A new view of life as a result of a new life...

This week we are addressing the question  “what is the position of an ambassador?”, by looking at a section of a letter that was written by a man we know today as the Apostle Paul that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 2 Corinthians. Yesterday we saw the Apostle Paul reveal the motivation that drove him and other early followers of Jesus to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel with those who were far from God. The love of Jesus compelled and motivated Paul and other early followers of Jesus to share God’s message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel throughout the known world.

Paul’s point to the members of the church at Corinth, and to followers of Jesus throughout history, is that just as Jesus placed humanity before Himself as He placed Himself on the cross in our place, as followers of Jesus we are to place Jesus before ourselves and live our lives in way that reveals and reflects Jesus and that is engaged in the kingdom mission that we have been given by Jesus. As followers of Jesus, the selfless love of Jesus should compel and motivate us to live our lives in a way that places Jesus as large and in charge of our lives and that shares that claims of Christ and the message of the gospel with those around us who are far from God.

Today, we see Paul further unpack how the love of Jesus compelled and motivated Paul and other early followers of Jesus to share God’s message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel throughout the known world in 2 Corinthians 5:16:

             Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to

             the flesh; even though we have known Christ according

             to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.

Here we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us the reality that as a result of all that Jesus had done to selflessly place humanity before Himself as He placed Himself on the cross in our place; as a result of how the love of Jesus compelled and motivated Paul and other early followers of Jesus to engage in the kingdom mission that they had been given by Jesus, they recognized no one according to the flesh.  In other words, Paul and other early followers of Jesus relationship with Jesus and one another was not simply an earthly relationship that would be confined to their time together here on earth.

And as a result, Paul and other early followers of Jesus did not view their relationship with Jesus and one another from a human point of view that was focused on externals. You see, even though Paul and other early followers of Jesus came to a knowledge of Jesus while Jesus was here on earth, Jesus death and resurrection forever changed how they came to view and relate to Jesus. Paul then revealed exactly how their view and relationship with Jesus was forever changed as a result of all that Jesus had done to selflessly place humanity before Himself as He placed Himself on the cross in our place in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

            Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the

            old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Now to fully understand what Paul is communicating here, we first need to understand what Paul means when he uses the phrase “in Christ”. With this phrase, Paul is revealing for us the reality that the reason why followers of Jesus are new creatures is due to God’s activity through Jesus Christ that results in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are new creatures as a result of being transformed by God's transformational activity in our lives through Jesus. As a result of what God has done for us through Jesus life, death, and resurrection, we receive a new heart and a new spirit, as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives.

Now the big fancy church mumbo jumbo talk word for this is the word regeneration. That is what Paul means when he says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. As followers of Jesus we have been transformed by Jesus so that we can experience a relationship with God through Jesus. You see, when God the Father looks at us as followers of Jesus, He does not simply see us. Instead, He sees us in Christ.

Right now, in a mystical and spiritual way, God the Father sees you, in Christ, in Heaven. As followers of Jesus we are part of the church, which is the body of Christ here on earth. As followers of Jesus we are part of the church, which is the body of Christ here on earth. But even now, we are mystically and spiritually a part of the body of Christ in Heaven. Our old lives prior to Jesus are fading away in the rearview mirror of our lives. We now have a new life that provides us a new hope and a new future with God as a result of our relationship with Jesus.

Friday, we will see Paul continue to reveal this reality and its implications when it comes to being an ambassador…

What is the position of an Ambassador?

There are some dates that seem to be seared in our mind as a culture. Dates like July 4^th and December 25^th are dates that are seared in our collective consciousness and provoke a collective response as a culture. Another date that is seared in our consciousness and that provoke a collective response as a culture is September 11^th. Simply mention the date “September 11^th” and a mental image immediately comes to mind doesn’t it? And collectively as a culture, September 11^th provokes an image to mind and provokes a collective response in our minds.

However, for some people, September 11^th provokes another image to mind. You see, on September 11^th 2012, eleven years after the events of September 11, 2001, which most people associate the date September 11^th, Christopher Stevens, who was stationed as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, was killed when the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked by radical Islamic terrorists. The events surrounded Stevens death were portrayed in the movie “13 hours the secret soldiers of Benghazi”.

And while the deaths of Christopher Stevens and those who tried to protect and save Stephens in 2012 were different in size, scope, and location, than the deaths of almost 3,000 civilians in 2001, the response to both events that occurred on September 11^th was very similar. Americans across the political, social, and cultural spectrum called for a swift and devastating response, many advocating for military intervention.

