Sundays @ North Side

In the Beginning Was the Word

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Wow, what a stellar day to be a part of North Side!

We kicked off a new series today studying the Book of John entitled, “Knowing Jesus.”  To start things off, we celebrated some baptisms.  We sang “Come and Listen” as our candidates told why they were being baptized.  My favorite part of the day was watching fathers baptize their children!  Doesn’t get better than that for me.  Coming off the “Courageous” series, movie release this weekend, and our 1st family worship guide, it was incredible to watch!

Today, we worshiped to:

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The Family Altar

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It was an emotionally charged Sunday at North Side.  In our 2nd week of Courageous, we discussed “The Family Altar.” I had a pregnant lady in our church say that she was emotionally exhausted from the service and she needed to lay down.  I felt the same way, and I had no baby weighing me down!  It was an intense …

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Redeeming Your History

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What a great day at North Side as we kicked off our 2 week Courageous series.  In addition to a great prayer time for our Africa team, we had a wonderful worship time together.  Taylor did a great time of focusing our prayers for that team and the unreached people group.  The worship team did great today!  So much energy, passion, and skill.  They led me to the throne – it was fantastic!

Today, we worshiped to:

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The Keys to the Kingdom

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We had a great day as we wrapped up our “Intentional Discipleship” series.  It’s been amazing to hear the stories of people who are taking the job of disciple-maker very seriously.  I love hearing about all the different ways people are investing in others!  We’ve also been amazed at how well family worship has been and how much our children have been getting out of the new schedule.

Jeff’s message was so great.  I loved the emphasis he put on keeping the Sabbath and maintaining rest.  It is definitely something we have to be on the regular to watch out for.  Phil Zigos did a wonderful job leading a prayer time for America on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  We also were able to ordain Dan Flint into the ministry and pray for our mission team leaving next week (Jeff Lethco, Jukie Leary, and Martin Ridgeway).  Love the prayer focus today!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Following Jesus

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The day so many of us have been praying for and planning for finally came.  We did something that most church growth experts and consultants say should never be done.  With what we did today, we should have had a church split or people walking out in disapproval.

Instead, we worshiped as one family.

Today, North Side united 3 services into 2.  We got rid of 2 styles and united under the heading of “worship.”  We united families instead of segregating them.  And while I believe that God has been honored with our church before, I think this was another level of obedience and worship that we engaged into today.  I’ve heard plenty of encouraging words from this morning, but even if those weren’t there, God was honored and our church worshiped today in spirit and in truth.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Values of a Disciple-Maker

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Cannot begin to put into words what is happening at North Side in these days.  This morning, I was reminded of how focused, committed, determined, passionate, and sacrificial our church is becoming.  God is on the move, and it is amazing to watch!

We continued in our “Intentional Discipleship” series today as we talked about the values of a disciple-maker.  My notes have that someone who is serious about making disciples is someone who commits to authority (God’s Word), intentionality, maturity, and accountability.  People are stepping up to make disciples – not more programs, but to get into the lives of people and see multiplication rather than just addition.

It was great to surprise Stan Ligon today.  As Jamie Parler and Stan shared a testimony about the power of small groups, we wanted to thank this disciple-maker by allowing some of his guys to say thanks over a secret video.  It was pretty awesome to watch Stan talk about how much he needed these guys then followed by the guys saying how much they appreciated and needed him.  Kingdom living!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Stages of Discipleship

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What an incredible day at North Side!  We jumped into week 2 of “Intentional Discipleship” as we studied the stages of discipleship.  It was one of the most incredible days I can ever remember at our church!

I was shocked at the growth in our services.  God keeps bringing such a diversity of people to be a part of our church and watching God unite this congregation is amazing!  Jeff’s message on the different stages of discipleship was so powerful.  It made me evaluate where I was on that circle, and I’ve got a long way to go!

Nancy West shared her testimony, and God used her so much!  She was so passionate, articulate, and authentic.  Knowing Nancy even makes it even more powerful.  Her testimony was powerful, her life is even more powerful!  I have loved watching her stay faithful to God during these years.  If you ladies want to sign up for the Beth Moore event, you can do so here.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Discipleship 101

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What a great way to start out the new school year today at North Side!  We had packed worship services with passionate worshipers – what else can you ask for?  We started a new series entitled “Intentional Discipleship” geared towards people who are ready to stop being stagnant and start growing in Christ!

