Check out the new bridgewaypa.org!
Our new website is up and running! You can listen to sermons, view the church calendar, read about our ministries, and even conduct your giving online. Check out the new site here!
Haiti
On Sunday I was so proud of our church family as we collected $495.25 to be sent directly for immediate relief in Haiti. Praise God for that!
We will be sending the money through Convoy of Hope, an organization associated with our fellowship, the Assemblies of God. The following is an excerpt from our national Superintendent George Wood sent to all AG pastors regarding the situation in Haiti:
“I want to highlight again the dire need for relief assistance in Haiti. Numbers are still inconclusive on the deaths but we know they are staggering. Over 3 million people in Port-Au-Prince have been adversely affected by the tragic earthquake that hit this island on Tuesday evening. Already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, Port-au-Prince has for all practical purposes been left in ruins.
AG in Haiti: The Assemblies of God has two missionary families on the ground there, and reports are that they are safe. But we have 273 churches and more than 66,000 members and we do not know the fate of most of them, including their superintendent, Rev. Calixte Fleuridor.
Convoy of Hope has had an ongoing ministry in Haiti where they feed 7,000 children every day. So their warehouse there was full of food, water, and other supplies in order to meet that huge daily demand. Amazingly, the warehouse had just been restocked.
Donations: With needs so great, we cannot possibly meet them without the help of churches and members here in the United States. So I am appealing to our churches and leaders to give sacrificially for relief efforts in Haiti. I am especially appealing to our 12,400 churches to take an offering this Sunday for Haiti relief and send these funds to us so we can immediately respond with help. You can donate money online by clicking “Help for Haiti” button on the www.ag.org homepage or by sending donations to 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO 65802 marked Haiti Relief.”
Week of Prayer
Our annual Week of Prayer and Fasting is currently underway. Just a reminder about our 2 special prayer meetings this week. These special prayer times are all about calling on God to do what only he can do. Apart from his power we can accomplish nothing.
The Leader Who Is Blessed
This morning at our monthly Men’s Breakfast (can I get an amen) I shared with everybody 3 characteristics from Psalm 1 about the leader who is blessed by God. Here’s what we talked about:
1. The leader who is blessed goes against the flow of wickedness- Psalm 1:1
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;”
- This is the man who knows who he is and what he stands for. He is not driven and tossed by the culture around him. Instead he takes a stand for righteousness.
- Choose your friends and influences carefully
- Surround yourself with people who pull you up
2. The leader who is blessed delights in God’s Word- Psalm 1:2-3
“but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
- Have a specific time each day to read, study, and meditate on Scripture
- Scripture will give you inner strength and nourishment for life and leadership
3. The leader who is blessed understands the futility of wickedness- Psalm 1:4-6
“The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
- The wicked are like chaff that is driven away
- The wicked will not stand in the final judgment
- The wicked will ultimately perish
Orlando All Week
This week Jess and I are in Orlando to attend a leadership conference and also the biennial General Council of our fellowship of churches. The conference, called “Influence” begins tonight and ends tomorrow and features speakers Ed Young Jr, Mark Batterson, Reggie Joiner, Beth Moore, and Keith Craft. Really excited to be here and looking forward to learning a lot. I know I don’t really post that often, but with this post I will be checking out of the blog world till I get back. Peace.
Introduction to James
On Sunday we began our summer series on the book of James. As with any biblical study, background and historical context is vitally important for gaining an accurate understanding. Here are some details from my notes:
James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
1. Authorship- James who?
- James the brother of the Lord (a.k.a. James the Just)
- Half-brother of Jesus born to Joseph and Mary
- Did not believe in Jesus during his earthly ministry
- Came to believe in Jesus presumably after his resurrection- 1 Cor. 15:7; Acts 12:17
- Views his role as being “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”
- This is an amazing testament to Jesus truly being the Son of God and rising from the dead. Imagine how much it would take for you to worship your brother as God!
