The Modesty Survey is an exciting, anonymous discussion between Christian guys and girls who care about modesty. Hundreds of Christian girls contributed to the 148-question survey and over 1,600 Christian guys submitted 150,000+ answers, including 25,000 text responses, over a 20-day period in January 2007. Look over the various results. Consider signing the petition—your opportunity to affirm and commend the biblical truths surrounding feminine modesty by adding your name to hundreds of other signatures. To go to The Modesty Survey site, click here.

Join us as we kick off two great studies by watching “Courageous”. This hit movie inspired two great books—The Resolution for Men and The Resolution for Women. Click on the links below to learn more about these excellent books as well as the movie “Courageous.” The books cover a wide range of issues related to being godly men and women. Married or single, young or old, these studies will not only help you to be better informed about what a real man or woman of God looks like, but will challenge you to be more resolved in living out your purpose for God. We’ll have the books available at the movie night as well as Sunday morning, February 5. Contact Pastor LePage (shaun@community-bible.org) to sign up or for more information. Admission, childcare and popcorn are provided free of charge!

Links:

• The Resolution for Men
• The Resolution for Women
• Courageous, The Movie
• Plugged In Review of Courageous

Michael MacDonald asked… “I pray the Lord our souls to keep | Does he see us here? | Are we precious in his sight? | Or are we merely dust on this tiny ball | He hurled out into the night | Somewhere east of Eden?”

Do you ask those questions? “How did the world get so messed up? Does God see us here in the midst of our messed up world? Is the old children’s song true…“red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world”?”

The Bible has the answers. Explains how we got here—east of Eden. Outside the paradise God wanted us to have. Only if we understand our past can we know how to live in the present. And only if we understand God’s explanation for how this world got so messed up can we know real hope for the future.

Be with us this Sunday—our service begins at 10:30 a.m.

Click here for an interactive map to CBC.

Click here to learn more about CBC or to contact us.

Click here for previous messages from the Genesis series on the CBC Podcast.

Genesis means “beginning,” which is perfect—the book describes the beginning of the physical universe, light, sky, land, animals, people, etc. Genesis 3 tells us about the beginning of something we could have lived without: sin. This Sunday, Pastor LePage will continue the Genesis series by looking at the first recorded conversation about God—which included the first temptation and the first lie. The end result—knowing good and evil—is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Join us for this important message—our service begins at 10:30 a.m.

Click here for an interactive map to CBC. 

Click here to learn more about CBC. 

Click here for previous messages from the Genesis series on the CBC Podcast.

“Genesis” means “beginning”. It’s an appropriate word for the first book of the Bible because Genesis describes the beginning of everything—except God, of course.

Knowing where we started makes all the difference in the world. According to Genesis we were created in the image of God with meaning and purpose and we have a future rooted in our God-given value and purpose.

In this series of messages Pastor Shaun LePage will lead us in a clear, worshipful, verse by verse look at the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Join us as we rediscover our history as human beings as well as our meaning, value and purpose. 

Genesis Resources:

(Note: Though we cannot endorse every detail of every view you will hear and read through the following resources, these generally reflect our views regarding the interpretation of Genesis and the scientific issues related.)

• Listen to Pastor LePage’s overview of the Book of Genesis available for free on the CBC Podcast.
• Messages already preached in this series available for free on the CBC Podcast.
• Questions about Creation from gotquestions.org. Hundreds of questions related to Genesis and Science are addressed here. The answers are brief, yet excellent. 
• Soniclight. Dr. Tom Constable—Bible Exposition Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary—provides a free, on-line extensive verse-by-verse study of the Book of Genesis.
• The NET Bible Study Environment provides extensive notes—along with the New English Translation—that explain the issues involved in translating Genesis from the original Hebrew.
• Bible.org provides several articles covering everything from the overall message of Genesis to verse-by-verse commentary.
• Answers in Genesis. Providing answers to questions surrounding science and the book of Genesis. Their “Genesis” page is particularly helpful.
• The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel. About Lee Strobel’s journey from spiritual skepticism to a profound faith in the God who has etched his indelible signature upon every galaxy and living cell. This DVD is available in the CBC Library. Watch the introduction on YouTube.
• The Privileged Planet by Illustra Media. An amazing look at the incredible uniqueness of Earth. Watch the introduction on YouTube.
• Unlocking the Mysteries of Life by Illustra Media. Tells the story of contemporary scientists who are advancing the theory of intelligent design. Watch the introduction on YouTube.

Christmas and New Year’s are almost here! We hope you can join us for all of our worship celebrations.

Christmas Eve (Saturday at 7 p.m.)

We invite you to join us for a simple remembrance of what Christmas truly is all about. We will sing, read the Christmas stories and worship the God who “became flesh and dwelt among us”. We’ll get started at 7 p.m. and be done early enough to spend time with family. This service is for the entire family, so no childcare will be provided.

Christmas Day (Sunday at 10:30 a.m.)

On Sunday, Christmas Day, we WILL have our 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. We understand that many people have Christmas morning traditions, but we don’t think a Christmas service will disrupt those plans and traditions. We think it will add to and deepen your celebration of Christmas. If you’re in town, come. This service is for the entire family, so no childcare will be provided. So, there will be no Children’s Sunday School (normally during the service) and no 9 a.m. Equipping Hour and Children’s Church.

