NineSevenZero Church (Page 5)
This Is NOT What I Expected
Have you ever come to a point in a job, a relationship, your marriage, with your children, your first semester or planting a church when you wake up one day and say, “This is NOT what I expected?” This must have been how the disciples felt at their last celebration of Passover with Jesus. They were convinced that He was the Messiah and would soon be crowned King. They had been talking among themselves for weeks about their place in…
Only Now at the End
There’s not much good about growing old except the advantage of historical perspective. Some people call it wisdom but most of the time it’s just that we know a bunch of stuff that doesn’t work (because we’ve tried and failed). However, the longer I walk with the Lord the easier it becomes to believe and trust. Not because the challenges are less but rather that God has proven himself faithful in the past and sufficient for my need. I love…
The Greatest Miracle of Azusa
The Azusa Street Revival that began on April 9, 1906 is considered by most church historians to be the genesis of the modern-day Pentecostal movement. Life magazine and the USA Today have listed the Azusa Street Revival as being one of the top 100 nation impacting events of the 20th century. The Azusa Street Revival unleashed Christianity’s “next wave” growing to over 500 million adherents world-wide. What happened at Azusa Street during the first three years was to change the…
The Heart of the Shepherd
I love Luke chapter 15 where Jesus tells three parables that are incredible windows into the heart of God and His mission to the world. Three stories about something valuable that was lost and the depth of the effort that went into its recovery. There was a woman who lost a coin, a father who lost a son, and a shepherd who lost a sheep. But while reading this passage recently my attention was drawn to the fact that the shepherd…
That the World May Know (part 2)
I love how Jesus cuts through all the pretense and “wisdom” of men and exposes the heart of the matter with powerful simplicity. When confronted by the Pharisees and the scribes, He reduced all the law and the prophets to two incredibly clear and succinct statements (Matthew 22:37–39); You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You…
That the World May Know (part 1)
Jesus made two shocking statements to His disciples on the night of His betrayal. Judas had left the group and the mechanisms that would lead to Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion had been set into motion. Knowing what was about to unfold and just hours before His death on a cross Jesus turned His attention to His disciples and made two startling forward looking statements. Jesus spoke to those around Him but His audience would be all who would call Him Lord…
Baby Dedication
We believe that our children are a blesssing from God and we are to treat them as such (Psalm 139:13-16). Our time for influence as parents in the lives of our child is limited. We recognize early that they are first and foremost God’s children. By dedicating our children, we are giving them back to the one that gave them life. Dedication of our children is a statement of our trust in God and that his plans and pourposes for…
Water Baptism
Biblical Christianity is surprisingly simple. When distilled to its essence, the teachings of Jesus involve virtually none of the ceremonies, rituals or other features usually associated with religions. Yet Jesus did leave us with ordinances, concrete ways of connecting with His person and with other believers. Water baptism and Communion are the two ordinances practiced by 970 Church. Neither are salvific or make us a Christian, but both are part of what it means to be a follower of Christ. While Jesus himself…
Communion
Communion (also called “The Lord’s Supper”) is one of the ordinances of the church. It began on the night before Jesus died on the cross when he was celebrating the Passover with his disciples. Passover is an annual Jewish celebration remembering when God delivered the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. During the meal that commemorates the night that the Death passed over them, Jesus picked up the bread, broke it and related it to His body, which would be broken for them and all mankind. Then He picked…
I Love the Church
My heart has always been captivated by God’s vision for the Church. I find it very compelling and attractional when I experience glimpses and outbreaks of what He intended within a fellowship of believers. I love God’s dream for her and there’s nothing like it on earth when she is working as He designed. But I am not just in love with the idea, I love her even when she is messed up, misdirected and functioning below her potential. Oh, I was…
A Church Rising Up Out of the Culture
One of the books that we have referenced in the formation process of NineSevenZero Church is John Burke’s, No Perfect People Allowed. There he described a type of missional church that resonated with our hearts and our intentions – A Church Rising Up Out of the Culture. “This is…not a church for a post-Christian culture, where Christians huddle up behind the fortress walls and make forays outside into the messy culture, but a church molded out of a post-Christian people ~…
WATER – A Community`s Life Blood
The Colorado River is the life blood of the Grand Valley. It provides irrigation for our agriculture and homes, water for our ranches and their herds, supplies a majority of drinking water for our communities, and also supports the diverse wildlife of the high desert. Water is an integral component of the region’s agricultural, recreation, tourist, and even the oil/gas industries. People of the Western Slope understand the importance of water to life, economy, and enjoyment. Water is valuable and…