The Coffee Shop Blog http://www.citychurchgnv.com Pastoral thoughts from Chipper Flaniken and Ryan Harding Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:47:12 -0400 http://churchplantmedia.com/ Daily Advent Readings for Adults and Children http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/daily-advent-readings-for-adults-and-children http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/daily-advent-readings-for-adults-and-children#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2023 11:00:00 -0500 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/daily-advent-readings-for-adults-and-children City Church – here are some options for daily or weekly Advent readings to do on your own or with your children. This is a wonderful way to spend consistent time in God’s Word during the Advent season – and a wonderful way to have spiritual conversations with your kids. If you’re reading through these with your kids – it’s a great idea to do some crafts that correspond to the readings.

FREE OPTIONS

- Every Moment Holy Advent Journal and Liturgy Writing Supplement. Free PDF download to be used as a weekly advent guide. Includes prayers, questions, and a creative "liturgy writing guide".

- The Weary World Rejoices. Sign up here to receive a free, ebook copy of this wonderful advent devotional co-written by various Gospel Coalition staff.

- The Dawning of Indestructible Joy (John Piper). Free PDF download (or you can buy the book). This is mainly for adults – but you can certainly paraphrase and use with kids.

- Good News of Great Joy (John Piper). Free PDF download (or you can buy the book). Ditto above.

- Gospel in Life Advent Devotionals (Tim Keller's Mininstry)Sign up online to receive a free 4-week devotional emailed to you daily during this upcoming season of Advent (December 3rd - December 24th). Each Sunday's email will include a video meditation and Q&A from Tim & Kathy Keller.

- Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Guide. Free PDF download. This is probably the best free guide I’ve seen to use with kids. I’d recommend reading the Bible passages for each day (at least some of them) AND following along with the Jesus Storybook Bible. There’s also a little craft for each day – and you can easily turn these crafts into Christmas ornaments. If you don’t have a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible – email the church to get a free copy (info@citychurchgnv.com)

- Lifeway Kids Family Advent Guide. Free PDF Download. One activity per week corresponding to the weekly theme we’ll be doing at City Church for our candle lightings, plus readings for each day of the week at the bottom of each weekly guide. The devotionals they include are kind of iffy in my opinion as far as content – so perhaps you would want to lean on the activity and the Scripture readings and skip the devotionals they provide.

Shepherd on the Search. Free kids printables on the website as well as materials for purchase.

ADVENT GUIDES FOR PURCHASE

- The Advent Jesse Tree (buy book here). This is a classic advent devotional guide for families. Crafts and memory verses are included. This is probably the most popular advent devotional there is today, especially for families.

- The One True Story (buy book here). Another great resource. More for adults than kids.

ONLINE ADVENT RESOURCE COLLECTIONS (some resources for purchase, others free)

- The Westminster Bookstore Advent Collection (follow this link).

- The Gospel Coalition's Advent Resource Collections. Wonderful collections of Advent playlists, albums, books, and a few free resources.

I hope these resources bless you and your family!

- Chipper

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City Church – here are some options for daily or weekly Advent readings to do on your own or with your children. This is a wonderful way to spend consistent time in God’s Word during the Advent season – and a wonderful way to have spiritual conversations with your kids. If you’re reading through these with your kids – it’s a great idea to do some crafts that correspond to the readings.

FREE OPTIONS

- Every Moment Holy Advent Journal and Liturgy Writing Supplement. Free PDF download to be used as a weekly advent guide. Includes prayers, questions, and a creative "liturgy writing guide".

- The Weary World Rejoices. Sign up here to receive a free, ebook copy of this wonderful advent devotional co-written by various Gospel Coalition staff.

- The Dawning of Indestructible Joy (John Piper). Free PDF download (or you can buy the book). This is mainly for adults – but you can certainly paraphrase and use with kids.

- Good News of Great Joy (John Piper). Free PDF download (or you can buy the book). Ditto above.

- Gospel in Life Advent Devotionals (Tim Keller's Mininstry)Sign up online to receive a free 4-week devotional emailed to you daily during this upcoming season of Advent (December 3rd - December 24th). Each Sunday's email will include a video meditation and Q&A from Tim & Kathy Keller.

- Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Guide. Free PDF download. This is probably the best free guide I’ve seen to use with kids. I’d recommend reading the Bible passages for each day (at least some of them) AND following along with the Jesus Storybook Bible. There’s also a little craft for each day – and you can easily turn these crafts into Christmas ornaments. If you don’t have a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible – email the church to get a free copy (info@citychurchgnv.com)

- Lifeway Kids Family Advent Guide. Free PDF Download. One activity per week corresponding to the weekly theme we’ll be doing at City Church for our candle lightings, plus readings for each day of the week at the bottom of each weekly guide. The devotionals they include are kind of iffy in my opinion as far as content – so perhaps you would want to lean on the activity and the Scripture readings and skip the devotionals they provide.

Shepherd on the Search. Free kids printables on the website as well as materials for purchase.

ADVENT GUIDES FOR PURCHASE

- The Advent Jesse Tree (buy book here). This is a classic advent devotional guide for families. Crafts and memory verses are included. This is probably the most popular advent devotional there is today, especially for families.

- The One True Story (buy book here). Another great resource. More for adults than kids.

ONLINE ADVENT RESOURCE COLLECTIONS (some resources for purchase, others free)

- The Westminster Bookstore Advent Collection (follow this link).

- The Gospel Coalition's Advent Resource Collections. Wonderful collections of Advent playlists, albums, books, and a few free resources.

I hope these resources bless you and your family!

- Chipper

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Two-Service Transition Reminders http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/important-reminder http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/important-reminder#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2019 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/important-reminder City Church will begin hosting TWO Sunday morning services on January 13 (9am and 11am).

Reminder #1: The goal of this transition ultimately entails creating space to grow in such a way that we can send significant numbers of people and money for church planting and missions purposes. It will also create more space immediately for our children's ministry. Please consider reading more about all of this on our website.

Reminder #2: We are offering children's ministry classes for infants through second grade during both services. However, the age  ranges in the classrooms vary a bit between  services. Ultimately this variance will end once we have a few more children's ministry volunteers. Please read the description on our website for more information.

Reminder #3: Your presence on Sunday mornings for the next several months will be particularly important. Please do everything you can to be strategically present on Sunday mornings while we make this transition. Also consider coming early and staying a bit late to foster organic opportunities to see people who are going to a different services. We are having two services, but we're still one church.

Reminder #4: Please remember to tell people about this change - especially if you know people whom you think might not be in the loop. And this is a great time to invite new people!

Please be praying for this change!

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City Church will begin hosting TWO Sunday morning services on January 13 (9am and 11am).

Reminder #1: The goal of this transition ultimately entails creating space to grow in such a way that we can send significant numbers of people and money for church planting and missions purposes. It will also create more space immediately for our children's ministry. Please consider reading more about all of this on our website.

Reminder #2: We are offering children's ministry classes for infants through second grade during both services. However, the age  ranges in the classrooms vary a bit between  services. Ultimately this variance will end once we have a few more children's ministry volunteers. Please read the description on our website for more information.

Reminder #3: Your presence on Sunday mornings for the next several months will be particularly important. Please do everything you can to be strategically present on Sunday mornings while we make this transition. Also consider coming early and staying a bit late to foster organic opportunities to see people who are going to a different services. We are having two services, but we're still one church.

Reminder #4: Please remember to tell people about this change - especially if you know people whom you think might not be in the loop. And this is a great time to invite new people!

Please be praying for this change!

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Ties for Uganda http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/ties-for-uganda- http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/ties-for-uganda-#comments Sun, 25 Jun 2017 21:00:00 -0400 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/ties-for-uganda- We are collecting your neckties to deliver to pastors in Uganda in July. Conferences for village pastors will be held in 3 different villages and all attendees will be presented with a tie, a sign of respect for Ugandans. There are no seminaries in these areas so this is an opportunity for pastors to learn how to teach God’s Word. Please check you closets and any ties you no longer wear (or find at garage sales, rummage sales, Goodwill, etc.) and bring to the box on the Welcome Table in the City Church foyer. We will collect ties June 25, July 2 and July 9th. Thank-you for extending City Church’s reach around the world! 

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We are collecting your neckties to deliver to pastors in Uganda in July. Conferences for village pastors will be held in 3 different villages and all attendees will be presented with a tie, a sign of respect for Ugandans. There are no seminaries in these areas so this is an opportunity for pastors to learn how to teach God’s Word. Please check you closets and any ties you no longer wear (or find at garage sales, rummage sales, Goodwill, etc.) and bring to the box on the Welcome Table in the City Church foyer. We will collect ties June 25, July 2 and July 9th. Thank-you for extending City Church’s reach around the world! 

