We begin a new Advent preaching series at Christ Church entitled God Came Near.  The series will explore the truth of the incarnation of Jesus from John chapter one, with the first message  focusing on the promised King.  I always enjoy celebrating the Advent season with the Christ Church family as we are reminded again of God's faithful promise of both the first and second coming (advent) of Christ. We'll hear God's promises through the reading of His Word, we will be reminded of the Light that has come in the lighting of the Advent wreath and we will sing songs of His drawing near to this world. One of my favorite songs of this season is Charles Wesley's Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.  The words of this song echo loudly over all that the world is experiencing in these days.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee

Israel's strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a king
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring

By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine own sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

I invite you to join us as we remember and look to the future together.

Come soon Lord Jesus!

Tomorrow begins a new preaching series at Christ Church entitled Jesus Christ- Son of God- Hope of the World.  I am so looking forward to the next several weeks as we journey through the Bible to discover more about the person and work of Jesus Christ.  We will investigate the claims of scripture that refer to Jesus as  Born of a Woman, Son of Man, Prophet, The Great High Priest, The Suffering Servant, The Risen Savior ,The Conquering King, The Lamb of God, and more.

I invite and encourage anyone in our area to gather with us to hear about and exalt the name of Jesus with us as Easter approaches. I hope to see you at one of our gatherings in Michigan City or LaPorte.

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Proverbs 13:20

Who are you walking with?  May seem like an easy question to answer.  One can consider their family, circle of friends, church, small group, co-workers, etc to be the answer to this question. While these options are true,  can I ask you to consider something in addition to what may seem obvious?  

How about media?  

TV shows, music, social media, blogs, and the like greatly expands our circles of connectivity to what I would propose culminate to be a very influential force in our lives.  While we may be able to censor entertainment on the fly or disagree with social media posts, significant durations of time with someone (whether in person or not) or something will truly affect our lives.  Proverbs 13:20 tells us, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Who are you walking with?

I encourage you to take a few days and evaluate who you are "walking with"  and after spending time with _________ (people, entertainment, social media, blogs...) consider the following:

• Have I been reminded of Jesus' love for me and others?
• Was God honored in my time with __________?
• Have I been encouraged or discouraged?  Did I encourage or discourage?
• Have I been stretched in my thinking?  
• Did I learn something of value?
• Did this time make me fearful?
• Have I been strengthened.

Life is short-too short to walk with fools. Don't "walk" with them.  May you see and know Jesus in your walk.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” --Luke 9:23-24

In our current teaching series Back To Basics, we are exploring the fundamentals of three crucial pieces of the Christian life-Community, Discipleship, and Mission.  In last week's sermon  we were reminded of how the church responded to chaos and uncertainty in Acts 4:23-31.

In Acts 3, Peter preaches the gospel to many who have gathered in awe because God had healed a lame man, resulting in a multitude of people finding their salvation in Christ.  Peter and  John are subsequently arrested and held overnight to face their accusers in the morning.  When the chief priests and elders gather the next day, Peter boldly preaches the gospel to them in the face of an uncertain outcome.  Finding no other way to punish them, the officials release Peter and John with an order to stop preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is where we see the immediate action of the community of Jesus found in Acts 4.

Upon their release,  Peter and John return to the community of Christ-followers and give report of all that had happened to them.  This news surely cast a bit of fear and uncertainty among this new church as to what other persecution and harm may come their way.  Here is what they did upon hearing the news.

And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  (Acts 4:24-30, ESV)

What an incredible response!  Instead of cowering in fear, the community moves to action in the following ways:

• They gather together, displaying their understanding of the power of Christian community. They didn't hide or take the day off for some "me time."
• They pray, displaying an understanding and trust in God's sovereignty.
• They reflect on and respond to the Word of God, displaying a love and trust for the scriptures.
• They ask for boldness to continue to preach the Gospel, displaying a love for their neighbors and fellow men.

D.A. Carson writes,

"Oddly, however, they didn’t pray for the defeat of the evil forces, or for their own safety, but rather for boldness and for the hand of God to heal and perform signs and wonders. Their answer came with the awesome shaking of their meeting place and the granting of their request to speak boldly1."

We are praying that we would face chaos and uncertainty in the same manner. Are you cowering, seeking your own rights, complaining and hiding in the difficult, chaotic, and uncertain moments of life?  Or, are you praying for God's will, trusting in the promises of His Word, and asking God to give you boldness to share the good news of Jesus with those in your situation?  It's a big step for many, and a course of change for sure.  May God grant the ground your standing on to shake and give you boldness that you've never realized.

1. Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., pp. 1074–1075). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

This year's winter has been brutal for all of us in the Chicagoland area and the entire country.  Has the gloom and cold affected you?  Dr. David Murray has written a helpful post at his blog HeadHeartHand about seasonal affective disorder.  I encourage you to take a minute and benefit from the helpful tips he provides.  You can read the post here.

Are you exhausted?  Does your thirsty body and soul crave a deep drink of the cool waters of rest?  We all do.  My friend Daniel Montgomery has offered some great insights at his blog that will teach and remind you of your design and need  for rest.   You can read this post here.  Let's pray for each other as we seek to obey, enjoy, and flourish in God's gift of rest.

Thanks to the help of a great brother, my blog has been refreshed and is easier on the eyes.  I hope that my thoughts shared here will encourage you and point you to Jesus.