Now for a word from our Pastor

The Power of Caring

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

“People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” We’ve all probably heard that saying dozens of times. But it bears repeating, doesn’t it?

I believe there was a time in our culture when the most important issue for people who were considering Christianity was whether or not it was credible. During that time the best Christian thinkers focused on creating air-tight arguments for the truth of the gospel. Many who were convinced by those arguments received and followed Jesus.

But is that still the case today?

Don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. I still think it’s vitally important for us to understand what we believe and be convinced of its truth. But as I observe our culture (at least here in Southern California), I run into more and more people who aren’t necessarily hung up on whether Christianity is true. They want to know whether it works. They want to know if and how followers of Jesus are different from everyone else. And if their primary experience of Christianity is people who appear to be dogmatic and judgmental, they want nothing to do with us.

On the other hand, if they know that we care, they will listen to what we believe. They will want to know what drives us to live our lives with different values and priorities. They will be willing to consider that there might be some substance to who Jesus is and what he taught.

And that’s why the passage we’ll be looking at on Sunday is so important. The theme will be “Caring Enough to Love” from the beginning of Galatians 6, and we’re going to see the power that a caring community has when it is committed to Christ.

I’m convinced that if we grasp and are changed by what God says, we’ll not only be blessed…we’ll be a blessing to others. And then maybe more people will begin to listen.

Hope to see you Sunday,
Doug

P.S. Don’t forget that we’re having a special Congregational Update meeting after our service on Sunday to pass along some exciting news! The meeting will last about 20 minutes and childcare will be provided.

Just Say No???

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

“There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible…and wrong.”

I often think of those words by H.L. Menken, an American journalist from the first half of the 20^th century, when I hear people say things like, “Just say ‘No’” or “Just do it.” They reduce complex behavioral issues into bite-sized slogans that seem plausible and easy. Their simplicity is so refreshing that we often find them useful for a season. But if we’re totally honest, we must admit that our hearts are far more complicated than these slogans would lead us to believe.

In the passage in Galatians 5 that we’ll be looking at tomorrow, Paul talks about a universal conflict within each of us that causes us to “not do what we want.” In Romans 7 he says something similar: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out….When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

Can you relate? I know I can.

Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us to flounder in our struggle. He gives to us One who understands our deepest and darkest conflicts. He’s the One that Jesus promised would be sent to help us, guide us, and lead us into the light of God’s truth. He’s the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit’s role in our lives really does make all the difference.

We’re going to explore tomorrow what it means to live by the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit and to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. Arming ourselves with these truths will not make everything instantly easy…but it will put a different slant on the conflict and enable us, through His power, to win the battle.

We long for the day when the conflict is over and we only want to do those things that honor God and are truly best for us. Until that day, we need all the help we can get. Please join us tomorrow and learn more about our Helper.

Blessings,
Doug

Now What?

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

“Now what?”

That’s always a great question. It most often is asked after some major event has taken place in our lives. You graduate from high school. Now what? You get your first job. Now what? You lose your job. Now what? You get married. Now what? You have a kid. Now what? A loved one dies. Now what? You get the diagnosis and it’s not good. Now what? You retire. Now what?

Life is full of these sorts of milestones, and in the aftermath of each of them, it makes sense to think about our next steps. And so it’s no wonder when it comes to the greatest of all milestones—trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord—it’s appropriate to ask, “Now what?”

We’re going to be facing that question tomorrow morning as we continue our series in Galatians. Paul has described the Christian life as moving from the bondage of slavery to the freedom of being a child of God. But for the Christian, freedom is never an end in itself. It’s ultimately an opportunity to live life differently.

I hope you can join us tomorrow and that you’re challenged in a fresh way by the way the gospel changes everything. We’ve been blessed beyond our wildest imaginations and we’ve been given this tremendous privilege of freedom in Christ. Now what?

Blessings,

Doug

What Really Counts?

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

What really counts in life? That’s not a trick question, but it is tricky to answer. Albert Einstein hit the nail on the head when he wrote, “Not everything that can be counted, counts and not everything that counts can be counted.” There are so many good things in life we can pursue, so who is qualified to say what really matters most?

Only One…God. And He gives us the answer, through the Apostle Paul, in Galatians 5:6 where he writes, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

Did that surprise you? If so, maybe it’s because we want something more specific. Or maybe it’s simply that we don’t understand how far-reaching Paul’s words are. As we’ve been studying Galatians, we have seen that Paul emphasizes over and over again that we are saved from sin’s penalty when we trust that Jesus lived and died for us.

