First City Church

The Time Has Come

2011-11-30T12:05:00.001-06:00

21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24 (NIV)

Jesus said to the woman at the well that a “time is coming” when worship will no longer be a matter of location. Not only is it coming, he said “it has come.” Most often in this passage we rightfully focus on what it means to worship “in spirit and in truth,” but reflect for a moment on what follows: “they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” We typically equate our worship with seeking after the presence of God. Jesus said that God is seeking after us. God is not waiting on us to find him; he is seeking after us. He is not, in Jesus own words, seeking worship but worshipers. Whatever else it may mean, a personal relationship with God at is at the center of “spirit and truth.”

Jesus in the Margins

2011-11-16T13:41:00.001-06:00

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not he healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” — Matthew 9:10-13

This coming Sunday, 11.20.11, we’ll begin a new 4 part lesson series entitled “Jesus in the Margins.” Jesus was castigated for spending time with tax collectors and sinners, prostitutes and lepers, the people who had been marginalized by the religious establishment and polite society. Yet, for his part, Jesus said this should be no surprise to anyone. That’s like fussing at a doctor for spending all his time in the clinic!

Not that Jesus minds being fussed at . . . what really matters, what is fundamental in relationship with God and with one another are those profound words of truth: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Disciples of Jesus are called to extend mercy and grace to everyone. Our worship of God, our sacrifice, never entitles us to look down on anyone else, to kick anyone to the margins, to be exclusionary. Go and learn what this means: God in heaven and God Jesus in the flesh loves everyone; cares about everyone; desires relationship with everyone.

The Encouragement App: 10.30.11

2011-10-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

Here’s a great quote from John Maxwell, “Man does not live by bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.” The need for encouragement, for positive affirmation in our lives and our relationships cannot be overstated. Social scientists study something called the positivity/negativity ratio (P/N). Studies consistently demonstrate that for teams of people who work together there is a direct relationship between the P/N ratio and team performance. More positive reinforcement equals higher performance. More negativity equals poorer performance. Others have found that marriages with a ratio of 5:1 (5 positive statements for every every one negative statement) flourish while whose with ratios less than 1 (more negative than positive) most often end in divorce.

It takes willful and directed effort to keep the ratio where it needs to be in our relationships. There is something in all of us that tends to default to negativity and criticism if we aren’t mindful about it. And, let’s be honest, we also can heap negativity on ourselves just as easily as we pour it on others. In the New Testament Barnabas was known as the “son of encouragement.” It will serve us all well to be a Barnabas in our marriages, in raising our children, in our workplace, in our church family and in our community. Join us this coming Sunday as we learn about “The Encouragement App.”

PS – This coming Sunday, 10/30/11, is the day when our Sunday worship times are changing to 9 & 11 A.M.

10.23.11: The Trust App

2011-10-18T10:51:00.002-05:00

Shakespeare’s play “All’s Well that Ends Well” opens with young Bertram assuming the title of Count of Rossillion following the death of his father. Bertram asks his mother for advice and she shares the following with him:

Be thou blest, Bertram, and succeed thy father
In manners, as in shape! thy blood and virtue
Contend for empire in thee, and thy goodness
Share with thy birthright!
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none . . .

This Sunday, 10/23, we’ll be considering the importance of trust.; trust is an essential element of strong and healthy relationships. Trust is critical in our marriages, our families, even in our business and work relationships. Faith and trust are the basis of our relationship with God. So, did the countess have it right? Are we best off only trusting a select few or is there another way? Come and join us as we seek God’s wisdom on the matter of trust.

The Rest App: 10.16.11

2011-10-11T08:18:00.000-05:00

According to the National Sleep Foundation (yes, there really is one), Americans are not getting enough sleep. In fact, 2/3′s of our adult population gets less than the minimum recommended amount of 7 hours on any given week night. And sleeping in on Saturday doesn’t catch you up. Most of us are living with a growing sleep deficit that affects our moods, our performance, our relationships and leaves us feeling fatigued much of the time. So, why are we staying up so late at night? It seems that technology is the main enemy of sleep and rest for many of us . . . TV, cell phones and texting, computers and video games. Many people report that several nights a week they engage in these brain stimulating activities in the hour before they go to bed several nights a week. We can switch off the computer or the TV but we can’t switch off our brain. All of the artificial light and stimulation from these devices fire up the brain with the effect of rendering us awake and alert and unable to fall asleep when our heads hit the pillow.

