Momentum | May & June 2015 by Redeemer Bible Church

Issue 25 // May & June, 2015

Epic of the Ordinary: Christian Mission for You and Me By Jonathan Parnell

Why We Play Summer is for Seeing and Showing God

Generosity Beats Your Idol

EVERY WEDNESDAY 6:45 - 8:00 pm NO SUMMER CHILDCARE

MOMENTUM DIGITAL EDITION READ IT...WHENEVER. ISSUU.COM/REDEEMERBIBLECHURCH

In this Issue 5 LETTER FROM THE ELDERS We were all made by our creator for community. We all desire it and start to unravel when we don’t have it. Like everything worth pursuing in life, it takes good hard work and intention. Join us this summer in stepping out of your comfort zone and reaching out!”

SUMMER IS FOR SEEING GOD

GENEROSITY BEATS YOUR IDOL

Daylight is longer, the temperatures are warmer, and there are lots of natural opportunities to get together with neighbors and friends in the summertime. Let’s join God in loving people and making the most of this season to show who God is!

If generosity changes my heart, speaks to a spiritually thirsty world and yields eternal dividends, I’m all in. The idol is screaming in my ear, still, but his voice is not quite as loud and powerful.

EPIC OF THE ORDINARY

HOW I METJESUS

It’s not so much about doing what Paul did. It is about imbibing the nature of Christian mission that Luke has been narrating all along, building up to this final scene: Come in, have some coffee, pull up a chair, let me tell you about Jesus. This is the last thing we see a gospel messenger do in Acts and it’s what we can still do today, whether in Minneapolis or Malaysia.

10 WHY WE PLAY As long as I can remember, play, grounded in knowledge that God loved me, has often kept me from despair and resentment. Being able to play, especially in the face of hard times, has been among the greatest blessings of God in my life.

Boomer & Rebecca Peel share their stories of how Jesus rescued them and brought them to himself.

20 GOSPEL LIFE Check out two great posts from our Gospel Life blog; may they be encouraging as you live out the gospel in your daily life.

Art Department CONTENT DIRECTION Chuck Forsberg Lorie Schnell Bill Walsh

DESIGN & LAYOUT Chuck Forsberg CONTENT MANAGER Lorie Schnell

WRITER/EDITOR Anne Lynn

COVER PHOTO "Sunlight in the tree at the palace in Haiti" - Hunter

Letter From the Elders

Dear Redeemer Family, Summer is almost here! A season we all welcome and celebrate after a long winter. We long to be refreshed and renewed by a new season in our natural world, and are full of anticipation as we enter a new exciting season at Redeemer Bible Church. We have a tradition here at RBC to give our Community Group leaders and hosts a break during the summer. This is a helpful reprieve, but if left unchecked it can lead us all into taking a break from our church family. By the end of summer, many of us are then very desperate to get re-connected with our CG. This is good! But sometimes it is a symptom that we are not in a very good place because we have put all of our church family relationships on hold for the summer season. My wife Kim and I sat down and discussed this a few days ago because we ourselves have experienced this. Yes, it’s true, the Suchtas are very far from perfect. I told Kim that unless we sit down with our calendars and put days aside to spend time with other families and couples at church it simply will not happen. We all know this by experience don’t we? We see that friend at church that we have always wanted to have over for dinner and we say yet again, “Hey we really want to get together with you and your family.” What happens? It doesn’t happen. We have to be intentional. We were all made by our creator for community. We all desire it and start to unravel when we don’t have it. Like everything worth pursuing in life, it takes good hard work and intention. All good relationships do and yet the real gems also feel very easy and light.

pastor DOUG SWEET pastor WARREN WATSON pastor PAUL BURR pastor MARK SUCHTA pastor BOOMER PEEL pastor JOHN SWEET

MOMENTUM // MAY & JUNE 2015

Join us this summer in stepping out of your comfort zone and reaching out to brothers and sisters in Christ, both newcomers and old friends alike, in rekindling old friendships and starting new ones. Life in a fallen world is tough, but we have a great Savior and a great future awaiting us all in glory. Let us join hands and persevere well together as a church family! Pastor Mark

