College Church’s Anchor Verse Scripture Memory Plan is a tool that we use to allow God to shape and fashion us according to His Word.  This year we have been memorizing the book of Colossians, which coincides with our evening service preaching series.  Here are 3 tips for memorizing Bible verses. 

1. Take advantage of already established routines: Look at your schedule and determine when it is convenient for you to take time to memorize Scripture.   You may do it when you are working out, riding in the elevator, brushing your teeth, at the dinner table (with your family), having devotions, or any other time of the day.
2. Put the Bible verses in context: Read the verses surrounding the passage because the context will help you to more fully understand the text.  Meditate on the passage, asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand it and apply it to your life.  It may even be helpful to do a Bible study on that passage.
3. Application is an important step in this process: You may want to write a short meditation on the passage early in the week to help you think through its implication on your life. You may want to keep a journal of the times that the verse makes a difference in your life– in your thinking, in temptation, in actions, etc.You may want to discuss application with others because varying people will have varying ideas and perspectives.

Our verses for this week are Colossians 3:12-14:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive.  And above allthese put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  

Take 3 minutes and watch this short video from Francis Chan about aging well.  It’s well worth your time whether you are 8 or 88. 

I’ve been preparing this week for our Adult Summer Forum titled “The Gospel-Centered Life” and I came across two of the most amazing gospel truths. 

First, passive righteousness.  Passive righteousness is the biblical truth that God has not only forgiven our sin, but has credited to us Jesus positive righteousness.  In Christ, God has fully forgiven us our sin. The debt we owed has been forever erased!  But it doesn’t stop there.  We are credited with the righteousness of Christ.  It’s as if the spiritual ledger of our lives has been filled up with the righteousness of Christ.  The gospel has a negative aspect in that our debt is erased and it has a positive aspect in that we are credited with Jesus perfect righteousness.  The good news of the gospel is not that God makes much of us, but that God frees us to make much of Jesus! (“The gospel-centered life” curriculum)

Second, adoption.  Adoption is the biblical truth that God has welcomed us into his family as his own sons and daughters by virtue of our union with Jesus.  We don’t need to do anything to secure God’s love and acceptance; Jesus has secured it for us and therefore God approves of us and adopts us into his family.  Our identity is in him!  The good news of the gospel is not that God favors us because of who we are, but that he favors us in spite of who we are! (“The gospel-centered life” curriculum)

Let us all embrace these two wonderful truths of the gospel and seek to live lives that are deeply rooted in these truths! Come on Sunday, June 24 at the 9:30 hour to hear more about how we can believe and live these wonderful truths.

“If it’s not deep, it’s not relevant.” That’s the main message of this short video. Students are tired of being challenged at school and then “talked down to” at church, as though they can’t really handle more difficult issues. They want more.

There are many reasons why it’s important to serve in the ministries of the church.  Here are 4 Biblical reasons that give us an understanding of the importance of serving others: 
1. Serving models the life of Jesus. – In Mark 10:45, we read that Jesus came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as ransom. We discover true greatness when we serve because we are becoming like Christ when we serve others.

2. Serving is the natural response to the gospel. – In Romans 12:1-2, Paul urges the Christians to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. The basis for this appeal is the magnificent mercies of God. The depth of the gospel message propels us into a life of all out service to Him. When we rightly understand what we’ve been saved from, we’ll desire to give our lives to Him in service, not to earn His favor or to repay Him but as a natural, loving response to what He’s already accomplished for us.

3. Serving utilizes the spiritual gifts God has given us. – In I Peter 4:10-11, we learn that each of us has been given a spiritual gift that is to be used to serve others. Each of us is on mission with God to build up the body of Christ so that all become mature in Christ. As we use our gifts in the ministries of the church, not only are we helping others grow spiritually but we also are growing into maturity.

4.Serving combats our natural self-centeredness. In Philippians 2:3-4, we learn that we are to look not only to our own interests but also to the interest of others, as a way of imitating what Christ has done for us. We are all naturally self-centered but serving in the church is a grace by which we combat those sinful tendencies and consider others more important than ourselves.

Save the date for College Church’s
All-Church Retreat coming August 2-4, 2012!

You will not want to miss the opportunity to gather with our church body for a weekend of learning from the Bible and building community at Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena, IL.

Our guest speaker will be Paul Tripp, the president of Paul Tripp Ministries and author of several books on Christian living that are read and distributed internationally.

Registration is now open! For more information about housing options, activities and much more, or to register, click here!

We hope you can join us!

The men of College Church have been studying the potent letter of 2 Peter. At the December meeting we studied 2 Peter 2:1-10.  In those verses we see a pure and terrifying description of what will happen to the false teachers and those who follow them. 

