2 becomes 1…
Single? Engaged? Married? Married Again? Divorced? Desiring to find the right person? Don’t miss gathering this Sunday at Image Church! We will be diving into this weird, complicated, incredibly joyous thing of how
2 people become 1
Ephesians 5:22-33 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,30 because we are members of his body.31 ”Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. [ESV]
SEE YOU THIS SUNDAY AT 9:30 OR 11:00 A.M.
Musicians can preach too…
Go check out this excellent blog written by our very own Worship Pastor, Brian Shifflett. He does an excellent job of breaking down the text and giving us great leadership application from the Word!
You can read it here: www.imagechurch.wordpress.com
Conclusion and celebration…
We are going to bring a great conclusion to our current series at Image this Sunday by celebrating what Jesus has done in many lives! As we gather to worship Jesus, we are going to celebrate what Jesus has done… BRAND NEW LIVES!!! Image is going to baptize those who have committed their lives to Jesus over the last several months.
We are also going to bring a great conclusion to our series by digging into this below…
From Scum to Saint
Brand New Life part 7
Matthew 9:9-13 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ”Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”12 But when he heard it, he said, ”Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” [ESV]
We will be answering the question, What happens when we get a Brand New Life?
Our tomb…
This Sunday at Image Church we continue our Brand New Life series by taking a look into Matthew 8 again and seeing that Jesus delivers us from our own tombs! There are couple of things the text will lead us to dwell on: The presence of Jesus leads ask… Have we been delivered? What tomb do we need to be delivered from… tomb of addictions, bitterness, anger, gossip, lying, etc. Read this below and pray that God continues to do a miraculous work with this local church we call Image!
People Over Pigs
Brand New Life part 6
Matthew 8:28-34 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”32 And he said to them, ”Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. [ESV]
Storms…
A New View of Storms
Brand New Life part 5
Matthew 8:23-27 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”26 And he said to them, ”Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” [ESV]
New is always better…
New is Better than Old
Brand New Life part 4
Matthew 8:18-22 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”20 And Jesus said to him, ”Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”22 And Jesus said to him, ”Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” [ESV]
This Sunday at Image Church we will be drawing Three Facts About the New Life from this passage… Jesus calls us to something far better… it is NEW… see you Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 a.m.
this SUNDAY, Under New Management…
Matthew 8:5-13 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,6 ”Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”7 And he said to him, ”I will come and heal him.”8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,t ’Do this,’ and he does it.”10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, ”Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israelthave I found such faith.11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”13 And to the centurion Jesus said, ”Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. [ESV]
See you this SUNDAY morning at 9:30 or 11:00 www.imagechurch.com
Kickin’ off 2012 @ImageChurch…
Don’t miss this SUNDAY at Image Church as we kick in the NEW YEAR with a NEW series…
Getting Clean
Brand New Life part 1
Matthew 8:1-4
When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ”I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.4 And Jesus said to him, ”See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” [ESV]
Christmas Eve 2011…
We are incredibly excited about gathering for worship at Image Church this Christmas Eve! Make sure to include this in your Christmas planning and bring your family and friends with you.
Get more details and info here www.imagechurch.com
Ended the year HUGE…
We had our last Sunday morning worship gathering of 2011 and it went out with a HUGE SHOUT of worship to our KING! Literally, we went out HUGE, we ran out of chairs at the 11:00 gathering – there were people just standing and leaning against walls in the foyer. Some even hung out in the doorway leading into the halls! Image gathered, we had everyone together, we sang loudly, prayed, preached the GOSPEL, remembered JESUS through communion, and saw lives changed! I couldn’t think of a better way to end the year than worshipping with our local church called Image!
Merry Christmas!
[remember our Christmas Eve gatherings are this Saturday at 4:00 and 5:30 p.m.]
[NO WORSHIP GATHERINGS ON CHRISTMAS DAY, this Sunday]
Last SUNDAY gathering of 2011…
We will be gathering for the last time on Sunday mornings, in 2011, this Sunday! Don’t miss the conclusion to SHREWD and the chance to worship with our church body and partake in communion!!!
IT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!
Eternal Investment
SHREWD part 6
Luke 16:15-17 And he said to them, ”You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.16 ”The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. [ESV]
CANNOT, this Sunday @ImageChurch…
PART 5 is coming strong this weekend, here is a sneak peek…
Luke 16:13-14 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. [ESV]
We will be looking at 2 things we cannot do, if we say we are following Jesus!
