Easter and Church

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

The Christian faith was founded on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And sure we could add all sorts of details and other considerations, and yes our knowledge surrounding that statement is always growing and deepening.

But at the heart of it all the message is simple: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). God sent Jesus into the world to fulfill the Law, pay the penalty for our sins, and rise from the grave to conquer death and validate our hope and faith in His reconciling plan for us.

We know this.

We’ll come together this weekend and sing about it.  We’ll have egg hunts and have a big lunch and hang with family, but always we will be careful to keep Christ at the forefront of it all because of the atoning sacrifice He made for us.

We know this.

But here is something else we know, but sometimes choose to neglect on Easter: just because we know the Gospel, doesn’t mean everyone does.

And that is another reason why Easter is so exciting.  For whatever reason on Easter, a bunch of people who don’t know about what Jesus did for them will mosey into churches.  They’ll sidle in donning Sunday best and sit uncomfortably at the back of the room.  But they will be there!  In the room!

Don’t believe me?  Look here: http://goo.gl/DkxXv 

Now this article says some things that likely aren’t true (like that 75% of Americans are Christians), but it does have one undeniable truth contained: More people come to church on Easter in America; they just do.

And who knows the spiritual condition of these people on this blessed Sunday.  But the fact remains, people are more willing to come to church on Easter Sunday.

So it makes sense to ask, who are you inviting?  Who are you making an entry for, not just to church–because really that isn’t the exciting part–but to the Gospel message?

Are you ready to invite and love and welcome others to the Gospel this Sunday?  Are you praying that what God has allowed you to know about Him and the precious gift of His Son might be made known to others even this weekend?

I hope you are and that this weekend we might rejoice in our births into the Kingdom of God, and that we might celebrate the new births of others into this Kingdom as well.

Happy Easter and we hope to see you Sunday at 9 AM or 10:30 AM.

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Healthcare, Gun Control, Same-sex Marriage and the Mission at Hand

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

There is a lot going on in the world right now.

Upheaval in the Middle East and Israel.

Staggering economic conditions in much of the world.

Fear-mongering and threats pouring from North Korea.

And here at home, of course, we have debates raging about gun control, same-sex marriage, and healthcare.

So which battles do we fight?  What do we lock arms on?  What do we post on social media and trumpet to friends and family, humming “Onward Christian Soldier” as we go?

I was thinking of this yesterday when, for a spell, I thought the pink equal sign many of my friends were changing their profile pictures to was some sort of united front against Sex Trafficking or another Breast Cancer Awareness stratagem. Turns out, it was a emblem for the cause of same-sex marriage. Though it was just an image plastered all over social media, the issue had hit home–People I know are posting it.  What is my role in all this?  What do I say about this?  What is my stance?  What is biblical?

I began scouring my Bible, as many of us have done in need of a “quick” answer.  Just give me one memory verse that speaks exactly to this issue and I will puppet it to the masses and be done with it.

But it is seldom that easy, is it?

I mean, truth is black and white, clear as the crisp morning air.  But when the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of a situation–through conscience and the Word of God–how do I proclaim it in a given situation? What circumstances of the world am I to fight for? Where is my forum for debate and do I bring my own bullhorn or is one provided?

What happens pretty easily is that I let issues rule my heart.  I am dismayed by the things going on the world because I have forgotten the battle belongs to the Lord.  And the victory He claims is ultimate.  He claims hearts and changes people from within.  I try to change them from without and fail.  Truly, this makes so much difference, and it defines our battlefield.

We are to take issues and circumstances captive to Christ and Scripture.  We are to have a worldview that is not of this world.  We are to be light and salt.  And ultimately, what this means, is that we are to wage war on the Spiritual front.  The Gospel is to be our cry, our defense, our hope in all things.  Social changes come and go but salvation is forever.  Our mission is to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, for in it lies power and authority; and not, as we so often dupe ourselves, in the power of our opinions, however “correct” they may be.