New Members

Welcome to the Family Eric Dugdale

Leslee Jelm

Laura Lefebvre

Taryn Verley

Jim & Stephanie Webster MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

Epic of the Ordinary: Christian Mission for You and Me By Jonathan Parnell

he Book of Acts is clearly one of the most action-packed segments in the storyline of Scripture. The title, “The Acts of the Apostles,” cues us in on this clue from the start. As many commentators have suggested, a more accurate title would be something to do with the acts of the Holy Spirit, or perhaps “The Action of the Ascended Christ by His Spirit Through His Church.” The book opens with Jesus ascending as human to the throne of the universe, sending the Spirit, and commissioning his messengers. “You will be my witnesses,” he promises, “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And so Luke recounts the movements in that outline — all action and no slush. There are powerful proclamations, riveting dialogues, and thousands of conversions. There is everything from miracles that disgruntle the white-collar villains to prison sentences that end in wild escape. There is character development — absolute transformation — when Paul is knocked off his horse by a shining light and propelled 6

MOMENTUM // MAY & JUNE 2015

to play a prominent role thereafter. Then there is religious controversy and political trials and the backstory of Jewish factions and Roman rule. Add in the maritime adventures of suspenseful decision-making and shipwreck to an unknown island of nice natives and venomous snakes. Sometimes Jesus’s messengers were mistaken as gods, other times they were killed by the sword. Sometimes they were stoned to death, other times they were stoned but survived. There are disputes among the protagonists, ironic encounters, and affectionate goodbyes. The world, honestly and truly, was being turned upside down (Acts 17:6), everywhere from the scruffy blacksmith who lost his business to the highest court of international law. This story has all the pieces for a box-office hit. And then there’s the way it ends. Throughout the book, the action has ramped up, up, up. Paul’s voyage to Rome has been like a symphonic crescendo. The percussion is blaring louder, louder, louder. And then the story closes with a bi-vocational leader talking to folks who visit him at his house. All of that action — head-spinning action — leaves us with an old man inviting everyone into his home to tell them about Jesus. PLAINNESS AS THE PEAK The Book of Acts is meant to frame the church’s selfunderstanding. It has a “formative function,” as it’s been called, which is aimed at answering the identity question: Who are we, and what are we supposed to do? Luke doesn’t answer this question with a bulleted list. Nor does he give us a handbook full of prescriptive lines. Instead, he writes our story, our history, with a theological intentionality we can’t ignore. This kind of approach doesn’t call our plays on the field, it shapes the way we see the game. The whole book is pointing in this direction, and in particular, the way it ends. The last verses about Paul in Acts 28 are no accident. The nature of what he is doing has huge implications for how we be Christian in our day. To be sure, it doesn’t prescribe that we all go do house churches, and it isn’t the be-all, end-all of how we interact with culture. But it is important for how we understand our witness in this world, especially when we’re more allured by the idea of recreating Pentecost than sharing a meal with neighbors. As an aside, don’t misunderstand me. I love packed-out arenas of Christ-exalting worshipers. Passion’s latest album is wearing out my iTunes. Conferences are great. My wife doesn’t knit. I like McDonald’s. But the point I’m highlighting

is that the biblical vision of the gospel’s advance isn’t bright lights and a great sound system. It looks much more plain. No frills Christian mission — that’s the picture Luke leaves us. A PEOPLE OF OPEN DOORS Luke has shown us the miracles. There are times when the Spirit may teleport us into the back of a limousine beside a foreign ambassador who’s reading the Bible. He can do that sort of thing. But that’s not the inspired author’s last word. The rhythm to which we should be bobbing our heads is the simple, reproducible strategy of opening our doors to whoever will come. Paul “welcomed all who came” into his house where he plainly taught the story of God and who Jesus is. Keep in mind that it’s not so much about doing what Paul did. It is about imbibing the nature of Christian mission that Luke has been narrating all along, building up to this final scene: Come in, have some coffee, pull up a chair, let me tell you about Jesus. This is the last thing we see a gospel messenger do in Acts and it’s what we can still do today, whether in Minneapolis or Malaysia. With summer just around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the perfect season within the perfect aeon for us to do this. Men, take a few minutes to sit down with your wife, or gather your friends if you’re single or not-yet-married, to pray and plan how your home can become a center for the gospel’s triumph during the next four months. What will our hospitality look like this summer? Try to get at least one event on the calendar — one barbecue or discussion group or prayer meeting. Now, it won’t feel epic, but it really is in this setting that the new creation peels into this old world. It’s in those conversations about who Jesus is and what he has done for us, simple as they may be, that we feel the force of his reign through us. It’s at our dinner tables, no less ordinary than any stable in first-century Bethlehem, where lives are transformed from darkness to light, where God’s enemies become his sons and daughters, where his glory shines a little brighter into this planet he will soon make new. Luke means for us to walk from this book not disillusioned by a distant historical recount, but infused with encouragement to pick up where Paul left off. Because, after all, this book is more accurately “The Action of the Ascended Christ by His Spirit Through His Church” — which now includes you and me, and our homes. Used with permission from Desiring God. www.desiringgod.org

MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

MOMENTUM // MAY & JUNE 2015

Summer is for Seeing and Showing God By John Piper

GOD DOES SOME NEW THINGS IN THE SUMMER. WE SHOULD ASK WHY. NUMBER 1 He makes the daylight longer. Why? Some of it has to do with crops and birds and photosynthesis. But it also has to do with hanging out in the evening where you might be able to talk to people who in the winter are hidden in their homes. It is also a pointer toward heaven when “there shall no longer be any night” (Revelation 22:5). Long days show the glory of a God “who is light, and in whom there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). NUMBER 2 He makes the temperature warmer. Why? Well, this too has to do with flowers and trees and crops, because he loves us. But there are other reasons. He does it so that we will spend time outside and meet people in the neighborhood and at the park that we would not meet running for warmth in the winter. He also does it so that we will go outside after dark, and look up where he has his glory on display in the stars. “The heavens are telling the glory of God…night unto night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2).

NUMBER 3 In our culture God has ordained that kids don’t go to school in the summer. Why? One reason is to reduce stress on kids and families. Kids (and moms) can have “Bible time” (as we call it) without rush. Getting enough sleep is possible. Another reason is to open opportunities to travel and see God’s handiwork in another place (15 miles away or 1500 miles away). Mountains, lakes, rivers, plains, oceans and even cities reveal the works of God. Another reason is to open ministry opportunities for kids and families. There can be lots of natural get-togethers with believers and unbelievers in the less-stress schedule of summer. Summer is for seeing and showing God. Don’t let the carnal thought take over your mind that summer is a spiritual void. That is not God’s view of things. He is displaying glories to be seen and worshiped. He is caressing the world with mercy (Matthew 5:45). His summer “kindness is meant to lead to repentance” (Romans 2:4). Let’s join God in his love for people in the summer and make it a fresh meeting with him in the light of his love. Used with permission from Desiring God. www.desiringgod.org

MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

Why We Play By Erik Thoennes

MOMENTUM // MAY & JUNE 2015

had the delightful experience this week of watching a dozen 5-year-old children get a tennis lesson. They were asked by their instructor to simply run forward and then backward over a 10-foot span. They did far more than run. Skipping, leaping, bounding, hopping, spinning, laughing, imitating animals, running with closed eyes, dramatically falling, jumping up again, and purposely crashing into one another, all became part of the lesson. When the instructor armed the children with racquets, the fun really began. The racquets quickly became guitars, swords, canes, horses, trombones, rifles, and fishing poles. The lesson continually bordered on becoming “unproductive” and utter chaos because playing was as instinctual to the children as breathing. The teacher was successful because he appreciated the children’s insatiable need to play, and allowed for copious amounts of it within his instruction. This week I also read of a father who went to jail for eight years for unintentionally killing one of his son’s tennis opponents after drugging the opponent with medication that causes drowsiness. The father, doing all he could to ensure the athletic “success” of his son and daughter, had similarly spiked the water bottles of 27 other rivals over a three-year period. The difference between the fun-loving instructor and the winning-obsessed father could not be more pronounced. And their differences highlight drastically different ways of viewing sport in Western culture. One has preserved within sport the healthy, joyful expression of the deep human inclination to play; the other has locked into a utilitarian understanding of sport that squelches play and the perspective-giving power of sport. One appreciates the actual process of playing a sport; the other has sadly turned sport into an ugly expression of human pride, insecurity, envy, and malice. What will keep us from turning sport into something ugly rather than beautiful? Is it possible to play sports for the glory of God? Can play and sport even help us fulfill our intended, created purpose in this beautiful yet tragically fallen world?

