Here is the Video from SETO.

Can't Wait!!!!!

Reconciled...

I had been thinking about Mr. Welch’s comment…

“Just a thought – if we were going to think of grace, how about reaching our world? In fact, God Reaching All Cultures Everywhere. How can we do this? We are able to do this as His passionate children reaching our culture in our generation.”

…..along with the 2 Corinthians passage Louie used in the “Fruitcake and Ice Cream” video:

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(2Co 5:16-21) [italicized emphasis mine]

Louie talked about how God has and still is trying to reestablish a relationship with each person in the world….God at work. I noticed the word reconciled…so I looked up the definition:

rec·on·cile
v. rec·on·ciled, rec·on·cil·ing, rec·on·ciles
1. To settle or resolve.
2. To bring (oneself) to accept: He finally reconciled himself to the change in management.
3. To make compatible or consistent: reconcile my way of thinking with yours.
4. To reestablish a close relationship, as in marriage: The estranged couple reconciled after a year.
5. To become compatible or consistent: The figures would not reconcile.

When I used to think about this word, I usually applied the 5th definition, to become compatible or consistent. My thoughts went to reconciling my checkbook with the bank statement. I would look at both to see if they matched. If my check book was less than the bank, I would rejoice (I had more than I thought I had)…but if my checkbook was greater, then I would double check the bank. Some times we think we have more than we should. We say our balance is ok…like that “Good Enough to go to Heaven” mentality. We eventually reconcile (bring oneself to accept) and admit we are wrong.

I was reminded of the 4th definition, to reestablish a close relationship. Mrs. Coiner and I watched the movie “Fireproof” last night. This was truly amazing (and a little close to home). What a visual picture of reconciliation! Also, there were pictures of Grace throughout the movie. I don’t want to spoil anything…so I want go into details. Just to say that when you watch a marriage become reconciled, you see God’s reconciliation in action. You see the relationship come back together as a result of love. The bible calls us the Bride of Christ…What closer relationship is there?

Before we try to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation, we need to make sure we are reconciled to God first! As in any close relationship we need to do this daily....or more often!

I was trying to put together an acrostic for GRACE and came up with God’s Reality After Christians Evangelize.

March LOL SETO

We need a theme!!!! This will allow us to define our details in music selection, message, etc.

I want to emphasize to every one of what St. Pace is educating us on and to enumerate the three “E’s” of discipleship.

Evangelize
Edify
Equip

How do we work these into our service?

From Wednesday night, we established:
- Songs in beginning – 20 min
- Message – 30 Min
- Songs at end – 10 min
- Transition at start (lights, etc)
- Music to go with the theme.
- Use of media and visuals.

I would like to offer the word “GRACE” as a theme word. There are many ideas and directions to go with this theme. I am reminded of some things like.
- Louie Giglio’s talk about Grace as God in Action…and his real life illustration of “Fruitcake and Ice Cream”
- Pastor’s definition of Grace as the oil that keeps things lubricated, reducing the friction between us and God and between us and others.
- Another simple way of putting it is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
- Our church is named “Grace Baptist”…(why?)
- If we are to reach the unsaved…we need to extend grace to them and meet them where they are. Christ did!
- If it wasn’t for God’s grace, we could never meet His requirements…..we aren’t good enough!

In book I just read, “Since Nobody’s perfect… How Good is good enough?”, Andy Stanley described the dilemma with the question, “How do you get to Heaven” and the belief of just being good enough will get you there. He lists many problems with the “good people go” belief that have to be reconciled. Here is the list of issues he brought up.

- We don’t know exactly what good is. Even our religious leaders can’t agree on it.
- Our internal moral gauges aren’t much help. They don’t line up cross-culturally (generational, different nationalities, or even across the pew) As time passes, our definitions of right and wrong may change.
- We have no clear indication from God how the scoring system works
- It is difficult to reconcile (justify) a good God with a belief system that is unclear and seemingly unfair. What percent of good is good enough?
- We can’t use the Bible to measure how close we are getting. The list from the Old Testament is culturally irrelevant and physically impossible to keep.
- Jesus assured the “most” religious people of his day that they weren’t good enough, while promising criminals and prostitutes that God would gladly welcome them.

The Christian understanding is that God’s Grace and Mercy is what allows only “Bad people” to go to heaven… as Forgiven people. This seems unfair to all those who are doing good things and trying their best. But what is “fair”. Fairness ended a long time ago when a naked man and a naked women choose to disobey the ONE (1 and only 1) rule God had. So…we pay every day for a decision made in our history (is that fair?)….

Now God had to choose whether to remove man from the face of the earth or choose mercy and grace. We all know the passage “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” So is that fair to God?

What blows my mind is that God’s way is fair to all men (and women!). Everyone is welcome, everyone gets in the same way, everybody can meet the requirements. “For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Whoever includes everyone who is willing, believing in him, trusting in the fact that Jesus is who he claimed to be and that his death accomplished what he claimed to accomplish. Our access to heaven.

Whoooooow…I don’t want to say this is our theme. I was just giving my input and an example.

Both Mr. Pace and I have talked and we want this to be “YOUR” SETO. We want you to be excited and want to invite your friends (or your generation) to reach them your way. We will use Wednesday nights and other times to get together (Sunday afternoon’s, before Sunday school, etc). We will put the finial touches on it the afternoon of the 15th but should have 99% of it defined before that.

We need to do our best and not for the reward…but because of the reward. Remember what Paul wrote to the Colossians:

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” Col 3:17

-and-

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” Col 3:23-24.

Biblical Principles

Watched Narnia Prince Capspian the other day. It's amazing how God can talk to you through the simplest things. I realy think He really spoke to me through this movie. I see a need to rely on God instead of trying to do the Teen ministry on my own. To confirm this, Cory and Shanna gave me a CD with Mike Pilavachi's message from the NYWC this year.

Bummer

Just got back from a shortened vacation trip to the camp in Virginia. The water was low in the spring and it was not replenishing what we were using. So, to prevent the frustration of not being able to take showers or wash dishes, we headed home. Usually, when you look up this stream, you are lucky to see a rock to stand on.

One thing I did realize is that even in our best plans, there will have to be changes made along the way. Reminds me of the verse in Proverbs:

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Hello World

The start of something new.