NEWSLETTER 

January 14, 2013 

Pastor Tony presents plan for small groups in 2013

 
The first Core Group meeting of the year was held Saturday afternoon at the new Gospel Life offices.  At about 2:15 p.m. Pastor Joannie presided over the meeting and made a few housekeeping remarks before getting started.  For one thing, all church gate and door keys have to be turned in, and only the staff will have a key to the office.

  

Everyone liked the plan to serve coffee and cookies from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. on Saturdays before the church service. This will be done at the church portico or porch.  It was also decided that the same groups that we used to have for our fellowship lunches in the past year be utilized for the coffee service rotation, and that they will also be responsible for setting up the coffee service and for the minimal post-service clean-up, just to make sure no trash is scattered about.  This will help get the church ready for the City Blessing Church service on Sundays.  Bathrooms will need to be checked also but no heavy cleaning or scrubbing will be necessary.

  

We will have plans for more social events perhaps on a monthly basis after a Saturday evening church service. Suggestions for these type gatherings are welcome.

  

Pastor L J made it clear that the coffee and cookies will be cleared after 4:45 p.m. Those who come later than that time may not expect the coffee service to still be running.  Church service begins at 5:00 p.m.  There will be at least three praise and worship songs in the beginning before the Good News Hour.  First Saturdays will retain the format of the First Sunday services we have been accustomed to.

  

More emphasis on the Wednesday evening "Awakening" service is being developed.  There will be a lengthier praise and worship service similar to "the River" experience we have had previously on Sunday mornings. The service is meant to "awaken" your spirit and to experience a more intimate relationship with Jesus. The use of the microphone to give short testimonies, relate experiences concisely, or to share God's word to you or to the congregation is encouraged.

  

Pastor Hansel announced a "kingdom lifestyle" interactive session every 2nd and 4th Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. at the office.  (This began yesterday.)  All are invited to attend.  It is intended to be a showcase for what the Lion's Den School is about, and he calls it "Lion's Den Lite" because it is not the actual Lion's Den curriculum. Pastor Hansel hopes to help release people who attend into more powerful lives. It is open to all age groups. "Observers" are allowed to attend, and there is no charge for these sessions. There will be a "certificate of completion" for those who attend and complete the course. 

  

Pastor Tony laid out a rather detailed plan for small groups in 2013, among the objectives being to increase the number of small groups meeting in the course of the week, and to increase participation of the small groups in different ministries and projects, primarily to be actively involved in their respective communities. These small groups do not necessarily have to be bible study groups.  They can be common interest groups, such as cooking, woodworking, photography, etc.  He says these groups can be like "birds of a feather" groups, divided into various projects of interest.       

  

Strategies to accomplish these plans were outlined.  These include designation of resource speakers "specializing" in specific lessons and identifying hosts and facilitators as well as teachers/speakers for these groups.  Among the action plans that Pastor Tony enumerated are those that will provide training for resource speakers, hosts and facilitators, document and disseminate the process to facilitate formation of small groups, and to design and implement some kind of a monitoring system for the progress of small groups.  He asked for any additional ideas to be  submitted to him.                            

  

  

A Dedicatory Prayer Circle

 
The office blessing and dedication capped the Core Group meeting on Saturday afternoon.  Pastor John gave a few remarks indicating that "this is not just an office" but that it's use will be maximized to accommodate the ministries, the small groups, the programs and seminars and any other endeavor that individuals or groups may want to use it for. He further stated that all boundaries must be wrecked and destroyed to make us truly into a church without walls.

  

The group of approximately fifty who were present joined their hands in a circle as a prayer of blessing and dedication ascended heavenward.

  
Just like any other Gospel Life gathering the "party food" appeared out of nowhere soon after the Core Group meeting and office dedication was done!

  

There was a variety of party fare and finger foods for all to enjoy.  Conversations among groups seated together were vigorous and animated in some instances and most everyone made a second or third trip to the
serving table to get some more of their favorite items among those that were being served.

  

As quickly as the food service tables and food trays and containers were set up they were also promptly and quickly taken away, folded and/or stored. The "party goers" headed to the church for the Saturday evening service at 5:00 p.m.

 
In his continuing series on what the gospel is not about, Pastor John added another dimension in that he spoke of the gospel as not being about self-improvement.

Pastor John prefaced his message with man's long history of trying to do things himself in order to become better, to achieve better, and to live well, to follow a non-biblical adage that "God helps those who help themselves," which is actually a quote from Benjamin Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanac." He further said that the "old self" is inherited and "human nature" cannot be improved.

  

According to the bible, the "old self" is totally depraved (Romans 7:18), hostile to God's rule (Romans 8:7), and spiritually dead (1 Corinthians 2:14). Instead of giving us the ability to improve our "old nature" God made us into a new person, with a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our transformation requires being born again with a new purity (Exekiel 36:25), and a new identity (Ephesians 2:10). Not being born again means we are powerless. But it is God who gives the desire both to obey and to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13).

  

Even when we sin, God does not throw us out. Instead of letting us improve the "old self" He set us free from it by crucifying it with Christ on the cross (Romans 6:6,7).  Our old sinful self or "sinful nature" was crucified with Christ, and when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. We were given a new nature.

  

Why are we still sinning?  The answer is that there is no solution for it now, but rather it was taken care of at the cross! We don't need to struggle with sin anymore because of our freedom in Christ. This means that we are free from condemnation because we are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1,2). We are also free from the "old self 's" control (Romans 8:9). Further, we are free to fail (2 Corinthians 5:19), because God no longer holds us guilty of our sins, this being His message for the world to be reconciled to Him. Condemnation, guilt or shame is not part of God's agenda.  It's from the devil or "from your relatives," he said.

  

God is determined to transform us.  He sometimes allows us to fail so we can realize how much He loves us.  In the midst of our failures he is closest to us.  Our failures do not diminish our status in the Kingdom.  God's glory is demonstrated by people who realize that God sees us in the potential to be like Christ. In Christ, we are fully acceptable to the Father.

  

Lastly, freedom in Christ means we are free to fulfill our royal destiny (Romans 8:28,29) since all things work together for good to them who love God, and it is no longer "I, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).  Overcoming the "flesh" is accomplished only by trusting Jesus and transformation comes about not due to our ability to do so ourselves, but because of Christ's sacrifice.

  

The result is that we put on the mind of Christ; we see each other as Christ sees us.  When we interact with each other it must come from our new nature. We would stop blaming others, or hanging on to our hurts and our resentments.  "Not I, but Christ!" 

 

Tessa Charles

 

 

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Telephone: (626) 965-4300