Mt. Zion Church - The Father's House Service Blog

Worship Series

Pastor Jeff — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:40:52 +0000

Sunday we start a new series on worshipping God. Pastor Paul will start off by talking about “The Heart of Worship.” Diane will also be sharing about her understanding worship and what it means to her.

Worshiping God is perhaps the main way we love him. Christian catechisms (books that teach what Christians believe) often say that our main purpose in life is to worship God and enjoy Him forever. I hope this series opens our heart even further in worship and love.

Reconciliation Stories

Pastor Jeff — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:51:17 +0000

Hey everyone, just a friendly reminder that I would love to have a story (for Sunday) about reconcilation, or forgiveness, or repentance – anything that relates to being a peacemaker. Please call me if you’re willing to share one.

Haircut

Pastor Jeff — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:15:57 +0000

Hey everyone. I’ve been thinking about going to a crew cut. It will truly show how bald I am. What do you think? Should I or shouldn’t I? The community gets to determine for me. Enjoy!!

View This Poll

Visiting my mom’s this weekend. Found this pic in her bedroom. I thought you all might enjoy seeing how good looking I am with a crew cut.

Peacemakers

Pastor Jeff — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:09:13 +0000

As we wind down this series on reconciliation, I hope and pray that you will begin to practice all that we have talked about. Over the last three months I clearly have had a lot of opportunities to practice what I’ve preached. While I clearly haven’t “arrived,” I’m getting better at overlooking minor offenses, seeking forgiveness, giving forgiveness (I need a lot more practice on this one ), and working to see the logs in my own eye as I struggle with repentance.

The Church should be a place where we can experience “short-lived” conflict…because everyone is trying to walk in peace – with God and with others. As you and I work at reconcilation and properly implementing the Matthew 18 Process, I believe that Mt. Zion can become a “safe” place for people…safer in the sense that when they sin or sin against someone in the community, the community will know how to lovingly restore and reconcile quickly. What do you think?

The Code: Loving God

Pastor Jeff — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:42:21 +0000

Last Sunday we continued to think about the DNA code for the church: Love God, Love Others, and Make Disciples. Loving God is our spiritual priority. It is putting God first in everything. It is loving God completely, with every part of our being. Jesus quoted the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4 ff) “Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (NIV). With all that we are, we are commanded to love God.

That’s easier said than done, right? Most of us struggle with love…loving others and accepting love. We learn about love in the home we grow up in. If love was relatively healthy we became relatively healthy in our capacity to love and receive love. But so many of us did not grow up in homes with healthy love. And so to we struggle with a diminished capacity to give and accept love.

The amazing good news is that God loves you. Many hearts have a hard time believing. But it’s true! God loves you! Give God a chance to help you experience the truth. Give God the opportunity to love your heart, one which often believes it can’t be loved.

The heart that believes it can be loved, is a heart that can grow in its capacity to love. To love God more (and others as well) accept God’s love for you! I believe you will then find it easier to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

The Code: Called

Pastor Jeff — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:38:58 +0000

Yesterday we started a new series called “The Code.” Living organisms possess a genetic “code” we call DNA. That code determines everything about that organism from how each cell functions, to the what that organism looks like. The DNA is the organism’s blueprint.

The genetic code of the church is driven by thee essentials: loving God, loving others, and making disciples. Everything thing we do, value, and seek should come from one or more of these three. These three (should) determine how each cell (person) and what the organism (church) looks like.

The church is the “called out-called together ones” of God. Every Christian has been called by God. When God calls people to follow Him, those who respond gather together to create the body of Christ, the church. They assemble to worship, pray, build up one another and the God’s kingdom, and to share God’s love with people.

Over the next three weeks we’ll be exploring each essential: loving God, loving others, and making disciples. We want the DNA of the church to make help us grow into the church God wants us to be.

Stamina: Rewards for Over-comers

Pastor Jeff — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:46:17 +0000

As I mentioned before, I wrestled in high-school. That was the only sport I participated in…but I was pretty good at it. I won a lot of medals and trophies. Even though the “glory” of winning was relatively small, there was, none-the-less, some intrinsic satisfaction at winning. The prize was a motivating factor in working hard, enduring some very difficult practices, and not eating all the junk food my friends enjoyed. God promises rewards for those who over-come the persecution they receive because of following Christ. They are to motivate us to hang in the we are being persecuted.

In America, our “persecution” is relatively benign. Yes, we might lose a job, or a promotion, our friends might belittle our faith stances, or students might receive a lower grade for a paper that references their Christian beliefs. But throughout the world, it is very different. Christians in many countries truly suffer for the sake of Christ. Just go to persecution.com to see what is taking place in the lives of Christians worldwide. We need to stand with them…at least in prayer if nothing else.