But even though Paul would say that we are saved by faith alone, he would also add, “but that faith is never alone.” His point is that if we truly believe and trust in Jesus, our lives will be changed and out of gratitude we will love the Lord God with all our hearts and we will love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

That’s basically what it means for faith to “express itself through love.” But there’s so much more to flesh out and that will be the focus of the sermon tomorrow.

So whether your faith has already naturally spilled over into acts of love, or whether you are still seeking to understand the gospel, you’ll be challenged in specific ways tomorrow to make your life count. Please pray for your own heart, and then come to worship and expect God to change it!

Blessings,

Doug

Too Good To Be True

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

You’ve all heard the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” That’s what you remind yourself when you read about an investment that guarantees you a 25% annual return. Or when you come across an ad claiming you can make $20,000/month working at home stuffing envelopes. Or—my favorite—when you get the email from the wealthy refugee from some foreign country who just needs all your banking information so he can transfer $10 million dollars out of his unstable country...and for all your “trouble” he’ll let you keep $1 million.

Life just doesn’t work that way, right? And it’s a good thing to have a healthy level of skepticism about these sorts of claims.

But what if you actually knew someone who never made a promise that was too good to be true? Or to put it a little differently, what if you knew Someone whose promises always exceeded your wildest and most optimistic expectations?

As we continue our study in Galatians this Sunday, Paul takes us back once more to the story of Abraham and Sarah. God made some outrageous promises to them, and He not only fulfilled them, but He fulfilled them in an even greater way than they could ever have imagined! And ultimately, the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and Sarah has tremendous significance for each one of us. Amazing.

But like us, Abraham and Sarah weren’t without their doubts and struggles. In fact, they went through a whole chapter of their lives basically saying, “God’s promises to us are simply too good to be true.” And so they tried to “help” God. And that’s where some serious trouble started.

It’s a fascinating story that Paul uses to encourage us to trust in grace. I hope you can join us this Sunday to hear it. I could promise you that if you come on Sunday, you’ll win the lottery, discover the fountain of youth, and become ruler of the world, but you’re all too smart to fall for that. And besides, who needs that stuff when you really understand what God is promising?

Blessings,
Doug

One of the Family

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

I begin every email to you that way…“Dear church family…” It’s the best way I know to describe the best thing about the church: we’re brothers and sisters in Christ. But it doesn’t stop there. NCPC is not only a family…it’s part of a much larger family that is global and timeless. Through Christ, we’re all tied together.

Tomorrow morning we’re going to be looking at Galatians 3:26-4:7, and one of the great things about this passage is that it speaks of the work of each person in the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—telling us how each One works together to give us full benefits in God’s family. It’s one of those remarkable passages that we can’t come close to comprehending! But my hope tomorrow is that we will be drawn by the reality of our place in God’s family to a closer experience of that reality.

I certainly need it, and I would guess that most of you long for it as well.

So come expectantly and pray for God’s Spirit to work in each of our hearts, beginning with your own (and please pray for mine as well!).

Blessings,
Doug

The Worst Day and the Best Day

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

At our Good Friday service last night, one of our members came up to me afterwards and asked “Why is the day that Jesus died called ‘Good’ Friday?” Good question! On the one hand, it seems as if we should call it “Bad Friday” because the day that the Son of God was crucified has to be the worst day in the history of the world. But as I said in response last night, the worst day is also a good day. At least for us! Why? Because the death of Christ was a necessary part of God’s plan to bring us back to our heavenly Father.

So it might be tempting to say that the worst day in the history of the world was also the best day in the history of the world. But that wouldn’t be quite right either. The best day was not Good Friday, but Easter Sunday. God sent His Son to suffer for our sins on a Friday, but on that Sunday He raised Him from the dead so that all would know that the debt had been paid and Jesus had conquered death forever!

That’s what we’ll be celebrating tomorrow. No bittersweet mixture of bad news and good news…only joy! We’re going to look at the story of Mary Magdalene finding the empty tomb, but failing to understand its significance until Jesus softly spoke her name. It’s an incredible story of hope lost, but an even greater hope regained. It really is the best day in the history of the world! I hope you can be with us tomorrow to experience it together.

And don’t forget we will be having two services! The first service will be at 9:00am and the second at 11:00am. If you come to the first service (and can navigate uneven surfaces!) please consider helping us out by parking in the lower lot so that our paved parking will be available for visitors and our senior members.

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Blessings,
Doug

The Color of Our Longings

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

“We tend to paint people the color of our longings.” That’s a quote from book on marriage I read a long time ago. The author was making the point that during courtship we often see in potential spouses what WE want them to be, rather than who they really are. And if we carry those expectations into our marriages, at some point we’ll be in for a rude awakening.

