Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but it isn’t always easy for those who are suffering or suffering the loss of a loved one. I remember my first Christmas after my dad passed away. Actually, I remember my first several Christmases without him. I was bitter, lonely, and sad because things were different. The meaning of Christmas was still there. The joy of Christ coming to take my place on the cross was there. But when it came to celebrating with family, the Christmas season felt empty. Something was missing. Sadly, I know I am not alone in this feeling. So, how do we fight back against suffering and loss? How do we move forward with the joy and hope God promises in his word? These are questions Christians must deal with, not only at Christmas, but all the time. Jesus himself promised in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation.” His younger brother James banks on this promise as he instructs believers in James 1:2 to “Count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds.” I don’t pretend to have the secret answer or the solution, but as a fellow sufferer I hope my words from experience can provide some hope and a light that reflects our ultimate hope and light in Jesus.

1. You need to make a choice.

Nothing in life is neutral. You are either being moved towards or away from God. This is true of hobbies, habits, food and drink, the things we watch, and on and on and on. But I have found this is especially true when it comes to suffering. Anytime someone faces suffering of any kind they must answer the question: Is this suffering going to lead me closer to or further from God? You have a choice, to lean in towards God and his goodness, or listen to the enemy and doubt God’s goodness. I have seen people’s faith wrecked by suffering and tragedy, but I have also experienced my own faith being formed in suffering. In fact, the Bible promises that if we run toward God, instead of away from him in suffering it will be for our benefit. Just look at the promise of James 1:3-4 in reference to the various trials we will face: “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Your suffering and struggle can have great fruit in your walk with the Lord, but only if you run toward him with it rather than away. Now, I am not saying you might not have questions, or wrestle with God in the pain as you seek to understand his uncomprehensible plans with your finite mind, but you must guard against bitterness and anger towards God. Make sure that you lean into him, his word, and his church during difficult times. Make sure that you make the decision from the very beginning to move towards him rather than away. Make sure that through it all you sing with Job, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” This choice and the reliance on God have been one of the most important things for me as I walk through my own suffering.

2. You don’t have to be okay.

I remember when my dad died, I did not want anyone to see me cry. I would hold it in and pretend I was fine, only to sob uncontrollably in private. I thought I had to pretend to be okay. If I truly trusted God I thought, then I had to show it. I thought this is what it meant to suffer as a godly young man, but now looking back, I have learned a valuable lesson: It is okay to not be okay. This world isn’t how God originally designed it. It is broken. It is painful. It is full of hurt we as God’s children were not meant to bear. Therefore, when we go through a difficult time or suffer, there is nothing wrong with acknowledging that we are not okay. Now we can’t stay in that place forever, but we cannot pretend that it is not real.

Look at Jesus himself weeping over the death of his friend Lazarus in John 11:35. We love to quote this verse because it is the shortest verse in the Bible but think about the weight and the depth of it! Jesus, God in the flesh, wept! Knowing his own plans for the world, he knew that this was not how life was to be, especially for his dear friend! He wept and it frees us to weep and acknowledge that we are not okay in suffering. Jesus then shows us why we do not have to stay in that state of not being okay because he then demonstrated his power and the resurrection, we can all look forward to one day, but don’t miss the moment of grief. Do not deny yourself the appropriate time to mourn and acknowledge you are not okay. Remember Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Mourning and grief are not sinful. They are a part of living in a broken world.

3. You need God’s word.

This advice might sound like typical pastor advice. Of course, pastor Austin is guilting me to read and memorize God’s word. I hear you but let me tell you about how God’s word has held me and gotten me through hard times. There are several examples of this, but just this Thanksgiving I was taking an emergency trip to see my nephew who was in the ICU at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. My second day there I stopped at a coffee shop before went to see him. I just happened to look up verses on God’s comfort and found Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” I dwelt on this verse and prayed it over my nephew and my situation.

That afternoon, during an attempt to remove his breathing tube, my nephew would crash. I found myself in my biggest nightmare scenario as stood there hugging my crying mom watching a big team of doctor’s rush in to work to keep my nephew alive. I was terrified. I wanted to be sick. I wanted to run away, but I knew I couldn’t. In that moment of suffering and crisis the scripture I dwelt on that morning came to my mind. I said the verse repeatedly in my mind. God comforted me in this hard and terrifying moment with his word. He, through his word got me through the suffering in its hardest moments. My nephew would end up being okay, but even if he hadn’t been, God was comforting me with his word. I was reminded of the importance of God’s word in suffering and hard times. Suffering will come, Jesus promised it would. So, begin, even now, to build yourself up in his word so that he can use it to comfort your soul, even in the hardest moments of your life.

4. You don’t need to do it alone.

The final thing I want to encourage you with, though there are certainly more, is to make sure you don’t walk through suffering alone. This is a biblical command as I already mentioned referencing Romans 12:1. Still again Paul points to this again in 1 Corinthians 12:26. In this verse describing how the church should interact with one another Paul says, “So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.” Fellow sufferer you were never meant to carry it alone. Humanity is made for community in the good and the bad of life. From experience I would add, especially in the bad of life. When I have suffered, I know that having someone by my side was a huge deal. The way my church stepped up for me and my family during my Father’s sickness and death was quite literally life changing.

This is one of the reasons why church attendance and engagement are a huge deal! Church attendance matters because in it we are sharing life, building relationships, and are there for each other no matter what. There is great difficulty in being there for someone you don’t know, and you can’t know someone if you aren’t regularly with them! This is one of the many reasons why the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 10:25, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” You see, pastors do not ask you to attend church to pad their numbers or egos, but because it is good for you and provides you with people to walk alongside you when life gets hard. Whether you are suffering now, or will one day, make sure you are serious about doing life and walking alongside your brothers and sisters in the context of a local church. This is one of the reasons the church exists! Do not try and walk through suffering without your church family.

As I conclude this blog, I want to remind us of the verse I quoted at the beginning. I quoted a very small part of John 16:33, but we cannot forget the complete verse, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” We can endure suffering because our God has overcome the world! This is the greatest hope and source of life we can find in the good and bad moments. With all of this in mind, whether you have suffered, are suffering, or will suffer one day, I hope this article provides you some practical help from the Word of God, and the experience of a brother in Christ who loves you. If you need prayer, counsel, or someone to talk to be sure to reach out to your pastoral staff here at Redemption Hill Church. And finally, I want to leave you with this quote from John Piper, “Hurting and joy are not opposites; they’re not contrary. They can exist at the same time.”