Some service highlights were having Ben Ridgeway, one of our high schoolers, pray for all students, teachers, and faculty members going into their mission field tomorrow.  It was great having a video testimony of my buddy, Brian Rackley, who was a self-proclaimed “back row Baptist” until God called him into ministry.  This morning he wasn’t with our church anymore because he has accepted a call to preach at Bethany Baptist.  The whole service was geared around following Christ with no turning back.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Major in the Minors: Malachi

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What a wonderful day of worship!  We finished Major in the Minors today with the study of Malachi.  So good!

The worshipers were ready today!  I was overwhelmed with the volume and the passion of our worshipers today.  We had a scaled down acoustic set, but it was way heavy on the worshiper side.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Revival Through Intimacy

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Had another great worship experience last night at North Side!  It was wonderful to watch our team lead without me there!  They are so talented and have such wonderful hearts, they didn’t miss a beat!  Loved it! Jeff’s message walking through Psalm 139 was fantastic!  Listen to it online if you didn’t get to hear it!  So good!  My time …

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Major in the Minors: Zechariah

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Had such an interesting experience at the church house today – I worshiped from the other side of the stage.  After a week of vacation, I got in the van with my family, took my boys to the nursery, and worshiped with the congregation next to my wife.  It was great!

I loved watching our wonderful workers in the nursery love my boys and teach them how to pray for others.  I loved being made to feel at home by our wonderful host team.  The tech team was so seamless with their tasks, I didn’t even notice they were there!  The Shake-n-Shine band did a wonderful job leading worship (wish I was as talented and mature as those students)!  Jeff’s message was powerful.

I might take vacation more often 😉

Today, we worshiped to:

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Revival of the Heart

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No picture from tonight’s services.  I got the wonderful privilege to preach at South Main about Courageous and fatherhood.  I got to share communion with our worship team and listen to them practice and then head out. I heard the team did great.  They just led worship with everything they had – nothing surprising there.  I heard Jeff’s message on …

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Major in the Minors: Haggai

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What a great day at North Side!  I was so honored to lead in worship with a group from this summer’s Worship Academy.  This is part of the crew that studied together for 7 weeks this summer.  We’re missing a few more, but it was great to get most of them together and lead our church in worship.

Honestly, we stayed more in the Bible than on stage during training (first things first).  We only got our instruments out to play together last Wednesday.  Many of them had expressed interest in playing together, so it was a great time to let this crew lead.  They did a wonderful job!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Major in the Minors: Zephaniah

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1 week after our “Finding Your Place” volunteer recruitment, I am happy to share that we are already 56.5% complete of our new volunteer needs.  As we started there this morning, many more gathered together to fill in the other spots.  I am not sure the final number from today, but we are getting closer!  Amazing to see hundreds of volunteers signing up!  If you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so with the list online here.

It was great to watch the God story from commissioning one of our own to the American Samoa islands, hearing testimonies of volunteers, and watching the worshipers love on Jesus!

It was another great day of worship!  As we focused on Zephaniah, we were reminded of a God who disciplines us and yet rejoices over us with singing!  We worshiped to:

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Revival Through Worship

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We had a great night last night at our Revival service!  We had a great time worshiping together.  I pulled out one of my favorites (“Shout to the Lord”) and some other great songs.  Our band worked out some intricate “Amens” at the end of a new arrangement to “All Creatures.”  The above picture is a snapshot of some of …

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Major in the Minors: Habakkuk

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What a great day at North Side!  We started off our “Finding Your Place” campaign.  The picture above is our gigantic need wall where we are taking volunteer recruitments.  This is how the wall looked this morning – empty!  But once I left after services, it was filling up quickly!  We still have some more spots to go.  The Pendleys did a wonderful job sharing how they serve once a month on the tech team even with 3 kids 5 and under and 1 more on the way.  They love giving back to the church that has given so much to them!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Revival Through Adversity

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Last night, we picked up our Revival series during the summer months.  It was July 4th eve, a storm was brewing, and we still had a great turnout of worshipers!  I have loved this time together. We worshiped to: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name – North Side Worship Blessed Be Your Name – Travis Agnew Band Made Me …

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Major in the Minors: Nahum

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We had a great morning at North Side!  Even on a holiday weekend, we experienced three great services as we focused on Nahum.