From the very beginning, in the Genesis creation story, God gave priority to the importance of rest . . . on the seventh day God rested from his labor. Come and join us this week we seek God’s wisdom about the importance of rest. And then go home and have a good Sunday afternoon nap!

The Confession App: 10.09.11

2011-10-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

Judging from the proliferation of on-line sites, a lot of us are feeling the need for confession. Check out this CNN article about on-line confession . . . http://goo.gl/wQOZm Here’s a quote from one site: The online confessional is a place for you to unburden your soul of the sins and crimes you’ve committed. It’s a place for you to confess what you’ve done without fear of censure or ridicule. It is a place where it is safe for you to release your inner demons without being identified. The words you post here are forever detached from any identity you wish to create. What is here remains here, and your words in this place will never return to you. How convenient. If you’re Catholic, however, the Vatican says “no” to online confession . . . http://goo.gl/GJg54 Here’s a quote from another on-line confessional: Many people find that the act of confession is useful in moving past mistakes of the past. It is also a useful way to begin a commitment to a better life in the future. It helps eliminate the toxic residue of guilt from your life. As you unburden yourself of past sins, remember to also forgive those who have wronged you. This will help greatly with the process and bring additional peace. Write about your sins here. If you don’t want to write about your sins, you may enter an “X” to signify that you have thought about your sins and wish to turn from them and seek forgiveness.

If you browse some of these sites and read the online confessions that have been posted (don’t recommend this as many of the seem to be R rated and beyond) it is clear that folks are wanting to confess but not many seem very interested in changing their behavior. They want absolution without the repentance that leads to a changed life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship is a timeless warning about the dangers of this:

Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like a cheapjack’s wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut-rate prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! And the essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Since the cost was infinite, the possibilities of using and spending it are infinite. What would grace be, if it were not cheap? . . . In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin . . . Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, (it is) baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

This coming Sunday we’ll continue our study of Life Applications, focusing on the importance of the Confession App. We’ll see that the goal of confession is not a clear conscience, but a changed life. Genuine confession leads to genuine change.

The Forgiveness App: 10.02.11

2011-09-26T08:26:00.001-05:00

The Forgiveness App: Forgiven People Forgive

Don Henley wrote a great lyric:
I've been tryin' to get down to the heart of the matter,
But my will gets weak,
And my thoughts seem to scatter,
But I think it's about forgiveness, forgiveness,
Even if, even if you don't love me anymore.

Life and relationships are at times messy, complicated, painful, disappointing, hurtful, aggrieving and all the rest. Michael Stipes said it this way, “everybody hurts sometime.” It’s a part of the human experience. We’ve all been hurt, wronged, let down and treated unfairly. And , let’s be honest, we all done it to someone else. But the real heart of the matter is what we do with the hurt and disappointment.

We can nurse it into a grudge, resentment and ultimately a desire for revenge. Sometimes we secretly hold it inside; sometimes we go public. Either way, it doesn’t get any better but instead tightens its hold, robbing us of life and joy and never allowing us to move on. We become stuck in time, consumed by the moment of our injury.

Paul wrote this to the believers in Rome (Romans 12:17-21):
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NIV)

There is an app for those who’ve been hurt and it’s called forgiveness. The forgiveness and grace that we have found in Christ call us to extend grace and forgiveness to others. We only dig the hole deeper when we repay evil for evil. Forgiveness is always the way forward.

2011-09-22T10:08:00.005-05:00

New Lesson Series Starting 09.25.11: Life Apps

"There's an app for that!" Seems like everyone has an app for everything. But, rather than something for your smartphone, what if there were life apps that would make life easier, more rewarding, that would nurture healthy relationships? Long before the iLife, the scriptures revealed God's wisdom and design for an abundant life.

We'll be talking about five specific life applications or practices Christians are called to embrace as a part of their lifestyle:
The Forgiveness App
The Confession App
The Rest App
The Trust App
The Encouragement App

This Sunday, 9/25: Application is Everything

James 1:22-25 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he does. (NIV)

Matthew 7:24-25 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. (NIV)

The lesson is straightforward and true: we must use the app to get the benefit. Application is everything!