Growing up, the churches that I attended never really celebrated Advent. I always perceived it as a “Catholic” thing. It wasn’t until around 2010 that I realized that Advent was celebrated not only by other denominations but also by many Southern Baptists. Celebrating Advent represents a warm illustration of rich and valued tradition. Quite simply, “Advent” is a Latin expression meaning “arrival” and its purpose is to ask Followers of Jesus to take time to remember why Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago:

“…in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:8-18

In terms of tradition, celebrating the birth of Jesus through Advent manifest itself in many unique ways. As a church, we have embraced both the Advent wreath and the lighting of candles. These articles allow us to provide a beautifully symbolic tradition leading to the arrival of Christmas Day. We have also chosen to involve families, allowing them to help all of us remember the “why” behind our corporate celebration of Christmas.

Being a history nut, the past plays a huge part in why I believe Advent is an important part of celebrating the Christmas season in our day. Today, many might recognize Advent as a time of anticipation and expectation of the birth of Christ. Historically, the very first mention of Advent occurred in the 300’s A.D at a meeting of church leaders called the Council of Sargossa. Extending from this meeting, by the 4th and 5th centuries Advent began to be celebrated as a time of holy and somber remembrance, specifically upon Christmas Day. Gradually, Advent developed into a seasonal celebration and recognition that stretched across the month of December. Today, for most churches Advent lasts around four Sundays and it not only symbolizes the waiting for Christ's birth but also, for his ultimate return:

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of Lords.” - Revelation 19:11-16

With the culmination of the first Advent of Jesus, joy was accompanied by extreme sorrow. The King reigns today from heaven, as well as in the hearts of His Believers, but for a time His closest followers were not quite sure what the outcome might be. The second coming of Jesus Christ should be the hope of all believers that God is in control of all circumstances and is absolutely faithful to the promises, as well as the prophecies, described in His Word. With His first Advent, Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby born in a manger in the relatively insignificant town of Bethlehem. Through His life, Jesus fulfilled most of the prophecies of the coming Messiah during His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. However, there are a few prophecies regarding the Messiah that Jesus has not yet fulfilled. The second Advent of Jesus will be the return of Christ to fulfill these remaining prophecies.

In His first Advent, Jesus was the “suffering Servant”.

In His second Advent, Jesus will be the conquering King.

In His first Advent, Jesus arrived under the most humble of circumstances.

In His second Advent, Jesus will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.

Church Family, no matter how we choose to celebrate the first Advent of Jesus, may we all be reminded of the beauty and grace of Jesus through it. He arrived in our dark, broken world on the first Christmas so very long ago to restore light, peace and life that had been lost. He is working even now to restore light, peace, and life to its final conclusion and restoration. Advent to Advent…arrival to arrival…may your family find rich blessing and hope in remembering the Lord who came to earth as well as recognizing that same Lord who will one day return.

May you all be blessed in this special Season through incorporating the spirit of Advent into your celebration of Christmas and may that spirit carry forward into all of the hope-filled promises of 2025.

"Why should we not ... do something that will prove that we are really in earnest in claiming to be followers of him who, though he was rich, for our sake became poor?"

- Lottie Moon, Sept. 15, 1887, Tengchow, China

Lottie Moon — the namesake of Southern Baptists’ international missions offering — has become a legend. But in her time, Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today's missionaries. She labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.

Well over 100 years ago, a single missionary named Lottie Moon, while serving in China, began writing letters challenging the American church to send and support more workers to go there. After her death on the field, her challenge was heeded in the formalization of an offering in her name. Even if you’re not a Southern Baptist who has given to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, her life is a reminder of why we must give to send and support missionaries serving among unreached peoples in unreached places.

Born Charlotte Digges Moon, December 12, 1840, in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lottie rebelled against Christianity until she was in college. In December 1858, she dedicated her life to Christ and was baptized at First Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Virginia. Lottie attended Albemarle Female Institute, female counterpart to the University of Virginia. In 1861, she was one of the first women in the South to receive a master’s degree. She stayed close to home during the Civil War but eventually taught school in Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia.

Edmonia Moon, Lottie’s sister, was appointed to Tengchow, China, in 1872. The following year, Lottie was appointed and joined her sister there. Lottie served 39 years as a missionary, mostly in China’s Shantung province. She taught in a girls’ school and often made trips into China’s interior to share the good news with women and girls. Lottie Moon was passionate about people knowing Christ. She didn’t hesitate to speak her mind.

Today’s China is a world of rapid change. It’s home to 1.4 billion individuals – one-fifth of the world’s population. Village dwellers flock to trendy megacities with exploding populations. And China holds its own in the world’s economy. It’s very different from the vast farmland Lottie Moon entered in the 1800s. But one thing hasn’t changed: China’s need for a Savior.

When she set sail for China, Lottie was 32 years old. She had turned down a marriage proposal and left her job, home and family to follow God’s lead. Her path wasn’t typical for an educated woman from a wealthy Southern family. God had gripped her with the Chinese peoples’ need for a Savior.

For 39 years Lottie labored, chiefly in Tengchow and P’ingtu. People feared and rejected her, but she refused to leave. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies drew people to her house. She adopted traditional Chinese dress, and she learned China’s language and customs. Lottie didn’t just serve the people of China; she identified with them. Many eventually accepted her. And some accepted her Savior.

Lottie wrote letters home detailing China’s hunger for truth and the struggle of so few missionaries taking the gospel to the 472 million Chinese in her day. She also shared the urgent need for more workers and for Southern Baptists to support them through prayer and giving.

She once wrote home to the Foreign Mission Board, “Please say to the [new] missionaries they are coming to a life of hardship, responsibility and constant self-denial.” Disease, turmoil and lack of co-workers threatened to undo Lottie’s work. But she gave herself completely to God, helping lay the foundation of what would become the modern Chinese church, one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world. Lottie Moon died at 72 — ill and in declining health after decades ministering to her beloved Chinese. But her legacy lives on. And today, when gifts aren’t growing as quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever.

Lottie often sent letters back home detailing Chinese culture, missionary life and the physical and spiritual needs of the Chinese people. Additionally, she challenged Southern Baptists to go to China or give so that others could go. By 1888, Southern Baptist women had organized and helped collect $3,315 to send workers needed in China.

In 1918, Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) named the annual Christmas offering for international missions after the woman who had urged them to start it. Redemption Hill Church will soon begin its participation in this annual offering. Let’s listen carefully to the videos and announcements describing this offering and its call for participation. Lottie Moon Christmas offering gifts send missionaries to places around the world where the name of Jesus is not known and where the gospel is not preached. Missionaries will go if only we do our part.

