Most of us would say we know how to pray at least a little. It's just talking to God...right? Maybe prayer is more than us just talking to God. Maybe it is more than us convincing God to give us what we want. Maybe it is more than just changing the people & circumstances around us. Maybe its greatest power is the change that happens inside of us. Join us starting February 26 as we look to Jesus' prayers for guidance on how we should pray and what prayer is really all about.
Brand New - Week #5
While the Jesus Model is less complicated than all the Temple approaches to God. The Jesus Model is more demanding. Because of things Jesus said like John 13:34-35 (NLT)
Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
Jesus also redefined 4 terms that are very important to our understanding of this Brand New movement.
#1 Structure: The church is a body, not an earthly Kingdom. While Jesus and Paul both referenced God's Kingdom coming, it is not of this world. Paul talked directly about the church being a Body. While each of us has been gifted to play a specific part. However, if we aren't engaged, something is missing. And if we aren't engaged we are missing something. While the Temple Model is about consuming, the Jesus Model is about engaging. We could stay home and worship God alone, but why would we want to do that when we can engage with the rest of the Body and change our community and change our world? Why would we cheat ourselves & the Body?
#2 Authority: Exercised for the benefit of the followers, not the leaders. Jesus completely turned the leadership paradigm upside down. In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus explains to his disciples that authority is about leveraging our power to serve those under our authority. Then Jesus said in John 13:15-16, the more authority we gain, the more feet we need to wash.
#3 Marriage: A caring partnership not ownership or domination. Jesus elevated the status of women in a world where they were property, their voices didn't count, and they were treated as 2nd rate. Jesus replaced the idea of marriage as ownership with marriage as a partnership. Then in Ephesians 5:21, Paul came along and re-emphasized that marriage should be a level playing field.
#4 Holiness: Being "a part of" rather than setting one's self "apart from". Jesus coming to Earth showed that holiness was no longer about withdrawing from, but rather engaging with. Holiness wasn't about disengaging from the world. It wasn't about the Christians huddling up together. It wasn't just about making a "Christian" everything. In John 1:14, we see that the perfect, holy God would choose to come down to our dirty planet and not just become a human, but also make his home among other humans. Then Jesus, the Messiah, would go around touching, healing & interacting with unclean, unholy people. He redefined holiness to being "a part of" rather than setting one's self "apart from".
- Do you define these 4 terms the same way Jesus did?
- What if we all individually engaged as a part of the Body?
- What if every Christian in authority decided to use authority for the sake of the people under them?
- What if every husband & wife laid down their rights & reasons and learned to treat each other the way that God through Christ has treated them?
- What if we looked for ways to engage our community rather than retreat and huddling together?
What if we began to ask at every point when selfishness rises up or those moments when we want our way...What does love require of me?
That brand of Christianity changed the world once. That brand of Christianity can change the world again. That brand of Christianity will be almost irresistible.
Brand New - Week #4
When Jesus arrived, He signaled an end to the old way of approaching God through the Temple Model and the beginning of something brand new. In the previous messages of this series, we have been discussing the differences and importance of the new way of relating to God.
Part of the reason blending the Temple Model with the new Jesus Model is a problem is because the Temple Model is centered on you. At the heart of the Temple Model is a good question initially, but not a very good question eventually, "What must I do or believe to make things and keep things right between God and me?" At the end of the day, my religion is all about ME! This impacts how we pray, why we attend church, why some of us give & obey. Eventually this gravitates to rules & rituals. Eventually as followers of Jesus, we have to move beyond what's in it for me.
In Matthew 12:1-14, Jesus uses the Jewish observation of the Sabbath as an illustration of how the focus on rules & rituals can reveal our motivations that point back to us. That is where the Jesus Model is different. The Jesus Model is centered on the person beside you. Throughout the New Testament, we are invited to love people the way that our Heavenly Father through Jesus has loved us. God's love for us and for those around us must inform our consciences & shape our behaviors.
