Beginning to the end,
His presence is my comfort, He is my dearest friend.
When sickness comes to weaken me, To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God; Into His arms I go.
When circumstances threaten, to rob me of my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast, Where all my strivings cease.
And when my heart melts within me, and weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms, He soothes my heart and soul.
The great "I AM" is with me, My life is in His hand,
The "Son of God" he is my hope, It's in His strength I stand.
I refuse to be defeated, My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me, as through this life I trod.
I'm looking past my circumstances, To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God, I'm resting in His love.
His grace is everlasting, He helps me to endure,
When all the world is doubting, in him I can be sure.
I give God thanks for mercy, My eyes are on His face;
The battle's His, the victory is mine; He'll help me win this race.
Author unknown
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