Our Schedule

Prayer Time, 9 am
Sunday AM Treats at 9:15
Sunday School for all at 9:45
Worship 10:45
Monday and Thursday- Touch-A-Life Tutoring for students;
Wednesdays at 7: Fun Time for Children;
Teen Time for Teens;
Adult Bible Study and Prayer Time

Sunday Mornings: Meet Jesus
- About those who have for those who will
February 3         Thirsty
February 10        Poor    
    February 17        Dumb      
   February 24  Doubting
      March 2 Crippled   
      March 9 Controlling
  March 16 Mourning
March 23- Easter- Broken

Wednesday Bible Study- 10 Psalms & Promises: A Psalm each week that should have meaning for you, and a promise from God for your life

COMING EVENTS

Sunday, March 3- CAM Souper Bowl- Bring Cans, You Can Help!

Friday, February 8- The Ultimate Date Night with Jay & Laura Lafoon- Carmel Baptist Church, Matthews- Great People, A Great Evening- as low as $6! Go to www.celebratenet.com for more details

February 15-16- NC NYI Teen Talent Festival, Raleigh 1st Church

February 24- Help, We had a Baby!- Parenting Seminar with Mrs. Mildred Horne Family Educator, the Birthplace at Gaston Memorial

Some Recent Messages

2nd Easter Sermon: Something Fishy & Second Chances

April 6, 2008 • John 21: • Something Fishy and Second Chances

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.  John 21:1-25 (NIV)

Ever made a mistake?
 Ever disappointed someone?
 Ever said something you wish you had back as soon as it ?
 Ever done something wrong, something totally at odds with who you are, or at least who you wanted to be?

Peter had done well.
 He had a wife and family, and a good business, but left everything behind when Jesus called him
 He left behind a sinful life to follow the Messiah
 He saw God’s Son revealed on a mountaintop
 He was used by God to reveal the Messiah to the disciples
 He spoke, and led, those called by Jesus

Peter made a whopper
“This is how it went down”
 Jesus was telling them the last, the most important stuff
 Jesus was telling them what would happen
 Jesus revealed their weakness, and how it would be manifest
 Do you know how your weakness is manifest?
 What will come out when you are placed under extraordinary pressure?
I just bet that some of them, hearing what Jesus said, were already planning a course of escape.
 They knew they wouldn’t be strong enough to stand “that kind of heat”
 Maybe Peter was one of them! There have been times when I looked at what I faced if I did something and I just planned a way out of doing it
 I know the places where I am weak. I know the places where I am most likely to crack under pressure. I know where I am shaky and where I will fail.
 Sometimes the saying is right- the hit dogs cries first. Maybe Peter had already started thinking of ways to get out of it, and was fighting with himself out loud. Some of us do that at the same time.
 Maybe Peter was just being self-righteous- some of us do that as well. Whatever the case, he certainly interfered with Jesus’ sharing time.
Do your demands, possibilities and desires interfere with Jesus sharing his plans and dreams for your life?
So Jesus rebuked him, told him what WOULD happen in spite of his protestations, and left Peter, as far as we know, quiet for a change.

And it happened. The worst- worse than Peter had dreamed. Not only did he lie, and curse, and deny Jesus three times, he didn’t seem to fool anyone.
You know, that’s how my lies usually go. I once told a girlfriend about something I had done. I didn’t fool her. In fact, I also told Teresa about something- I didn’t fool her either. It seems that my life had a series of lies where I tried to claim history, experience, knowledge or standing that I didn’t actually have. Some of the time my lies worked- and I felt even worse. Most of the time I just lied and looked and felt embarrassed- because I was.
I’m glad I never learned how to be a good liar. Some of you are entirely too comfortable with it. You lie to others so much I think you may even believe it. But even if you can hide things from your family, and me, and others, you can’t hide from Jesus. And the worst part is, whatever we know, Jesus knew Peter, and Peter, I’m sure, knew it.
So he heard the cock crow, and saw in the growing twilight Jesus looking at him in the midst of the worst night in Jesus’ life, and knew that he had absolutely, horribly failed. He had failed Jesus. He had failed his friends. He had failed his family. He had failed God. He had failed all he had been trying to do and be for three years. He was the same “sinful man” who asked Jesus to leave him at the start of their relationship.
And the problem is, that’s where most of us end up- we find ourselves with the same problems, with the same troubles, with the same failures after we try to follow God that we had when we were only trying to live for ourselves.
Are you there this morning? Have you tried- made a good effort- and failed? Have you tried to put God’s rules into place and ended up doing worse than when you didn’t try?
So Peter, like the rest, ran. John and the women were the only ones openly there when Jesus died.
And Jesus died. Without the one who promised to die with him beside him.
I’ve done that- not helped when I should, or when I was asked to, or not been there when things were hard.
 Most people are gracious in those times- some of you have been those gracious people- but you lose a little credibility each time that you fail someone. And some of us handle failure badly.