While the Jesus Model might be less complicated, it is far more demanding. Central to our faith is a man, who would willingly walk into a city knowing He would be killed there because He loved us. While it can be very easy to find loopholes & hiding places in the Temple, it is hard to find a loophole around John 15:12, Luke 6:27-28, and Galatians 5:6.
What does love require of me?
Brand New - Week #3
Brand New - Week #2
The arrival of Jesus signaled the end to the Temple Model and the beginning of something entirely brand new. Gentiles flocked to this new message & approach to God. Many Jews did as well, but they had some mixed feeling about abandoning the old way. It was their history, their heritage, and their customs. So they attempted to do the natural thing - assimilate Jesus into the old Temple Model.
However, Paul comes along and makes the case that they can't blend & mix the old way with the new Jesus way. As Paul planted churches, he encountered a group of Jewish Christians, Judaizers, who would come behind him teaching these churches an assimilation approach. While many might think it's not a big deal to blend & assimilate Jesus with the Jewish Temple system, Paul would argue that it is a big deal.
In Galatians 5, Paul argued specifically against the need or importance of circumcision as it relates to following Jesus. These Judaizers instructed the Galatian Christians that they needed to become Jewish first, which would include being circumcised. Paul emphatically argued that circumcision is of no value anymore, while it is also foolish to think it is beneficial to obey just some of the Old Covenant.
Then in Galatians 5:6, Paul reminds all of us that...The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. It is not just about vertically asking God if you are good. It is about horizontally making sure you are good with other people.
Paul knew that if we blend or mix in even a small bit of the old way eventually...
- Leaders would become self-righteous.
- Followers would become hypocrites.
- Texts would be manipulated.
- People would be mistreated.
Paul knew that if we blend or mix in any part of the old way, we will eventually miss the main thing...love.
What does love require of you?
Brand New - Week #1
Brand new anything can be good, even great, but sometimes it can still be hard to completely leave the old behind. While this applies to homes, schools, pets & clothes, it also applies to religion, particularly Christianity.
While there has been quite a bit of progress & change in the church, we are still holding onto things that are holding us back. Unfortunately for many people, most of the things that they resist about the church are things the Church should resist. If we look at the basics of Jesus intended the church to be, there should be nothing that would make people want to resist the Church.
For the first 300 years of the Church, the primary thing that people resisted about the church was their loyalty to Jesus. They were great neighbors. They were great workers. They cared for the marginalized in society. They weren't judgmental or exclusive. The Church should be irresistible except for the fact we believe Jesus is our ultimate authority. So how did we become so resistible?
The resistible factor did not come from new things being added, but rather old things that got added back in. The Church has allowed another model to blend with the Jesus Model. This Temple Model represents many ancient & modern religions and includes:
- Sacred places - a piece of real estate that is more valuable than the others.
- Sacred texts - oracles, inscriptions or scriptures interpreted by...
- Sacred men - it is almost always men who tell the followers how to live & sometimes threaten "god's" judgment.
- Sincere followers - maybe superstitious as well but it is important what the follower does
However, the arrival of Jesus signaled the end of the temple model and the beginning of something entirely new. The new Jesus Model includes:
- Jesus predicted a new movement - When Jesus started the "church", he did not predict a location, but rather a movement or gathering of people.
- Jesus instituted a new covenant - A new arrangement between God & ALL people.
- Jesus gave new meaning to the sacred text - Jesus claimed the Law & all of Old Testament pointed to Him.
- Jesus instituted a new movement defining ethic - Rather than 600+ laws, Jesus summarized it to "Love"!
How are you relating to God? More like the Temple Model or more like the Jesus model?
Brand New series
Jesus' arrival signaled an end to one way of relating to God and began something entirely new. Unfortunately, many of the negative things we associate with the church brand were never intended for the new way. Join us January 15, as we begin to explore Jesus' brand new way to relate to God.
Life is better connected.