I guess a good test for your heart in how you deal with and involve yourself in issues of life and the world is to ask the simple question: “What is my motivation?” If your heart is bent on fighting for goodness as a means of pointing to Christ or if your motive comes from a place of love and kindness for your neighbors and enemies, it is very likely that you are infecting a secondary mission with the primary Gospel mission.  This should be our aim in all things.  Sadly, however, what often happens in my life is the propensity to care more for being “right” than being “righteous.”  I don’t come at things out of love, but rather from a position of pride, finding my identity in my facts, knowledge, and passion instead of in Jesus.

So in these troubling times, before trying to change the behaviors of the world, let us pray for the status of the heart.  Let us love one another, forsaking all things for Christ.  Let us make a difference for the Kingdom and let us stand for what is right, but let us stand in grace and love and hope, knowing the battle belongs to the Lord in all things.  And even now, when this shaking, groaning world is topsy-turvy, let us rejoice and be glad in Him and be about His business in our short little time here on this mortal coil.

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Missions Conference 2013

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

The flags are up, the speaker en route, international coffee ordered, yes, the 2013 Missions Conference is here.

This year will feature three missions-minded talks from Brian Lewis, Regional Director of Campus Outreach: Memphis.

In addition to his messages, there will be displays with updates on Chapel supported missionaries, activities for the kids, great music, international coffees, “Missions Moment” videos, and other great fare aimed at getting you fired up for and joining in on what God is doing!

This should be a great weekend to come out to a session or two or three!  Here is the schedule:

Saturday:
4:30 – 5:00  Snacks/Coffee
5:00-6:00 Worship Session 1/kids mission activities
6:00-6:15 Snacks/Coffee & Fellowship
 
Sunday:
8:45-9:00 Snacks/Coffee
9:00-10:00 Worship Session 2/kids mission activities
10:10-10:30 Snacks/Coffee/Activities in Lobby and Gym
10:30-11:40 Worship Session 3/kids mission activities
 

Come and find out how you can get involved in God’s work here and globally!

We hope to see you this weekend.

 

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Spreading the Word

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

By: Ty Williams

With the Chapel’s Evangelism Group beginning March 21st (6:30-8:30 pm @ CBC) and the Missions Conference this weekend, we thought we’d share a few words (or about 600 of them) on the topic of evangelism.

In Matthew 28:18-20 we find some of Jesus’ last words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Then in Revelation 7:9 we see a picture of a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worshiping God. This is Christ’s mission: to see a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worshiping God as His pure, holy, and blameless bride. The beautiful thing about this mission is that Christ has called all of his followers to take part in it. The sad part, however, is that many of us fail to ever tell anyone about the love and forgiveness that Christ has shown us. If Christ has shown us this love and forgiveness, then we ought to show this love and forgiveness to the people around us. However, many of us do not for many reasons: fearing what others might think of us, not knowing how to start conversations, being unsure of how to share the Gospel, and so on. Despite these reasons, it is important that we cling to Jesus’ own words in Matthew 28. He promises that as we are going out and making disciples, He is with us. “And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.” This simple statement makes all the difference in the world. If Jesus is with us, then we can trust and know that not only will he lead us and guide us, but that He also will have his hand on us in a powerful way as we are telling people about Him. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean everyone we share Jesus with will come to saving faith in Christ, but what it does mean, is that by telling others about Christ, we are being obedient to Him, and that however difficult a conversation may be, Christ is with us in every moment of the conversation.

Another compelling aspect of sharing the Gospel is that many people desire for the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit. However, it is clear in the book of Acts that if we desire for more of the Holy Spirit then we must be actively sharing the Gospel. In Acts 4 we see this, the early believers pray for boldness from the Father, and then the Lord shakes the house they are in and “they go out and continue to speak the word of God with all boldness.” From this verse it is clear that it is the Lord’s will that we spread His name to those around us, and that when we pray about doing these things, the Lord will answer our prayers in a mighty way. As believers, when we align our lives with God’s purposes and God’s heartbeat, we are able to experience God in a mighty and powerful way.

