Posts Tagged ‘Sovereign Christ Church’
River Valley Ranch: What’s Your Vantage Point?
January 24, 2012 | 
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I was privileged to be a part of a ministry to Middle and High-Schoolers this past weekend at River Valley Ranch in upstate Maryland, near the border of Pennsylvania. It was a pretty intense weekend called “Winter Meltdown.” It is a GGRREEAATTT weekend retreat for both the students AND the leaders and volunteers. The RVR staff takes care of everything so they can achieve their goal, which is
to provide a place free from the distractions of everyday life, where students and leaders can focus on God and build meaningful relationships with each other.
From my perspective, they did just that. I am posting my slide packs here, so if any of the youth leaders want to refer back to these, they can. Use everything at will!
If anyone needs a great camp to go to for any of several reasons, RVR is the place to be!
Posted in "Ruminations", Lessons Repository | 
Tags: Camp, Church, High School, Middle School, Perspective, River Valley Ranch, RVR, Sovereign Christ Church, Vantage Point, Winter Meltdown, Youth | 
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Discipleship 3.1 – The Method
Whenever we encounter elemental, or core theological principles, we often feel as though a tsunami-like wave has crashed over us – because we just want to know:
1. What do we do?
2. (and maybe more forefront in our minds) How do we do it?
Now, there is a danger crouching behind these questions, but I will deal with that in 3.2.
So far we have seen that we have been given a Mission and such an imperative has the implied call to obey it. I suppose it isn’t too cliche to say that God doesn’t make suggestions. This should be delightfully obeyed, because it should find an immediate harmonious connection within our own desires, thus given us a very organic internal Motivation – namely, that we are Christians who love Jesus and we want others to love Him too. If you have trouble agreeing with the first two points in this paragraph and series, then you may not know Him, even likely so. If that is the case, go here.
So, to answer the first question, we are to make disciples of Jesus Christ. This must never be eclipsed by men, fellowships, denominations, traditions nor religion.
We DO NOT make disciples of ourselves.
We DO NOT make disciples of (human) leaders.
We DO NOT make disciples of our local fellowships (churches).
We DO NOT make disciples of a denomination.
We DO NOT make disciples of a particular school of thought.
We DO NOT make disciples of Christianity.
It has officially begun . . .
The Church plant that is to take place this year, Lord willing, on the East side of Raleigh (likely the Knightdale area) has officially begun. Well, it had officially begun along time ago, but now we have filed. The name that is registered with the NC Secretary of State for the church plant is Sovereign Christ Church.
We pray that even the name begins to communicate what we are about. We are called to make disciples of Jesus, our Sovereign Lord. He is the Head of the Church – no man. There is no pyramid-like hierarchy where one man presides over another. Rather, whereas some are further down the road of maturity, all are on the same path; all men and women in the fold of Christ are sheep – there is no division of class between leaders and laymen, no more than there is a division of class within the Trinity, since the images of roles, yet equality of the Triune Godhead are imprinted on the Church, as in the family; there is only One Good Shepherd, the rest are hirelings, who themselves depend on the Good Shepherd and will give account to.
We are Christ’s, not our own. We are dependent on grace. We are unworthy, but chosen. We are seeking satisfaction in Christ, in God – not in ourselves.
We are broken that this has begun. Might He be pleased in all we do, for it is unto Him that it is all done.
Pray for us, pray with us and celebrate the sovereign majesty of our Lord – may He come soon.
More to come . . .
Posted in One as Another, Paradigm Shift, Sovereign Christ Church | Tags: Church, Ecclesiology, Jesus Christ, Paradigm Shift, Sovereign Christ Church | 7 Comments »