New Sermon Series on Parables Starts Sunday 3/4

Everyone loves a good story, so this Sunday (3/4) Pastor Bob will begin a new sermon series on “The Greatest Stories Ever Told” – the parables of Jesus. The series will not seek to cover every parable in the Gospels, but will instead target those stories with which you might be less familiar. Below is the schedule for the series:

March 4 – Introduction to the Parables (Mat. 13:10-17)
March 11 – The Parable of the Weeds (Mat. 13:24-30)
March 18 – The Parable of the Ungrateful Servant (Mat. 18:21-35)
March 25 – The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Mat. 20:1-16)
April 1 – The Parable of the Two Sons (Mat. 21:28-32)
April 8 — Easter
April 15 – The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Mat. 22:1-14)
April 22 – Pastor Brian preach
April 29 – The Parable of the Talents (Mat. 25:14-30)
May 6 – The Parable of the Seeds (Mark 4:26-32)
May 13 – The Parable of the Tenants (Mark 12:1-12)
May 20 – The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
May 27 – The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

Submit Officer Nominations by March 4

One of your responsibilities as a member of New Life is to discern, based on the leading of God’s Spirit and the qualifications given to us in Scripture, whom the Lord might be calling to serve in the office or elder or deacon. Between now and March 4, you are invited to submit  nominations for these offices.

How do you make a nomination? First, you must be a member of New Life. Then, you should read I Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 to understand the Biblical qualifications for elder, and I Tim. 3:8-13 and Acts 6:1-6 to understand the Biblical qualifications for deacon. Pray for wisdom and guidance from God’s Spirit as you discern whether the person you have in mind is a good candidate. Then, seek permission from the individual before you nominate him (he also must be a member of the church). If he agrees to be nominated, write his name on one of the forms available in the foyer, and drop it in the wood survey box in the foyer by March 4.

After the nomination period is closed, the elders will review them and approve candidates for an officer training class taught by Pastor Bob between April and December. After the class is completed, nominees will be interviewed by the elders again and, if qualified, will then stand for election during our January 2013 congregational meeting.

What is the difference between the office of elder and deacon? The office of deacon is one of “sympathy and service.” Deacons are responsible for maintenance of the church building and grounds, ministering to those in need, and assisting during Sunday morning worship (ushering, collecting tithes and offerings). Elders are responsible for spiritual oversight of the church, including discipleship, shepherding, participating in Sunday morning worship (pastoral prayer and communion) and church discipline.

Growing Together Campaign: 91% There

By Mark W. Harris, chairman of the Building Finance Team

Last fall we launched a fundraising campaign to raise $320,000 to begin construction that will expand the worship center and add classrooms and office space. Estimated cost is $1.4 million. As of this writing, 91 percent ($291,470) of the $320,000 of the needed amount has been raised. To date we have received 75 individual pledges and, by God’s grace, some of you have increased your pledges after making an initial pledge. What an encouragement!

Early in this process, the session and members of the Finance Team made a commitment to not recommend starting the project until the full $320,000 is raised. We are still committed to this. This means we now have $28,530 left to raise.

Construction costs and the interest costs of servicing a loan are at excellent levels right now. We are concerned that these costs will increase in the next year and will increase the overall cost of this project.

Once the fund raising reaches the $320,000 goal, it is estimated that the actual ground breaking will not happen until after architectural drawings are prepared and after state approval is granted, which could take several months.

I don’t know if it’s true for you, but every waking moment I am challenged as I approach each day of my life. The heaviest of those challenges is to be faithful to the Lord’s vision for our lives. Our challenge in this circumstance is to be faithful in how we can help fulfill the Lord’s vision for this church through prayer and resources that He so graciously has given us individually.

I shared with the session and members of this committee when we met for the first time a year ago that, in these kinds of challenges, the Lord will be faithful. We need to continue to be faithful, expecting that the Lord will work mightily in our midst to encourage the church to be faithful to its purpose and vision for His glory!

To that end, please continue to be in prayer for your own commitment to this campaign, as well as for your fellow believers in how the ministries of New Life might continue to bless and encourage them.

 

 

Reading More than the Bible in 2012

I have been extremely encouraged by the number of people who have shared with me their intention to read through the entire Bible in 2012 and who have picked up a Bible Reading Plan. If you adopted my plan and are following my advice to begin reading on Christmas day to get a head start, you are already through Genesis and more than half of Matthew. I hope you have been blessed by your time in God’s Word and are encouraged to stay the course.