As we launch this Evangelism Group, aimed at equipping for and taking part in this great work of sharing Christ, here is my prayer:

Father God, I pray Lord, that you would align our lives with your desires, and that by Your grace and mercy, You would use our lives for Your glory and Your purposes. We trust and know that you are bigger than any of our greatest fears, and so I pray Lord that as we go out and share You with others, that You would be with us in all that we do. Father God, we love You and we need you in all of these things, in Christ name, Amen.

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Number One, We’ve Just Begun

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

Number One, we’ve just begun, God should be first in your life, or at least that’s how the old song went from my first grade class’s spring production.  It was a lofty musical, let me assure you, and yes, the one song that sticks with me to this day is the one dedicated to those rolling-rhyming Ten Commandments.

This weekend at Cape Bible Chapel, we began as that song began all those years ago, and as things should strive to begin: with good old number one.

“You shall have no other gods before me,” is how this familiar number one goes.

And with that single line, all of us became sinners.

Honestly, how often do you put things before God?  Bad things like pride and self and lusts of the flesh and even good things like family and friends and sports and music and on and on and on.  We’ll put just about anything possible before God if we get the chance; there is just something in us that rebels against number one.

In the weekend services, we took a glimpse at some common gods in our lives.

First on the list was our money. Similar to capturing a bank robber, we can see the order of our own heart simply by following the money.  Receipts, shopping bags, and credit card bills all bear witness to the treasures of our hearts and sadly the tale they tell is often one of grave idolatry.  We, it seems, aim to spend and save God right out of our lives.

Our interests are another consideration.  What comes to mind in the quiet recesses of the night?  What do you wake up for?  Is it work? Exercise? Cardinal baseball? Antiquing?  Scuba Diving?  Really, it can be anything and often it is something seemingly “good.”  But what we are prone to do is take out an “o” and turn what can be “good” into a “god.”  Oh, it doesn’t take much either to plunge some hobby into waters it has no business occupying.  We must diligently take note of what desires we keep, and, perhaps more importantly, where we keep them in the queue of our hearts.

Third comes relationships.  Again, it isn’t that relationships are evil, it is that we make them evil through distorting them.  We are willing to divorce God, thinking this might save our marriages.  Family.  Friends.  Pets.  It matters not, just as long as we put something above our Heavenly Father.  In fact, “Father” seems almost too close for the place we often save for the Lord.  Perhaps, Heavenly Uncle or Eternal Acquaintance become more apt names for God; in my own life, these monikers too often suffice.

And we throw in our schedules and our troubles into the mix.  Let me take care of this and then I’ll do the whole God thing, I’ve shamefully thought far too many times.  If I can work this issue out then I’ll get serious with the Lord, my marching orders read.

On each day, at each moment, I need to return to the old song from my youth: Number one, we just begun, God should be first in MY life.  And it isn’t just that this mindset and way of life will have everything fall into place.  Far better than that, this worldview and heart cry will have each thing fall into the place God has ordained for it.

 

If you find a moment today, check out the following Scripture and allow the following Scripture to check your heart:

Deuteronomy 5:6-7

I Corinthians 10:31

I Corinthians 15:33

Ephesians 5:16-17

Psalm 50:15

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I Want Justice!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

By: Judith Hargett

There came a time during my childhood when Mom took a job outside our home.  She already had full-time work taking care of three children, raising a garden, making all our clothes, teaching Sunday school and helping Dad with the farm, but none of those jobs provided insurance.  This left my brother, sister, and me with ample opportunity to get into mischief.  Let me be quick to point out that during this time period (late 50’s) and in a country setting, it was not unusual nor against the law to leave children on their own for short periods.  Besides, Dad was never too far away if a real crisis developed.

The three of us kids saved up our grievances with each other for that time when Mom would arrive home from work.  How uplifting it must have been for her to come down our gravel road after a day that began long before she ever left for her paying job to see three little screeching maniacs racing toward her.  We each wanted to get our side told first.  I was sure when she heard my story I would get the justice I deserved!

