Reflections From Sunday

This past Sunday we had a great day @GFchurch. I love our team and all that He is doing in us, to us, and through us. Scott Finch did a great job leading us in worship. If you were unable to attend service this past Sunday you can watch it here on GatewayTV. We looked at Discipleship, and what it looks like to be a disciple. Here is the basic outline of the message::

The Great Commission: “Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’”” ~ Matthew 28:19-20

...... Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you




excerpt from Dallas Willard‘s The Spirit of the Disciplines

The word "disciple" occurs 269 times in the New Testament. "Christian" is found only three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to the disciples…. The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ.


But the point is not merely verbal. What is more important is the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special type of person. All of the assurances and the benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian — especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the kingdom of God.


For at least several decades the churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian. One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship. Contemporary American churches in particular do not require following Christ in his example, spirit, and teachings as a condition of membership — either or entering into or continuing in fellowship of a denomination or a local church…


…So far as the visible Christian institutions of our day are concerned, discipleship is clearly optional….



(Cited in Richard Foster’s Devotional Classics, pp. 14-15.)



Luke 5:1-11

5Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

qualities of a disciple::

* obedience
* humility
* mission
* spiritual health / disciplines


In the words of James E. Faust:

“Our true claim as disciples comes when we can say with certainty that His ways have become our ways.” James E. Faust, “Discipleship,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 20–23


.....Brief overview of Romans 6-8



* A Disciple not only confesses with his mouth but also confesses by his actions.
* A Disciple confesses Jesus with their life.
* A Disciple loves Jesus more than anything.

...... Summary of Galatians 5


We have some big events coming up in the life of our church. We are now in the preparation stages of putting our neighborhood block parties together. We will also be pushing out some information regarding a Gateway Community Day, as well as many other opportunities to embrace the community around us. One of the big things we need your help with is gathering candy for the Royse City "Trick or Treat on Main Street" community event that will be held on Wednesday, October 27th.


......Don't forget about our discussion about Spiritual Disciplines. We hope you decide to pick one (or more) of these to begin training this week......

~Worship
~Meditation on Scripture
~Prayer
~Fasting
~Making war against sin
~Others before self
~Submission
~Service




Mark Your Calendars::

~October 23, 2010 Men's Breakfast
~October 27, 2010 Trick or Treat on Main Street


ConnectGroup Schedule::
TuesNite @ 7pm @ The Snow's
WedNite @ 7pm @ The Brown's
SunMorn @ 915am @ GFchurch (Youth)


I love our church
I love our people
I love our team
I love what He is doing in us
I love what He is doing to us
I love what He is doing through us

Reflections From Sunday

This past Sunday we had a great day @GFchurch. I love our team and all that He is doing in us, to us, and through us. Scott Finch did a great job leading us in worship. If you were unable to attend service this past Sunday you can watch it here on GatewayTV. We looked at our Fellowship/ Identity in Christ, here is the basic outline of the message::

* When you abandon an identity that you receive from God, you are forced to create one on your own ~JR Vassar
* Rest in the identity that He has given you
* Often times our Identity is exchanged for Imagery (something we have done, trying to save yourself)

Christians are often hampered from moving forward spiritually because they lack an understanding of who they really are in Christ.
Often times our faith becomes checking off religious boxes and checklists instead of living the reality of who God has declared us to be!

Our enemy seeks to distort our understanding of who we are.
..... He cannot rob us of our identity~ our identity is secure, but he can mess with our view of our identity.
........For example, many people struggle with seeing God as a Father and seeing themselves as His child because of a bad earthly father.



The Great Commission: “Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’””
Matthew 28:19-20

* Baptism is a public declaration of one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
* Baptism is a perfect illustration of what Christ has done for all sinners through His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4)

1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

* Baptism is also a personal identification with Christ and with His Church (Galatians 3:27).

27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.


Baptism not only signifies our identification with Jesus Christ but also our desire to live a life of obedience to Him

When a person becomes a disciple of Jesus, he relates in a new way to the entire Godhead. The Father becomes our heavenly Father, the Son our Lord, the Spirit our indwelling enabler. And in the act of baptism we submit ourselves to all three, and we pledge allegiance to all three.

