Christmas at New Life

Looking forward to Christmas this year at New Life!  I hope you will join us for each Sunday in December as well as our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the Holiday Inn Executive Center.  See you at the gathering!

Mystery

We all love a good mystery.  Remember the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his trusted sidekick Dr. Watson?  The originator of the stories about Sherlock and Holmes was Dr. Conan Doyle in 1887.  His stories are still popular today.  There is just something about a mystery that keeps us "coming back for more".

Maybe that is why God in his wisdom gave us the "mystery" of the gospel.   Not to keep us guessing, but to keep us searching fro Him and His plan.   Paul tells us in the New Testament that in Christ we have received the fullness of God's plan (Colossians 2:9).  On a number of occasions, Paul referred to the gospel story of Christ Jesus as a "mystery".  The gospel is a mystery because God didn't give us the whole story at the beginning of time and it is not easy to comprehend that God is not only for us and with us, but he is in us!  Christ in us is God's ultimate mysterious plan!

That truth alone is what Paul declares in his letter to the Colossians.  Christ is the capstone to God's plan in human history.  In Christ we have everything we need to live a full and wonderful life.  Join us Sunday as we explore more about Christ' Supremacy and our faith to follow.  See You @ the ARC. Pastor Tom

What is supreme in your life?

Remember the Gladiator Movie starring Russell Crowe as Maximus?  At a pivotal point in the movie, he utters, "What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity.” (Maximus Decimus Meridius, The Gladiator)  How true for you and me as well.  C.T. Studd, missionary to China and part of the Cambridge Seven said something of greater importance when he said, "One life to live, twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last."


We too often forget that life is fleeting and that this life is really just preparation for the life to come.  What's of supreme importance in your life?

Does Christ have first place?

The Psalmist wrote, "When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8).  God wants to be first place in your life, not just have a place.  The church in Ephesus was rebuked in Revelation with the words, “. . .You have forsaken your first love.” (Revelation 2:4)  Unfortunately, the church in America is a lot like the church in Ephesus.  We are quick to give God a place in our lives, but does he occupy the first place in our hearts?

Throughout Paul's letter to the Colossians, Christ is presented as supreme over all else.  IG Christ Jesus is supreme in our lives we will seek him with all our hearts.  See you Sunday @ the ARC as we seek our Savior (10:15 AM).

The Supremacy of Christ

At the same time our nation is at a crossroads, so is American Christianity.  As American Christians, are we simply Christian by tradition and convenience or do we possess a Christianity that is transforming our lives and communities???  I am deeply troubled by religious trends in America today.  Increasingly Americans are avoiding church participation and choosing other philosophies to guide them.  Those who do claim to be Christians often do not read the Bible, and do not know what they believe or how it differs from other religions or world views.  Worse, many Christians claim no on-going, daily life-changing relationship with Christ Jesus.  We need to re-visit what exactly transformed the lives of 1st century Christians.

This week at New Life we kick off a new series entitled, "The Supremacy of Christ" focusing on Paul's letter to the Colossians.  Central to Paul's letter is the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ.  His letter is full of rich vocabulary demonstrating the supremacy of Christ in our lives as Christians.  I hope you will join us @ the ARC on Sundays as we grow in the richness of Christ Jesus.  See you @ the ARC on Sunday at 10:15 AM.