- Leader of the Jerusalem church- Acts 15
- What we would call the lead pastor of the Jerusalem church.
- Wrote his letter in approx. 40-45 AD making it most likely the first NT book to be written- just 7-10 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Galatians, Paul’s earliest letter was not written until approx. 48 AD. Mark, the earliest Gospel writer did not write until approx. 53-55 AD.
- Martyred in 62 AD. Tradition says that because he refused to recant his belief in Jesus, he was thrown off the pinnacle of the temple by order of the Sadducean high priest Ananus. When he did not die from the fall, he was stoned to death
2. Purpose and nature
- A compilation of James pastoral wisdom
- He has been shaped by the teachings of Jesus and has become a teacher in his own right
- James wrote “To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.” This most likely refers to Jewish Christians living outside of Jerusalem. It could also refer to those of the Jerusalem church who were scattered because of the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 11. This would then be a letter written to his former congregation members no longer living in Palestine.
- An encyclical letter
- Unlike many of Paul’s letters, James is not written to a specific person or church or to address a certain situation. It is a general or open letter meant to be circulated for large groups of people in various locations and is therefore very applicable to people in different locations and different circumstances.
- James is essentially practical in nature. He is concerned with helping his readers to live out their faith.
3. Main Themes
- How to handle trials- 1:2-4,12; 5:7-12
- Writes in a time of economic recession in the 1st century. According to Acts 11:28, there was a severe famine in Palestine around 46 AD. Initial rumblings of the Jewish-Roman war to begin in 66 AD.
- Overcoming sin and temptation- 1:13-15; 2:1-13; 3:1-12; 4:1-12
- Practical Christian living- 1:19-26; 4:13-17
- The relationship of faith and works- 2:14-26
- The power of prayer- 5:13-18
Really excited to dig into James this summer!
This Inspires Me!
One person I have a lot of respect for is Brian Houston, the pastor of Hillsong Church and Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Australia. The following is a quote from him that really fires up my passion as I pray for ACC to become all that God intends for it to be. Take a moment to read his thoughts:
“The church that I see is a church of influence. A church so large in size that the city and nation cannot ignore it.
A church growing so quickly that buildings struggle to contain the increase.
I see a church whose heartfelt praise and worship touches heaven and changes earth. Worship which influences the praises of people throughout the earth exalting Christ with powerful songs of faith and hope.
I see a church whose altars are constantly filled with repentant sinners responding to Christ’s call to salvation.
Yes, the church that I see is so dependent on the Holy Spirit that nothing will stop it not stand against it.
A church whose people are unified, praying and full of God’s Spirit.
The church that I see has a message so clear that lives are being changed forever and potential is fulfilled though the power of His Word. A message beamed to the peoples of the earth through their television screens.
I see a church so compassionate that people are drawn from impossible situations into a loving and friendly circle of hope, where answers are found and acceptance is given.
I see a people so kingdom-minded that they will count whatever the cost and pay whatever the price to see revival sweep this land.
The church that I see is a church to committed to raising, training and empowering a leadership generation to reap the end-time harvest that all its ministries are consumed with this goal.
I see a church whose head is Jesus, whose help is the Holy Spirit and whose focus is the Great Commission.
Yes, the church that I see could well be our church.”
…All I have to say is wow! and Amen!
Francis Chan: A Gathering Force
“Is there any logic in believing that God started His Church as a Spirit-filled, loving body with the intention that it would evolve into entertaining, hour-long services?”
This is a thought provoking quote from Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA in a recent article I came across. Read the rest of the article here. Really insightful!
Momentum Campaign Launch
If there’s one thing I hate about being a pastor, its having to talk about money. There is such a bad stigma attached to preachers and churches talking about money… and for good reason! I know exactly what its like to sit through a 45 minute schpeel from a creepy preacher who seems to only care about draining my pockets.
Well, this Sunday I confronted one of my greatest fears as we introduced the Momentum Capital Campaign. So I decided to minimize my remarks about money and maximize my remarks about vision. From Acts 26:16-19 we looked at several realities:
- Satan is not taking a break from destroying lives all around us.