I became a Christian the summer of my 6th grade year back in 1991 in Shreveport, Louisiana. My Sunday school teacher, Marshal Graham, presented the Gospel to me, and I knew that I was sinner in need of the forgiveness afforded to us through the sacrifice of Christ. It was at that time that I began to get involved in the student ministry of my church. One of the ways that God grew me in my devotion to him was through music.

There is something about music and how it communicates through the lyrics, melodies and harmonies that can stir us to a deep spiritual and emotional connection with God. One of the songs that I remember worshipping to as an older teenager was “The Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman.

Redman recounts that the genesis of this song came from a call by his pastor to move from being consumers of worship to producers. As Redman contemplated his own worship he penned the words to the song. “The Heart of Worship” describes the journey they experienced.

When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart… / I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus.

This song reminds and challenges us to think about our “heart of worship”. Who or what is the aim of our worship? Now, for sure, our worship of God is more than just the songs we sing and how we feel when we sing them. Worship of God is an all-encompassing offering of our lives to the creator, sustainer and Savior of this world.

Romans 12:1 says,

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

The true requirement of our worship of God is to present everything that we are to Him. The whole of our lives. This is the only proper way to worship Christ, who gave us all of Himself so that we might be reconciled back to God. He gave His all so we must give our all.

In H.B. Charles Jr’s book On Worship, he draws the reader’s attention to the fact that “God is the target audience of worship”. It should be our aim to please God with the worship that we present and offer to him. This worship is pleasing and acceptable to him if it comes from a place of making our worship, not about us, but about God.

Hebrews 13:15-16 issues this call to worship:

“Through him (Christ) then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

So, what is the state of your “heart of worship”? Does the worship of your life look more like self-worship or worship of the one true God? Are we striving to make every aspect of our lives a pleasing offering to the Lord?

Again, hearing from H.B. Charles Jr., I want to challenge you, as well as myself, with these reminders:

Make sure the Lord is pleased with your life.

Make sure the Lord is pleased with your offering.

Make sure the Lord is pleased with your motives.

Make sure the Lord is pleased with your attitude.

Make sure the Lord is pleased with your relationships.

Redemption Hill family, I love you and continue to pray that we, as his people, would seek Him first above all things so that our lives would be a living sacrifice for the Gospel and His kingdom. This is our pleasing spiritual worship!

Happy November, Church Family! Thanksgiving is upon us. We will gather around our tables and feast in a couple of weeks. Thanksgiving is such a fun time to eat until you are miserable. It’s almost impossible not to. But at least after the meal you have the opportunity to fall asleep watching football, and then eat some pie for dessert. It’s the holiday tradition. Eat way too much, nap, and eat some more. What a great day and a great way to celebrate family and thank God for all he has done this year in your life.

I have always wanted to write a Thanksgiving-themed paper or sermon on the idea of the King’s Table. Years ago, I was reading The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I have loved the world of Narnia since the first movie came out. I always wanted to walk through a wardrobe and find myself in Narnia. There is a moment in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Prince Caspian, Edmond, and Lucy come to an island, and they find Aslan’s Table. It has always struck me that Aslan had his own table, and then I found several places in the Bible that describe God’s table and dining with Him.

Matthew 8:11: “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

Luke 13:29: “And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 14:15: “When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, ‘Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’”

Revelation 19:7: “And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’”

I think it is truly awesome that God has his own table. Luke 14:15 and Revelation 19:7 say that those who are invited and who eat bread are blessed. But also, it is awesome it is that many different types of people from different geographical locations are invited to recline at the table. To recline at the table means to relax and feel secure and safe. Can you imagine relaxing in God’s presence? He is perfect, sinless, and holy, and we are sinners who deserve punishment yet we are invited to take a seat at his table and dine with him. But who can come to this table? How do we get our invitation?

Jesus speaks about this idea of being invited through the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14, “And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, “Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

This parable is full of tons of imagery. The King represents God the Father. The son represents Jesus. The wedding represents the church being united with Jesus at the end times. So the Father invites all of these people to the wedding feast. Many ignore those servants and don’t bother to show up; some even kill the Father’s servants. Those first invitations went out to God’s people first. The Jews. If you can remember some super religious Jews didn’t like Christians, and in Acts chapter 7, Saul, who would later become the Apostle Paul, would stone Stephen ( a recently chosen to serve the people in chapter 6) to death. So, in the parable, the King decides that the original guest list is unworthy of attendance and would have his servants go and invite who they found on the roads, both good people and bad people so that the wedding hall was full of guests. This is again a reference to the verses already cited in this blog. Many people from all around the world would be invited to recline at the table of the Lord. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” So the Good and Bad people found on the road represent those who believe in Jesus as their savior but are not Jewish.

The parable ends with the story of a man who wasn’t wearing a wedding garment at the wedding feast. Now while everyone was welcomed to the feast there was still proper clothing attire that each guest was required to wear. However, since many people came to the party who were from the roads, it is implied that the King could provide the proper garments for each guest to wear. Then a wedding crasher comes not wearing the proper attire and is kicked out is banished to the outer darkness. The moment that we truly believe in Jesus he clothes us in His righteousness. Jesus provides the proper clothing for us to attend and sit at the Father’s table. But many times there are people in the church and outside of the church who think they are all good to enter the kingdom of God and go to heaven but they are not wearing Jesus’s righteousness. There are many who know a ton about God, even believe that Jesus is the son of God, but yet have not made Jesus the Lord of their life. They don’t have an authentic relationship with Christ. This guest who thought he was clear to recline at the table of the Lord was unworthy because he didn’t truly belong. 2nd Peter 1:10 says, “Therefore brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Peter is pleading with his readers to confirm their relationship with God. Do the same today. If you know for a fact that you have been clothed in the Righteousness of Jesus then you are free to recline at the table and have confidence that you belong, but if you are unsure even at a little bit come and talk to one of the pastors on staff. It’s not enough to have knowledge of Jesus but to personally know him.

Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” John MacArthur in his Matthew commentary, said, “The invitations to the wedding feast went out to many, representative of everyone to whom the gospel message is sent. But few of those who heard the call were willing to accept it and thereby be among the chosen. The gospel invitation is sent to everyone because it is not the Father’s will that a single person be excluded from His kingdom and perish in the outer darkness of hell. But not everyone wants God, and many who claim to want Him do not want Him on His terms.”

That is a pretty powerful statement. Do you really want a relationship on His terms or yours? If we want God on our terms, we miss the point entirely and are in danger. But how easy it is for those of us who have accepted Christ on His terms can find rest and assurance of His salvation.