PERSONAL QUEST My interest in play is deeply personal. I write as one who cherishes play and as one who has struggled throughout my life to know when my play is godly and when it is not. God has used play in my life, especially within sport, to maintain at least some of my sanity and to quell bitterness and anger. I’ve had difficult challenges to overcome in my life, and as a minister have sought to bear the burdens of others, and I have seen clearly in my life that the ability to play is one of God’s greatest gifts for coping with the difficulty of life in a fallen world. As long as I can remember, play, grounded in knowledge that God loved me, has often kept me from despair and resentment. Being able to play, especially in the face of hard times, has been among the greatest blessings of God in my life. So my interest in play is far more than just academic. And I hope yours is too. 5 REASONS TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE PLAY 1. Play is a unique, God-given, universal, human experience. One of the first things a baby does to express her humanity is to play and laugh. That first game of peek-a-boo not only melts a parent’s heart, it establishes a uniquely human connection. Play is basic to being human. As Jackson Lee Ice puts it: Man is the only animal that weeps and laughs and knows that he weeps and laughs, and wonders why. He is the only creature that weeps over the fact that he weeps, and laughs over the fact that he laughs. He is the most play seeking, play making, and play giving species that has walked the earth, ever ready to provoke or be provoked with play; even in the midst of fear and pain he is capable of incongruously ameliorating his misery by a smile, pun, or joke. He is the jester in the courts of creation.[1] 2. Play is a vital part of most meaningful, healthy human relationships. The ability to play well with others is one of the

MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

first social expressions we look for in human development. Although we tend to forget how to play as we “mature,” it remains a vital quality in the most edifying relationships. 3. Play tends to be seen as either frivolous or an end in itself. Play, especially within sport, tends to be dismissed as meaningless, worldly, and contrary to sober Christian living. On the other hand, Christians can be pulled into the idolatry of sport and leisure as an end in itself to be sought at all costs. A biblical understanding of play as given by God for his glory and our good, but never an end itself, will help coaches, athletes, and soccer moms appreciate play and use it as a conduit of glorifying God. Such a re-orientation will give perspective to our lives as intended. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). 4. Christian maturity should develop a godly sense of play. As all other areas of our lives, play should fall under the sanctifying effects of the Holy Spirit’s work. 5. Ministers should help people play well. A Christian who takes his role as a minister seriously must be able to lead people in godly play. As a pastor of a dear flock of growing saints and teacher of college students who generally have a deep hunger to know God, I’m convinced that helping God’s people survive in a broken world requires a well developed ability to play. A minister of the gospel must be able to cry and mourn, laugh and play with godly gusto, and lead others in these as well. TAKING GOD SERIOUSLY, BUT NOT OURSELVES Play is not a major emphasis in the Bible, and it can be unhelpful to encourage play in a culture that so often and easily trivializes God and life itself. Yet I do believe that a sense of play is necessary for a healthy Christian perspective on life. The failure to appreciate play in the Christian life could easily turn piety into sanctimony, reverence into rigidity, and

“...rejoice, sing, play, and laugh because we know that the owner of all things is working out his perfect plan...” sanctification into stuffiness. We must take God as seriously as we can, but never ourselves. God invites us to approach him as his free, forgiven, secure children. We are to approach our holy God with healthy fear and hearts broken by our broken world. But God’s people are also called to rejoice, sing, play, and laugh because we know that the owner of all things is working out his perfect plan that ends with a wedding banquet and perfect resolution and rest. This sure hope in God’s sovereign power and lovingkindness enables us to play with reckless abandon, even before the Great Wedding Banquet begins. [1] Jackson Lee Ice, “Notes Toward a Theology of Humor,” Religion in Life: A Christian Quarterly of Opinion and Discussion, XLII, 3 (Autumn 1973), 392. Used with permission from The Gospel Coalition. www.thegospelcoalition.org

MOMENTUM // MAY & JUNE 2015

HOMESTAY PROGRAM JULY 17th - AUG 22nd Marty & Barb Pagano ChinaMidwestConnection@gmail.com

Generosity Beats Your Idol By Brad Leeper

im Keller captures it well by describing how the human heart, my heart, is “an idol factory that takes good things ... and turns them into ultimate things.” Both by nature and by family background, I’m a frugal person. My heart doesn’t get giddy about cars, hobbies, clothes, or possessions. My deeper satisfaction comes from security that money provides. Financial security is my idol, and that which competes most with my intimacy with God. This greed absorbs my heart and imagination more than any other competitor. But generosity frees me from this most insipid and false idol. Generosity is not a random idea or a haphazard behavior, but a basic, personal, moral orientation to life. (Smith and Davidson, The Paradox of Generosity) Generosity is a noble, gallant lifestyle of giving good things to others liberally and lavishly without expectation of return or personal benefit. Now, that definition inspires me! The longed-for lifestyle preference makes my naturally greed-inclined heart seem small and without merit. I prefer generosity. Why?