2 Peter 2 is the other side of the coin from what Peter said in 1:10-11 where we learn that there will be richly provided for them an entrance into the eternal kingdom of God.   In chapter 2 the point is that eternal destruction and the gloom of eternal conscious hell is reserved for those that contradict the doctrine and character of God. 

Take time to prepare for our Gathering by reading through 2 Peter 2:1-22.  This month we will be focusing on verses 11-22.  Here are a few questions that we discussed last month to refresh your memory from our December gathering.

1. What events in your life may cause your faith in Jesus to be shaken?  And what tangible steps do you need to take this week to become firmly established and stable in the gospel?
2.  If the attack on sexual morality is nothing new, what kind of answer should we be prepared to give to a person who says that Christians are enslaved to an old-fashioned sexual morality?
3.  Discuss this idea from Joshua Harris:  “Sex is not the problem, lust is.”    
4.  How do you reconcile a God who “loves the world” with a God who sends people to hell?  What are some of the problems that result if we have the presupposition that God does not send people to hell? 
5.  WARNING…PERSONAL QUESTION APPROACHING!  Examine your life in light of this terrifying description in 2 Peter 2:1-10.  Are you “denying the Master who bought you” by participating in deviant sexual behaviors that you need to repent of today?

The start of a new year is a great time to press the “reset” button. Maybe there are things about this past year that you’d like to turn the clock back on or maybe there are things you’d like to do different this coming year. Below is a list of 7 resolutions for a new year that I recently read by John Johnson on the Transformed Blog.

1. Resolve—to never be satisfied with static thinking.

Make 2012 the year of the pursuit of reading, the sort that stretches the thinking. Here are some current books that have or are doing just this:

1. Craig Van Gelder, Missional Church in Perspective
2. David Rock, Your Brain at Work
3. Candace Millard, The River of Doubt
4. Eugene Peterson, The Pastor
5. Scot McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel
6. Jim Collins, Great By Choice

Stretching one’s thinking involves more than reading. May 2012 be the year of meaningful conversations, the kind that expand one’s world view, alter former assumptions, and deepen one’s core convictions.

2. Resolve—to realize the consequences of not pursuing.

Failure to embrace pursuit is to cede opportunity to others. As I often tell my kids—“this world is not waiting for you. You must pursue it.” There has to be a fire burning inside. Otherwise, you will be forever on the outside looking in. You will be waiting for your ship to come in, and discover, when it is way too late, that you have been standing at the wrong dock.

3. Resolve—to pursue the right things.

I’m writing this as my dog snuck out the front door. And once he does, it’s a chase after all the wrong things—whatever happens to be out there—trivial pursuits that can get him lost or killed. It’s the same with us. We can pursue excellence, or settle for mediocrity. Pursue wisdom, or cede to foolishness. Pursue change, or surrender to status quo. Pursue creativity, or give in to the mundane. Pursue Jesus, or yield to a life of emptiness. As Myatt puts it, “…nothing tells the world more about a leader that what or who they pursue.” Knowing what not to pursue is just as important as knowing what to pursue.

4. Resolve—to pursue with the right energy.

Pursuit that is worthy is intentional, focused, aggressive, and unyielding. So here is my New Year’s resolution—to think carefully about the things that matter and go after them hard. Guard against distraction (Lord knows there are way too many); steer clear of second best; of what is comfortable and convenient.

5. Resolve—to pursue in a way that leverages velocity and scale.

I well remember a talk given by the CEO of Pepsico years ago in London. He brought his best and brightest together and challenged them to avoid incrementalism—making small changes to small things. Here’s what it looks like: cleaning out your inbox, answering your voice mail, and replying to any texts—and calling it a day. It is spending the day in endless chitchat, scrolling down the latest comments on Facebook, reading the latest novel and chocking it up as study. Small changes to small things is a waste of time. So here’s my resolution—leverage the scale by giving more attention to making big changes to big things.

6. Resolve—to enlist others in the pursuit.

Myatt notes that the best forms of pursuit bring others into the chase. “Pursuit in its purest form is highly collaborative.” So much of Scripture is addressed to the community, not the individual. It’s a reminder that the sort of pursuit that really matters is corporate—not merely personal. It is engaging the congregation in such a way that something has been transferred–they now have joined in the chase.

7. Resolve—to pursue being a better leader.

To do less is to drift, devolve, and become obsolete. Spinning is great exercise, but at the end of the session, you are still in the same place. Myatt’s challenge is give yourself to real movement. Pursue! You cannot attain what you do not pursue.

The issue of Christ future return is the dominate theological issue of  2 Peter. In 2 Peter 1:16-21, Peter answers this fundamental question: HOW DO WE REALLY KNOW THAT JESUS IS GOING TO RETURN? 

