Part V of Distinctives and Objectives

People do not see real love and truth completely through words only, but through actions.  Through the acting out of faith in actual day-to-day living comes the demonstration of belief.

            The Apostle James said that faith without works is dead and an important part of our faith is the very lifestyle we project to each other and to the world outside of the Church.

            We do not seek to set down some shallow code of ethics, which by its very nature would be bound by our own culture and timeframe of history, but rather we seek to foster the Biblical overriding attitudes of lifestyle such as holiness, justice, repentance, forgiveness, commitment, discipline and social concern.  This is an ongoing process (not a static standard for all time) that must be consistently reexamined personally as well as collectively in the Body of Christ.  We need to always examine our personal and corporate contribution to the Kingdom of God.

We Believe that discipline as described in Matthew chapter 18 is a vital part of the life of the local church. Although it is a highly sensitive and difficult issue to deal with, when done properly in accordance with the Scriptures and through much prayer and humbleness, it seeks to accomplish two very important goals::

1)    The repentance and restoration of the person under discipline, and

2)    The witness to the congregation of God’s displeasure of sin and the opportunity of each individual to reexamine their own relationship with God.

The fostering of these genuine Biblical concerns are not meant to be ends in themselves but occur as results of our forgiveness from God.  The Scriptures plainly teach us that we are forgiven freely by the grace of God.  But actions follow after forgiveness as a testimony of that grace, and as a testimony to the creativeness of God those actions will manifest themselves differently in each individual. 

     For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”  If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; (1 Peter 1:13-17)

 It is to these objectives that we pledge ourselves in the hope that they will help prepare this church, under the strength of the Holy Spirit, for that Blessed Hope of the soon appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ and the physical establishment of His Kingdom.

The Leadership of Mount Rose

Evangelical Free Church

For a complete version of our Distinctives and Objectives see the link on the toolbar above.

 Part IV of Distinctives and Objectives

We believe that the proclamation of the Gospel by all Christians is a natural product of the knowledge of God’s love and of salvation as well as an individual responsibility to those outside of the Church.  God’s Word teaches that all believers are priests in the truest sense and are thus all equally accountable fro this office.  Further, we are committed to encourage and train this church’s membership in that type of evangelism commonly known as life-style evangelism.”  We are convinced that it is the most meaningful, sincere and natural way to share one’s faith with another person.

            Along with personal evangelism to one’s own ‘world’, a fostering of global vision is also important to us through prayer, individual involvement and encouragement and understanding of Christian missionary activity on a worldwide scale.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8 )

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

For a complete version of our Distinctives and Objectives see the link on the toolbar above.

Part III of Distinctivies and Objectives

Through the ministries of preaching, adult and children’s education, small Bible Studies, various media and the encouragement of direct involvement in community ministries the leadership of Mount Rose Evangelical Free Church is trying to teach practical Christian responsibility in doctrine as well as in the daily outworking and application of our faith.

            Leaders are made, not born.  We believe that education should have as a direct result not only a changed life (as a person studies and applies God’s Word to their hearts and minds) but also should lead that person to desire to teach others likewise in the faith.  This process is called discipleship.

            Discipleship is literally the very process by which disciples are anchored in the faith and matured into leaders.  It is learning from example rather than from formula.  It is an important part of the believer’s experience which illustrates that Christianity is not merely devotion to a set of creeds or cold ethical propositions but a life to be lived, worked out and exemplified among people.

            Discipleship as provides a valuable opportunity for reciprocal relationships, mutual responsibility and maturing for both parties in the relationship.  Ephesians chapter 4 brings out the idea that the Body of Christ is a family:  one purpose, bonded together as a community of believers, committed to one another, “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for it serves as such a vital source of interpersonal accountability and growth, we see discipleship as an integral part of the Christian experience. 

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. (Colossians 2:6-7)

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (Ephesians 4:11-12)

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

For a complete version of our Distinctives and Objectives see the link on the toolbar above.

Part II of Distinctives and Objectives

We believe that the highest purpose for the assembling together of the local church is worship.  Only secondarily does it unite for teaching, fellowship, ministry, discipleship, observance of the ordinances, etc.  although these are all important elements of worship in themselves the church’s existence firstly and primarily is concerned with coming together collectively to praise and worship the Lord God.

            We believe that the modern church in the West has by-and-large lost the vision of Jehovah given to us in the Scriptures as a righteous and Holy God, jealous for the praises of His people.  Instead, we have substituted a god of our own making; one which benevolently tolerates sin and demands only that we :sacrifice: that small Sunday morning part of our lives when we come to church to be entertained. 

