The COR Launch and Evidences of Grace

It’s official…Christ Our Redeemer Church is now an official Washington State church plant of Sovereign Grace Ministries! Woo hoo! Last Sunday we had our official launch service and it was amazing to see God’s blessing.

I wanted to give you a brief review of last weekend and Sunday’s launch and thank you for praying for us on this exciting day.

After braving the dreaded Seattle traffic the Crossway-Canada e-team arrived on Friday night. Christ Our Redeemer people had a meal prepared for them and arranged to have them transported back to COR host homes. All total we had 39(!) people from Crossway come to serve us. On Saturday morning we all met at Alki Middle School and then broke up into 2 groups, one for the car wash and the other for the park outreach. Even another local church (Living Water Community Church) showed up with a crew to help us hand out flyers. The car wash went well, and the park outreach went well also. Jay Lyles was a great help with the car wash. Between the neighborhood mailing, the car wash, and the park outreach we had 9 visitors come, several of which said they will return this coming Sunday. We had over 30 visitors (not members of COR, L-W or CCC) with family, friends, and interested parties. I met with two men today that said they will be back next Sunday. At the launch we had at least 250(!) in attendance (it was hard to count them all) with about 75 kids and 175 adults. The unthinkable happened! Living Water cancelled their service to assist us with the launch and to provide a meal and childcare for our guests. They were a tremendous blessing to us. The Crossway e-team served us well by helping with the set-up and clean-up, and Pat Sczebel and the Crossway worship team served us by helping us to glorify God in our singing.

I preached from Romans 11:36 on God’s desire for church planting, and seeing His glory as the purpose for it all. There seemed to be a good response to the sermon and then folks (even visitors!) stuck around for a long time after the meal. I spent the bulk of today doing follow-up with the visitors that came. I’ve included a picture from the launch and Tommy Hill has already given me a bad time about preaching in a tie J. (see attached)

I was very grateful for the way COR folks humbly served this weekend. They were all servants that made incredible sacrifices for this launch. I saw example after example of joyful service to the Savior.

We all were absolutely astounded at how God gave us grace throughout the weekend and particularly moved in our midst on Sunday. Our prayer was that God would be glorified in the launch and in the upcoming days of COR. We think we see God answering that prayer.

Thank you again for your prayers on our behalf and thank you to all who made this launch a testimony to the grace of God among undeserving sinners.

Cross Words and Gospel Hope

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

-1 Corinthians 2:1-2

“Do you want to live a cross centered life? A cross centered life is made up of cross centered days.”

-C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross Centered Life, p. 132

“Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It is a very surprising thing, a thing to be marveled at most of all by those who enjoy it. I know that it is to me, even to this day, the greatest wonder that I ever heard of, that God would justify me. I feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness, a mass of corruption, and a heap of sin apart from His almighty love. I know and am fully assured that I am justified by faith which is in Christ Jesus, and am treated as if I had been made perfectly just and made an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ. And yet, by nature I must take my place among the most sinful. I, who am altogether undeserving, am treated as if I had been deserving. I am loved with as much love as if I had always been godly, whereas before I was ungodly. Who can help being astonished at this? Gratitude for such favor stands dressed in robes of wonder.”

-Charles Spurgeon, All of Grace, p. 11

“Look at the cross, my friend. Have you ever really looked at it? Have you ever, with Isaac Watts, surveyed this wondrous cross? I am asking you to do so now. Look at those three crosses on that little hill called Calvary, outside the city of Jerusalem. Look at the middle one and at that person who is dying there. They are amazed that he has died so quickly. Who is he? That is the first question. You will never understand the significance of what happened there until you are clear about who was dying there.”

-D. Martyn Lloyd Jones, The Cross, p. 29

Already this week I’ve been reminded again and again of why the Cross so important. Discouragement, conflict, unforgiveness, envy, slander, death, bitterness, anger, disease, hatred, and a host of other ills are all around us, and yet God plants the Cross right in the middle of our sin and suffering. The Cross is the believer’s hope. In the Cross my many sins have been forgiven. In the Cross I am no longer under the righteous wrath and judgment of God. In the Cross I hear God’s pardoning voice speaking reconciliation to me. In the Cross God has shown himself favorably disposed towards me and deigned my ultimate good. In the Cross I have hope for my marriage and my children. In the Cross I have the assurance of genuine change through the transforming power of the gospel. In the Cross I can forgive those who have sinned against me and truly love my enemies. In the Cross I have the assurance of comfort in the midst of suffering. In the Cross I know that death has no ultimate foothold. In the Cross I see the love of God for other believers. In the Cross I see the love of God for a hostile world. In the Cross I have hope for the future. In the Cross my greatest need has been met. In the Cross my sharp and critical words are silenced. In the Cross my lustful thoughts are reined in. In the Cross I have the confidence that the ministry of the Holy Spirit will convict me of sin. In the Cross I am assured of God’s love for me, a sinner.

As Christians, the Cross defines us. We must never move away from it. Instead, it should become more precious to us each day. The Cross is the emblem of God’s rescue of humanity through the ignominious death of His Son. The Cross is the standard by which biblical love has been measured. If you want to see the love of God, look at the Cross. If you want to see the mercy of God, look at the Cross. If you want to see the holiness of God, look at the Cross. If you want to see humility personified, look at the Cross. If you want to see the grace of God, look at the Cross. Looking at the Cross will help us maintain a right perspective. Surely Isaac Watts has helped us here,

When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ, my God;

All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.

My hope for you this week is that you are once again captivated by the Cross. It truly is our hope.