New Year’s Day (Sunday at 10:30)

Come and start your year out right by worshiping with God’s people. We will get started at 10:30 a.m. We will not have our 9 a.m. Equipping Hour or Children’s Church, but we will have Children’s Sunday School during the 10:30 a.m. service.

Please contact us if you have any questions. Click here for a map and other information about Community Bible Church.

Have a wonderful, Christ-centered Christmas celebration this year!

Please plan to join us December 17 at6 p.m. as well as December 18 during our regular service time (10:30) for our Children’s Christmas Play. Please invite another family or person!

Christmas Schedule

• Saturday, December 17, Christmas Play: “The Not-So Silent Night”. For the whole family! Starts at 6 p.m.
• Sunday, December 18, Christmas Play during our 10:30 a.m. Worship Service. No Equipping Hour or Children’s Church at 9 a.m. and the service is for the entire family.
• Christmas Eve—7 p.m. Children included in service.
• Christmas Day—10:30 a.m. service only. No Equipping Hour or Children’s Church at 9 a.m. and the service is for the entire family.
• New Year’s Day—10:30 a.m. service only. No Equipping Hour or Children’s Church at 9 a.m. We will have Children’s Sunday School during our Worship Service.

After creating all things and declaring them “very good”, God said something strange. He said something was “not good” in His perfect creation. He created man, put him in the garden, and said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” God’s solution to this dilemma has been the greatest source of joy as well as pain for men ever since: women. This Sunday (December 11), Pastor LePage will continue a series of messages from Genesis 1-11 by looking at the creation of woman in Genesis chapter 2. This message will explore the important issue of how God designed men and women for each other.

You’ll hear a lot of crazy things this time of year. Advertisers of various sorts telling us all about the real meaning of Christmas.

Jay Leno’s book Headlines shows an advertisement for a dentist offering a special on dentures. The ad is tagged, “After all, the gift of chewing is what the holidays are all about.” Leno’s comment is, “That’s right. It’s not about helping people less fortunate than yourself. It’s about chewing.” Leno doesn’t seem to know the real meaning of Christmas either, but he came a lot closer than the dentist.

Read the rest of this article at our Pastor’s Blog: Keep Your Head

Vectoring Prayer

East indian evangelist K. P. Yohannan says he will never forget one of his first prayer meetings in an American church. He had come to the United States eager to meet some of its spiritual giants and leaders. One man in particular held his interest, a preacher known even in India for his powerful sermons and uncompromising commitment to the truth. More than three thousand people attended services on the Sunday Yohannan visited his church. The choirs were outstanding and the preaching was everything he’d hoped it would be. But he was especially taken by an announcement the pastor made about the special emphasis at the midweek prayer meeting. He said there were some things lying heavy on his heart—would the people come and pray about them? Then he announced the name of a certain chapel on the church campus. Excited, Yohannan determined he would attend.

When he arrived at the chapel later that week, he brought with him some definite assumptions about prayer meetings. The most basic was that they are essential, of primary importance. Where he came from in India, and in many other parts of the world where Christians are persecuted and harassed for their faith, the prayer meeting is the centerpiece of the church’s life. Everyone comes, the meetings often last long into the night, and it is not unusual for believers to arise daily before sunup to pray together for the work of the church.

Fearing a huge crowd, he came early to get a seat. But when he arrived he was surprised to discover a chapel with a capacity for only five hundred—that was empty! Surely he heard the pastor wrong and had come to the wrong place. He was worried, so he went outside to double-check the name of the chapel. Then a few people came into the room at 7:30, but there was no leader, no songs or worship, just chitchat about news, weather, and sports. Forty-five minutes later an elderly man, the leader, but not the pastor, walked into the chapel to offer a few devotional thoughts from the Bible and give a brief prayer. The meeting was over, and as the seven attendees filed out of the chapel, K. P. Yohannan sat in stunned silence, his mind filled with questions: Was this it? Weren’t they going to stay and wait upon God? Where was the worship? The tears? The cries for guidance and direction? Where was the list of the sick, and the poor, and those in need? What about that burden that the pastor said was heavy on his heart? Weren’t we going to intercede for a miracle? And where was the pastor?

False sufficiency

That meeting became a paradigm for his experience of prayer meetings in the American church. In all his travels here, he saw the same pattern repeated over and over again in hundreds of midweek prayer meetings. Almost anything happens but prayer. There are announcements, singing, homilies, and a few prayers offered, but usually only by the leader—and that’s in the churches that actually have prayer meetings in their schedules. Many more make no pretense even to have a church prayer meeting. There seems to be time for everything else—to study, to fellowship, to preach, but not to pray. Church leaders who think nothing of spending two or three days to plan programs or of spending thousands of dollars to hire consultants to help them do it, blanch at the thought of spending even one night to wait on the Lord to show them what to do.

How can this be?

If it is true that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12), then we must pray, mustn’t we? Can there be any other way to reach a lost world? Do we really think our plans and programs can bring down dark strongholds of spiritual evil in the heavenly realms?

Yohannan attributes our prayerlessness to a false sense of self-sufficiency. The Laodicean church is déja vù all over again in the so-called Christian West. That was the church that said of itself, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But Jesus had a different opinion. Au contraire: “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” And worst of all, he saw himself as standing outside the church, not inside; knocking on the door, asking to be let in. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:14–22). To pray would be to open the door. But our sense of self-sufficiency paralyzes the hand that would turn the knob.

