Momentum | November & December 2014 by Redeemer Bible Church

Issue 22 // November & December, 2014

Making the Most of Turkey Time: Thanksgiving on Mission By David Mathis

Unity Amid Differences Celebrating Jesus in our Traditions Family Feuds & Tensions

STATE OF THE CHURCH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7th 7 PM

Sign up for our weekly digital Newsletter EMAIL LORIE SCHNELL TO BE ADDED TO OUR LIST // LORIESCHNELL@REDEEMERBIBLECHURCH.COM

Contributors

Contents UNITY AMID DIFFERENCES 4 | John Piper shares

What’s the best (or worst) gift you’ve ever given or received?

his advice and encouragement about how to pursue unity in practical ways for the purpose of furthering the ministry of Jesus Christ as members of the body.

FAMILY FEUDS & TENSIONS 6 | Not everyone’s Thanksgiving looks like an idyllic Norman Rockwell scene. But as your love for God grows, your movement towards your family members will be wise.

THANKSGIVING ON MISSION 8 | Find some practical ideas for

how we can think ahead and pray about how we might grow in being proxies for the gospel, in word and deed, among our families this Thanksgiving.

CELEBRATING JESUS IN OUR TRADITIONS 12 | The Lord is so good to us to

PASTOR WARREN

KIM SUCHTA

GABE ZEPEDA

“The elders surprised Colleen and me with a gift certificate to a cool restaurant upon arrival in Seattle. We were just sooooo surprised, and blessed.”

“My engagement ring. Mark asked me if I knew that he loved me and would always take care of me, then he took my blindfold off and he was down on one knee.”

“I think the best gift I received were 2 tickets from my wife to see Nickel Creek live in Central Park, NYC. To top it off, it was their last show!”

LORIE SCHNELL

"Hmm let's see, after buying Jaimee a new dress and diamonds two Easters ago I followed it up this past Easter with a block of cheese and Peeps. She wasn't thrilled."

“As a child, I received a dollhouse that my parents worked on together for months behind hidden doors. When they finally made the ‘big reveal’ on Christmas Day, I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was.”

GOSPEL COMMUNITY SHOULD MARK THE HOLIDAYS 15 | How does the gospel change

how we view community groups around the holidays? Pastor Paul shares how the holidays can allow us to actually build community and mission better than anytime of the year.

Credits DAVID MORSE

show us himself in all of the wonderful traditions we all get to enjoy this time of year. So let's enjoy those! But let's not make them the main thing.

Chuck Forsberg DESIGN/DIRECTION Lorie Schnell CONTENT MANAGER Anne Lynn Jan Wyder-Barck WRITERS/EDITORS

More Great Reads HOW I MET JESUS GOSPEL LIFE SERVING IN ITALY FINANCE REPORT EVENT CALENDAR

What I Said to the Pastoral Staff About Unity Amid Differences By Pastor John Piper

he week after Easter the pastoral staff got away for our annual pastors and wives retreat for two-and-a-half days in southern Minnesota. The aim is to deepen and strengthen our marriages and our unified vision for ministry at Bethlehem. My happy job is to serve that goal in ministering the word on our first afternoon together. What I chose to talk about was being “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). The reason for this focus was, negatively, that if this pastoral staff disintegrates in disunity, the damage to the church will be great; and, positively, if God would keep us unified around our mission, the Christ-exalting scope of the impact would be worth dying for. Our focus was on . . . 4

MOMENTUM // NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014

SIX BIBLICAL GUIDELINES FOR LOVING EACH OTHER AMID DIFFERENCES 1. LET’S AVOID GOSSIPING. The New Testament warns against gossiping. The Greek word translated “gossip” means whisper or whisperer. In other words, the focus is not on the falsehood of the word but on the fact that it needs to be surreptitious. It is not open and candid and forthright. It has darkness about it. It does not operate in the light of love. It is not aiming at healing. It strokes the ego’s desire to be seen as right without playing by the rules of love. For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find... that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. (2 Corinthians 12:20)

2. LET’S IDENTIFY EVIDENCES OF GRACE IN EACH OTHER AND SPEAK THEM TO EACH OTHER AND ABOUT EACH OTHER. The church in Corinth was deeply flawed. But Paul found reason to thank God for them because of “the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:4). The most flawed pastor on this staff—and we are all flawed—is a work of grace. It honors Christ, and keeps criticism in perspective, to see it and say it often. 3. LET’S SPEAK CRITICISM DIRECTLY TO EACH OTHER IF WE FEEL THE NEED TO SPEAK TO OTHERS ABOUT IT. The point is not that we will always agree on everything, especially the practical application of shared principles. Paul’s word in Romans 12:18 is, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” It may not be possible, but we should try. 4. LET’S LOOK FOR, AND ASSUME, THE BEST MOTIVE IN THE OTHER’S VIEWPOINT, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DISAGREE. When Paul deals with disagreement in Romans 14, one of the things he appeals to is that those with opposite practical convictions have identical heart-motives. “The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Romans 14:6). Christ-honoring passions, Paul says, can unite us in spite of differences of application. 5. THINK OFTEN OF THE MAGNIFICENT THINGS WE HOLD IN COMMON. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” (Psalm 40:16) To mention a few things we hold in common: the Elder Affirmation of Faith, the sovereignty of God, the supremacy of his glory in all things, the majesty and meekness of Christ, the all-sufficiency of his saving work, the precious and very great promises summed up in Romans 8:28 and 8:32, the value and sweetness of the Bible, the power and patience of the Holy Spirit in transforming us, the hope of glory, a profound biblical vision of manhood and womanhood, a common global mission to see the nations know Christ... 6. LET’S BE MORE AMAZED THAT WE ARE FORGIVEN THAN THAT WE ARE RIGHT. And in that way, let’s shape our relationships by the gospel. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.... And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. (Ephesians 4:32–5:2)