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Artwalk Gainesville http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/artwalk-gainesville http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/artwalk-gainesville#comments Sun, 18 Jun 2017 08:00:00 -0400 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/artwalk-gainesville We're excited to participate with the City of Gainesville as a venue for Artwalk Gainesville on Friday, June 30th!

Please join us as we transform our space to host the work of Russ Erickson and Rick Parker.

This is an enjoyable opportunity to be engaged in our downtown community and support the arts.

Please invite your friends, co-workers, and neighbors to join check out the gallery from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. and check out other venues around downtown.

We do need some help with refreshments, cleanup, and setup! Sign up on The City if you can participate.

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We're excited to participate with the City of Gainesville as a venue for Artwalk Gainesville on Friday, June 30th!

Please join us as we transform our space to host the work of Russ Erickson and Rick Parker.

This is an enjoyable opportunity to be engaged in our downtown community and support the arts.

Please invite your friends, co-workers, and neighbors to join check out the gallery from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. and check out other venues around downtown.

We do need some help with refreshments, cleanup, and setup! Sign up on The City if you can participate.

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Is Scripture Reliable? Join us on June 4th http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/is-scripture-reliable http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/is-scripture-reliable#comments Mon, 22 May 2017 16:00:00 -0400 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/is-scripture-reliable City Church Family – please remember to join us on June 4 at 8am in the Community Room for a class and discussion about the reliability of Scripture. Marion Frackiewicz, one of our elders and formerly a pastor in Chicago, will lead the class. Unfortunately we cannot provide childcare for this class. We hope to for future classes.

Questions we will consider include:

  1. What do we mean when we talk about believing in biblical inerrancy and infallibility?
  2. What was Jesus’ own view of the Scriptures?
  3. Are the New Testament documents reliable?
  4. Why do we accept the New Testament as being on par with Old Testament since Jesus didn’t have the chance to commend it to us?
  5. What is textual criticism, and how does it help us know what the original biblical manuscripts said?
  6. How was the “canon” of Scripture (the books of the Bible) put together?

See you on June 4 at 8am!

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City Church Family – please remember to join us on June 4 at 8am in the Community Room for a class and discussion about the reliability of Scripture. Marion Frackiewicz, one of our elders and formerly a pastor in Chicago, will lead the class. Unfortunately we cannot provide childcare for this class. We hope to for future classes.

Questions we will consider include:

  1. What do we mean when we talk about believing in biblical inerrancy and infallibility?
  2. What was Jesus’ own view of the Scriptures?
  3. Are the New Testament documents reliable?
  4. Why do we accept the New Testament as being on par with Old Testament since Jesus didn’t have the chance to commend it to us?
  5. What is textual criticism, and how does it help us know what the original biblical manuscripts said?
  6. How was the “canon” of Scripture (the books of the Bible) put together?

See you on June 4 at 8am!

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Church Membership Class June 9 & 10 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/church-membership-class-on-june-9-and-10 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/church-membership-class-on-june-9-and-10#comments Wed, 17 May 2017 16:00:00 -0400 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/church-membership-class-on-june-9-and-10 Interested in becoming a member at City Church? Or perhaps you’re interested in simply learning more about what church membership is and why it’s important? We’re hosting a class at City Church (Community Room) that is scheduled for a weekend format!

Session 1: Friday, June 9 from 7-9:30pm
Session 2: Saturday, June 10 from 9am-noon
(Both sessions are part of the class and required)

Dessert and snacks are provided on Friday night. Breakfast is provided on Saturday morning.

If you’re interested in participating – please RSVP! If you need childcare – please send an email to info@citychurchgnv.com and we’ll make arrangements.

Don’t miss out! This is a great chance to learn more about the City Church story and how you can be involved.

If you’d like to attend a membership class soon but cannot make these dates work – please respond to this thread and let us know! If enough people have this problem we may try to schedule an additional class the following weekend (June 16/17)

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Interested in becoming a member at City Church? Or perhaps you’re interested in simply learning more about what church membership is and why it’s important? We’re hosting a class at City Church (Community Room) that is scheduled for a weekend format!