First, giving transforms me spiritually. God represents the most enlarged heart for generosity in the universe. As I give, I model what the Father has shown me. As I give, I release the death grip of greed and false idols that so incessantly whisper in my ear as if my life was utterly dependent on the possessions within my grip. My most dramatic spiritual transformation has come through giving. It’s been a game-changer. Second, generosity is now the best apologetic we as Christ-followers have to a watching and needy world. Classic apologetics are in the rearview mirror of the post-modern. How we handle our possessions grabs the attention of those seeking truth as our culture demands we possess more and aspire to greater wealth. Keller stated is so well: “The early church was strikingly different from the culture… the pagan society was stingy with its money and promiscuous with its body. A pagan gave nobody their money and practically gave everybody their body. And the Christians came along and gave practically nobody their body and they gave practically everybody their money.” Our generosity impresses the world. And so it should, as God’s generosity is His calling card, quite counter-culturally.

Third, generosity allows me to invest into things that matter. There is no loss in buying things and enjoying them. There is loss when our money constantly tries to buy us meaning and happiness that will forever be elusive without an eternal perspective. So I get to be part of God’s work, God’s expression, and His mission as I invest financially in things that yield eternal results. There’s added value of an eternal ROI for me personally that I cannot yet fully comprehend, but scripture indicates we store up treasure in heaven. If generosity changes my heart, speaks to a spiritually thirsty world, and yields eternal dividends, I’m all in. The idol is screaming in my ear, still, but his voice is not quite as loud and powerful. And that’s a good thing. Brad Leeper serves as President and Principal at Generis whose mission is to accelerate generosity toward God-inspired vision. Used with permission from eChurchGiving. www.echurchgiving.com

MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

Redemption Youth

Movie & Bonfire

Friday, June 12th // 6 - 11 pm Liska Home // Independence, MN contact // youth@redeemerbiblechurch.com

ALIVE youth summer camp Save the Date // August 6 - 10th Pine Lake Camp // 32203 230th St., Eldora, IA 50627 contact // youth@redeemerbiblechurch.com

PAGANO

NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY ST YLE

YOUTH PIZZA FUNDRAISER Friday May 29th & Saturday May 30th Friday, 4 - 11pm // Saturday, 11am - 8pm Redemption Youth needs your help to raise funds for Youth Camp this August. An easy way to support our kids is to order and eat pizza! Pretty simple. This isn’t just any pizza either; it’s a PAGANO signature NY style pizza! Get excited and spread the word! (Served: Dinner Style, by the slice or TO-GO)

MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

TO OUR 2015 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING SENIORS! THESE STUDENTS, WHOSE FAMILIES ARE MEMBERS OF RBC, ARE RECEIVING THE BOOK “THE REASON FOR GOD” BY TIM KELLER AS A GIFT FROM REDEEMER IN HONOR OF THIS MILESTONE.

TOP TO BOTTOM TOM AXELSON • PHOEBE ELLIOTT ALLISON ENGERISER JOSH JAY • JAEGER KAHN ALISON KING • LUKE LAVASSEUR SARAH SEIFFERT

How I Met Jesus More encouraging blog posts can be found at: RedeemerBibleChurch.com/resources/blog