“Christ-honoring passions can unite us in spite of differences of application.” “The one who is forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47). In other words, think more of your own sins and how amazing it is that God saved you than you do about the other person’s flaws. MANAGING OUR DIFFERENCES, MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER Then I pondered with the staff some implications for managing our differences as leaders of Bethlehem. A team of leaders does not have the luxury of all going their own way. We must lead the people with a common vision, not different visions. “If the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8). Therefore, our job as a team of leaders is together to talk and write and argue and debate and refine our positions until we reach as large a consensus as we can on the major issues. Then over time we revisit the implementation of these positions and continue the process of refining. And we recognize that the position that we reach may not perfectly satisfy anyone’s preferences. And so we resolve to support the consensus for the greater good without ongoing criticism, but with public support. I closed by saying that God has given us a great work to do at Bethlehem. The impact that we all have through this church for the glory of Christ is beyond our estimation. It is worth all our efforts and all our lives to preserve the great things we stand for and move forward together. Used with permission from Desiring God. www.desiringgod.org

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

Family Feuds & Tensions Over the Holidays By Justin Taylor

MOMENTUM // NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014

ot everyone’s Thanksgiving looks like the idyllic setting Norman Rockwell depicted. CCEF’s Tim Lane has a booklet entitled Family Feuds: How to Respond, which you can read online for free at www.ccef. org. Here’s a summary focused on the holiday celebrations and stresses of family get-togethers. “For some, these gatherings are dreaded and avoided when possible. Why is that? Why is it so hard to get along with the people you grew up with? Is there any hope that old, hurtful patterns can be changed? In this booklet, Tim Lane writes about these challenges, and how through your relationship with Christ you can learn how to love your family and reach out to them in concrete and practical ways.” LANE BEGINS BY REHEARSING A NUMBER OF TRUTHS: 1. Every family is flawed 2. Flawed families need God’s grace 3. Your family of origin does not determine your identity 4. God’s call to love includes your family 5. Changed by the cross of Christ

“Loving your family in these ways will mean dying to self-centeredness and growing in Christ-centeredness.” family. You can depend on the unfailing love of God to change you and your family. In a complementary piece, Russell Moore offers “a few quick thoughts on what followers of Jesus ought to remember, especially if you’ve got a difficult extended family situation.” He outlines his counsel under five headings:

HE THEN GIVES SOME PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE: 1. Respond with grace to your family 2. Take responsibility for your sins, not your family’s 3. Become an instrument of grace 4. Make wise choices for your children 5. Persevere in love

PEACE. (“Your presence should be one of peace and tranquility. The gospel you believe ought to be what disrupts. There’s a big difference.”)

HERE’S THE CONCLUSION: “Loving your family in these ways will mean dying to selfcenteredness and growing in Christ-centeredness. As you pray and ask the Spirit of God to change you, old barriers you have erected between you and your family will come down. This will encourage your family members to take down the barriers they have put up.” As your love for God grows, your movement towards your parents and siblings will be wise. Instead of looking for their validation or approval you will love them the sacrificially, the way Christ has loved you. You will be able to move toward them because God, in Christ, has moved towards you and his love has been poured into your heart (see Romans 5:4). God’s love will flow from you into your relationship with your

HUMILITY. (“Unless you’re in an exceptionally sanctified family, you’re going to see failing marriages, parenting crises and a thousand other shards of the curse. If your response is to puff up as you look at your own situation, there’s a Satanist at your family gathering, and you’re it.”)

HONOR. (“Pray for God to show you the ways those in your life are worthy of honor, and teach your children to follow you in showing respect and gratitude.”)

MATURITY. (“Some of the tensions Christians face at holiday time have nothing to do with outside oppression as much as internal immaturity on the part of the Christians themselves.”) PERSPECTIVE. (“At the Judgment Seat of the Lord Christ, you’ll be responsible for living out the gospel in every arena to which the Spirit has led you…including Aunt Flossie’s dining room table.”) Used with permission from The Gospel Coalition. www.thegospelcoalition.org NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