But this call for swift and devastating response was not limited to those who lived in the United States. For example, the London Telegraph proclaimed "Put bluntly, the destruction of diplomatic premises resulting in the murder of an ambassador would amount to an act of war." But why did the death of Christopher Stevens provoke such a collective response across the world? Why would the death of Christopher Stevens provoke such a similar response to the deaths of nearly 3,000 people?

I mean, while both events were tragic reminders of the forces of evil and violence in the world, the difference in the size and the scope of the evil should have resulted in a similar difference in terms of the universal response that such evil provoked. But both acts of evil and terrorism provoked a nearly identical outcry for war. But why was that the case?

The reason for the collective outcry for war when it came to the death of Christopher Stevens was based on the position that he held as an Ambassador for the United States. You see, an ambassador, by very definition, is a representative of someone or something who speaks or acts on their behalf.

In Christopher Stevens case, as Ambassador of the United States, his responsibility was to represent the President of the United States and to speak on behalf of the United States. And because of that reality, the brutal assassination of Christopher Steven was viewed as an assassination of Barack Obama, who was the President of the United States. And throughout human history, to attack an ambassador in such a way has always been viewed as an act of war.

What I find so fascinating about this concept of an ambassador is that we find this very concept in the letters that make up the Bible. So for the next two weeks we are going to answer the questions “what is the position of an ambassador?” and “What is the mission of an ambassador?” 

Now you may not buy the whole Jesus, Bible, church thing. You might not be sure about whether or not there is a God, let alone whether you should follow Him or live for Him. If I have just described you, I just want to let you know that you are off the hook when it comes to what we are going to talk about.  If you do not buy the whole Jesus Bible, church, thing, you do not have to do anything that we are going to talk about.

However, what you will discover is that there is a reason why followers of Jesus are commanded by Jesus to do what they do when it comes to engaging you. And there is a way that followers of Jesus are supposed to do what they do when it comes to engaging you. And my hope for you is that you would see what Jesus calls His followers to do when it comes to engaging you so that you can see how Jesus feels about you and what He calls His followers to do, and what Jesus calls His followers not to do, when it comes to engaging you and inviting you to follow Jesus.

Now this week I would like for us to answer the first question that we are going to address during this series, which is “what is the position of an ambassador?” And we find the answer to that question in a section of a letter that was written by a man we know today as the Apostle Paul that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 2 Corinthians.

Just prior to the section of the letter that we are going to jump into, Paul had explained how living with an eternal perspective that is based on God’s promises and built on faith impacted His daily life as a follower of Jesus. Paul explained that his ambition, what he aspired to do, whether while living life here on earth or in Heaven for all eternity with Jesus, was to be pleasing to Him. Paul explained that the reason why he had this ambition was due to the fact that he would appear in Heaven after his death to give an account for his life as a follower of Jesus to Jesus.

Upon appearing before Jesus at the end of his life, Paul explained that he, along with all humanity, will be held accountable and responsible for what they have accomplished on earth, whether to advance His kingdom mission or to hinder His kingdom mission. All humanity will receive from Jesus what we have earned by how they invested their time, treasure, and talents toward His kingdom mission.

And because of that reality, Paul explained that he was driven to persuade as many people as possible of the reality that at the end of their life they would be held accountable for how they lived their lives in relationship to God and others. And it is in this context that we are going to jump into this letter together, beginning in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. Let’s look at it together:

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵ and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

The Apostle Paul begins this section of his letter to the members of the church at Corinth by providing the motivation that drove him and other early followers of Jesus to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel with those who were far from God. When Paul uses the word controls here, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to compel or to motivate.

Paul’s point was that the love of Jesus drove him to tell others about Jesus. The love of Jesus compelled and motivated Paul and other early followers of Jesus to share God’s message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel throughout the known world.

Paul then explained and unpacked the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the members of the church at Corinth. And that message was that Jesus, as our representative and substitute, died for all. As our representative and substitute, Jesus died on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion. Jesus selflessly placed humanity before Himself as He placed Himself on the cross in our place.

And the reason that Jesus died for all, was so that all died. But what does that mean?  Paul provides that answer to that question in verse 15, when he states that He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Paul’s point to the members of the church at Corinth, and to followers of Jesus throughout history, is that just as Jesus placed humanity before Himself as He placed Himself on the cross in our place, as followers of Jesus we are to place Jesus before ourselves and live our lives in way that reveals and reflects Jesus and that is engaged in the kingdom mission that we have been given by Jesus. As followers of Jesus, the selfless love of Jesus should compel and motivate us to live our lives in a way that places Jesus as large and in charge of our lives and that shares that claims of Christ and the message of the gospel with those around us who are far from God.

