"Called to an Identity in Christ"

Every week, I find it very difficult to take what I preach on Thursday nights and put that into words on a blog - I find myself needing page after page after page. So for last night, I am simply posting my few ppt slides that I used during the message. True, they do leave about 90% of my message out, but several have requested to see them so here they are:

So have at it....

And remember - two weeks away - September 24th @ 7:30 "Call Night"!

See you Thursday!

pcraig

KALEO: to this you were called...

We start a brand new series here at theTURN tomorrow night, and I am so excited about what God is going to do in and through our lives! Throughout the whole month I will be preaching about the call of God on our lives individually as well as corporately - there is no telling what might happen over the next few weeks!

“Kaleo: to this you were called” – college and 20-somethings
Kaleo: to call; to utter in a loud voice. Join theTURN all month long as we learn God’s call on each of our lives. What does it mean to be called to greatness? Absolute submission. Ultimate sacrifice. And relentless pursuit of that which is promised to those who will follow. God is calling the college-and-20-somethings to be ready to follow His divine calling.

And I want to take the opportunity to celebrate and thank God for what He did here at theTURN over the month of August:

• 21 new commitments to Christ in our altars over 4 weeks
• 575 + college and 20-somethings attended our 4 worship experiences
• 33 visitors over the month on our Thursday nights
• 27 students served with us for two days in our "Dorm Raiders" event on Aug. 15-16
• helped 400 college students move in over 12 hours in two days
• our team carried a combined 82,000 pounds in one weekend!
• launched our first TURN OC service on Aug. 21 and had 78 people in attendance in our first worship experience
• had 4 prayer meetings with our TURN leaders over the month

To say the least, I am pumped about what the near future holds for this unified community as we continue to move forward!

I would not miss a single week if I were you.....

See you tomorrow night - I am making the kaleo!

pcraig

"Holy Cow" Party Was a Blast!

The night was great; food was free; and all had fun!

Just some message recaps for those who are asking:

A UNIFIED COMMUNITY

1 Cor. 12:12-24

A unified community = authentic relationships committed to a common vision. The church has the most potential for beautiful community and meaningful relationships than any other organization can offer in the world. You can't escape the presence of the value of community in the Scriptures.

Community is not the goal of what we do - it is the byproduct. When we make friendships and community the goal, the focus of what we do turns in. But the focus has to be on Jesus - making Jesus known, worshiping Him, lifting Him up. Start thinking battleship, not cruise ship. A battleship is about mission; a cruise ship is about comfort.

We are a unified community with intentional mission. You need it and you're needed.

Make the choice to connect your life. Don't believe the lie: "All I need is God and me."

Know that we are all different but can complement one another. The very thing that rubs you the wrong way about the people you are closest to is the very thing pointing you the right way so you can be on mission with God.

Puzzle pieces go together because they are shaped differently!

Check out these Scriptures:

Romans 12:5

Romans 12:15

Romans 15:14

1 Cor. 12:25

1 Thess. 5:11

Ephesians 5:21

Ephesians 4:2

Hebrews 10:24

1 Peter 4:10

James 5:16

Galatians 6:2

Over and over we see the Scriptures pushing us back toward each other.

The reason the choice to connect your life is the first choice is that God wants people in your life to bring about the benefits of the other choices. The other choices do no good for the hermit. You need others, and the alienation you experience in your pain blocks them off from you. So you must take a step away from your comfortable surroundings and allow others to minister to you and nurture you - no matter how difficult it is.

What is God's purpose in creation? And what is His purpose in redemption?

• Creation:

1. Romans 3:23 → Man to share in Glory
2. Romans 3:21→ Glory of the children of God

For the Glory!

"Every time you sin, instinctively you think of judgment and punishment. When God sees sin, he thinks 'Man missed out on Glory'...When you sin, you forfeit Glory."

Purpose of Redemption: GLORY, GLORY, GLORY

Romans 8:16-18 and Romans 8:29-30
Jesus is the first born Son among many other glorified sons.

BUT, It says in John 1:14 that he is the ONLY son.

