Discipling Your Kids

As the new year begins, one of the best ways to spend it is by working with your spouse to develop a plan to disciple your children in 2010. That’s right, you read correctly. There should be a plan when it comes to helping grow your kids spiritually.

I would also argue that if your current plan for accomplishing this endeavor is the one-step strategy of “Take them to church,” then I suggest getting a better plan. Let me give you a few reasons why:

1. We risk giving our kids the impression that Jesus is someone we learn about for an hour one day a week (and that’s going to church weekly, which, truth be told, most Christian parents don’t do). Consequently, faith is viewed as something partitioned off from the rest of our lives. Christ isn’t seen as central in life but a footnote, and often a small one at that.
2. We cannot cultivate a heart for anything or anyone by merely one hour a week. For instance, how much time do our kids spend participating in sports each week? School? Gymnastics? Why? We know why. It’s because children (and adults) need both quality of time and quantity of time when it comes to growth in any area of life. Yet, this is just as true spiritually as it is physically or intellectually.
3. We can lead our kids to believe that the only people who really know about God, and thus, who should teach us about him are the experts - the pastors, directors and teachers at church. This feeling only gets reinforced when our kids ask us spiritual questions and we repeatedly reply, “That’s a good question. Let’s ask Pastor So-and-so.” It’s natural for kids to put us in tight places by the questions they ask, but when we continually put the spiritual ones off to the “Pastor,” all we’ve done is communicate to our children that the arena of faith isn’t a parent’s territory. Nothing could be further from the truth.

From the very beginning, parents have been central to the spiritual formation of their children. The words of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, known as the Shema to Jews around the world and foundational instruction for God’s people in the Old Testament, reads:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Note the emphasis on the role of the parent, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (6:7) Parents are the primary disciple-makers of their children. It’s a mandate from God that hasn’t changed over the centuries. No wonder Ephesians 6:4 reads, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Helping our kids grow spiritually is our responsibility. And it should be intentional, strategic and ongoing.

That’s why I believe one of the best ways to begin the year is by sitting down with your spouse and developing a plan for how you are going to pour into your kids spiritually. It will look different for every family. In fact, if you’ve never done this before, never fear! Begin small. Start reading a children’s Bible to your kids each weeknight. Read just one story. It might take only five minutes, but if you’re faithful to do it, you have already begun in some small measure to create spiritual momentum in your home which may impact your family more than you could ever imagine!

Let me conclude by sharing what my wife and I plan on doing weekly with our children in 2010.

Mornings (When we rise)

• Read and briefly discuss one story from Egermeier’s Bible Story Book at breakfast
• Review Scripture Memory for the week from SojournKids Family Worship Guide
• Work through one question of the catechism (A catechism is an historic, time-tested Q&A approach to teaching children Bible doctrine and gospel tenets) adapted from SojournKids Family Worship Guide

Afternoons (When we sit in our house and walk by the way)

• Find moments throughout the day to highlight God’s work in the world and the goodness of the gospel
• Read Hymns for a Kid’s Heart and then listen/sing corresponding hymn over lunch
• Have the To Be Like Jesus CD ready in the car to sing when we drive around town

Evenings (When we lie down)

• Read and briefly discuss one story from The Jesus Storybook Bible
• Pray with kids, pray for kids.

Some will do more, others will do less, but this is simply our initial plan for 2010. My challenge to you, dear parent, is to just do something…something more than just taking them to church. Please understand, you can do this! Indeed, you are called to do it. And if God calls us to something, he will empower us in the undertaking of it. Let 2010 be the year that you took the reigns of responsibility for your kids spiritual development.

So, what’s your plan?

West Campus Changes

After a request for information from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Clear Creek Independent School District asked CCCC to rescind our five-year contract that allowed us to meet in Clear Springs High School. After several days of debate and counsel, the elders agreed. The contract has been rescinded and CCCC can meet at Clear Springs High School until March 14, 2010. Beginning immediately, we will use the name Clear Creek Community Church - West Campus.