Tomorrow we will see Paul further unpack how the love of Jesus compelled and motivated Paul and other early followers of Jesus to share God’s message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel throughout the known world…

3 Strategic Goals That Produce Spiritual Growth...

This week, we have been looking at a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew. As part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which we know today as the Sermon on the Mount, paint a word picture for the crowds listening to Him what the world should see when they come into contact with His followers. And it is this word picture that provides for us a timeless goal that we should strive towards, both as individuals and as a church.

Jesus explained to the crowds listening to Him that those who follow Him are the light of the world. Jesus point is that as the light of the world, followers of Jesus are to reveal and reflect Jesus and help provide the guidance and direction necessary for people to be able to navigate life here on earth.

Jesus continued to challenge the crowds by providing two additional word pictures that revealed the reality that for the light to fulfill its purpose to reveal, display, and to provide the opportunity for those in the house to navigate an otherwise dark environment, the light needed to be in the right position. After painting these two word pictures, challenged the crowd by stating that just like a city on a hill; just like a lamp that is placed on a lampstand, His followers were to live their day to day lives in a way that revealed and reflected Jesus to those around them.

We discovered that the church is the only organization that does not exist for the sake of its members? The church has been divinely designed to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world. And God places the local church in distinctive environments to be distinctively different. God has placed City Bible Church in Bullhead City to be a city within a city that loves and serves those around us.  And when we love and serve others in a way that reveals and reflects Christ, the result is that we glorify God in Heaven.

And this morning that is why we believe and are focused on the goal that God has given us as a church to be a city within a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city. We believe that as we live life together in community with a focus on engaging those in this city in a way that reveals and reflects Christ by loving and serving those in the city, we will be the vehicle that God uses to advance His kingdom mission and bring Him glory.

Now you might be wondering “well that’s great Dave, but how do we reach that goal as a church? And how do I get to a place in my life where I am following Jesus is a way that reveals and reflects Him to the world around me”? If you are asking those questions, I just want you to know that they are great questions to be asking. And my answer to those questions would be this; when we read the letter that make up the Bible, we consistently see that followers of Jesus who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship that reveals and reflects Christ invest their lives in three specific ways.

First, we see that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their time with other Christians as they gathered corporately for regular weekly worship gatherings and as they scattered to experience community in homes throughout the week. Second, we see that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their talents serving God by serving others through the exercise of their spiritual gifts. Third, we see that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their treasure to support God’s kingdom mission through regular and proportional giving.

And we believe that as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest their time by being involved in a regular worship gathering and a community group; as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest their talents serving God by serving others through being a part of a ministry team; and as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest their treasure in order to help create environments where people can explore and grow in their faith while experiencing community, we will continue to be a city in a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city.

Our vision as a church is to create environments where people are able to move on a spiritual journey from being consumers who view the church as a place where they receive spiritual goods and services to being investors who embrace and invest their time, talent, and treasure to advance the kingdom mission that God has given us. And, because followers of Jesus grow and mature in their relationship with Jesus when they  are investing their time in a community group, their talents in a ministry, and their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus, as a church, we believe God has called us to plan for the future with three specific, strategic goals that will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus from being consumers who are searching and shopping when it comes to Jesus to owners who own a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus to investors who reveal and reflect Christ in their character and conduct and who have fully embraced and are fully engaged in God’s kingdom mission. 

First, we have set as a strategic goal that everyone who attends City Bible Church is investing their time, in addition to consistently attending a worship gathering on Sundays, in a community group. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs in circles, not rows. And community groups create those transformational environments where people can develop loving and supportive relationships that challenge us to take that next step when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. In 2019, 71% of our average Sunday attendance at City Bible Church are involved in a community group.

Second, we have set as a strategic goal that everyone who attends City Bible Church is investing their talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging the spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us in a selfless way that serves others. We encounter God as we use the spiritual gifts we have been given to help others encounter God. We experience God’s transformational activity in our lives as we help others experience God’s transformational activity in their lives. In 2019, 55% of our average Sunday attendance at City Bible Church invest their talents serving God by serving others in a ministry

Third, we have set as a strategic goal that everyone who attends City Bible Church is investing their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging the treasure that we have been given to create environments where people can explore faith, grow in their faith, and experience genuine and authentic community. In 2019, the average adult attender gave $43 per week.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous. And when we reflect the generosity of Jesus by being generous, we reveal and reflect Jesus to others. So, as a church, we are inviting you to partner with us in the kingdom mission and vision that God has given us by planning for the future in three specific ways with three specific goals. As a church, we are not inviting you to commit to more than this, but we are not inviting you to commit to less than this.

