Cy-fair Christian Church

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was leavened.” The picture he is painting is of something that is small yet which has great influence over everything it touches. Something that is small yet has big results.Jesus also said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If we consider incredible life experiences we witness in scripture, some encounters stand out. If I said the name Moses, you might say the day God spoke to him through a burning bush. If I said the name David, you might say the day he killed a giant of a man - with a sling shot no less. If I said Apostle Paul, you might say the day he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. But what about Peter? We might have to qualify the question. The Peter who walked with Jesus yet denied he knew him? The Peter who preached on the day of Pentecost and led over 3000 people to follow Jesus? I think Peter would have a hard time identifying one unbelievable life experience.I can guarantee you that a trance like experience on a rooftop in Joppa would make Peter’s list! You see Peter saw his world through Jewish lenses and understandably so. He was Jewish. But God wanted Peter to change the way he saw his world and the way he engaged his world. Oh, by the way, God wants the same for you and me. The gospel paved the way to br

The people of Israel were just like us, and just like us, their hopes were misplaced, too. Psalm 72 is the last of the Davidic Psalms and is a prayer for prosperity and security. Only instead of the focus being on wealth, the focus was on a king—in this case Solomon. Solomon was the wisest man in the world and his country was revered by all of its neighbors. But later in life, even Solomon would stray from the Lord and Israel’s hopes would be dashed once again. However, if you read the words of Psalm 72 closely, you may find that they are pointing you to the promise of a greater king, one who would assuredly bring peace, abundance, and security. This king would not be like the ones before him, and this king would never let us down.

As we head into 2019, I want us to develop healthy rhythms of prayer in our lives. Not just when we pray, but how we pray. There is obviously not a formula that makes prayer more effective, instead I am talking about being intentional and committed to spending time with God in conversation. Prayer is so important to our faith. We need to find a healthy rhythm for it.

Over the past few weeks we have celebrated the hope, the peace, and the love we have found through the gospel of King Jesus. Today we continue the journey as we focus on joy. This is not just any kind of joy,  but real joy, an unshakable joy, a joy that last forever. 

If Paul is the apostle of faith, Peter is the apostle of hope, and James is the apostle of good works, then John is the apostle of love. In fact, the story goes that when John was elderly and unable to walk on his own, the men of the church in Ephesus would carry him into the assembly and sit him down to teach. There, the old man would simply say, "Dear children, let us love one another.” And while this subject is evident in all his writings, love takes center stage in chapter four of his first epistle. While it may not be viewed as a traditional Christmas passage, the kind of rich love that John is teaching about in 1 John 4 is at the heart of the Christmas story. You see, our God is not just a talking god. He’s an acting God, a doing God, a serving God. His love to us is shown by His action. There is no greater display of His love than sending His only Son to  die for our sins—to take our place, and to become our sacrifice. As image-bearers of this loving God, this is how we show that we love him: lovi

This Sunday, the second week of Advent, we explore the peace that Jesus offered to us during his time on earth and the final and complete peace that he will bring with his return. Come Emmanuel and bring wholeness to this broken world.

How do you celebrate Christmas? What are your family traditions? Does it involve cutting a fresh tree? Does it include a Jesse Tree or an advent box? Does it include presents under a tree? Does it include cookies for Santa Claus? Does it include adopting a family who is experiencing difficulty so they will get to celebrate a Christmas like you will? Does it involve tamales on Christmas Eve? This advent we are going to explore some of your family traditions. 

Our church exists to cultivate fully devoted disciples of Jesus. This is our primary purpose: We want to be a church of disciple-makers! For that reason, we are currently studying the book of Acts in a sermon series entitled, Sent. You and I have been commissioned by Jesus—we’ve been SENT—to go into our workplaces, our schools, our neighborhoods, and yes, even to foreign lands to make disciples of Him, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded us (Matt 28:19-20). Are you (yes, YOU) willing to stop and consider the fact that God has a purpose for you in this mission? That’s right. You don’t have to be extraordinary to be used by God. You just simply have to be willing. But if you are willing, be expectant, because God WILL use you.

