On Mission

This Sunday we will be concluding our Origins message series. We have gone back to the book of Genesis to understand "life as God designed."

From the very beginning God told Adam to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. He repeated the instruction to Noah. God wanted His glory to be spread among the nations, filling the entire earth. I love Isaiah 45:18. For this is what the Lord says - he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited - he says: "I am the Lord, and there is no other."

God fashioned His created universe and then He fashioned man to inhabit it - all of it. God designed his creation for a specific purpose, to display His glory. And we are on mission with Him - to display His glory to the nations.

Our natural tendency is to stay in our comfort zone; to play it safe. Without even trying, we become what Robert Quinn defines as self-focused, externally directed, internally closed, and comfort centered. This is the story of the Tower of Babel - make a name for ourselves so we won't be scattered over the face of the whole earth. They were more concerned for their own comfort that fulfilling the mission God had given to them. They didn't want to live life the way God designed.

Living with God on mission is a life of adventure and risk. It cost our Heavenly Father His only Son. When we follow God on mission we will go places we have never gone, we will do what we have never done, and we will become what we have never been. His mission hurtles us into the future, bringing us to the place where He has been all along - waiting for us to join Him.

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16

It's God's desire to fill the earth with His glory. He longs to create self-sustaining, life-giving, mission-focused, reproductive communities that bear His image. This is what Adam was called to do, this is what Noah was called to do and this is what His church is called to do - go therefore and make disciples of all nations.

We are called to fuel a mission, not build a monument. We are called to press into the darkness as pioneers, rather than huddle around the light as settlers. We are sojourners, pilgrims, time travelers, and strangers just passing through. This world is not our home. We have a better one awaiting us once we finish our mission. We are following in the steps of Jesus, on mission with Him.

Faithful Witness

Bearing much fruit

Today in the Friends Class we discussed what it means to be a Faithful Witness. We took a look at John 15:8 and the importance of bearing much fruit. Our heavenly Father is glorified when we bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be his disciples.

People matter to God. God is glorified when the life of Christ is reproduced in the lives of others. We have the priviledge of sharing with others what Christ has done in our lives, introducing people to him.

I want to make sure that everyone I love is with me in heaven. I don't want to waste my life, but rather invest it in things that are eternal. This afternoon Sharon and I had the opportunity to share with one of the persons that I have been praying for daily. We told her about the transformation that Christ can make in a life and invited her to our church. There is nothing better than pointing people to Jesus.

And when we get to heaven, no one will complain that there are too many people. And no one will complain that heaven's too big. Heaven is too good of a place to keep to ourselves. We should, we can, we must tell every person we love about this place. We must tell those we love about the God of the universe who sent his only son to die in our place. He calls us to be his faithful witness.

So let me ask you, what are you learning about being a faithful witness? Who are you praying for?

Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.' Luke 14:23

A Perfect Fit

We had a Membership Class this weekend. It was a great time with 24 people in attendance. You can see a slide show of the class by clicking on the above picture.

New Covenant is a family of growing disciples. Each person who becomes part of our church family changes the texture and nature of our community. God has designed each person to make a unique, one of a kind, contribution. And a healthy church helps people find their "perfect fit," the place where they can believe, belong, and become. A healthy church is constantly changing, constantly growing.

New Covenant is committed to creating space for one more person. A space for worship, mission, community, transformation and service. A unique, one of a kind space. We are committed to help each person find their perfect fit.

Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 NLT

Refreshed

Charm'n with Charmin

We had a great Missions Weekend last week with 13 of our missionaries visiting with us. James and our Missions Committee did a great job! I especially enjoyed the Potluck on Saturday evening, complete with my favorite reality show, Missionary Fear Factor!

We watched our missionaries pull off amazing feats. They told stories, shared about their ministry, communicated without using words, and acted out Bible stories using toilet paper! Take a guess at what Bible story Bob Mackey and the Bejjani's acted out for us. You can click on their picture above to see a slideshow of other costumes!

Throughout the weekend our missionaries exhibited a genuine heart for God, creativity, flexibility, and a sense of humor. We were refreshed by their presence with us this past week.

Would you like to help return the blessing to our missionaries? Our Barnabas Ministry seeks to do just that through personal letters, gifts, prayers and phone calls to each of our missionaries. You can select a missionary that you want to support and then partner with a team of others from New Covenant to support them. Contact Pastor James at james.wartian@newcovenantbible.org for more information. You can also visit our website to learn more about those missionaries we support.

Take time to pass on the blessings you have received. God will reward you and you will be refreshed.

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. Philemon 1:7

Done

In repentance and rest is your salvation.

I love the word "done." Checking items off my ever growing "to do" list is always satisfying. Change car oil, done! Balance check book, done! Get hair cut, done! It always feels good to see accomplishment and completion.