We are inviting you to partner with us in the kingdom mission that we have been given as a church by investing your time in a community group, your talents in a ministry, and your treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus. So here are some questions for you to consider: Where are you at when it comes to a relationship with Jesus?

Are you a consumer who views the church as a place where they receive spiritual goods and services? Are you a consumer who is shopping when it comes to a relationship with Jesus because you are searching, seeking, or skeptical? Are you an owner who owns a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus but is simply treading water when it comes to your relationship with Jesus and are not investing in the mission He has given us? Or are you an investor who is embracing and investing their time, talent, and treasure to advance the kingdom mission that God has given us?

And based on where you are at when it comes to your relationship with Jesus, what is the next step that you need to take in order to take the next step in your relationship with Jesus? Is that next step to invest your time in a community group? Is that next step to invest your talent in a ministry? Is that next step to invest your treasure in a way that reflects the generosity of Jesus?

Because it is when we invest our time, talents, and treasure into the kingdom mission that we have been given that we become a community of faith that is a city within a city that reveals and reflects Christ as we love and serve the city…

A city within a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city...

This week we are asking and answering the question “Should a church have a New Year’s resolution list? And if the answer is yes, then what should be on that list?” Fortunately for us, in an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew, Jesus provides for us a timeless goal that we should strive towards, both as individuals and as a church.

Yesterday we saw Jesus, as part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which we know today as the Sermon on the Mount, paint a word picture for the crowds listening to Him what the world should see when they come into contact with His followers. Jesus explained to the crowds listening to Him that those who follow Him are the light of the world.

Jesus painted this word picture to explain that, as the light of the world, followers of Jesus are to reveal and reflect Jesus and help provide the guidance and direction necessary for people to be able to navigate life here on earth. After painting this word picture what the world should see when they encounter His followers, Jesus then provided two additional images to challenge the crowds listening. Let’s look at these images together, beginning in the second half of Matthew 5:14-15:

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Jesus continued to challenge the crowds by providing two additional word pictures. First, Jesus reminded the crowd listening of a timeless reality that they were all too familiar with: a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  A city that is located in an elevated location can be seen from miles away. In Jesus day, this would especially be the case after the sun set. In the pitch-black darkness of the desert of Israel, the light of an elevated city would be seen for miles and miles.

Jesus then provided a second word picture, this time of a lamp that would be used to provide light in a home. Jesus explained that a person does not take the time to light a lamp and then place that lamp under a basket. That would make absolutely no sense. It would make absolutely no sense to place a lamp under a basket because then the lamp would not be functioning as it was designed. The lamp would not be fulfilling the purpose that it was created to fulfill.

Instead, Jesus reminded the crowds that a person would take the lamp and place it on a lampstand, which would place the lamp in an elevated position so that the light of the lamp would provide the maximum coverage possible in the house. For the light to fulfill its purpose to reveal, display, and to provide the opportunity for those in the house to navigate an otherwise dark environment, the light needed to be in the right position.

After painting these two word pictures, Jesus made His challenge to the crowds who were listening unmistakably clear in Matthew 5:16:

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew tells us that Jesus challenged the crowd by stating that just like a city on a hill; just like a lamp that is placed on a lampstand, His followers were to live their day to day lives in a way that revealed and reflected Jesus to those around them. But, did you notice that Jesus does not only tell the crowds to reveal and reflect Him to the world around them: Jesus also tells the crowds how they will reveal and reflect Him to the world around them. Jesus explained that His followers will reveal and reflect Him to the world around them when they lived their lives in such a way that the world around them may see their good works and glorify God who is in Heaven.

Jesus here is calling the crowds listening, and His followers throughout history, to reveal and reflect Christ by how we love and serve the world around us. Jesus is calling His followers throughout history to engage the world by loving and serving those who God has placed around us.

Did you know that the church is the only organization that does not exist for the sake of its members? The church does not exist for the sake of it members but for the sake of the mission as the church has been divinely designed to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world. And God places the local church in distinctive environments to be distinctively different.

We believe that God has placed City Bible Church in Bullhead City to be a city within a city that loves and serves those around us.  And when we love and serve others in a way that reveals and reflects Christ, the result is that we glorify God in Heaven.