All of us drift. If we aren't careful, we naturally drift away from almost everything that is good for us. Then on top of that, as Christians we believe that this drifting principle also intersects our relationship with God, which takes intentionality, time, discipline, and some delayed gratification. In every area of life that is important, the current of life rarely takes us in the right direction.
One of the coolest things about Christianity is that while we may be called to swim upstream, we have not been called to swim alone. We have been called to swim together. It is so much easier when you are in community with, in friendship with, in a "circle" with people who share your values & the same destination in life.
However, many of us are still tempted to attempt to swim alone. This isn't a new thing however. Back in the 1st century, the early church leaders wrote about the need for community, particularly about not swimming upstream alone.
In Hebrews 3:12-14, the writer talks about the drift that happens within - in our hearts. In Hebrews 3:12, the writer gives the solution to the drift we all experience at some point. It comes through the plural nouns in the verse. This verse is not an individual/personal command; it is a group imperative. Not only should you keep track of your own heart, but also the hearts of those around you. Unfortunately these types of relationships won't fully develop just on Sunday mornings.
Because a row doesn't know what is happening on the inside - mostly because we are so good at walking into church looking good even we might not be. The only way anybody is going to know about your sinful, unbelieving, drifting heart is if you are in a circle/group with them where they have access to you.
Following this message, we encouraged everyone to consider connecting to a group. If you are interested or would like more information, go to the link above or to nlnc.org/groups.
New Fruit in 2017
As we 2017 is upon us, there is a sense of a fresh start even a new start. However, the list of resolutions that can seem like a helpful thing can easily become burdensome & overwhelming.
- What if instead of trying to accomplish a long list of things, we focused on just 1 thing?
- What if at the end of 2017 we could look back knowing that we added 1 new positive character trait that we didn't have previously?
In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul actually gives us the long list of resolutions - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What if instead of trying to add all of them to our lives, we just tried to work on 1 in 2017?
Here are 3 ways, we would love to help you do that!
This app can give you a reading plan to better understand the fruit you are working on, read about Jesus' comments on the subject, and how to produce this fruit in your life. Go to the app, select "Plans", and search for your fruit reading plan.
We created some phone & desktop wallpapers to remind us each time we open our phones or laptops of the one new fruit God is growing in us in 2017.
We all need someone to help encourage us & keep us accountable. Someone to ask us the tough questions and cheer for us when we are struggling. We believe Life Groups are a great place for this to happen! Click the button above for more info or to sign-up. New groups are forming starting January 15.
Christmas Eve Service
*A few times a year, we combined with our Chinese Congregation. This was one of those times.
Christmas can be complicated. Several factors make Christmas complicated:
- the older we get
- the more kids we have
- a divorce somewhere in our families
- "interesting" family dynamics
- the loss of a loved one who we miss dearly
- shopping & schedules
There is no magic potion or formula to uncomplicate that part of Christmas. However, if there is anything that should never be complicated about Christmas, it should be the simple message & story of Christmas.
The angel who announced the Savior's birth to the shepherd described it as "good news" that will bring great joy to all people." At the heart of the story of Christmas & Christianity is the simple idea that Jesus is Good News for all people. Even if you aren't a Christian, or have doubts about Christianity, it is hard to proclaim the message of Christmas as bad news. If you think of Christians or Jesus as anything but Good News, it is probably because someone either misrepresented Him or distorted the Good News of Jesus. That is our fault, not your Heavenly Father's.
One of Jesus' closest followers, John, who knew Jesus, ate with Jesus, watched Him live, watched Him die, saw Him after the resurrection, and cared for his mother, wrote His account of the life of Jesus. In John chapter 3, he is recounting a conversation between a religious leader & Jesus, when he gets too excited and bursts into the conversation an incredible statement.
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. - John 3:16-17 (NLT)
God loved - Which for Greeks & Romans was contrary to how they viewed the gods. They thought, "The gods played. The people paid." Yet this God loved the whole world, not just the Jews and not just people in this time period.