HUGE Sunday coming…
This SUNDAY at Image we will be opening a new wing in our facility for I-KIDS!!!
During our worship gatherings we will be showing some exciting pictures of our global work with ATR & Manna Worlwide!
Then we will be digging into part 4 of this…
Building Trust
SHREWD part 4
Luke 16:10-12 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? [ESV]
Luke 19:17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ [ESV]
Clarity for Image…
Toby Ward, our elder over missions & outreach, has written a great blog (click here) on the simple mission of the church… in that same way I would like to clarify why we, called Image Church, exist…
Vision (Where) – to be a community of people reflecting the image of Jesus
Mission (What) – Lead people to love God (Worship) love others (Community) and make followers of Jesus (Service).
Worship – a follower of Jesus worships God with all of their life
Community – a follower of Jesus lives in community just as God lives in community
Service – a follower of Jesus is sent to serve people in order to see them transformed by the Gospel
I get to say “TOOL”…
We are going to bring it strong this SUNDAY at Image Church. Our current series, SHREWD, continues and we will be diving into the verses below. Make sure to gather with your church body at 9:30 or 11:00 a.m. www.imagechurch.com
It’s a Tool
SHREWD part 3
Luke 16:8-9 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. [ESV]
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 We want you to know, brothers,about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. [ESV]
2 Corinthians 8:9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. [ESV]
SHREWD part 2: Common Cents…
Luke 16:3-7 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ [ESV]
DO, DIG, or DIE!!! That is what he is saying because he is about to lose his job. Before he gets kicked to the curb, he comes up with a way to survive. Now, remember Jesus is telling this story/parable to His disciples and directing it towards the pharisees/religious crowd that were listening as well. His intention is to show them how a crooked money manager, manages his life better than they do! If, we are going to give an account, then we should be wise managers of the life Jesus has given to us. If we aren’t wise managers, then we should start today… so lets look at some simple, common sense ways to manage the lives, especially our finances, that have been entrusted to us.
Biblical, Common sense ways to manage what we have been entrusted with:
1] We need to stop and think about the future
Look at verse 3: And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. This is truly a do, dig, or die moment for this guy! This guys realizes he has been caught in the act of misappropriation of funds. That is a just a nice way of saying he was stealing from his master. But, even this dishonest, bad manager was smart enough to see what was coming! He stops and thinks about his future, and comes up with a plan to keep up the life he always had in mind! He continues to steal, just in a different way.
Some of us today need to stop spending and think about the future, or think about the future and stop spending! Also, some of us not only need to stop spending, but we need to stop stealing. We need to stop spending God’s money like its ours. This manager had been spending his masters money like it was his own.
We spend what God never gave us and then we steal from what He did give us in order to pay for it!!!
Another common sense way to manage what we have been entrusted with…
2] We need to start making a plan
Check out verse 4: I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. This was wrong, but even this bad guy started making a plan that would take care of things in his life! We don’t just stop and think, we must move to start making a plan. A plan that brings change to our lives! Some people say, I don’t make plans, I just trust the Holy Spirit. Well then you are not using what the One you trust in gave you as a gift – YOUR BRAIN! God gave us a brain, so we need to use it!
If you want to truly honor and obey God with your time, then use a calendar. If you want to obey and honor God with your abilities, then start investing what you know in another persons life. If you want to obey and honor God with your money, then make a budget and start giving God the first part of it! Give God a consistent, generous, cheerful percentage of your money first!
Imagine this… Imagine if we who claim eternal life, lived with that in mind
Remember, this guy lived with himself in mind, so when he was getting caught, he just tweaked the way he was going to keep fulfilling the life he always had in mind – he stopped, thought about it, and kept stealing to live! This unrighteous manager actually lives out what he had always had in mind. He just went and stole what he had always stolen. We say we have heaven on our minds, but we live like this is our eternal home.
Quit putting off what you know is right! Even this dishonest money manager acted quickly with his plans! Stop stealing from GOD, Start making a plan, Start giving consistently, generously, and cheerfully to the work of God. Remember Jesus paid it all, when we actually owed Him, He paid the debt for us!!!