Dialogue with elders and others seemed to follow a common pattern that began with anger and landed in hope. No doubt, I started with anger. The request seemed unreasonable since our contract was less than half complete and we were informed that CCCC had done nothing wrong. We considered fighting the rescission and might have won in the short term, but for numerous reasons we determined to comply with the district’s request. Here are a few reasons:

1. We want to have a supportive, not combative relationship with the school district for the long term. We believe this honors God the most as we serve our community.
2. We don’t want to get distracted from our mission of leading unchurched people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus. I can’t imagine our elders and staff being engrossed in ongoing legal issues that would eclipse the distraction of the twelve days we spent on the rescission issue.
3. Although the district is rescinding our contract and will not allow us to meet at Clear Springs High School, we were told that the district is not closing the door on churches renting schools. This information influenced our decision.
4. We believe Romans 8:28. That is, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. God wants His church to flourish more than we do. We trust Him, even when we don't understand everything that happens.
   

Last Sunday, at the West Campus I was inspired to see the determination of the people to make sure that the West Campus thrives in the future. West Siders suggested multiple alternative sites where we might meet; no conclusions as of yet.

While I started with anger, I am filled with hopeful enthusiasm about the West Campus. I believe the West Campus has the opportunity to become better than ever. Our new space, wherever it is, will surely have some improvements and possibly some things that are not as good. Regardless, we will overcome in this trial and emerge a campus that is more on mission than ever. Together, we will provide empty seats at optimal inviting hours in close proximity to the people we are trying to reach.

Click here to view my original video message that was emailed last week to our entire church about these changes.

Grace and Peace,

Disturb Us, Lord

In part three of The Parent Trap, I challenged parents to avoid the safety trap. If parents always keep their kids safe, they will find themselves protecting their children from Jesus. He calls us to follow him, and following him is not safe. People who follow Jesus must live by faith and faith includes risk. You must take up your cross daily and follow him.

So parents might embrace “The American Dream Jesus,” who is so popular in our consumer version of Christianity. But this will only endanger children more; in their boredom with the view of Jesus that simply keeps them safe, they will pursue risk in all the wrong ways and miss really living. I closed the message with a poem sent to me by my father. Many have asked about it, so I’ve included it here.

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.

– Sir Francis Drake who sailed in 1577

Avoiding the Parent Trap - Resources for Parents

The following books are resources we have found helpful in becoming more gospel-centered as parents. This does not mean that each person on staff would agree with every point made in these works; however, they are, generally speaking, of such a high quality that we believe they can benefit you in your pursuit of raising children who not only love the good news of Jesus Christ but make it central to their life.

Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting by William Farley. Bill Farley's new book on parenting is rock solid. It is so because it is so profoundly grounded upon the all-sufficiency of the Word of God and the Gospel of grace. When it comes to parenting, Farley is no neophyte; he has been in the trenches raising sinful kids by the grace of God and for the glory of God for two decades. Nor is he going to give you theoretical platitudes; he is honest about his own deficiencies and his great need of Gospel wisdom in parenting. Here is Jonathan Edward s theology made accessible to depraved parents raising depraved kids in a depraved world. This is, ultimately, a parenting book full of hope, hope grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. --- Douglas Bond, author of Fathers & Sons.

Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. Kimmel, author and founder of Family Matters ministries, likens many Christian parents' attempts at rearing children to putting together a puzzle without first studying the completed picture located on the box's cover. Kimmel states that families of faith tend toward extremes, either being overly permissive or overly legalistic. This is not a particularly new concept, but Kimmel pulls it off with interesting storytelling and sound biblical parallels. He says Christians frequently believe that the battle for a child's heart and soul is fought on the outside-with rigid rules and boundaries-when in fact just the opposite is true. He underscores the importance of communicating the unconditional love that Christ offers and affirming this timeless message of grace to one's family. - Publishers Weekly

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. The Jesus Storybook Bible' says it all: The Scriptures are not merely a collection of stories designed to teach moral lessons. As Jesus explained to the men walking the road to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday, the whole Bible is about Jesus. In the words of the subtitle, every story whispers his name….Lloyd-Jones manages to show again and again the presence of Christ in all the Old Testament Scriptures, and the presence of the Old Testament Scriptures in the life of Christ. - Christianity Today

This is absolutely my favorite children's Bible because every individual, beautifully illustrated story ultimately points to the greater Story of Jesus and the good news that is the Gospel. I joyously use this Bible with my own children. - Yancey Arrington, Teaching Pastor

You can also see Bibles we recommend for different age-graded ministries - here.

Grace and GroupLink

Last night at GroupLink was another moment which left us amazed at the grace of God. For a couple hours Sunday evening, approximately 300 individuals had the opportunity to get connected in small groups at Clear Creek Community Church! It was a beautiful sight witnessing a line form outside the building because so many people desired to "declare their unity by getting in community!" In addition to the Egret Bay campus, the Clear Springs campus had great numbers of people enter the GroupLink process earlier that morning. Needless to say, the response at both campuses was simply overwhelming.

In addition to the scores of people getting connected in small group, we also distributed over 1500 Membership Studies. Imagine that! Over the next six weeks, literally hundreds upon hundreds of those who call CCCC their home, will be walking through what it means to be connected to Jesus, his church and the leadership. We cannot wait to see what God will do in the lives of those in group over the next six weeks leading up to GroupUp, where we will celebrate any and all commitments made!

Indeed, this is a special season in the life of CCCC and we are most grateful to God for the grace he has shed upon us.

Important Information about the Midweek Service

I’m writing to inform you of a shift in the programming and weekly schedule of Clear Creek Community Church.

The elders of CCCC have determined that transitioning our Sunday services to be our weekly worship experience is the best way to fulfill our mission. Beginning immediately, Sundays will become more like The Gathering (the Wednesday night service), and we will continue to have The Gathering on the first Wednesday of each month, instead of meeting weekly.

Here’s why. When Clear Creek began 16 years ago we believed that (1) reaching an unchurched person and (2) practicing corporate worship required two separate services. However, we have seen generational changes that make a more authentic, participatory worship experience (similar to The Gathering) not only acceptable, but preferable to the generation of unchurched people emerging into adulthood. In light of this we have decided it is more effective to do both in the same Sunday service.

With a First Wednesday Gathering schedule, we add opportunities (1) for small groups (2) for people to engage with our community to reach our unchurched friends, and (3) to serve our community through Go Ops. A First Wednesday Gathering service will allow us to continue to share an extended time together in praise, prayer, the Lord's Supper, and to address church matters.

The elders realize that the weekly Gathering has served as a source of great strength and encouragement for you and others. We hope you’ll join our excitement that so many more of Clear Creekers and our unchurched friends will get to experience a similar worship experience on Sundays. Most importantly we believe these decisions allow us to better fulfill our mission of leading unchurched people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus.

I invite you to two occasions to address these changes. First, please join me at C4 Training this Sunday night (Aug 30) at 6:15 PM in the main auditorium for a 20 minute presentation. Second, after the First Wednesday Gathering on September 2, Yancey and I will meet with you so we can answer your questions and more fully explain why this change is important to make at this time.

Grace and Peace,

The Subtler Side of Serving at Egret Bay

I used to be an accountant so I appreciate a chance every now and then to analyze some numbers. Take a look at these numbers from the Egret Bay Campus:

If you've been coming to CCCC for long, you know that the annual attendance increase happens every year at this time. Looks pretty tight at 10:00 and 11:30!