While reading through the Bible is a very important exercise in our growth as disciples, it bears emphasizing that the Bible is not simply a book to be read – it is a book to be studied and obeyed. At the risk of sounding overly idealistic to some, in addition to reading through the Bible this year, I would encourage you to commit to studying one book of the Bible in greater depth than the others. If you pick a shorter book, like Ruth, Malachi, or Colossians, you may be able to study two or more books in the course of a year. If you opt for a longer book, like Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, one of the Gospels, or Romans, you might opt to devote the year to that one book.

An excellent way to study the Bible more in-depth is to pick up a good commentary. You might want to avoid the more technical commentaries and read those with a more devotional quality and an emphasis on application as well as on unpacking the text.  In selecting commentaries, stick with trusted authors (for example, John Stott, Phil Ryken, or James Boice) or one belonging to a series that holds to a high view of the authority and inspiration of the Bible as God’s Word. I have found commentaries in The Bible Speaks Today series, the NIV Application Commentary series, and the Tyndale commentaries to be generally solid, insightful, and valuable.  If you want help in picking out a commentary or advice before buying one, please don’t hesitate to speak with me, Pastor Bob, or others who read a good deal.

Along with studying a specific book of the Bible in greater in detail, another option to consider is to read a book on a particular topic.  I would encourage you to select a topic about which you have a lot of questions or in which you have a great deal of interest. For example, you might choose to read a book on a particular theological topic (like eschatology or the work of the Holy Spirit), or on family issues (like marriage or parenting), or on issues related to apologetics, or on missions and evangelism, or on psychological issues (like depression, self esteem, or addictions).

There are literally scores of good books to help you grow in your understanding of God’s truth and in your spiritual walk. Westminster Theological Seminary’s online bookstore (www.wtsbooks.com) and Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service (cvbbs.com) are both excellent and trustworthy sites if you are looking for good books to read.

Recommending so much reading might sound overly ambitious, but I urge you to resist the temptation of underestimating your ability to read through substantial amounts of material.  Consider that if you read just three pages of a book every day in 2012, you could finish a 1,095 page book (or two 500-page books, or five 200-page books, or … well, you can do the math)!  Just three pages – you can read three pages during a commercial break or a halftime! Prayerfully consider reading the Bible – and more – in your pursuit of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

 

 

How to Prepare for Officer Elections

On Jan. 23, the members of New Life will have the opportunity to participate in one of the most important responsibilities of church membership – the election of men to the offices of ruling elder and deacon.

The NLPC elders have approved Jim Moore to stand for election to the office of deacon, and Dave Isaacson and Josh Holowell to stand for election to the office of ruling elder. These men were nominated by the congregation last spring. All have faithfully completed an officer training class under Pastor Bob (the class covered the topics of leadership, basic reformed theology, and peacemaking), and have been interviewed extensively by the elders.

At our 7pm annual meeting on Jan. 23, we will administer a closed ballot vote where you will express your will regarding the suitability of these men for office. Keep in mind that these individuals are not competing against one another in this election. You are voting on each of them individually according to their qualifications and sense of calling.

What is the difference between elder and deacon? Very briefly, the ruling elders are responsible for spiritual oversight of the congregation (membership interviews, overseeing Sunday morning worship, exercising discipline, etc.), and join teaching elders Bob and Brian on what is called the “session,” a team of both teaching elders and ruling elders. The deacons are responsible primarily for mercy ministries and maintenance of the church property.

So, how can you be ready to cast a well-informed vote in this matter? Here is what I suggest to you:

1) Read the relevant passages in Scripture that give directions for the qualifications of church officers. Those would be I Tim. 3:8-13 and Acts 6:1-4 for the office of deacon, and I Tim. 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and I Peter 5:1-3 for the office of elder. You also can consult our denomination’s Book of Church Order, chapters 7-9, for more information (you can find this on-line).

2) Pray that God would grant you and the entire congregation wisdom to choose humble, godly, Gospel-loving men who will lead this church well.

3) Get to know these men. There are a couple of ways this can happen. First you can join us at 10 or 11:30am Jan. 15 for a Q&A session with the elder candidates. Secondly, you can reach out to these men yourself by email, phone call or by just taking them out for lunch or coffee.

Ruling elders and deacons are elected to three-year terms. A person may serve two consecutive terms, after which he is required to take a break of at least one year. This is the case for Randy Thompson, who has completed two terms as deacon. We will miss Randy’s service in 2012, and we are profoundly grateful for his constant and efficient service to this church. With Randy stepping down, that means Jim, if elected, will join Bob Darby, Larry Harting, Mark Parkison and Paul Nagelkirk on the deacon board.

