Advent Readings
Brothers and Sisters,
I do hope your Thanksgiving holiday was full of joy and rest! We started our season of Advent last Sunday (listen here). It was an encouraging time of reminding ourselves through the Gospel of Matthew that God had been orchestrating all of human history towards the first Christmas morning. In doing so, He generates an unshakeable hope rooted in the God-man. Glorious indeed!
Alongside our Sunday Gathering, we are encouraging everyone to read a little devotional thought each day of December (click here to see and download the resource for free). The readings are extremely helpful in leveraging this time of the year to consider the good news of Christmas. So read, reflect, pray, and rejoice! But if you have kiddos, you might find that the readings are hard to understand for them. As we read the focus for December 1, my son said, “Dad, I am only seven, so I don’t understand what you are saying.” I so appreciated the honesty! We talked through the devotion and broke it down into tangible pieces that he and his sister could digest. It took a little extra time, but it was worth it! Be encouraged parents, as the old saying goes, “more is caught than taught.” So keep at it, and in doing so, you are instilling in your child a love for the Word of God. As the reading pointed out, “If you are excited about Christ, they will be too.”[1]
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
[1] John Piper, Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent, (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2013), p 10
Advent
Church Family,
Yesterday was a glorious day of reflecting upon God’s grace that is so evident in our individual lives and certainly in our life together here at Light in the Desert Church. From our Sunday Gathering (listen here) to our Thanksgiving Meal, the Lord truly encouraged us all! I often think of Philippians 1:3-6 when I think about LITDC. I am confident the Lord will continue to do great work in our midst.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Advent
We will begin this coming Sunday, December 1, a season of reflection called “Advent.” With that said, perhaps it would be wise to explain what the purpose of Advent is and why we are participating.
As a church family, we want to leverage the month of December, which can quickly turn hectic, to think and reflect on the coming of Christ. That is what “Advent” means; to come. So Advent is the season, taken up by the four Sundays before Christmas, we reflect upon Christ’s first coming and anticipate his second coming. So as we wait, we prepare our hearts and become thankful for his coming in a manger and anticipate his coming on the clouds.
Each Sunday will take up a theme (see schedule below) that defines the people of God that is only possible through the God-man’s birth. Along with our Sunday gathering, we are encouraging daily readings together with your families that will center your thoughts on Christ. If you did not receive that resource this past Sunday, we have a few more, but here is a link to a free downloadable PDF. Advent will build each Sunday and culminate at our Christmas Eve Gathering. Imagine what the Lord can do when his people center their affections upon Christ and give him an undivided devotion.
- December 1 – Hope | Matt 1-4, 2:13-14
- December 8 – Peace | Luke 1:26-38
- December 15 – Joy | Luke 1:39-55
- December 22 – Love | Luke 2:1-7
- December 24 – Christ | Luke 2:8-20 (Christmas Eve Gathering 4pm-5pm)
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Christmas Help
Church Family,
What a great Sunday together as we gathered around God’s Word. I do hope that 1 Corinthians has been encouraging to you all. If you missed yesterday, click here to listen. Remember, brothers and sisters, our status in Christ is far greater than our external circumstances!
Christmas Help
Yesterday we made everyone aware of an incredible opportunity to provide for a family who is in need. Traditionally, Light in the Desert Church has adopted families from Jefferson Elementary School to purchase gifts for them during Christmas. This year we have been asked to go beyond gifts. We have been asked to help a family who was homeless with essentials for their new home. Below is a list of the bigger items that you might have at home, and still in good working order, that you might consider donating to the family. If you have any of these items, fill out the form below and let us know what you have.
