Living Like We Belong

March 28, 2019 Cat Russell Leave a comment

Welcome to Pastor Rick Ebbers from our sister church The Journey in Longmont. Rick and I both thought it a good idea to trade messages to each other’s faith communities. Rick and I have been friends for about 15 years now.

Rick will be bringing a message from Ephesians 4:1-16, a message on the unity and maturity in the body of Christ – because of Christ! Rick will preach on the theme of Living Like We Belong.

In reading the text for Sunday’s message, what are the characteristics that mark the Christian community? The text has many defining characteristics.

Unity in Christ is something we are given when we come to know Christ. Jesus accomplished our unity and Paul simple calls the church to ‘make every effort to keep it.’ Gonna be a great time of celebrating Christ!

On April 7th and 14th, we will complete our series on the Ten Commandments with the call to Telling the Truth and The Desires of your Heart.

In the name of Jesus, for the sake of Christ and his kingdom,

Pastor Mark

Pastor Mark's Weekly Blog, Uncategorized

Kingdom of God Community: Love

January 19, 2017 Cat Russell Leave a comment

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lovestill Sunday we wrap up our three part series on Kingdom of God Community: Grace, Truth, and LOVE. Our culture tells us all kinds of things about love… what it is… what it should be… how to find it… when to fall for it… and there are all kinds of counterfeits… infatuations… distortions… hard to know what is TRUE love.

1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 4:7-21 are masterpieces on the topic of love. I invite you to read these passages as you prepare for Sunday worship. The love that is expressed and expounded by Paul and John comes from the Greek word Agape. The simple expression of agape is selfless. And John says in 1 John, God is agape. And then goes on to say that we are called by God to imitate God in the ways of agape. Fundamentally, the call of God is this: “because God is agape to us, we are to be agape to one another.”

1 Corinthians 13 describes what agape looks like… In light of the teaching of Paul and John in these passages, we could put our name in place of the word love (agape) each time it is used in verses 4-7. Try that on… put your name in place of the word love, “Mark is patient, Mark is kind… Mark does not envy… etc.”

Now there is a challenge. God is calling us to be a community of grace, truth, and LOVE. Let’s engage it!

Following our 9:30am Sunday morning worship, we will be meeting with our Care Groups. We welcome everyone to stay and attend these smaller gatherings as our elder/deacon teams meet with you for fellowship and conversation. We are interested in updating you on happenings within Crestview Church and interested in your feedback.

See you soon!

In Jesus name,
Pastor Mark

Pastor Mark's Weekly Blog, Uncategorized

Fake News

January 12, 2017 Cat Russell Leave a comment

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fake-news FAKE NEWS! Read all about it…
Gotcha! Yes, the headline is just a ‘hook’ to get you to read more.

I’ve been noticing that fake news is far more common than I realized. Its everywhere. You can read it in print, search for it on the internet, hear it in conversations at the coffee shop, its everywhere. I’ve also noticed that of fake news is circulating in the church and affecting people’s lives in significant ways. We are in the middle of a three week series on Kingdom of God Community: Grace, Truth, and Love. When it comes to truth, where do you find it? Who has it? How do you come to know it? And the big question: Is there such a thing as truth?

When Jesus comes on the scene a couple thousand years ago, and God makes an appearance on earth ‘in the flesh’, there was also a lot of fake news. It was in the synagogue, out in the public square, everywhere! What does Jesus have to say about it?

For Sunday, an invitation and challenge: Skim (and I mean skim) the first few chapters of each gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Here is what you are looking for: How does Jesus begin his formal ministry? Specifically what does he say at the beginning of each Gospel? Jesus is bringing into being a ‘Kingdom’ of sorts… and how does he announce it? I’m thinking of three themes in particular that rhyme with ‘fee-rent’, ‘we-leave’, and ‘swallow tea.’

In these are some keys about truth. This is the real news.

Peace out,
Pastor Mark ouzel-falls

Pastor Mark's Weekly Blog

New Year’s Resolution and Grace

January 5, 2017 Cat Russell Leave a comment

What’s your new year’s resolution? After a few days into the new year, how’s it going?

I think resolutions are a set up for failure. Let me explain. Resolutions are dangerous. If following through on a resolution is up to me, I’m in trouble. I’m not sure I have ever been able to follow through on a new year’s resolution – and I’m 49 years into trying.

It brings up another question: how do we deal with failure? If we are honest, failure is universal. The next three weeks, our worship and message will focus on Kingdom of God community (Grace, Truth, and Love). Grace us up first.

How does God see our failures? God’s grace, truth, and love is critical in navigating our failure. For Sunday, read John 1:14-18, Ephesians 2:4-10 and 3:16-21. How many times is grace mentioned in these passages? How do you understand grace?

Grace is difficult to understand. It is better experienced. Maybe it helps to see how Jesus responds to Peter’s failures (fleeing from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, denying knowing Jesus three times, etc). Read John 21. How does Jesus respond to Peter’s failures and how does he restore Peter?

Henry and Richard Blackaby in their Experiencing God devotional put it this way, “Jesus does not need your resolutions, your recommitments, or your promises to try harder. If your resolve to obey God last year did not help you to be faithful, it will not make you successful this year. Jesus simply asks for your love.”

Can’t wait til Sunday to see you and share in God’s grace together.

We will kick off the new year sharing a meal together, communion! See you soon,

Pastor Mark ouzel-falls