So, on November 28th as you gather around your table to eat a wonderful feast, say a quick prayer of thankfulness to Jesus for providing a way to recline at the Father’s table someday soon. I will leave you with the lyrics of one of my favorite songs called, “Carried to the Table,” by a band called Leeland. The song goes:

Wounded and forsaken I was shattered by the fall

Broken and forgotten Feeling lost and all alone

Summoned by the King Into the Master's courts

Lifted by the Savior And cradled in His arms

I was carried to the table

Seated where I don't belong

Carried to the table Swept away by His love

And I don't see my brokenness anymore

When I'm seated at the table of the Lord

I'm carried to the table

The table of the Lord

This morning as I sat down to read Exodus 13, I was eager to get to the next part of the action. God had just passed over the first born of the Hebrews and destroyed the first born of the Egyptians. Pharoah finally tells God’s people to get out of Egypt. The moment we have been waiting for! As Chapter 12 ends they are finally leaving, but there is more to the story! To which we come to the end of chapter 12 and chapter 13, expecting to find thrilling developments. Instead, there is simply instructions for how to celebrate the Passover to commemorate this momentous work of our God. Don’t get me wrong, this is hugely important, but in the middle of the narrative right as it reaches the climax of the story? This must be important then, even if it doesn’t stimulate my desire for action. God must have something for me to see in this chapter that doesn’t usually get that much attention.

Chapter 12 ends with instructions on how to observe the Passover, and Chapter 13 verses 1-16 remind God’s people of why the celebrate the Passover and how it must be passed down to their children (There is rich family discipleship material in the expectation to pass down the faith to their children, and perhaps that is another blog article for the future). But what struck me this morning is that in these 16 verses God repeats four times something like, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the LORD has brought you out the place of slavery, for the LORD brought you out of here by the strength of his hand.” When something is repeated in the Bible, especially this many times, it must be important!

Throughout the plagues, God made clear that this was being done for his glory. The people were to never forget how great their God was and what he had done for him. This would cause them to worship him how he deserves, it would remind them of his care for them, and it would keep them from straying away from him. Now, looking back we see how important this warning was with the unfaithfulness of Israel, but it is huge for us as well! How often do we forget how great our God is? How often do we doubt and take things into our own hands? How often do we selfishly choose sin over and above him?

In chapter 13 we find a hugely important reminder to remind ourselves of God’s power, goodness, and faithfulness! We can do this by recounting the works he has done as recorded in his Word. Things like the provision of salvation from slavery to Egypt in the Exodus, a foreshadowing of the ultimate act of providing salvation to us through Christ from the slavery of our sin! Reminding ourselves of God’s goodness is a critical reason why we must spend time in his Word and should read our Bibles daily! The Bible is the best source of stories of God’s faithfulness, but your own experience with God is a great reminder too. Take a moment and reflect on your life. Where has God shown up for you? Remember when and how he saved you! Recall the times he met you in your brokenness. Realize all the blessings he has given you! When we remember how great and good our God is, it keeps us walking closely with him and keeps us from straying. This is a lesson the Israelites did not get but let us learn from their mistakes. Let us remind ourselves of God’s power, goodness, and faithfulness and let them cause us to fall even more in love with him! This is the beautiful truth I discovered in Exodus 13 this morning.

The way God spoke to me this morning is a reminder of why it best for us to read and preach through the Bible chapter by chapter. God will speak to us through passages that are rarely discussed, highlighted, or even preached on. As a church we have experienced this time and time again as we have preached through 1 Timothy over the last couple of months. But this is not only for preaching, but also our own personal Bible reading. If you don’t regularly or daily spend time with God in his word, let me encourage you to that! As you just heard, I experienced the benefits of this type of reading just this morning in Exodus 13. Often, we jump to the calling of Moses in chapter 2, the Passover and Exodus in chapter 12, or the parting of the Red Sea in chapter 14. But nestled right in the middle of these big chapters we spend a lot our focus on, and rightfully so, God spoke to me through his Spirit as I read a portion of his Word that can seem like a mere footnote of information. I hope this encourages you to take time in God’s Word seriously and to reflect and remind yourself of what God has done for us!

Sunday, October 13, was the first time I preached before an American audience. I have preached before foreign mission trip audiences, but I preached through an interpreter. The 13th was my first time to preach before Redemption Hill Church, which includes Circle Drive Baptist Church. Dr. Al Barrera extended the invitation to preach the text found in 1 Timothy 3:14-16, and I accepted.

I had a little over one month to craft my sermon. During my preparation time, if one can call it that, I jotted down what I wanted to say as part of my sermon. I spent considerable time trying to discern the passage’s big idea and what I thought the apostle Paul was saying to his protégé Timothy.

When the moment of truth came, I preached my best. Beforehand, I thought I had 30 minutes’ worth of “stuff.” I don’t know how long the sermon lasted or how long you had to sit there. Upon the conclusion of the sermon, I gave an invitation. I don’t know if anyone came forward. My eyes were closed while I reviewed what had gone on.

Looking back, there are a few tips I wish I had been given as a beginning preacher. Here are a few comments my Gateway Seminary Preaching Professor gave me before and after my preached sermon.

Seek your Pastor’s Affirmation & Counsel

I sought counsel from several of Redemption’s pastoral staff members on how I ought to preach my sermon. They gave great counsel and encouraging words. These conversations were not foreboding; they were simple encouragement and confidence-builder conversations before I stepped onto the platform.

Find a Low-Pressure Venue

Circle Drive used to conduct Sunday evening services. In many ways I wish we still did. Generally, the bigger the stage (as in Sunday mornings), the greater the pressure will be. As a first-time preached sermon, I might have liked to have a go at it on a Sunday evening. But Sunday morning it was, and I enjoyed the time. Preaching in front of family and friends is a joy, but I would have enjoyed having a few ‘low pressure’ sermons under my belt before I hit the big time of Sunday morning.

Choose Your Text Wisely

I appreciated preaching 1 Timothy 3:14-16. This passage was not a ‘thorny passage’ such Ross and Austin have preached here of late. I did not have to reconcile faith and works from James 2; harmonize God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility from Romans 9 and 10; or explain the hypostatic union of Christ from Philippians 2. Such passages would have been too ambitious for me as a first-time preacher. 1 Timothy 3 was a much more manageable passage. Many biblical texts preach themselves. I was thankful to have preached from 1 Timothy.

Exposit the Text

After studying the text of 1 Timothy 3, I prayed and asked the Lord to show me how to exposit his Word before the people. As a beginning preacher, I prayed to avoid unrefined speech and prayed to overcome a lack of homiletical polish, awkward locutions, fidgety habits, and nervous ticks. Before I started my sermon, I gave my wrist watch, car fob, pen and pencils with my wife. I prayed not to be excused for mishandling the passage. I wanted to achieve a simple, yet faithful, explanation of the text. I wanted God’s people to hear God’s Word, even if his spokesperson (that would have been me) was a bit green behind the ears.

