Know the story…Be the people…Expand the Kingdom
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A fresh eNews is posted each Monday and updated on Wednesday
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IN THE eNEWS THIS WEEK
THIS I PRAY
TUESDAY GATHERING: Revelation 2:1-11
SUNDAY COLLEGIUM: September 25—The church has left the building
SERMON NOTES—Living a Life of Praise, Part 2
REGULAR HAPPENINGS
UPCOMING EVENTS—Next: The Church has left the Building, October 23, 11 AM
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Staff:
Pastor G (TFB Youth Min Pastor) gbenjamin49@gmail.com
Laura (teacher, AKA the mad tangent rider; eNews editor) lkspringer@gmail.com
Leadership team:
TBA
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THIS I PRAY
I pray that we would know the story of God for what it is--God's glorious work through all of time, bringing everything into conformity to his will--and would be honest about the story of ourselves--that we are messy people learning to follow Jesus.
I pray that we would be the people of God--members of Christ's body and members with all Christ-followers (even those who do not seem to be as spiritual as we are). I pray that we would be connected with the believers at TFB, actively participating in the life of our local congregation.
I pray that we would expand the kingdom, not only by telling others about Jesus, but also by taking a hard look at our lifestyle choices, by being broken by our own worldly conformity, and by deciding to live lives that point to Jesus.
Source http://lauraswritings.blogspot.com/2005/09/yeah-like-she-said.html
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TUESDAY GATHERING: Revelation 2:12-17
Tuesday, September 27
Worship Space
Worship Leader for September: Josh K
This rant, courtesy of Laura:
What should our worship look like?
First, and most important, worship must always focus on God and not on us. This means that worship is not the place for self-evaluation or getting preachy. In worship we focus on God, who he is, and what he is doing.
Second, when we are gathered as a community, our worship should be communal. There is a place for private worship, but the worship of the gathered community is public. Therefore, whatever we do, we do together.
Third, most worship in our church culture is musical. Music is an important means to worship God. The fact that Psalms is the largest book testifies to this fact. But in our culture, music is too often entertainment. Too often ‘worshipers’ say, “It’s not my style,” “I don’t like this song,” “It’s too loud,” ‘It’s too soft,” blah, blah, blah. Frankly, it’s not about you! It’s about God. For this reason at least, the TFB College Ministry practices primarily non-musical worship. For many, this is difficult to practice, both as a leader and as a participant. It is outside our box. Well, get rid of your box!
The Challenge:
We need curators for the worship space at the Tuesday Gathering. What do curators do? They create the physical and experiential space in which the group is called to worship. Let’s unpack that.
Physical space: using light, color, sound, aroma, texture, and even taste, to create an atmosphere that engages the group and helps us focus on God.
Experiential space: using activities that engage our bodies in focusing on God (sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, movement).
Curator training and planning session: Tuesday, October 4 @ 6 pm
If you are interested, or think you might possibly be interested—maybe—come to the session.
Study Space
Revelation 2:12-17
1. Grab a pen, a highlighter, and a copy of Revelation.
2. Prayerfully read the section twice, listening for God’s voice.
3. After each reading, write down your thoughts.
4. Look over the passage. Are there any historical, cultural, grammatical, or literary details that should be investigated?
5. Using the Bible and tools (bible dictionaries, commentaries, study notes), investigate those details.
6. Look over the passage once again and ask:
o Who are the main characters?
o What are the main issues?
o Where does this take place?
o When did/does/will this take place?
o Why does John shape the message this particular way?
o How does he want the readers to respond?
7. Discuss the answers.
8. Look over the passage once again and ask:
o What is God saying to us?
o How does God want us to respond?
Good stuff on the seven cities: http://www.luthersem.edu/ckoester/Revelation/main.htm
Each of the messages to the churches follows a basic pattern.
Not all the parts are in every message.
For the messages to Ephesus and Smyrna, label each section.
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Next week, October 4, we’ll continue discussing Revelation 2-3, the letters to each of the seven churches—starting with Thyatira.
Get more out of the gathering by bringing more to the gathering! Study ahead:
- Wednesday and Thursday: Pray through the passage as a whole. Write down any thoughts.
- Friday: Using bible handbooks and bible dictionaries, hunt down any cultural or historical info that might shed some light on the passage.
- Saturday: Lay out all your notes and talk them over with God. Ask questions. Write down any thoughts.
- Sunday and Monday: Try to answer some questions:
- What is God saying to us?
- How does God want us to respond?
- What other stories (in the bible, in history, in your own life) come to mind as you read this?
- If you had to explain this passage to someone else, what would you do or say to make it clear?
Bible study helps can be found at http://bible.crosswalk.com/
Also, good info on the seven cities can be found at: http://www.luthersem.edu/ckoester/Revelation/main.htm
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Do you know a person who is asking tough questions about God and the mess of life? Great! Invite them to the Tuesday Gathering for our Revelation discussion. Pick up a flyer in the college room.
Questions are exactly what we’re looking for…
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SUNDAY COLLEGIUM: September 25—The church has left the building
We handed out 48 free bottles of water, spoke the truth about God to a Kabbalah evangelist, helped set up a vendor’s awning, spoke to tons of folks, and had a great lunch at Eat at Rudy’s. If you want to hear some stories, ask ShaenaW, JonathanP, DanielP, DannyS, or LauraS and they’ll give you the scoop.
The next “The church has left the building” opportunity is October 23.
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Prep for October 2
Assuming Matthew 28:16-20 is all you know about ministry, create a visual media piece that will let your friends know who we are and why we are here. Be sure to include information relating to each of the three goals.
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SERMON NOTES—Living a Life of Praise, Part 2
Possessing a Thankful Heart
Pastor Charlie
September 25, 2005
Story Of Jonah: When Thanksgiving Lifts Us Out Of Despair
Jonah 2:7, 9,10
Thanksgiving Brings An Honest Acknowledgment Of Where We Are.
Thanksgiving Confirms Our Recognition That Our Hope Is In God.
Thanksgiving Reflects A Genuine Change Of Attitude.
Thanksgiving Opens Our Hearts To Repentance.
Story Of Jews Journey To The Promised Land: When Grumbling Replaces Thanksgiving
Grumblers Allow Their Fear To Overwhelm Their Faith. Exodus 15:22-24
Grumblers Experience Memory Loss. Exodus 16:2,3
Grumblers Doubt God’s Goodness. Numbers 14:1-4
Grumblers Miss God’s Blessing. Numbers 14:20-23; Habakkuk 3:17-19
Story Of Paul And Silas: When Doing Good Results In Suffering Acts 16:25
We Can Exchange Pain For Thanksgiving.
We Can Exchange Chains For Thanksgiving.
We Can Exchange Darkness For Thanksgiving.
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REGULAR HAPPENINGS
SUNDAYS
WORSHIP GATHERING @ 9:15 am—Main Worship Center
Intergenerational worship gathering with indy-folk-rockish music and good preaching… too fun!
“COFFEE HOUSE” @ 10:30ish
Coffee, conversation, and donut holes in the TFB Courtyard.
COLLEGIUM @ 11 am—TFB College Room
Collegial teaching time led by collegians
TUESDAYS
TUESDAY GATHERING @ 7:15-9:00 pm— TFB College Room
Hangout and conversation, guided by a teacher-facilitator; often resembles Mr. Toad’s wild ride, but with bibles.
Currently: Writing a screenplay for the Story of God media project
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UPCOMING EVENTS—Next: The Church has left the Building, October 23, 11 AM
The Church has left the Building—Torrance Street Faire: October 23, 11 AM
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