Community Meal: 09.18.11

2011-09-19T11:20:00.002-05:00

Face book pictures from Community Meal posted here . . . http://goo.gl/JVy7h

Every third Sunday FCC provides the evening meal at the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen. And every month it is a blessing for all who come together, for those who eat and for those who serve. Those who eat receive a home cooked meal, a “goody bag” which contains personal toiletries, socks and some sweet treats, a bag lunch for the next day and clothing items are also available for those who need them. For those who serve there is the blessing of seeing men, women and children enjoy the meal, the joy of being part of a serving community. For both groups, those who eat and those who serve, there is the blessing of connection and shared conversation, of new friendships and relationships. If you think about it, there aren’t really two groups . . . for a couple of hours every Sunday evening we are one family.

Grief Journey

2011-09-16T07:42:00.002-05:00

The loss of a loved one puts us on a journey of grieving and morning that can last far longer than we ever expected. It comes and goes, affecting our thoughts, feelings, behavior and physical health. The more we know about this journey, the better we are able to live with it.

Emerald Coast Hospice invites you to join them for Grief Journey- a non-judgmental group for anyone who is experiencing a loss. The process of grieving is hard work, please don’t do it alone. Let us help each other on the journey.

Grief Journey is offered free of charge and is open to the public. The group will meet on Thursday afternoons beginning September 22 and ending October 27 from 2 to 3:30PM at 1555 N. Palafox Street. Please call 438-2201 to RSVP.

Remembering 9/11/2001

2011-09-08T11:56:00.000-05:00

We shall never forget
We shall keep this day,
We shall keep the events and the tears
In our minds, our memory and our hearts
and take them with us as we carry on.
– from the 9/11 Memorial Website

Pray for peace. Pray for those who keep us safe serving in the military and as our community first responders.

FCC Family Wednesdays

2011-09-08T10:38:00.004-05:00

Thanks for making our first episode of FCC Family Wednesdays last night a great success. We look forward to continued and growing participation. To make FCC Family Wednesdays possible we need everyone “to take their turn” for one week during this series. We need volunteers to help serve the meal and clean up (contact Shawn or Kris Perdue); volunteers to work in the nursery (contact Linda Zeiler); and volunteers to work with First Kids (contact Taran or Jessie Howell).

2011-09-07T09:15:00.001-05:00

What feelings and concepts have hit home with you from the new Sunday lesson series?

September Community Meal

2011-09-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

CommunityMeal . . . September 18 @ 5PM- Ham and Cabbage

Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen - 257 E. Lee Street

Cabbage conjures memories of the SmothersBrothers:

Boilthem cabbage down, boys

Turnthem ho-cakes brown.

Theonly song that I can sing

Is"Boil Them Cabbage Down."

ChefMarque will be boiling the cabbage down; don’t know about the ho-cakes but weneed your help with the ham and other fixings. Please check the sign up listand send me an email letting us know what you’d like to bring. Sign up list ishere: http://goo.gl/OYP2j

Guardrails #2: Why Can't We Be Friends?

2011-03-07T08:58:00.000-06:00

Some Bible passages on friends . . .

Prov 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Prov 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Prov 22:24-25 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.
Prov 27:6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
Eccl 4:10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
1 Cor 15:33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

As we continue our series on Guardrails it is important to evaluate our friendships. The concept of the guardrail is a system put in place to keep us out of life's danger zones. That's exactly what good friends do for us. And we all know, there are also friends who will walk with us right into the danger zone. Just think of some of the best and brightest moments from your life. Were you alone? or were friends involved? And the opposite is true, the times when you "crashed and burned," were you alone, or was a friend's influence involved?

Prov 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Want to guardrail your life? Be intentional about walking with wise companions and friends!

Guardrails #1: Direct and Protect (3/6)

2011-03-01T10:29:00.001-06:00

This week's scripture: Ephesians 5:5-18

15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (NIV)

15 So watch your step. Use your head. 16 Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! 17 Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. 18 Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Sunday, March 6, we begin a new series of lessons entitled "Guardrails."
guard•rail [gahrd-reyl]
1. Also, guardrailing. a protective railing, as along a road or stairway.
2. Railroads. a rail laid parallel to a track to prevent derailment or to keep derailed rolling stock from leaving the roadbed.

We pass them everyday as we drive . . . around a sharp curve, over bridge, beside a drop-off. We don't give them much thought or notice but they are there for our protection and safety. The concept is simple- better to hit a guardrail rather than run off the road completely. Over the next few weeks we will be seeking God's wisdom on how to "guardrail our lives." What if there are guardrails we could put in place to protect our our marriages and families, our friendships, our finances, our careers? Wouldn't we want those in place as we speed through life?