Jeff’s message on Nahum was powerful.  3 themes he pointed out:

Our God is a sovereign God.  Our God is a righteous God.  Our God is a good God.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Major in the Minors: Micah

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We had another great week in our study, “Major in the Minors” as we got to the prophet Micah.  Micah prophesied to a people who believed to have a covenant but did not have the conduct to prove it.  In his book, he shows what mature spiritual living really looks like.

Today, we worshiped to:

Since we had a big choir concert this evening at church, we had the stage set for an orchestra, and I couldn’t let those wonderful instruments go to waste!  So, we had a mini-orchestral feel for this morning’s worship.  It was wonderful hearing our people sing out to our God.

In addition to a wonderful message, our church also worshiped through a church vote.  

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Major in the Minors: Jonah

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What a wonderful day at North Side!  So much happened today that we can celebrate our God for!  Focusing on Jonah, we talked about accepting God’s call throughout the service.  We were so blessed to hear from Hope Brown, student missionary, who just returned with a bunch of other students who served at M-Fuge Charleston.

Today, we worshiped to:

I always love worship with a missional focus!  It was great to hear our congregation say, “Where You send us, God, we will go!”  In addition to those missional worship songs, I also included a new song I wrote for my boys called “Like Father Like Son.”  I wanted to make our Father’s Day focus impacting and not something Hallmark.  The words of this song have caused me to think lately and I pray it was a challenge for all the fathers today.

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Revival Through Repentance

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We had an awesome Revival service last night.  The picture above is of 2 of our former church members and 2 former members of my community group.  Jordan Wilson (left) and Brian Rackley (right) didn’t leave North Side because they were disgruntled members.  They left because they obeyed God’s call.  Both of them are on staff at Bethany Baptist Church in McCormick, SC and God is at work in their lives!

Brian, pastor of Bethany, came and shared his testimony last night to remind us all of God’s grace.  When he pointed up to a seat in our worship auditorium and said only a few years ago, he was running from God and now he is pastoring a church, I rejoiced in the gospel yet again!  He shared about leading an 85-year-old war veteran to Christ the other week in his church.  He shared about God using him and Jordan to unite churches together and hold a rally downtown this weekend.  It was amazing to watch God at work from transforming Brian with his grace and then allowing him to be used to change others by the grace of God as well!

Brian and Jordan, thank you for your obedience to Christ!  Your sending church loves you very much!

And that was only one part!  We worshiped to:

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Revival Through the Valley

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What an incredible night of our 3rd Revival service for the summer.  We focused on Psalm 23 and God reviving our hope even when walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

The service was built around that passage and included Stacy Wideman’s story (pictured here with her daughter, Savannah, and son, Stephen).  After being born with Down’s Syndrome and a heart defect, Stephen fought gallantly during his time, but eventually, God brought about his healing in heaven and not on earth.

Stacy’s honest testimony was more than powerful.  Her desire to let God “heal the wound but leave the scar” was seen in her desire to share God’s faithfulness with others during this difficult time.  After her testimony, Stacy led us in singing “It is Well.”  I have never been a part of a time when that song was sung more passionately and honestly than it was tonight.  The commitment in the room to those words was breathtaking.

In addition to that song, we worshiped to:

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Major in the Minors: Amos

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Great time today of focusing on our 3rd prophet Amos in our series “Major in the Minors.”  With a full day ahead for our church body, I can’t think of a better focus than what God pointed us to this morning.

Today, we worshiped to:

I decided a while back to do an acoustic service this Sunday (the picture above is of the boys playing the cajon which was played today, well, they didn’t play it during the service, just after ;)).  I honestly didn’t have a reason to, I just felt like doing it.  I didn’t know at the time that God was going to lead Jeff to preach out of Amos concerning worship that God hates.

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Revive Our Integrity

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What a powerful week 2 of “Revival.”  Studying Psalm 15, we talked about what it means to have integrity.  We also had a Memorial Day special prayer time for one of our own currently serving in the military led by one of our own who is also in the military.  Powerful time.

Tonight, we worshiped to:

I was kind of blown away by what happened in worship tonight.

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Major in the Minors: Joel

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We had another great morning at North Side as we continued in the “Major in the Minors” series.

We got the privilege to commission a bunch of graduates this morning.  That’s always exciting seeing how committed these students are to Jesus!

We focused on the prophet Joel today.  As Jeff discussed this message with the staff this week, it couldn’t come at a more appropriate time.  In light of all the natural disasters happening across America this week, many people are asking the question “how could God let this happen?”