God gave - He so loved the world that He did what in love people do - He gave...His Son! Then His Son, Jesus, continued that trend and gave His life for the world.
We believe - Our response to this love & gift is to believe or place our trust in Him. Not to trust completely or partially in ourselves, but to put our energy, weight, and trust in Him.
We receive - In exchange for our belief, God gives us eternal life. Eternal life is not just life in Heaven, but Jesus defined it as a relationship, or intimate knowledge of God.
He came to give us a gift. If you believe, you can receive it.
Characters of Christmas - Week #3
There are several areas in our lives where our "control" of that thing can actually give us a false-sense of security like driving in the snow, managing money, or maintaining relationships. While all of us like control, over use of it doesn't really bring peace or happiness. In fact, it usually does the opposite.
King Herod's involvement in the story of Christmas as the Roman authority over Judea really was all about control. He was very smart, talented, politically astute, and very, very ambitious. But what got the best of him in the end was his desire to control his legacy & the future.
As we read Matthew 2, King Herod is about 70 years old and has a very painful kidney disease. He is trying to consolidate his power and preparing for the passing of power & his legacy to his heir. Then he finds our there is a new toddler king just 5 miles away!
The wise men come to worship & bring gifts to the King of the Jews, the Messiah. While they were looking for him, Herod learned of this baby Messiah. Herod was so disturbed about this because his whole life had been built around preserve, protect, and control. He's not about to bow his knee, worship, or surrender to anyone. Because the wise men didn't help him find the baby king and in order to maintain a sense of control, he decided to have every baby 2 and under killed in Bethlehem. As much as Herod tried to control the outcomes, carry on his legacy, and maintain control, he became a supporting character in the story of Christmas.
- What will your story be in relationship to this Savior of the world, Jesus?
- Will your story be like that of King Herod - controlling & resisting?
- Will your story be like that of the Wise Men - surrendering & worshipping?
Characters of Christmas - Week #2
While we all may have different adult Christmas experiences, if we compared our Christmas experiences as kids, they probably would be quite similar. Most of us experienced the agonizing wait for Christmas to arrive. As kids it seemed like it took forever, but the good thing was that Christmas always came!
The dynamic of waiting, waiting, waiting, actually setup the first Christmas. For many, many generations there was a remnant of Jewish people who waited eagerly for the arrival of the Messiah God promised. However, over the years many Jews would abandon their hope & trust in the God who "may" have given this promise hundreds/thousands of years earlier. There were 2 followers who didn't lose their hope & trust in this God & His promise.
This is an important story because at some point in all of our religious experiences, God is so quiet. God seems so inactive. In those moments, seasons, years or periods of life, it is normal to ask "Why am I doing this?"
In Luke 1:5-27, we read about Zechariah & Elizabeth's faithful service to God and yet they couldn't have kids even into their old age. Even though all the circumstances around them said God wasn't coming through personally or nationally, they continued to live their lives as if God was faithful and would come through. The story of Christmas renews our hope & trust in God. The story of Christmas is a reminder that your faith & hope in God are not in vain.
Will you be a part of that remnant of people who continues to place their hope & trust in God?
Characters of Christmas - Week #1
Regardless what you believe about Christmas, many people would agree there are some interesting characters connected to the story of Christmas. There are the obvious characters of baby Jesus, Mary the mother, and Joseph the father. However, some of the supporting characters provide interesting perspective and even the ability to relate to this amazing & peculiar story.
Matthew starts his account of Jesus' life with a genealogy, which might seem strange to many of us. However, Matthew's main audience was Jewish people wanting to know if this was the real Messiah. All of them knew that the real Messiah would have come through the family line of King David. So Matthew starts off with the genealogy to answer that question first.
