First Anniversary Celebration – St. Andrews Church
St. Andrew’s Church of Lawrenceburg TN celebrated it’s first anniversary Sunday 9/5/2010 with a service for the Lord’s Day and a fellowship meal afterwards.
The sermon for the day focused on 1 Samuel 7:2-14 – how frequently times of repentance and worship are followed by conflict and the advance of Christ’s Kingdom. The people of God were challenged to move ahead in faith in the coming year. Here’s a link to the Sermon – “Ebenezer”.
Participants were given a special bookmark imprinted with a prayer designed to help Christians “Remember Your Baptism” so our lives will be based on God’s covenant promises instead of on ever changing circumstances. (A photo is below).
The prayer is based on the declaration of baptism’s meaning found in the baptismal service used by St. Andrew’s Church that dates back to at least 1560. More important than it’s age is it’s ability to proclaim the meaning of Holy Baptism in light of the Scriptures.
Each family also received their own copy of the Heidelberg Catechism, a deeply devotional summary of the essentials of the Christian Faith and summary of the Bible’s essential message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you’d like to receive one, contact the church and leave your mailing address for your copy!
Blood Money – Exposing The Abortion Agenda
The Abortion industry was never about compassion. It was about cash and control.
Their agenda is being exposed in the movie “Blood Money“.
Here is the trailer for that film:
Narrated by Dr. Alveda King, Bloodmoney is a documentary film that exposes the Abortion Industry from the Pro Life perspective. This film examines abortion in America, from the inception of Planned Parenthood and the profitability of abortion clinics, to Roe v. Wade, to the denial of when life begins, to the fight to save the lives of innocent babies, and the devastating effects it has had on the women that have had them.
Worship By The Book
Pastor Chuck recently reviewed Worship by the Book
The review may be read here.
Christians wanting to participate in worship structure as described in “Worship By The Book” are always welcome to visit St. Andrew’s Church each Lord’s Day.
Remember Your Baptism
To “Remember Your Baptism” is to live each day in light of God’s promises through Jesus Christ to His Covenant People.
This 3 part prayer is drawn from the baptismal service where we are reminded what it means to live as people who have been brought into covenant with God and been made heirs of Jesus Christ.
Heavenly Father I thank you that you have established an eternal covenant of grace with me. Thank you for adopting me as your child and heir. Thank you for promising to provide for all my needs this day and work all things together for my blessing as your called child.
Lord Jesus I thank you that You promise to wash me in Your blood from all my sins and unite me with You in your death and resurrection, free me from my sin and present me as forgiven and righteous before the Father.
Holy Spirit I thank you for promising to dwell in me and make me a living member of Jesus Christ and daily renew me in His Image. Produce in me your holy fruit until that day when I shall finally be presented without blemish among the assembly of God’s elect in life eternal.
Sermon: Remember Your Baptism
Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Lawrence County and Lawrenceburg TN were named in honor of Captain James Lawrence a hero in the War of 1812 according to Lawrenceburg.net. There is, however, another “Lawrence” we Christians in Lawrence County may wish to be mindful of – Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. Today is the day Christians worldwide who recall such things have set aside to remember him and to ask God for the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their own lives to emulate such Christ like devotion. May God pour out that same spirit among us here in Lawrence County.
From Weedon’s Blog
Early in the third century A.D., Laurence, most likely born in Spain, made his way to Rome. There he was appointed chief of the seven deacons and was given the responsibility to manage church property and finances. The emperor at the time, who thought that the church had valuable things worth confiscating, ordered Laurence to produce the “treasures of the church.” Laurence brought before the emperor the poor whose lives had been touched by Christian charity. He was then jailed and eventually executed in the year 258 by being roasted on a gridiron. His martyrdom left a deep impression on the young church. Almost immediately, the date of His death, August 10, became a permanent fixture on the early commemorative calendar of the Church.
I was struck in praying this morning at how beautifully well the Tuesday prayer matches the commemoration of St. Lawrence:
Go through bars and fences to those who are imprisoned for the sake of Your name; strengthen them for a good witness, and let them not waver in the confession of Your name. Teach us through their example, and the example of so many holy martyrs, to be ever watchful for the confession of Your Son’s name. Let us not be to put shame when the evil foe lays his hand on us. But if it is Your will that we be persecuted for confessing as our Lord and only Savior, then support us by Your grace that we may withstand all trials, and grant us peaceful rest…
Despised and scorned, they sojourned here;
But now, how glorious they appear!
Those martyrs stand,
A priestly band,
God’s throne forever near.
LSB 676:2
The Gospel In Life – How Grace Changes Everything
We’re making arrangements as a church (and for friends in our community who are interested) to study through the curriculum titled The Gospel In Life – How Grace Changes Everything
Click through the link or the picture for more details.