As we close the series, I want to remind everyone what I said yesterday. Stamina is about faithfulness. Perseverance is about living out what it means to follow Christ…no matter what the cost.

From a sermon I read on the internet, I found the following: Tertullian of Carthage was the pastor of a church in north Africa about 200 years after Jesus was born. Some of his church members said, “Tertullian, we must burn incense to this pagan god even though we are Christians, but we won’t mean it.” And Tertullian said, “Why would you do that?” And the people said, “Because we have to work to buy food to eat!” And Tertullian said, “Why do you have to eat?” And they said, “Because we have to live.” Tertullian looked at them and said, “No!! You don’t have to work, or eat and you don’t have to live.

The only thing you have to do, is be faithful to God!!”

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13

If we are faithful, God will be faithful to “…keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthian 1:8)

Stamina: Help from Others

Pastor Jeff — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:01:58 +0000

Have you ever been to a funeral? As Pastor Larry’s young son said many years ago, “a funeral is where people show love to you.” Their presence and their love provides strength and support for the grieving family members to persevere through their time of grief and bereavement. Their comfort helps the family make it through.

The church community is a place where we are to give help to one another. We are to come alongside those who are hurting, struggling, or going through hardship. Our presence and love provides stamina for them to press on and not give up. The church community is a place where we can receive help from others.

Having been in the church community for all my life, I know she (the Church) is not perfect. I know that she sometimes ‘drops the ball’ and doesn’t always reach out to those who are hurting in the way she should. I also know that some people have a hard time asking for help. Perhaps we’re embarrassed about a situation, or feel guilty or ashamed for some reason. Or maybe we just don’t want to burden someone else with our problems.

God’s plan is for the Church community to be a place where people show love to you. We have been called by God for this purpose. Please look around you and see who God has placed nearby that you can help. And if you need help, please, please, don’t hesitate to speak up and ask.

Jack Resigns as FH Worship Leader

Pastor Jeff — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:03:46 +0000

Yesterday, we received the sad news that Jack McComas will be stepping down as our Father’s House service worship leader. He has received and accepted a call to be the worship leader of another church in the area. Jack and his wife, Jenni, have been a HUGE influence in our church, leading us before the Father’s throne and into God’s presence and glory. They have also been involved in several other ministries in the church, including leading the student ministry. (They will continue to lead the students until for the time being). Thank you to BOTH of you for all that you have meant to us, the love, the sacrifice, and the service to God and to us! While we will miss them a bunch, I want to say that I’m excited for this new call on their lives. I’m confident God has something wonderful for them!

His last day as worship leader will be Sunday, September 6th (Labor Day Weekend). The FH lead team is planning to hold a celebration of Jack’s 10 years of worship leading ministry at Mt. Zion. Also, we are planning the first of several “Meat ‘N Greet” BBQ’s right after church that same day. These will give everyone a chance to have lunch with someone new. We will also have a chance to say ‘good-bye’ to Jack, Jenni, and the kids that day. Please plan to join us for this celebration!

Stamina: Hardship For a Purpose

Pastor Jeff — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:40:31 +0000

In high school my claim to (somewhat minimal) fame was that I was a pretty good wrestler. Wrestling is one of many sports that requires grueling workouts. Most of the time, I left the practice room totally exhausted. The coaches were fond of saying “no pain, no gain.” They created painfully, exhausting workouts and practices in order to gain “in-shape” wrestlers. When I or others wanted to quit or let up in a practice, we’d get yelled at to push on. I believe their “external” push to persevere developed the “internal” ability to persevere I have now. And more than that, there was “gain.” It worked. Our team was often in better shape at the first few meets than the other teams we competed against.

Hardship has a way of either making or breaking you. As a follower of Christ, I have the promise that God will not allow any trial beyond what I can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). That tells me whenever I want to quit, give up, or throw in the towel, I’m really not at my “breaking point”. It may feel that way; but my feelings aren’t “reality.” So if God isn’t “breaking” me, then He must be “making” me. (Yes, sometimes God must break my will, my pride, and host of others things. But He is not breaking me in the sense of destroying me).

God uses suffering and hardship to form and fashion us into the image of Christ. Hardship is for a purpose. The bible reveals several purposes. Yesterday I talked about four: character, completeness, discipline, & glory. Figuring out what God is doing by permitting the hardship we are in, truly helps to find stamina to push on. Granted, He doesn’t always reveal the ‘why’. But either way, the question before the house is, “Can I trust God in the midst of this hardship?”