Both Scott Jordan and Wendell Conner have completed their first terms as ruling elders, and have agreed to each serve a second term. That means that Dave and Josh, if elected, will join Scott, Wendell, Bob and Brian on the session.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact Pastor Bob.

For more information on the Annual Meeting, see the article about it HERE.

 

 

What is That? Using the Lord’s Supper to Teach Our Children

“Daddy what is that? Why are you holding that? What are you going to do with it? Why are people walking up there? Can I have a snack too?”

Henry Tokar was filled with questions as he watched his father holding the bread and the juice, and the wide eyes of his brother Sam showed an equal amount of curiosity. Nick, Henry and Sam’s father, was calm and gentle as he told his eager boys “I’ll tell you all about it when we get home.”

Observing this scene reminded me of the first time I asked my father about communion. Though, as may also have been true with Henry and Sam, I was more interested in a snack than anything else I saw going on. The Lord’s Supper is as perplexing an event for a small boy now as it was several years ago, and what a glorious opportunity for us to share the gospel with our children.

The scriptures tell us that just as Passover was a sign of the old covenant, so the Lord’s Supper is a sign of the new covenant in Christ (Luke 22:20). In Exodus 12:26-27 the Lord commands His people to use the Passover as a means for telling their children of the goodness, mercy, and deliverance of their Heavenly Father:

“And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’”

Observing the practice and administration of the sacraments, the signs and seals of the covenants of our Father, fulfilled by His Son and    empowered by the Spirit, is one of the great blessings afforded to our covenant children. As they observe the Spirit’s work in those around them they are given opportunities for the Spirit to work in their own hearts and minds.  And that work will continue as their parents, teachers, and elders are empowered by that same Spirit to share the good news of the gospel with them.

Raising children in the fear and admonition of the Lord is a daunting task. But there is great joy and encouragement to be found in the sacraments. As we practice the sacraments we are reminded of the fact that we are not alone in the tasks the Lord has called us to. We partake of the Lord’s Supper together in community and that same community is there to help and encourage us in our spiritual growth and calling. When we partake of the elements we are encouraged and strengthened by the Spirit to fulfill His calling in our lives. The Lord’s Supper reminds us that God is with us, and has provided a community for us and our children.

As we observe the Lord’s Supper today, and in the coming months, let us not forget the faith and strength we receive as we partake the elements, and our calling to pass them to our children.

Reading through the Bible in 2012

You might find it hard to believe but there are less than three weeks left in 2011. That means many will soon be striving to stick to New Year’s resolutions to live better, healthier, and godlier lives.

One resolution I would encourage you to consider as the New Year begins is reading through the entire Bible in 2012. I realize this might seem like a rather daunting goal, but I can testify that by committing approximately 15 minutes a day you will be able to read through the entire Bible in a year.

I have found that one of the biggest obstacles to systematically reading though the Bible is simply not having a plan. I have adopted a one-year Bible reading plan for the last several years and am preparing to use it again in 2012. In this plan, an average of one New Testament chapter and three Old Testament chapters are assigned each day, moving through each book of the Bible in the order they appear. So one begins the year in Genesis and Matthew and ends in Malachi and Revelation. If you are interested in this plan, I have made some available in the magazine racks in the foyer.

There are other plans you can adopt as well.  There is a one-year plan that arranges the readings “chronologically,” meaning you read the Bible books in the order in which the events recorded occurred historically. For example, you would read Job fairly early and you would read Amos before Daniel though it is placed after Daniel in our Bibles. There are also two-year Bible reading plans available in the narthex if you wish to read at a slower pace.  The main thing is to commit to reading and to adopt a plan.

Why read through the Bible?  Reading through the Bible will give you a better understanding of its content, supply the words with which you can pray and evangelize, correct misperceptions, both answer questions and raise new ones, and lift your heart to worship our great God who graciously reveals himself and his salvation in its pages. It will provide information in your ignorance, inspiration in your weariness, and insight in your struggles.

Consider that Jesus prayed for us to be sanctified by the truth and states that God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). Paul instructs us that the Scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation and that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness that we might be equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:15-17). The author of Hebrews teaches us that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword that exposes the secrets of our hearts and convicts us of our sin (Heb. 4:12-13). Jesus’ example demonstrates that the Word is our main weapon against temptation (Mat. 4:4-10), and Paul speaks of it as the “sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17). We have the assurance that reading through the Bible will surely not return void (Is. 55:10).