We have fellowship with Him and the local church.

Paul’s words to the church in Corinth::

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, brothers,1 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:10-17



“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:5-6


Fellowship is the evidence of waking in the light::
~ 1 John 1:5-7


Loving people is an evidence of that walk::
~1 John 2:9-11


Fellowship with people is an exercise of love bringing us toward spiritual maturity:: 1 John 4:7-21



The Challenge::

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12:1-2

.......out of the Message::
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.


In Christ you are…

• God’s beloved child (Jn 1:12: Eph 1:5)
• Christ’s dear friend (Jn 15:5)
• Declared perfectly righteous (“justified”) (Rom 5:1)
• Free from condemnation (Rom 8:1; Col 2:14-16)
• United with Christ, “one spirit” with Christ (I Cor 6:17; Eph 5:31)
• A member of Christ’s body (I Cor 6:15/ 12:27)
• The Temple of God (I Cor 6:19)
• Filled with the “fullness of God” (Eph 3:19)
• A “holy one” [saint] (Eph 1:1)
• Blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3)
• Holy and blameless (Eph 1:4)
• Bought with an infinite price and forgiven (I Cor 6: 20; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14)
• Bathed with wisdom and understanding (Eph 1:8)
• The recipient of an eternal, infinitely rich, inheritance (Eph 1:11, 18)
• Possessed with the mind of Christ (I Cor 2:16)
• Inseparable form God’s love (Rom 8:35-39)
• One who will NEVER be abandoned (Mt 28:20)
• The beautiful bride of Christ who “ravishes” the heart of God (Song of Songs, 4:1ff; 6:4ff).
• One over whom the Lord rejoices, sings and claps his hands(Zeph 3:17)
• One for whom the Lord throws a party (Zeph 3:17; Lk 15:7-10)
• A recipient of God’s own peace (Jn 14:27)
• Filled with the peace and joy of God (Rom 14:17)
• One in whom Christ’s joy is fulfilled (Jn 15:11)
• Given direct access to the Father by the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:18)
• Seated with Christ in heavenly realms (Eph 2:6)
• Seated “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” with Christ (Eph 1:21).
• Hid in Christ in heavenly realms (Col 3:1-5)
• Crucified, Buried and Raised with Christ (Rom 6:1-11)
• Made perfect forever (Heb 10:14)
• Made complete in Christ (Col 2:10)
• Indwelled by a fearless Spirit (2 Tim 1:7)
• One of God’s precious works of art (Eph 2:10)
• Indwelt by a spirit of power, love and stability (2 Tim 1:7)
• A citizen of heaven (Phil 3:20)
• Predestined to look like Jesus and see him in his glory (Rom 8:29; I Jn 3:1-5)
• One in whom God is working to bring good out of evil (Rom 8:28)
• Salt of the earth (Mt 5:13)
• A branch chosen to bear fruit (Jn 15:16)
• A co-worker with God (I Cor 3:9)
• An ambassador of Christ and minister of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:17-20)
• A priest of the most high God ( I Pet 2:5-9)
• More than a conqueror in all things (Rom 8:37)
• One who knows the truth and is set free (Jn 8:32).
• One who can do all things in Christ (Phil 4:13)

* When you abandon an identity that you receive from God, you are forced to create one on your own~ JR Vassar
* Rest in the identity that He has given you
* Often times our Identity is exchanged for Imagery (something we have done, trying to save yourself)



We have some big events coming up in the life of our church. We are now in the preparation stages of putting our neighborhood block parties together. We will also be pushing out some information regarding a Gateway Community Day, as well as many other opportunities to embrace the community around us. One of the big things we need your help with is gathering candy for the Royse City "Trick or Treat on Main Street" community event that will be held on Wednesday, October 27th.


......Don't forget about our discussion about Spiritual Disciplines. We hope you decide to pick one (or more) of these to begin training this week......

