The Redemption Blog

Sunday @Redemption...

If you are normal, your first response to the word "discipline" in general and "church discipline" in particular, is probably not positive.

We hear that word and our thoughts harken back to childhood. We think of things like...

The many times we were forced to sit in the corner...

The hours we spent grounded in our rooms...

The bars of soap used to wash the profanity from our mouths...

For some of us it brings to mind dark memories of abuse, or severe and over harsh punishments we both did not deserve and did not understand.

Needless to say, it is a loaded word for each of us.  

Join us this Sunday at Redemption as we work to both unpack this word from God's perspective and discuss how we work it out as a church family. My promise to you is that it will be a time of healing, challenge, conviction, and encouragement.  

You won't want to miss it!

Map and Service time here...

Sunday @Redemption...

If you are like most people you are probably skeptical of people in authority. 

This is due partially to the fact we all have a deep authority issue, but partially because we live in a culture of corrupt authority.  Whether it be politics, business, education, or the church, it seems that too many in authority are pursuing power over true leadership.

But does this mean we should reject all authority?  What are we to do with the fact that God has always worked through authority?  What does Gospel-driven leadership and authority really look like in general, and in the context of the local church in particular?

Join us this Sunday at Redemption as we look to the Scriptures and seek to redeem rather than reject church leadership.

Sunday Worship Gatherings 9:45AM at Cutting Hall

150 E. Wood St in Downtown Palatine (MAP)

A Note from Ryan...

Greetings Friends!

Another amazing weekend of gathered worship at Redemption. I never cease to be amazed at all the new faces each week, along with the faces I see returning since our launch just four weeks ago!

This past Sunday we talked about Redeeming Church Community and I wanted to follow up with further encouragement to make sure everyone takes responsibility and plugs in.  If you missed the sermon this weekend you can listen to it here...

I am obviously excited about what I see God doing in our Sunday morning worship gatherings, but I'm more excited about what I see God doing in the life our church throughout the week in our community.  We are getting ready to launch our third community group this week, have a fourth in the works and will most likely need a fifth in the next two months. 

Here's what this means:

1.  You NEED to be in a community group
We currently have community groups in Palatine, Mundelein, and Crystal Lake.  We are working on starting a fourth group in McHenry and will probably have a second Palatine group in the next couple of months. In you are not currently in a group please email us at community@redemptionbiblechurch.org so we can get you plugged in.

2.  We need community group host homes
Our overarching vision for community groups is to have them intentionally started based on geographical location.  Community groups are to be our most local expression of Redemption wherever we have people coming from.  If you are interested in hosting a community group in your home please email us again at community@redemptionbiblechurch.org.

3.  We need community group leaders
Have you ever thought about leading a community group? Even the idea makes some of us nervous and brings to mind a host of reasons why we feel unqualified. Regardless, I would like to invite you to pray about whether or not God may be asking you to step into this role. Here's what we're looking for:

• People who love Jesus
• People who love people
• People who can facilitate conversation

You don't have to teach, you simply have to be able to walk your group through the discussion questions we write.  If you are interested in even discussing this please email me at ryan@redemptionbiblechurch.org.

Our goal is to grow larger and smaller all the time.  This means as our worship gatherings grow on the weekend we want our smaller community groups to be multiplying as well.

It's already impossible for you to know everyone at Redemption, so it's vitally important you get plugged into a community group so you can get to know some people and they can get to know you.

I love you guys and want to encourage you to continue to grow in community.  Have a great week!

Sunday @Redemption...

Mission matters because it is why you were made!

If you are like me than at some point you have asked the all too familiar question,

"Why am I here?"

How you answer that question says a lot about you and a lot about where your life is headed.

You have your pick of possible answers:

To make money

To get married

To get an education

To work

To enjoy life

To make the world a better place

Any of those sound right?

If not, how do you answer that question?

This Sunday at Redemption is about more than just the mission of our new church.  It is about God's reason for creating you, me, the Church, and all of creation. Needless to say, this is a big deal and you need to find a way to gather with us for worship this weekend.

Bring a friend, family member, co-worker, neighbor, or even a stranger.

Mission matters because it is why you and I were made. Join us this weekend as we unpack life's mission together!

Redemption Bible Church Worship Gatherings

9:45 @Cutting Hall in Downtown Palatine

150 E. Wood St (Map)

Sunday @Redemption...

What comes to mind when you hear the word "community"?

Maybe you grew up in church and you think small groups...

Maybe you picture something like the show "Friends"...

