Today was week 4 of God’s Believe It or Not life focus series at North Side. We talked about whether or not Jesus truly stated if he was the only way to God. This issue is one of the most sensitive in our culture at this time. With so many different paths to God, people are very hesitant to claim …
Through the differing images of the church presented in the New Testament, God wove a theological tapestry concerning the doctrine of the church. More than a mere gathering, Jesus’ church was to be his holy and bold extension in the world. The apostles presented that believers should not view church as a building. Even though they would use …
Remaining Images The New Testament also contains a few more images of the church that are used less but still pivotal to the understanding of the church. First, Paul described the church as serving as the pillar and bulwark of the truth. In the Book of 1 Timothy, Paul urged Timothy to ensure that the church was behaving properly and …
How your baby’s growing: Your baby doesn’t have much room to maneuver now that he’s over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it’s so snug in your womb, he isn’t likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His …
God is a lot more concerned with your future than he is your past. Sometimes we keep a distance from God due to a sinful past. Some people keep God at a distance because of their self-proclaimed “righteousness.” But God isn’t concerned with yesterday. He’s really concerned about what you do today. That’s what North Side was all about this …
5. Worship is a powerful witness to unbelievers if God’s presence is felt and the message is understandable. Both of those are essential parts of a worship service when witnessing to unbelievers. Again, Acts 2 is a good example of this. God’s presence was so evident in the disciple’s worship at Pentecost that it attracted the attention of all the …
If you haven’t heard, I am teaching REL 101 at Lander in the Fall. It will be Tuesdays-Thursdays from 9:45-11:15 (weird timings in the Fall). We still have room, so sign up when you get a chance. The class is called Sacred Texts and Ideas and here is the course description: This course introduces students to the reading of sacred …
OK everybody – you can now watch the wonderful Submerge 08 recap video (made so beautifully by the wonderful Rachel Haddon and the legendary Dave Wright). This is the uncracked version. If you were at Submerge, you will understand.
There’s a lot going on today, so I thought I would just give you a lil’ taste of what is up in my world today. Passion – we have a few spots left for the Passion Regional in Atlanta on April 11-12. You can bring your deposit in by Thursday, but if you were smart you would bring it tonight …
Is this how my daughter could be?
How your baby’s growing: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he’s born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs …
Today was the second week of God’s Believe It or Not. The service today focused on the fact that God is “In Control.” If you don’t know this about North Side yet, everything this morning was trying to lead you to that thought. It is this type of journey we try to take you through. Instead of just picking out …
We are unpacked from Submerge. I have loved going to Panama City Beach, FL in the past, but I have to admit I loved getting home before dark last night too. After unpacking at the church, returning the moving van, and getting supper, I got to unwind at home with one hand on Amanda’s belly feeling Obadiah kick and the …
A Field of Crops In another illustration of the church, Paul identified the church as a field of crops. Paul was seen as the planter, and Apollos watered the garden that Paul planted. More than solely evangelism, Paul had founded that specific church in Corinth. Apollos spiritually watered the church by continually discipling the members by teaching them the truths …
I wanted to recap Easter morning at North Side earlier this week, but since we left for Submerge an hour after the last service, I was kind of unable to catch up in the blogosphere. So here, goes: I haven’t received the official count for Sunday, but I believe we had approximately 2,000 adults come and worship with us on …
It is the last full day of camp at Submerge. Here’s some highlights: Last night, we had many people at the conference center, hear the music, and wander into our worship service. Even a few hung out with some of our leaders last night, and we got to share what we are about. There is a cardiologist convention above us …
Wow. We have done the opening day and now (Tuesday), the first full day of camp! Everything has gone great at camp. It’s Wednesday morning and camp is going so smoothly, it makes me a little uneasy. I think it is honestly because we have such a great team of people putting on Submerge and a great bunch of students. …
After three Easter Sunday morning services, we are taking a small team to set up Submerge student camp in Myrtle Beach before the load of students come in on Monday! We are so excited about the week. It will be very busy, but we are praying that God does something great in our midst in these days. Check back at …
This morning was incredible. Members from North Side joined together at 6:30 (that’s in the AM, people) to pray for our city. I was amazed for many different reasons – so I shall share with you faithful readers: The fact that you got up to pray at 6:30am. No preaching, no songs, just prayer – and God moved (imagine that?!). …
The Buildings The authors of the New Testament also record different building imagery for the church. While they never viewed the church as a specific building, the authors did use buildings as illustrations to explain the theological implications of the church. First, Paul described the church as a simple building. In this discourse, Paul’s logical flow of thought shows that …