In this story, though, good things happened
 Sometimes God fixes our messes
 My Dad used to fix my messes
  It’s co-dependent when a person fixes another  person’s messes
 It’s grace when God does
  Understand- it’s not your job to fix other people or their messes- it’s God’s.
 We need to lend love readily, prayer overwhelmingly, give as we have been given to, and work to avoid anyone depending on us giving to them. Than can be hard.

“This is how it went down”
 So God fixed the mess. Peter and John ran to the tomb after hearing Mary. The tomb was empty. Jesus appeared that night. He came back to let Thomas know everything was okay.
The crisis was averted. But Peter and Jesus had been best friends, and that could never be fixed. Your best was only so good at fixing your mistakes. And, as he said, Peter had made a whopper. Jesus, being the messiah, could forgive- but he couldn’t change what had happened.

Then he had to talk with Jesus
“This is how it went down”
 
So Jesus fixed it
 God knows exactly what we have done
 God knows what we need to fix it
 God can provide

God wants to restore us to ministry, wherever we have been
 God wants to fix our messes
 God wants to heal our hurts
 God wants us off the shore and into the work
 God wants us to become the leaders God has called us to be

But there may be some questions that hurt
 There may be some things we have to go over more than once
 There may be some places we have to repeat ourselves
  Not for God, but for us

But in every place, we have to accept the grace of God
 Grace that forgives us
 Grace that changes us
 Grace that strengthens us

Grace that only the cross, and Jesus’ sacrifice, could bring

COMMUNION

And when we have given up on our trying
 When we are ready to let Jesus be in charge
 When we no longer argue, but simply agree
 Then we are ready to live a life that grows
 Then we are ready to have a faith that looks up
 Then we are ready to keep following- not looking back, not turning- just following

Then we are ready for higher ground

Winter Sermon Series:

Fall Sermon Series: Family, Friends & Fables
We are looking at the important relationships in our lives, and how our life in Christ affects them

Some of the ideas we have been talking about come from these sources:
Love, Sex & Lasting Relationships by Rev. Chip Ingram
If Jesus Were A Parent by Rev. Hal Perkins

1. Our greatest job in life is to make disciples. If we succeed at everything else & fail at this, we fail.

2. The best disciple is one who has been raised in the faith to follow Christ.

3. It is our job to raise children so that they know Christ and know how to live for Christ in this world.

The best hope for your child to become a discipled disciple-maker of Jesus is for his family- especially his parents- to disciple him to do so.

SO HOW DO YOU DO MAKE YOUR CHILD
- OR ANYONE ELSE- A DISCIPLE?

A. Time – There is no substitute. The world will not know how many
                   days you worked over. But the world will find out how much
                   you invested Christ into your children.
B. Life – It’s not a seminary, or a convent, or boot camp. It’s life- Play 
                   some, and learn some, and sit back and be silly some!
C. Self-Discipline Your discipline should all lead to the child’s self
                   -discipline
D. Authority- A child must be given freedom in order for the parent to
                  coach the child on how to handle freedom. That authority has
                  to be given consistently, with guidance, direction & modeling

May 21, 2006- You're a Christian?

ACTS 10 

When I was a boy, about 10, one of my best friends was named Darrell. Darrell came from a family  that, as best I could tell, spent their weekends drinking and staying home. As a young Christian, I was concerned that Darrell know Jesus. I invited him to church a couple of times, but he didn't go. Eventually, I decided I needed to do something else. So I turned on some Christian music when we were at my house playing. I guess I figured he would listen to it- I always listened to whatever was on.

- Now, you need to understand that contemporary Christian music to me was the Gaithers and the Speer family. So I put in one of the Gaithers' new 8- Track Tapes- the latest technology!

Just having the music on didn't seem to bring him to salvation, so I figured I needed to do something better. So when "The King is Coming" came on, I started witnessing to it- walking around, jsut as I had seen my elders do, raising my hand and saying "Yes, he's coming! We have to be ready", or something like that.

Darrell's eyes got big, and he watched a few seconds, then he said he had to leave and went home. I never did get him to come to church with me.

Today we want to look at what a Christian is, and how we live that faith out.

1- A Christian is Devout (verse 2)
    A Christian Loves God- Not just in thought, but action
         Cornelius was not circumcised, but was a believer in YHWH
         He gave generously and prayed daily. How many of us can say that?

2- A Christian Listens for God (verse 4)

3- A Christian Obeys God (verses 7 & 8)
4- A Christian has connections with God and others (verse 7)
    From what we know of his life, we know he had God’s ear, and heart
    He also had a “Devout attendant”- who had faith first, I wonder?

5- A Christian Shares God with Others (verse 24)

6- A Christian Accepts God’s Message (verse 44)

So we see that corneilius was a good Christian, and has triats we should admire. Oh- hold it- he’s the non-Christian at this point!

Let’s see- the Christian- Peter- don't you hate it when non-Christians seem more faith-filled than church people?

A Christian is Obedient (verse 9)

A Christian is Able to Change (verse 13)

A Christian Listens for God (verses 44-5)

A Christian Responds to God, and helps others respond to God ( verses 23, 47)

A Christian Creates a culture of faith & response

A Christian Grows in faith and the knowledge of the Son of God (verse 48, Ephesians 4)

See, a Christian has decide who is going to be in charge, and lives differently because of that. Peter, even though challenged, was willing to do what God said.