It's been said that Christianity can be spelled "DONE." Every other world religion is spelled "DO." Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin and accomplished on the cross what I could not do for myself. And as he cried out, "It is finished," he purchased and completed my salvation. The penalty is paid; my salvation has been purchased; it is done. Every other religion requires a person to do something to earn their way to God. In Jesus, it is done.

Isaiah 28:13 speaks of the futility of trying to "do" enough to please a holy God. "Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there - so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and captured." Isaiah 28:16 goes on to present the solution to our dilemma. "So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." Jesus Christ is our sure foundation and tested stone. I can trust in him.

As much as I love the word "done," I continually fall into the trap of believing that I have to "do" something to please God. Isaiah 29:13 goes on to talk about the trap of "doing" versus "being." "The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." It's so easy to confuse proximity with intimacy. God desires my heart, I give him my lip service. God desires a relationship, I settle for compliance.

In the busyness of my day, I need to remember that there is nothing I can do to add to what God has already done for me. I need to remember the cross. I need to remember that Jesus paid the price for my salvation. I need to remember that there is nothing I can ever do to cause him to love me more.

I love checking things off my "to do" list. Forgiveness of my sin, done. Reconciliation of myself with God, done. Promised inheritance in heaven, done. A life transformed by Christ, done!

Wholehearted Worshiper

Surrender

We had a great Friends Class today with over 20 people in the morning and evening classes. Our topic today was being a Wholehearted Worshiper. We took a look at Luke 14:27-33 and about what it means to take up our cross daily to follow Christ.

To me, the open hands are a metaphor for surrender. Worship is the surrender of my entire life to Christ in response to God's grace. Wholehearted worshippers surrender their rights, ownership of all that they have, and their very lives to Christ. To worship without surrender is hypocrisy.

Worship is a lifestyle that seeks to honor Christ through my daily decisions. Division over music styles and preferential forms of worship have less to do with worship and more to do with consumerism. I have certain styles and types of music that I especially enjoy. There is nothing wrong with having preferences. The problem comes when I begin to define worship by my experiences and preferences.

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that I care less about style and more about substance. I want to be around people who know how to worship with all their heart. I want to become a wholehearted worshiper.

So let me ask you, what are you learning about worship and surrender? What spiritual disciplines help you maintain an attitude and heart of surrender?

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. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Today's Special ~ Hope

Henry Davidson

Sharon needed some extra help this morning serving breakfast at the HD Youth Center so I volunteered to help out. I was the official dishwasher! I stayed pretty busy as we served 88 breakfasts in 1 1/2 hours.

The HD Youth Center is an amazing place. There's nothing quite like it. Just about every weekday morning you will find people from New Covenant there serving breakfast. Henry provides the vision and heart, and the volunteers provide the helping hands. Somehow, it all fits together into a beautiful mosaic. The body of Christ in action; serving, sharing, caring and giving.

And most mornings, if you look closely, you will see that there is more being served up than breakfast. The food is served with generous portions of love, courtesy, honor, and dignity. People know that the HD Youth Center is one place they can go and be treated with respect. They know that hope is always on the morning menu.

This morning I had the opportunity to pray with Larry who was going to Iowa City today for further tests to determine the source of the spot on his lung. It was a short prayer, nothing too elaborate. It was the kind of prayer that I thought Larry would want. It was a prayer for healing straight from my heart to the heart of God.

This morning at the HD Youth Center, we served eggs, pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee and toast. People came hungry and left filled. But today we also served much more than breakfast. If you looked carefully and listened closely, you would have observed that today's special was hope for the human soul.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He give strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

Welcome Lunch

We had a great Welcome Lunch today with over 60 people in attendance. Click on the picture above to see a slide show of our lunch.

If your new to New Covenant; welcome. There is always room for one more person. If you are seeking and have spiritual questions; welcome. New Covenant is a place where you can get honest answers to honest questions.

Let me ask you, what are you looking for in a church? What is important to you when choosing a church family?

Weeping Over Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids skyline

I spent the entire day and evening with other pastors and leaders who want to share the love of Christ with our city. Larry Dewitt from Mission America shared with us how to create a culture that reaches out to the lost. To create this new DNA requires pastors and leaders who are broken, and who model the process of praying, caring and sharing. Larry's humility and love for the Lord are refreshing.

This afternoon around 30 pastors met on the 16th floor of the Crown Plaza Hotel for a Prayer Summit. We prayed that God would break us and give us his heart for our city. We shared our hearts with one another, we prayed, and at times, we wept. We concluded our prayer time by going over to the windows that overlook Cedar Rapids and prayed for our city.

Lord Jesus, give me your heart for Cedar Rapids. Help me to see people as you see them. Might my heart grieve over what you grieve over; weep over what you weep over. Help me to see Cedar Rapids through your eyes.

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes." Luke 19:41-42

Three Days and Counting!