That quote came to mind today as I was thinking about the events of Palm Sunday. The people who were following Jesus around wanted an earthly king who would free them from Roman occupation and oppression. They had been waiting for this “Messiah” for centuries, and even though there were several promising leaders during those years, Israel was still in bondage.

Then Jesus came along and raised those expectations once again. And as it turned out, Jesus was the promised and hoped-for Messiah. But here was the rub: Jesus was a different Messiah than the people expected. They painted him the color of their longings, so on Palm Sunday they held a parade and shouted hosannas. But in the days that followed Jesus kept talking about suffering and death, and by Friday the joyful masses had dwindled down to a handful of mourners at the foot of the cross.

What went wrong? Jesus’ disciples just didn’t get the fact that God had sent his Son into the world with a much greater agenda than theirs. He came to free the oppressed and release those in bondage, but the slave master Jesus saved us from was not Rome…it was our sin. It all made sense a week later…after he was crucified, buried and then raised from the dead. But on Palm Sunday, it was a case of the people celebrating the right man, but for all the wrong reasons.

So on Sunday we’re going to be reminded of how Jesus’ followers missed the boat on Palm Sunday, but we’re also going to have the opportunity to celebrate the right Man for all the right reasons! I hope you can join us. We’re having one of our Family Celebration Services, so the kids and students will be in with us during worship, and afterwards we’re having a full meal together on the patio. You won’t want to miss it!

Blessings,
Doug

P.S. And don’t forget our Good Friday service at 7:00 and our Easter services on April 8^th at 9:00 and 11:00. Pick up some more flyers and invite your friends!

Three Things

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

A few weeks ago we made an announcement on Sunday morning that we would have a young family joining us this summer for a pastoral internship. Greg & Caitelen Schneeberger have been involved on staff at a church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, serving in the areas of music, youth and young adults. We’re looking forward to helping Greg along toward the goal of becoming ordained in our denomination, but we’re also very excited to see how God will use their gifts and talents among us at NCPC!

Greg & Caitelen have set up a website to tell their family and friends about their upcoming move, and you can see it at http://graceandmissionca.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/home/. They will be coming out for a brief trip in June to check out housing options, and then moving permanently in July. And speaking of “housing options,” if you are aware of a house or apartment in Encinitas that the Schneebergers could rent, please let us know. They have a little girl (Aria) and are expecting their second child in August.

Changing subjects…I hope you can be with us tomorrow! We’ll be looking at Galatians 3:15-25 as we continue our series, and it’s a very interesting passage. You might want to look at it tonight or in the morning to see if you can make sense out of it. It’s one of two passages in Galatians that are very theologically challenging, but Paul also drives home the truth with some great application. I’m looking forward to walking us all through it in the morning.

And then one last thing: please be thinking of someone that you can invite to our Easter service on April 8^th. It’s only two weeks away! There are all sorts of people who are open to coming to worship services on Easter that may not be as interested on other Sundays. So give it some thought! The hockey great, Wayne Gretzky, once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” I think there’s a parallel there to inviting friends to church…100% of the ones you don’t invite probably won’t come. And we’d all be surprised at how many of them would love to be invited. We had 500 extra flyers printed up so you can grab some tomorrow and then ask God to direct you to those you can invite. You never know how God will use something so simple!

Blessings,

Doug

Rainy Days

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Church Family,

What do you do on a rainy day? Rainy days sort of knock us out of our routine and offer us the opportunity to do something different. I was supposed to play baseball this morning, but now I have several hours to fill in some other way I will choose.

And throughout the day, I will face a whole series of options that require me to make choices. Most of those choices are rather insignificant, but some of them could start me down a path that will have far-reaching consequences. Sometimes you know, sometimes you don’t.

The Bible has many stories of times when people faced crossroads and had to make difficult choices. God came to Abraham and Sarah on a normal day in the city of Ur thousands of years ago. It could have been a rainy day for all I know. God told them to leave their country, their people, their father’s household, and move to a different land. The kicker is that Abraham was 75, and Sarah was 65. In our day, they would have been members of AARP, collecting Social Security, and enjoying their grandkids.

But that day they had to make a choice. And when they chose to obey God, they changed the course of history.

I’m not expecting to make any choices today that will be as far-reaching as Abraham’s, but I will be thinking all day long about the significance of the decision Abraham made that day. Why? Because tomorrow as we continue our series in Galatians, we’re going to look at the most important choice that each of us makes in life. And Paul ties it into the story of Abraham.

I just checked the weather and the forecast is for more rain tomorrow. So you’ll have another day of options! Hopefully your first choice will be to come to worship. Hope to see each one of you!

Blessings,
Doug