Cover Story

Making the Most of Turkey Time: Thanksgiving on Mission By David Mathis

MOMENTUM // NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014

hat if God had more for our kin this Thanksgiving than the Macy’s parade, tryptophan-induced naps and NFL football? What if we saw our gatherings with extended family not as a chance to check out, but as an opportunity for Christian mission? It should be good news to us that we don’t have to be Jedimaster evangelists to be agents of gospel advance among those whom we know best. In fact, it may be better if we’re not. So before bellying up to this year’s turkey feast, here are a few thoughts from a fellow bungler to help us think ahead and pray about how we might grow in being proxies for the gospel, in word and deed, among our families this Thanksgiving. These are some practical ideas for what it might mean to see ourselves as sent among our relatives. These suggestions are inspired by Randy Newman’s excellent book Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well. PRAY AHEAD. Begin praying for your part in gospel advance among extended family several days before gathering. And let’s not just pray for changes in them, but also pray for the needed heart changes in us — whether it’s for love or courage or patience or kindness or fresh hope, or all of the above. LISTEN AND ASK QUESTIONS. Listen, listen, listen. Perhaps more good evangelism than we realize starts not with speaking but with good listening. Getting to know someone well, and specifically applying the gospel to them, is huge in witness. Relationship matters. Ask questions to draw them out. People like to talk about themselves — and we should capitalize on this. And most people only enjoy talking about themselves for so long. At some point, they’ll ask us questions. And that’s our golden chance to speak, upon request. One of the best times to tell the gospel with clarity and particularity is when someone has just asked us a question. They want to hear from us. So let’s share ourselves, and Jesus in us. Not artificially, but in genuine answer to their asking about our lives. And remember it’s a conversation. Be

“Beware of the self-righteous older brother in you.” careful not to rabbit on for too long, but try to keep a sense of equilibrium in the dialogue. RAISE THE GOSPEL FLAG EARLY. Let’s not wait to get to know them “well enough” to start clearly identifying with Jesus. Depending on how extended our family is, or how long it’s been since we married in, they may already plainly know that we are Christians. But if they don’t know that, or don’t know how important Jesus is to our everyday lives, we should realize now that there isn’t any good strategy in being coy about such vital information. It will backfire. Even if we don’t put on the evangelistic full-court press right away (which is not typically advised), wisdom is to identify with Jesus early and often, and articulate the gospel with clarity (and kindness) as soon as possible. No one’s impressed to discover years into a relationship that we’ve withheld from them the most important things in our lives. TAKE THE LONG VIEW AND CULTIVATE PATIENCE. With family especially, we should consider the long arc. Randy Newman is not afraid to say to Christians in general, “You need a longer-term perspective when it comes to family.” Chances are we do. And so he challenges us to think in terms of an alphabet chart, seeing our family members positioned at some point from letters A to Z. These 26 steps/letters along the way from distant unbelief (A) to great nearness to Jesus

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

“God loves to convert the people we think are the least likely. Jesus is able to melt the hardest of hearts.” (Z) and fledgling faith help us remember that evangelism is usually a process, and often a long one. It is helpful to recognize that not everyone is near the end of the alphabet waiting for our pointed gospel pitch to tip them into the kingdom. Frequently there is much spadework to be done. Without losing the sense of urgency, let’s consider how we can move them a letter, or two or three, at a time and not jerk them toward Z in a way that may actually make them regress. BEWARE OF THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS OLDER BROTHER IN YOU. For those who grew up in nonbelieving or in shallow or nominal Christian families, it can be too easy to slide into playing the role of the self-righteous older brother when we return to be around our families. Let’s ask God that he would enable us to speak with humility and patience and grace. Let’s remember that we’re sinners daily in need of his grace, and not gallop through the family gathering on our high horse as if we’ve arrived or just came back from the third heaven. Newman’s advice: “use the pronouns ‘we’ and ‘us’ far more than ‘you’” (65).

MOMENTUM // NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014

TELL IT SLANT. Some extended family contexts may be so far from spiritual that we need to till the soil of conversation before making many direct spiritual claims. It’s not that the statements aren’t true or desperately needed, but that our audience may not yet be ready to hear it. The gospel may seem so foreign that wisdom would have us take another approach. One strategy is to “tell it slant,” to borrow from the poem of the same name — to get at the gospel from an angle. “If your family has a long history of negativity and sarcasm,” writes Newman, “the intermediate step of speaking positively about a good meal or a great film may pave the way for ‘blinding’ talk of God’s grace and mercy” (67). Don’t “blind” them by rushing to say loads more than they’re ready for. As Emily Dickinson says, “The truth must dazzle gradually / Or every man be blind.” BE REAL ABOUT THE GOSPEL. As we dialogue with family about the gospel, let’s not default to quoting Bible verses that don’t really answer the questions being asked. Let’s take up the gospel in its accompanying worldview and engage their questions as much as possible in the terms in which they asked them. Newman says, “We need to find ways to articulate the internally consistent logic of the gospel’s claims and not resort to anti-intellectual punch lines like, ‘The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.’” Yes, let’s do quote Bible when appropriate — we are Christians owing ultimately to revelation, not to reason. But let’s not make the Bible into an excuse for not really engaging with their queries in all their difficulty. (And let’s not be afraid to say we don’t know when we don’t!) CONSIDER THE CONVERSATIONAL CONTEXT. Context matters. It doesn’t have to be face to face across the table to be significant. “Many people told me their best conversations occurred in a car — where both people faced forward, rather than toward each other,” says Newman. “Perhaps the indirect eye contact posed less of a threat” (91). Maybe even sofas and recliners during a Thanksgiving Day football game, if the volume’s not ridiculous. Be mindful of the context, and seek to make yourself available for conversation while at family

BE HOPEFUL. God loves to convert the people we think are the least likely. Jesus is able to melt the hardest of hearts. Some who finished their lives among the greatest saints started as the worst of sinners. Realistically, there could have been some cousin of the apostle Paul sitting around some prayer meeting centuries ago telling his fellow believers, “Hey, would you guys pray for my cousin Saul? I can’t think of anyone more lost. He hunts down followers of The Way and arrests them. Just last week, he was the guy who stood guard over the clothes of the people who killed our brother Stephen.” (53) With God, all things are possible. Jesus has a history of conquering those most hostile to him. We have great reason to have great hope about gospel advance in our families, despite how dire and dark it may seem.

gatherings, rather than retreating always into activities or situations that are not conducive to substantive talk.

