seven signs of life

Why Repentance is Necessary /  by

Hello CMF,
In the following visual addendum to the sermon, Excretion: Getting Rid of the Junk (6 of 7), I talk about why repentance is absolutely necessary for being a disciple of Jesus. 

Also, check out this post by Roger Olson on why we can't appeal to Nones (religiously unaffiliated) and Millennials by holding off or omitting the need to repent of our sins.

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  Acts 2:38 NIV

Blessings,
Pastor David 

Considering Our Fruitfulness /  by

Hello CMF,

Skip Tobin (US Ministries Director with Virginia Mennonite Missions) contributed to our current Seven Signs of Life sermons series with Reproduction: Multiplying Life, Creating the Future. 

Listen to me recap and give some additional thoughts, along with the questions below. Please take some time to personally evaluate your own fruitfulness, and that of our church.

Questions for us to consider when reflecting on our own fruitfulness:

  1. What kind of fruit are we after as a church (mission & vision)? What might that fruit look like? If you want potatoes, you don’t go looking in the trees! So, what are we after? What needs to be done to focus on that fruit? How is our church gifted (unique) and are we using those gifts as tools to connect with our neighbors—inviting others into Christ and the mission of our church?
     
  2. So, how might we plan (be intentional) toward acquiring this fruit? Is this reflected in our ministry efforts? What about our giving and our church budget (financial mission)? Are we passing on what God has invested in us, individually and corporately? 
     
  3. Skip said that we are “pregnant” with Kingdom possibilities. It’s been put into our DNA to reach out and multiply. God brings the growth, but multiplication is a mindset! We should bring people to Christ expecting that they too will bring people to Christ. We should start a small group in hopes of starting another group, even out of that group. We begin a church with intentions of planting another church.  Be honest, is this always the mindset among Christians? What about within CMF at the present time?
     
  4. Skip said that fruit needs to be tested. How can we test the fruit? In other words, what does God want to “prune” off of our lives, and our church, so that we can be more fruitful? He said that sometimes we need to say “No!” to some good things to make room for healthy growth. What else might we need?
     
  5. How can you personally contribute and be a catalyst for healthy change and growth? What needs pruning? What mindset(s) need to change? Where can you serve? What is God saying to you? And what are you going to do about it?


Blessings,
Pastor David

New Sermon Series: Seven Signs of Life /  by

Hello CMF,

I want to introduce our upcoming sermon series to you. It's called Seven Signs of Life.

In biology we learn that there are seven processes of life that identify all living organisms. We could also view these as “signposts” to a healthy living organism.

We're going to use these seven signs as a diagnostic tool for assessing your own spiritual health as a disciple, as well as the overall health of our church.

This series looks at the seven signs of life in the Kingdom of God.

  1. Movement: Prove You’re Not Dead
  2. Respiration: Breathing God’s Breath
  3. Sensitivity: Our Spiritual Awareness
  4. Growth: The Inevitable Result of Healthy Life
  5. Reproduction: Multiplying Life, Creating the Future
  6. Excretion: Getting Rid of the Junk
  7. Nutrition: A Diet That Makes a Difference

Along the way we're going to be asking questions like: Is this an area in my life that needs the Spirit to bring fresh vitality? Is this an area in our church where we need to give attention? What is God saying to me about these seven signs? Where can I use his healing touch?

This new sermon series will have its full effect by you intentionally self-assessing where you are in your journey with the Lord, and where we are corporately as a church.

I'm looking forward to the outcome that God can bring in us and our church.

Finally, here is a brief summary and focus of this Sunday's message:

Movement is an indication of life and usually occurs in response to stimuli. Animals move quickly when stimulated by an outer (danger) or inner (hunger) force. Plants exhibit movement through growth, so the effect is sometimes slow and hard to detect. Nevertheless, all living things move. Like the children of Israel after leaving Egypt, we often want to stand still instead of move into the unknown. But the alive disciple is always on the move, and so is the organic church. In this message, we will begin our spiritual assessment by considering whether we’re moving with the Spirit or trying to stand still in our faith. Only in movement can we prove that we’re not dead.

See you on Sunday!

Blessings,
Pastor David