This, of course, is nothing less than blatant idolatry: “My people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols”—buildings, machines, technology, programs, money. “They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jer. 2:11–13).

…Secularization, the process by which things like prayer are losing their practical social significance, is at the root of most of our difficulties with prayer. For many of us, on an almost subconscious level, there is a lack of confidence that something like prayer can actually get anything done. Therefore, since our lives are full of things that need to be done, prayer naturally gets pushed out to the edges of the day. Prayer may have some therapeutic value; for instance, it can give one a sense of inner peace, but we think it can do little to raise money for the operating budget.

Believing there is not time to pray is a self-fulfilling prophecy; for the logic of secularization is to make us frenetically busy, overcommitted, and, finally, so full of blind activity that we become too busy and too tired to pray. …

But the demise of corporate congregational prayer needs some special treatment. Along with secularization, American individualism has taken its toll. If churches fancy themselves self-sufficient, it’s because their members share the same conceit about themselves. We like our lives to be self-contained. For many, the prayer meeting is unnecessary as long as individuals are praying in their own homes on their own time. What is missed is that most of what the Bible says about prayer is addressed to groups of people, meeting as groups to pray. The Bible’s great book of prayer, the Psalms, was written largely for use in the congregation of Israel.

Even the individual prayer of a man like Ezra had the effect of moving all the people to pray together. For “while Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly” (Ezra 10:1). Unforgettable is the prayer life of the young church in Jerusalem, as “they all joined together constantly in prayer,” and who, when threatened with persecution, “raised their voices together in prayer to God” for him to show his power against her enemies (Acts 1:14; 4:23–31). It was in a congregational prayer meeting that a missionary movement was launched in Antioch: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:1–3). When Paul urged the churches to pray for him, he was urging congregations to pray as congregations, not only as individuals.

Corporate shalom

Corporate prayer has a special place in God’s heart because he desires that his people be one. Typically, Christians call the “Our Father” prayer the Lord’s Prayer. But strictly speaking, that prayer should be called the disciples’ prayer. The real Lord’s Prayer is found in the seventeenth chapter of John where Jesus prays to the father, “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23). Note that Jesus claims for Christian unity a power he gives only to the Holy Spirit, to nothing and no one else—the power to persuade the world that he is indeed the One sent from God, “to let the world know that you sent me.” The greatest argument for the authority and identity of Jesus does not have to come from philosophers and theologians and apologists. It can come from the simplest believers who will live together in the unity of the Holy Spirit!

Why does unity have this kind of power? One reason is that when we live together in love and harmony, it can mean but one thing: that each of us has ceased being his own lord and has submitted himself or herself to the Lord. In such a state there can be no place for isolated individualism, the attitude Archbishop William Temple penned when he said, tongue-in-cheek, “I believe in one holy, infallible church, of which I regret to say that at the present time I am the only member.” R. H. Tawney was speaking in the same tone when he wrote, “The man who seeks God in isolation from his fellows is likely to find, not God, but the devil, who will bear an embarrassing resemblance to himself.” The lordship of Jesus Christ is meant to start in the church and to radiate out to the rest of the world. When Jesus is truly Lord over his people, his power is released.

There comes with this unity a quality in the church that only can be called precious. Jesus adds to its power to convince the world of who he is, the power to convince it of who we are. “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” In other words, he also claims for unity the power to persuade the world that we are indeed his people, precious to God and dearly loved by him. There is a blessedness, a shalom, among those who are one in Christ that is so extraordinary and miraculous that it is visible to nonbelievers.

“How good and pleasant it is,” says Psalm 133, “when [kindred] live together in unity!” My friend Roderick Caesar likes to say of this psalm that most things are either good but not pleasant—like cleaning a toilet—or pleasant but not good—like eating too much apple pie. How few things are both good and pleasant!

What does this have to do with corporate prayer?

There can’t be one without the other—no genuine corporate prayer without unity, no real unity without corporate prayer. If prayer is the deepest communion we can have with our Father God this side of heaven, how can we have this intimacy if we are at loggerheads with other brothers and sisters in his family? It can’t be done. When we are less than one with each other, our oneness with Jesus is broken and incomplete. So then are our prayers. That’s why Paul says to Timothy, “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer,” and then adds, “without anger or disputing” (1 Tim. 2:8).

Sören Kierkegaard said Jesus does two things when he sees a crowd: The first is to disperse it and isolate each individual one-on-one with himself. Having done that, the second thing he does is to reintroduce all these individuals to one another as brothers and sisters, making a crowd into a community. A true Christian community is always a community of prayer.

Our failure at corporate prayer is first a failure in Christian community to truly agree in the Lord. Taking his cue from the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:19, Jonathan Edwards urged the churches of eighteenth-century New England to see prayer as a kind of concert. “Again, I tell you, that if two of you agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” The word for “agree” is the Greek sumphoneo, from which we get our word “symphony.” Edwards proposed that churches pray in concerted agreement for two things: the revival of religion in the church, and the spread of God’s kingdom in the world. The Great Awakenings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were birthed in this kind of prayer. With them came spiritual renewal and profoundly beneficial social and political changes.

That kind of praying required a level of Christian community most churches know nothing of.