Over-Prepare

For my sermon, I studied and prepared, even to the point of overpreparing. However, much as I might have thought that I had (over)prepared, I was encouraged to double my preparation. I’ve read preaching giants such as Charles Spurgeon, Adrian Rogers, and Charles Stanley, to have said that preachers need to prepare, prepare some more, and then prepare even more. Then, and only then, trust the Holy Spirit to do his work. The few sermons I’ve preached I’ve felt just the opposite. I definitely felt under-prepared as I preached 1 Timothy 3. On this occasion, I was amazed at how quickly I went through my sermon notes. To be frank, I would rather preach undressed than unprepared (please forgive the use of this illustration).

Remove the “I”

I hope this was not the case. The preacher always needs to remember that no matter how much the congregation wants to hear from you, they must hear from Jesus. Personal illustrations, opinions, and any other phrase that begins with “I” is of little importance. Carefully use the word and letter “I,” and even then, use it sparingly. I hope my use of a map and photograph illustrations did not over speak the point.

Lift High Jesus

A wise preacher once wrote, “If you are ever unsure of what to preach, just preach Jesus.” Now, the truth of the matter is, every sermon should feature Jesus, but especially first sermons. As I preach, make sure Christ eclipses me. You can never go wrong by lifting high the name of Jesus.

Rest in God’s Power

Lastly, rest in God’s power. Trust him. Trust his Word. Be faithful to the text and be assured that God will work through you. The effectiveness of the sermon rests in God’s power, not mine.

Conclusion

I’ll never again get the chance to preach my first sermon first. I’ll always remember my first sermon, but I’ll probably be the only one, and that is a good thing. If God opens door for me to preach again, I’ll likely feel the exhilaration and fright all over again. I’ll walk through the doors once again cheerfully, and I’ll keep these eight tips in mind as I go.

I’m about to head to Denver for a couple of days. Normally, I would dread this journey…I just don’t look forward to driving into smog and traffic. Really, unless attending a Rockies game, grabbing something to eat, or going to the airport, I rarely want to go to Denver. But I am looking forward to this trip!

You see, I’m heading up to be part of the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB’s) Church Planting Assessment Retreat. This event only happens in Denver two times per year but it is super-important to the life and ministry of Redemption Hill Church. Over the course of the next two days, church planters and replanters will be assessed and evaluated for their calling, their capacities, and their commitment to follow the Lord in obedience to start churches in Colorado and throughout the West. As a church, we have already committed ourselves to being part of what the Lord is doing to multiply churches making a Kingdom impact in the Pike’s Peak Region and beyond. This retreat that I am attending this week is one of the first steps in the process for future ministry leaders.

I am often asked, what does it mean to be a church with a multiplying mindset or a multiplying culture? Well, according to NAMB, “Multiplying Churches discover, develop, and deploy (future leaders).” If you’ve been able to attend a Worship Service at Redemption Hill Church, you heard this terminology in our series through the Book of Acts. As a church, we are attempting to model “multiplication” through our actions and ministries. Over the past few years, we have embraced our identity as a “Multiplication Center” of NAMB in the Pike’s Peak Region. We have taken church planters and their teams into our church, surrounded them with love and support, helped them develop their church planting vision, and sent them out to do what God has called them to do.

Think of Larry and Melissa Campbell. Larry, Melissa, and their five children arrived here from Texas in Spring of 2023. Our church family discovered their desire to plant and quickly included them in the life of our church. Even though we know that they will be leaving us soon to plant a church in North Colorado Springs, we have embraced them in Biblical fellowship and support. We have developed Larry and Melissa through our Redemption Hill Leadership Residency, coming alongside them to understand their new culture here in the West. We have prayed with them through their Assessment Retreat which happened this past April; by God’s grace, they successfully came though ready to move forward in their church planting journey! We have embraced the Campbell’s, as well as their Core Team Members, who have slowly begun arriving from around the country. Soon, we will deploy this precious family and their team, remaining committed to them by partnering in prayer, participation in their mission, and helping to provide resources that will support them in other ways.

This type of mindset reminds me of Acts 13:1-5a (ESV):

“Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God…”

The church in Antioch, like Redemption Hill Church, recognized the great spiritual need that surrounded them. Instead of simply keeping the spiritual leaders already present within their congregation, the church in Antioch listened to the Spirit, prayerfully submitted to the Lord’s will, and sent out it’s very best to meet that spiritual need. This is a multiplying mindset. Recognizing God’s command to “Go and make disciples” (Matt. 28:19) and being willing to submit to the Lord again and again.

Beloved, as a church, we want to model obedience through the culture created within our congregation by the Lord and for the Lord. We want to send out “our best” for the sake of the Kingdom. We want to discover those within our church who are drawn to lead, develop them to the fullest, and deploy them for the sake of the Gospel. As a church, “we can multiply if we will see every person ‘in our pews’ as potential leaders and church planters and then develop them intentionally” for a Kingdom purpose.

Our ultimate goal is to develop a multiplying culture so strong that we are willing to do anything and give up anyone, to further the Kingdom of God. Are we there yet? Maybe not completely. But if driving to Denver is a sacrifice necessary to move a little further towards that multiplying culture goal, I am willing to do it! What is the Lord asking you to sacrifice to help Redemption Hill become all He has planned for us to be? Whatever it is, let’s embrace that sacrifice together and let’s joyfully celebrate all the amazing things God has planned for His church called Redemption Hill in the imminent future.

I want to talk to you about a word that everyone loves to hear: WAIT! Everyone loves having to wait on things in your life. Whether it’s waiting on your food at a restaurant, or waiting on a tax return, or waiting on the light to turn green at a stop light, or waiting on our new building to be completed, we all struggle to with the concept of waiting.

When we dig a little deeper with our struggle of waiting, we find that the root of our problem is our own selfishness. We want what we want when we want it. And we want it now!

We see a great challenge and encouragement in James 5:7-8, where God tells us,

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

Just like the farmer has to be patient with the things that he cannot control, like the production of crops or the early and late rains, we too are to be patient in the things that are beyond our control. As we offer the moments and circumstances of our lives up to the Lord and trust His will to be accomplished, we must also trust His timing.

I am thankful that we are in the final weeks of the completion of our new building. But one thing that God has been faithful to teach us through this process is that God is never late. His plans and times are perfect!

It is my hope and prayer that this week’s blog post is the encouragement that you needed as you walk with God. The lesson of waiting on the Lord seems like such an easy one to understand, but it reveals itself to be one of the hardest to practice. May we “establish our hearts” in Christ and with all of our faith, hope, and trust be a people who submit to the timing of God and practice patience with each other!

