Today is the last sermon from 1 John! We will conclude our series “Knowing That You Know Jesus” today. Ever doubted your assurance of salvation? 1 John has great help so that you can know that you know that you know you belong to Jesus. If you don’t have a church home, we’d love to see you at 9:30 or …
Special day at North Side! Celebrated baptism and communion. Worshiped with all our hearts. Heard the Word proclaimed. Loved seeing the church in action!
We studied in 1 John 5 and talked about the 3 witnesses: the water (baptism), the blood, and the Spirit. We were able to experience that and celebrate each element today! It was such a special time.
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Such a special time at North Side Baptist Church this morning. I love gathering with these people because it truly is family.
We were blessed to have the Erskine Gospel Choir lead us in worship this morning. Tobe Frierson’s leadership is so passionate and the choir does such a wonderful job.
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Easter Sunday was an incredible time of worship. Coming off a busy weekend with “Knowing Jesus” being absolutely incredible, our time together was such a special way to conclude the weekend.
Different people gauge success in church in different ways.
If you define success with numbers, we had more people at church than what we have ever had. If you define success with momentum, there was more energy and excitement than what we’ve ever experienced. If you define success with the number of visitors, we received more visitors over the weekend than what we’ve ever encountered. If you define success with the polish of the service, everything went wonderfully well (even if some of the things were never rehearsed since we were working on “Knowing Jesus” so much). If you define success with a powerful message, it was off the charts.
So, how did we determine if it was truly successful?
Powerful day of worship. It was great to begin celebrating Passion Week as a church family. Jeff’s message was so true. 1 John 4 paints a picture of the love of Christ that is simply breathtaking. He wanted to save us. He loves us. Christ loves people like me!
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Sunday’s service consisted of focusing upon 1 John4 and the exhortation to test the spirits.
In our culture today, you can get your hands on more “Christian teaching” than ever before. Books, sermons, services, shows, podcasts, etc. You name it. I’m living proof that ANYONE can write a book. There has never been more spiritual resources available than there is now and never a more reason to discern every teaching you encounter.
In order to navigate through these times, John was advising the church to test the spirits. Jeff did a fantastic job handling this text. Solid sermon.
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What a great day of worship all day long with North Side! What started in a worship center ended all over the community. When the service ended, the real service began!
Our church left worship and went to every corner of Greenwood and showed love in deeds rather than in just words. As we studied 1 John 3:18, we decided to put it into practice.
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What a special time of worship today! I am so thankful that while we had some curve balls thrown our way today via technology bothers, we have a such a special group of volunteers that make things happen in such a great way week in and week out!
We were so blessed to have Cassie back with us today. Such a special time just to see the church love on her. Excited about the movement of the gospel among us. OG also gave us directions for the way we are wrapping up our Love {in}Deed Sunday next week with a North Side staff vs. Burton Center clients basketball game Sunday 7PM. Can’t wait!
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The pic above is Mama Barnes teaching us all how to dance at 80 years old! She dances better than 18 year olds!
Mama Barnes and the Faith Home Choir helped lead us in worship today and it is always a privilege to have them. We consider this group as part of our family, and seeing the change that this ministry makes in the lives of people is always such a thrill to watch.
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The above picture is the Love {in}Deed map that we unveiled today at North Side. We are excited that on March 10th, we are leaving the worship service for the real service to begin as we serve in nearly every corner of Greenwood. Signups were a great first day, but we still have some open spots!
I was so thankful to have some of our high school students help lead worship today. These young men have a genuine passion for the Lord and are leading off stage and on stage at such a high level. Not a high level for their age. A high level. It is an honor to have them help lead worship. I am looking forward to letting the next generation in our church lead more often!
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While I am a part of the crew that creates the worship services, I was shocked at how much I was personally impacted today. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride a couple of times, and I felt the story was told in such a heavy way today.