As Jeff pointed out, when natural disasters happen, 3 main positions arise:

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Major in the Minors: Hosea

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So excited to start our new series this morning entitled “Major in the Minors.”  Walking through the 12 prophets over the summer months is going to be a great study and I pray we hear and do!

Hosea was a prophet called to demonstrate God’s love in a powerful yet hurtful way.  Hosea was called to buy his wife back from her life as a prostitute and love her again as his bride because that is the depth from which God has loved us.  Considering God’s great love, will we stop running around on him?

Jeff and I have been wanting to do this sermon on Hosea for over a year now.  We saw another preacher role play Hosea during his message and it was probably the most powerful thing either of us had ever seen in our lives.  So when God seemed to be leading us to preach through these books, we couldn’t miss the opportunity.  Jeff did a fantastic job of playing “Hosea” as he looked desperately for his bride.  It was so powerful to experience the dedication that God has to buying us back as his own.  You can check out the message here.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Wise Counsel: Marriage Counseling

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What a great day at North Side!  We finished up week 3 of “Wise Counsel” as Jeff tackled some marriage counseling.  I felt like I was drinking from a fire hydrant!  Such good stuff.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Reclaiming What You Lost

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What a great Sunday at North Side!  Continuing on in our “Wise Counsel” series, we did a little more group therapy.

We all have lost something.  Some of those things were our fault and some the fault of others.  But God has a plan for all of us to heal and to reclaim what has been lost.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Wise Counsel: Should We Get Engaged?

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Today, we started a new series at North Side called “Wise Counsel.”  Jeff’s description of this series: “As a pastoral counselor for the last 25 plus years, I have noticed that there are some things that just keep causing people problems.  Therefore, I am going to address some of these issues from a biblical perspective and provide some biblical counsel to some very common problems.  Call it group therapy if you want to, but it will also be biblical therapy.  While this series will only be for three weeks, I think it will prove helpful to a lot of folks and give some very specific counsel to some very common problems.”

Today’s topic: Sharing wise counsel from counseling experiences, our pastor shared the answer to a question he has never received: “Should we get engaged?” Marriage is a very serious step, and there are 5 questions each person should think about before going forward.  It was a wonderful message.  The married guys in my C-Group told me they still learned a ton even though they are already married.  You can watch or listen to the message here.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Derailed by Disbelief

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What an incredible Easter Sunday!  3 services full of the truth, the Holy Spirit, and serious worshipers!  Today was such a special day as we were among many who gave their life to Christ for the first time.  Jeff’s gospel presentation was so spot on.  It is always so humbling to be in the room when people pass from death to life.  Unforgettable!

We concluded our 1 Corinthians study, “Derailed,” today as we focused on 1 Corinthians 15.  Paul told the Corinthian church that the resurrection was the greatest hope for believers.  On Easter, we remember that Jesus lived, died, and was raised back to life.  This truth changes everything.

We also got to Skype with our buddy Rachel, a college student who is spending her semester as a missionary in an undisclosed location.  Being able to hear how God was using her, how she spent Easter, being able to pray for her, and have her pray for us was a true gift!  It reminded us all of how the Church (big “C”) is celebrating our Risen Savior all around the world.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Derailed by Idolatry

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What a pivotal day for North Side.  It was one of those days where God was so clear to me in so many different areas, that it was hard to shake.  Continuing on through Derailed, here is where we landed today:

Derailed by Idolatry (1 Corinthians 10-11).  The Corinthian church had gotten into the habit of gathering together in the name of the Lord but making it all about themselves.  They had become their own idols.  In this message, we hear how this warning still applies to us today and what it means for the future of North Side.

The picture above shows holding a document entitled “The Glory of God.”  As North Side has sought God’s leading on our future, we believe he has spoken to us concerning the future of worship styles at the church.

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Derailed by Rights

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What a fantabulous day to be the church!  Still buzzing from all God did in our midst this morning.

Week 6 in our “Derailed” series as we study through 1 Corinthians.  Today, “Derailed by Rights” in 1 Corinthians 8.  In Christ, we are made free, but what are we actually free to do?  Many areas confuse Christians concerning what is permissible and what is not.  In this message, we learn from the Apostle Paul concerning a life not derailed by personal rights.  Wonderful message.  Check it out!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Derailed by Sex

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What a great day to be a part of North Side!  I got the privilege of preaching for Jeff on the topic of “Derailed by Sex.”