The reality is that most of us don’t believe or live as if Jesus is going to return or that He could return at any moment.  On most occasions we’ve grown numb to it. 

If Satan can get you and I to doubt the reality of the future return of Christ and numb us into living as if Christ return is just some farfetched concocted myth with no real transforming effect in our lives, Satan’s AK47 is locked and loaded at the Kingdom of God.  Satan’s aim from Genesis 3 has been dead set on destroying God’s perfect Kingdom –and so in the Garden of Eden he got Adam and Eve to doubt  and disobey God’s word – he got them to doubt God’s rule and authority in their lives.  It was an attempt to deconstruct God’s Kingdom. 

In 2 Peter 1: 16-21 are two evidences that prove the return of Christ and the establishement of His eternal Kingdom.

In verses 16-18 we have evidence #1 for Christ Return: The Transfiguration

In verses 19-21 we have evidence #2 for Christ Return: Prophecy

Evidence #1 of Christ Return: Transfiguration (16-18)

From verse 16 we learn that there were false teachers accusing the apostles of teaching a myth about Jesus return.  The false teachers were not the ones promoting the myth.  No, the false teachers simply did not believe Jesus was coming back at all.  Instead, the apostles were being accused of teaching a myth by the false teachers.  And so Peter addresses this head on in verse 16: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made know to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So evidence #1 is Peter’s personal eye-witness and ear-witness account of the Transfiguration.

Now at first glance this is seems like an odd piece of evidence to prove the future return of Christ. Why not write about Jesus resurrection from the dead?   Why not bring up Jesus ascension into heaven, when an angel promised that He would come back (Acts 1:9-11)?  Those two things seem to be stronger evidences for the return of Christ… but not to Peter.  When seeking to prove the absolute certainty of Christ return, his mind jumps to the Transfiguration as concrete evidence that Jesus will return.  So what must we understand about the Transfiguration that led Peter to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus would return in glory?

As the name suggests, the Transfiguration involved a “transformation”, a change in Jesus appearance, but the transformation that took place revealed Jesus true nature.  Jesus glorious and majestic nature is hidden during His earthly life.   Jesus was not walking around with huge neon signs above Him with the words MESSIAH.  He did not float around like an angel – no His true nature was hidden during His earthly life.  However, at the Transfiguration, when Jesus’ faced was changed, shining like the sun and His clothes became dazzling white, the veil of Jesus human flesh was pulled back for Peter, James, and John to see glory and power of the Kingdom of God in the person of Jesus.  Right before each of the gospel narrative accounts of the Transfiguration, Jesus strangely says that there will be some standing there who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God, or the Son of Man coming in power.  The best way to understand this is that Peter, James, and John were those who would not die until they saw with their own eyes the power of God’s Kingdom at the Transfiguration.  What they saw at the Transfiguration was not just Jesus glowing clothes and sun tanned face but what they saw was THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE PERSON OF JESUS.  That leads to the second piece of evidence.  

Evidence #2 of Christ Return: Prophecy (19-21)    

Also testifying to Jesus appearance at the end of history are the Old Testament prophets.  The context suggests that most likely Peter is specifically pointing to Old Testament prophecies that speak about the kingdom that is to be established at the end of history when the Messiah returns in glory.  According to verses 20-21, the prophecies that were produced about this universal kingdom did not come about by the will of man but they were speaking God’s words as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit.  They were speaking of things that had yet to be fulfilled but their prophecies were not their own concocted myths or legends, they were speaking the very words of God. 

The connection then between the Transfiguration and Old Testament prophecy is seen in v. 19 – and we have something more sure, the prophetic word.   At the Transfiguration he saw the Messiah.  He now connects Jesus to the Old Testament predictions about a future kingdom established by the Messiah.  So his personal eyewitness account of the Transfiguration gives to the Old Testament prophecies an even greater certainty than they had before – if they had any doubt in their mind about Old Testament predictions regarding the 2^nd coming of Christ, those predictions are now more sure because of Peter’s eyewitness account of the Transfiguration.  Although it may appear that Christ is delaying a long time in returning, He will one day return. 

Right now we have an enemy, in Satan, who continues to attack God’s kingdom, and he will use whatever dirty tactics he can to get you and I to doubt the evidence regarding the future establishment of His kingdom.  We have the same evidence that the readers of this letter did.  We have Peter’s eyewitness account of the Transfiguration, proving that Jesus was the Messiah,  and we have the prophecies of the Old Testament which explain a universal kingdom established by the Mesiah. 

Will we pay attention to the evidence?  Or will we ignore it?  Even more, what impact does that make on how we live our lives waiting?