“Indulgence” is a trail-mix type product sold by Sam's & Wal-Mart under the Sam's Choice brand. See some people liked the idea of trail mix, but weren't really trying to get energy or sustenance from it- they wanted it as a snack. So Wal-Mart listened, and made a mix full of nuts, chocolate, very sweet raisins and such- many more calories than trail mix, "indulgence" for the one who wanted to be indulged.

One of my pastor friends, remarking on a third failure for another pastor, made the comment that we should simply look at his life, habits and personality. He said that person showed a life of “Undisciplined Living.”

My feet hurt. Am I ever the result of a life of undisciplined living? How does that affect my ability to serve the Lord? Do I practice discipline or indulgence more?

Peter & Corneilius both decided to be disciples
To Accept a  Discipline
  As opposed to undisciplined living or indulgence

There is a difference between failure to complete successfully as opposed to an unwillingness to change. God accepts you giving your best and not doing well in others' eyes. But however the world views you, god doesn't accept your unwillingness to change your life according to God's commands.  The first is failure, and not very important. The second is sin, and can end your life in Christ.

Repentance involves turning from your sin, not remaining in it.

Susanna Wesley told her sons this about sin:
“Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over mind, that thing for you is sin.”

Decide today that following Jesus is your goal, your task. Whether it is giving your heart to Jesus in salvation, turning your life over to God completely, or saying yes to the one thing God is asking of you, decide to follow Jesus, "No Turning Back." Sing with us as we close

I Have Decided To Follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning back

v. 2 The world behind me, the cross before me.

v. 3 Tho’ none go with me, still I will follow.

v. 4 Will you decide now to follow Jesus?

EASTSIDE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
June 25, 2006 • Waiting for the Promise

Waiting is commanded
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."      Acts 1:4-5
Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit
 That is a gift given in salvation
 But it is also given in fullness in sanctification
- The disciples had to wait for the Holy Spirit
- We receive the Holy Spirit when we are saved
o We also have to give our lives completely to God for the Spirit’s power to be revealed in us
The Spirit is given for Holiness, for Evangelism, and for power dealing with this world
But we have to wait for God’s promise in our lives
 God is not a fast food vendor- We have to wait on God until God gives the promised Sanctifying, Empowering, Overcoming Power in our lives.
John 14:15-21
 15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
John 15:7-15
7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
 12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

1. Waiting is Obedience
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me & find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:10-3

This is not God’s latest plan- it has been God’s plan from the beginning.
 The seeking after the Kingdom is not new in Matthew- it is God’s heart for us from the beginning- a relationship where we actively seek to know and love God.
 And the obedience Jesus asks for as he tells us of the Spirit in John is the obedience God has called for since the beginning.
 Part of our wait for the Spirit is obeying God where we are, and submitting to what we know of God. It’s not easy to obey- you are putting Christ ahead of your selfish and self-centered will.

Eugene Peterson, who wrote the Message paraphrase, says it is hard. “A commitment to Christ and obedience to his commands stretch us beyond ourselves, and that hurts. But this is a very different pain from that inflicted by torture or punishment. Growth pain is the kind we don't regret; it leads to health and not disease.”

2. Waiting allows God to work
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
     4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"
     6  The Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"  Luke 18:1-8
God also works in others, (the unjust judge- the situations and circumstances of life)
But that change usually comes after my obedience, not around or before it
- It’s amazing that people expect God to act for them when they refuse to act for God
o Part of our refocus will only happen as people are obedient in priorities- finances, time, energy and prayer
o Do you expect God to act for our church when you aren’t obedient personally?
"Behind every sin is a lie of unbelieving. When you sin, at that moment, you think you're doing what is best for you. You think you're doing the right thing, but you've been deceived. When your kids do something dumb, at that moment, they think what they're doing is smart, but it's dumb. The Bible tells us that Satan deceives us." - Rick Warren
As I look at our congregation, I see in us people who seem to want God’s will, and seem to want to obey God. But when I look at our lives, at our giving, and at our priorities, I see that many things come before our seeking God.
 Our spending and buying
 Our entertainment
 Our stomachs

We don’t have time, money or energy for the things of God, but we have lots of time, money and energy for ourselves. This is the sin that so easily entangles us, the things that take our focus off “Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”
 - Is it possible that what we think of as the blessings of this life are the temptations of the enemy?
It is only when we are faithfully seeking God and putting God’s Kingdom first that we can expect God’s Power and Blessing in our lives.
3. Waiting allows God to work in my life faith & faithfulness
Hebrews 11:1-12:3
  1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. …
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. …
  13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. …
35Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned ; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
12: 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  
We are to plan and undertake great things for God, and we are to steadfastly expect great things from Him. Let us be specific, confident, expectant, until He opens heaven over us and pours us out a blessing there is not enough room to receive.       — P. F. Bresee
More Messages Coming Soon- Thanks for Visiting!