We started with an acoustic and just vocal song to encourage people to sing out into worship. We then continued the theme and lifting Jesus up and getting out of the way. After reading some Scripture about Jesus’ temptation, we then sang “It Is Written” as a call for us to obey God’s Word instead of our desires. Some of our college students then did a fantastic job of doing the “Everything” drama set to music by Lifehouse. As that ended dramatically, we began to sing, “Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you, there is no greater thing.” And then the message that was full of truth!
I don’t know why – but it was heavy for me today. I was blown away by some of the comments today after services and some of the stories that I was hearing of how individual elements spoke to different people. There are people who were on the verge of throwing their lives away that are turning away from this world system and turning to Jesus. Overwhelmed!
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I had the privilege of serving college students this weekend at BCM Converge down at Myrtle Beach. The boys and I had a great time hanging with students, and I got to talk with two great breakout groups concerning orphan care.
So, as I am heading back today from a wonderful weekend, I did miss out on being with North Side this Sunday, but I am confident everything was fantastic!
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The above picture is a shot of my sermon notes today. 1 John 2:3-6 is so plain, there isn’t a ton to unpack there. It’s pretty simple. If you really know Jesus, you will keep his commandments.
There really wasn’t a lot to add to that Scripture, so I didn’t try to add a bunch to it. God’s Word is sufficient. It doesn’t need frills, it just needs to be heard.
So that’s what we did. We ended my message early and let God speak.
I’ve tried to make the biblical text of the day always guide our services, but recently I’ve felt the need to take it a step further. As a worship leader, I sometimes feel like I need to state the obvious. I don’t pick out songs based on what songs I would like to sing. I design a service to set the table for the Word to be proclaimed. I love it when the Word has already been proclaimed before the preacher gets on the platform.
So, today, I stated the obvious. Since 1 John 1:5-2:2 was the focal text in which the service was designed, I read different passages as we went through the service. Since the 1st section came from the 1st section of the service, I tried to connect the dots for the worshipers. Same thing for the 2nd part and following. Hopefully, our church is able to see the biblical intentionality that we take for every single thing that goes in a service.
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There is something so strong when church worship is centered around the Word of God and not ourselves. While a commitment to and a love for the Bible has always been present at North Side, it just seems as if it grows in intensity each week. I am so thrilled with what is going on at North Side! In …
New year. New series. New book. We started our 3-monthish focus of 1 John this morning with a series entitled: “Knowing That You Know Jesus.” If you recall, we studied the Gospel of John and it was called “Knowing Jesus,” but this focus is really settling on testing to see if you are in the faith or not. How can one be sure that he or she is saved?
Today was one of our most packed and energetic Sundays I can ever remember. Both services were hopping, and there was a real eagerness to encounter Jesus today. I was so thankful to Cole, Patrick, Julio, and Sam for sharing about their time at Passion 2013. So great to hear how God was using them and how God is leading them for their next steps. Can’t wait to see what he does through these students and the many others who went with our church.
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Wonderful Sunday to wrap up 2012 at North Side. Being the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I gave the band the week off for practice, and then we had 2 ladies call in sick this morning unable to sing. So we had to do some major scrambling and changing of the setlist this morning, but this worship team never ceases to amaze me with their ability to be flexible when I have to call some audibles.
Today was the first time I have ever led worship with the banjo. I got to play that on one song, the hammered duclimer on one, and guitar on others. It was a definite bluegrass kinda morning. The fellas did a great job! It was wonderful to hear an update on Project Love Christmas Bash today as well as pray for our West Africa team which just landed earlier. The gospel in Greenwood and beyond. Love being a church committed to the Great Commission!
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If you have ever wondered who is the media mastermind behind our services, look no further. My son, Eli, is the technological guru behind all things AVL during our services. Well, he at least likes to act like he is. Honestly, he’s so smart and skilled in these areas, it won’t be long.