Hmm. Justice.  Is that really what I wanted?  As believers, we are God’s children.   Do we want our heavenly Father to give us what we deserve or do we really want His mercy?  Sometimes we forget we are living in the universe God created and are subject to His rules, not the ones we make up for our idea of a perfect world.  He created us.  He is righteous whether He gives us justice or whether He gives us mercy.  To borrow from Paul, “Does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” (Romans 9:21)    And, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  Don’t despair.  Look at these next few verses: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)  Whew! Praise God that He gives us a way to drop the self from righteousness through Jesus Christ so we can be His children and run to Him with our needs and praises.

But, to get back to that human mother from my childhood.  She would drag her worn out body from the car after her very long day and quickly assess the situation with a practiced eye.  Since we were able to run and shout and had no blood spurting from anywhere, she would raise her hand and declare, “I don’t want to hear it!”  Was that justice, or was it mercy?  As an adult looking back and putting myself in her shoes, I’ve decided it was definitely mercy.

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Breaking Down the Law

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

I disliked high school.  Don’t get me wrong, there were some good things about attending high school: being educated, playing sports, um . . . I’m sure there were probably more, and at all points I was thankful that I was attending high school and not, you know, attending prison or some such worse place.  But still, I didn’t much care for it.

The cause of this dislike was all those structure-providing rules. Be in your seat by 8 am.  The 8:05 bell signifies a tardy. Go see the secretary to get a note saying you can come back to class after receiving a tardy. Show up tardy three times and you land yourself in detention and don’t even think about being tardy for that! Do your homework . . . all of it.  Don’t copy.  Walk, don’t run. Take that hat off.  Wake up! Shhhh . . .

I mean really we could go on rehashing high school reprimands for at least an entire school day.  But then came a magical day on which I graduated.  Somehow.  I followed the rules of graduation–Be on time. No inflatables or other shenanigans.  Long pants under robe.–and then was permitted to receive my diploma and walk across the stage.  It was a brilliant walk that removed me forever from bells and tardy slips.

However, some moral rules remained intact.  I don’t know about your high school, but where I went to high school murder was strictly forbidden.  That one didn’t go away upon graduation.  The same was true for arson and vandalism and many other “wrongful” activities.

And so it goes with the Law.  The Bible says much about the Law, and while the Law doesn’t change, its affect on us changes in a similar way that my life saw changes post graduation.

This weekend we dug into the Law as an introduction to our new “Write It on Your Heart” series which will cover each of the Ten Commandments.  We saw that the Law doesn’t save (Romans 3:20) and that it doesn’t sanctify (Galatians 3:2-3), but that it does show us our sin (Romans 3:20 & 5:20).  And in that showing it should send us to Jesus (Galatians 3:24).

So in Christ, I am no longer under the Law in much the same way that bells have been removed as my life guide.  I still need to be on time for things and honor commitments, but there is no longer a secretary or principal to see when I don’t.

And that becomes the challenge in looking at the Law.  It was not given for me to post on my wall and dutifully maintain as a means of righteousness.  It is not a way of return to God.  It will not save me, no matter how hard I try to fulfill it.

Yet God is still Holy and hates sin.

So where does this leave me?  Can I disregard personal responsibility for conduct?  Can I do whatever I want, whenever I want?  Can I torch the tardy slips along with everything else?

Developing a biblical worldview regarding Law, Grace, and Sin–especially in terms of what Christ’s death on the Cross accomplished–will help answer these, and other, questions.  Listen to the weekend sermon to help better understand the Law  (http://www.capebiblechapel.org/media.php?pageID=5) and tune in for the rest of the “Write It on Your Heart” series to grasp what it is to “walk by the Spirit” away from the “set of rules mentality” yet toward a life defined by increasing Christ-likeness.

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New Series!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

We’re doing it!

That’s right!  We finished with the book of James last week, and without further fanfare, we are jumping right in with a new series from God’s Word.

Rather than working through another book just yet, we’ll be taking a few month journey called: “Write It On Your Heart.”  The series will focus on the oft alluded to but seldom explained Ten Commandments.  What are they for?  What is their relevance?  How are we to view them?