WHEN WE FAIL And when we fail — not if, but when — the place to return is Calvary’s tree. Our solace in failing to adequately share the gospel is the very gospel we seek to share. It is good to ache over our failures to love our families in gospel word and deed. But let’s not miss that as we reflect on our failures, we have all the more reason to marvel at God’s love for us. Be astonished that his love is so lavish that he does not fail to love us, like we fail to love him and our families, and that he does so despite our recurrent flops in representing him well to our kin. Used with permission from Desiring God. www.desiringgod.org

KNOW YOUR PARTICULAR FAMILY SITUATION. In some families, the gospel has been spoken time and again in the past to hard hearts, perhaps there has been a lack of grace in the speaking, and what is most needed is some unexpected relational rebuilding. Or maybe you’ve built and built and built the relationship and have never (or only rarely) clearly spoken the message of the gospel. Let’s think and pray ahead of time as to what the need of hour is in our family, and as the gathering approaches pray toward what little steps we might take. And then let’s trust Jesus to give us the grace our hearts need, whether it’s grace for humbling ourselves enough to connect relationally or whether it’s courage enough to speak with grace and clarity.

Celebrating Jesus in our Traditions By Kim Suchta

MOMENTUM // NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014

will never forget the first Christmas that I celebrated after becoming a Christian. Christmas Eve was approaching, and being the planner and organizer I am, I was anxious about getting everything done on time. Baking, parties, shopping and gift giving were all filling up the calendar. One particular Sunday I was working in the nursery at the church we had started attending. The nursery coordinator came into the room to check on me and see how I was doing with the babies. She was one of those Christians that just lit up the room when she walked into it. She just had this peace about her. I never saw her without a smile, and she always acknowledged me whenever she saw me. That meant a lot to me as a new attender to that church. As she checked the diaper stacks and sign in sheets in the nursery, we started talking about our Christmas plans. It was two days before Christmas Eve. I asked her if she had all of her shopping done. And to my surprise, she calmly, but with laughter, told me she had not even started shopping for her 7 kids! She said that she had been too busy, distributing and wrapping gifts for a Christmas toy ministry with her family. She went on to describe how incredibly blessed her and her husband and kids were by serving in this ministry, and that they did it every year. She wasn't one bit anxious about the fact that there were no presents under her own tree, or that she didn't have one cookie baked and ready to go. I was floored. Even as a new Christian I could tell her joy was real. It wasn't that fake kind of prideful boasting in what she had done. She just had a peace and humility about it all. I don't ever want to forget that conversation. I still think about it each Christmas season. It gives me such a perspective on what I should be prioritizing during what can become such a busy time. And as the years have gone by, the Lord has taught me that lesson at a much deeper level. Cancer has struck my family not once, but three times in the last few years. So trying to schedule family get-togethers and gift giving around chemotherapy and unexpected hospital visits had been tough. And it reminded me again, what to put my hope in this time of year. One of my most profound memories over Thanksgiving was just a couple of years ago as I watched these big flakes of new snowfall through my sister's hospital room window. She and I and our two brothers sat around her bedside playing cards. Her Chemo bag was almost empty and the machine started to beep. The nurse came in and my comedian brother looked at her and said, “We need another round here.” We

“Even as a new Christian I could tell her joy was real. It wasn't that fake kind of prideful boasting in what she had done.” all burst out laughing. I was so thankful for the gift of humor amidst our fears and sadness. And I appreciated more than ever that day the hope we all had in Jesus. He was all we had that day. No pretty lights, no turkey, no gifts, no comforts of home. Not even our Mom and Dad who had been the pillars of our lives for so long. They were at home, watching our kids, so we could have this time together. The Lord is so good to us to show us himself in all of these wonderful traditions we all get to enjoy this time of year. So let's enjoy those! But let's not make them the main thing. Let's remember that the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is our only hope. He loves us so much that he cares for each and every detail of our hearts as we go through this time celebrating him. He is our comfort when we are sick or feel alone. He is the calmer of our hearts when we get anxious shopping for that perfect gift. He is our rock when our family member hurts us again with a painful remark. He is the peacemaker that can cause us to laugh when we burn the gingerbread men. He is our identity we can keep going back to when we feel disappointed we can't afford that gift. And he is our sanity as we visit our crazy dysfunctional families. Isn't it funny that even in celebrating him, we need his forgiveness? But that's exactly why he had to come. Let's pray we take that very seriously this season...yet at the same time, not take each other too seriously. Thank you, Jesus, for continuing to rescue us, even as we celebrate your coming into the world to save sinners like us. // RBC NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

