WHAT GOES ON AT YAM?
The Gathering--learning how to make God look good 24/7, Sundays at 10 AM, on the TFB campus, in the Young Adult room
Eating together--most Sundays, around 11:30 am, give or take...
Tuesday Bible Study—Tuesdays—bring your bible, bring your brain, 8 pm, YAM room
HomeBase--fellowship in homes
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IN THE eNEWS THIS WEEK
Calendar
NewsFlash—YAM gets TFB webpage!!
NewsFlash—New Sermon Series: Romans—The Christian View of Life
Tuesday Bible Study—reviewing where we’ve been
The Gathering—Buddhism
The Gathering—What’s Next?
Resources For Living Out The Lesson
Know God—Are you getting a good workout?
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CALENDAR
Every SUNDAY, Worship @ 8:45 am—Main Worship Center
Every SUNDAY, The Gathering @ 10 am—YAM room
Most every SUNDAY, Eating together @ 11:30 am—see Mike N for info
Every TUESDAY, Bible Study @ 8 pm—YAM room
Fourth FRIDAY of every month, All Church Prayer Vigil @ 11:30 am—Friends in Christ Room
SATURDAY, sometime in March, HomeBase
SUNDAY, March 9 @ 5:00 pm—Audio Adrenalin/Mercy Me concert
SUNDAY, March 16 @ 3:00 pm—Ducks Game (NHL)
SATURDAY, March 22 @ 6:00 pm—Beach Fest (OUTREACH EVENT!)
Sometime in March—March Madness (NCAA Men’s basketball)
FRIDAY, April 18 @ 5:00 pm—Avengers Game (Arena Football)
SUNDAY, May 4 @ 5:00 pm—See Spot Rock (concert, visit http://www.seespotrock.com for more info)
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NEWSFLASH—YAM gets TFB webpage!!
This past week, the YAM webpage was born.
http://www.torrancefirstbaptist.org/yam.htm
The page gives the basic info on YAM and links (well, you need to copy and paste the URL) to the blogspot site, where visitors can find more information. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.
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NEWSFLASH—New Sermon Series: Romans—The Christian View of Life
February 16, 2003 starts this new series at TFB. Here’s an excerpt from Pastor Charlie’s introductory stuff in the worship folder:
The book of Romans was written by Paul to help the young Christians in Rome develop a Christian perspective on life in order to effectively deal with their culture and live for their Savior. The result is a book that teaches the basics of our faith in a concise and insightful manner. Paul answers such questions as:
- What is the Good News of Jesus Christ?
- Why do people need to hear it?
- How can they experience it?
- What will it mean for their future?
- And what does the Good News have to do with everyday life?
Suggested Study Plan for Romans
1. Read a chapter a day. When you’ve finished the book, start over. By the end of the series—about six months—you will have read Paul’s Letter to the Romans eleven or twelve times. How cool is that?
2. Memorize! Three plans:
Light Load: memorize Romans 14:1-15:2—25 verses. Memorize one verse a week and you will finish in about six months.
Moderate Load: memorize Romans 14:1-15:2 and Romans 12—46 verses. Memorize two verses a week and you will finish in about six months.
Heavy Load: memorize Romans 12:1-15:13—71 verses. Memorize three verses a week and you will finish in about six months.
To know it, you gotta DO it!
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TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY
YAM Tuesday—Reviewing where we’ve been
Big Rocks
Big Rock One: The Word: 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Persecution is a logical consequence of following Jesus. So, in a world where the enemies of Jesus spread deception and persecute Christ-followers, we must know and be convinced of God's truth in Scripture. We must continue in this truth. Scripture speaks God's words and Scripture is able to teach us the knowledge and skills, to convey disapproval when we don't measure up, to remove the errors and mistakes, and to coach us into a Christ-mode of behavior. Scripture makes us adequate for the task. Scripture—being filled with God’s Word—equips us for the struggle.
How can we be filled with the Word? Well, at the most obvious, we must know what the Word says if our lives are going to be filled with it. But it’s more than that. When we go out to lunch on Sundays, do we talk about God-stuff or world-stuff? When you’re commuting, do you think about the Bible and what it looks like in your real life? God’s word is not meant to be facts simply crammed into our heads. God’s word—according to 2 Timothy 3:10-27 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9—is meant to change our very way of being.
It’s kinda like this. Have you ever eaten strong garlic or onion and then, hours later, realized that your breath and your sweat smelled like garlic or onion. God’s word is like that. When we eat it and digest it—not just taste it—it oozes out of us.
