ACC - Leadership Online

I very much appreciated and was struck by the illustration Chris shared in his message yesterday of our sin nature being like a cage. Before I became a Christian, I was stuck in a cage, barred in on all four sides, and was forced to listen to some dude barking orders at me from outside the cage. The cage is my sin, and the guy giving orders is my sin nature. When I crossed the line of faith in Christ and became regenerated, I was brought out of that cage and no longer had to take orders from my sin nature - I was free! I have been given the capacity to please God and live for Him! And yet, sometimes I still decide to get back in that cage and take orders from the sin nature.

When we think about it in these terms, it doesn't really make sense why we would ever get back in the cage and listen to the sin nature again, does it? So it made me wonder, why do we do it? Here's a few reasons why I think we sometimes give in to our sin nature, even though we no longer have to:

-We are creatures of habit. If we've been struggling with a certain sin our entire life, it doesn't just go away the moment we put our faith in Christ. Old habits die hard. (Romans 7:18-20)

-Everyone else is doing it. Sometimes it's just easy to go with the flow and mimic what the culture and the world around us is doing, even though God tells us that we have been set apart to live for Him. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

-It's easy. All it takes is one little decision, one turn down the wrong path, and we find ourselves taking orders from Mr. Sin Nature again. (James 1:14-15)

-It feels good. Sin often brings us pleasure, but it is always short-lived. (Hebrews 11:24-25)

Despite the fact that we do still sin as Christians, the Bible teaches that we will have an attitude of repentance when we do sin. Not only that, but there will be evidence (fruit) in our lives that we are followers of Christ, if we have truly placed our faith and trust in Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to indwell us and to give us the ability to live for You and to please You. Strengthen us by the power of that same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and who lives in us, to say no to sin and to live the life that You have called us to live. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

~Scott

I'm really excited for our Honduras mission team. They leave in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow...well before the sun comes up. I watched them yesterday as they headed off for their final team meeting. Their excitement was contagious and made me wish I was a part of the team (maybe next time!). I'm sure they are going to have an amazing trip and pray that God would use them in big ways in Honduras. I hope you'll join us in praying for the team!

Dave
Judy
John
Chris
Elissa
Lois
Ann
Cathy
Mark

I'm looking forward to hearing all about their trip when they get back. Make sure to join us for church on Sunday, May 2nd to hear their stories. Assuming they have internet access (a likely possibility) you can follow the trip on twitter here www.twitter.com/acc_missiontrip

Check out this video of the landing they will be making at Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa.

Grace,
Chris

Twelve things I want to do before I kick the bucket:

1. I want to get a hole-in-one in disc golf.

2. I want to read a book to my grandchildren. (When I have some.)

3. I want to take a cross country trip on a train.

4. I want to have such a confidence and trust in God that worry would be an ancient memory.

5. I want to witness the Cubs win the World Series.

6. I want to read both volumes of Stephen Charnock’s The Existence and Attributes of God; I’ve tried numerous times and have never gotten very far.

7. I want to actually witness a tornado up close. (But not too close!)

8. I want to thwart a bank robbery and then when I’m interviewed on TV I’ll say, “I just did what anyone would have done. The real heroes are policemen and firefighters and those serving in our military.”

9. I want people to constantly encourage me to have a 2nd helping of dessert because I’m getting too skinny.

10. I want to play a set of tennis on a grass court.

11. I want to hike the entire Appalachian Trail – all 2,200 miles; when I get to the summit of Mt. Katahdin I will thank Jesus for hiking with me, kiss the ground and take off my hiking boots and never wear them again.

12. I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I accomplished all that God wanted me to do here on earth – no more / no less.

Some of these are more likely than others but I think we should always dream, hope and have some personal goals. Whether I check most of these off or not doesn’t matter a whole lot because either way – I’ll have had a great life: I had all the blessings found in Christ, a fantastic wife and awesome children and a life’s calling as a pastor that has been the best job in the world!

What’s on your bucket list?

Peace,
Dave

My Men's small group (Soul Purpose) is reading through the book Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden. The following quote stuck out to me

Yet when we turn from the biblical standard of the first-century church to the reality of the church today, we see a relatively small percentage of people who move beyond Sunday worship into the life and ministry of a congregation or who experience ministry as a way of life. The 80/20 rule seems impossible to transcend...If we study the ministry profile of volunteers, we find that a fairly steady 20 percent serve the 80 percent who are consumers of their efforts. Conversely, this means a`high percentage of spectators are filling the pews.

Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden, p 24-25

My immediate thought after reading this was, "maybe true of other churches, but not of ACC!" I've heard this statistic many times. I've even witnessed it in other churches, but I honestly think ACC breaks the rule on this one. I believe one of the strengths of our church is a high level of volunteerism. Which I find very exciting. It's exciting because a high level of volunteerism suggests ownership. I love that our church has so many people that take ownership in the vision and ministry of ACC. When you volunteer, in a real way, you are saying I'm a part of this place and I want to see it succeed.

I'd love to hear from some of you on this. Where do you serve at ACC? What do you like about it? How did you get plugged into that ministry? This is your opportunity to talk up the ministry you are involved with...you just might inspire someone else in our church to join you!

Grace,
Chris

11And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
12At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

These words from the 1st chapter of the gospel of Mark popped me right between the eyes this morning. Do you see the seemingly gross incongruity between verse 11 and verses 12-13?

“I love you Son. I am proud of you. I believe in you. I’m backing you. I approve of you Son.”

“So I’m going to lead you into the wilderness for the next forty days without any food, without any friends – to tangle one-on-one with the devil. Have fun Son – love you!”

When we go through difficult times why do we so quickly assume that God doesn’t love us? Or that he is ticked off at us? Or that he has somehow forgotten about us?

God’s purpose for each of us is to make us like Jesus and make us fit for his service. Our personal comfort and “happiness” is not our Father’s chief concern. That means that he can be delighted with us and yet allow us to endure periods of severe testing. It was no coincidence that the Father explicitly articulated his love for Jesus just prior to forty days of satanic pounding. It was Christ’s knowledge and assurance of his Father’s love that helped him endure.

My family and I have gone through some rather hellish times in the past. I wish I could tell you that I never doubted God’s love or wisdom but I did. My personal circumstances didn’t seem to jive with a loving God watching out for me. Some days I was barely hanging on – to my faith or my sanity.

Are you going through a brutal time right now? Hang in there. Pray. Lean heavy on Christian friends. Dive into the Psalms. Go for a walk. Listen to some good music. Cry, kick, scream – but do not succumb to the lie that your Father does not love you.

When the time of testing was complete – God used his Son to save the world. He wants to use you in unimaginable ways as well.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
I Peter 4:12-13

God loves you. Hang in there.

Peace,
Dave