The Life of Jesus, (Part I)
July 21, 2010
ConneXions Class 7/24/10: The Life of Jesus
Facilitator: Marc
9:30 AM, Classroom A, Bend SDA Church.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion and that man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. For this reason the gravest question before the church is always God and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at any given time may say or do but what he, in his deep heart, conceives God to be like. We tend, by a secret law of the soul, to move toward our mental image of God.”
– A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
“If you have seen me you have seen the Father…”
Revolutionary Love
July 1, 2010
ConneXions 7/3/10
Watch and discuss Revolutionary Love by Tony Compolo
Facilitator: Laura Silva
See you there!
Jail Break
June 2, 2010
Once upon a time there were two men who had brought a compelling message to a small town which desperately needed to hear it. An inadvertent act of kindness lead to them being blackmailed. The media so twisted their story, that the local mob was brought in to teach them a few things about using good manners. The police intervened just long enough to drag them to jail where they were beat further, just to appease the local powers that be.
The story doesn’t say if they were discouraged. But it does say they turned some dirty fishing tunes into what turned out to be something like gospel jam session. They didn’t expect anything except a public hanging in the morning. Instead there was a jail break; even they were surprised with the outcome. More June 5, 9:30 AM at the Bend church.
Conversational Intimacy with God
April 22, 2010
It seems like a lot of folks in the Bible actually talked with God and heard from Him. There was a give and take in their verbal exchanges with Him. Is this normal? Is this supposed to be normal? Weren’t guys like Moses, David, and the Apostles just exceptions to the normal rules of relating to God? Isn’t the whole Bible, in fact, just a book of titillating exceptions? Or is it, instead, a book of examples…
Come find out.
ConneXions Class: 4/24/10, 9:30 AM.
Facilitator: Marc Wagner
An Early Church Model
April 13, 2010
Early Church Model What is the early church model and how does it compare to what we are doing in Bend? Looking in Acts we see a pattern of numerical growth, geographical growth, and spiritual growth. How? And is that happening in our church today? How far have we wandered from the model. Are there some lessons that can bring us back to that model?
Growth Growth from a group of frightened men and women followers of Christ, to an early church body of Christ that changed the world. From the original 12 disciples to 120 men and women believers, then to 3000 believers were baptized in one day, then to 10,000 believers (5000 men plus women and children). From Jerusalem they were called to Samaria, Judea, and to every land and every people. Every people included the secular (gentiles), those who lead in our community (kings), and to our fellow Christians (Acts 1:8). What did their spiritual growth look like and what can we learn from them in our ministry in Bend?
For those who missed Pastor Jerry’s ground shaking sermon April 10, 2010, I would invite you to listen to it online. Use the link from this website to the Adventist church website. I just did, felt compelled to summarize it below, and to use it as the basis for ConneXions discussion this weekend – with the addition of how we are going to apply it in real ways to were we are in Bend. Join me April 17 at 9:30 AM and for further discussion and potluck at 1:00 PM at the Carlson’s home.
A Marketplace Community?
April 11, 2010
A MARKETPLACE COMMUNITY What if you hadn’t been to church in years, were looking for a spiritual community, loved to hike and ski, and wished you could come down from the mountains and soak up a great discussion over hot chocolate and cinnamon toast?
What if you were from a church where they had great speakers and a great praise band, but you just felt lost in the crowd and wished you were a part of something a bit more intimate where you really had a vital role to play?
What if you were from a church where things were pretty well set when it came to format and style, you had some ideas for something new and different and wished you had some group support for creativity?
What if you weren’t interested in church or religion, but felt strongly about current moral or social or environmental values of your community, and wished you had a place where you could openly explore your personal values?
What if you have been a Christian for a long time, you feel like your really just going through the motions, even feeling downright bored, and wished there was a group with a strong sense of mission that was tangible, where you could wear your flannels and get dirt under your fingernails?
Join us this weekend at ConneXions as we explore how in practical terms we can take our mission and ministry to the next level; to do what we’ve really felt called to as honest followers of Christ.
Resurrection
April 4, 2010
Resurrection. 
We believe in the resurrection. But what does it mean for us now. Is it that it proves the divinity of Christ? Is it that it somehow guarantees he will return? I have certainly thought both. Yesterday’s ConneXions discussion by Angie presented the Rob Bell challenge:
“These first Christians believed that Jesus’ resurrection had implications for the entire universe. Their tradition had taught them that the world is broken and desperately in need of repair and that at some point in the future, God was going to put it all back together. For them, this future restoration had nothing to do with leaving this world; it was all about the restoration, the renewing and reclaiming of this world.”
Hmm. Wow. Resurrection and restoration. I suppose the resurrection was the restoration of Christ as the Son of God; from death to life, from life on earth to his return to the Father. Sounds familiar. The gospel message. The great commission.
Go as my disciples, going into all the world teaching what you have learned from me (Matthew 28). Go as my ambassadors to proclaim “Come back to my Father” (2 Corinthians 5). Receive the power of the Holy Spirit and be my witness to the ends of the earth (Acts 1). Go and heal the broken-hearted, proclaim freedom, release from darkness (Isaiah 61). It rings of restoration.
“These first Christians believed very passionately that the world was not made better through military power and political coercion. This gospel they were living had nothing to do with using political force to force people to live according to your laws. For them, this gospel was about serving the world especially those on the underside of the empire. For them, it was about serving, not ruling.”
Wow. Reminds me of the second service communion that followed ConneXions. Here is the King come to earth as a man. His disciples see him at the very least as a great Teacher and are perhaps beginning to understand he is the promised Savior. They go to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover and Jesus turns the tradition upside down. He begins it by taking on the role of a slave and washing the feet of his disciples. Serving. Not ruling. Then he breaks bread and drink and pronounces them symbols of not a revolution that will break the rule of Rome. But as symbols of his willingness to be broken and bleeding, to die so as to break the rule claim of sin and Satan. To set the captives free. Serving. Sacrificing all. Not ruling.
The resurrection of Christ. What good news for us today! Freely you have received. Freely give.
Crazy Love
February 25, 2010
ConneXions Topic: Crazy Love
Facilitators: Laura and Lisa
Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn’t working harder at a list of do’s and don’ts — it’s falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, you will never be the same.
Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
3.6.10 9:30 AM Classroom A
The Awe Factor
February 17, 2010
ConneXions Topic this weekend: The Awe Factor of God
Facilitator: Angie
A.W. Tozer writes: “What comes to mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us…the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” Read more
C.S. Lewis: on Joy and Desire
February 10, 2010
I’m really excited about this ConneXions class. We’ll be doing something totally unique, diving into the life and writings of C.S. Lewis–and all the richness they have to offer on the subject of Joy and Desire.
We’ll be covering Surprised by Joy and The Pilgrim’s Regress, two biographies of Lewis’ spiritual pilgrimage. And we’ll be looking at two specific questions: Why did Lewis see his movement toward Christianity in terms of joy and desire? How did this influence his apologetics?
I owe a great debt to Louis Markos, Houston Baptist University, Ph.D., University of Michigan, for the content of this class Read more
-
Subscribe
-
Recent Posts
-
Categories
There and Back Again
-
Archives
-
Links
- Bend SDA Church
- Last Week's Sermon - Don’t miss a thing! First Serve sermons are now available via audio streaming right to your laptop or iPad!
- StoryHarvest - Stories about people and God.
-
Meta