I always love the Sundays before Christmas. Today was a little different. The worship was great. Message was powerful. Great services full of eager worshipers, but so much stuff happening before, during, and after services that it is hard to process. Watching families work on reconciliation in our midst. Unemployed fathers trying to find assistance to provide for their family this year. Single moms trying to find hope. Families unable to attend worship because they are beside hospital beds. And so much more. It’s the Body of Christ. It’s church. It’s not usually glamorous, but it’s real life, and I’m honored I get to alongside these people as Christ draws them closer.
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We had a wonderful time being the church today. Whenever the service starts out with Jeff getting on the banjo, you know it is going to be a special day!
We actually sold out of our “Peace on Earth” CDs today, but we will have some more copies available for tomorrow night at the mall. So thankful for the encouraging response we have received. The time of worship was powerful, and I never knew how God was orchestrating the details of the service together.
We had a powerful time of worship and intercession over the people of Newtown, CT. And what I loved about it was the order of service was in play before the tragedy occurred. We had planned to sing the new song “Peace on Earth” during the service as a lead into the message, and was the song ever timely with our congregation yesterday. Pictures from Newtown filled the back wall as we sang, “There are wars in the streets, there are wars where we sleep, o, the wreckage it grows by the day. My soul can only take so much of this heartache, help me, Jesus, please don’t delay.”
As we sang, you could tell the amount of prayers going up in the room hoping that the people devastated by this tragedy will realize that the peace on Earth Jesus promised can be found in him even among such horrible times.
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By the time I left the church house this afternoon, I was exhausted, but it was that good kind of exhausted.
I still can’t wrap my head around all that happened this morning.
We kicked off the Christmas season in a very special way today at North Side! Celebrating baptisms, diving into some bluegrass goodness, and soaking in Isaiah 26:3: “The steadfast mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in You.”
Just 1 week away from our Bluegrass Christmas release, we got to share some hoedown Christmas goodness. I was impressed with all the clapping on the chuck instead of the boom. And I loved the singing out and the expressions of joy as we worshiped to a very lively church body. Love, love, love what God is doing among our church these days. I love how church spills out after our service. We had some special students hang with the Agnews and our time together was as rich as our time worshiping together. It was such a reminder that church is much more than a service (and that’s coming from a guy who loves good services).
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What a great day of worship as we concluded our Thankful series. We were honored to have our students lead us in worship this Sunday. These guys lead at the Peak each week, and they do a fantastic job when they lead for the old people too!
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Today’s worship was all about flexibility today. I sprung 1 unplanned song on the band at 9:30, 3 at 11:00. I just told them they should be thankful we didn’t have a 3rd service ;)!
As we continued in our “Thankful” series, we also had Ben Davis, President of Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, come and update us on our partnership with this wonderful ministry. It was so great to hear him speak, and you can tell his passion for taking care of these children.
We also reminded everyone about our Adoption Workshop coming up. You can get details here.
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We started a 3-week series today at North Side entitled “Thankful.” We will be studying Colossians 1 and it is such a great passage and I thought today was full of powerful services. Starting each service out with baptism is always a great way to begin. Always so humbled to be a part of these moments as Christ changes lives among us!
I came into the 2nd service still dripping to help lead in worship, but it was worth every bit of it!
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Over a year in the study of the Book of John, we finally came to the conclusion in chapter 21. This study has been amazing in my life and for our church. Time spent on Jesus is never wasted!
I was amazed yet again at how the Holy Spirit united so many elements of the service. From the worship songs, to the testimonies, to the message, to the invitation, I love it when He brings everything together.
We had Edgar give us a report from his seminary and missionary work in Mexico. I was overwhelmed with joy as I thought how so many people at North Side had invested in Edgar and how many people had been impacted by him. To see him using all that God has done in his life over the year was incredible!
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Today was the next to last Sunday of “Knowing Jesus” series, and it was one of my favorite Sundays ever. We concluded our “Ni Zan Je” testimonies from this summer in a pretty special way. As we took up the offering, we watched an International Mission Board video talking about the connection between financial support and our foreign missionaries. And who was feature in the video? Our very own partner, Greg, in West Africa!
