Christ's Church

"He is also head of the body, the church..." Colossians 1:18a

This weekend Lacey and I visited her sister Heidi and brother-in-law Brad who live in the suburbs of Philadelphia. God worked things out so we could stay through Sunday afternoon and go to Grace Bible Church of Philadelphia (Brad and Heidi's church).

At this church I saw many things that God desires in HIS local churches - here are a few of them:

1) Humble but confident leadership

2) A senior elder who's older than the lead pastor but still takes notes on the sermon

3) Young men who are mentored by the elders with intensity

4) Gospel-focused preaching and teaching

5) Young couples who desire to learn and grow together

6) Openness and authenticity - no pretenses/veils

Now, I'm not saying that I saw the perfect church by any means. The local church will not be perfect until Christ returns a second time... however, I did see a local church that is actively pursuing God's Will. The experience really moved me...

I've never broken down in the middle of a sermon before. Ever.

But this Sunday I broke down right in the middle of the sermon and couldn't stop... I actually had to leave the building and find an empty lot with some steps to just finish up my sob-fest...Why?

Because I used to hate the local church. Satan used bad experiences to keep me from loving the very thing I've been called to. But over the past three years, God's been teaching me exactly what Colossians 1:18 is talking about when it says that Christ is the head of the Church - it is powerful because of CHRIST!!!

For reference, here is the link to Grace Bible Church of Philadelphia.

Christ Walked the Line

There's a fine line between legalism and freedom in the Christian life. Some of us live our entire lives on the legalistic side. Some of us live our entire lives on the freedom side. Both sides are sinful when taken to the extremes.

Extreme Legalism = Doing it YOUR way = SIN

Extreme Freedom = Doing it YOUR way = SIN

Last night we had communion at Parker Hill, and my worship pastor preached a message on Jesus Christ. One of the passages we went to was John 8:1-11.

"Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (ESV)

Jesus Christ annihilates both extremes.

He destroys legalism and tells the woman to find new freedom defined by God.

Christ walked the line - we should too.

MinistryLIVE.org Article

My friend Ben Bacon is writer for MinistryLIVE.org - an online ministry that is "dedicated to providing you with quality ministry tools free of charge that will help you display the Word of God in a way that is clear and captivating." Ben asked if he could feature my sermon, "Authority, Honor, and Respect." Check out www.ministrylive.org !!! The link below is the specific article on my sermon...

Credo's Sermon Article

BBC Chapel Message MP3

On January 16th, I was able to address the student body at BBC in chapel. If you'd like to download the MP3 file - click on the link below and look under College Chapel Messages for "Friday, January 16 - Dan Nichols - SLC Chapel - Student Body President." Click on the MP3 link next to that heading and you can either download it or listen straight from the web... The message is 29 minutes - I'd love some critique!!!

http://www.bbc.edu/chapel.asp

Life is Weird

I'm going through the Truth Project with my parents over break. If you haven't heard of it - you really need to check it out... www.truthproject.com. It's a 13 lesson Christian worldview tour that is done with intelligence and excellence. As soon as I finish the "tour," I'll be purchasing the DVD set and somehow implementing it into ministry. (Or maybe just saving it to go through with my kids... who knows...)

Presently though, this philosophical whirlwind has got me thinking...

Life is Weird. Yes - Weird - with a capital "W." Life is Weird because of relationships. There is nothing Weirder than relationships.

Some last a lifetime.
Some last as long as a conversation.
Some are deep at first and then die off.
Some are brief at first and then grow later.
Some are lost and then regained at the most random times possible.
Some are strengthened through tough times.
Some diminish at the first sight of trouble.

Thank God his relationship with us is UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'VE EXPERIENCED ON EARTH!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Theology from "Secular" Music

So many "secular" songs have spiritual overtones. While driving from Scranton, PA to Kalamazoo, MI with friends, we were listening to the song "Believe It or Not" by Nickelback - Canada's finest rock band (in my opinion). I can't stop listening to it. Here are the lyrics and the song is at the bottom of the post...

CHORUS:
Could someone deliver us?
And send us some kind of sign,
So close to giving up
Cuz faith is so hard to find
But you don't, and you won't, until we figure out...

VERSE 2:
I've seen it a lot
Every time to the world turns upside down
Believe it or not, everyone
Most of us feel like we're losing ground
Believe it or not, everyone, hate admitting fear
Believe it or not, most of us wanna know why we're here
Why we're here, but we don't and we won't
Until we figure out...

Over break I'm working on my reading for an Apologetics Seminar I'm taking at Baptist Bible Seminary. In reading all these books on defending the faith, it's really connected with "Believe It or Not." (Especially because I simply can't stop listening to it...)

There's a reason for all this "theology stuff." All the Greek. Bible classes. Apologetics. Preaching. Communication skills. Leadership training. Resume building. Tests. Quizzes. Theology.

What's it all for?

It's all for and because of the Gospel - Jesus Christ. The answer to Nickelback's song is the Gospel, and the Gospel is a person. God is real - He loves us - He is Christ. I have a relationship with the King of the Universe. He is WHY I AM HERE!!!

P.S. He's also the reason we have Christmas coming up on Thursday...

Life of Avoidance

Today I was reviewing my DVD-recorded sermon on 1 Peter 3:8-12. In my sermon I had this quote... (Yes, I'm actually quoting myself...)

"Christianity is not a life of avoidance."

What do I mean by that?

1) Following Christ isn't simply saying "no" to places, people, actions, ect...

2) It can INCLUDE saying "no" - but that is not the core of following Christ.

3) A true Christ-follower is not characterized by what he/she AVOIDS!!!

4) A true Christ-follower is characterized by what he/she ACTIVELY PURSUES!!!

5) Christianity is a life of ACTION.

This action is Gospel-centered, humble, loving, unifying, missional, counter-cultural yet relevant, and commanded of us while powered by Christ ALONE.