Questions concerning sex and marriage were plaguing the Corinthians church and still plague believers today.  The church raised questions through their lifestyle and in their letter to Paul in which he felt the need to respond on the issues of sex outside of marriage, sex within marriage, divorce, and singleness.  His instructions to them still hold true for us today.

It was a difficult topic to address and a whole lot to cover, but I pray that it was a benefit to those listening today.  If you want to check it out online, you can listen here.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Derailed by Lawsuits

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I love loud worshipers, and North Side got after it this morning!

Wow, what an incredible time together.  4th week in our Derailed series through 1 Corinthians, and today we landed on lawsuits within the church.  You gotta love the Word of God that makes it so clear for us to follow!

In addition to a great message, we also got to hear wonderful testimonies and promo for our Priscilla Shirer simulcast next week, commissioned some more college missionaries, and sang our faces off!  For the entire flowsheet, go here.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Derailed by Negligence

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Within the church, a sin that can wield more damage than immorality is that of negligence.  When Christians don’t confront sin within the church, unholy living can become widespread.  The Apostle Paul handles this situation in a surprising way in this ignored passage (1 Corinthians 5).

Today’s service was all about being “Derailed by Negligence.”  We put the whole service together dealing with how do the people of God handle sin committed by the people of God.

In addition to a video on temptation, we had a prayer time for people who we knew that were getting far away from God.  Using James 5:19-20 as our prayer focus, we prayed and planned how we would lovingly confront that person.

We also used some help to start out the message today.  Using a mom, coach, and sheriff, we got everyone to imagine what those environments would look like if there was no discipline.  Jeff came up then and asked would a church would look like without any discipline.  Powerful message.  The 1st time I have ever heard a pastor preach on 1 Corinthians 5.

Today, we worshiped to:

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Derailed by Immaturity

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2nd week of Derailed, and what an incredible walk through 1 Corinthians so far!  Getting to 1 Corinthians 3-4, we learned that Paul taught that immature believers are still selfish at their core.  A believer, or a church, can get derailed when they make all the decisions based upon selfish desires.

It was great seeing the church in action today.  We got to watch a great Disciple Now video recap highlighting our youth serving the community this weekend.

We also got the privilege to pray for Lander BCM students who have said yes to God’s call to go this summer!  This crew is going to South Carolina to India and everywhere in between.  It was so humbling watch “strangers” come up to these students and pray over them commissioning them out.  Wonderful time!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Derailed by Disunity

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Each week, I start out my post from Sunday talking about how great a morning it was.  This week was no different.  The services were a great outpouring of God’s goodness, but I must admit the entire day was amazing of watching the church in action.  In addition to wonderful services, I watched a volunteer team give it their all amidst great setbacks, a Spirit-led business meeting, and a group of guys pushing each other on to selflessness.

In short, I love our church!

Today, we started a new series entitled “Derailed,” where we began our study of 1 Corinthians.  While we looked at Ephesians as a church who got it, this church is the exact opposite.   In 1 Corinthians 1-2, the Corinthian church found themselves way off track from where Paul had planted them.  One particular way they had become derailed was in the area of disunity.  Their preferences of different styles of ministry kept them from unifying around Jesus.  We would be wise not to follow their example.

Today, we worshiped to:

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The Armor of God (for the Church)

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What a great day at North Side!  We concluded a 3 month tour through the Book of Ephesians today as we studied the armor of God.

While this world is full of trouble, God has not left us defenseless.  In the concluding words of Ephesians, Paul includes directions for the armor of God that is meant to defend Christians.  Covered in his protection, the Church can endure the trials of this world.

I couldn’t think of a better way to end the study than the message today.  Jeff’s words were so good and God used him immensely in my life to really think about the armor of God and how it wasn’t written to the individual but to the church as a whole.  We are to all put on that armor so we can stand firm together!

Today, we worshiped to:

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Your Job

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Great day at North Side as we are nearing the end of Ephesians.  Today’s big idea: Your Job (Eph. 6:5-9) – For most people, a job is something you endure rather than enjoy.  When we choose to see our performance in our job as an act of worship to God, it not only changes our perspective but probably our level …

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10 Things I Would Have Done Differently as a Father

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What a great day with North Side!  While I was hobbling from my foot and stuffy from my sinuses, our congregation carried the worship today as we gave it all we had.

Today, we worshiped to:

To setup the message on fatherhood today, I shared the story of my involvement in the curriculum associated with the upcoming movie, Courageous.  After that and watching the powerful video below, people were ready to sing out, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

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