Session 1: Friday, June 9 from 7-9:30pm
Session 2: Saturday, June 10 from 9am-noon
(Both sessions are part of the class and required)

Dessert and snacks are provided on Friday night. Breakfast is provided on Saturday morning.

If you’re interested in participating – please RSVP! If you need childcare – please send an email to info@citychurchgnv.com and we’ll make arrangements.

Don’t miss out! This is a great chance to learn more about the City Church story and how you can be involved.

If you’d like to attend a membership class soon but cannot make these dates work – please respond to this thread and let us know! If enough people have this problem we may try to schedule an additional class the following weekend (June 16/17)

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Good Friday Service Parking and Childcare http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/good-friday-service-tonight-childcare-provided http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/good-friday-service-tonight-childcare-provided#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2017 17:00:00 -0400 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/good-friday-service-tonight-childcare-provided Join us on Friday, 4/14 at 6:30pm at City Church for a Good Friday service. Childcare will be provided. On Good Friday we gather as a church family to reflect on the significance of Jesus' death by crucifixion: why he died and what it means for us today. This will be a Tenebrae service in which we gradually extinguish candles througohut the service to dim the light in the room as we reflect on Christ crucified.

CHILDCARE IS PROVIDED for kids 2nd grade and under.

We are located at 19 SW 1st Street on the second floor. Our entrance is on the street level, then use the stairs or elevator to access our venue.

Most of the parking in the lot across the street from our venue and on side streets is free. If the spots are full, the city parking garage (entrances on SW 2nd and SW 3rd streets) is your best option. There is a $5 flat rate on Friday nights.

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Join us on Friday, 4/14 at 6:30pm at City Church for a Good Friday service. Childcare will be provided. On Good Friday we gather as a church family to reflect on the significance of Jesus' death by crucifixion: why he died and what it means for us today. This will be a Tenebrae service in which we gradually extinguish candles througohut the service to dim the light in the room as we reflect on Christ crucified.

CHILDCARE IS PROVIDED for kids 2nd grade and under.

We are located at 19 SW 1st Street on the second floor. Our entrance is on the street level, then use the stairs or elevator to access our venue.

Most of the parking in the lot across the street from our venue and on side streets is free. If the spots are full, the city parking garage (entrances on SW 2nd and SW 3rd streets) is your best option. There is a $5 flat rate on Friday nights.

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TWO Services on Easter Sunday (4/16) http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/two-easter-services-on- http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/two-easter-services-on-#comments Tue, 04 Apr 2017 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/two-easter-services-on- In order to provide plenty of space for the downtown Gainesville community to attend an Easter service at City Church - we will be having TWO services on Easter Sunday (4/16). We'll have our first service at 9 AM and our second service at 10:45 AM. Join us as well at 10:15 AM for coffee and pastries in the lobby and community room.

The following Sunday (4/23) we'll return to our normal schedule and have ONE service at 10 AM.

All are welcome! We can't wait to see you there. To learn more about our Sunday morning services - check out the Sunday Services page on our website.

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In order to provide plenty of space for the downtown Gainesville community to attend an Easter service at City Church - we will be having TWO services on Easter Sunday (4/16). We'll have our first service at 9 AM and our second service at 10:45 AM. Join us as well at 10:15 AM for coffee and pastries in the lobby and community room.

The following Sunday (4/23) we'll return to our normal schedule and have ONE service at 10 AM.

All are welcome! We can't wait to see you there. To learn more about our Sunday morning services - check out the Sunday Services page on our website.

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Promoting Unity Amid Political Disagreement http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/promoting-unity-amid-political-application http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/promoting-unity-amid-political-application#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2017 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/promoting-unity-amid-political-application What does faithful Christian living look like in a society infected with intense political polarization and disagreement? I want to propose some guidelines intended to help us graciously navigate this environment without feeling compelled to vacate whatever political positions we might hold just to keep the peace.

Jonathan Leeman, one of the elders of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, recently wrote an article intended to help church elders across the nation promote unity in their churches (and cities) in a season of political polarization. Although I am writing more generally to all Christians (not just elders), some of the guidelines I am proposing are adapted from his article.

6 Exhortations for Pursuing Unity in a Polarized Age

1. Let's pray for "diverse unity" in the body of Christ. By God's grace we can hold different political views and still praise God together, serve together, and eat together as God's family. Can you imagine what a powerful witness this "diverse unity" might be to downtown Gainesville and beyond? I say that we should pray for "diverse unity" since it is something only God can provide by softening our hearts and giving us profound patience, kindness, and other spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22).