            Thus, true worship not only ascribes to God His rightful praise as our supreme Lord but also affirms our position and function in His universe as creatures created to enjoy and love him.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship.

(Romans 12:2)

Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.

(Isaiah 43:7)

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen. 

 (1Peter 4:11)

For a complete version of our Distinctives and Objectives see the link on the toolbar above.

Recently Pastor Rob asked me to re-type our church’s Distinctives and Objectives.  I am not sure I ever read them before but as I was typing I was blown away at how clearly they communicated our hope in Christ and His purpose of the local church.  I love our local body and one of the things that I love the most about our little church is how God’s word is lifted up and given the place it rightly deserves.  

Still, as I was typing I was thinking, “why don’t I read this more often and use this gift to equip me to serve this body better?  Why isn’t this clear and deliberate purpose of our body easily available to everyone?”  Clearly one of the reasons it was not easily available was because I was still in the process of re-typing it.  But I could see  how easy it would be to re-type this gem, copy it, and place it on the back table…never to be seen again.  So in the hope of rescuing this document from back-table-lostness I thought I would publish it here focusing on a different section each week so that we can read it together, think about it, think about it some more, and let it effect what happens in our body each day of the week.

So my friends, here is the introduction to the Distinctives and Objectives of Mount Rose Evangelical Free Church:

     

           As the Word of God teaches the total sovereignty of God upon our lives, our purpose in meeting and continuing our fellowship as a local expression of the Church of Jesus Christ, Mount Rose Evangelical Free Church is committed to worship and glorify God in our corporate and individual lives, nurture spiritual growth and gifts through their exercise within our fellowship and equip its members for service and evangelism.

            Throughout its worship, programs and activities this church is seeking to achieve these broad objectives by striving specifically to integrate the Scriptures into all areas of its member’s lives through: worship, Education/discipleship, evangelism, and lifestyle.

A complete copy of the Distictives and Objectives can be found on the Distinctives and Objectives page of this blog.

Well, for those of you who were checking the blog frequently you may have noticed that there has not been a new post in a few months.  This is certainly not because there has been nothing worth posting about.  In fact, I hope that you have been checking out all the encouraging blogs that we have linked to on our homepage.  I know that I have been out of the blog loop since the middle of August due to beginning a new job but Steve has kept me up to date on a few that I think are worth linking to:

Over at the 9Marks blog, Mark Dever wrote 10 post titled “Where did all these Calvinist come From?”

In August, Wayne Grudem and John Piper were having a very interesting discussion about Baptism and Church membership.  In fact, it was so interesting many in the blog world joined in.  Click HERE for the link to John Piper’s first response.

Our very own Danae started her own blog, Backing the Badge and Other Thoughts on Life 

And finally, our very own missionaries, Mike and Fawn, also began a blog to keep everyone updated on their ministry and life in Japan.  Click HERE.

So those are 4 places in the blog world that if you missed them I would recommend visiting.  Now for the exciting news I promised:  There is a new Mt. Rose blog/website in the works!  The new site will be complete with helpful, userfriendly links to other blogs and web resources, Podcast of all of Pastor Rob’s messages, new blogs written by Steve and others from around our body, pictures, and updates about what’s going on at Mt. Rose.  I’ve seen the early stages of the site and I’m so excited.  I know that when it is finished you will be excited too!  We will keep you updated and when it is finally ready to be unvieled we will link to it from this site. 

By now many of you have heard about the collapse of Interstate 35W in Minneapolis yesterday.  Desiring God ministries is about one mile from the birdge.  Last night after putting his daughter to bed John Piper wrote  “Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours after the Birdge Collapsed.” 

Being married for just a little over three years, I am only beginning to see what a miraculous mystery I live in everyday with my husband, Joey. It is a beautiful mystery, but a mystery just the same and there is a part of me that gobbles up anything I can get my hands on about the subject in a futile-but always feverous-attempt to “figure it out.”

I may never (until paradise) “figure out” marriage, but I do believe God has shown me a few precious truths marriage rests in, truths that will hold me into and through the unknowns that lie ahead of Joey and me.

 One of these truths that God has gently, though often painfully, shown me is that marriage is not about my own temporal, earthly happiness; rather, marriage is for His greater, infinite plan of redemption. Comfort is drawn from this truth only when my trust is in God alone; not in Joey, not in our “getting along”, but in God’s greatness, in His wisdom, and in His grace and kindness.