Bob Bakke, of National Prayer Advance, tells of churches of Ipswich, Massachusetts, and their experience of this kind of prayer. After the first Great Awakening, three churches in this community covenanted to follow the pattern suggested by Edwards. In each congregation, cell groups would meet weekly to agree in prayer. Monthly, the separate congregations would then gather the cells and conduct all-church prayer meetings of agreement. Then quarterly, all three would come together for the same kind of praying. This pattern was followed faithfully, without interruption, for a century. Two remarkable things happened during this time. All three churches reported periodic harvest or “ingatherings” of souls, in which there would be a number of new believers brought into the congregations, about every eight to ten years. Also, during this time, all of New England was being swept by Unitarianism. But not these three churches. They remained firmly true to the faith while apostasy swirled around them, but not over them. Around the time of the Civil War, the prayer meetings ceased. Within five years these churches all capitulated to Unitarianism!

In times of intense spiritual conflict, simple, unified corporate prayer can be literally the difference between life and death.

Moravian Pentecost

The story of the Moravian Brethren is a similar one. When the Christians of various and disparate traditions—Roman Catholic, Calvinist, Lutheran, Anabaptist, and many others—gathered together on the Von Zinzendorf estate in Moravia, in the early 1700s, they saw themselves as pilgrims in spiritual unity. The Reformation had gone sour in many ways, with the church splintering into still more divisions, and all at war with one another. These people purposed to live together in such a way as to answer Jesus’ prayer in John 17:23, and be brought to complete unity. They also had a mission motive, for they believed that such unity would persuade the world that Jesus was who he said he was. With many other Europeans of their era, they had a new and heightened sense of the vastness and diversity of the planet, and they wanted Christ to be confessed by every nation as Lord.

But within a few weeks, they were at each others’ throats, fighting as badly as everyone else. Von Zinzendorf and the elders of the community were heartbroken. In desperation, they called for concerted prayer that God would send a new Pentecost to their community and heal their divisions and make them one, so the whole world would know that Jesus is Lord. To this end, they instituted a twenty-four-hour prayer vigil—two women and two men praying each hour. Their prayers were answered as a powerful Pentecostal experience came on their community, and they were brought to repentance and harmony with one another in the Holy Spirit. Like the churches of Ipswich, the Moravians continued to pray twenty-four hours a day, with no break, for one hundred years! Wherever a Moravian community was established, twenty-four-hour concerted prayers was also established. During this time, two thousand missionaries went out from their communities to almost every corner of the earth.

It was in a Moravian prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London that a failed and discouraged missionary named John Wesley felt his heart “strangely warmed,” and the Wesleyan revivals were birthed.

In a less dramatic, but no less profound way, Benedictine monks have carried on for centuries the same ministry of prayer in the unity of the Spirit. …Founded by St. Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century, the order was formed as a creative response to the worldliness he saw that had crept into the church of his times. The first monastery was built on Monte Cassino in Italy. St. Benedict believed that the chief end, the chief work of man was to worship God, and that his community should therefore make worship and prayer central to its life. But he also believed that if prayer were the chief work, then work itself could become prayer, thus giving meaning to common labor…

I have believed ever since that the church should make the uncommon practice of the Benedictines common. There must be a way for all believers to integrate prayer and work in a community of love and unity. For what other reason would Jesus command it? These three, the pilgrims in Moravia, the Protestants in Ipswich, and the monks on Monte Cassino are but a few models of that earnest hope.

Good conversation

I was raised in a tradition that believed the man alone on his knees in the closet is the pinnacle of great prayer—one person one-on-one with the Almighty. Like Moses on Sinai. I still think that is extremely important. But the cutting edge of my personal prayer life lately has been in corporate prayer. I didn’t understand this very well when I was growing up. I grew up in a church that had midweek prayer meetings, much like the one described by K. P. Yohannan. I hated them. Now I realize that good corporate prayer can demand more of us spiritually than individual prayer does. When I’m alone with God, I don’t have to deal with other people. Frankly, I like God a lot more than I like some people. But the Lord is clear: if we love him, we must love others. Thus joining my heart with others before the throne of his grace is a way of loving God.

In many ways, the same rules that apply to good conversation apply to good corporate prayer. When our kids were young, it was a big deal just to get them to wait their turn to speak in dinner conversations. When that happened we were pleased, but we still had a long way to go, for then the conversations, though orderly, were a string of non sequiturs. Dan would go into excruciating detail to tell us his dream of the night before. Joel would politely wait his turn to tell us, immediately after Dan was done, that he had a yellow T-shirt in his closet. Andy would sit sucking his fingers, with a faraway look in his eyes, and when his turn came would grunt that he wanted a slingshot for his birthday. By the time Mary came along, we had advanced beyond that (somewhat!).

Some group prayer meetings are like that kind of conversation. We come together to the throne of God, or do we? Are we more like children waiting in line to speak to a department store Santa? We’re occupying the same space, but we’re not together. I’ve prayed countless times with adults and found myself just taking my turn, along with the rest of them, to say to God the things I wanted to say, without much thought for what others were praying.

Good corporate prayer is like good conversation. Through my wife’s involvement in the Mom’s In Touch prayer movement, I have learned a method that we call “agree, vector, and build.” The method is to listen, really listen to a person’s prayer, and to let it sink into my mind and heart before I move onto my particular concerns. For instance, someone may pray for a family member’s health. As I mull over that prayer, I will add a kind of amen to it, agreeing with it, verbally or silently, thus entering more deeply into the concern. Sometimes when I do that, I may find myself moved to add my own prayer, a nuance, to the prayer I heard. Others may do the same, vectoring in their prayers and building on the original prayer.

