Why Do We Do What We Do?
Our heart and vision at ACC is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the purpose and passion behind everything we do. Our strategy to do that is simple. We want to help people experience God, excel in spiritual growth, and express his love to the world. Simply put, we want to make disciples who make disciples. As people learn to express God’s love, they are helping other people to experience God.
At ACC our primary environment to help people experience God is Sunday mornings. Our desire is that people would drawn to Christ through the worship, preaching, and fellowship.
Our primary ministry to help people excel in spiritual growth is Life Groups. These groups meet at various times and locations throughout the area. There are groups for adults, youth, and young adults. While each has a slightly different focus, they are all centered on helping people grow in love for God and one another.
And finally, our primary avenue for helping people express God’s love is through ministry teams and outreach events. From coffee and hospitality ministry to visual media and sound, there are many ways to get involved in ministry.
One thing I never want to forget is why we are here and why we are doing what we’re doing. With so much at stake, we must remember always to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
Bible Meditations
This morning I was struck by a verse of Scripture. In Exodus 29:45-46 God says,
“I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.”
I find it amazing that God desires relationship with human beings. He states his purpose in delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt. He wanted to dwell among them. His desire was not only to dwell among them, but to reveal himself to them- “they shall know that I am the Lord their God.”
It’s amazing to think about how God saves human beings from the slavery of sin so that he might make himself known to them and enjoy dwelling among them. He knows that we all have a longing to belong and that longing can only be truly satisfied when we belong to him.
A Preaching Story From Marytn Lloyd-Jones
I came across this fascinating story as I was reading today in Preaching and Preachers by the late Martyn Lloyd-Jones who pastored Westminister Chapel in London from 1943-1968. He writes:
“I was staying in a village in a certain part of England and went to the local church across the road from where I was staying. I found that the preacher was preaching that evening on the prophet Jeremiah. He told us that he was starting a series of sermons on the prophet.
So he was starting with that great text where Jeremiah said he could not refrain any longer, but that the Word of God was like a fire in his bones. That was the text he took. What happened? I left the service feeling that I had witnessed something quite extraordinary, for the one big thing that was entirely missing in that service was ‘fire’. The good man was talking about fire as if he were sitting on an iceberg. He was actually dealing with the theme of fire in a detached and cold manner; he was a living denial of the very thing that he was saying, or perhaps I should say a dead denial.
It was a good sermon from the standpoint of construction and preparation. He had obviously taken considerable care over this, and had obviously written it out every word, because he was reading it; but that one thing that was absent was fire. There was no zeal, no enthusiasm, no apparent concern for us as members of the congregation. His whole attitude seemed to be detached and academic and formal.” (emphasis mine)
Puritan Exhortations To Pastors
I found the following quotes to be extremely challenging and inspirational from a book I’m reading called Light and Heat: The Puritan View of the Pulpit.
“We must study as hard how to live well as how to preach well” – Richard Baxter
“He that is more frequent in his pulpit to his people than he is in his closet for his people is but a sorry watchman” – John Owen
“Believe it brethren, it is easier to declaim like an orator against a thousand sins of others than it is to mortify one sin like Christians in ourselves; to preach twenty sermons than one to our own hearts” – John Flavel
“Ministers knock at the door of men’s hearts, the Spirit comes with a key and opens the door” – Thomas Watson
Praise God For Growth
Just wanted to post a reminder that we will be switching to 2 Sunday services on Palm Sunday, March 16. The new service times will be 9:15 and 11:00. We praise God for our continued growth as a church. We have actually tripled in size in the last year and a half!
I’m also really excited about a new sermon series we will be starting on Easter Sunday called Defining Moments. Each message will be centered on experiencing God’s life-transforming power. It will be a great series to invite a friend. Pray about who God might want you to invite for this series.
I am so encouraged by meeting brand new people every week, seeing people come to Christ, and watching real growth take place in people’s lives.
Weekend Reflections
This has been a really good, big weekend. We were able to celebrate as a board the past year with a great dinner on Saturday night. Our service this morning was great. Several people made commitments to Christ. Here are a few action points from the sermon on Titus 2:11-15:
• Allow God’s grace to empower you daily to deny sin and choose righteousness.
• Live every day with a sober yet joyful anticipation of Christ’s soon return.
