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September 4 – Church Leadership in the New Testament
[audio:http://www.mdbetter.com/redeemer/sundayschool/Leadership1.mp3]
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September 11 – Who Should Serve as Elders and Deacons?
[audio:http://www.mdbetter.com/redeemer/sundayschool/Leadership2.mp3]
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September 18 – What Is the Task of Elders and Deacons?
[audio:http://www.mdbetter.com/redeemer/sundayschool/Leadership3.mp3]
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Yesterday, we shared our vision for Community Groups in the post, The Purpose of Community Groups.

Today, I want to share the vision in someone else’s words. In his post, What is a Missional Community?, Jeff Vanderstelt details a vision that I desire to see fulfilled in our Community Groups at Redeemer. He writes…

A missional community is a family of missionary servants who make disciples who make disciples.

Disciples are made and developed:

• through life on life, where there is visibility and accessibility
• in community, where they can practice the one anothers, and
• on mission where they learn how to proclaim the gospel and make disciples.

I encourage you to read the whole article and pray for our Community Groups to become communities of this kind.

Community Groups are weekly, small group gatherings that take place in a home for mutual discipleship, mutual prayer, and mutual ministry. These groups begin this week. You can find more information or register for a Community Group here.

What do we hope to accomplish in Community Groups?

We hope to see Redeemer Church pursue faithfulness to Jesus Christ and His mission for the church. We articulate this mission as “proclaiming Christ to grow mature Christians who minister in the church and in the world.” One way we pursue this mission is through small groups that promote mutual discipleship, mutual prayer and mutual ministry.

• Mutual Discipleship: Investing in the spiritual maturity and growth of one another. This involves studying God’s Word together, applying it to life and weekly encouraging one another toward faithfulness.
• Mutual Prayer: Praying together for one another, for Redeemer Church and for our ministry in the world.
• Mutual Ministry: Joining together for ministry to one another (inside the church) and to the world (outside the church). This involves seeking ways to serve together and encouraging personal ministry in the church and the world.

We hope you will join us at a Community Group this week.

A Method for Prayer: Matthew Henry’s classic is now a book and a website. This work is helpful for times of intentional, planned prayer. Henry provides hundreds of Scripture passages for prayers of Adoration, Confession, Petition, Thanksgiving and Intercession. If you have ever wondered what things you might pray, consider this resource. There are now numerous ways to connect with it: buy the book, search the website, receive email messages, etc.

The Valley of Vision: This collection of written prayers serve as a resource for praying when you do not know what to pray. The prayers are organized by topic so you can best be served by them. I find these very helpful. I use them by reading them aloud or letting them serve as an outline for an extended period of prayer.

A Praying Life by Paul Miller: This excellent book considers informal prayer as a way of life. It has helped me see prayer as part of all of my life and helped me pray throughout the day.

Conference Audio from The Powerful Life of the Praying Pastor: These seven messages helpfully cover a variety of topics on prayer. Do not let the title’s reference to pastors fool you. These messages are for everyone.

Will you join me this week in intentional, planned prayer for the glory of God, the building of Redeemer and our personal maturity?

During Sunday’s sermon, God’s Armor: Confident Hope and God’s Word, I made reference to this interview between John Piper and Rick Warren. I thought it would be valuable for me to share it with you.

Before you watch it, let me share a few reasons why I think it is worth your time.

• Real Christian Dialogue: How do we normally approach those who disagree with us? Too often, we quickly lump people into categories and dismiss the entire category of people. In this interview, Piper and Warren model a thorough, truth-seeking and compassionate approach to dialogue. I want to learn from their approach.
• Men Shaped by the Word: Both men have been used by God to accomplish much for His Kingdom purposes. What struck me in this interview was neither their methods nor their theological persuasion. I was overwhelmed by how greatly both have been shaped by God’s Word. It was clear both men have spent and do spend much time pouring over and submitting to God’s Word. I want my life and ministry to be equally saturated with the Bible.
• Avoid Making Heroes and Villains: Sharing this interview is not an endorsement of either man or his ministry. I do not share this interview so that Redeemer or you will look exactly like either of these men. That is not the goal. Let’s be captivated by the clear evidence of God’s grace in both of them. Let’s long for our lives and our shared ministry to be equally characterized by God’s Word and God’s grace.

We considered the question: “What do we do with the Armor of God?” We use it! This answer is simultaneously simple and extremely challenging.

Listen here to the sermon, “Battle Ready?” and consider what God has to say through His Word.

If you desire to further consider the subject, consider this very helpful quote from D.A. Carson.

People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

War imagery by Christians tends to be cliche, overused, and even misused. Yet, I am using war imagery to describe our study of Ephesians 6:10-10 anyway. Why? Here are four reasons:

1. Because the passage’s use of war imagery makes our usage necessary.
2. Because after considering multiple titles for this series, I feared missing the weightiness of the text when the war imagery was removed.
3. Because the text offers an urgent, serious, call to action for every Christian and every church.
4. Because war concepts communicate urgency and seriousness.

As we look at the text these next five weeks there are several specific questions we will encounter in Ephesians 6:10-20:

• Why should we think of life as a war?
• Who is the true enemy?
• Who do we battle against?
• Where do we find strength?
• Should we be fearful?
• Are we fighting alone?
• What is our responsibility?
• Who wins?

A Few Requests:
I would like to ask you to do a three things before Sunday morning.