- God has saved us for a purpose, to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, to deliver them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the kingdom of God.
- The hope of the world is not Oprah, Dr. Phil, Obama, or Bush, the hope of the world is the church of Jesus Christ.
- People all around us are heading for eternal torment in hell unless we step us and do what we are called to do as the church.
- God hasn’t called us to play church, he’s called us to proclaim his love to a lost world.
- We are all passionate about what we want to be passionate about, but at the end of the day, if we’re not passionate about Jesus and the people he died for than we are missing everything.
I think that when we begin to gain an eternal perspective, realize who God is and what he’s called us to do, and that people’s souls are at stake, sacrificial giving becomes a great joy and a privilege.
When all is said and done, I’m not giving to this campaign like its some kind of charity. I am investing my resources to make an eternal difference in the lives of people Jesus Christ died to save. I am becoming an active partner with God in his mission to redeem humanity from sin, destruction, addiction, death, and hell. I believe that the powers of darkness fear nothing more than the church of Jesus Christ fully unified, working together, giving sacrificially together, and reaching out under the authority and power of the risen Son of God.
Worship This Sunday
I’m looking forward to co-leading worship this Sunday with Matt Cooper. While I know that God has primarily called me to preach, he’s also given me a passion for leading worship.
Before Matt started leading our worship ministry I was leading worship and preaching every Sunday (and it was too much… even though I loved it). Matt’s doing an awesome job and I’m so glad that God has brought him to us. He’s even developed a website for the worship department that you can check out here.
I can’t believe that its been almost 6 months since I’ve led worship at ACC! I was feeling a little withdrawal so I decided to jump back in for a week!
Who’s Speaking At City Reach This Year?
Glad you asked! Our guest speaker on Tuesday, Aug. 12 will be former Harlem Globetrotter Seth Franco. Check out his website here. Seth Franco has played for The Court Jesters, The Harlem Wizards, and in 2003 became the first Caucasian Harlem Globetrotter since 1942! Seth has an amazing testimony of God’s power in his life. He will be sharing his story with us as well as some sweet basketball tricks.
On Wednesday, Aug 13 our guest speaker will be Daniel Elvelyk. Daniel and his wife serve as the national coordinators for Mission SOS- Sweden. As a gifted communicator, Daniel has a passion for sharing the gospel with unreached people groups all over the world.
Our final guest speaker will be yours truly. I’m looking forward to sharing from God’s heart on Thursday night!
City Reach Prayer & Training Night
If you have signed up in recent weeks to volunteer at City Reach this year make sure to show up at the church this Wednesday at 7pm for an evening of prayer and training (we have over 65 people signed up to help this year- Praise God!).
We will take some time to join our hearts together in prayer and huddle for a little vision casting and practical training.
If you’re new and are not sure what City Reach is all about you can read a good explanation of it here on Jeff Leake’s Blog. If you would still like to get involved, just send us a quick email here.
Little Blog Break
Had a great time at the church picnic last night despite the weather. Burgers on an open flame with a little acid rain never hurt anybody, right?
Anyway, this will be the last post for the week as Jess and I will be away vacationing in the sunny, exotic land of Cleveland, OH. Pray for some much needed rest and rejuvenation!
Youth Ministry Emphasis
This past Sunday was an awesome Youth Ministry Emphasis.
Jessica did an amazing job bringing the word and sharing her heart and vision for Transit Student Ministries.
She spoke from Judges 2:6-10 about how a generation is rising up that does not know the Lord and it is our responsibility to show Christ to them.
She shared with us some staggering statistics like:
- Today almost 3,000 teens will get pregnant- 2 every minute
- Today 3,000 teens will get addicted to a harmful substance
- 10% of teens will drop out of school completely
- 1 out of 4 teens that grew up in church will stay in church when they are an adult
She did an amazing job of challenging the students to rise above the statistics, and the adults to take responsibility for leading the next generation to the Lord. It was awesome to see so many teens in both services go forward and even more powerful when we as adults flooded in around them and lifted them up in prayer.