Paul says to be careful, to be smart, to be diligent, to be wise about how we live our lives because there is great danger, great evil around us everyday. We'll be learning how to drink deeply of God's Spirit and wisdom and discovering God's guardrails for our lives . . . or, in other words, how to stay on the road and out of the ditch!

11/21/10 - When Grace Came Down: Titus 2:11-14

2010-11-17T09:10:00.000-06:00

Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (NIV)

Grace frightens some people. Their fear? "If you preach all this grace people will think they can do whatever they want." Think about that for a moment because here's the truth: People CAN DO whatever they want. God made it that way. He gave us a will and the freedom to choose. And God, in his infinite wisdom, operates by grace. If you want to have influence in another life, you best chance will come when you extend grace. Harshness, criticism, condemnation, the fear of punishment and all the rest don't work. If you want someone to change for the better, there are never any guarantees, but your best hope comes through loving them unconditionally. Paul tells Titus that grace, when properly understood and accepted, teaches us to say "no" to sin and rebellion against God and how to live as God's people in the world. And we are most godly, most like our Father, when we give grace to those around us.

11/07/10 - Structured Relationships

2010-11-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

Titus 2:1-10
You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. 9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. (NIV)

How do we make the shift? How do we become the men and women God is calling us to be? Paul tells Titus that we must help one another and teach one another. When life's tremor's come we need a support network, a safety net to hold us up through the challenge. This is a key part of God's plan for the church. Christians are not meant to live in isolation but in community. We are a family that rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep. Through the good and the difficult we are called to be there for one another. Teaching one another and learning from one another, setting an example for one another, in submission to one another . . . this is Paul's vision of a church that lives in such a way as to make the teaching of God about Jesus more attractive to those outside our community.

10/31/10 - Trick or Treat

2010-10-26T10:22:00.001-05:00

This coming Sunday,10/31, we'll be taking a one week break from our Titus series. Sunday is Halloween. As to the origins of this day, here's a brief history (taken from history.com):

Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween. In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.

What are people of faith to make of this tradition? Is it completely harmless or is there something that should concern us? Sunday we'll be making the point that evil is real. Satan is likely happy to have people to dismiss him as a cartoon character in a red suit with his pointy tail and pitchfork. His real nature is much uglier, absolutely evil and dangerous to everyone. Spiritual warfare is real as a great battle between good and evil rages over the souls of men and women. But no matter how the battle appears to be going, scripture is clear about this: God and righteousness will win the war. Good will triumph over evil.

Between Two Worlds

2010-10-19T13:06:00.000-05:00

Shift: Surviving Life's Tremors
Lessons from Titus
10.24.10

Titus 1:7-9 Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. (NIV)

Aristotle believed that virtue was a state of character and with respect to moral virtues, he believed that they tend to be destroyed by excess or deficiency. The virtue lies between two extremes. Take bravery, for example: too little creates a coward and too much results in being rash and careless. As Paul continues to outline for Titus the character of a spiritual leader, he too seems to be saying that godly men and women must not be given to extremes. To survive life's tremors we must find the right balance in any given moment and circumstance. Sometimes we need to step up and lead; sometimes we need to step back and listen, but we never need to an overbearing dominator. The life that is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined is a life that has found virtue balanced between extremes.

Shift: Surving Life's Tremors - All in the Family

2010-10-13T10:37:00.001-05:00

Last week we established principle #1:
To survive life's tremors we must live for something bigger than ourselves.

This week brings us to principle #2:
To survive life's tremors families must learn how to treat each other.

In this letter from Paul, Titus is instructed to finish the work of appointing elders (also known as shepherds or bishops) on the isle of Crete.

Titus 1:5-6 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. (NIV)

Crete had become a pirate's nest. Desperadoes from all over flocked to the isle to begin a new lives as pirates. They attacked slow trading vessels and captured the cargo and the crew, who were sold as slaves. It was recorded that on one occasion that no less that 10,000 people were sold in one day. And if that weren't bad enough there was a popular saying about the Cretans which Paul quotes it in Titus 1:12:

Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.