Now consider one more key factor. You know that you are never able to fill every seat in an auditorium. Our ushers do a great job, but there are always spaces and holes, and no one (especially visitors and guests) wants to climb over half a row of people to fill two empty seats, or sit apart from their family to fill in seats. In fact, experts insist a room is "full" or at "practical capacity" when 80% of the seats are occupied. So, look at these numbers again when compared to "practical capacity":

You get the idea. I won't even bother to explain that the attendance continues to increase for several weeks into September. I won't try to quantify the additional increase the new Creek Kids building will drive. You already see we are out of seats and parking spaces at 10:00 and 11:30, and the problem is going to be worse than these numbers reflect.

Here is the subtler side of serving at Egret Bay: You at the 8:30 service.

You are the only leverage we have today to create an empty seat for someone in our community who will start attending CCCC's Egret Bay Campus in the next few weeks - maybe one of the Top 5 people you are praying for. Your choice to get up an hour earlier on Sunday and make room at 10:00 and 11:30 is essential for us to be on mission this fall.

I urge you and I plead with you to move to the 8:30 service if you attend the Egret Bay Campus. Carefully consider, in light of the mission of our church, any reason you wouldn't, and then ask God to change your mind and your habits! My goal is to increase the 8:30 service attendance to 850 people. If we do that, we just added about 460 seats to the 10:00 and 11:30 services along with the associated parking space! We go forward together on mission, and all it costs us is an earlier trip to the coffee area.

Iron Mike's Baptism

I met Iron Mike through my friend Dave. Mike told me that he was interested in studying the Bible, even though he had not read the Bible before. Dave had known Mike for a long while and prayed for Mike regularly because Mike is one of Dave’s “Top Five”. So Dave and I asked Mike to join us for breakfast each week. We read a few chapters of the Bible over and over during the week and discussed what we were reading at breakfast.

Breakfast around the Bible has become one of my favorite hours of the week. From the beginning I could see that Mike was an earnest believer in God, but he did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. He was not sure what he believed about Jesus. We read and discussed the gospel of John, verse by verse and chapter by chapter. By the time we discussed Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection, Mike’s faith grew to the point of trusting in Jesus as the God-man who came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Mike came to believe that Jesus died to pay the price for our sins and was resurrected to prove who He is and to promise us eternal life. I asked Mike if he was ready to let the whole world know that he is a follower of Jesus. Without hesitation he said, “Yes, I am.” So we planned for Mike to be baptized on July 19.

I was bummed when I heard that Iron Mike had pneumonia, not just because he was sick, but because I knew he would not be able to share his story on video for his baptism. But Mike was determined to be baptized in spite of being sick, and he was willing to share his story live.

On Sunday, July 19, we experienced a moment together in the 10:00 AM service at Egret Bay. Others were baptized and their stories were powerful. Then I held my microphone in front of Mike while he sat in the waters of baptism and he started talking. And you had to have been there to fully appreciate what happened in the room, but the attached video of Mike’s baptism will give you a taste. Before you watch it, I want you to know, I am so grateful to be part of a church that acts like this.

Forgive and Forget

The question I am asked most often after I teach on forgiveness is, “Are we supposed to forgive and forget?” In other words, if I forgive someone who hurt me, must I, also, get close to them again and risk being hurt by them again?

When we forgive, we don’t forget. Here’s why. Forgiveness is not acting like the offense never happened. To forgive someone is to acknowledge that the offense did happen, and to, then, release them from the consequences of their offense. It is to no longer hold them in contempt for their treatment of you. To forgive them is to absorb the pain of their offense without insisting that they must pay. To forgive, you let the matter end with you instead of perpetuating the hurt by constantly telling the story of their offense, wishing them harm or bringing them harm.

Forgiveness is given freely. We forgive because we were forgiven. (Colossians 2:13-14 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.) Jesus cancelled the debt by taking the consequences of our offense on himself. We forgive because this is God’s command to us. (Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.) We are to forgive as we have been forgiven.