I love you Redemption Hill family! And I am praying for your continued perseverance in the faith! You are created, loved, redeemed, and sustained by the Lord Jesus Christ! Never forget who you are in Christ!

I have never written a blog before. I wish there were a way to make this blog more interactive or even musical! I could put in some sing-along prompts for you. How fun would that be? I could write down some song lyrics and you could sing them out loud to yourself. Or I could put a note pattern underneath each word, and if you know enough about music, you could read along to the tempo I set. In 4/4 time, of course. Most of the popular songs today are written in 4/4 time.

In today’s blog post, I would like to pay tribute to our volunteers. Our church volunteers do so much to help serve our church family, and they don’t get the recognition that they deserve often enough. You may not know them very well or even notice them. Sometimes, it is hard to think about those who are serving us. We can be so busy and wrapped up in our Sunday routine that we hardly notice those who serve us. These heroes have answered the call to step up and serve our church family. Not for a reward but as an act of worship. Volunteering at church means living out Galatians 6:9-10 which says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

We can see that in these verses it is a good thing to serve. It is a command that the apostle Paul gave the church of Galatia, and it still applies to use today. We should want to do good for people. After all people, our world is made up of people. There is no true escape from interacting with other human beings. I mean you could if you were determined enough go live off the grid in the mountains, but that doesn’t sound fun or a sustainable lifestyle. As believers in Christ, we are to serve and do good for others. And our church volunteers, are especially doing good for you! They show up early or sacrifice their time on Sunday, Wednesday, or another day of the week to serve our church family. They are walking in obedience to the Lord as well. We are all called to serve and do good for others.

However, we often forget that we have an opportunity to do good by showing our appreciation to those who serve us. We even forget to smile at our wonderful volunteers serving in the welcome center volunteers. We especially forget the fact that they can’t control how many maple or chocolate doughnuts are at the desk. Sometimes I have heard that instead of being greeted with a smile, they are instead met with a frown and sarcasm. Oh, what a good blessing it must be to receive the encouraging words of, “Where is my donut?”

We forget to thank our nursery/preschool volunteers and ask how they are doing. After all, drop off and pick up are quite crowded and busy. After service, you realize that Ross, Austin, or Al had just preached for almost the length of eternity, and now your kids are hungry and might need to go down for a nap within the next 30 seconds. Drop-off and pick-up can be a lot. We have several volunteers each week who give up their opportunity to worship in service so that they can provide a fun, interactive kids’ service. In Kids Church, these amazing helpers make sure that all the kids who come are poured into and discipled to the best of their ability.

Our production team often goes unnoticed. My hope for them is that you don’t notice them during service. They are there to make sure that everyone in service has a distraction-free worship time. Yet, when something goes wrong during a service, they work hard on trying to fix it. Our production team is aware when something isn’t working as it should. However, if they somehow don’t notice it, we can always count on several heads within the congregation turning 180 degrees in unison to inform them that they missed something. One time, when I was running sound and song lyric slides at the same time, I missed a few slides. A nice gentleman decided I needed to know that I wasn’t doing a great job, so during one of the songs, he came up and stood on two of the chairs just below the soundboard in our auditorium. As he stood on his tiptoes, he told me when I needed to change the song lyric slides. Keep in mind that the church congregation was actively singing a song, and I was actively running slides. I was thankful for his feedback, however. I was able to learn at that moment that it was not the best practice to run song lyric slides and run sound at the same time. I could have used some help.

Now, don’t get me wrong, my goal is not to call out ungratefulness or critical attitudes as it is to remind all of us to do good-- to give our volunteers the benefit of the doubt. The church should be a place where we give feedback. Evaluate processes and make sure that our volunteers can serve to the best of their abilities. However, the heart of Galatians 6:10 is that we do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household faith.

Volunteering is not only a way for you to do good. It can also be a way to use your gifts and talents. You may not get to tap into those gifts or talents during your work week, but church can be a place for that. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that God has prepared good works for us. The verse says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” What good works have you been called to? Not just your job, but where has God called you to serve? What are you passionate about? Do you enjoy teaching and hanging out with kids, or are you quiet and shy and want to serve behind the scenes? Maybe you don’t know where to serve or how to get involved. The first step is to pray and ask God what he could lead you to.

Before I became the worship pastor at Redemption Hill Church, I was wasting my talent. I wasn’t doing anything with music. I hardly picked up my guitar and only sang in the car when my radio was cranked up to an even number. (You shouldn’t listen to your car radio with an odd number. It is not how God designed volume numbers. It needs to be an even number and increment of 5. Anything else is unacceptable for life.) One Sunday, the sermon was on the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. During the sermon, I felt that the Lord was saying that I was being a wicked servant and burying my guitar in the ground. I wasn’t growing or investing in my musical skills. As a result of that sermon, I joined the worship team. A couple of years later, the previous worship pastor invested in me enough that he suggested I become his successor. I am so thankful for the Lord prompting me to join the worship band back in 2016 because my life was completely changed, and I was able to join the church staff and eventually come on full-time. You never know what God will lead you to when you take one step of faith to get more involved at Church.

I want to say thank you so much to all the volunteers who serve regularly at Redemption Hill Church. The ministries throughout the week would be a disaster if it was just up to the pastors to do everything. The Lord sees you; we see you, and we are so incredibly grateful for you. For anyone who is reading this blog and is not serving, there are several opportunities for you to serve. We are always looking for more people to serve in nursery/preschool, AWANA, the production team, and the worship band. I will end this blog with an encouraging word from the apostle Peter.

1st Peter 4:8-11: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

If you have not heard through announcements, emails, or social media posts, our 2nd annual Fall Festival is coming up October 12th from 4-6pm at Cross Creek Park. We would love and need your support! Before we get into how you could support the Fall Festival, let me answer some reasons for why we do Fall Festival. There are several reasons why.

· To love on and reach our community. Some of you may be wondering why we go through all the work to take the supplies across town and set up in a park. This is the biggest reason why. We want to be a light to our new community near the new building and offer a place to interact with, love on, and share the good news with families and individuals who might not be willing to step foot in a church building or on church property.

· To create missional habits in our lives. Going to a park for Fall Festival not only helps us connect with the community, but it also helps us get in the habit of going outside of the walls of the church to go to the lost. People don’t wander into church for answers like the used to. We must go and get them, and this is a fun and strategic way we can do this.

· To offer opportunity for fun and fellowship. This is not only for our community. It is for our church family to serve alongside one another, for families to have fun together, to have conversations over yummy food from the food truck vendors. This is why we encourage families to serve 1 hour and enjoy the festival for the other hour.

