Today’s post is a simple request: please pray for Grace Point’s staff pastors as we spend the day considering the some of the details of the next (2010/2011) ministry year. 

• Pray for a supernatural unity among the four of us. 
• Pray for discernment of His will.
• Pray for Godly wisdom…please!
• Pray for the normal, day-to-day things that need to get done as we spend the day looking to the future.  This is especially important as this is already a short week due to the Memorial Day holiday.

Thank you so much!

This past weekend we had three (yes, three!) wonderful Easter services at Grace Point.  Our new Saturday service kicked of with nearly 260 people, and our two Sunday services were packed as well.  Easter is one of THOSE holidays.  You know, it is one of the two big ones that draw people to church, and for that I am grateful.

It is on Easter weekend that we celebrate perhaps the most amazing and crucial event in the history of mankind: the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  On Easter, Christian churches everywhere proclaim to packed houses that He came, lived, died and rose again for forgiveness of sins so that we could be reconciled to God.  Yes!  It is true!  Praise God for a way back to Him!

But what about today?  What about the day after Easter?  What’s next for those of us that know Christ as our Lord and Savior?  I finished the book of Mark on Easter morning, and found in it a version of Jesus’ great commission:

And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. – Mark 16:15 (ESV).

It is very, very clear I think: we are to GO and we are to PROCLAIM.  We all know this, and yet many of us (myself included) do not do it.  Why?  I asked my 14 year old this question and he quickly answered: because we are afraid people will think we are weird.  In a word, we are ashamed.

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NLT)

So my prayer for myself the day after Easter is a simple one.  I pray that I will reflect Romans 1:16 and obey Mark 16:15.  I pray that I will no longer be ashamed of my belief in the saving power of Jesus Christ.  I pray that I would love God enough, trust God enough to proclaim the gospel to the world, not just at church…but everywhere I go.  I pray that the power of the Holy Spirit would make all this possible.  I know if I pray this, God will honor it and present me with opportunities to follow through on it…bring it on!

Easter was yesterday…what will we do today?

I just started reading the book of Mark, and was hit right away by the ministry of John the Baptist, who preached a simple message:

This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had turned to God to receive forgiveness for their sins. Mark 1:4 (NLT)

So there you go.  Baptism doesn’t save you, it shows that you have been saved.  Baptism isn’t the mechanism God uses to forgive you of your sins, it is a simple act of obedience that shows you have repented of your sins and been forgiven.  John the Baptist said that people “should be baptized”.  Jesus instructed his followers to “go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

On March 21, we are going to give you an opportunity to show your church family that you have been saved from your sins, choosing to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  This baptism service is for anyone who has made a commitment to Christ and is ready to obey Him.  It is stake you drive in the ground that says, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ”!  It is an amazing time, both for those getting baptized and for everyone watching. 

So, here is my encouragement to you.

1. If you are a believer and have not yet been baptized, prayerfully consider whether God would have you take advantage of this opportunity.  If you are a parent of someone you think is old enough to have made that decision for himself or herself, talk to them and pray with them about getting baptized.
2. Sign-up for a simple, two-week baptism class that will prepare you for the service on March 21st.  This class will answer many questions and help you think through your own story with God.  The class will be held on Sunday mornings on 3/7 and 3/14.  You can sign-up here.
3. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Several people have politely asked me, “Tom, where have you been?  Why haven’t you been blogging?”  In fact, my last post was 12/10!  Well, not to make excuses, but I’ve been a little busy with everything, including Christmas-related stuff.  But two thing in particular have taken a lot of attention the past week:

• I just finished up my 6th class in seminary.  It was probably the hardest one yet, or maybe I was just tired…I’m not sure.  In any case, I’m finished with it and am not planning to take another class until fall of 2010.  I’m excited for the mental break!
• We just got the next round of Grace Point University classes set-up.  We’ve got three classes starting on January 10th…please consider taking one…we think they will help “God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think (Romans 12:2 NLT)”.  You can get more info by downloading the course listing here.
• A Life of Effective Prayer – follow-up to the Rooted in Prayer class.
• Rooted in the New Testament
• Christian Parenting – Bringing Out the Best in Your Kids (1 to 12 years old)

No more posts for me in 2009.  See you in 2010!

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. – Romans 12:2 (NLT).

It is absolutely amazing to me that if we work on changing our minds and adapting our lives, God will change us into new people…people that reflect the heart of Jesus!

But it all starts with changing the way we think.  We’ve got two GPU classes coming up that will help in two key areas, and I would strongly encourage you to consider enrolling in one of them:

Rooted in Marriage:

How can I have a strong, God-centered, lifelong marriage?

Topics include appreciating the God-designed differences between men and women, God’s love for you and how it enables you to love others, marriage as a life-long covenant, freeing yourself from temptations that can destroy a marriage, offering and receiving forgiveness, and unconditional love.

Schedule: 6 weeks, 1 hour class, 9/27 – 11/1 during 1st service

Rooted in the Old Testament:

How does the Old Testament tell the God’s story?

Can’t see the forest for the trees? This class will help you gain a richer understanding of God’s unfolding plan for His creation as told in the Old Testament. How is the OT structured? What were the major events and who were the key people? Why does all this matter?

Schedule: 4 weeks, 1 hour class, 10/4 – 10/25 during 2nd service

If you don’t think you would benefit from these classes, I’d respectfully ask you to reconsider why not.  If you don’t think you can take a class because you serve on Sunday morning, I’ll offer to help find you a sub to cover for you.  Parents, offer to attend the Old Testament class with your MS/HS students.  Spouses, take the initiative to invite your spouse to be encouraged and challenged by the Marriage class. 

We do need to know how many people to expect for these classes, so you need register for these classes on-line.  If you know someone else that would benefit from them, please pass along this information to them. 

I and sixteen others leave for La Ceiba, Honduras tomorrow morning at 8:30am.  As I finished 1 Corinthians in my devotions this morning, I found two verses that will be my prayer for our team this week.

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT)

This is such a perfect verse as we go. 

• We will need to be on guard physically and spiritually.  I pray especially that God will protect our team from spiritual attacks meant to discourage, distract and disrupt our team.
• We will need to stand firm in the faith as we see conditions many of us have only seen in pictures.
• We will need to be strong, literally, as we spend many hours a day doing good old-fashioned manual labor.  Personally, I want to have boldness to share my faith and to interact with new people in a new culture and a new language.
• But most importantly, we will need to remember why we are there in the first place.  For love’s sake, and not our own.  We go to show the love of Jesus Christ to those who have little else but Him.

Would you consider praying this verse for us as well?

May God richly bless your week…I look forward to writing when I return!  I can’t wait to see what God teaches me and the team.

Here is the video from our July 12th baptism at the beach.