Disciple making training video

This is a 27 minute section of a very challenging video on discipleship.
This section of the sermon connects well with Pastor Duke's sermon this past Sunday.
I would also encourage you to check out the conference at http://vimeo.com/55830629
We watched this video at the Disciplemaking seminar this past Saturday.



From Multiply with David Platt and Francis Chan from Emmanuel Baptist Church on Vimeo.

GUEST FRIENDLY CHURCH MEMBERS

by Tom Rainer
1. Thou shalt pray for people in the services whom you don’t recognize.  They are likely guests who feel uncomfortable and uncertain.
2. Thou shalt smile.  You only have to do so for about an hour. Guests feel welcome when they see smiling people. You can resume your somber expressions when you get home.
3. Thou shalt not sit on the ends of the rows.  Move to the middle so guests don’t have to walk over you. You’ll survive in your new precarious position.
4. Thou shalt not fill up the back rows first.  Move to the front so guests don’t have to walk in front of everyone if they get there late.
5. Thou shalt have ushers to help seat the guests.  Ushers should have clearly-marked badges or shirts so that the guests know who can help them.
6. Thou shalt offer assistance to guests.  If someone looks like they don’t know where to go, then they probably don’t know where to go. Get out of your comfort zone and ask them if you can help.
7. Thou shalt not gather too long in your holy huddles.  Sure, it’s okay to talk to fellow members; but don’t stay there so long that you are not speaking to guests.
8. Thou shalt offer your seats to guests.  I know that this move is a great sacrifice, but that family of four can’t fit in the three vacant seats next to you. Give it a try. You might actually feel good about your efforts.
9. Thou shalt not save seats.  I know you want to have room for all of your friends and family, but do you know how a guest feels when he or she sees the vacant seats next to you occupied by three hymnals, one Bible, two coats, and an umbrella? You might as well put a “Do Not Trespass” sign on the seats.
10. Thou shalt greet someone you don’t know.  Yes, it’s risky. They may actually be members you don’t know. And you may get caught in a 45-second conversation. You’ll be okay; I promise.
http://thomrainer.com/2013/03/30/ten-commandments-for-guest-friendly-church-members/#.UWEGXKKG2So

Stewardship.

One of the Soul Care questions this week is "Consider your last ten purchases.  Did they represent good stewardship or not?  Why did you answer the way you did?"

I included the following statement in parentheses "questions about the use of money usually shut down conversations.  That should not be the case."

In the past when there have been questions about personal finances in the past, people have shared concerns with me about the personal nature of  these questions.

Here is my reason for asking these types of questions.  If finances is one of the most personal areas of life, shouldn't we be willing to talk about this topic with others to help ourselves and others grow.  These types of questions are very revealing.  Shouldn't we desire to grow in transparency.

Let's pray together that each of us would be wise, Godly stewards and that we would help others do the same.

Pastor Dave Rodgers

Excited to be With the church on Sunday NOT @ the church!

recently, I have been reminded over and over again that the church is so much more than a building at a specific location.  The church is a body of believers who gather together to celebrate communion and baptism and worship the Lord by not only listening to sermons but even more so living life together.  

I sent a note out to the teachers this Sunday that contained the sentence...
"Looking forward to being back with the rest of Emmanuel this Sunday!"  

I very purposefully chose those words.  
It was so great to be with believers from our church while ministering in Jamaica.
It will be great to be with the members of our church in worship this Sunday.  

While I appreciate our church building, it is not THE church.
What is most excited about the church is not coming to a specific place, even if there is new construction on the building.
What is most excited about the church is the spiritual growth of people .

This Sunday...

...we will be having a farewell reception and love offering for Pastor Andrew & Katie as they continue their service to our Lord by pursuing seminary training in WA. Please continue to pray for them and come ready to express your gratitude with a love gift 
that will be presented to them.

Prayer requests from Nick

Some prayer requests,

• safety during travel and on the work site.
• opportunity to go to the local schools and talk about the crucifixion and resurrection.
• for our family members that will be staying here.  It can be tough on children and spouses being gone for 10 days
• for God to work in each of our lives to show us the great need to spread the gospel around the world.
• to be an encouragement to our missionaries Ken & Clea Rathbun.

Some things that I am looking forward to on the trip are the opportunity to go to the local schools and to get to know Ken & Clea better. 
We don't get opportunities to speak about anything religious in nature in our schools here in the states, let alone about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is a huge opportunity especially in the week leading up to Easter Sunday.  
I also look forward to getting to know Ken & Clea better on this trip and to hopefully be an encouragement to them and their ministry.  Taking trips like this allows us more time with our missionaries that we don't normally get and gives us an opportunity to really get to know them better and their heart for their ministry.

Prayer requests from the JAM13 team

Joan, Renee, A.J. and others have shared some prayers requests regarding the JAM13 team.  Check out ebcjam13.blogspot.com to see these requests and team updates.

Suffering and Prayer

Think about this as you pray.

You may not always know the cause of your suffering 

BUT you can know the purpose of your suffering...  

     God’s glory!

The Battle is the LORD's and the Bible is about the LORD.

This seven minute video from Children Desiring God explain what we want to be teaching and preaching to adults and children @ Emmanuel Baptist Church.
God centered teaching not man-centered thinking.

https://vimeo.com/60181452#at=0

The story of David and Goliath is not the story of David and Goliath.
The story is NOT about David's sling shot skill or great courage.
The story is NOT about Saul's cowardice.
THE STORY IS ABOUT GOD'S GLORY.

A Plea To Pray For Your Pastor...

This is part of a message by John MacArthur on praying for your pastor.