Boomer & Rebecca Peel BOOMER PEEL I considered myself to be a Christian from an early age. I remember asking Jesus into my heart when I was 6 years old. From that point on, I figured I was good to go. After all, God loved me, Jesus died for my sins and I was a good kid. The problem was that I simply hadn’t understood the gospel. I hadn’t seen the depth of my sin, the holiness of God, the cost of following Jesus, and the requirement of repentance and faith in Christ alone. So for the next 23 years, I lived a life of sin, while also confessing a Christ I never knew. Thankfully, despite all the ways I jeopardized my own life and the life of others, God spared my life. My Mom, who was my Christian role model, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. At the time, I remember being very frustrated with God. Asking him how he could allow my Mom to get cancer, when I was the one who deserved it. I was starting to see my sin more clearly. A few weeks later, I visited a church where they performed a skit called “The Hell-bound Train,” and I knew I was heading in that direction. Shortly thereafter, I was in downtown Minneapolis at a concert. Throughout the night, I was cheering on the band,

pumping my fists and raising my hands to their music. Towards the end of the concert, I realized that I had worshipped that band more that night than I had worshipped God in my whole life. Jesus met me that night, he changed my affections and I began the lifelong process of repenting and trusting in Him. REBECCA PEEL I grew up in a Catholic family with a strict traditional background when it came to following the "rules" of our faith. I attended Catholic school from kindergarten through my senior year of college at the University of St. Thomas. In the summer of 2002, I lost my mom after a battle with pancreatic cancer. I loved her dearly and throughout that process, I began gradually to start questioning my relationship with God. I was privileged to watch her repent, trust in the Lord alone and find complete peace in Him before she was called home. I didn’t have peace, though, and I wanted to know why God took her and why He didn’t listen to my prayers to heal her. I see now that my “relationship” with Him had been built solely on my terms, and He didn’t meet them. So over the next few years I sought comfort and solace in anything

but God. Another family tragedy left me standing outside a hospital literally screaming and crying out loud about how angry I was with God. Why was he doing this to us? About that time a recently-saved Boomer had called and left a message that he was praying for us. We had broken up on horrible terms at the time of my mom’s death and I wanted nothing to do with him. But his voicemail was imperative to God’s plan. Through conversations with him and other people God used in my life, I came to see Christ as he really is. My whole life I had thought God just loved me and was there to serve me as I saw fit. My eyes were opened to the truth that the Lord is wrathful and my sin makes me deserving of hell. My good works could never rescue me. Jesus went to the cross for me, for my sins. I can remember very well the moment when my heart was changed. I didn’t want to do anything but pray to God and acknowledge my sin and Christ’s love for me. Matthew 16:25 made it so clear: "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Jesus met me that night and gave me a new life. // RBC MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

Gospel Life More encouraging blog posts can be found at: RedeemerBibleChurch.com/resources/blog

A Gospel Strategy to Fight Sin By Gabe Zepeda

hen you become a Christian, something a m a z i n g happens. You are radically transferred from Satan’s kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s marvelous light. You’re no longer on Satan’s side, but on God’s side. But, this also means you’re in a war. It’s not a war with weapons, explosions, and ISIS threats. It’s much bigger and more deadly than that. It’s a cosmic warfare against the world, your flesh, Satan, and his hellish crew. This means everything that opposes God—now opposes you! Satan’s mission is to undo God’s work of grace in you. His strategy is to get you to forget all that God is for you in the gospel. He is sly in his approach. As the Deceiver, he wants you to think you’re “okay,” blinding you towards your sin and your need for God. He wants you to think, “all is well” so he can sneak up on you like a Trojan horse at the opportune moment. If Satan has a strategy, that means we need one too. The best place to go for that is Matthew 4, which tells us about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Using Jesus as an example, here are three things to 20

MOMENTUM // MAY & JUNE 2015

remember in developing a gospel strategy in the fight against sin: 1. GOD REJOICES IN YOU After being baptized, the Father shouted to Jesus, “You’re my beloved Son, and I rejoice in you!” (Mt. 3:17). That’s exactly how God feels about you, if you’re in Christ. God’s love declared over you is your identity. But as soon as we step out into the desert of life, Satan will attack our identity as He did with Jesus (see Mt. 4:3, 6). He’ll say, “Look at what you did last night; God doesn’t love you! Now, you have to make up for your deficiencies through performance.” But, nothing could be further from the truth. J.D. Greear says, “In Christ, there’s nothing you can do that will make God love you more and there’s nothing you have done that will make God love you less.” *When you remember God’s unchanging love for you, you’ll be able to stand against the attacks of the enemy. 2. MEMORIZE GOD’S WORD On three occasions, Jesus unsheathed God’s Word like a sword, to fight against Satan (see Mt. 4:4, 7, 10). To stand firm, He archived God’s Word into His heart. We can do this too by reading, meditating, and memorizing Scripture. The more you read the Bible, the more God’s truth begins to trickle