That is why we partner with Bullhead City to love and serve the city during our annual Saturday of Service project. That is why we partnered with the Boys and Girls club to sponsor over 42 children for their summer program. That is why we adopted Desert Valley Elementary School to paint five kindergarten classrooms. That is why we love and served 2,000 people from our community this Halloween during our Candyland Carnival. That is why we loved and served over 77 children this Christmas during angel tree.

And that is why we believe and are focused on the goal that God has given us as a church to be a city in a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city. We believe that as we live life together in community with a focus on engaging those in this city in a way that reveals and reflects Christ by loving and serving those in the city, we will be the vehicle that God uses to advance His kingdom mission and bring Him glory.

Now you might be wondering “well that’s great Dave, but how do we reach that goal as a church? And how do I get to a place in my life where I am following Jesus is a way that reveals and reflects Him to the world around me”?

If you are asking those questions, I just want you to know that they are great questions to be asking. And Friday we will look at the answer to those questions…

Should churches make New Year Resolutions?

For many of us, we tend to start a new year by reflecting on the events and relationships that have shaped our lives, either for better or for worse, of the previous year. Then, after that time of reflection, however long it is, we begin the process of moving forward towards a new year. We begin the attempt to leave the past behind and begin a new year with a new and fresh slate and with new and fresh hope when it comes to our future. 

And as part of that process, we sit down and make a list of what we are going to do differently in the New Year. We even have a name for that list, don’t we? We call that list our New Year’s Resolutions. And yet, so often, we end up bailing on our resolutions only weeks after making them. Or, worse yet, we make resolutions that are filled with loopholes and exceptions that result in us living a life that fails to reach any of the goals or aspirations we had set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. And then we end up in that familiar place of frustration because we seem to be unable to make the changes that we believe that we desperately need to make in our lives.

And what is the case individually is also the case for us as a church. Just like individuals, as a church, we have a tendency to look at the New Year as a time to reflect on the past, evaluate the present, and plan for the future when it comes to the unique mission that we have been given. But, as a church, what should be on our New Year’s resolution list? What should our focus and our goal be as a church as plan for the future in 2020? And should churches even have strategic plans and goals?

Fortunately for us, in an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew, Jesus provides the answer to these questions with a timeless goal that we should strive towards, both as individuals and as a church. So let’s begin to look at this timeless goal and its implications when it comes to our lives as individuals and as a church, beginning in Matthew 5:14:

"You are the light of the world.

Here we see Jesus, as part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which we know today as the Sermon on the Mount, paint a word picture for the crowds listening to Him what the world should see when they come into contact with His followers. Jesus explained to the crowds listening to Him that those who follow Him are the light of the world.

Now light, by its very nature, has incredible impact and influence when it enters into an environment. For example, just think what happens when you enter into a space that you have never been in before and turn on a light. When you enter a space that you have never been in before, do you have any idea what is in there? No, you have no idea.

And because of that reality, we often find ourselves searching for a way to bring light into that space, don’t we? And when we are able to bring light into that space, what happens? As soon as you bring light into that space, what is in that space is revealed to you isn’t it? As soon as you bring light into that space, everything in that space displayed for you to see. The whole point of the light is to reveal and to display what is present in that space.

But light does more than just reveal and display. I experienced another function and purpose of light firsthand on August 12th, 2018. On Saturday August 11th, 2018, a monsoon storm struck the area around Bullhead City. And at about 7:30 p.m. that evening, virtually the entire community lost power. I remember thinking "surely the power will come back on fairly quickly.

At 9:30 p.m., however, there was still no power. I remember thinking "surely the power will come back on soon". At 10:30 p.m. however, the power had not come back on. The rain and lightning had stopped, but still no power. And the house was getting warmer. I went through the sermon I was going to preach the following morning the best I could and then went to bed thinking "surely the power will come back on soon".

After a warm and restless night sleep, I was awakened by the alarm on the phone thinking "surely the power is back on". But the power was not back on. I planned to go shave and shower at the gym by the church. However, I received a phone call explaining that there was no power at church either. After deciding that we would have services in spite of the lack of power, I began the process of getting ready for church.

However, there was an obvious problem. You see, while I could shower in spite of no power, attempting to shave without power is an entirely different story. Now, for some of you guys, you can go a day without shaving. However, for me, since my relatives must have been wookies, I have a 5 o clock shadow at 9 a..m., so I definitely needed to shave. But have you ever tried to shave without light?

I then remembered a trick that I learned from some Jr. and Sr. High students. You see, if you take the flashlight on your phone and place a Styrofoam cup over the top of it, it will diffuse the light throughout a room. So with the light of my flashlight under a Styrofoam cup, combined with the flashlight from my wife's phone, I was able to shave. You see, in the darkness of that early morning bathroom, the light from those cell phones and a Styrofoam cup provided the guidance and direction that we needed to navigate the facial hair on my face so as to shave.