"If we're going to raise the spiritually dead we need the power of prayer. So when you pray for your pastor pray for his safety, his wisdom, his direction and his proclamation. One more, number five, pray for his spiritual strength...pray for his spiritual strength. And this is so general that it isn't even isolated, only to the pastor. But going back in to Ephesians chapter 6 we remind ourselves about the armor of the Christian and spiritual warfare. We learn in chapter 6 of Ephesians verse 12 that there's a struggle not against flesh and blood but against the rulers and the powers and the world forces of darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies and all of that. And we learn about the spiritual battle that goes on as the enemy Satan and his hellions, demons engage themselves to pollute the already weak human flesh and turn us away from spiritual strength and so finally coming down in to verse 18 he says this, "With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit and with this in view be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints and pray on my behalf." And then he links it up with proclamation. But it goes both ways. I need your prayers for spiritual strength as well as proclamation. I need you to pray for me. Pray for us that we may be kept from sin, that we may walk carefully not as fools but as wise redeeming the time. Pray for us that our hearts may be more devoted to God and our lives more impressive examples of the message we preach. Pray for us that we may be more completely furnished to all good works and that we may be victorious in all spiritual battles. Pray for us that we may put on the armor of God, that we may be more faithful and wise to win souls, that we may discipline our body and bring it in to subjection lest in preaching to others we would become disqualified. Pray for us."

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/52-36

Atheist Penn Jillette talks about evangelism...

Penn is an outspoken atheist.

In this video, though, he asks

How much do you have to hate someone 

to not share the Gospel with him?

Penn's atheism is very clear throughout the video

but his appreciation for a man who gave him 

a Bible is also very clear.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w

The Power of God - The Gospel

From the Gospel Primer (14 and 15)

"Outside of heaven, the power of God in its highest density is found inside the gospel.  This must be so, for the Bible twice describes the gospel as 'the power of God' (Romans 1:16 & 1 Corinthians 1:18).  Nothing else in all of Scripture is ever described in this way, except for the Person of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:24).  Such a description indicates that the gospel is not only powerful, but that it is the ultimate entity in which God's power resides and does its greatest work."
"Indeed, God's power is seen in erupting volcanoes, in the unimaginably hot boil of our massive sun, and in the lightning speed of a recently discovered star seen streaking through the heavens at 1.5 million miles per hour.  Yet in scripture such wonders are never labeled 'the power of God'.  How powerful, then must the gospel be that it would merit such a title!  And how great is the salvation it could accomplish in my life, if I would only embrace it by faith and give it a central place in my thoughts each day!"

Prayer Is a Great Place to Begin Biblical Counseling

"The driving focus of biblical prayer
  asks God to show himself,
  asks that we will know him,
  asks that we will love others.
It names our troubles.
It names our troublesome reactions and temptations.
It names our holy desires.
It names our God, his promises, and his will."

To read the whole article click HERE

Unashamed prayers

Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:15
he died for all, 
that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him 
who for their sake died and was raised

Prayer:
"God, I want to live a life that is all about you.  
Help me to live out the truth of the gospel as I depend on Jesus more and more.
Jesus Christ died for me.
Strengthen me and help me live my life dependent upon him for His glory."

Then you can pray for specific prayer requests like health and finances as opportunities to glorify God and grow in dependence upon Jesus.

When people are big and God is small resources

Some quotes and resources related to the book Pastor Duke referred to on Sunday.
tinyurl.com/whenpeoplearebig

Who is in control?

"It is true: what or who you need will control you."

(When People Are Big and God is Small, p. 14)

Prayer...

Lord, I need you.  But right now my need for ________________ is controlling me.  
It is causing me to ....

In you, God, there is...

Amen!!

Prayer for your family

This past Sunday in EKIDZ, the lesson title was "God preserves Joseph."
The practical activity we did in the 1st through 5th grade class was making a family prayer list
(ekidzministry.blogspot.com).

In light of our current NO FEAR series this prayer lesson would be good for each of us to do.

The two big lessons from this activity are:
1.  Our families are not designed to focus on us.  God needs to be the center.
2.  There are specific things we can be praying for our family members.  Rather than worrying about our family, we should be praying to God for them.

Fear of People...

“1. We fear people because they can expose and humiliate us. 2. We fear people because they can reject, ridicule, or despise us. 3. We fear people because they can attack, oppress, or threaten us. These three reasons have one thing in common: they see people as “bigger” (that is, more powerful and significant) than God, and, out of the fear that creates in us, we give other people the power and right to tell us what to feel, think, and do.” 
― Edward T. Welch, When People Are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man

PRAYER FOCUS:  Don't let me get caught up in the fear of people!

When People Are Big and God Is Small

When People Are Big and God Is Small is a great book that specifically addresses the fear of man.

This post is taken from Justin Taylor's blog

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Proverbs 29:25

“Fear of man is such a part of our human fabric that we should check for pulse if someone denies it.”–Ed Welch, When People Are Big and God Is Small.

In order to fear God, not man, here are the steps Welch sets forth in his book, which I’ve just started and would warmly commend:

Step 1: Recognize that the fear of man is a major theme both in the Bible and in your own life.

Step 2: Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by people in your past.

Step 3: Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by the assumptions of the world.

Step 4: Understand and grow in the fear of the Lord. The person who fears God will fear nothing else.

Step 5: Examine where your desires have been too big. When we fear people, people are big, our desires are even bigger, and God is small.

Step 6: Rejoice that God has covered your shame, protected you from danger, and accepted you. He has filled you with love.

Step 7: Need other people less, love other people more. Out of obedience to Christ, and as a response to his love toward you, pursue others in love.

Psalms with the word fortress

Psalm 18
Psalm 31
Psalm 46
Psalm 59
Psalm 62
Psalm 71
Psalm 91
Psalm 144