~Worship
~Meditation on Scripture
~Prayer
~Fasting
~Making war against sin
~Others before self
~Submission
~Service




Mark Your Calendars::

~October 23, 2010 Men's Breakfast
~October 27, 2010 Trick or Treat on Main Street


ConnectGroup Schedule::
TuesNite @ 7pm @ The Snow's
WedNite @ 7pm @ The Brown's
SunMorn @ 915am @ GFchurch (Youth)


I love our church
I love our people
I love our team
I love what He is doing in us
I love what He is doing to us
I love what He is doing through us

Fields of the Fatherless

Tom Davis, in his book, Fields of the Fatherless, wrote::

What am I missing? Some years ago, I found myself asking this question almost daily. As a pastor, I thought I knew what mattered to God. I read my Bible almost every day. I tithed, I watched the “right” movies, I prayed as often as I could, I kept my devotions on track and I even journaled in an attempt to reflect on what was happening in my life! But none of this could shake my conviction that I was still missing something. Something important.

The rest of the book he talks about his journey into finding Jesus in a whole new dimension as he joined Jesus in the “fields of the fatherless” – orphan ministry in post communist Russia. This book is about adoption; not only our adoption as believers in Christ but also the fact that the Gospel spurs us into action.

Here are some of my favorite statements and or thoughts throughout his book:

.... Living Jesus' way demands that turn our back on our natural inclinations. Instead of self-concern, we need to be more concerned with loving our neighbors as ourselves and taking care of their needs ~p.34

.... God wants us to remember our bondage, remember how He has saved us, and in that remembrance, He wants us to reach out in love to the fatherless ~p.35

.... If the early church spent so much of it's time focusing on the fatherless in this respect, shouldn't we make them a priority as well? God gave us the responsibility to care for the defenseless ~p.37

.... Because of Christ's love for us, because He forgave us such an enormous debt we could never repay, we can show others the forgiveness and love of Christ. Genuine, believing faith manifests itself in tangible ways when we care for those who are poor, suffering, and fatherless or motherless ~p.63

.... If I am living in comfort and blessing, more is required of me as a follower of Christ ~p.64

.... My "blessings" are opportunities for me to reveal the reality of the faith I proclaim to possess. ~p.64

.... "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" Matt 25:40

Wow, if that's the reason Jesus gives for ushering us into His Kingdom, it is surely a powerful statement as to what He's looking for from us"
He aches for those in pain, He sees the needs of the hungry and hungers with them. He hears they cry of the orphans, identifies Himself with their misery, and lowers Himself to their level ~p.71

.... One person has the ability to completely revolutionize the life of an abandon child, a foreigner, a single mom, or an elderly widow. Your creative energy could be the very thing that helps him or her keep going and even experience God's love for the first time ~p.98

.... each of us can do something to alter the life of at least one person whom God loves and cherishes ~p.100

.... simple acts of kindness are all it takes to change a life, a community, even a nation ~p.107

....God's love was most tangible when Jesus noticed the defenseless, Jesus identified with those who were forced to live in misery and then He did something to relive their pain ~p.109

.... The character of our Savior is compassion ~p.110

.... Most of His opportunities to care and heal occurred because He was out walking among them ~p.115

.... The greatest need each of us has-to know our true Father. Knowing Him brings definition, fulfillment, and completion to our lives. It truly answers the questions of our existence, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. ~p.125

.... If I could live my life doing one thing, what would You want me to do? I believe the message of Isaiah 58:7-9, would be His answer

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.


This is a great read. Go out and pick up a copy. Remember that in biblical times God maintained a special portion for the less fortunate. During harvest time, His people were instructed to leave a portion of the crops for those in need.

Are you leaving a portion to serve as provision for those who are less fortunate?

ONE campaign

On September 12, 2010, we celebrated our 5yr anniversary and we talked about the ONE campaign. The ONE campaign is a campaign for us to "engage in" and "partner with" over the next year.