Kara gave her testimony after that. It was powerful to hear all that she learned and all that she did over the summer. When she concluded, another one of our missionaries, Heather led worship with the choir to the song “He’s Always Been Faithful.” As they sang, we played a video of our mission teams in West Africa. There could not be a more appropriate song! It honestly was one of the most powerful moments for me as a worship leader as I stood in the back of the auditorium worshiping along.
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Wonderful time of worship at North Side today! We are nearing the end of our “Knowing Jesus” CD as we studied the Gospel of John for over a year. The message on Thomas was great. I loved how Jeff said that the church needs to stop defining people by their past. So true!
McFadden did a great monologue from Thomas’ perspective. As he spoke of that moment when Jesus appeared in the disciples’ midst, he led in worship with “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.” The song worked out so well between the monologue and the message, it was almost as if Thomas himself wrote it!
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Focusing on missions and the power of the resurrection – what a Sunday!
Samantha Vickers did a fantastic job sharing her “Ni Zan Je” testimony and showing what faithfulness to the call looks like. It was great for her to commission our mission team leaving out this Saturday in Hausa. “I will follow Jesus anywhere no matter the roughness of the road.”
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What a wonderful day to be a part of North Side! I got the privilege to lead worship and preach today. It is always a humbling thing to be in the room when God saves people. We got to be in His presence when He did just that for a good crew of people at the 9:30 and 11:00 services. I got to speak with some wonderful people and received some great emails today of people who Jesus saved today. Absolutely amazing to see how God is transforming lives!
I preached from John 19 on the crucifixion of Jesus and the 3 greatest words I ever heard: it is finished. We do not need to keep fighting a battle that has already been won by Christ. He has offered the final sacrifice and has sat down at the right hand of God – it is finished!
Hebrews 10:11Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD
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Powerful time of worship this morning at North Side. The above picture was a pretty special moment as Jeff served as both pastor and father to some missionaries we commissioned. Jeff’s daughter, Emily, Scott, and Baby Lucy are leaving this week to serve as missionaries in Africa. It has been amazing to watch this father be so proud of his family for a decision that will keep them far from the comforts that we take for granted and yet so much closer to Jesus through their obedience. It was an honor to pray for them – will continue to do so! We have some prayer cards at the church for you!
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In addition to some powerful worship time, we were honored to have a Courageous Resolution ceremony for some men in our church who went through the study “Honor Begins at Home.” It was powerful watching these men make these commitments in front of their church and beside their families. It is even more amazing watching these guys live out the change. If you are interested in joining us for the next Sunday starting in 2 weeks, click here for more info.
We continue in our “Knowing Jesus” study. Jeff’s message was powerful. The entire service kept showing Jesus on display. Love hearing our worshipers get after it!
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Great, impacting, insightful, honest worship today at North Side. I took this picture on my phone during Cole’s soundcheck and it looked like the heavens were opening up! Cole Strickland did a fantastic job on a Peter monologue to setup the message on Peter’s denial perfectly.
In addition, we heard a powerful testimony about mission work in West Africa this summer. She did such a great job making the passage of the day go along with her testimony. It was incredible to hear how someone who followed Christ across the world still struggled with denying Christ but saw him move anyway. So wonderful that 2 of our main worship leaders today were our college students. So great to see so many of these students not waiting until they graduate to serve, they get it now!
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What a wonderful day to be the church! In addition to our exciting things happening, we were so honored to have to roll out more tables for our college lunch with 100 students hanging out after services today. It was so great connecting with these wonderful students from Erskine, Lander, Piedmont Tech, and Presbyterian College. Just a reminder for you college students to join us on the City and get your free tunes!
Today was such a great worship service to be a part of. Wonderful stories of those being baptized. Worship centered on the cross. New song from the “Knowing Jesus” project. Incredible message on the arrest of Jesus – wow – Jesus is control. He doesn’t need our help. Jesus is the Great I AM. I felt like shouting today!