• Meditate daily on Christ’s passion for you and develop a growing passion for him.
After service, we had our annual business meeting in which we elected and blessed our new board of trustees for 2008. Our board members this year are Jim Santistevan, Hank Niewola, Nicole Darroch, and Debbie Winich. Keep them in your prayers this year that God would give them wisdom and strength.
Some Books
Last week I finished Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders by Earl Creps. Great book. Earl is a professor at the seminary I am currently attending and is preparing to plant a church in Berkeley, CA. Earl has spent years traveling the country observing and researching various churches. His book is very honest, intimate, and full of humility as he shares much of his personal journey with God and his perspectives on spiritual leadership in today’s culture.
Currently I’m thoroughly enjoying John Ortberg’s The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines For Ordinary People. I just heard too many extremely positive recommendations for this book that I had to check it out. It’s really down to earth and to the point. Ortberg has a really clear and captivating way of teaching on spiritual disciplines. Can’t wait to finish it!
Annual Business Meeting
After service this Sunday we will hold our Annual Business Meeting. Sounds like a blast doesn’t it? Anyway, this meeting is an important time for the members of our church to gather for the following reasons:
- To pray for the unity and witness of our church.
- To celebrate all the awesome things God has done in past year.
- Gain greater clarity into our vision for the future.
- Elect and bless new board members for 2008.
- See the church financial summary.
The meeting will take place after a meal for everyone following the service.
Tag-Team This Sunday
This Sunday we will be trying something a little different. Jess and I will be tag-team preaching. I’m really looking forward to this chance for us to truly minister together… literally.
It should be really fun as we teach on “Living From The Inside Out.” This is the third message in our current series through the book of Titus called Redemption: Brokenness To Blessing.
Volunteer Opportunity Fair
For the next two weeks we will be hosting our Volunteer Opportunity Fair. If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved, this is your chance. After service these weeks there will be a chance for you to visit booths and see what ministries are available for you to join.
I’m reminded of the parable of the talents. In that story Jesus taught about several people who were entrusted with different amounts of money. One man who was given 5 talents put them to use and gained 5 more. Another who was given 2 talents did likewise and gained 2 more. The last guy had received one talent and just hid it in the ground.
When the master came back, he said to the two who had put their talents to use: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.”
Conversely, he was very disappointed with the servant who buried his talent. Let this opportunity fair be a chance for you to put your gifts and talents to use. God has given each one of us different gifts and abilities and with that, the privilege and responsibility to put them to good use. Let me encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to put your talents to use by helping us to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Big Stuff Next Month
On Sunday we made a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: On Palm Sunday, March 16 we will be going to 2 services on Sunday mornings! The new service times will be 9:15 & 11:00. God has been blessing us with consistent growth and we must be willing to be good stewards of his work among us. One good sign of God’s blessing is running out of space. What a great problem to have!
With the problem of space also comes the problem of parking. Due to our current location, parking is hard to come by. By going to 2 services we will be able to somewhat alleviate our space and parking problems for the time being. I do however believe that one day our current building will no longer be adequate to contain the numbers of people and families whose lives are being changed by the power of God.
March is going to be Invitation Month. We are going to be proactive about inviting our friends and neighbors to church. Join us by praying even now for the people the Lord might be directing you to invite. Pray for them and ask the Lord for opportunities to build relationships with others. We will also be starting an exciting new sermon series on Easter Sunday and are designing invite cards to give to friends.
One guiding verse that I’ve been sharing for this time of transition is 1 Corinthians 9:19:
“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a servant to everyone, to win as many as possible.“
Just as Paul was willing to become a servant to all, so we must do whatever is necessary to win as many as possible. There are nearly 8,000 people who currently live in the Borough of Ambridge. Even if all the seats in all of the churches in this community were filled, there still would not be enough seats for everyone. We must however do everything we can to win as many as possible.
A Good-Long Day
Today is a big day for me. We just concluded our New Member’s Class and welcomed 8 new members to the ACC family! At the class I taught our Foundations Course, covering our vision, beliefs, and strategy at ACC. I love sharing and teaching the things we are passionate about!