How do you find, develop and grow spiritual leaders in a culture known for pirates and liars? That was the challenge facing Titus. Paul's guidance starts with the spiritual leader's relationship with his family. Those who lead the family of God must first be able to lead their own families well. This passage (and II Timothy 3) are not just for those who would be leaders, they provide guidance and direction for everyone who follows Jesus. Discipleship begins at home. Husbands and wives and children must learn to live together and treat one another in the way that Jesus taught, with love, respect, submission, kindness, goodness and all the rest. If we cannot get that worked out in our own homes, what chance do we have as a church trying to be salt and light to the world around us?

The End of the Story: Feasting and Joy

2010-09-27T11:27:00.000-05:00

Esther 9:26-28 (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. 28 These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants. (NIV)

The story of Esther ends with a celebration of God's deliverance, his faithfulness and his goodness to His people. This coming Sunday we'll have our own celebration because God is still faithful and good to deliver His people! We'd like to share your testimony on Sunday:

My Testimony

Before God really took hold of me I was . . .
But then something happened. I . . .
I want to thank him for . . .
Today, I am . . .

Please post your testimony on this blog, or write them down and bring them Sunday, or email them to Rick (rhazelip@firstcitychurch.org) so we can share them during the worship.

The Law of the Harvest

2010-09-21T15:49:00.001-05:00

Sunday, September 26: Esther 8:1 - 9:17

The law of the harvest . . . you reap what you sow . . . what goes around comes around . . . you get as good as you give . . . all different ways of saying the same thing. Decisions in life lead us along a path that will determine our destination. You can't plant apples and expect to harvest oranges. Scripture says it like this:

Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (NIV)

Sowing and reaping is a process:
1) Prepare the soil . . . a successful harvest depends on advance preparation
2) Plant the seed . . . there can be no harvest if no seed is planted
3) Give time and be patient . . . the harvest doesn't come overnight
4) Tend the plant (water, fertilizer, pull the weeds) . . . the harvest doesn't come without labor

How do these principles apply to spiritual life? to our sowing to please the Spirit?

The Enemy is Me: Sunday, 9/19

2010-09-13T08:56:00.002-05:00

Listen

As the story continues in Esther 6, the king, unable to sleep, orders that the book of records, the annals of the kingdom, be read to him. Surely all that bureaucratic lingo will put him to sleep! Instead of falling asleep, however, they open to a reading about the incident where the king's life was saved by Mordecai when he reported two asassins that were plotting against the king. The king wants to know what has been done to honor Mordecai and learns that nothing has been done. The king learns that his second in command has just arrived in the outer court. Haman has come to ask permission to hang Mordecai on the gallows he constructed. The king, however, asks him, "What shall be done for the man the king wishes to honor?" Haman, thinking the king is talking about him says, "For the man the king delights to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king's most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'" Imagine his shock when the king instructs him to do exactly that for Mordecai!

Considering everything that is happening, how do you think Mordecai felt when Haman showed up the king's robe and horse to honor him? And how did Haman feel about this? Haman seems to be his "own worst enemy." He is about to lose everything because of his hatred and bitterness toward Mordecai. What are some of the ways we can be "our own worst enemy?"

Overwhelmed

2010-09-13T08:38:00.000-05:00

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The fulfillment of destiny directly comes from my approach to the King of Kings
Mark 7:11 Corban - a gift devoted to God

Karban (Approach to God	)
Real Meaning	Offering
Go Up	Burnt Offering
Bring Your Gift	Meal Offering
Communion	Peace Offering
Proclaim Jesus	Sin Offering
Repent	Guilt Offering

Overwhelmed

2010-09-07T13:40:00.001-05:00

Esther 4:9-17 Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king." 12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions. (NIV)

There is a saying that "desperate times call for desperate measures." Esther is certainly facing desperate circumstances. Her people are threatened with annihilation and she is personally in danger if she appears before the king without an invitation. What to do, what to do? Esther calls for the Jews in Susa to join her in a period of fasting for three days; then, come what may, she will approach the king to intercede for her people.

For some of us, the idea of not eating for three days would be a desperate measure. Of course, it's much more than not eating; it's a time of prayer and intercession, a time of seeking God.

Share with us about your own experience with prayer and fasting. What did you learn about yourself? about God? How were you affected mentally, physically and spiritually during your fast? What is the real purpose of fasting? What are the benefits of fasting? When do you fast? How long you fast? Why do you think Esther invited others to join her in the fast?