2. Let's consider whether or not our love for God is more obvious than our love for our political positions. If we asked our friends, neighbors, and co-workers to describe what (or whom) it is that we love the most, how would they respond? What does the content of our social media accounts suggest would be the answer to this question? Clearly there is a time and a place for political discussions and our relationship with God will influence our political views. But there will not be unity in the body of Christ unless The One Who Unifies (God!) is our chief love.

3. Let's season our speech and writing with love and grace. As Christians we should always error on the side of being TOO gracious rather than "winning" the argument. In fact - are we willing to "lose" a political argument for the sake of loving others well and maintaining an opportunity to be in a right relationship with them? Let's agree to speak well of others even when we're criticized. And let's consider whether or not social media engagement is a wise choice in our political age. The wise course of action will vary from person to person. But if our time on social media is 20% helpful and 80% harmful - should we even be on there?

4. Let's think twice before going public about our political positions. Before we go public about our political views - two important considerations are in order.

  • Should I go public about this position at all? Is it reasonable to expect that my public contribution will advance the cause of my political position in an edifying way? Will it unnecessarily hurt other people? Might it cause misunderstanding (an especially important question in the age of brief social media posts on Facebook and Twitter)?
  • If I should make a public contribution (either verbally or in writing), what should be the nature and tone of the contribution? For example - we may need to make public statements about justice issues in our community. But how can we make those statements boldly yet graciously? How can we ensure that we are representing others honestly and respectfully?

5. Let's preach and teach the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). In other words - let's preach and teach methodically through whole books of the Bible from various biblical genres. This will help us make sure that we're preaching and teaching what the Bible actually says rather than what we want it to say after we read a news article or social media post that we don't like. We want to protect ourselves from consciously or subconsciously structuring our preaching and teaching in order to grind political axes. And when we're faithful to preach the whole counsel of God - we'll find that God has quite a lot of wisdom to inject into our political age.

6. Let's rally around our Statement of Faith - not the platform of a particular political party. City Church is not a Republican church or a Democratic church or a Libertarian church. We are God's church, and we are united under our convictions about who he is and what he is doing in the world. Moreover - let's prayerfully do our best to empathize with people who disagree with us politically. You can find a great example of this in the sermon introduction that Pastor Mark Dever preached to his congregation on the Sunday after the November election.

Church - may our political behavior serve the mission Jesus gave us to love God and others. And in the words of the Apostle Paul from Ephesians 4, let's be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Amen

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What does faithful Christian living look like in a society infected with intense political polarization and disagreement? I want to propose some guidelines intended to help us graciously navigate this environment without feeling compelled to vacate whatever political positions we might hold just to keep the peace.

Jonathan Leeman, one of the elders of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, recently wrote an article intended to help church elders across the nation promote unity in their churches (and cities) in a season of political polarization. Although I am writing more generally to all Christians (not just elders), some of the guidelines I am proposing are adapted from his article.

6 Exhortations for Pursuing Unity in a Polarized Age

1. Let's pray for "diverse unity" in the body of Christ. By God's grace we can hold different political views and still praise God together, serve together, and eat together as God's family. Can you imagine what a powerful witness this "diverse unity" might be to downtown Gainesville and beyond? I say that we should pray for "diverse unity" since it is something only God can provide by softening our hearts and giving us profound patience, kindness, and other spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22).

2. Let's consider whether or not our love for God is more obvious than our love for our political positions. If we asked our friends, neighbors, and co-workers to describe what (or whom) it is that we love the most, how would they respond? What does the content of our social media accounts suggest would be the answer to this question? Clearly there is a time and a place for political discussions and our relationship with God will influence our political views. But there will not be unity in the body of Christ unless The One Who Unifies (God!) is our chief love.

3. Let's season our speech and writing with love and grace. As Christians we should always error on the side of being TOO gracious rather than "winning" the argument. In fact - are we willing to "lose" a political argument for the sake of loving others well and maintaining an opportunity to be in a right relationship with them? Let's agree to speak well of others even when we're criticized. And let's consider whether or not social media engagement is a wise choice in our political age. The wise course of action will vary from person to person. But if our time on social media is 20% helpful and 80% harmful - should we even be on there?