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What a great day to be a part of North Side! We celebrated a bunch of family dedications, communion, worship, wonderful teaching, and so much more!
It was great to have the local colleges back in session and to have so many rows filled with our college students again! We missed you and can’t wait to disciple you again!
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What a special day as we celebrated the fact that Jesus prays for his disciples! In today’s service, we tried to connect the original disciples with current disciples. The call of Jesus is the same. The prayers of Jesus are the same. The goal is the same!
We were blessed to have Cassandra Erickson give us our 2nd installment of “Ni Zan Je” today as we continue to hear about our partnership with the unreached in West Africa. Her story was powerful. It was great to follow up her story with a new worship song our team has written called “I Will Follow.” The song was written for our upcoming “Knowing Jesus” worship album which highlights portions of the life of Christ. This song deals with Jesus calling of the disciples.
I played this song for Cassandra and some of the others this summer while we were in Africa during a power outage. It was such a unique time as we sang this feeling connected with Jesus calling us just as He called the first disciples. It was great to be able to share this song with the church as a whole today!
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Loved being back with North Side this morning as we dove into John 17 and the High Priestly Prayer. We focused the entire service on Jesus and the Father. The key thought was giving glory to Jesus for His life and work on this earth.
We were blessed to have our first installment of “Ni Zan Je” (“I Will Go”) as Lacy Little shared with us some of the work Jesus did around her and through her in West Africa this summer. I appreciated her honesty so much as she shared the roughness of the road Jesus called them to this summer.
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At North Side, we focused on prayer this Sunday. Instead of talking about prayer, we wanted to actually pray. So the service was built around prayer.
We studied in John 16 as Christ taught to pray in his name, so our worship time focused on the name above all names.
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“Your presence is heaven to me.”
What a wonderful day to be the church. I loved our time together as we focused on John 16 and Jesus’ promise that joy will come from sorrow. As we worshiped today, I was so moved worshiping with our church family and seeing the authenticity in the room. As a church, we share life together. And so when one hurts, we all hurt.
As our worship service (songs, message, video, prayers, etc.) all focused on finding our joy in Jesus even during hard times, watching those who were hurting worship from the depths is an impacting thing. Even in hard times, Jesus is good.
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What a passionate and eclectic day of worship today. We went everywhere from gospel to a capella and about everything in between. Last week, we had nothing but an acoustic set from the floor, this week, we had about everything else!
We were very blessed to have One Heart help lead us in worship this Sunday. Peggy is a part of our normal worship team, but she also sings with an a cappella group called One Heart. Becky and Beth were gracious enough to join us for our worship this Sunday. As we focused on the Holy Spirit, I asked them to do a medley of Spirit songs. I don’t think they had ever sang that arrangement until this morning, and it was so fantastic. What a way to welcome the Spirit’s presence.
Got to see some sights from last week’s Shake-n-Shine camp and hear stories from Jeff. Such an incredible mission-focused summer (Africa girls get back tomorrow). Jeff’s message on the Spirit was so refreshing. Baptists need to “remember” the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, he is the often neglected member of the Trinity. This message was a powerful reminder of the Spirit’s work in salvation.
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Today was such a special day at North Side after 2 weeks away. I was overwhelmed at our church on mission. The whole day was intertwined with God’s activity with our people as they reach others for Christ.
We started with celebrating Suzanna Edwards, a rising freshman at North Greenville, who displays a heart for missions. We then got to hear and see our collegiate missionaries speak to us in 2 different languages – so proud of them! Ben and I then led worship from the floor with nothing but what we had last week as we led worship in West Africa for a bunch of missionaries. The acoustic, djembe, and congregation were so wonderful as we celebrated Jesus and connected with His Church around the world. As we commissioned our Shake-n-Shine missionaries, we had Aubin Payne, a former Shake-n-Shine camper pray over our counselors and the impact they will have on children this week.
And we were just getting started!
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