Gospel Community Should Mark the Holidays By Pastor Paul Burr

he holidays are known for their times of community with family and friends. Think of the Christmas movies that we all love, showing gatherings are as natural as snow and mistletoe. It should be even more natural in gospel communities to include the church family in our circle of gatherings. How does the gospel change how we view community groups around the holidays? In a program-driven small group ministry, the holidays are seen as perhaps a break from the life of the group. But as we are trying to understand gospel community is terms of "spaces" and "rhythms," the holidays allow us to actually build community and mission better than anytime of the year. The spaces of our Community Groups can now become a tool in which to build community. One way I've seen this work in the past at RBC is around the holiday dinner table. Our church family has made special efforts to seek out those in our groups and church who do not have family in the area. Some of our best Thanksgiving Day memories lately have been with community group members and their extended family. At one of our Turkey Day dinners, we were challenging each other with riddles and word problems, and my daughter Jenni, ever the funny one, decided to give a word problem with a twist. "If you have four pencils and I have seven apples, how many pancakes will fit on the roof? Answer: Purple, because

aliens donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wear hats.â&#x20AC;? As one of our guests was actually trying to solve the riddle, asking her to slowly repeat it, we never laughed harder in our lives. There was true community taking place in the laughter, fueled by the gospel. We were loving each other with grace. The normal rhythms of our lives present unique opportunities also during the holiday season. How about including others in your annual tradition of cutting your own Christmas tree? What would be a closed family event now becomes a way to expand our gospel family and share the love of community with those who need a gospel encouragement. Another familiar rhythm of the holiday season is looking to bless those who have special needs during this time of year. This is a way to be on mission for the gospel. One group I know took the opportunity to bless a family that was involved in the mercy ministry. What encouragement they were as they came alongside them through fellowship and care. As we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas rush, take time to discuss with your family and Community Group how the gospel can change us and the way we interact with others during this time. Brainstorm about how your group can be a blessing to others and to each other. As we witness the Son of God coming into the world to save his people, we can enter the world of those around us to share our lives and the life-changing message of the gospel. // RBC

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

HOMESTAY PROGRAM

Do you want to learn more about another culture without leaving the country? Consider hosting a student from China this winter through the Langston English School Homestay Program. Langston English, a school owned and run by Americans who love Jesus, is looking for families willing to open their homes and hearts to Chinese students for 3-5 weeks during the Chinese New Year (last week of January and the month of February). Average student age range is 13-17. The goal of this program is to expose students to American culture and Christian families so they can experience the difference Christ makes in a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. It is usually a stepping-stone in the process of a student studying full-time in America. For more information, please contact our very own Marty or Barb Pagano, the ChinaMidwest Connection liaisons for Langston English here in Minnesota.

Marty & Barb Pagano PHONE (952) 270-6616 EMAIL CHINAMIDWESTCONNECTION@GMAIL.COM 16

MOMENTUM // NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014

Ministry Update

International Outreach

Serving in Italy

By Karise Pagano

hat am I really doing in Italy? It's easy for people to imagine me sitting in a piazza sipping an espresso, or lying on the sun-kissed Mediterranean beaches soaking up the sun, all the while being a bit confused as to what I'm really doing over here. With over 90% of Italians being Roman Catholic and less than 1% evangelical Christians, there is a great need for the Gospel. Satan has lulled Italy to sleep with a false belief system, comforting prayer recitations, and a saint for every need. Most Italian pastors have no theological training and also work a part or full time job in addition to their pastoral role. The Italian Theological Academy exists to train both current and future pastors and elders how to study and preach the Gospel and how to counsel and shepherd their flock. While students are charged to attend the classes, these funds only help to offset the actual costs of running the academy. The academy is fully supported through financial donors; and I therefore also raise my own salary. Please pray with me that God will raise up more people to join my support team. In December my support level will drop to 58%, which may cause

me to have to return home to raise the remainder, though I would still have to pay ongoing costs in Sicily like rent and utilities even during my time in the United States. And I can tell you from experience, it is very difficult for our team to function efficiently with the distance and different time zones when I am in the States. My role is the executive assistant to the dean and president of the academy, but it more often looks like assistant, project manager, event coordinator, kitchen staff, janitor, media manager, and basically any other role needed to run both the academy and the local church. I do also serve in the local church in many of the same types of roles as well as working with youth and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s groups and serving on the worship team. We run several classes throughout the year and in various locations throughout Italy. In 2014 we held classes both in Messina, Sicily and in Verona, Italy. Most courses run for four days and contain 26 lecture hours and are taught by either Italian or American professors. We also hold annual national pastors' conferences and counseling conferences. While fruit in the ministry is slow in Italy, God has been faithful. We were excited to see the number of kids who attended our English Camp increase this summer.

Our teens have also begun to open up. I've been encouraged by some Gospel opportunities with two of our young ladies in the youth group who became believers a few years ago at a summer Bible camp but haven't been fed much and haven't grown much even despite growing up in church. They come to me for counsel and let me challenge them in the Gospel. Please pray for their growth. This summer we saw a dear friend in Sardinia get baptized after becoming a believer about a year ago. Within months of being baptized, he was attending courses at the academy. He lives on an island of Sardinia with 7,000 inhabitants and is now the onlyknown believer. Halfway through a four-part course in Verona this year, we saw the class double in size. On our last visit the pastors also informed us that they've been meeting on a regular basis to encourage each other and pray together. This is amazing news to hear as there is rarely unity across even fellow, like-faith churches here. Redeemer has a live and active ministry in Sicily and throughout Italy in partnership with the Bible Church of Messina and the Italian Theological Academy. Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in and through us! // RBC

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

Brunch 9 - 11:30 am in the Fellowship Hall, RSVP with carolburr1081@gmail.com.