When I have done this kind of praying in a group, it is remarkable the way we have experienced the leading of the Holy Spirit—not only in how to pray for a matter but in what to do about it after we have. Along these lines, I have also heard my friend Bob Bakke urge prayer groups to make their prayers short and many. Long, sonorous prayers by the “adept” usually have the effect of stifling the participation of those who don’t feel so adept at group prayer. So each should pray short prayers, many times in the course of a prayer session, thus leaving space for everyone to agree with, vector in, and build on the prayers of others. It can be a wonderful way to practice the sumphoneo the Lord commands.

Good corporate prayer in a large group also requires planning, at least as much as would go into any other well-planned service of worship. Many prayer meetings fail precisely at this point. For some reason the idea is out there that a prayer meeting should simply “flow” spontaneously in the Spirit, meaning that there should be no planning, since planning would somehow stifle the flow. That’s not spontaneity, but what Thomas Howard calls the myth of spontaneity. The result is that the “adept” dominate the praying and the whole focus of the gathering sinks to the lowest common denominator. Our experience in other areas of life tells us that not much good comes from mere spontaneity. Ask the Mozarts and Einsteins of history if mere spontaneity had anything to do with their accomplishments, and they’ll say hard work, yes; discipline, yes; but mere spontaneity, no. Perhaps their insights came in a flash that was experienced as spontaneity, but it was built on years of hard work and discipline. For that reason, I think it is a good idea for all-church prayer meetings to be significant worship events, taking place perhaps only monthly, rather than weekly, with small groups filling that slot.

Beyond meetings where the church gathers specifically for prayer, prayer can also make a difference where the church gathers specifically for business.

I saw this work to great effect in my last two congregations. In both churches, elders’ meetings tended to go long and late. So I proposed that we begin the meetings with the first hour devoted to prayer. At first the elders balked, reasoning that an hour of prayer would add an hour to the meeting. I argued that it would produce the opposite, that praying would help us get our work done faster, that instead of our meetings ending at what had become the “baseline” time of 11 p.m., they would end sooner.

They did, not always, but more than ever before. One reason may be because we were recognizing that the church is God’s, not ours, and that since he’s the head of the church, shouldn’t we check in with him and sit in his presence before we presumed to conduct his business? It wasn’t long before we also found ourselves stopping for prayer in the midst of a meeting, whenever we came to a point where we couldn’t agree. Like so many in the Western church, we had been leading as practical deists, acting as though God had given us a package of resources—brains, Bible, finances, and facilities—and had walked away, leaving it to us to figure out what to do with it all. But the church is Christ’s body, not his legacy; and we pray not for the sake of efficiency, because it gets the work done better, but for the sake of the truth, because he is its head…

Launch into the deep

After his experience in that disastrous, and all too common, midweek prayer meeting, K. P. Yohannan said he feared we were in danger of fathering an Ishmael. Ishmael, you will remember, was a child born of practical deists. When Abram and Sarai didn’t see God’s promise fulfilled in the time they expected, they took matters into their own hands, and Abram had intercourse with Hagar. They opted for the child of human calculation over the child of God’s promise. Ishmael was the result, “a wild donkey of a man” (Gen. 16:12), at war with everyone.

I think prayerless churches have fathered many Ishmaels in their history, with the most visible result being their shameful divisions. As Ishmael mocked Isaac, the practical deists will mock those who prayerfully wait for the child of promise as ethereal and impractical, hopelessly out of touch with the real world. God was patient with all who were involved in the fiasco then: Abram and Sarai, Hagar and Ishmael. He waited until they learned to wait, and finally gave them what he had promised. I pray he will continue to do so with us.

…Since the best teacher of prayer is the Holy Spirit, the best way to learn to pray is by praying. Whether, and how much we pray is, I think, finally a matter of appetite, of hunger for God and all that he is and desires. C. S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory: “We are far too easily pleased.” That, in the end, is the reason we do not pray more than we do. Nothing less than infinite joy is offered us in God’s kingdom of light. He has promised that we will one day shine like the sun in that kingdom (Matt. 13:43).

We have become satisfied with mere church, mere religious exertion, mere numbers and buildings—the things we can do. There is nothing wrong with these things, but they are no more than foam left by the surf on the ocean of God’s glory and goodness. There are things way out in the depths that only God can give us. They can be ours only if we launch out in our little prayer boats and learn to sail, even one day walk, on those waters…[1]

[1] Patterson, B., & Goetz, D. L. (1999). Vol. 7: Deepening your conversation with God. The pastor’s soul series; Library of leadership development (172–173). Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers.

All members and non-members are invited to join us on Sunday, November 20, for our annual Fall Vision Weekend. Each year we get some extra time together to focus on one of our Core Values. This year we will focus on Stewardship—a subject that is all over the Bible and incredibly practical for our daily lives. As in the past, we will be hearing from our Elders on this subject. But this year, we will also be hearing from two other men in our congregation and two special guests. Michael Klassen and Chris Shultz—who have been studying Elder Ministry with the Elder Board—will each be teaching a session. Then, two special guests, Ryan & Heidi Lynch will be sharing the incredible story of what God has done in their lives. Ryan shared at our recent Men’s Breakfast and we invited him back, with his wife, because we knew everyone at CBC needed to hear their story. We’ll kick off the Sunday morning schedule with a Continental Breakfast at 8 a.m., then start the sessions around 8:30. We’ll finish up with a Thanksgiving Fellowship Meal at noon. Don’t miss—please make a point of being with us for this important weekend.