Just a reminder that Breakfast with Kim is just three days away. I'm meeting with anyone who shows up at Panera this Saturday morning at 9:00. You can read about my conflict with Bernice here. Bring a book or passage of Scripture that God has been using in your life and we will talk and share over a cup of coffee. I'm counting on you helping me get the word out. Hope to see you at Panera on Saturday.

Hearing the Cries of the Lost and Perishing

Christina and Amy signing up for an Impact Group

New Covenant is preparing to launch a spiritual growth journey on Sunday, October 9 called, Impact ~ Connecting Your Community to Christ. Part of the journey will include participating in an Impact small group. We are praying for 125 small group Hosts so that everyone will have an opportunity to be in a small group. To date over 80 people have signed up to Host a group!

We are trusting that God will use this journey to impact our community for Christ. We are praying that the power and influence of Jesus Christ would be experienced in our homes and families, our neighborhoods, our work places and our church. We can't sit idly by as thousands in our community go into a Christless eternity.

Last week Pastor Bob asked us if we can hear the cry of the lost and dieing. He asked us to imagine the desperate cries of those outside the ark once the flood waters began to rise. The panic, the fear, the hopeless cries of those who are perishing. I asked God to give me His heart for the lost, his heart for the city of Cedar Rapids. Last Sunday I asked him to help me hear the cries of the perishing.

And then Monday came. The scenes and images I have watched this past week have pierced my heart. Peoples desperate cries for help. The helplessness and hopelessness. People rushing into a Christless eternity. I pray that I will never forget what I have witnessed this past week. I pray that God will give me ears to hear the cries of the lost and perishing.

My heart, my heart-I writhe in pain! My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still. For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets and the roar of their battle cries. Waves of destruction roll over the land, until it lies in complete desolation. Suddenly, every tent is destroyed; in a moment, every shelter is crushed. How long must this go on? How long must I be surrounded by war and death? "My people are foolish and do not know me," says the Lord. "They are senseless children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no talent at all for doing right!" I looked at the earth, and it was empty and formless. I looked at the heavens, and there was no light. I looked at the mountains and hills, and they trembled and shook. I looked, and all the people were gone. All the birds of the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fertile fields had become a wilderness. The cities lay in ruins, crushed by the Lord's fierce anger. Jeremiah 4:19-26 NLT

Overwhelmed

The destruction of ancient boundaries

This past week has demonstrated what happens when a system of levees and pumps designed to keep New Orleans dry are comprised by a relentless and unstoppable force called Katrina. The complex system of levees and pumps, the largest of its kind in the world, have protected the city for many years. New Orleans is on average six feet below sea level, and every drop of water that comes into the city has to be pumped out. The levee walls, 13-25 foot high, have protected New Orleans over the years; providing safety from the ravages of flood waters.

That is, until last Tuesday. The 17th Street Canal levee was compromised and water from Lake Pontchartrain began to pour into residential areas that were unprepared for the devastation that was to follow. At times, the destruction was almost unbearable to watch. Disbelief was quickly followed by shock, anger and panic. A sense of utter hopelessness and despair began to set in as we witnessed a city descend into anarchy.

And today, almost one week later, the Associated Press reports: "The last bedraggled refugees were rescued from the Superdome on Saturday and the convention center was all but cleared, leaving the heart of New Orleans to the dead and dying, the elderly and frail stranded too many days without food, water or medical care. A once-vibrant city of 480,000 people, overtaken just days ago by floods, looting, rape and arson, was now an empty, sodden tomb."

As painful as it was to watch the failure of the levee walls, it was even more troubling to watch the collapse of moral law. Just as the levee walls provide protection from the ravages of flood waters; so too, God’s Word provides moral boundaries that protect us from the depravity of the human heart. Genesis 6:8 says that “the Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”

The physical and moral devastation of New Orleans is a reminder of the condition of the human heart apart from God. Our rebellion against God and His rule of law has opened the floodgates of wickedness. God gave us His Word for our protection and moral good. The psalmist said, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Hurricane-like, cultural and political winds have sought to remove the ancient, restraining boundaries of absolute truth from the public square. And we are paying the price as a society.

New Orleans gave us a glimpse of a city and a soul overcome and overwhelmed by the destructive forces of nature and human nature. The images on our television screen were painful to see. A city overpowered and brought to its knees by the destruction of its ancient boundaries.

It was painful this week to look at the depths of the sinfulness of my heart. To see the devastation and destruction caused by my rebellion and sin. It was painful to realize that my depravity grieves and breaks the heart of God. It was painful to see the secret thoughts and intentions of my heart projected onto living room television screens around the world. It was painful to realize that my breaking of God’s moral law prompted the creator of the world to send his only Son on a rescue mission that cost him his life. This past week I have been overwhelmed with a sense of God’s holiness, mercy and grace.