Two additional tips: first, if the Bible you use has introductions to the individual books, take time to read them. Good introductions will give you insight into the literary structure and historical background that will aid your understanding. Second, start your reading plan on Christmas Day. This gives you a head start and keeps you from getting discouraged if you fall behind.  For example, if you fall four days behind, you’re actually still three days ahead!

Sadly, many believers in the world today have little or limited access to printed Bibles or to Bibles that are translated into languages they can understand. Such is not the case with us. Don’t neglect the gift of God’s word. Adopt a plan to read through the Bible in 2012 or over the course of the next two years. Remember, a person whose Bible is falling apart is usually a person who isn’t.

 

 

Recommended Books on Eschatology

When I decided to go to seminary back in the late 90s, I left with high expectations that I was going to get lots of answers. Then I got into a discussion with a friend of mine who had already graduated from seminary, and he gave me a new perspective. He said, “You don’t go to seminary to learn the right answers; you go to seminary to learn the right questions.”

This is not to say that seminary doesn’t provide answers. But it is true that you’re not going to get good answers unless you know what the proper questions are. As a result of our sermon series on eschatology, it could be that you are finding yourself with more questions than answers, and I want to encourage you to realize that this can be a good thing. If this sermon series is used by God to at least teach us the right questions to ask about “the end of the world as we know it,” then I will be content with that.

Once we learn the right questions, however, we should be ready to push ahead for answers, and one way we can engage in this task is through further personal study. There are three new books on the New Life book table (located in the foyer right before the breezeway) that I would like to recommend to you if you are interested in learning more about eschatology:

These Last Days – A Christian View of History (various authors). This is the book I would recommend as a primer on the topic of eschatology. Authors such as Alistair Begg, D.A. Carson, Sinclair Ferguson and Paul Tripp write brief essays on various topics related to the end times. This book avoids excessive detail to give the reader a broad overview of this important subject.

The Meaning of the Millennium – Four Views (various authors). In this book, esteemed proponents of each of the four major millennial views write a defense of their positions, all of which are followed by brief rebuttals from each of the other contributors. This is an excellent way to observe the way these four positions stand up to scrutiny. The contributors are George Eldon Ladd (historic premillennialism ), Herman Hoyt (dispensational premillennialism), Loraine Boettner (postmillennialism), and Anthony Hoekema (amillenialism).

A Case for Amillennialism (Kim Riddlebarger). This is an exhaustive treatment of just one millennial view – that which is held by the majority of reformed theologians, including Pastor Bob and Pastor Brian. This might be a difficult read for someone who is new to eschatology, but will be helpful to anyone looking for a more in-depth treatment of this topic.

The first two books are $10 each; the Riddlebarger book is $15. New Life makes no profit on these books, but offers them to you at a discounted rate to encourage further study on Biblical and theological topics. May they be used by God’s Spirit to encourage and bless you in your pursuit of answers.

The Force of Anticipation

Tickets? Check. Popcorn? Check. Gobstoppers, Nerds (the candy not the people), and Reece’s Pieces? Check. Eight Taco Bell number four combos with large Mt. Dews? Check. Large winter jackets with plenty of pockets to carry all our contraband? Check, Check, Check, and Check!

It was May 20, 1999 as I and three friends made our way to the movie theatre. It was a gorgeous 75 degree spring day, marred only by the sweat now dripping from our shirts under the extra weight of our oversized coats. We were on a mission and nothing would distract us from the day’s ultimate goal: the release of Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace!

Being born in 1983 brought me in on the tail end of Star Wars fandom. However, through the mentorship of my brother I quickly succumbed to the tractor beam that lures all young boys to a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away. I was a devoted padawan and, under his guidance, I soon became obsessed with all things Star Wars. A condition my parents would come to refer to as “the dark side”.

I vividly remember the day I came home from school and my mom handed me the paper. I was perplexed as it was not the comics section, my usual after school reading, but the immediate sighting of Han Solo derailed any further confusion. The title of the article said it all, the sweetest phrase in the galaxy to a small boy with Jedi-like delusions of grandeur: “Star Wars is coming back!”

After six years of waiting, and suffering through the “improved” rerelease of the original trilogy, my friends and I were finally seated eagerly awaiting the dawn of a new or, depending on how you look at it, old chapter in the Star War saga. I will spare you the intergalactic disappointment that was the Phantom Menace and focus instead on our intense preparation for that day. A spectacle that would have astounded all our teachers, as they were led to believe such a feat of studious attention to detail and discipline to be far out of our skill set.