How can God make the ONLY begotten the FIRST begotten?? 

John 12:24 says "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

Jesus was the ONLY seed, but He DIED and rose again so He could produce MANY SEEDS!!!

The Prodigal Son isn't about the son's suffering, but the father's loss.

The 1st and 20th chapters of John explain Unified Community. In chapter one, Jesus is the ONLY son and refers to God as "My Father" or "The Father." But after His death and resurrection, when He becomes the first of many sons, He is pleased to call us brethren. "My Father AND Your Father." This is found in John 20:17. Check it out. It is the first time the disciples are called brethren, because now the resurrection has happened!

"He became what we are so that we can become what He is." 

Glory only follows order. Our bodies are our temples, and in the Old Testament, God specifies the order that He wants His temples to be built so that the Glory may follow. Give the temple (our bodies) order, so that Glory can enter.

"I THE SON OF GOD BECAME THE SON OF MAN, SO THAT YOU, THE SON OF ADAM, MIGHT BECOME THE SON OF GOD!!"

Notes thanks to Ashley Jennings!

Looking forward to this Thursday night - what are we called to?

We start the brand new series...see you there!

pcraig

School of Discipleship

I wanted to put a little plug in here about what I believe to be one of the greatest and most influential ministries a church could ever offer - it is called the School of Discipleship!

It starts here at Free Chapel on Monday, September 14 - the school is from 7:00-9:00pm every Monday night. It will last 12 weeks, and I strongly encourage anyone to be a part of it!

I am one of the foundation teachers in the School, and I would be honored to have you be a part of the class! The cost is $50 and this covers all of your materials - two books, a notebook, and printing costs.

You can sign up this Thursday night if you want to  - come see me for information about it!

Much love,

pc

Thursday Nights: What Should I Expect?

Last Thursday night was a blast for everyone!

And here are the message points recapped:

• Nehemiah 8
• Came together for worship as one man - gathered together in unity yet were still divided
• The people begged him to preach - could you imagine what would happen if we were all face-forward into what God wanted to say to us on Thursday nights?
• We are anchored to the Word of God - not entertainment.
• Preached til noon - 5 hours and the people listened attentively! Wow - preaching is a big deal. Well we say that each week...
• 5 Faulty Approaches to Worship:
• Simon Cowell - judgmental, critical spirit - church is like American Idol to you - are you going to vote us in another week?
• Bunny Rabbit - professional church shoppers - this alienates you from the life God wants you to live - buy in!
• Movie Theater - "Here we are now, entertain us!" - this is not a show - people show up with an exit strategy in one hand to get out on the last song to beat the crowd - more to this than that!
• Diet Coke - I will live like hell all week and wash down all my guilt in one hour each Thursday night! Worship is meant to be an overflow not a meal replacement plan!
• Blackberry - just another thing to do - another appointment to make - come to church as a duty to check off the list
• And I taught for a while on the two creations - old man and new man and the divide of the Cross, but I could not possibly put all of those points on here.....if you want more of that, sign up for the School of Discipleship - it starts Monday, September 14 at 7:00 pm and will go until 9:00 pm. The session is 12 weeks long - it will flat out change your life!

See you this Thursday!

pcraig

Part Dos - "A Dying Seed"

What’s going on TURN? It’s been a great time being involved with theTURN! God has been stirring things up and there is an expectancy when Thursdays come around that God is going show up at service and change us forever.  I was reading over my last blog post and realized that I made a very common mistake.  People always talk about dying to self like I did, but what does that look like? Lets take a look at three passages of scripture that can help us as we try to die to ourselves so that Christ may be made more complete in our lives.

1^st Corinthians 6:18-20

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

There is something about sexual sin, Paul writes, that is different from all other sins.  As believers, when we indulge our flesh with sexual sin the consequences are very serious because we are sinning against our own body.  How many friends have we known that are caught up in bad relationships or had to deal with serious consequences because of sexual sin?  In order for Christ to be formed completely in our lives we have to avoid sexual sin at any cost.  One way to keep yourself safe is to partner with a friend and help keep each other accountable. 