Are you thankful for the gospel? Have you encountered God’s goodness in the person of Jesus Christ? Who walked with you at a critical time in your faith journey? The Apostle Paul had such a person. Without him who knows what direction his life would have taken.Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 107:1 

With the martyrdom of Stephen, the church enters a new chapter in its short history. To escape, Jesus’ disciples must scatter throughout the region. But to the dismay of its oppressors, namely Saul, the Christ followers continue to increase in number. For what the enemy meant for evil, God used it for good. (Genesis 50:20). Now a new disciple steps to the fore. Philip was one of the Greek-speaking converts chosen to serve the church’s widows, but persecution has driven him to Samaria and beyond where he leads many others to Christ. Sunday, we’ll pick up in Acts 8 where Philip, directed by the Holy Spirit, encounters an Ethiopian eunuch. Philip's unflinching willingness to follow the Spirit is inspiring and will challenge us all to follow his example.

How will you someday face “Death”? Will you meet “Death” as a friend or foe? Will you cross his path in fear or in faith? Will your encounter be marked by hope or hopelessness? Will you go toe to toe with your perceived enemy only to find that in the last round of life, “Death” is actually not only a friend but a friend you await with anticipation, and embrace on arrival? Like Stephan do you understand that our death means life eternal through Jesus? Paul writes, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Someday I hope to snatch victory from the jaws of “Death.” I hope to greet death with the confidence that alone comes from knowing Christ.

In Acts 6, we find a church that is growing at an incredibly rapid pace. Over and over again, Luke points out that great multitudes of disciples were constantly being added to their numbers (Acts 2:41,47; 4:4; 5:14; 13:49; 16:5; 19:20). This was the result of powerful gospel-centered preaching and prayer. But with this growth came more and more needs, and the Apostles were limited to what they could accomplish. By trying to do everything themselves, the Apostles were not only failing to keep up, but they were neglecting their primary responsibilities and depriving other members of the opportunity to serve. It was time for something new. It was time to change. So with Acts 6, we see a new way to do ministry: gospel-centered service. It was the beginning of a new day for the church, in which ministry would be placed in the hands of ordinary men and women who had been called and gifted by God to do his work in the world.

We will pick up the story of the early church in chapter four where Luke writes about the community of believers caring for one another and doing whatever needed to be done to meet the needs of fellow believers. Scripture tells us that they “had everything in common,” (Acts 4:32) and that there was “not a needy person among them.” (Acts 4:34) This is a story about dependance. At first glance it seems that the story is about believers depending on the community but a closer look reveals that our dependance really lies in a trusting relationship with God! I look forward to digging a little deeper into this passage with you!  

If we are honest, we may come to the point in life where we ask, “Why pray?” We may ask, “Does it really make any difference?” “If God is a good God, a faithful God, a merciful God, a God who heals, is he really in control of all things?” It is very easy to move from hope to cynicism in the world in which we live. Paul Miller writes, “Cynicism kills hope. The world of the cynic is fixed and is immovable. The cynic believes we are swept along by forces greater than we are. Dreaming feels like so much foolishness. Risk becomes intolerable. Prayer feels pointless, as if we are talking to the wind. Why set ourselves and God up for failure.” We must lean into God during these times of difficulty. We must believe he is in control, he is at work in all the details of my life. We must believe that he is loving, he is shaping the details of my life for my good. We must believe that God is wise, he will not do everything I want because he alone knows what I need. We must embrace the fact that he is patient, he is going

God longs to use ordinary people just like you and me. God longs to use average people. God longs to use flawed people. God longs to use broken people. God longs to use inadequate people. God longs to use weak people. If you are any one of the people above, God can and will use you for His glory! 

Peter and John leave the comfort of their community and take the gospel to the religious heart of the city—the Jewish temple. Under the ornate colonnades of bronze at the Beautiful Gate, they fix their eyes on a man who had been crippled from birth. There Peter heals the man in the name of Jesus and commands him to get up and walk. This fills the watching crowd with wonder and sets the stage for Peter to later present the gospel to a new audience, and ultimately catapults the church into a new chapter of persecution and exponential growth.

Last week we read about the Holy Spirit showing up at Pentecost. The crowd was astonished that people from a multitude of different backgrounds were sharing the mighty works of God in each other’s language. Some were left asking, “What does this mean?” Others accused the apostles of being drunk. Peter responds to the crowd, sharing the story of Jesus of Nazareth. Luke writes that the story “cut to their heart.” The crowd then asked, “Now what?”

The Holy Spirit, the sound of a “mighty rushing wind”, made a long awaited landfall on the Day of Pentecost. Millions of peoples lives would never be the same. We continue our journey through the Book of Acts—we have been SENT in the incredible, unmatched power of the Spirit!