Big Rock Two: God, part one: Psalm 145:17-21
It really is all about God. Our worship of God cannot be left to jewelry and bumper stickers, nor can it be left to Sunday morning in the "Worship Center." Frankly, the whole world is our Worship Center and our every thought and act is our worship. It means actually telling other people--with your actual mouth--telling them who God really is and what he does for them (water to drink, air to breath, life, etc). It means making YAM a faith community where God is not only seen, but is heard and experienced.
Next time we’ll look at Hebrews 12:4-11—Big Rock Two: God.
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THE GATHERING—BUDDHISM
For more information on Buddhism, see their own websites and the Apologetics link below.
(Read with a mouse in one hand and a Bible in the other; find out what they believe and check it against what God says)
Basic Buddhism from buddhanet.net
Links and Info from DharmaNet
This week concluded our look through non-Christian belief systems. The bottom line is this: when you’re talking to people about God, respect them by listening to what they believe. Truly spiritual people are just that, truly spiritual. The problem is, being spiritual does not take care of the stain of rebellion against God. The only one who can take care of the stain of sin is God himself. That’s why God the Son came as a human being, lived a life pleasing to his Father, and willing gave his life to pay the debt we could not—and would not—pay. People are seeking God. We have found God. It’s time to tell them the truth.
Wanna learn how?
March 1, at 8 am, TFB will be having a live simulcast of BECOMING A CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIAN. This is one of the best training opportunities you will come across. Come learn how to tell the Good News in a way that fits who God made you to be! Call or email the church office for sign-up information.
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THE GATHERING—WHAT’S NEXT?
At the risk of going way outside the box…
There’s an article on ginkworld, which is, to say the least, challenging. It contains a list put together by the friend of someone who was fed up with church—his local church in particular. This fed-up friend gives “10 reasons why your church sucks:”
1. It does not understand the community at large
2. It has poor leadership
3. It has no solid vision
4. It is graying, quickly
5. It’s inbred
6. It’s concerned with look and not action
7. It’s comfortable in its misery, and is looking for company
8. It’s out of touch with the 21st century
9. It’s all about money
10. It’s all politics
You can check out the whole article at Ginkworld
What does this have to do with what’s coming next at The Gathering? Number one, the church that Jesus died for is not supposed to suck! The fact that many churches do—some might say most do—is a sign that some of us aren’t doing it the way Jesus commands. Number two, none of us wants to be part of a church that sucks. And here’s the deal—we are the church! You wanna change the church? It starts with you—it starts with us! There’s no passing it off to the pastors or deacons or parents or anyone else. Each of us is responsible for our part—there’s no one else to blame. Ouch!
Last Fall, TFB spent seven some weeks—with churches across the country—going through the five purposes. As a result, some things have changed at TFB, and in YAM. But there’s more to do—more to be. So now that we know the five purposes—worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism—what are we supposed to do and be? Starting February 23, we’re going to start working through that question. This time, we go beyond knowing the five purposes. By the end of every lesson time, each person will have an individual do/be assignment, and together we will have a group do/be assignment.
Here’s the overview:
P - One: Worship
P - Two: Fellowship
P – Three: Discipleship
P – Four: Ministry
P – Five: Evangelism
Here’s the prep question for week one: If you were not allowed to use music for worship, what other ways could you worship? [Starter idea: Can eating bagels be a worship experience? How?]
Each week an overview of the upcoming week’s lesson will be on YAM@TFB
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RESOURCES FOR LIVING OUT THE LESSON
Awesome Books
Bruce & Stan’s Guide to CULTS, RELIGIONS, & SPIRITUAL BELIEFS
By Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz
with Dr. Craig Hazen, Biola University
Bruce & Stan’s Guide is a reader-friendly book that covers One-God religions, blended beliefs, philosophical religions, and no God beliefs. This is a great resource, priced at around $12.
The Case for Faith
The Case for Christ
by Lee Strobel
The Case for Faith makes the case that it is reasonable to believe in God, while the Case for Christ directs people to belief in Jesus as THE way, truth, and life. An excellent book to give to your unchurched friends. Both books run around $12 each.
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KNOW GOD--RESOURCES FOR WALKING THE WALK
The Spiritual Disciplines—Are you getting a good workout?
Here’s the exercise list:
Meditation
Prayer
Fasting
Study
Simplicity
Stewardship
Solitude
Submission
Service
Evangelism
Confession
Worship
Guidance
Celebration
Find the details at: BuildingChurch