While forgiveness is given freely, trust is earned. To trust someone is to open up to them. Each person determines how closely they allow people to get to them. We all have differing emotional boundaries and personal space. As trust builds, people are allowed to be closer, both physically and emotionally. Once a person is hurt, their “generally allowed, personal space” is adjusted. The rules change about their “generally allowed, personal space”. The offender is no longer trusted, so he is not allowed to be as close as before. Jesus practiced boundaries with people by withdrawing from them. He withdrew from those who would make him king. He withdrew from the religious people who threatened to kill him. He withdrew from the crowds who made unrealistic demands on him.

I can forgive and still have boundaries. I can forgive my brother for hitting me and still not stand so close to him that he can hit me again. I can really forgive him. I might have no thoughts of revenge or hate for him. But forgiving does not mean I must stand closer to him. Trust, which is earned, is what gives me the faith to stand closer to him.

We must learn to disassociate forgiving someone from trusting them. Forgiving does not require that you trust them again. It’s only wise to forgive. It’s not always wise to trust.

We forgive, but we don’t forget. Healthy people live with boundaries.

Connecting to the Kingdom

Jesus never calls people to come to church, he invites them to enter the Kingdom of God – a relationship that begins today through faith in Jesus and lasts forever in a community of people where God is glorified and his will is done. People who live in the Kingdom of God have undergone a radical transformation because the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection has changed their hearts. Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is a radical place where people would rather serve than be served. It is a radical place where people would rather live together celebrating redemption in Jesus than to live alone, just coping with everyday life.

So, sometimes I wonder what people think when they hear us talking on Sunday mornings about the most practical expressions of doing life together as the body of Christ – we call it living in community. We talk about being in a small group and finding a place to serve at CCCC as basic expressions of living in this community of God’s people. I wonder what people are thinking because I know that only about half the people who attend CCCC are in a small group and much less than that, maybe one fourth, are regularly serving.

Why is that? Is it because we aren’t inspiring speakers? Is it because people are still new to church and they are just trying to figure out what they believe about God before they jump into the “community”? Maybe.
I think both of those reasons are true for a few people, but not very many.

I think the real bottom line for people who regularly attend CCCC who aren’t in group and don’t serve is that they just don’t really understand what Jesus is talking about when he describes what it’s like to live in the Kingdom of God. I think people see church as just a part of living in this world – like going to work or to the grocery or to a baseball game. I think people think that they can “know” God without being intimate with his people and intimately involved with his mission. I just don’t think that’s true.

Jesus’ description of the Kingdom of Heaven is one of mutual submission, sacrifice, service, and interdependence among the people who live there.

Matthew 20:26-28 But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The next time you hear us challenge you to fulfill your CC2.0 commitments to give, serve, go to small group, and invite people to church; or the next time we invite you to GroupLink or First Serve; or the next time we invite you to come to The Gathering and share the Lord’s Supper with this community of faith, I hope you’ll come. Not because I asked you to, but because you decide to risk a greater exposure to the transformational power of the gospel of Jesus and because you’re ready to trade life in the suburbs for life in the Kingdom of God.

The Blessings of CHLTB

I was inspired yesterday watching over a thousand people putting others’ interests before their own as they gave up their Sunday afternoon and served the community by performing landscaping, painting and cleaning projects for Clear View Education Center and McWhirter Elementary School. The first Church Has Left The Building effort by Clear Creek Community Church was a huge success! We not only accomplished a great deal of work in about 2 ½ hours but had FUN doing it. The servant attitude of each person was contagious. As I walked around thanking those participating, a common response was “No, thanks for the opportunity.” God has blessed CCCC with hundreds of people who are interested in sharing the Gospel with our community by serving in our community. May our good deeds open up doors for the Good News!

We lived these scriptures yesterday:

1 Peter 4:10

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace

Philippians 2:3-5
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

Way to go, CCCC!