deep into your heart. As this happens, you’ll find yourself meditating on God’s Word, letting God’s thoughts become your thoughts. But, nothing can cement God’s truth inside of you like memorization. One way to do this is by writing down helpful verses on note cards and looking over them on a weekly basis. The more you remember God’s truth and promises from Scripture, the more you’ll be able to stand firm. 3. JESUS SUCCEEDS WHERE YOU’VE FAILED After Jesus resisted temptation, “the devil left Him” (see Mt. 4:11). Jesus is the only One who has done what Adam, the Israelites, and even Moses, could not do. Like all humanity, we have all failed and we will fail again. However, Jesus has succeeded where you’ve failed. His perfection has become yours for free. God sees you in Christ, as if you never sinned, and as if you always obeyed! So, as you remember this, and Satan shoves your failures in your face, you can shove the cross in his face where all your sin has been nailed and remembered by God no more. When you have done everything to stand firm, remember that the victory has already been won by Christ! As the God of Angel Armies, He is by your side. Through Christ, we will overcome! // RBC

Gospel Life More encouraging blog posts can be found at: RedeemerBibleChurch.com/resources/blog

A God Who Takes the Bullet By David Morse

ave you ever had one of those weeks where it seems like everything that can go wrong does? It’s been one of those weeks at work for me. Clients yelling, paperwork stacking up, sales falling through, emails that won’t go away, Outlook calendar alarms dinging with that horrid sound every five minutes as once again you hit that wretched “snooze” button (curse you Outlook). You know what I mean. It’s the perfect recipe for a sinful outburst-- just ask my co-worker-- and maybe even a gospel reminder. Late yesterday afternoon rolls around. I’m still wallowing in self-pity over the trials of the week when an email flashes in my inbox. It was to a client. I was copied in. The feeling that sets in when you realize you forgot to do something, and as a result a potential sale could fall through, quickly runs through my body. A lump in my throat appears as I start to rehearse my own self-defense. “I forgot to do this because...” “I didn’t get to this because...” “I don’t think this

ever got to me, so...” What will it be? But wait. I open the email. It’s from my boss. And, it’s an apology to the client. Dear Sir,  I’m very sorry that I have neglected you this long... But this was my problem, not his. This was my error, not his. And not only that, this was going to cost him, not me. This was going to be a blemish on him, not me. I cannot receive this grace. My boss comes around the corner. He smiles. I start to say…but he says, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this. Keep up the good work. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Instantly, I feel lighter. The trials of this week melt away because I’ve been loved. I’ve been loved by a boss who was willing to take the bullet for something that in all likelihood was my fault. And I can’t help but just sit in my office thinking, “What kind of boss takes the

bullet for his employee? What kind of manager has his own reputation hung out on the line so that the reputation of his employee will go unblemished?” A good boss. And it’s at that moment that I’m reminded of the gospel. The gospel of a good God, the God who takes the bullet, the God who takes my errors on himself, my faulty reputation on himself, even though it will cost him his very own life. And he does it gladly, saying, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this. Keep up the good work.” That’s the God who saved me, the God who loves me. And that’s the Gospel I need for a hectic day at the office. // RBC

MAY & JUNE 2015 \\ MOMENTUM

Affinity Groups DORCAS DAMES The Dorcas Dames are named after a disciple named Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek) who was a well-known and wellloved seamstress in the Bible (read Acts 9:36-42 for her story). If you enjoy sewing, we would love to have you join us in making baby quilts that will be donated. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or a fanatic quilter, just plan on having lots of fun!

QUILTING GROUP

SURVEY: http://goo.gl/L0mTjU

DATE: Friday, May 15 & June 19 TIME: 9am - 3pm LOCATION: Ministries Building WHAT TO BRING: Your lunch and sewing machine. For more information, contact Jean Bradford at retrojean@q.com.

HILLTOPPERS HillToppers is a great way for Redeemer’s “older” crowd to get connected and have fun (emphasis on fun!). If you are over the proverbial “hill” (50s, 60s, 70s & up), please join us for our next event!

Financial Update BUDGET $ 537,707

GIVING $ 543,639

$ 9,188

OPERATING EXPENSES $ 534,451

FISCAL YEAR TOTALS // THRU APRIL 600 K

Are you in your 20s or 30s looking for a way to connect at RBC? Look no further! RBC Young Adults would like to invite you to join our next gathering!