Anticipation is such an odd phenomenon. It can dictate and disrupt our lives. We eagerly anticipate movies, music, presents, new episodes of our favorite shows, or the annual Vera Bradley outlet sale in Ft. Wayne. The list goes on and on, and each one of us knows how to adequately prepare for the objects of our anticipation.

I have thought a lot about anticipation during our sermon series on eschatology. I have repeatedly asked myself with what measure of anticipation do I look forward to the second coming of Christ? And beyond that with what measure of discipline am I making myself ready for it?

My world was drastically changed by an article announcing the return of Star Wars, and yet my life is often untouched by the living and active proclamation of Christ’s return. Perhaps this is due to the ambiguity surrounding the second coming. We know it will happen, but we don’t know when. We know there will be judgment and restoration, and we are to be ready, but we don’t know exactly what that looks like.

The vagueness surrounding the second coming is not an excuse for us to neglect our anticipation of it but an opportunity to exercise faith in the Lord. As we see repeatedly in the scriptures, what He has promised He will fulfill.

I urge you to continue greeting this sermon series, which resumes next week, with eagerness using it to fuel our passion for the Kingdom and love of the church. So that when Christ returns we will be faithful to the charge in Luke 12, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to come home…so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.”

For more information about the eschatology sermon series click HERE.

To listen to the previous sermons in the series click HERE.

 

 

Reformation Day: A Call for Courageous Christians

When a 33-year old German monk named Martin Luther posted a series of “objections” on a door in Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517, it may not have seemed very momentous at the time. But there can be no argument that the church – and the whole world – was changed dramatically and forever as a result. In many ways, that date marks the starting point of the Protestant Reformation, which is why October 31 is celebrated annually by many Protestants not as Halloween but as Reformation Day.

Luther opposed abuses in practice and errors in doctrine within the Roman Catholic Church of his day, championing the gospel message that we are justified before God (declared righteous) by the imputed righteousness of Christ received by faith alone, entirely apart from our own works. According to Luther, it was this salvation by grace alone through faith alone that constituted the heart of the good news.

It is easy for believers today to underestimate the courage involved in Luther’s stand. In his day, to be cut off from the Roman Catholic Church was to be cut off from the grace the Church offered for salvation, and there was no other congregation down the street ready to receive him.

Additionally, to teach doctrines contrary to the Church was punishable by death, and such punishment was no idle threat. One-hundred years earlier the Church executed Jon Hus for teachings similar to Luther’s. In standing up for the gospel, Luther was not simply risking his reputation, his career, and his standing in the Church, but he was risking his life. Still, when asked to recant his teachings and writings before a council in 1521, Luther refused saying, “Here I stand. I can do no other.”

Luther’s stand serves to remind us that courage is a necessary virtue in the Christian life. Courage is frequently commanded in Scripture (see Deut. 31:6-7; Josh. 1:6-9, 18; Acts 4:13-20), and its opposite is condemned (Rev. 21:8). In addition, the Scriptures repeatedly charge us to “fear not.”

Courage is necessary because the means to obtain godly ends in a fallen and hostile world will most likely involve risk, danger, pain, and difficulty. We are called to stand for and live according to the
truth in the face of tremendous pressures and opposition in the world, even if we find ourselves standing alone. It takes courage to love as Jesus loved despite the risk of rejection. It takes courage to walk by faith and not by sight. Quite simply, it takes courage to live as a Christian.

But how are we to develop and exercise such courage in our lives?  How was Luther able to pen the words “Let goods and kindred go / this mortal life also”? In part, because Luther was ultimately committed to something other than and larger than himself: the truth of God in the gospel. It has been said that courage is not the absence of fear, but results from the judgment that something else is more important than fear. For Luther, the gospel was more important than life itself. His fear of God trumped all his other fears. So in cultivating courage, we must battle our cynicism that says nothing really matters, our materialism that says nothing matters more than our comfort and safety, and our fear of man that is greater than our fear of God.

Remember that as a Christian you have been given a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (see 2 Timothy 1:7). On this Reformation Day, ask God to help you identify areas where you can exercise more courage by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it’s in the area of evangelism, talking with family members, friends, or classmates about the gospel. Perhaps it’s risking involvement with the needy and broken that live outside your circle of safety and comfort. Perhaps it’s raising your children to resist the cultural norms and worldly values of entertainment and consumerism. Sometimes, it’s just facing the day by faith. Mary Anne Radmacher writes, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”

Whatever the case and whatever you’re facing, be strong and courageous. The God who supplied Luther with courage to stand for the truth can supply you with courage, too.

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