Here are some photos from yesterday.
Click on the image for a higher resolution.

Tim Keller's "The Prodigal God"

There are fewer teachers I enjoy right now than Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. He is brilliant, engaging and incredibly accessible. Not only did he give one of the best conference messages I have heard in quite a while, he has also authored two books which have very few peers. I read his first book, The Reason for God, last year and was astounded at how good it was at helping people deal with the questions that usually pop up from those skeptical of God. His latest book, The Prodigal God, is a book-version of his sermon series on Jesus’ parable in Luke 15 popularly known as The Prodigal Son.

Of the many things that makes Keller special is his ability to skillfully get to the core issue at hand - the Gospel. In the world that is Christianity, Inc. much of what passes as solid biblical teaching is nothing more than moralism with a little Jesus sprinkled here and there. It’s funny (in a very sad way) that many have left the penalty of the Law to embrace the grace offered in Jesus only to create new laws in order to make us feel better about our performance before a God who has already performed for us. Instead of letting Christianity become a freeing grace from God it gets turned into oppressive, soul-crushing religion. This won’t do and Keller is one of the best voices to help us see what a Gospel-centered life can look like.

The Prodigal God is his latest attempt to bring people out of the clutches of religion into the Gospel of grace. The book is brief (only 132 pages) yet totally enthralling as it breaks down the relationship a father in the Ancient Near East would have with his sons giving us a deeper appreciation not only for what truly was transpiring in the parable but also the greatness of the Gospel. I won’t say anymore. Read it for yourself. I read The Prodigal God in January and may have already read the best book of the year.

Yes. It’s that good.

***This was adapted from a past post from Teaching Pastor Yancey Arrington's website

Religious or Christian?

What is the difference between being a Christian and being religious? Aren’t devout Christians religious people? Yes and no.

When you talk about religion as any type of spiritual pursuit, Christians might be considered religious. But religion is often considered what man does to reach out to God. To better understand the affects of religion, be sure to hear “Why God Hates Religion” beginning April 19, 2009 at the Egret Bay Campus.

In Christianity, it’s not about man reaching to God, but it’s about God reaching to man. God came to us in Jesus Christ. (John 1:1, 14) He showed us what he is like. He loved us first. (1 John 4:19) He sought us first. He provided a way of forgiveness through Jesus’ taking our sin on the cross. He offered us hope.

The Christian faith is founded on the belief that man’s best efforts cannot make a person acceptable to God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) While religion says that good people go to heaven and bad people don’t, Christianity says that all are sinners and so only bad people go to heaven. Yes, you read that correctly. Only bad people go to heaven. But the bad people who go to heaven (remember, we have all sinned) have been forgiven and accepted by God when they placed their faith in Jesus.

So does religion make you right with God? Only Jesus paying your sin debt and making you a child of God makes you acceptable to God. And when you have faith in Jesus, you are completely accepted and Jesus makes you completely acceptable to God. All of your sins are forgiven. You bear the guilt and shame of your sins no more. The Bible uses words like, you are “justified” and you are made “righteous.” You become the “children of God.” You have peace with God.

The Bible teaches that man connects with God by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace means “God’s unmerited favor.” So you are made right with God, not based on religious deeds (church going, giving, baptism, serving the poor). Rather, you are made right with God when you depend completely on what Jesus Christ did for you when he paid your sin debt on the cross and demonstrated his power over death and hell in the resurrection.

So you receive this gift of grace from God when you place your trust in Jesus alone to make you right with God. You place your trust in Jesus by calling on the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13). The only way to call is to pray. Billy Graham encourages people to pray the following prayer as they come to faith in Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe in who You are and that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name. Amen.

When you place your faith in Jesus, be sure to tell someone who will be happy for you. You’ll want to be baptized and get involved in a local church. If you have questions or if you prayed to receive Christ, please e-mail us at mystory@clearcreek.org .

