It's Friday But Sunday's Coming! /  by

Today is Good Friday. We call it "good" because it's not a stand alone event. If it weren't for the resurrection on what we call Easter Sunday, there would be nothing "good" about Friday.

So today while we reflect on the death of Jesus, we know that we do not grieve as those who have no hope. No, we experience the pain and sorrow of loss, but we do so much differently than the rest of the world, or at least we should. Why? Because Jesus has defeated death.

Tony Campolo will forever be known for preaching a sermon entitled It's Friday But Sunday's Coming! Let's remember that this is now the way we are to view the world.

We live in a Good Friday world, but Easter Sunday is coming, even now it's breaking in.

This Sunday morning we will be celebrating this mysterious reality of resurrection as we conclude our Lent to Easter 2015 series with The God Who Raises The Dead. 

Dead is dead. Whether it be in the ancient world or in modern times, when people die they stay dead. But as we’ve learned in this series, God turns the ways of the world upside down and inside out. Easter Sunday is the quintessential expression of God’s wisdom and power to do the unexpected and the impossible. He is the God who raises the dead!

In this final message, I'll lead us through the discovery of the empty tomb, to seeing Jesus transformed and exalted, to hearing the apostle Paul insist that our faith is futile without the resurrection. This happy morning we’re all being invited to participate in the resurrection. What did it mean in the first century? And what difference does it make today?

I hope you will join us for this special time of worship.

He has risen!

Pastor David

The Key to Heart Change /  by

Hello CMF,

In this visual addendum to The God Who Creates New Hearts (5 of 7), I elaborate on God's ability to change us, how he might do it, and what is required of us.

Here is a psalm that God has used in my life as a testimony to the change he can bring. Let this be your song and prayer to God as you seek personal renewal and deep change.

"I waited and waited and waited for God.
    At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
    pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
    to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
    a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
    they enter the mystery,
    abandoning themselves to God."
Psalm 40:1-3 MSG

Grace & Peace,
David

Challenges for Anabaptists in a Post-Christian Culture /  by

Hello CMF,

You have heard me mention the work of my friend and theological mentor, Greg Boyd, on many occasions here at CMF. Who exactly is Greg Boyd, and why should we be listening with open ears and hearts to what he has to say? 

Greg Boyd received his Ph. D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (1988), his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School (1982) and his B.A. from the University of Minnesota (1979). He was a professor of theology for 16 years at Bethel University (St. Paul, MN).

In 1992, Greg co-founded Woodland Hills Church, a large evangelical, now distinctively Anabaptist, fellowship in St. Paul, MN. The church currently has over 20,000 "pod-rishioners" who listen in from all over the world, some being led to plant Anabaptist churches where they live.

Greg is also president of ReKnew.org. He is a pastor, theologian, traveling speaker, and author of more than a dozen academic and popular books.

Some of his books include: 

Letters From a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father’s Questions about Christianity, The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition, Is God to Blame?: Moving Beyond Pat Answers to the Problem of Evil, and the best-selling book The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church, which led to a New York Times front-page article and several television interviews.

He is currently in the final stages of a big book project called, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Reinterpreting Divine Violence in Light of the Cross---a book aimed at reconciling the violence of the Old Testament with the non-violent Jesus of the New Testament.

In 2010, Greg was listed as one of the twenty most influential Christian scholars alive today.

He is a pioneering Christian intellectual and church practitioner. He continues to challenge evangelicals with his theological ideas and Kingdom vision. His work is an inspiration to those evangelicals who believe a revolution is needed in the church.

And Greg is also inspiring Anabaptists young and old to rediscover their tradition.

Over the last several years, Greg has been a frequent conference and event speaker at Eastern Mennonite University & Seminary, Messiah College, and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

I started conversing with Greg in 2012 when I was first beginning to think about pastoring a church. He has since then been available to me for theological counsel, as well as practical advice on being a pastor. I think it's important for all of us to have mentors, and I'm glad Greg is one of mine. I hope that you will also be inspired and served by what God is doing through his ministry.

Greg Boyd On the Future of Anabaptism

Last September I had the privilege of attending the Missio Alliance conference in Carlisle, PA. I got to listen to some gifted Anabaptists during my two days at the event. Greg was one of them.

The focus of the event was on the Anabaptist movement. The theme was called Church & Post-Christian Culture: Christian Witness in the Way of Jesus. It was an encouraging gathering of folks from all across the country, and about a dozen or so from Virginia Mennonite Conference.

When you have some time, please watch the video below of Greg's talk at Missio Alliance. Greg shares a bit of his story in the first 20 minutes, then he shares what he believes are major obstacles or challenges to the Anabaptist tradition moving forward today in a post-Christian culture.

Listen to Greg talk about the need for new wine-skins to hold the new wine that Christ is pouring out. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back, and enjoy the message. You'll be glad you did.

Here are the challenges in a nutshell:

  • Anabaptists must hold to a high view of Biblical authority and the inspiration of Scripture, while continuing to maintain a Christo-centric reading of the Bible; resist conformity to culture.
  • People have been immunized to Kingdom language, powerful words have been co-opted by culture, losing counter-cultural meaning; we need to reclaim them for Christ.
  • We need to seek new ways of reaching people who resonate with the Anabaptist/Kingdom perspective, moving outside of our comfortable church culture to reach the lost.
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”  
Matthew 9:16-17 NIV


Blessings,
Pastor David

Lent 3 -- Why Did Jesus Die On The Cross? /  by

Hello CMF,

Check out this visual addendum offering further thoughts on the death of Jesus. Why did Jesus die on the cross? Listen as a I share different views of the atonement, and then what view I believe best captures the work of Christ on the cross.

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." 1 John 3:8b

For more on the Christus Victor view, you might enjoy this article by Greg Boyd.

Also, here is a good book on the different views of atonement.

Blessings,

Pastor David