November 15th

More encouraging blog posts can be found at: RedeemerBibleChurch.com/resources/blog Finding Safe Pasture // Pastor Paul Desperate Times, Desperate for Hope // Pastor Boomer Don’t Play Fast and Loose with Grace // Trent Williams

How I Met Jesus

Warren Watson > Growing up in a Christian home in the 50's and 60's America was not an unusual thing. We believed we were growing up in a "Christian Country.” In the 60's, now recounted through the lens of history, American culture took an abrupt “about face”, going from the Dick Van Dyke show early in the decade, with he and his T.V. wife climbing into separate beds with “buttoned up to the neck” flannel pajamas and no kiss, to, at the end of the decade, “Don't trust authority”, “Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll”, “Drop out and Drop acid.” This decade also saw an assassination of an American President and his brother 5 years later on the campaign trail, and the assassination of an articulate “preacher” from the south that led the Civil Rights movement, and articles in Time Magazine proclaiming that “God is Dead”, all in less than 10 years. It is in this backdrop, as a boy enjoying youth in Southern California, that I continued attending a Presbyterian Church I had attended since age 9 into high school and beyond. While the country was fighting the Vietnam war and deadly college protests were occurring around the country, I took a trip to the middle of the desert for an Easter mission at the Presbyterian church on the Navajo Nation's Chinle Indian Reservation. There, God revealed Himself to me

as the God of beauty, of creation, and of the author of life, and of rebirth. The “counter culture” of a changing America was stabilized by the never changing love of my Savior who proved himself to be reliable, dependable and always willing to save me, every day if need be. While my faith has faltered and has had many difficult times growing deeper until even into my 50's, I'm pleased to say that God has shown His faithfulness, and mercy (I Tim 1:13-17) to me since that early conversion in 1968, and I have never felt or been abandoned or forsaken since. May God be praised! // RBC

Colleen Watson > I was born and raised in a small farm in northern Minnesota. My formative years were difficult as my mother battled severe mental illness. My father did the very best he could raising four daughters, but he had a farm to run which kept him out of the house a lot. There were few resources for mental illness in the early 60’s so consequently my sisters and I became my mother’s caretakers. And, due to her illness we often suffered neglect and emotional abuse. I was raised in the Lutheran faith, baptized as an infant and confirmed as a young teen. In the late 60’s the Jesus movement was sweeping across the nation and in the summer of my 15th year I went to a Bible camp sponsored by the Lutheran Evangelistic Movement. It was there that I asked Jesus into my heart. I remember so vividly walking down the aisle toward the stage after the altar call was given. I knew I was making a decision that

would forever change my life. I know now, of course, that it was Jesus calling me and my response to His calling. He gave me peace an overwhelming sense of belonging with love and hope. I was able to go home and share my faith, with my parents and younger sister, God using me to bring them to faith. All my other decisions in life, from that point on, have centered around the longing to follow God’s will and His plan in my life. As my husband has said in his faith story, life has had its share of ups and downs, spiritual highs, and faith searching lows. But a turning point for both he and I was in 2002 when we began attending Redeemer Bible Church, then called Woodland Hills. It was learning and coming to understand about God’s amazing grace and my utter inability to save myself or earn God’s favor that has brought both of us into deeper fellowship with God and family of believers. // RBC NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD Redeemer Sunday school kids again are joining with Samaritans Purse, collecting gifts and money to pack nine shoe boxes to send overseas.

WE’LL BE PACKING THEM TOGETHER IN CLASS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16. THE LAST DAY TO COLLECT ITEMS IS NOVEMBER 9.

Red 5

youth

FOOD, GAMES, MUSIC & MORE DECEMBER 10TH, 7PM AT REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH QUESTIONS? GABEZEPEDA@REDEEMERBIBLECHURCH.COM 20

MOMENTUM // NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014

Gospel Life

A Pharisee About Pharisees I

By David Morse

recently picked up my copy of Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal God. It’s been a year or two since I last read it, so I took an afternoon to reread this great book. It’s a book that I think could be read yearly, and one that certainly should be read at least once. This time one particular thought has stuck with me and been very convicting. Keller says: “Jesus is pleading in love with his deadliest enemies. He is not a Pharisee about Pharisees; he is not self-righteous about self-righteousness. Nor should we be. He not only loves the wild-living, free-spirited people, but also hardened religious people.” It is easy in a gospel-saturated environment that rightly preaches grace to become what Keller describes here -- a Pharisee about Pharisees. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? For example, as I said, this has been convicting to me lately. How? I come from a pretty conservative, sometimes legalistic background, where often

music and dress standards were the most important part of being a Christian. Thankfully, by God’s sovereign grace alone, these ideas left a bad taste in my mouth and left me thirsty for gospel grace. I am thankful He is revealing it to me more and more every day. But it’s very easy, as I inhale grace, to exhale condemnation, anger and even hatred towards those who I would deem “less gospel-centered.” While you can say that anything or anyone who is diluting the gospel should be rebuked, I can say beyond any doubt that most often I am not as concerned with the gospel of Jesus being adulterated as I am with my own ego. I am not usually as concerned with others’ repentance and growing knowledge of the grace filled Savior as I am with showing the world how much better my understanding of grace is compared to others. This is what I think Keller means when he speaks of being “a Pharisee about Pharisees.” Jesus died for Pharisees, so even when he rebukes them, His call comes as a result of his love for them. His desire is not just towards the free-spirited. It’s not just towards the hardened religious