This afternoon I have meetings scheduled all day until 6:00. I am meeting with our various ministry leaders to develop a strategies to effectively manage the growth that God is bringing to our church. We are in a tremendous season of God’s blessing.
We realize that we are called to be good stewards of God’s work in our midst realizing that “to whom much is given, much is required.” We want to be faithful servants of God as we maximize our potential to reach people for his Kingdom!
Effective Communication: Engaging & Helpful
As I’ve been working on my message for this weekend, I remembered something I heard Andy Stanley say once. He was talking about a few of their goals at North Point and asked newcomers if they experienced an attractive atmosphere with an engaging communicator with helpful content.
He likened engaging communication with a comedian. Comedians are very engaging, but the content is not always helpful. He compared the helpful side with a doctor about to share with you some test results. Their presentation may not be that engaging but you pay attention because the information is helpful. This makes the goal of an effective communicator to be both engaging and helpful.
I believe that it is wrong to bore people with the truth. After all, Jesus himself was anything but boring while communicating to the people of his time in ways they could understand. I like how Mark Batterson puts it:
“The greatest message should be communicated in the most unforgettable ways.”
Expository Preaching
I’m a fan of most approaches to preaching including topical and expository. I believe there is a place for both in a healthy church. Many times it is beneficial and necessary to begin with a topic and dig into what Scripture has to say about it. At other times though, it is appropriate to come to the Scriptures and just let the text speak speak for itself.
That is what I’m aiming for in this current expository series on the book of Titus. An overbalanced diet of topical messages can sometimes overlook much of the richness of meaning and application that can be gleaned from careful study. I’m amazed at how much I learn personally when studying for expository-type messages. One thing to guard against is to avoid getting too bogged down in exegetical details that are unnecessary for a coherent and inspiring delivery of the message.
All this to say that I see value in having a variety of preaching styles. Each has its place (as long as it is in fact the Bible being taught 
) and each has its strengths and weaknesses. I am however happy to be in the middle of an expositional series right now.
Membership Class This Saturday!
Membership at ACC is about one word: commitment. Commitment is about joining the team, linking hearts, and laboring together. It is an outward sign of an inward decision to jump on board with our mission of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
There’s still time to get in on the new member’s class for anyone interested. Email here to rsvp. We’d love to have you jump on board!
Life Groups Begin This Week
This week begins the Spring semester of Life Groups! Two groups begin tonight. Alpha is meeting at the church at 6pm. It will be a great group for newcomers and anyone interested in the basics of the Christian faith.
Also an adult community group studying spiritual formation is meeting at Tim and Pam Webb’s house at 7pm.
Sunday Reflections
This morning we said goodbye to Pastor Cal. This past year he poured his heart and soul into our children’s ministries. We will forever be grateful for his service. He expressed his gratitude to the church as well and challenged us to remain focused on reaching children for Christ. We will miss him dearly.
We also began our new series called “Redemption: Brokenness To Blessing.” This week’s message was called “Developing A Healthy Faith.” In it I shared 3 steps to develop a resilient, healthy faith based on Titus 1:1-4. These are:
- Pursue accurate knowledge of the truth
- Architects will tell you that the height and strength of a building depends on the quality of its foundation. In the same way, the health of our faith is only as good as the foundation it is built upon. We must resist being led astray from simple and pure devotion to Christ.
- Pursue ongoing, Christ-like transformation
- Philip Towner says, “Godliness throughout the pastorals defines the Christian experience as a balanced and holistic life in which correct knowledge of God affects every part of life.”
- Pursue a focus on eternity
- C.S. Lewis said, “The people who made the greatest impact on this world were precisely those who thought most of the next.”
Bless Somebody’s Socks Off
Twice in the past two months Jess and I have had our restaurant bill anonymously paid for. I can’t even express how great it feels to be the recipient of such a random blessing. We were each moved close to tears on both occasions.
As great as it was to be on the receiving end, I know it must have been even more rewarding to be on the giving end. That must have been what Jesus was talking about in this passage.
After both of these experiences, Jess and I both have a renewed desire to live on the giving end. I can’t wait for the next opportunity to randomly pay someone’s restaurant bill and be an extension of the love of Christ.
Be encouraged today to take advantage of opportunities to be a blessing in someone’s life. You never know how God might use your kindness and generosity to work powerfully in their lives.
