EP*C

Part 2 of the CHANGE AGENTS series.

Reading the New Testament, it’s clear that something is radically different when you compare Jesus and everyone else. The world is largely self-exaltation and self-preservation. Jesus has other ideas. Jesus is all about rejecting what is normal in this world for a life that’s focused on what God would have us do. This usually gets individuals in trouble; it’s kinda why Jesus was killed!

Matthew 5 says Christ-followers are the “salt of the earth” – but what does this mean? If you’ve been in church circles a while you’ve probably heard this phrase repeated and expanded on numerous times. Reading this passage again, it breaks down pretty simply for me.

Salt is a CHANGE AGENT. When salt comes in contact with anything, there is a change that comes about. Salt doesn’t just land on food or on pavement and leave that environment the same as before – it produces change. Salt is a CHANGE AGENT.

YOU are a CHANGE AGENT. When followers of Jesus Christ come into any environment, there is no way that the setting should remain the same. Jesus calls us to the same life that he lived. He calls us to be different from the crowd, whether getting strange glances for our opinion or praise for our loving actions, simply because of the truth of our faith and the action it causes.

How does this practically come about?

To be continued.

Merge Conference is where you want to be from Feb 26-27th if you’re a young adult. Believe me – if you want to have a great time connecting with people, hanging with mates and grow in your leadership and relationship with God, come to MERGE.

For the first time this year MERGE will feature 3 main speakers plus our very own Greg Sykes will be leading worship. Tickets are only $15 for the full conference (before Feb 19th) or $20 at the door. Tickets for Friday night only or Saturday only are $10.

EPIC will be headed to MERGE together – rides leave St. Catharines at 6:30PM sharp. Stay tuned for updates here and check out the MERGE website HERE.

Great blog post by Francis Chan over at Catalyst website.

“If I were to ask those closest to you about your relationship with God, what would they say? If I were to ask God the same question, what would He say? If your family, friends, and congregation have better things to say about you than God, it’s because you give them that impression. We do this because we can. God gifted us with an ability to communicate. Too often we use this ability not to convey who we are, but who we want others to think we are.”

You can read the rest here.

The first ever EPIC LIVE was so awesome! It was great to have over 100 young adults getting to know each other, singing their lungs off and being challenged to live full-on for God!

Don’t miss out next month as we take EPIC LIVE outside of Central. We’ll be joining up with hundreds upon hundreds of other young adults from around the region at MERGE CONFERENCE. Stay tuned for more details on the conference.

Before you think I’m trying to start a massive revolt, wait a second and pop over to read what Jonathan Dodson has to say about going to church vs. being the church.

The church has never been about a building – it has always been about lives transformed by the power of God, and those lives then being used to change the world around them.

Read the article.

(HT: The Resurgence)

One of the greatest thoughts surrounding Christmas is ‘God with us’. Every year we have the privilege of celebrating Jesus Christ’s birth, the coming of our salvation. It’s a pretty amazing thought that the God of the universe would make himself know to mankind, but he did - what an awesome truth!

Here’s a great explanation of ‘Yahweh’ – a Hebrew word for ‘LORD’, the God we celebrate this Christmas.

1 Peter 1:10-12 is a clear description of what we look back to during Advent.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12 )

For four weeks, it’s as if we’re re-enacting, remembering the thousands of years God’s people were anticipating and longing for the coming of God’s salvation, for Jesus. That’s what advent means—coming. Even God’s men who foretold the grace that was to come didn’t know “what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating.” They were waiting, but they didn’t know what God’s salvation would look like.

You can read the complete article from Noel Piper here.