This 8 session study is all about how God’s purpose through the Good News of Jesus Christ is to drive us to action—to continually seek to transform our hearts, community, and the world!
The only “cost” is for the Study Guide. The “Gospel for Life” study guide is not your ordinary booklet full of “fill in the blank” spaces. It’s one of the best study books available for small group study and applying truth to life!
Don’t worry, by taking the class you’re NOT making a commitment to “Join” our church or anything. The more people who participate in this study and take it back to their church the happier we are!
Book Reviews
Need some summer reading?
Check out these book reviews written by Pastor Chuck and published at Chuck Colson’s World View Church website.
Red Tory: How Left and Right Have Broken Britain and How We Can Fix it
The Holman Christian Standard Bible 2009 Updated Text
Affirm, Share, Serve
Here’s a helpful organization of the “one anothers” of Scripture as they appear in Tim Keller’s study guide,Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything [ht JT]:
Affirm
1. Affirm one another’s strengths, abilities, and gifts.
- Romans 12:10: “Honor one another”
- James 5:9: “Don’t grumble against each other”
- Romans 12:3-8: Confirm the gifts of one another
2. Affirm one another’s equal importance in Christ.
- Romans 15:7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you”
- 1 Corinthians 12:25: “Have equal concern for each other”
- 1 Peter 5:5: “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another”
- James 2:1: “Don’t show favoritism”
3. Affirm one another through visible affection.
- Romans 16:16: “Greet one another with a holy kiss”
- James 1:19: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak”
- Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another”
- 1 Thessalonians 3:12: “[May] your love increase and overflow for each other”
Share
4. Share one another’s space, goods, and time.
- Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love”
- 1 Peter 4:9: “Offer hospitality to one another”
- Galatians 6:10: “As we have opportunity, let us do good”
5. Share one another’s needs and problems.
- Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Encourage one another”
- Hebrews 3:13: “Encourage one another daily”
6. Share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality.
- Colossians 3:16: “Teach and admonish one another”
- Ephesians 5:19: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”
- Romans 12:16: “Live in harmony with one another”
- 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Agree with one another”
Serve
7. Serve one another through accountability.
- James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other”
- Romans 15:14: “Instruct one another”
- Ephesians 4:25: “Speak truthfully”
8. Serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation.
- Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”
- Colossians 3:13: “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another”
- Galatians 5:25: Don’t provoke or envy one another
- James 4:11: “Do not slander one another”
- Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15: Reestablish broken relationships with one another
9. Serve one another’s interests rather than our own.
- Hebrews 10:24: “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”
- Romans 15:1-2: Don’t please yourself but please others
- Galatians 5:13: “Serve one another”
Celebrate Recovery – It’s About Changed Lives – Paul Willoughby
Lawrence County’s Celebrate Recovery ministry sponsored by St. Andrew’s Church in Lawrenceburg was blessed Thursday, July 14th to hear the personal testimony of Mr. Paul Willoughby via DVD.
Paul grew up in an abusive, drug using home. His father left early on and he never came around much. His mother introduced him to a string of “boyfriends” who would abuse both her and Paul. Finally at age 14, Paul’s mother passed away from an overdose. He lived with his biological father a few months until it made more sense to him to live on the street … sleeping in friend’s back yards, their garage, or flopping on a spare bed.
He found that selling drugs was “easy money”. But this life of crime caused him to hit bottom as he was sent to the California Penal system to serve at least 80% of a 4 year sentence. Prison life was it’s own “school of hard knocks”. Just as he was headed to prison, Paul had begun to seek the Lord in county jail. A friend had told him the difference that Jesus Christ made in his own life.
Prison life was a hard way to begin the “Christian Life”… being a Christian there had it’s own unique form of persecution and suffering. In the end, he thought those who hated him for his faith might do him serious harm the day before his release. Amazingly a freak fog covered the exercise yard and neither he nor his would be assailants were allowed out of lock down that day!
While there he participated in the first prison based “Celebrate Recovery”. When his release date was near, he wrote to several churches to see if they might be able to join their Celebrate Recovery program and find a place to call his “spiritual home”. One of those he wrote to was the perfect fit. Upon his release he found a church with a Celebrate Recovery which offered him a sponsor, accountability partner, and a new start on life.
The Living God is still reclaiming lost lives. Celebrate Recovery of Lawrence County welcomes you so you can find new life through Jesus Christ too!
Free Ebook – Wanted Radical Christians
Lots of people have visited our page “Wanted Radical Christians”
To give them “More of what they’re looking for” and to see if the Lord has team members He wishes to send here, there’s a new Free Ebook… it’s an expanded version of the page to discuss these topics in greater length.
Download it now! And pass it along!
Download "Wanted: Radical Christians"!