450 K

300 K

BUDGET

EXPENSES

225 K 150 K 75 K 0 22

DATE: Saturday, May 30 TIME: 9-11:30am LOCATION: Ministries Building. For more information or to RSVP (by May 24), contact Joyce Heinrich at 952-893-1800, 952-451-5148 or joycemheinrich@gmail.com.

YOUNG ADULTS

525 K

375 K

POTLUCK BREAKFAST & GARDEN TOUR

MOMENTUM // MAY & JUNE 2015

GIVING

POOL PARTY DATE: Saturday, June 20th TIME: 12:00pm LOCATION: Don and Kiki Gloude's house (rain or shine!) WHAT TO BRING: Your own meat to grill, $2 for food, and your swimsuit! Children are welcome. For more information, contact Susie Nelson at susiegnelson@gmail.com.

Mens Ministry

Pizza & Game night SATURDAY, JUNE 6TH // 6 PM BRING $3 TO COVER THE COST OF PIZZA. FELLOWSHIP HALL // 16205 HWY 7, MINNETONKA, MN CONTACT // MEN@REDEEMERBIBLECHURCH.COM

Summer Send off Where the Lord Has Us & Where He is Taking Us

Saturday, June 13th // 9:30 - 11 am SIGN UP IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL RBC FELLOWSHIP HALL // 16205 HWY 7, MINNETONKA, MN CONTACT // WOMEN@REDEEMERBIBLECHURCH.COM

May

June

SUNDAY // 3rd 9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship 6p | The Lord's Table

WEDNESDAY // 6th 6:45p | Vintage Prayer 6:45p | Redemption Youth

THURSDAY // 7th 6:30p | Newcomer's Dinner

SUNDAY // 10th 9a | Gathered Worship 11a | Gathered Worship

WEDNESDAY // 13th 6:45p | Vintage Prayer 6:45p | Redemption Youth

FRIDAY // 15th

WEDNESDAY // 20th

WEDNESDAY // 3rd

WEDNESDAY // 17th

6:45p | Vintage Prayer 6:45p | Redemption Youth

6:45p | Vintage Prayer

SATURDAY // 6th

FRIDAY // 19th

SUNDAY // 24th

6p | Men's Pizza/Game Night

9a-3p | Dorcas Dames

SUNDAY // 7th

12p | Young Adults

9a | Gathered Worship 11a | Gathered Worship

WEDNESDAY // 27th 6:45p | Vintage Prayer 6:45p | Redemption Youth

FRIDAY // 29th 4p | Pizza Fundraiser

SATURDAY // 30th 11a | Pizza Fundraiser 9a | Hilltoppers

SUNDAY // 31st 9a | Gathered Worship 9a | Redemption Youth SS 11a | Gathered Worship

9a | Gathered Worship 10:30a | Membership Class 11a | Gathered Worship 6p | The Lord's Table

9a | Gathered Worship *LT 11a | Gathered Worship *LT

WEDNESDAY // 24th 6:45p | Vintage Prayer

6:45p | Vintage Prayer

SUNDAY // 28th

FRIDAY // 12th

9a | Gathered Worship 11a | Gathered Worship

6p | Youth Bonfire & Movie Night

SATURDAY // 13th

9a-3p | Dorcas Dames

SUNDAY // 17th

SUNDAY // 14th

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

9a | Gathered Worship 11a | Gathered Worship 12:30p | Church Picnic

MAY 29 - 30th

SUNDAY // 21st

WEDNESDAY // 10th

9:30a | Women's Brunch/ Summer Send-off

Friday - Saturday

SATURDAY // 20th

Sunday JUNE 7th

Youth Pizza Fundraiser

Membership Class

FRIDAY, 4 - 11 PM | SATURDAY, 11 AM - 8 PM

10:30 AM | MINISTRIES BUILDING, RM 102

Redemption Youth needs your help to raise funds for Youth Camp this August. An easy way to support our kids is to order & eat pizza! Pretty simple. And this isn’t just any pizza; it’s a Pagano signature NY style pizza! Get excited & spread the word! (Served: Dinner Style, by the slice or TO-GO)

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 membership at RBC. Sign up for this class: adulteducation@redeemerbiblechurch.com. * Includes The Lord's Table