We love our students and we are committed to loving and leading them into a growing relationship with Christ.
Transit Student Ministries is for all junior high and high schoolers and meets at ACC every Wednesday night at 7:00pm.
If you are interested in volunteering in the youth ministry please email us here.
Summer Missions Team
Had a great time this week hanging out with my friend Mike Randle. Mike is currently the children’s pastor at King’s River Worship Center in West Virginia. He is planning on bringing a team of 4th-5th graders from his church to Ambridge June 16-20 as a missions trip.
I love the way he is teaching his kids how to have a heart for God and missions. In preparation for the trip, he’s having them write their own testimonies down in case they would need to share them on the trip. I was nearly moved to tears after reading a few of them! I’m really looking forward to having them come out. It’s going to be a great week!
Awakening- Youth And Young Adult Event
On Friday Feb. 8 we will be taking a group out to Allison Park Church for Awakening, an event for youth and young adults. There will be free pizza, inflatables, the band Annasay, and a message by Evangelist Johannes Amritzer. It’s going to be a great night. If you’re interested in going with us, please let us know immediately. Permission slips for students under 18 are available at our welcome center. Here’s a video with a little more info:
Guest Worship Leader Tonight
Tonight we will be having as a special guest worship leader my brother David Santistevan. Also joining him will be his worship team from Allison Park Church. Dave is a tremendously gifted musician, songwriter, and worship leader. He is actually in the final stages of developing his first professional worship record. Dave’s heart for God and his passion for worship is contagious! You won’t want to miss tonight!
We feel strongly that the emphasis tonight is to be miracles. We are going to be believing God to move powerfully. Come expecting a life-changing encounter with God. Also, if you know someone who is in need of a miracle, feel free to bring them with you tonight @ 7!
How Can I Speak The Truth To Others?
Check out this great video from John Piper about sharing your faith with others.
Christmas Eve
Just finished an awesome Christmas Eve service! God is awesome! We had 3 people make decisions for Christ.
Blogging may be sporadic over the next few days due to the holidays. Have a merry Christmas!
Bloglines Is Working For Me Again
For those of you who subscribe to this blog via bloglines, I believe the updating problem has finally been fixed. It should be updating for you now regularly.
Life In Action
This weekend we’ll be starting a new message series called “Life In Action”. This series is all about learning how to put our faith into action, or maybe better, putting action into our faith.
Next week we will hear from Eric Ferguson, originally from Pittsburgh, now a missionary to Nicaragua. He and his wife Shanna are the founders of Metanoia Missions International, a ministry whose vision is to transform nations through the establishment of churches, schools, orphanages, micro-businesses, and humanitarian aid.
Then on Oct. 21 we’ll celebrate with those who are taking action through water baptism in our morning service!
Life In Action
This weekend we’ll be starting a new message series called “Life In Action”. This series is all about learning how to put our faith into action, or maybe better, putting action into our faith.
Next week we will hear from Eric Ferguson, originally from Pittsburgh, now a missionary to Nicaragua. He and his wife Shanna are the founders of Metanoia Missions International, a ministry whose vision is to transform nations through the establishment of churches, schools, orphanages, micro-businesses, and humanitarian aid.
Then on Oct. 21 we’ll celebrate with those who are taking action through water baptism in our morning service!
Water Baptisms and New Members Class!
I’m pretty excited about our upcoming Membership class and water baptism service. These are always a great time for me. I love sharing with new people what our church is all about and what we believe. There is something that charges me up every time someone shares their testimony and is water baptized.
The membership class will be from 11am-1pm on Saturday, Oct 13, and the baptism service will be on Sunday, Oct 21 at 10am. If you are interested in participating in either of these send me an email here!.
General Council
If your interested in reading up on any of the elections and resolutions from General Council in Indianapolis this year, you can find some good summaries here, and here.