God wants you to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. That does not happen overnight. And you should not try to do this alone. You will grow the best in community. That’s why we have small groups. In a small group you will make some friends of people who have the same spiritual goal as yourself, to follow Jesus Christ. You can get in a small group by registering for GroupLink.

When you feel the need to investigate or understand more before you place your faith in Jesus, focus your questions and investigative energy on Jesus Christ. The crux of the matter is “Who is Jesus?” Let us help you in the journey. You might want to be part of Starting Point. A small group study intended for spiritual seekers to have a safe place to investigate the Christian faith and ask questions. Starting Point groups meet in the church office on Sunday mornings at 9:45AM-11AM and 11:15AM-12:30PM. You can register for Starting Point through GroupLink. For more information, go to the Connection Corner on Sundays.

Holy Week Readings - Easter Sunday

Read this Gospel account of what happened on Easter Morning: John 20:1-18

¹ Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." ³ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. ⁴Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples went back to their homes.

¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹²And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." ¹⁴Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." ¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"—and that he had said these things to her.

He is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Week Readings - Holy Saturday

As we parallel Holy Week, Jesus' body lies dead in the tomb. Take time throughout the day to reflect on this sobering and priceless truth.

Read Matthew 27:57-66- Jesus is buried

⁵⁷ When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶²The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' ⁶⁴Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." ⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

OR read John 19:38-42 - Jesus is buried

³⁸ After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. ³⁹ Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. ⁴⁰So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴²So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Week Readings - Good Friday

Read this Gospel account of what happened on Good Friday. REMINDER: Today from 11AM - 2PM the auditorium will be open for prayer, reflection and Scripture in observance of Good Friday.

Read John 18:1- 19:42 – The Passion of the Christ

¹When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. ²Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" ⁵They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. ⁶ When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." ⁸Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go." ⁹ This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one." ¹⁰Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) ¹¹So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

¹²So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ The servant girl at the door said to Peter, "You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." ¹⁸Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹ The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. ²⁰Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said." ²²When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" ²³Jesus answered him, "If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?" ²⁴ Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You also are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." ²⁶One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" ²⁷Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

²⁸ Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. ²⁹ So Pilate went outside to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" ³⁰They answered him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you." ³¹Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death." ³² This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

³³ So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" ³⁴Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" ³⁵Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?" ³⁶Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." ³⁷Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." ³⁸Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" ⁴⁰They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.

John 19

¹Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³They came up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and struck him with their hands. ⁴Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." ⁵So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!" ⁶When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him." ⁷ according to that law he ought to die becauseThe Jews answered him, "We have a law, and he has made himself the Son of God." ⁸When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹ "Where are you from?" But He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" ¹¹Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."

¹²From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." ¹³So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" ¹⁵They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, ¹⁷and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. ¹⁹Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." ²⁰Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" ²²Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, ²⁴so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

"They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots."

So the soldiers did these things, ²⁵ but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. ²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said ( to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." ²⁹A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. ³²So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. ³⁵ He who saw it has borne witness— his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth— that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken." ³⁷And again another Scripture says, "They will look on him whom they have pierced."

³⁸ After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. ³⁹ Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. ⁴⁰So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴²So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Week Readings - Maundy Thursday

We hope these readings allow you to engage with what was going on with Jesus in what is traditionally known as "Holy Week", the week leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

REMINDER:
Tomorrow from 11AM - 2PM the auditorium will be open
for prayer, reflection and Scripture in observance of Good Friday.

Read:
Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 - First Passover

¹The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ² "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. ³Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. ⁴And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, ⁶and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

⁷"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. ¹⁰And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – Last Supper

²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

John 13:1-17, 31b-35 – Jesus washes feet of disciples

¹²When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. ¹⁸ I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' ¹⁹ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. ²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."

²¹After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." ²² The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. ²³ One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, ²⁴so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. ²⁵ So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, "Lord, who is it?" ²⁶Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." ²⁸Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. ²⁹Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ³²If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.