This year’s Fall Festival is coming soon. I hope this short blog gives you a glimpse at our heart behind this church/community outreach event. I hope that the why behind this event might also encourage you to get involved this year. Here are 4 ways you can be involved:

1. Pray! Whether you plan to attend or not, please pray for opportunity to love on and share Jesus with those God would bring out to the event that day. This is one of the most important ways you can be involved. Prayer is powerful! Pray for a smooth event. Pray for good weather. Pray for new families. Pray for our church family. Pray with the confidence of 1 John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him”

2. Drop off Candy at the church by next Friday, October 11th. Again, whether you are attending or not, one way you can show your support and love for the community is by bringing a bag or bags of candy to donate as we give it away to families coming to the festival. Buying candy is a great way to show your generosity to God. As 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us, “ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

3. Serve! If you have not signed up yet, reach out to pastor Al or pastor Austin about how you can serve. From transportation of supplies, set up, booths, and tear down there are opportunities to serve the community alongside your church family. Serve as though you are serving the Lord as Colossians 3:23-24 reminds us, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

4. Simply show up. Even if you do not feel called to give candy or serve, we’d love to have you there interacting with not only your church family, but the community as well. Even if you can only drop by for 30 minutes, your presence and support are noticed and appreciated. We want you to be a part of this church family!

We hope to see your bright and shining face this year at Fall Festival, but even if you can’t be there, we covet your faithful prayers!

Discipleship is a funny word. As Believers, each of us probably have a basic idea of what discipleship means; if asked, however, most of us would describe it in very unique terms. For me, the concept of discipleship or “making disciples” was something I did not really consider until I was around 27 years old. Growing up as a Southern Baptist in the 70s and 80s, discipleship was often reduced to curriculum and curriculum was taught in church. Therefore, discipleship was church based, Sunday school, and Church Service focused. Small groups or individualized discipleship was not. This completely changed for me when I was 27. I had started attending Heart of the Springs Church here in Colorado Springs. One of the leaders in the College/Career Group offered to get together and just talk about Spiritual Gifting. I was interested in this so I said yes, having it in my mind that this would be VERY short term. It was relatively short term (about a year), but it led to other discipleship relationships and included me beginning to disciple others. This “multiplying” aspect was not necessarily taught or emphasized but organically made sense to me: just as I was poured into, I wanted to pour into others.

Discipleship at its core really comes back to one main idea: intentionally walking alongside others for the purpose of encouragement, holistic growth, and the discovery of purpose within the Kingdom of God. I like to define the root word of discipleship (disciple) in this way: “one being drawn by God to progressively lead, learn, and love more like Jesus.”

This progressive idea is really the motivation behind why discipleship has become so important to my life and ministry. It comes back to my discipleship story. God, in His Sovereignty, worked to move me towards my roles in leadership; but the reality is that many will flounder (like I did for so long) without intentional development taking place. The truth is that all discipleship within the church setting must extend out of a vision to live out the Biblical mandates to “make disciples of all people”.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20

This has to be ingrained as part of the culture of the church. At Redemption Hill, we have been given an opportunity to redirect our energy and efforts to truly reflect our Value of Discipleship. One of the questions that could accompany that value is this: how can we know when we have truly made a Disciple/Disciplemaker?

Simply put, at its most simple level, the growing disciple begins to produce fruit. They begin to have a heart of Disciplemaking as well as a heart for reproduction and multiplication. The characteristics include a growing passion to see the lost know Jesus, a willingness to naturally engage lost people, a visibly displayed healthy understanding of ideas of growth and development, and an ability to cast vision for Disciplemaking based upon what they have been taught through the discipleship process.

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” - Matthew 7:16-20

For Redemption Hill Church, we have to think about what discipleship should look like in our context. As we move forward into a new ministry setting, how can we invite people into our Value of Discipleship? In doing so, what are some essential elements of an ongoing Disciplemaking path? I believe there are many directions or pathways that we could take, but I will simply offer a few ideas:

1. The first is direction. We must seek to discover where people might want to go on their Disciplemaking pathway? With that, because this is about multiplication, we need to ask, where do you want to take others? The path has to lead somewhere and we need to remember where we are hoping to take people.

2. The second idea is continually reemphasizing the vision. Without consistent reemphasis of the vision, the direction, the purpose of the pathway, people will lose track of the “why” behind the actions.

3. The third idea is holding on to simplicity. The “what” of a discipleship pathway is grounded in teaching, training, and exhorting. It is easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of details that are important but not always immediately necessary. We have to keep things simple without drifting into the simplistic. We will utilize course work that stretches minds, hearts, and actions without forgetting the simplicity of the Gospel.

4. Fourth, vetting participants is necessary. Without proper vetting, (e.g. an application process, and interview process, regular assessment throughout the process, etc.), you could have the wrong people join the pathway. The discipleship pathway should be available to everyone who will commit to the process and appropriately progress. Those who join the pathway should remain teachable, show humility, and be willing to do the hard work of growing, learning, and expressing what has been learned.

5. Lastly, maintain a commitment to a primary objective. We need to know where we are taking people. Before beginning the pathway with participants, we must write down how we will know if people have made progress. What should be an observable result in the people who progress through our discipleship pathway? At the end of a section of the discipleship pathway, we must process with participants both individually and as a group. As Kevin Leman stated in his book, The Way of the Shepherd, we have to know our sheep, appropriately gauge their progress, and have ideas for ways that they can move forward in learning as well as applying what they have learned within a ministry context.

Church Family, everyone is a disciple of something—everyone is a learner or an apprentice of something. Each of us finds value in what we pursue or we would not pursue it. This could be wealth, fame, relationships, a hobby; truly, every person on earth is devoted to something that they see as worth learning about and devoting energy to in order to master, or be considered the master, of something. The pursuit of Jesus is not different except pursuing Him brings us to humility and the realization that serving Jesus and others is more important than serving ourselves. True discipleship is less about the external: the who, what, and where is really about the internal. True discipleship is about the heart. If we’re not careful, as a church we have the ability to do so much for Jesus without ever becoming more like Jesus, without ever becoming more humble, more loving, or more sacrificial. True Discipleship is being willing to die to ourselves for the sake of the Gospel…for the sake of others…because internally we know Jesus is worth it.

Redemption Hill, Jesus is worth it.

On Sunday, I brought a special announcement related to filling the empty Co-Pastor role.

This announcement follows prayerful consideration by the pastoral team, deacon body, and deacon advisory board. After unanimous approval from our pastoral team, staff, deacons, and deacon advisory board, it is my recommendation to nominate Dr. Al Barrera to fill the Co-Pastor role!