We are looking at each family in our church prayerfully INVESTING&INVITING at least ONE family over the year to one of our ministry events. We are asking each family to engage in a relationship with at least ONE family or person that is pre-churched, de-churched or anti-churched in an effort to share the Gospel of Christ with them. As a part of this campaign, we asked you to fill out an IMPACT card this past Sunday that you can keep in your Bible to help remind you to pray for them. On that card are the names of the 10 families or persons we just shared about above. We also asked that you fill out another card with the exact information on it and turn it back into the church so the Elders and staff can pray over them specifically.

We are asking our connect groups to begin "stretching" themselves in the area of local and global missions. We are also asking them to begin the birthing process of another group out of their existing one. We must be intentional about the discipleship process and forming new leaders. We must birth at least ONE more connect group out of each of our existing ones.

We are also planning on birthing ONE more GFchurch campus over the next year. Church planting is a part of our DNA and we must be going through birthing pains over the next year. We are already a regional church, and as we experience God's growth, we know we will need to meet needs by offering services in different places and at different times.

Another challenge we are asking our people to partner in is sacrificing ONE "going out" meal a week and give that money to the church to help support our missional efforts in our community and other surrounding communities.

We are really excited about all that is going on in the life of our church and we are asking you to pray with us that this year will be the best yet.

Remember the next few months we will be hosting several block parties, a couple food drives in order to help support the food pantry, and participating in some community wide events in an effort to share the Gospel of Christ.


LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, CHANGE THE WORLD

Reflections From Sunday

This past Sunday @GFchurch we continued our series where we are looking at the functions of the church and our calling in life as believers in Jesus Christ. Zach Snow, shared with us a message on evangelism. If you were unable to attend service or would like to hear the message again, you can catch it on GatewayTV. Here are the scriptures that Zach shared used in his message::

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (New American Standard Bible)

11"For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.

12"It is not in heaven, that you should say, '(A)Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?'

13"Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?'

14"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
Choose Life
15"See, (B)I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;

16in that I command you today (C)to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you (D)may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.

17"But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,

18I declare to you today that (E)you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.

19"(F)I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, (G)the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,

20(H)by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and (I)by holding fast to Him; (J)for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in (K)the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."



Romans 10:1-15 (New American Standard Bible)
Romans 10
The Word of Faith Brings Salvation
1Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

2For I testify about them that they have (A)a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.

3For not knowing about (B)God's righteousness and (C)seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

4For (D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to (E)everyone who believes.

5For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law (F)shall live by that righteousness.

6But (G)the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "(H)DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down),

7or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE (I)ABYSS?' (that is, to (J)bring Christ up from the dead)."

8But what does it say? "(K)THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

9that (L)if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and (M)believe in your heart that (N)God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

11For the Scripture says, "(O)WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

12For (P)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is (Q)Lord of (R)all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

13for "(S)WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him (T)whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without (U)a preacher?

15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "(V)HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO (W)BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"



This Sunday, October 17th, we will be looking at Fellowship. We will be discussing our identification(fellowship) with the Father as believers in Jesus Christ, as well as our call towards biblical community. The Gospel of Jesus has to be at the center of everything that we do.

We have some big events coming up in the life of our church. We are now in the preparation stages of putting our neighborhood block parties together. We will also be pushing out some information regarding a Gateway Community Day, as well as many other opportunities to embrace the community around us. One of the big things we need your help with is gathering candy for the Royse City "Trick or Treat on Main Street" community event that will be held on Wednesday, October 27th.


......Don't forget about our discussion about Spiritual Disciplines. We hope you decide to pick one (or more) of these to begin training this week......

~Worship
~Meditation on Scripture
~Prayer
~Fasting
~Making war against sin
~Others before self
~Submission
~Service




Mark Your Calendars::

~October 9, 2010 GF Ladies Bunco
~October 23, 2010 Men's Breakfast
~October 27, 2010 Trick or Treat on Main Street


ConnectGroup Schedule::
TuesNite @ 7pm @ The Snow's
WedNite @ 7pm @ The Brown's
SunMorn @ 915am @ GFchurch (Youth)


I love our church
I love our people
I love our team
I love what He is doing in us
I love what He is doing to us
I love what He is doing through us
I love that He is not done with us