Sin caused a fracture in our relationship with God which has caused a fracture in many of our relationships with family and friends.
What is supposed to be a source of encouragement, joy and blessing, inevitably ends up being a source of conflict, strife and stress.
The good news is that their can be reconciliation in our relationships. First with God and then with each other.
Join us this weekend as we continue our series, "But God" and look to Jesus the great Reconciler.
No one likes bad news.
But, have you ever stopped to realize that it is really the bad news that makes the good news truly good. Apart from bad news, news is simply news. It is neither good, nor bad.
It just simply IS.
The same is true of the Gospel.
It is the bad news about our human condition that makes the good news of the Gospel truly good.
Join us this weekend for week 2 of "But God" as we unpack Ephesians 2:1-10 and find the beauty of good news in the midst of bad news.
As a reminder, being the first Sunday of the month, this week is Family Sunday. In order to worship together as one large family, there will be no childcare provided.
Posted by Ryan Huguley
Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision
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!
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)
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)
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
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
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:
Here's my final Fight Club advice:
If you have any questions feel free to post them here...
Let's move!
Posted by Ryan Huguley
Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision
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...