Jesus point here is that in the same way, as the light of the world, followers of Jesus are to reveal and reflect Jesus and help provide the guidance and direction necessary for people to be able to navigate life here on earth. After painting this word picture what the world should see when they encounter His followers, Jesus then provided two additional word pictures to challenge the crowds listening.

Tomorrow we will look at these word pictures together…

Top Ten List of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 at City Bible Church, Part 2...

This week we are reflecting, remembering, and celebrating the evidence of God’s activity this past year at City Bible Church. To do that, we are looking at the top ten things that we are celebrating when it comes to the evidence of God’s activity this past year at City Bible Church.

Tuesday, we looked at numbers 10-6 on the top ten list. Number 10 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our involvement in the Global Leadership Summit. Number 9 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our participation in the Angel Tree project.  Number 8 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our participation in the Boys and Girls Club Scholarship Outreach. Number 7 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our involvement with the annual Fusion Prescott Pines Mission Trip. Number 6 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our engagement of the community through our annual Candyland Carnival that past Halloween.

Today, I would like for us to continue to look at this top ten list. Number 5 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our annual Saturday of Service. On January 12, 2019, we continued a yearly practice of loving and serving the city of Bullhead City in a real and practical way through our annual Saturday of Service. The Saturday of Service is designed to let the community know that as a church, we consider ourselves a part of the community and desire to partner with the community to make it a better place to live.

In 2019, we participated in a painting and renovation project at Firebird Field, which is the football field at Rotary Park. As a church, we were able to complete three aspects of this renovation. One team painted the exterior of the building that contained the bathrooms and concession stand. A second team painted the exterior of the stands of the stadium. A third team cleaned out the inside of the building that contained the concession stand, storage, facilities, and press box. We were able to complete every project while representing Jesus well to those in the community and to the city workers who worked alongside us. As a church we are looking forward to our next Saturday of service which will be on Saturday, January, 11, 2020.

Number 4 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our annual adopt a school project. On June 8^th 2019, we were able to love and serve Desert Valley Elementary School in a real and practical way by painting 5 kindergarten classrooms. As a church we were able to reveal and reflect Jesus in a way that brought the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into this school by providing the paint and people necessary to give these classrooms a much-needed makeover.

By adopting Desert Valley Elementary, we are able to build a bridge within our community as a result of loving and serving many local families that attend both the school and C.B.C. As a result, we are able to help meet a pressing and practical need of the students and teachers in a way that opens the possibility for the opportunity for those students and teachers to be able to explore faith and experience genuine and authentic community.  We look forward to the opportunity to continue to build and strengthen this bridge with Desert Valley Elementary in 2020.

Number 3 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our progress that has been made toward the 2020 Vision. In May 2017, as a church we launched into a three-year capital campaign with the goal to raise resources for a new Family Life Center so that we could create the space for the city to encounter Jesus. The goal of the Capital Campaign is to create an environment where hundreds of children and their families could have irresistible and engaging spaces to connect with Jesus. Our goal is to be able to create the environment where hundreds of students and their families could have irresistible and engaging spaces to know God, own their faith, and make their faith know.

Our goal is to be able to create the environment where we would be positioned to create irresistible and engaging spaces that provided training opportunities for churches in the region in areas such as children, student, and family ministry. Our goal is to be able to create the environment where we could love and serve our community in real and practical ways by creating irresistible and engaging spaces where local organizations could have conferences and training for their employees.

Our goal is to be able to create the environment where we could love and serve our community in real and practical ways by creating irresistible and engaging spaces for our community to engage in sports leagues and other activities and interests. Our goal is to be able to create the environment where we would be positioned to meet the potential pressing and practical needs of our community that come through crisis. Our goal is to be able to create the environment where we could reach out to both the church family and the community by creating irresistible and engaging spaces for marriage and parenting conferences.

Since the launch of the 2020 Vision, we have raised over $756,000 towards the 1.3 million dollar goal to complete the 1^st phase of the new Family Life Center. We are now at the place where we have completed the process of developing a floor plan for the Family Life Center. In addition to helping with the floor plan, General Steel has also provided us with an estimated cost to complete the new Family Life Center, along with a timeline for construction and completion of the project.

As a church we are grateful for everyone who has made the commitment to be a part of the 2020 Vision. Since we launched the 2020 Vision, we have had many individuals who have started attending the church and who are beginning to engage in the ministries of the church. Maybe I have just described you. Or maybe you were not in a position to commitment to partner with us in the 2020 Vision last year but now are at a place where you could make that commitment.