From GotQuestions.org…

Whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween can be a very controversial topic. Some Christians celebrate Halloween simply by dressing up in a costume and having fun, seeing it as innocent and harmless. Other Christians are equally convinced that Halloween is a satanic holiday established to worship evil spirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible for Christians to celebrate Halloween without compromising their faith? [Click here to read the rest of the answer...]

See also…

• What are the origins of Halloween?
• What does the Bible say about ghosts / hauntings?
• Is there activity of demonic spirits in the world today?
• What is All Saints Day? 

Join us this Sunday for Trunk or Treat and 5th Sunday Sing. We’ll get started at 3 p.m. with Trunk or Treat—stop by any time between 3-5 to let the kids play a game, jump in the Bounce House or snarf on some candy. We’ll finish up around 5 p.m. and have a chili supper—everyone is welcome! Around 6 p.m., we’ll enjoy a 5th Sunday Sing—members of CBC will share music and songs LIVE. We think this is the best show in town because CBC is full of talented people. Call 785-843-3239 if you have any questions. See you Sunday!

Darren and Pam Powers (Birthdays 1/22 & 7/25)

Child(ren) : Ashley (Birthday 12/9)

Anniversary: May 5

Occupations: Darren – Sales; Pam – Teacher;  Ashley – Student

Favorite Verses From Scripture:

Coming soon

Contact Information

Bring lawn chairs and a cooler for your food if it needs it. The Deasons/Tomlins are on a hill with lots of shade and a breeze so don’t let the temperature deter you! The farm’s looking great, too, with lots to do—swimming, horse shoes, foosball, food, fireworks, ice cream and lots of time to fellowship! Feel free to bring your ball & glove to hit a few or anything you would like to do.

The Tomlins and Deasons live at 14065 35th St. in Perry—about a 25-minute drive from Lawrence. Click here for a map. Contact Bill & Nancy Tomlin for more information ().

Worship

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

With

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

 

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10)

Us

Our Sunday Service

• The atmosphere is casual and friendly.
• Our worship music is blended—a blend of the best of the new alongside the best of the old. We’re not the first Christians. Throughout history, wonderful worship music has been written that continues to inspire us. Many are writing beautiful, rich worship music today as well. A song or a hymn is not good because it is old or new. It is good if it is true and beautiful and encourages us to “sing and make music from our hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
• After we all sing together, the children (preschool to 3rd grade) are invited to Sunday School for age-appropriate teaching. Fourth grade and older are encouraged to listen to the sermon and become “rooted and built up in (Christ), strengthened in the faith…” (Colossians 2:6).  
• Our preaching is expository, which means we explain the Scriptures verse by verse and show how it applies today. We believe this is one of the great needs of our time—for people to know, understand, believe and obey what God has said. We encourage you to bring your Bible. If you don’t have one, we will give you one. Listen to a recent message by visiting our podcast.
• We typically celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the first Sunday of every month. Some churches celebrate weekly and others just a few times per year. The earliest church apparently celebrated daily (Acts 2:46). We believe the frequency is not as important as the manner. The Apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthians for celebrating in “an unworthy manner” (1 Corinthians 11:27). So, we invite all (whether they are official members of our church or not) who desire to “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26) to “examine” themselves (1 Corinthians 11:28) and celebrate with gratitude “in remembrance” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24,25) of the Cross—the sacrificial, loving death of Jesus Christ.
• We believe the large-group gatherings of God’s people are very important, but we also consider our Community Groups—small group fellowship meetings—to be just as important as our large group gatherings on Sunday morning.

Please go to our Contact page for our phone number, address and an interactive map. You’ll also find an email link. Please let us know if you have any questions.

International Friends is a cooperative effort by American and international Christians at KU to welcome, serve and befriend international students, scholars and their families in their time at KU. International Friends is led by Len Andyshack of Lawrence.

Churches in Lawrence are encouraged to participate in two ways: 1) Become a Conversation Partner. A conversation partner is an American volunteer (usually a KU student, but anyone is encouraged to participate) who is interested in meeting weekly for one hour with one or two international students for the purpose of English conversation practice and friendship. 2) Become a Friendship Family. Friendship families welcome international students into their home at least one time per semester. Most international students who attend KU will never be invited into the home of an American family.

See the International Friends website for more about this excellent ministry.

Note From Pastor LePage:

International Friends represents one of the greatest opportunities we have—as Christ-followers in Lawrence, Kansas—to impact the world for Christ! Is this just another of my exaggerated overstatements? Not at all!

Think about the opening pages of the Book of Acts. In Acts 1:8, before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told 11 normal, average guys—who had probably never been more than about 100 miles from home—that they would be His witnesses “…to the remotest part of the earth”. How on earth could this happen?

To make it even more complex, look at Acts 1:4. Jesus told them to stay put! Of course, the reason they were to stay put was so that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, but it’s also clear from the rest of Acts that it was many years before these men left Jerusalem. Perhaps some of them never did! So, how did they serve as witnesses to the remotest part of the earth?