In doing so, Matthew includes some rather odd family members, especially 4 women. In this time, histories were written by hired men to make kings, emperors, and generals look good, almost always leaving out the defeats & unsuccessful children or at least downplaying them. And just about every time women were not mentioned - just men. However, Matthew had a purpose to include these women:
- Tamar - a sketchy story to say the least
- Rahab - a woman with a past
- Ruth - a non-Jewish woman
- Bathsheba - the woman who committed adultery with King David
It would be reasonable to wonder why would Matthew include these women and seemingly unnecessary distractions to proving Jesus was from David's family?
Matthew knew these somewhat shady, unexpected characters & situations were the point of the story he was about to tell. Matthew knew their sin & distance from God was the issue that Jesus came to address. Jesus didn't just come for sinners. Jesus came from sinners because...
The story of Christmas includes sinners & those far from God.
From Matthew's experience being with Jesus for 3 years, hearing Jesus teach, watching Jesus interact with various types of people, seeing Jesus die on a cross, and standing at His empty tomb, he experienced this purpose of Christmas. Matthew's own story (Matthew 9:1-13) of being an outcast sinner (tax collector) who was far from God also was part of the reason he wanted to include these scandalous characters in Jesus' genealogy. He knew better than many that Jesus came for sinners from those far from God.
Characters of Christmas
Every family has those "interesting" characters:
- that uncle with the checkered past
- the cousin who gets into everything
- the grandparent who tells those stories.
Jesus' family was no different. Join us starting December 4 and bring a friend with you, as we discuss these interesting Characters of Christmas.
The Power of an Invitation
At every major intersection in our lives, there has probably been an invitation of sorts. Somebody invited you somewhere to something, for something, or for someone. Some of the greatest things in our lives were the result of an invitation. Some of our greatest regrets were the result of an invitation. Invitations are powerful, sometimes life changing things.
You have the power to change someone's life through an invitation. In John 1:35-49, we see several examples of this principle in Jesus' life. People would discover Jesus was the Messiah, and they would invite their friends and family to come as well. Those people doing the inviting knew they couldn't answer all the questions, prove Jesus was the Messiah, or convince anybody of anything. However, they did know to invite their friends and family to "Come & See!"
As people come and be a part of the church, God does that thing that only God can do. When people, who are far from God but want to be close to God or have been beaten up by sin are facing its consequences, when they come and are among people who are following Jesus, something special happens.
We want to be a place for unchurched people to feel comfortable and welcome, while removing all possible obstacles to trusting in Jesus. As we enter the Christmas season, who could you invite?
for dinner?
for coffee?
for Christmas Eve?
Message adapted from North Point Community Church.
How to Neighbor - Week #4
Almost all of us have experienced the generosity of a friend, family member, neighbor, or co-worker. Generosity is powerful. Generosity tears down walls. Generosity is hard to resist.
There is a theme throughout Jesus' teachings & the New Testament to be generous with no-strings-attached. In Luke 6:32-36, Jesus moves people to that standard by saying:
- Love your enemies.
- Do good to those who can't or won't do good to you.
- Lend money without expecting to be repaid.
Then in Luke 6:35, Jesus lays out the reason why we are to be generous "you will truly be acting as children of the Most High". God's generosity toward us causes us to be generous toward our neighbors. This type of generosity was not common in Jesus' day, in fact it was a complete paradigm shift. These people knew "liberalitas" - to give to get something in return. There was no reason to help those who couldn't return the favor, but Jesus said NOT so in my Kingdom. The Jesus follower's reason for generosity is because God has been so generous to us.
Historians tell us the early Christians lived extraordinarily generous lives even though,
- They had NO wealth.
- They had NO building.
- They had NO voice.
- They had NO political power.
When plagues would hit a village, the Christians were the only ones to stay and care for the sick. When famines would threaten to devastate families, the Christians would give what little food they had to feed those who were hungry. When the pagan poor had no one to care for them, the Christians would care for them, so much so that the Roman Emperor Julian would take notice!