- Dresser to store clothes
- Dining Table with chairs
- Plates (different sizes)
- Cups and glasses
- Cutlery
- Pots and pans
- Beds for Kids (bunk beds)
- Television
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Life Groups
Church Family,
I want to take a few minutes to explain and encourage you to consider Life Groups. To fulfill the mission of the church, which is to make disciples, we need to be strategic and straightforward in our approach. That is why we have simplified our discipleship process by thinking through three crucial areas in the life of the church; large gatherings, small gatherings, and 1-1. This simple discipleship process captures all the various relationships one should pursue in the church. We believe that if an individual any given week were to be a part of our Sunday Gathering, a Life Group, and at different times 1-1 bible reading, then our chances of fulfilling the mission of the church is much more likely. We must ensure all those areas are adequately resourced so that discipleship can and does happen. This might be new to many who have experienced a more program-driven approach; and, therefore, make the transitions as we implement new things a little bumpy. In light of that, It is wise to give as much clarity on the “why” of different ministry efforts. Let me give you a few details on Life Groups and hopefully show its effectiveness in making disciples.
What?
A smaller gathering of our church family in a home to share a meal with the aim of letting God’s Word change us.
Why?
“Why” is a crucial question to consider in any ministry effort. Ministry often focuses on one of the following: head, heart, and hands. Head knowledge about God, the Bible, Jesus, our Salvation, etc. is crucial for any disciple of Jesus to pursue a life of joy and holiness. Though true, that knowledge must change us. It is not intended to stay in our minds but move towards our hearts to change us at our very core. Therefore, changing our actions, our hands. We believe the best way to take our head knowledge (the typical focus of the Sunday Gathering) and let it work on our hearts and hands, is in smaller gatherings, hench Life Groups. A Life Group does more than impart knowledge and establish community; it aims to apply the gospel to our lives and help other believers do the same.
How?
We believe the most strategic way to structure these groups is simply by making them generationally diverse. Being generationally diverse helps us accomplish what Paul asked Titus to do in Titus 2, and not to mention the wealth of knowledge and experience different generations can learn from one another.
Next Step
If you are interested, let us know…really, that’s it!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Good Bible Reading Resources
Church Family,
As we become more and more dependent on God’s Word to be our authoritative guide, there is a need to “study well” to mine the gold that exists in God’s very word to us. By God’s grace, there are wonderful resources that we can use to be drawn into the living and active scriptures (Heb 4:12). Below is a list of resources I have found extremely helpful over the years. I have separated them into resources that are geared towards head knowledge (understanding the text and all its technical aspects), and heart knowledge (taking the understanding into our hearts for transformation).
Head
Gordon Fee, Reading the Bible for all its Worth
New Bible Dictionary (to look up key theological terms)
New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (to look up key theological themes)
There are many online resources and programs for diving into specific words
- blueletterbible.org (interactive online tool)
- logos.com (program with various levels of pricing)
Heart
Lectio Divina (Divine Reading: an ancient way of reading scripture to aid transformation)
Prayer Team
Church Family,
Sunday was yet another great day of reading God’s Word, singing God’s Word, praying God’s Word, and preaching God’s Word. 1 Corinthians reminded us that maturity makes us mindful of the cross in all of life. We must never lose sight of the cross of Christ; it is for all of life. If you missed this past Sunday, click here to listen to the message. Also, click here to read the article I referenced during Sunday’s message.
Prayer Team
Calling all prayer warriors! We want to strengthen our prayers for one another and provide a good avenue for you to make us aware of your needs. We intend to continue using the Connection Cards to gather prayer needs and then pass them along to a team of individuals who will saturate those needs in prayer. Let me know if you are interested in being a part of this team or sign up in the foyer at the welcome desk.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
God’s Wisdom
Brothers and Sisters,
I do hope you have found 1 Corinthians to be both encouraging and challenging. Sunday we explored (click here to listen) how God’s wisdom is witnessed in perceived weakness. What the world perceives is weak and foolish about God is actually the power of God. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). AMEN!
Sunday Studies
This Sunday (Sept 22nd) we will start a new Sunday Study called Our Life Together. If you have never attended a Sunday Study, let me take this moment to encourage you to mark your calendar and plan on attending. This particular study will be a great first experience to Sunday Studies and a fantastic way to see what they are designed to accomplish. If you want to know more about Sunday Studies, click here to read a description and see below for an explanation to this Sunday’s Study.