In Acts 2, they received the Holy Spirit and told a large crowd—in many languages—all about Jesus. The crowd was made up of people from all over the Roman Empire (international students, if you will). Three thousand of them believed in one day! These 3,000 eventually left Jerusalem, went home and proclaimed the good news of Jesus “back home.” These 3,000 were far better equipped in many ways: they already knew the languages and the culture, etc. After they received thorough teaching from the Apostles (Acts 2:42), they went back home and planted churches all over the Roman Empire and “made disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Through International Friends, we have the opportunity to impact students from all over the world who are right here in Lawrence—our “Jerusalem”! Have a big imagination—ask God what is possible if we make the most of this opportunity! Imagine how God might work through these students when they return to their respective countries after being introduced to Christ through…you!

I encourage all CBC members to consider participating in whatever way you can. If you’re not sure where to begin, I highly recommend two things: 1) Pray that God would use International Friends and the friendships that are made to win internationals for Christ. 2) Become a Conversation Partner (i.e., missionary) and see where God leads your conversations and friendship.

Why Deacons?

On August 28, 2011, Community Bible Church will establish her first-ever Deacon Ministry. Why? The Elders have often felt we were doing two jobs. And as we examine Scripture, the expectation is that a local church will be served by a team of Elders and Deacons. By never having deacons, we’ve come to believe we are incomplete.

But, every time we’ve worked toward this goal, we’ve run into some sticky questions: Why isn’t every member of the church considered a “deacon” since the word literally means “servant”? Why distinguish between “deacons” and other “servants”? Should every significant ministry leader be designated “deacon”—deacon of worship, deacon of children’s ministry, deacon of library? If these positions should be deacons, how can we not have women deacons (deaconesses) because women serve in some very significant roles?

Over the past couple years, we’ve found the clarity we were looking for and therefore plan to move forward in officially commending deacons to serve Community Bible Church.

Each man presented for Deacon Ministry has been through a series of Bible studies, has done some self-evaluation, and then met with the Elder Board individually along with his wife in a face-to-face interview.

The Elders discussed each candidate and were unanimous as an Elder Board that they are willing, able and qualified. Not everyone who went through this process is being asked to serve as a deacon—some dropped out of this process on his own for his own personal reasons, some are not willing at this time, some are not able due to other demands and still others felt they were not qualified, even though the Elder Board never communicated that to any one of them.

We respect every man’s decision and want to be clear that Deacon Ministry is not for everyone and there are many important ways to serve other than Deacon Ministry.

The Elders are asking for CBC members to express any concerns and/or support for the Deacon candidates. This is not a vote. CBC is not a congregationally governed church—it is an elder-governed church. This means that the Elders will receive input and take it very seriously, and then make the final decision regarding who will be commended.

Who should be a Deacon?

1 Timothy 3:8-13 is the most important passage regarding Deacon Ministry. The first thing we learn when we study this passage is that Deacons must be qualified. This is the major emphasis of this passage. Do a quick survey to understand what kind of men should be deacons:

Men (3:8). One qualification for deacons is that they must be “male”. Good Christians disagree about this, but, taking all the evidence into consideration—male pronouns throughout this passage, the fact that they must be “husbands” and the fact that the rest of the Bible teaches the importance of male leadership, the elders of CBC believe deacons should be male. In no way does this suggest women are inferior. In Christ, we are equal (Galatians 3:28). Without the contributions women make, we would be forced to close our doors. Women are to the church every bit as important as wives and mothers are to the family—their “worth is far above jewels” (Proverbs 31:10). At the same time, men and women are given different roles in the family and the church. And we believe Deacon Ministry is one of those roles given to men.

Men of dignity (3:8). A Deacon must take his life and work seriously as devotion to the Lord.

Not double tongued (3:8). This simply means he is not a hypocrite—he speaks the truth. He is honest.

Not addicted to much wine (3:8). A Deacon must be free from any form of addiction which might take control of his life or cause irresponsible behavior. If this is not true, he could easily cause weaker Christians to stumble.

Not fond of sordid gain (3:8). A Deacon must never use the office for personal gain, or be controlled by the desire for material wealth. As we shall see, one of the tasks of a Deacon is to handle funds given to the poor and needy. A man “fond of sordid gain” could not be trusted with such a responsibility.

Holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience (3:9). A Deacon must seek to honestly live by the truths of Scripture. “The faith” refers to the teaching of Christ and His Apostles as preserved in the New Testament. A Deacon must “hold” to this teaching with a “clear conscience”. In other words, he must be living according to this teaching—his conscience is clear because he is either not sinning or has confessed his sin.

Tested (v.10). A man considered for Deacon Ministry must be observed over time. We simply cannot know a man’s character apart from time spent with him. This is a key principle for all significant leadership positions—we must never “lay hands on anyone too hastily”.

Beyond reproach (3:10). This is really a summary of the qualifications. It means that a Deacon can’t be rightly accused of overt sin. Dr. Gene Getz wrote: “When Paul stated that a mature man is ‘above reproach’ he was not referring to perfection. Rather, he was simply stating that we should strive to have a good reputation…[beyond reproach] is an overarching characteristic.” (The Measure of a Man)

Wives (3:11). It seems best to say 1 Timothy 3:11 teaches that a deacon’s wife must be morally fit as well. The nature of Deacon Ministry—serving the poor and sick and needy—will surely require the help of a man’s wife (if he is married). Her help will be incredibly valuable when there is a need to serve women who find themselves in difficult situations. So, the spiritual maturity of the wife of a Deacon is part of examination process.