people. It’s not even just for “gospelcentered” people. His desire is that all would come to repentance and know his love. And so, with this reminder I ask one question: What is your disposition towards Pharisees? Are you a Pharisee about Pharisees? IF SO, WHAT IS THE REMEDY? Even the most free-spirited, or hardened religious person, or “gospelcentered” person comes to the dinner party looking the same -- dirty and unworthy, and upon repentance and belief in the Gospel is seated at the dinner party looking the same -- clean and worthy because they are robed in the same garments, those being Christ’s righteousness. Remember that today, and I urge you -- as I preach to myself today -- believe this gospel truth. // RBC

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

RESOURCEWEST & MERCY TO THE CITIES

TOY CHEST DRIVE

NOW - DEC 16TH

YOU CAN MAKE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON A LITTLE BRIGHTER FOR THE CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY BY DONATING NEW UNWRAPPED TOYS. CASH DONATIONS ARE ALSO WELCOMED. PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHECKS OUT TO RBC WITH “TOY DRIVE” IN THE MEMO LINE. DROP-OFF BINS ARE LOCATED IN THE LOWER LEVEL COAT ROOM.

Back-to-School Supply Drive EXAMPLES OF AGE-RELEVANT TOYS now thru Aug 19th

AGES 0-4 Toy Tool Sets Fischer Price Toys See & Say Toys Musical Toys Tyco Toys Educational Play Sets Duplo Play Sets Wooden Block Sets / Books

AGES 5-10 Multicultural Dolls Tonka Trucks Art & Craft Sets Sporting Goods Model or Construction Sets Science Kits / Sporting Items Educational Play Sets DVDs / Board Games / Books

Every child deserves a chance at a successful school year!

NEED HELP THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?

Help us raise $25,000 to send kids to school ready to learn & succeed! Give a cash gift today (952) 933-3860 resourcewest.org

AGES 11-18 CDs / DVDs / Video Games CD Players Jewelry / Books Sporting Items Board Games Digital Cameras Ridgedale Mall Gift Cards Target / Best Buy Gift Cards

Needed Suplies: Does your family’s

household income qualify for free or New Backpacks reduced priced lunch program? Do your children attend school 2-Pocket Folders in the Hopkins or Minnetonka School Districts or do you live Single Subject Notebooks inLoose Deephaven, Leaf Paper Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Colored Pencils Shorewood(12 orPack) Woodland? Rulers If Plastic you answered YES to these questions, ResourceWest can Washable Markers (10 pack) help get toys to your family this holiday season. Registration for Glue Sticks the toy drive is open December 1st – 5th. Contact us today by calling: (953) 933-3860.

RESOURCEWEST.ORG // 952.933.3860

Gospel Life

The Verdict is In By Gabe Zepeda

ne of my big problems is I really care about what others think of me. As a teenager, I thought if I was cool enough, “macho,” and had a girl by my side, then my life would be set and my peers would approve of me. Now as an adult I believe that if I am competent, respectable, funny, and have the right image, my life will be set and I will feel accepted by others. Why do you think we care about what others think of us? I believe it is because we don’t want to be opposed, accused or condemned. We are all in search of a certain verdict or judgment from people and from God. We think that if we are good enough or cool enough, our verdict will be ‘accepted’. If you base your life on your performance and on what people think of you, your hunt for a verdict of “accepted,” will be endless. But, if you base your life on Christ’s performance and on what your heavenly Father thinks of you, you will rest assured. No matter what you may think, feel, or hear from others, your verdict

according to the gospel is: “There is no condemnation for those in Christ!” If this is true, it means God can’t and won’t oppose you, accuse you, or condemn you: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:31, 33-34).

of loving acceptance toward you. The more you preach this to yourself, the more you will rest. Here is how I have been preaching this to myself: As my Creator, my verdict is: “very good.”  As my Redeemer, my verdict is: “not guilty.”  As my Father, my verdict is: “precious son.” As my Coming King, my verdict is: “well done.”  As my Husband, my verdict is: “beloved.” // RBC

The only reason God feels only love and acceptance toward you is because Jesus was opposed for your hostility, accused for your sin, and condemned in your place at the cross! The verdict is in. His verdict of ‘not guilty’ is yours forever. Your feelings today won’t change that. Your good or bad behavior this week won’t alter it. People’s opinions of you this year won’t change God’s eternal disposition NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

There are four ways to Give at Redeemer, take your pick. OFFERING BAG

BANK EFT

Electronic Giving Helping people do what they want to do already

Church name: Redeemer Bible Church

Your name: Address: City, State, Zip:

Email address:

I would like to make the following

Redeemer Bible Church is now offering electronic giving, which allows you to make contributions on a scheduled, automatic basis. If you are writing checks every week or month, you will especially appreciate electronic giving. It is convenient for you and is a great way to help all of us become more consistent in our giving.

CASH. CHECK.