4. Let's think twice before going public about our political positions. Before we go public about our political views - two important considerations are in order.

  • Should I go public about this position at all? Is it reasonable to expect that my public contribution will advance the cause of my political position in an edifying way? Will it unnecessarily hurt other people? Might it cause misunderstanding (an especially important question in the age of brief social media posts on Facebook and Twitter)?
  • If I should make a public contribution (either verbally or in writing), what should be the nature and tone of the contribution? For example - we may need to make public statements about justice issues in our community. But how can we make those statements boldly yet graciously? How can we ensure that we are representing others honestly and respectfully?

5. Let's preach and teach the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). In other words - let's preach and teach methodically through whole books of the Bible from various biblical genres. This will help us make sure that we're preaching and teaching what the Bible actually says rather than what we want it to say after we read a news article or social media post that we don't like. We want to protect ourselves from consciously or subconsciously structuring our preaching and teaching in order to grind political axes. And when we're faithful to preach the whole counsel of God - we'll find that God has quite a lot of wisdom to inject into our political age.

6. Let's rally around our Statement of Faith - not the platform of a particular political party. City Church is not a Republican church or a Democratic church or a Libertarian church. We are God's church, and we are united under our convictions about who he is and what he is doing in the world. Moreover - let's prayerfully do our best to empathize with people who disagree with us politically. You can find a great example of this in the sermon introduction that Pastor Mark Dever preached to his congregation on the Sunday after the November election.

Church - may our political behavior serve the mission Jesus gave us to love God and others. And in the words of the Apostle Paul from Ephesians 4, let's be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Amen

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What is Baptism? http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/what-is-baptism http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/what-is-baptism#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2017 11:00:00 -0500 http://www.citychurchgnv.com/the-coffee-shop-blog/post/what-is-baptism Interested in baptism? Check out this segment from City Church's Baptism Workbook in order to learn more about the meaning of baptism and why it's important. If you want to see the entire baptism workbook, please request a copy

Interested in participating in a May or June baptism celebration? Contact the church for more information.

What is Baptism?

Baptism is an Act of Obedience: Both Jesus and the apostles commanded that believers should be baptized (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38).

Baptism is an Act of Representation: Baptism depicts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the cleansing and newness of life that occurs upon belief in Him (Rom. 6:3-4, 1 Pet. 3:21).

Baptism is an Act of Identification: Baptism identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:11-12)

Baptism is an Act of Declaration: Baptism stands as a public testimony; being an outward confession of an inward salvation that has occurred through belief in the Lord Jesus.

Baptism Spiritually Fortifies God’s People: Baptism takes place within the church for the blessing of God’s people (Christians). This strengthening grace is imparted to Christians who already have authentic faith. Scripture describes baptism within the context of some spiritual change, so baptism is not “merely” symbolic (cf. Acts 2:38, Col. 2:12).

Baptism is an Initiation into the Church/Christian Unity: In the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20), Jesus commands baptism for the church. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 12:13 speaks of Christians being baptized into one body to drink of one spirit.

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Interested in baptism? Check out this segment from City Church's Baptism Workbook in order to learn more about the meaning of baptism and why it's important. If you want to see the entire baptism workbook, please request a copy

Interested in participating in a May or June baptism celebration? Contact the church for more information.

What is Baptism?

Baptism is an Act of Obedience: Both Jesus and the apostles commanded that believers should be baptized (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38).

Baptism is an Act of Representation: Baptism depicts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the cleansing and newness of life that occurs upon belief in Him (Rom. 6:3-4, 1 Pet. 3:21).

Baptism is an Act of Identification: Baptism identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:11-12)

Baptism is an Act of Declaration: Baptism stands as a public testimony; being an outward confession of an inward salvation that has occurred through belief in the Lord Jesus.

Baptism Spiritually Fortifies God’s People: Baptism takes place within the church for the blessing of God’s people (Christians). This strengthening grace is imparted to Christians who already have authentic faith. Scripture describes baptism within the context of some spiritual change, so baptism is not “merely” symbolic (cf. Acts 2:38, Col. 2:12).

Baptism is an Initiation into the Church/Christian Unity: In the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20), Jesus commands baptism for the church. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 12:13 speaks of Christians being baptized into one body to drink of one spirit.

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