A husband of one wife (3:12). This phrase—in the Greek text—literally means “one-woman man” It is not about marital status, but the character of devotion and faithfulness to his wife. We do not believe that singleness or divorce necessarily disqualifies a man from Deacon Ministry. If a man is single, the question is whether he is living a pure lifestyle—“honoring the marriage bed” (Hebrews 13:4). If a man has been divorced, the particular situation must be examined and the real question is a matter of his character—has he proven himself over time to be devoted to his present wife.

Good managers of their children and their own households (3:12). A Deacon cannot be expected to manage Deacon Ministry well if his home is in chaos. If his wife loves, respects, and follows his leadership, if his children are under control, respectful of authority, and responding positively to God, this reflects well on the husband and father and reveals a man’s fitness for Deacon Ministry.

The second major answer to the question “Who should be a Deacon?” is found in 1 Timothy 3:13: Deacons must be Christlike. “Those who have served well obtain for themselves a high standing” seems—by worldly standards—to be upside down. Servanthood is considered menial and unattractive by most people’s stands. But, Christians understand and appreciate the beauty of humble, selfless, servanthood because it is inherently Christlike. Men and women who serve well in the context of the local church receive a special honor—“a high standing”. And, even if they don’t and their church family fails to appreciate them, they should have “great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” that servanthood will be worth it in the end. In other words, the teaching of Christ and His Apostles is clear: Servanthood is honorable in the eyes of God.

What should deacons do?

Acts 6:1-6 provides an excellent basis for determining what Deacon Ministry should look like.

First of all, Deacons complement elders. The problem in this passage is not just that the Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The underlying problem is that the Apostles couldn’t do everything! They needed help! Just like Elders in local churches cannot do everything well, the Apostles would have neglected something very important if they had not delegated this responsibility to these seven men.

Some think it was wrong to choose “prayer and ministry of the word” over caring for the poor, but in fact it was wise. Only the Apostles were gifted and prepared for their teaching ministry. They were the ones who had spent significant time with Jesus and no one else could lay the foundation for the church. Their ministry of the Word of God and prayer was vital and even this good and important task of helping the poor should not divert them from their primary task. By delegating this ministry, the Apostles were not designating it as a lower priority—they were making sure it was done well. The two ministries of speaking (teaching) and serving are often seen in the New Testament as complementary—they go hand-in-hand and neither should be neglected. Elder Ministry is focused on prayer and ministry of the Word while Deacon ministry complements this and makes sure people are not neglected.

Another answer to the question of what deacons should do is also found in Acts 6: Deacons serve the poor and needy. In Acts 6:2, the Greek word trapeze is translated “tables”. But in Luke 19:23 it is translated “bank”. The word has the idea of finances and combined with the word “serve” (Acts 6:2) it helps explain what these seven men were being asked to do. Comparing Acts 4:32-35 it’s clear that these seven men were given the task of handling finances designated for the poor. This fits well with the need for qualified men who are not fond of sordid gain (1 Timothy 3:8)—to serve as deacons.

Notice also that the title “deacon” is not found in Acts 6. This was early in the development of the church and perhaps the title was a later development. The most important thing is what “deacons” do anyway—they serve! The concept is clearly there: “serving” in Acts 6:1 and 2 is diakonia—the verb form of “deacon”. The title “deacon” isn’t there, but the role of “servant” clearly is!

“Deacon” is used in the New Testament for a literal servant, figuratively for “servants” like the Apostle Paul and as an official title for a church leader. As a title it corresponds to the other uses of the noun and verb which define it as practical service rendered to those who are suffering or in need (See Matthew 25:44; Acts 11:29; 12:25; Romans 15:25,26,31; 2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:1). In other words, as we seek to define the role of “deacon” we must take these other uses into consideration.

So, we believe “overseers” oversee or rule while the deacons serve the physical needs of the poor, sick and needy in our midst in order to complement the work of the overseers—just as we see in Acts 6.

Historians tell us that in the first few centuries of the church, deacons were prominent and focused on the needs of the poor, sick and needy within the church.

This is in contrast to the way most churches view Deacon Ministry. Deacons are usually seen either as either the leaders of the church—replacing the function of Elders in many cases. Or they are seen as the church custodians—responsible for the care and upkeep of the church’s property.

We disagree with both of these perspectives and are asking our Deacons to first and foremost serve the poor, sick and needy among the membership of Community Bible Church. Beyond that, we are asking them to lead us as a church body to do better in serving the poor, sick and needy outside our congregation.

Pray for Community Bible Church and our leaders—both Elders and Deacons—as we seek to fulfill our God-given responsibilities.

[This is a summary of a message entitled "A High Standing: Deacon Ministry" preached by Pastor Shaun LePage on August 14, 2011.]

August 20—7-9 a.m. at Community Bible Church

All men—whether members of CBC or not—are invited to join us this Saturday for our Men’s Breakfast. In addition to a great breakfast, we will be discussing ways men can hold each other accountable to be faithful and grow in our faith. We’ll get started at 7 a.m. and will be done at 9 a.m. For more information, please contact Michael Klassen ().