It should be an exciting study with much application, and hopefully the Spirit uses it to change us and conform us more to the image of Christ.

This week we’ll introduce the series by considering what the Law does and what the Law doesn’t do, with Jeremiah 31:33 as our jumping off point.

Come ready to learn, apply, and, ultimately, to be changed and then take part in changing the world around you for Jesus.

 

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Recapping James: Putting Feet to Our Faith

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

We may have finished the book of James but it might be some time until James is finished with us (access the message here: http://www.capebiblechapel.org/media.php?pageID=5).

When we began this series, James was described as a man who comes in love yet has a battle-ax in one hand and a broad sword in the other.  James said things that hurt and dug into some sensitive areas.  He nailed some of us to the wall regarding our own inconsistencies, and to others of us, he shined a bright light on our hidden hypocrisy.  He was tough in his unrelenting call for us, Christ followers, to lead a radical form of life, one which he calls the normal Christian life.

James let us know from the very beginning that the goal of life is not comfort; it’s character.  When circumstances get tough—and they will—we aren’t to whine about them but rejoice in them.  James urges us to see that God uses difficult times as a tool to develop our faith, so instead of trying to change our circumstances, we should allow our circumstances to change us in Christ.

James also reminded us:

If you hear the Word and know the Word and quote the Word, but you’re not doing the Word, you’re just deceiving yourself.

If you think you’re spiritual and can’t control you’re tongue, you’re spirituality is worthless.

If you think you’re spiritual and don’t visit orphans and widows (or don’t care for people who probably can’t return the favor), your spirituality is worthless.

If you think you’re spiritual and you can’t keep yourself from being stained by the world, your spirituality is worthless.

If you think you’re spiritual and yet you harbor prejudices based on race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic position, your spirituality is worthless.

If you say you have faith but you don’t have works, your faith is worthless.

If you think you’re wise the test is not in what you know, it’s in what you show: is your wisdom from the world or wisdom from above?

If you know the right thing to do and you’re not doing it, it’s sin.

If you’re hoarding possessions for yourself when others have need, it’s wrong and truly what you are hoarding is wrath.

If you have to prop up your words with expressions like “I swear” or “I vow” or “Honest to God,” your life is inconsistent.

There are 108 verses in this little letter, but they combine in a big way to say: “If my Christian life isn’t practical then it isn’t the Christian life! If my Christian life isn’t practical, then it’s not real!”

After living under the penetrating words of James for so many months—squirming under his personal application—it becomes apparent the Lord sees things black and white indeed.  We do not serve a God of excuses and fuzzy lines.  We serve a God who decisively leads us and always seeks for us to put feet to our faith.  Faith is not some lofty idea, it is a way of life; it is the way of life.  We are to have a faith with feet, and those feet are to follow the One who has gone and is going ever before us.  Let us walk in His steps, today and each day after.

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The Faith with Feet Finale

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

This week we will close the book on James (at least for our weekend study purposes!).  And while our time in the “Faith with Feet” series may end, hopefully the ways the Spirit has convicted us to live out our faith will only remain and grow stronger.

This week, though, we’ll finish strong with James 5:19-20.  These are short, direct verses but, like Scripture is, they are weighty indeed.

The passage conjures up for me the thought of life-guarding.  I do not life-guard.  If there were life-guards that operated on a land only basis, like mall life-guards, then perhaps I could get into it.  But standard, poolside life-guarding is not for me because I am very much not for the water.  I swim like a burlap sack, so hence, I would be little use to the flailing, drowning person in the depths.

But what about life-guarding in terms of spirituality?  Do I swim into those waters?  Do I even eye them for my brothers and sisters in Christ to see who may need to be retrieved or resuscitated? What, if any,  is my role in all this?

That perhaps is worthy of dwelling on as we dig into James 5:19-20.  We hope you will join us this weekend as we unify, celebrate, and learn more about this great God whom we are privileged to serve.

Service times are as follows: Saturday, 5 pm; Sunday, 9 am; Sunday, 10:30 am.

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