Mark 1:35

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

We all know that the worse sound in the world is the alarm clock.  Have you ever been sitting around and the alarm you use on your phone goes off on someone else’s phone? Tell me that you do not instantly feel miserable.  Seriously though, here we see Christ, after ministering to the multitudes the pervious day, rose early and prayed.  If we commit ourselves to waking up early and seeking God our minds will be better focused on him throughout the day.  I am reminded of a quote “He who does not seek God in the morning rarely finds Him in the evening.” Easier said than done I know, but just start simple - wake up 15 minutes earlier or even 10 but give yourself time to work up to longer periods.

Luke 22:41-42

He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

What a influential yet seemingly short scripture.  Odds are we have all read this story of Jesus in the garden hundreds of times but, what a demonstration of giving total control to God.  The death Jesus died in the garden is one that we all must strive for, the total submission of our wills to the will of God.  What if we as a community at theTURN truly prayed this prayer and lived it out.  No matter what the situation or obstacle presented itself we would never compromise what God’s will is for our lives.  Then my thoughts are that things would become much clearer in our lives.  The secret is submitting to God’s will in our day-to-day life.  Why do we say “God if you call me to Africa I will go” but we wont share God’s love with our suitemate or neighbor? 

Let’s be honest here, chances are I didn’t write anything that you haven’t heard a million times, but are you doing it? Now is the time, as theTURN embarks on this incredible adventure, why not start now?  Why not unite as a community and devote ourselves to God during this time in our lives, as we get older it only gets more difficult.  Comments? Tell me what you think I love you all and I will see you at theTURN this Thursday, AND REMEMBER: BRING SOMEBODY.

 

DYING TO SELF
When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any unpunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, and any interruption by the will of God.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
Are you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross.

See you soon...

Pastor Jeremy - theNINE Assistant Youth Pastor

"What's theTURN?"

"We need to become more focused on who we are trying to reach than who we are trying to keep."

Above was a quote I made last Thursday night....which by the way, last week was nothing short of incredible! 140 college and 20-somethings in attendance with 7 commitments to Christ - God is shifting us in a new direction...

Just a quick recap of the night:

"What's theTURN?

I used the five dumbest things I've heard said about the church to preach my message on Thursday night, and then I sought to show how they were ignorant statements based upon what the church did not do in the book of Acts.

What is the vision for theTURN? It is simple - the vision for the Church at large. My whole message came out of Acts 2:36-46.

1. PREACHING ISN'T NEEDED IN TODAY'S CHURCHES - IT DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE! We will always believe in the preaching of the gospel at theTURN. NT church started with preaching. It is a life-giving exchange.

2. I WASN'T GETTING FED AT THAT CHURCH.

The people devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching....an authentic church is a learning church. It is the first mark of a Spirit-filled church that Luke gives in Acts 2:42.

3. I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO CHURCH TO BE A CHRISTIAN.

No, but they needed it; so I know I need it! Read Acts 2:46. They met in large gatherings as well as in smaller groups. We will follow this model of ministry at theTURN. Don't rob yourself of the greatest thing going because it sucked one time. A bad experience is no excuse for a withdrawal or complacency in the church. An unchurched Christian in the NT would have been a grotesque abnormality - a monster. Stop being a bonified church shopper and buy in to what God is doing..! Never heard the bare minimum principle applied to any other part of our lives...never heard a lady say, "I only need one pair of shoes to walk."

4. I DON'T LIKE BIG CHURCHES.

Simple as this: you won't like heaven then. Rev. 7:8-9. Don't excuse your lack of church growth and souls coming to know Jesus by saying you don't like big churches. Shame on us for wanting to preserve our community at the expense of people dying and going to hell.

5. GOD DOES NOT CHANGE SO WHY DOES THE CHURCH?

He always moves...I want to pastor a church that sings a hymn for worship and plays Outkast behind theTURN News - a church that combines old timeless values and truths and adds modern vibes to reach people.

See you this Thursday night....

pc