God has used Al in incredible ways. He led the college ministry at Colorado College in the 2000’s, was previously on staff as the College & Young Adults Pastor when we were Circle Drive Baptist Church, was the lead pastor at Calvary Monte Vista, and was most recently the Church Planting Catalyst at NAMB in Denver. He’s currently the Pastor of Missions & Multiplication and I’m excited about what God is doing in my friend’s life!

Over the next two Sundays, September 22 and 29, we will host listening sessions following the services on those days where you can ask questions, read a job description, or simply show support for Al’s nomination. For those of you who were here on Sunday, the nomination was met with a huge round of applause! And, as much as Al and I appreciate that, it’s not an official vote.

The vote will take place on October 6 at the end of service. Our goal is total transparency and clarity in this process, so if you have any questions or concerns, please bring them to me. My door is always open and I’m ready to hear from you. You can email me at rjagers@rhccs.org, give me a call at (719) 596-4461, or make an appointment and drop by the office in person.

Continue to pray for the future of Redemption Hill as God moves in our church, in our staff, and in our building project. Thank you, church family!

This week in the blog, we have a special letter of appreciation to share with you from Dr. Mike Routt. He is settling into retirement and wanted to share his appreciation for you all.

To our beloved Redemption Hill Church family,

Kathy and I will remember August 25, 2024 for the rest of our lives! We were so overwhelmed by the love of our church family as we observed our last Sunday with you! Thank you, Worship Pastor Ian Mavity and the worship band, for making worship so worshipful and spiritually inspiring! Thank you, Larry Akers, Nancy Putnam, and Carl Stults, for the way you encouraged us with your kind and gracious words. Thank you, church family, for the unique gifts and the generous and sacrificial financial gift to us. Our entire family was so moved by the way you all honored us. One member of our family declared, “This church building is permeated with love.” Thank you, also, Verna Holloway, and the Special Recognition Team, for the wonderful reception you gave us. Our entire family was so blessed by the decorations, the food, and the cake. Thanks for investing your time and effort for making our reception so special. Redemption Hill Church is such a remarkable church family! We will love you all forever!!!

I am so grateful to GOD for the leadership team He has given the church. I support our church staff 110%. GOD is going to use them in an incredible way be used of GOD to take the church to the next level. “Your future is as bright as the promises of GOD.”

Redemption Hill church family, you will forever hold a special place in our hearts. We love you so much, and we thank our great GOD for the privilege of serving JESUS together with such a remarkable church family for 22 ½ years!!!

GOD bless!

Mike and Kathy

Why is the final chapter in the book of Mark so short? ** The mere 8 verses are jarring compared to the long action-packed chapters that fill this gospel. The ending leaves so much unsettled and unknown. There is no resolution. There is no clarity. We are left thinking, “what happened next?” And this was the intent of its author John Mark because the answer to what happens next, is you happen next. Throughout the book of Mark, we see Jesus’ disciples fail him again and again as they act out of fear rather than boldness. The abrupt ending now puts that choice in the readers hands. Will we act out of fear and fail, or will we boldly live out our faith for Christ in a way that the characters in this gospel did not?

So how do we live out our faith boldly rather than fear? I think we can learn from the mistakes of the disciples and the women at the empty tomb.

If we go back to chapter 14 we see one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrays him in Mark 14:10-11, “10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.” While this is a despicable and heinous act by Judas, we too betray Jesus for lesser things all the time. It is called sin. We must be careful not to villainize Judas too much because while his sin was the one we see leading to the crucifixion of our Lord, our sin was also why he was there. We must learn from Judas to see the horrific nature of our sin and betrayal of Jesus. Boldly living out our faith looks like staying true to Jesus and not betraying him for money, acceptance, attention, or whatever else we might try to seek over and above him.

A little later in chapter 14 we see Jesus predict that Peter and the disciples would abandon him when he was arrested in verses 26-30. They all refuse to accept this prediction because they could never imagine denying Jesus under any circumstance. Peter, in typical fashion, throws everyone under the bus and says in verse 29, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” Fast-forward just a bit as Jesus is in the garden praying in agony as he prepares to endure God’s wrath for our sin and his closest disciples cannot even stay awake to pray with him, or even just be with him. The abandoning is already beginning, but as Judas comes to officially betray Jesus and Jesus is arrested, we find in Mark 14:50, “50 And they all left him and fled.” Jesus is abandoned by 11 of disciples, his closest friends, and completely betrayed by the 12th. Peter would even double down and deny he knew Jesus 3 times before the rooster would crow twice the next morning. Their failure was great because their fear was great. These well-meaning followers of Jesus did not live boldly but abandoned Jesus to protect their life and safety. Once again, while it can be easy to cast blame and judgment, how often do we do the same thing? We must seek to cling to Jesus and boldly proclaim him and our relationship to him, even when it might get us in trouble with friends, family, or the hostile world. Living boldly means standing with Jesus no matter what comes our way.

Finally in chapter 16 we see the boldest of Jesus followers, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, who stayed by Jesus even at his crucifixion arrive at the empty tomb to prepare his body. Rightfully they were afraid as they approached the empty tomb with and angel sitting where Jesus should have been. This angel told them in verses 6-7 that Jesus has risen just as he said, and to go and tell the disciples. But even these bold women fail in verse 8, “8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Now obviously these women didn’t remain silent forever, but initially they responded in fear rather than in faith. Again, this is something each of us should be able to identify with today because we have the same response all the time. This is like when God gives us an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus and rather than boldly taking the opportunity we grow quiet or avoid the conversation. Responding in fear looks like silence and timidity while responding in boldness looks like proclaiming the good news from the roof tops!

Everyone surrounding Jesus, even after his resurrection failed in him some way. Every one of us has too. Mark wants us to see this so that we will learn from their mistakes and hopefully respond as bold followers of Christ like we see the disciples do in the book of Acts with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Peter himself is a great example as he responds with brokenness and weeping at the end of Mark 14, only to become a major leader in the early church! What a great reminder that with the power of the Holy Spirit there is opportunity for redemption and restoration even when we fail! Let us seek to learn from the mistakes Mark shows us and live boldly for Christ!

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** Some translations include the longer ending of Mark, but most have a note letting the reader know that the earlier manuscripts did not include the longer ending because it was likely a latter addition. While there is a lot of debate over this, I believe it is best to rely on the earliest manuscripts as they are the closest to the original inspired text written by the biblical author. Not to mention as you will see in this blog, the shorter ending is much more compelling and in line with the reaction the author, John Mark who was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wanted us to have. **