Maybe you think the 2 or 3 people you have real relationship with...

Unfortunately, when we put our definition of community side by side with the biblical definition, it often looks different.

As image bearers of God we were created for community.  Yet, despite the innate desire to connect, many of us feel isolated and alone.

Join us Sunday at 9:45 as we unpack Acts 2:42-47 and look at the 3 Marks of Gospel-Saturated Community.

Posted by Ryan Huguley
Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision

Weekend Recap...

Another great weekend of gathered worship! 

If you couldn't make it we gathered for the second time at Cutting Hall where we begin meeting weekly on September 13.  56 of us worshiped through song, Word, communion, giving and serving.  We have lots of loose ends to tie up and challenges to overcome, but most importantly the gospel is going forth and I'm seeing it at work in so many lives.

As promised I wanted to put the sermon overview on the blog in case you were unable to take notes.  Here's the gist of it:

Sermon Title:  "A Pastor's Prayer for His Young Church"

Text: Colossians 1:9-14

Focus:  As a young church in a sea of self-help, self-improvement, and spirituality, how do we keep from being swept away by every theological fad and cultural compulsion?

Big Idea: "Living a  life worthy of Jesus means living life rooted in the gospel"

Notes: 4 Pastoral Prayers for Our Young Church

1.  I pray we would be grounded in the gospel (v. 9)

2.  I pray we would live out the gospel (v. 10)

3.  I pray we would stand strong in joy (v. 11)

4.  I pray we would be filled with thanks for the gospel (v. 12-14)

Make sure you grab the podcast on iTunes if you were unable to worship with us this weekend!

Posted by Ryan Huguley
Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision

Movement Resources...

movement
def. the working out of what God has already worked in

Here are some of the movement resources we discussed during our worship gathering yesterday.  Hope these help!

BOOKS

Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life - Donald Whitney
Spirit of the Disciplines - Dallas Willard
Desiring God - John Piper

WEBSITES
The Resurgence
Desiring God
Monergism

FIGHT CLUBS
Jonathan Dodson, an Acts 29 church planter in Austin, Texas recently published a book explaining both the theological and methodological aspects of the Fight Clubs we discussed yesterday. 

Dodson writes, "Fight Clubs are about promoting gospel-centered discipleship, groups of two to three men or women fighting the fight of faith. We make disciples of one another in the gospel and in community. We are peers in Jesus, not professionals or novices. Fight Clubs promote a radical peer-to-peer discipleship."

If you are interested in the cliff notes of the book you can read the blog series here...

You can download an e-version of Dodson's book from The Resurgence for free here...

I have also tried to condense the basic Fight Club framework, so anyone can begin a Fight Club.  Download it here:

Download Fight Clubs Overview

Here's my final Fight Club advice:

1. Ask one other person to join a Fight Club with you
2. Begin to meet weekly and follow the "Text, Theology, Life" framework
3. Pray about a potential third to join your group with an eye toward your third beginning their own club.
4. Don't over-complicate it!  Pick a text, read it, pray, and then hang out and talk about what is going on in your life in relation to what God is saying in the text.

If you have any questions feel free to post them here...

Let's move!
Posted by Ryan Huguley
Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision

The Fight for Joy...in Humility

Series:  The Fight for Joy - Philippians

Title:  In Humility

Text:  Philippians 2:1-11 (ESV)

Big Idea:  "Joy is found when we forfeit what we deserve and fight to be people who serve."

Yesterday at The Crossing we looked at...

5 Hallmarks of Humility

1.  Humility...is Found In Christ (Phil 2:1a,5)

2.  Humility...Forgets Self-Interest (Phil 2:2-4)

3.  Humility...Forfeits what is Deserved (Phil 2:5-7)

4.  Humility...Forces Obedience (Phil 2:8)

5.  Humility...is For God's Glory (Phil 2:9-11)

As promised I wanted to provide more practical ways to cultivate humility in our lives and also combat pride.  Many of these are from C.J. Mahaney's great book called, "Humility".  You can and should buy it here...