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide the foundation for unity, not only with God but also with God’s people. This unity is so distinct that Jesus based the credibility of his mission upon it. In this class, we will discuss how to preserve and enjoy harmony in the church, enabling us by God’s grace to be the type of church everyone longs for.
The “Why” of Disciple-Makers
Brothers and Sisters,
What a beautiful Sunday we shared as a church family. Our series in 1 Corinthians is providing us with great insight into our lives together as the church; as a local gathering of believers. Click here to hear yesterday’s sermon.
Last Wednesday, I shared the reason why we will be a church that pushes discipleship through 1-1 bible reading. So, for those that missed, I have provided that talk below. Just push play and listen.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Measures of Health (Part 3)
Church Family,
This post is the final installment on our discussion of measures of a healthy church. The last measure we use to determine health is a willingness to share hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples.
God has and will always care about all nations (Ps 96). Our Duty (Matt 9:35-38, Matt 28:16-20, 2 Cor 5:14-15, Rom 1:16, 10:17, 1 Peter 3:15) as Christians is to willingly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who do not know him. We acknowledge that sin must be dealt with for ourselves and others to live fully (John 10:10). Sin has utterly and entirely ruined man; therefore, humanity needs a Savior (John 6:44-45, Rom 2:29, 3:1-20, 5:12-21, 1 Cor 15:22, Titus 3:5). It is no small thing to consider the far-reaching effects of sin on the world around us, and we deeply desire to give an adequate response that actually works; Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. The follower of Jesus will arm themselves with the gospel (Eph 6:17) to go and free sinners who are enslaved; to cut the cords of bondage caused by our sin (Heb 12:1-3)!
We are not only compelled to share hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ because of the devastating effects of sin but because the entire storyline of the bible has pointed towards Jesus (Gen 3:15, 12:3, Ps 2, 110, Matt 1:21-23, Gal 3). He is the common thread throughout all scripture that brings God’s Kingdom on earth, that redeems God’s people, and fulfills all of God’s promises. Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who creates peace between us and God (Rom 5:1). The point of scripture is to exalt Jesus, so we too want to exalt Jesus.
As we have done in previous posts (here and here), though not comprehensive, these are great ways to observe in each other this measure:
- A growing esteem for Jesus Christ
- Leverage everything for gospel work
- Heart focused
- Compassion for the nations
- Sensitivity towards the less fortunate
Disciple-Makers
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our informational meeting on September 4th at 6:30 pm. Click here to read more and to register and let us know you are coming.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Measures of Health (Part 2)
Brothers and Sisters,
This week we will discuss our second measure of health: Love others sacrificially.
In the same conversation (discussed last week) where Jesus was asked to summarize the entire law, he gives a second command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18 /Matt 22:39 / Mark 12:31 / Luke 10:27b / Rom. 13:9 / Gal. 5:14 / James 2:8). As you can see the multiple references from Old to New Testament, loving others sacrificially should most certainly identify the people of God. The people of God have been so radically loved that enables them to love radically. Notice the extent to which we are called to love others; like ourselves. There is hardly a day that goes by that we do not consider what is best for us; this is how we are to think of others.
If we are to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, then we are, as he did, to love others sacrificially in order to see them love him. After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, he said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). This sacrificial love does not only extend to the “one another’s” of scripture but those who are outside a relationship with Jesus (Col 3:5-6 / Titus 3:14).
As God’s people become healthy, inevitably it will work its way out into our daily relationships. Though not comprehensive, here are some ways to see health in a local gathering:
- Love for our immediate neighbors
- Frequent time in prayer for others
- A willingness to extend forgiveness
- Gracious and generous
- Involved in discipleship
Disciple-Makers
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our informational meeting on September 4th at 6:30 pm. Click here to read more and to register and let us know you are coming.