Neutral Is Not an Option

2010-09-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

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Destiny often comes out of personal hardship

Destiny often has poor timing

Destiny, though personal, involves others

Our destiny is to be used for God's good purposes

Neutral is Not an Option

2010-08-30T09:35:00.020-05:00

   This coming Sunday, 09/05, our story continues in Esther 4. Mordecai learns of Haman's plot against the Jews. His response? When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry. And when all of the Jews hear the news? In every province, wherever the king's command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. And when Esther hears the news? When Esther's maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed.

    It may have been a while since we've done sackcloth and ashes but all of us know what it is to feel paralyzed by news, to be stressed, to be threatened. And, we all have healthy and unhealthy ways of coping.

-- What are some negative/destructive methods of coping with stress? What are some positive/constructive ways of dealing with stress?
-- When you are feeling overwhelmed, how does that affect your relationship with God?

   As the story continues in chapter 4, Esther finds herself in a tough spot with a difficult and risky decision to make. Mordecai has sent word that she must intercede for her people with the king but the law states that anyone who goes to the king without having been called is to be put to death. When this is reported to Mordecai, he sends this reply: (Esther 4:12-14) When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

    And Esther responds: (Esther 4:15-16) Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

-- How do you usually handle it when you have a tough decision to make?
-- When should we remain neutral? When must we take a side?

The Intoxication of Anger

2010-08-30T09:11:00.001-05:00

Esther 2:21 - 3:15

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Aristotle: Anyone can become angry. That is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way... that is not easy.
Chinese Proverb: If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.

The Anger Zone

1. Fear/Threat

2. Insecurity

3. Anger

4. Rivalry

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger . . . Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Ephesians 4:26, 31

26 Be constantly reminded, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your day wrecker, 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and weekly tormentors and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Introducing Haman (Boo Hiss)

2010-08-23T13:43:00.000-05:00

This coming Sunday, 8/29, we meet the villain in our story, Haman. As a matter of fact, it is customary during Purim when the story of Esther is retold each year for everyone to boo and hiss and make noise each time his name is mentioned. Haman is promoted by the King to be head of all the officials. Everyone bows down and does obeisance to him, everyone except Mordecai. As our story begins, Haman is infuriated with Mordecai.

Questions:

What is the most difficult thing about dealing with someone's anger issues? with your own?

What hurts the most and how do you deal with it when someone "is out to get you?"

How is dealing with anger different when it involves a family member or friend verses an enemy or institution?

Torn Between Two Worlds

2010-08-23T08:22:00.000-05:00

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The Danger Zone

Feeling lonely or forgotten

Choosing to mask your identity

Chasing the next opportunity to be noticed

Keep a grip on two things:

Your foundation

Your goal

Cast of Characters

2010-08-19T08:23:00.000-05:00

Coming Sunday, Aug 22: "Between Two Worlds" Esther Chapter 2
Cast of Characters
•King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) reappears in chapter 2, feeling lonely without a queen by his side. A decision is made to hold a "beauty contest" to search for Vashti's replacement.
•Mordecai, a Benjamite Jew, whose great great grandfather Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem in captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
•Esther, Mordecai's orphan cousin whose Jewish name was Hadassah, finds herself entered in the beauty contest and finding favor with everyone, including the king.

The Book of Esther

2010-08-18T13:07:00.000-05:00

Series: I Didn't Ask for a Time Like This
The Book of Esther Chapter 1
When the Music Fades

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The Whole Megillah (Story)

1. Things are Going Well
Xerxes ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.

2. A Very Poor Decision is Made
For 180 days Xerxes puts his vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty on display. Travelers have come from throughout the kingdom and their visit culminates with a banquet. On the seventh day of the banquet when Xerxes was in high spirits from wine (modern version = drunk) he gives orders for Queen Vashti to appear before the group in order to display her beauty. Vashti refused to attend the banquet and Xerxes became furious and burned with anger. Xerxes advisors counsel him that what the queen has done is wrong and threatens the whole social fabric of the Persian Empire. When other women hear of what she has done, they too will despise their husbands.

3. Fallout begins and people suffer
A decision is made that a royal decree be issued barring Vashti from ever again appearing before the king and replaces her with a new queen.

The Progression

Things are going well: Be Proactive
A Very Poor Decision is Made: Repent/Change
Fallout begins and people suffer: Evaluate Options