Date of 2nd contribution:

VISION program (Building $ _________ ___/___/___ Fund)

Mercy_________________ $ _________ Other _________________ $ _________ $ ______

Total

CHECKING / SAVINGS

(if applicable) Frequency of contribution (check one): Weekly – Mondays Semi-monthly – 1st and 15th Monthly on the 1st Monthly on the 15th

Complete this section if using your checking or savings account

Please debit my (check one): Checking account—attach voided check

Routing #:

Account #:

Valid routing # must start with 0,1,2 or 3

FORM @ WELCOME CENTER.

Savings account—attach voided deposit slip

VISA. M/C. DISCOVER. AMEX.

I authorize the above organization to process debit entries to the above account. I understand that this authority will remain in effect until I provide reasonable notification to terminate the authorization.

Note: Giving electronically is completely secure and is processed by a business that services 11,000 churches annually.

$ _________

To set up electronic contribution, simply complete the authorization form on the right and return it to Paula Poppe in the church office or Gary Bergstrom, our Accountant, in the sealed envelope provided. Contributions can be debited automatically from either a checking or savings account.

General Operating Fund

How to get started

Date of first contribution: ___/___/___

contribution(s):

AUTHORIZATION FORM

Enjoy the convenience of electronic giving

RBC.COM

APP

Authorized signature: _____________________________________ Date:

4 BANK ACCOUNT. VISA. M/C. AMEX.

Finance Report

By the Numbers

The Hope of a New Season

2013 - 2014 BUDGET RECAP GENERAL GIVING FUND BASE FORECAST

EXPENSES GIVING

By Pastor Paul Burr

OPERATING EXPENSES $ 1,086,205 GIVING $ 949,225

$ 136,980

FORECAST $ 1,073,592

ormally the end of a fiscal year marks an end of one year and signals hope for the next. This signal of hope is so true for us at RBC. With the tragic events and trials at the end of the 2014 fiscal year, we are looking forward with hope and faith in our heavenly Father to the new fiscal year. The new year will include challenges as attendance fluctuates and levels out, as individuals reevaluate their giving, as the Finance Team trims the spending plan/budget to be as nimble as possible during this transitional time. But the one thing we can depend on

and celebrate, the one thing that does not change, is the faithfulness of Jesus Christ and the sure foundation we have in Him as the Chief Shepherd of our church. Please pray for the Lord to give you clarity in this new fiscal year on your involvement in the giving and stewardship that he has given us as Redeemer Bible Church. With the additional giving option of Pushpay, there are more ways than ever to worship the Lord with our finances. //RBC Any questions about the finances of the church, please contact Pastor Paul, paulburr@redeemerbiblechurch.com.

EXPANDING OUR GOSPEL VISION

93 %

EXTRA COMMITMENTS $ 41,427 // 1.9 % AWAITING $ 152,301 // 7 % RECEIVED $ 2,026,699 // 93 %

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2014 \\ MOMENTUM

LEFT TO RIGHT SAM HENNEMAN JOYCE HEINRICH CAROLINE MAY NATHAN WENTZ

Membership Class November 23rd | Sign up by Nov. 19th Sunday: 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM Room 102, Ministries Building Sign up for this class by emailing: lauriesummers@redeemerbiblechurch.com

“...an overview of Redeemer’s vision, values, doctrine, mission, plan, and structure...”

Save the Date // Thursday, December18th // 6:30 - 9:30 pm Fellowship Hall

November

December

SUNDAY // 2ND

SUNDAY // 16TH

WEDNESDAY // 3RD

9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship 6p | The Lord's Table

9a | Gathered Worship *LT 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship *LT

WEDNESDAY // 19TH

SUNDAY // 7TH

THURSDAY // 18TH

9:30a | Women's Bible Study 7p | Gathered Prayer 7:15p | Women's Bible Study

6:30p | Women's Christmas Party

WEDNESDAY // 5TH 7p | Gathered Prayer

SATURDAY // 8TH 9a | Fall Clean Up

SUNDAY // 9TH 9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship

SUNDAY // 23RD 9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 10:30a | Membership Class 11a | Gathered Worship

WEDNESDAY // 26TH WEDNESDAY // 12TH 7p | Gathered Prayer 7p | Gathered Prayer 7p | Youth, One Big Party

SATURDAY // 15TH 9a | Women's Brunch

SUNDAY // 30TH 9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship

WEDNESDAY // 10TH

WEDNESDAY // 17TH

SUNDAY // 21ST 9a | Gathered Worship *LT 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship *LT

SUNDAY // 14TH 9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship

9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship

Wednesdays NOVEMBER 19TH - MAY 5TH

Sunday NOVEMBER 23 RD

Women's Bible Study

Membership Class

9:30 AM & 7:15 PM | FELLOWSHIP HALL (AM), ROOM TBD (PM)

10:30 AM - 1 PM | RM 102, MINISTRIES BUILDING

Women’s Bible Study is back! Starting on Wednesday, November 19th, we will be reading & discussing the book of Galatians. Childcare will be provided for the morning class. Prior to the Wednesday evening study, we will be worshipping in the sanctuary before breaking up for class. Questions: contact Debbie Hansen at djhansen50@comcast.net.

Local churches in a community are like the individual members of the body of Christ – full of wonderful diversity. This class presents an overview of Redeemer’s vision, values, doctrine, mission, plan, structure and is the first step in becoming a member at RBC. Sign up for this class by emailing: lauriesummers@redeemerbiblechurch.com. * Includes The Lord's Table