In Philippians 2:15, Paul describes how that type of generosity can impact those around us, "Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky". That kind of generosity can still capture the hearts of people today.
The challenge for this week is to be generous by supporting our Food Drive by bringing canned goods to our Lobby this Sunday 11/27.
How to Neighbor - Week #3
As followers of Jesus, it can be very easy for us to focus on answering the question "What must I do to make & keep things right between God & me?" If we aren't careful our relationship with God can really be all about us and what we benefit from it.
Jesus challenged this self-spirituality all the time. In Matthew 25, we read of one particular instance when Jesus was referring to the last days, particularly about who will inherit eternal life in God's Kingdom. His point through this example is that serving God means loving our neighbors. Those who...
- Feed the hungry
- Care for the thirsty, sick & stranger
- Cloth the naked
- Visit those in prison
When you love & serve those neighbors, it is as if you are actually serving God. Following Jesus is an invitation to leave what's all about you and embrace the neighbor beside you. Your devotion to God is illustrated, demonstrated, and authenticated by your love for your neighbors. We are to care for others' sake - just like Jesus came for others' sake.
Andy Stanley, a pastor in Georgia, has a great question to help us determine if we are simply embracing ourselves or really loving our neighbor "What does love require of me?" Thinking about perfect love, how would someone with perfect love respond to that neighbor? Following Jesus is not only for your benefit, but the benefit of your neighbor.
As a way to practice loving our neighbors, we have an opportunity to serve with West Valley Community Services. On Saturday, November 19th from 9am-12noon, we will help clean their food pantry that serves many local people everyday. To ensure we have enough participation, please register by Thursday, November 17. This is a great opportunity to partner with a local organization who does some amazing work in our community!
How to Neighbor - Week #2
You might not have experienced being adopted, but maybe your life was impacted by some caring adults who invested in & mentored you. You might not have been a foster sibling, but maybe you have friends who are foster parents. Many of us have been impacted by hearing stories, knowing people, or watching families foster or adopt kids.
In Galatians 4, Paul discusses God's desire for us that goes way beyond just a simple legal response of being forgiven. Even though we are all slaves to the laws we have broken, God chose to send His Son as the payment for our sin. Unfortunately, every law we have broken created a debt/debtor relationship with God that we could never pay back. In a legal sense, God through Jesus took care of erasing our debt to allow us to be forgiven.
However, Paul says that isn't all God has done through Jesus. God wants so much to be in relationship with us that He has chosen to adopt us! When Paul wrote this, his audience would have understood this to be an adult adoption. This means that God would choose to adopt you not just as an innocent baby, but as a guilty grown-up. If you place your trust in Jesus, you have been adopted into God's family. If you have questions or would just like to talk with Pastor Chris, click the button below to email him.
As a response to God adopting us into His family, we have challenged our members to consider helping the huge foster care problem in Santa Clara County through Foster the Bay. Here are 3 ways we are challenging people to get involved:
- Attend an Interest Meeting - to learn more about becoming a Support Friend, Foster Family, or volunteer with Foster the Bay.
- Volunteer - to help provide child care, host food, or setup & tear down for their meetings.
- Donate - to expand their reach, equip more families, and support local agencies.
How to Neighbor - Week #1
Clarity is very helpful for following through and getting things done. Confusion or fog does the opposite and takes away our urgency to act.
When it comes to loving our neighbor, sometimes we all try to fog up God's command. His command though is pretty simple & clear, "You must love the Lord your God...And love your neighbor as yourself." However, we say things like, "It's not as simple or easy as that." Or we ask what a religious expert asked, "Who is my neighbor?"
In Luke 10:25-37, we see Jesus tell a parable that doesn't answer the man's question of "who is his neighbor". Rather, the Good Samaritan parable answers the question of "how to neighbor". It really is quite simple. We should help our neighbors who need help.
Our challenge from this week of the series is to give to support & share the amazing gift of Christmas with kids around the world through Operation Christmas Child.