I decided to read Hosea the other morning, remembering I had liked the prophet for some reason before. It didn’t take me long to remember why: Hosea demonstrates in his own life the same love God demonstrates for Israel then and for us as His own now; a love that is unconditionally forgiving, even in the most obscene of circumstances. This love takes an enormous amount of courage; or rather, faith. It is a supernatural love that I can’t help but be drawn to, humbled as I am when I think of my own faith-weak as a mouse-when it comes to forgiveness, even for little things like a forgotten phone call or dirty dishes.

It is this supernatural forgiveness and love that is exactly what Hosea embodies after Gomer, his wife, continually commits adultery with a number of different men, paralleling Israel’s own unfaithfulness to the Lord.  Hosea, like the Lord, with mercy and compassion I can hardly fathom, eventually takes back his bride and restores her to himself.

The “ah-ha!” moment for me came as my eyes were opened a little wider than before to the truth that marriage has so little to do with the seemingly reality that is present at the time and much more to do with the sovereign plans of the Lord who is working “all things together for the good of those who love Him” (Rom. 8:28).

Who would ever have thought that the Lord would compel Hosea to marry Gomer, when at the time of their wedding I am sure their future seemed so bright, so “normal”? The Lord knew the devastation that would take place in their marriage, and He knew how it would happen at the same time of Israel’s rebellion against the Lord, giving Hosea an insight that he otherwise wouldn’t have known-or at least in such a personal way-into the heart of God: a heart that breaks when we go astray. A heart that pursues us until the end, and ultimately a heart whose love for us is so deep and so wide that it cannot help but restore those whom it loves.  

It’s an encouragement to me on two levels: one, that God loves me with this same endless love. I am His and He is-in this moment and forevermore-restoring me to Himself.  

And two, that no matter what happens in my marriage or in my life, I know God has planned and foreseen it all, no matter how big of a mistake it might seem in the moment, or even for years at a time. I pray for the faith to know, deep in my heart, that one day I will see the divine reasons; one day I will know without a pinch of doubt that this world and all its happenings is the Lord’s, and I will see His glory shinning brighter than the brightest of stars, even as this world fades away: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Is. 65:17).

Well, clearly I’m having a time management problem.  It has been well over a week since I have posted anything.  So I thought it would be a timely season to post a plug for the new Girl Talk book Shopping for Time. 

In February, while the girls were still working on the book they wrote this summery on their blog:

It’s a well-documented fact that women are savvy shoppers. We can unearth a bargain from the back corner of a discount store. We can also spot a bad deal as easily as if it was wearing a neon tag.

But the Bible also exhorts us to be savvy shoppers of our time: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

The reality is, however, we don’t often manage our time with the same skill that we shop the sales. Instead of looking carefully and walking wisely, we are often running frantically from one demand to another. Or we wander through the changing seasons of our life, easily distracted by whatever catches our fancy.

In this book, we suggest five simple keys to help us as women “make the best use” or “shop” for time. This book is not an attempt at a Christian-coated time-management book. Rather, we want to provide encouragement and practical help for women to bring glory to the Savior through every season of life God has appointed for them to walk through.

 This Sunday, Steve directed us to Romans 1 and 3  and reminded us of our own tendency to worship the creature rather than the Creator.  He spoke about the serious consequenses in the world and in our own heart when we forget the power of God and pridefully place ourselves or the thinking of this age above our Soverign God. 

 Over at Carolyn McCulley’s blog, Solo Feminity, she has linked to the testimony of her friend Michelle who explains her battle with eating disorders as an issue of worship.  She writes that what was going on in her heart was ”really not that different from the garden [of Eden].  We’re not comparing apples to oranges.  It’s still apples to apples. The first woman used a piece of fruit to try and wrench control away from God.  I’m no different.” 

I think it was CJ Mahaney who said (or quoted? or someone else said or quoted?) that “the heart is an idol factory” That is true for each of us whether your idol is food, the approval of others, entertainment, work, sex, whatever.  The reality is that we are each prone to worship and serve the creature rather than the creator. 

Even if you do not “struggle” with eating disorders I would highly encourage you to check out Michelle’s testimony, whether to be a source of wisdom in loving someone who does struggle or as just a reminder to your own heart of God’s power and your weakness. 

Click here to view Apples to Apples:  Reflections on an Eating-Disordered Life.