If I have described where you are at, I would invite you to consider the impact that you could have by making a commitment to the 2020 Vision by prayerfully considering the following questions: Have you been blessed and want to say YEA GOD!? Would you consider giving an additional one-time gift, or increase your monthly giving? Have you not formally committed to the 2020 Vision, but are giving sporadically? Would you be willing to either complete a commitment card, and/or decide to give regularly? If you were not able to join us part of the 2020 Vision last year, but feel you can now: Will you join us by partnering in the 2020 Vision?

Number 2 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved the engagement of those who attend City Bible Church in Community Groups. As a church we have set as a goal for the future that everyone who attends C.B.C. would be investing their time, in addition to attending a corporate worship gathering, in a community group. When we read the letters that make up the Bible, we discover that individuals who were involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their time with other Christians as they gathered corporately for regular weekly worship gatherings and as they scattered to experience community in homes throughout the week.

We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs in circles, not rows. And community groups create those transformational environments where people can develop loving and supportive relationships that challenge us to take that next step when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. This past year, 71% of our average attendance at City Bible Church are involved in a community group.  Current community groups are listed in your bulletin and other community groups will be starting in the future.

Now with that in mind, we come to the number 1 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church. Number 1 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved the many, many people who have experienced the transforming power of God in their lives that has resulted in them taking that next step in their commitment to Jesus this past year at City Bible Church.

This past year, we have seen the evidence of the life transforming power of God through the many new people that have started attending C.B.C. We have seen the evidence of the life transforming power of God through the testimonies of those who were baptized in 2019. We have seen the evidence of the life transforming power of God through the stories that are shared during our Church Chat for new attenders at C.B.C. or in the various community Groups. We have seen the evidence of the life transforming power of God through those who chose to make the commitment to partnering in the kingdom mission we have been given as a church through the Intro. To C.B.C. class.

We have seen the evidence of the life transforming power of God through the stories of children who have encountered and are transformed by God through their involvement in Kids Konnection and AWANA as part of Element Children’s ministries. We have seen the evidence of the life transforming power of God through the stories of Jr. And Sr. High students who have encountered and are transformed by God through their involvement in Fusion Student Ministries.

During 2019, the evidence of God’s transforming power that has brought about a greater commitment to Jesus and the kingdom mission we have been given by Jesus has encouraged us to continue to lean into the vision that we have been given to help create environments where people can move on a spiritual journey from a place of being a consumer who is searching and shopping for answers when it comes to Jesus and the Bible, to being an owner who owns a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus, to being an investor who is investing their time, talent, and treasure in the kingdom mission that God has given us.

So as this list demonstrates, 2019 has been an amazing year where we have been surrounded by the evidences of God’s activity. As we leave 2019 behind and lean into 2020, may we continue to lean into the kingdom mission that we have been given as a church to be a city in a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city….

Top Ten List of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 at City Bible Church, Part 1...

Throughout the letters that make up the Bible, we see occasions where the people of God stopped to celebrate the evidence of God’s activity in their life and in history. For example, after creating the universe and everything that exists out of nothing, God stopped to rest and reflect on His activity in creating history. God then commanded the Jewish people to pause every week for the Sabbath, which was designed for followers of God to follow the example of God and rest and reflect on His activity in their lives.

Then, in the book of Exodus, we see God command the Jewish people to celebrate the Passover so that they would reflect, remember, and celebrate God’s activity in the past that resulted in their deliverance from slavery at the hands of the nation of Egypt. Jesus instituted communion, where we pause to reflect, remember, and celebrate the message of the gospel that provides us forgiveness and the relationship with God that we were created for as a result of placing our trust in what Jesus did for us through His life, death, and resurrection. Throughout the history of God’s movement in history called the church, followers of Jesus have paused to reflect, remember, and celebrate the evidence of God’s activity in their lives.

So this week, as we come to the end of 2019, I would like for us to reflect, remember, and celebrate the evidence of God’s activity this past year at the church where I serve, which is City Bible Church in Bullhead City, Arizona. To do that, I would like to share with you a top ten list.  This top ten list involves the top ten things that we are celebrating when it comes to the evidence of God’s activity this past year at City Bible Church. So with that in mind, lets jump into this top ten list together.

Number 10 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our involvement in the Global Leadership Summit. This past August, we had the opportunity as a church to be a host site for the Global Leadership Summit, which is held at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and is one of the best leadership conferences in the country.  The opportunity to be a host site provides the ability for us to provide top notch training to those who would not have the opportunity to normally attend such a conference.