4. While unbelievers can’t worship, they can watch believers worship. We see this truth lived out in Acts 2. “They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness, praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, and each day God added to …
Your pregnancy: 33 weeks How your baby’s growing:This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple – which by the way the picture to the left could be one of the scariest pictures I have ever seen) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He’s rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The …
Today, we finished up the Balance series at North Side. I finished with a message entitled “The Rest of You.” As we studied the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3, we saw that the people there were a lot like us. They were lukewarm. They were too far from the source. And when we find ourselves deep in sin or …
I recently read a book by William Chadwick called, Stealing Sheep. Here’s my review: Introduction In Stealing Sheep, William Chadwick addresses the discreet yet volatile dangers of transfer growth within churches. Chadwick has served as pastor in different churches, and he currently pastors Stroudwater Christian Church in Portland. As a pastor, he personally witnessed and actually initiated change within churches …
This has been a random but busy week, and so much is going on. I love being used because you sleep well at night because you are so exhausted. A lot of things are coming up, so I thought I would update you on some pretty incredible things around the bend: Balance series is coming to a close this weekend. …
Yes, it’s true. I have accepted a new job. North Side has been great, but alas it is time to move on. I’m just kidding, but I do have a new job. The beauty of this job is I get to stay at North Side to do it! In the Fall, I am going to be an adjunct professor at …
Yesterday was fun at North Side. I preached a message on the Rest of God in our Balance series we are doing now. The big idea was: To experience the rest of God, you must set apart the Sabbath. The fourth commandment is what I think could quite possibly be the most neglected commandment in the Bible: Remember the Sabbath …
Your pregnancy: 32 weeks How your baby’s growing: By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You’re gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he’ll gain a third to half …
Don’t forget to spring forward your clocks Saturday night. You will lose an hour of sleep Saturday night, so make sure you don’t forget it and miss church on Sunday. Every year, we see people show up at 12:00 and laugh at them in their faces. Not really, but it is funny. Since you lose an hour of sleep and …
The people of America are becoming more and more spiritual. On one side, it is more acceptable to believe in a higher being and to adhere to certain spiritual practices. The other side of the spectrum is the backlash against anything remotely absolute. They don’t want anyone to tell them they have to believe a certain way or that only …
We started a new series on Sunday at North Side called Balance. I got the privilege to preach Sunday the first message on “The Rat Race.” Despite numerous technological advances in our day, it seems like we are running more ragged than ever before. We rush through life and seem like we will never catch up. The tragic accident is …
Your pregnancy: 31 weeks How your baby’s growing: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his …
I blogged so much leading up to the Shane and Shane concert at North Side that when I got down cleaning up the church Sunday night at 12:30, I couldn’t even think about blogging. But alas, here I finally go. I think I will just hit some highlights for me. Bethany Dillon – She’s getting married to Shane B. in …
George Barna, author of Marketing the Church, is the founder and president of the Barna Research Group. The Barna Research Group specializes in research concerning the state of the church and the culture in which the church attempts to impact. In addition to writing Marketing the Church, Barna has authored many other books concerning church health and the culture’s perception …
Another image that Paul utilized to describe the church was that of the body of Christ. Paul’s use of the analogy of the church serving as a body was a common illustration utilized in the popular Stoic philosophy of the day. In this context, Jesus is not seen as a part of this body, but individual Christians compose the body …
Wow. I’m having to catch up on my blog posts rapidly – this has been a crazy weekend, but I want to share all that God did over the weekend. Sunday was another great day at North Side. As we concluded The Original Blues, we talked about the “Fear Blues,” the ones that cripple us due to the large circumstances …
Your pregnancy: 30 weeks Click to enlarge How your baby’s growing: Your baby’s about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to …
Today’s entry is number 3 on the New Testament images of the church: Branches on a Vine Nearing his imminent sacrifice upon the cross, Jesus emphasized that the church’s function was to be viewed as branches on a vine. In the Old Testament, Isaiah depicted the nation of Israel as the vine, but in the New Testament, Jesus assumed this …
The Vision of You concert is quickly approaching Greenwood, SC. Shane and Shane, Starfield, Bethany Dillon, and David Nasser are coming to North Side this Sunday night (Feb. 24) at 7:00. We still have some tickets at North Side which you can get at the front office through Thursday. We also have them at the Bookstore on Wednesday night and …
I was so glad to be able to preach at Erskine’s chapel today. Thanks to Paul Patrick for the invite. I always have a great time when I get to come to Erskine. Many of you Due Westers have been coming to North Side as of late, and I am hoping to get to know you guys some more, so …
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