1. Will you slowly read and consider Ephesians 6:10-20 before Sunday?
2. Will you pray this short prayer daily between now and Sunday? “God, will you change me during this study? Will you prepare me for what you are going to do in me?”
3. Will you invite someone to join you at Redeemer for “The Christian’s War”? Ask yourself this: “Who do I know who would benefit from this study?” or “How could I talk with them about the study?”

I pray the broken will find healing, the flippant will find focus, the rebellious will find repentance, and the faithful will find hope in Ephesians 6:10-20. We hope you will join us on Sunday and bring someone with you.

In Christ,

Jamie

The 2011 Easter Devotional Guide is a compilation of seven devotions written by the people of Redeemer. Redeemer Church is blessed to have so many gifted and mature people. I pray you will meet Jesus on these pages.

In Christ,

Pastor Jamie

The team arrived on Saturday evening and began their work on Sunday afternoon. In our training session Saturday evening, I gave the team three goals to pursue.

• Be a Missionary in Hendersonville: Hendersonville is neither India nor New York City. Yet, our community is filled with people who need to hear the gospel and/or need to connect with a local church. I asked them to see the people of Hendersonville the way God sees them. The issue is spiritual. Does a person know Jesus Christ and the blessings of His gospel? As a missionary, respond to the spiritual needs in our community.
• Open Doors for the Ongoing Ministry of Redeemer Church: The team will be working in places that Redeemer desires ongoing ministry in the future. The team will be using ministry strategies that Redeemer desires to use in the future. I asked them to work diligently to open doors for our congregation.
• Model a Missionary Lifestyle for Our Congregation: Over the next five days, a team of missionaries will be leading our congregation in ministries that we can replicate without them. I am praying fervently for the people of Redeemer to catch a vision of living like a missionary in our own community. I asked eight young women from Union University to be pacesetters for our congregation. I pray we catch the vision of what God desires to accomplish through the ministry of His people.

For these reasons, I invite you to join us in ministry this week. If you have any time to devote to Redeemer Church this week, use it to join us in one of the following ways.

• Tuesday, 10:30 am-1:30 pm: Serve lunch and minister to women at the Nashville Rescue Mission Women’s Shelter.
• Tuesday, 5:45-8:30 pm: Help host a neighborhood block party at the home of Jamie and Suzanne Mosley (213 Vintage Circle, Hendersonville).
• Wednesday, 8:30 am-3:00 pm: Join us for Prayerwalking, conducting surveys, and evangelism on the campus of Vol State Community College.
• Wednesday, 5:45-8:30 pm: Help host a neighborhood block party at the home of Debi Camp (105 Fieldcrest Court, Hendersonville).
• Thursday, 8:30 am-3:00 pm: Join us for Prayerwalking, conducting surveys, and evangelism on the campus of Vol State Community College.

If you desire to participate this week, contact me for more details. Also, we will post the details of each day’s activity on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

We have a great opportunity before us. Thank you Lord for sending these young ladies to serve this week!

In Christ,

Jamie

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan last Friday has made the reality of human suffering and tragedy real, present, and tangible. In our world of rapid news reports and quickly moving on to the next thing, how should we respond to calamity half a world away?

Romans 9:12-21 is one of many helpful passages for us to prayerfully consider. The Apostle Paul gives a list of characteristics for Christians to pursue. This list takes the form of imperatives, or actions Christians should pursue by the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s consider a few of these, which are tangibly applicable to the calamity in Japan.

• “Let love be genuine” (Romans 12:1). In the face of tragedy, love does not turn a blind eye. Love does not move on to the next thing like nothing happened. Death and loss abound in this tragedy. Real people are really suffering. Genuine love will, at the very least, stop and consider the plight of others. Genuine love will produce a commitment to respond in some way. Genuine love will focus on pursuing what is best and most helpful for the people of Japan. May a genuine love for the people of Japan dominate our hearts and minds in the face of this tragedy.
• “Be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). Genuine love will quickly lead us to prayer. Prayer is asking God to move and work in a particular situation at a particular time. Constant prayer is prayer that does not quickly cease. Constant prayer continues. May constant prayer for the people of Japan flow from us. Sometimes, we simply do not know how to pray in a given situation. This prayer by John Piper, A Prayer for Japan, serves a great model for how to begin our praying.
• “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13). The churches and Christians in Japan have both present need and great opportunity. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ have loss, and we can contribute to their needs. Churches and Christians in Japan have an unique opportunity to visibly and tangibly demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ, and we can contribute to their ministry. May we consider how God would have us to contribute to these needs. You’ll find three links at the end of this post to begin contributing immediately.
• “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 12:20). This verse is a call to feed a hungry enemy and give drink to a thirsty enemy. How much more does this verse apply to fellow humans, who are not our enemies? May we consider how God would lead us to contribute to the hunger, thirst, and abundant need present in Japan.

Redeemer’s Leadership Team is presently considering how our church will contribute to the needs set before us. You can pray that God will lead us to a generous, compassionate, and wise decision.

If you feel lead to contribute personally, we encourage you to consider one of these three organizations: Baptist Global Response, Samaritan’s Purse or CRASH Japan

Our world is filled with other calamity and suffering. This disaster in Japan will not be the last time we are faced with the question of human suffering and an appropriate response. The principles listed above would apply to all such suffering. I pray that God will lead us to respond to this tragedy and shape us to respond biblically in myriad situations.

In Christ,

Jamie