As a result of the success that we had as a church in hosting what is referred to as a private viewing, we now have the opportunity to invite other churches to be a part of the Global Leadership Summit as a public viewing venue. One of our priorities as a church is to develop spiritually growing leaders within our church, while providing spaces and opportunities for other local churches to develop their leaders as well. As we talked about with the Growing Faith Conference, while we are a local church, we want to be open handed and generous to other churches in a way that helps the big C Church advance the kingdom mission we all have been given by Jesus. We look forward to the opportunities we now have to help equip, empower, and unleash leaders from C.B.C. and other local churches to make a difference for Jesus in our community and beyond. 

Number 9 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our participation in the Angel Tree project.  Angel Tree is a project where we adopt local families where one or more parents are incarcerated and unable to spend Christmas with their families. As part of adopting these local families, we purchase Christmas gifts on behalf of the incarcerated parent. We then have the privilege of being that hands and feet of that parent by delivering the gifts to the children. This provides us the opportunity to reveal and reflect the love of Jesus to local families as we bring a glimpse of the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven to these families in a time that could be otherwise very discouraging and disappointing. 

This past year, as part of the partnership with Angel Tree ministries, we were able to purchase gifts for 77 children and impact 34 families with the love of Jesus. Angel tree has provided the opportunity to engage children and their families by developing relationships that invite them to explore faith and experience genuine and authentic community, and we look forward to being a part of Angel Tree next year as well.

Number 8 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our participation in the Boys and Girls Club Scholarship Outreach. As we have engaged our local community over the years, one of the pressing needs that many families have during the summer months involves providing childcare for their children. When school is out for the summer, many families are faced with the prospect of leaving their children home alone while they go to work to provide for their families. The cost of childcare in many cases, is beyond their reach. In addition, while to Boys and Girls Club provides a summer program, the cost is also beyond what many local families can afford.

As a result of these realities, as a church we raised resources in an attempt to be able to scholarship children that would otherwise be unable to participate in the program. As a result of your open-handed generosity over and above your regular giving, this past spring we were able to raise the resources to scholarship 42 children to participate in the 8-week summer program at the Boys and Girls Club. The impact of your generosity can not be overrated for the lives of local children and families, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the Boys and Girls Club this spring.

Number 7 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our involvement with the annual Fusion Prescott Pines Mission Trip. This past July 19-22^nd, 27 Fusion students and staff loved and served Prescott Pines Camp by completing two different projects. This Mission Trip is designed to give Jr. And Sr. High students the opportunity to selflessly serve the camp during the day by completing projects that the camps staff is unable to attend to during the busy summer months. 

One Team of Fusion students and staff created the forms necessary for the building of Yurts, which are a hybrid tent building designed to replace the current Tee Pees used during the summer to house children during summer camp. A second team completed a renovation project of a former bathhouse that will be turned into a conference space for adult visitors. After working on these projects during the day, the students participate in team building projects and teaching on the three most important questions that everyone asks and answers about life.

The impact of the experience for these students provides a foundation for their life experiences in the future and sets the stage for their engagement in the ministry here at the church and their involvement in fusion during the year. As we have talked about in the past, students are not the church of the future; they are the church of the present and are actively involved in many of the ministries here at C.B.C. We are excited about what God is doing in the lives of these students and look forward to continuing our partnership with Prescott Pines in the future.  

Number 6 on the top ten list of evidences of God’s activity in 2019 here at City Bible Church involved our engagement of the community through our annual Candyland Carnival that past Halloween. Every Halloween we take the opportunity to turn our west parking lot into a carnival atmosphere with games, bounce houses, and food, at no cost to our community. The purpose of Candyland is to create a safe space on Halloween night that reaches out to our local community in a way that reveals and reflects the love of Jesus to our community. Candyland provides us the opportunity to redeem the evening for Jesus as we reveal and reflect Jesus to the community.

This past Halloween, nearly 2,000 individuals from our community were able to enjoy the fun fan family friendly atmosphere at Candyland.  What is so encouraging is that for many individuals and families who call C.B.C. home, their initial encounter with the church was through Candyland. As a church we are so thankful for the many individuals who invested their time, talents and treasure to make Candyland such a success by helping with set up and take down, by managing a game booth, and by helping prepare and serve food for the children and families that were a part of this event.

Friday, we will look at #5-1 on the Top Ten List…. in the meantime, what would be #10-6 on your Top Ten List of the evidences of God's activity in your life?