Practical Opportunities to Cultivate Humility and Combat Pride
1.  Reflect on the wonders of the cross
2.  Study the doctrines of Sin and Grace
3.  Begin each day acknowledging your dependence upon and need for God
4.  Bless someone anonymously
5.  Do something to serve your neighbor
6.  Serve at The Crossing with your kids
7.  Identify evidences of grace in others
8.  Husbands, do something your wife has been asking you to do
9. Husbands, if you have kids give your wife a night off, if you don't have kids take her out where she wants and to a movie of her choice
10.  Bring your Bible and notebook on Sundays and commit to leaving with own practical application each week
11.  Do something God has been asking you to do that you have as of yet refused to do
12.  Study the attributes of God
13.  At the end of each day, transfer the glory to God
14.  At the outset of each day express specific gratefulness to God
15. Practice the Spiritual Disciplines
16. Seize your daily commute as an opportunity to meditate on and memorize Scripture
17. Throughout your day cast your cares upon God
18. Before falling asleep acknowledge the purpose of sleep

The challenge for us would be to pick one or two of these things and try and put them into daily action, praying that by God's grace, He would cultivate a heart and life of humility in each of us.

If you missed the message yesterday, you can find the podcast here...

The Problem of Pride...

It is estimated that 5 million Americans suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD.  On top of that it's estimated that 10 million Americans suffer from the less serious Destructive Narcissistic Pattern.  Amazon.com carries more 28,000 books that have to do with self-absorption and a quick Google search reveals that the word most often used in advertising is, "You". 

We live in a culture that is supremely self-focused to say the least.  At the root of this self-interest is really pride (def. "An excessively high opinion of oneself") and pride in the life of a Christian is problem.  In Isaiah 66:2 God says, "...But this in the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."  If God is looking for a humble person to use, and pride is the antithesis of humility, then pride is a major problem in the life of a Christian. 

Jonathan Edwards said, "Pride is the first sin that ever entered into the universe, and the last sin that is rooted out."  Pride is one of those things that seems easy to spot in others, but proves difficult to see in your own life.  As I was studying today I observed three truths about pride:

1.  Pride was the First Sin (Jude 6, 2 Peter 2:4, Isaiah 14:12-15)
We tend to think that the sin of Adam and Eve was the first sin, but in fact there was a sin prior to this.  Prior to the fall in Genesis 3, Satan and his demonic angels rebelled and were cast from heaven.  We see in Jude 6 that the reason that Satan and the demons were cast out was that they "did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling."  In Isaiah 14 we see Isaiah describing the judgment of God on the king of Babylon, but then He seems to switch and reference the fall of Satan in verses 12-15. Here we see Satan's rebellious heart when he is recorded as saying, "I will make myself like the Most High."   Pride was in fact the very first sin.

2.  Pride is the Root of All Sin
Charles Bridges said, "Pride is self contending with God for preeminence".  Each time we sin we tell God that our way is right to us and His way is wrong.  To tell an all knowing God that our way is better than His is by definition, PRIDE.  In Colossians 1:18 Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, speaks of Jesus saying, "And he is the head of the body the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."  Jesus is preeminent.  He must be first.  He is always right and we must reject pride and submit our lives to His will and ways.

3.  God opposes Pride
James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  To live in pride is to live in opposition to God.  Think of the implications of having God opposed to you and all you do.  When we get in the octagon to go a few rounds with God, God always wins! 

We should want to be used by God, but we must remember that God uses those who have a humble heart and posture so this must be our pursuit.  Pride is a problem in the life of a Christian.  If we are to be used God we must put off pride and put on humility. 

 

The Fight for Joy...in Death

Here's the "Monday Morning Recap" in case you were unable to attend The Crossing yesterday!

Series: The Fight for Joy - Philippians

Title:  In Death

Text: Philippians 1:18b-30

Big Idea:  "The foundation for joy in death is a fervor for and a focus on God’s glory and the good of God’s people.”

Paul writes to his friends at Philippi from prison and he is facing the possibility of his own execution.  What's amazing is that in spite of this he writes with an amazing attitude of joy. 

The question we wrestled with yesterday was this:

"If death is inevitable and unavoidable and will eventually touch each of our lives, how are we to experience joy in the face of death and how are we to live our lives in light of death?

It looks to me like Paul divides his thoughts into two parts, so here's how we broke down the text: 

I.  Paul's Interpretation of Joy in Death (Phil 1:18b-26)
    A.  Paul's Focus is on God's Glory
    B.  Paul's Freedom is in God's Glory
    C.  Paul's Fervor is for God's People

II.  Paul's Application of Joy in Death  (Phil 1:27-30)
    A.  Living Life Worthy of the Gospel means Standing Together
    B.  Living Life Worthy of the Gospel means Striving Together
    C.  Living Life Worthy of the Gospel means Suffering Together

The podcast should be posted here later today...

If you want to see my complete preaching outline you can find it below:
Download in_death_blog.doc

Next week we will be looking at the fight for joy in humility, so hopefully we will see you Sunday!