We have moved!

Please, note that this blog is not being updated any more. You can visit us at www.christoscommunity.org, or www.reformedanddiverse.wordpress.com for more information. Thanks!

Unity in our Helper.

When you are down, there is little room for pride. When you are at your lowest, cultural heritage is of little consequence. In deed, our problem with sin is the great equalizer. But there is also unity in the only One that is willing and able to help us. Soccer or futbol. Sweet Sixteen or Quinceañera. People-oriented or task-oriented. Legal or illegal. Republican or Democrat. It does not matter. We all have one problem, and we all can find hope only in One. Gone are the reasons for pride and erased is the need for holding to cultural heritage.

Praise God for the only One who came to restore us.

Unity in our sin.

Everything goes slower in a diverse church: it takes longer to cast vision in a way that overcomes cultural barriers, and good communication requieres several attempts before it is reached. There are many ways to overcome the cultural inertia that exist in this kind of settings, but the most effective one is the intervention of the Holy Spirit. When he allows each individual to see that, regardless of cultural background, we all are sinners without hope except for the work and person of Jesus Christ, then unity starts to emerge. It does not matter the color of your skin, the language you speak, your immigration status, or your socio-economics… we all need God’s restoration.

What keeps us united.

At a diverse church, like Christos Community, unity is of very high importance. But, how do we accomplish it? How could we? Is it evrn possible? In the lance instalment of our current sermon series, the Apostle Paul will tell us that our unity comes from knowin that, individual cultures aside, we all share the same need for God the Holy Spirit to help us. It is our common estate of sin and misery that unites us all. But our unity is also estableshed by the fact that there is only One who can help us… and he actually does it. One need, one Helpe; that is how our unity is secured.

Frustration in the field

The big challenge of a diverse ministry is the speed things happen. And by things I mean discipleship. I have a clear idea of what God wants from us, as a congregation, but I cannot (do not want to?) press the issue. I rather wait to see if the vission takes root naturally and organically… but, o man, does that takes time! I need to take my own advice, and keep things balanced.

Needs&Expectations – Sermon 4, Note 2

“It is not fair!” How many times have we said that? And how many times have we thought about it? It is not only little kids having an argument, over some rules of the game they are playing, who will present this complain, questioning the very fabric of this caos we call life, but we adults also raise this doubt about the daily experiences. How nice would it be to reach a place where fairness could be expected every time we were confronted with an argument with other human being.
The Israelites thought they were in such a place. 1 Kings 3:28 says they perceived Solomon to be God’s instrument to secure justice. But Solomon’s heart was divided… and that is never a good thing; sin – when left unchecked – will find a way to distract us from true worship.
The only true just judge is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. And it is his justice, and not our opinions or desires, that is the best answer to our dilemas.

Needa & Expectations – Sermon 4, Note 1

From the life of Solomon. 1 Kings 3 – 7.
A divided heart will fail to honor God.
A productive life is not proof of spiritual transformation.
God’s blessings will always display His character.
God is very generous.
It is wiser to address our shortcomings when they are in their seminal stage.
The people was in need of justice and a place to worship. Only in Jesus we can find satisfaction for those needs.

Needs & Expectations – Sermon 3, note 1

The abundance of details regarding the life of king Salomon, indicates the depth and scope of God’s blessings. We can also read about the seeds of the future fall of Salomon; they look like minor comments in the story, but they will prove crucial in the last part of Salomon’s reign.
God’s blessings are never for our own benefit, and they are not an excuse to be distracted from knowing His character.

What are you doing with God’s blessings in your life?

Elements of church growth

At the end of the day, we want to see ours to be a healthy church. And there is no way around this fact: healthy churches grow. For many the questions with  evasive answers are, “What is church growth?, How do you measure it?”
It may not sound to spiritual, but I believe the answer to those questions is, ultimately, the number of people engaged in divine worship, and in godly living.
How does God accomplish this? What are the elements of church growth? This is my answer:
1. The spiritual transformation of the leaders of the church, especially the elders.
2. A very high commitment to engaged and transform the society around the church.
3. A clear & simple way to disciple.
4. A good corporate worship environment.

What do you think?

The apps filter for our new sermon series

I have been praying about the way I preach. One of the conclusions I’ve reached is that I need to improve (nothing new there). And one way to improve is to be a better steward of the text, and the time I have to preach it. So, in this new series, I will use the Scripture itself to dictate how I present the application of each sermon. This is the passage that I will use as such a filter for the apps:

⁸He has told you, O man, what is good;
and^(A) what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,^[a]
and to^(B) walk humbly with your God? -Micah 6

So, at the end of each sermon I will emphasize one of these three areas of application; I will try to answer one of these three questions, based on the truths of the passage we are using any given Sunday:

• How is God equipping us to do justice / stop injustice?
• How is God empowering us to love kindness / hate cruelty?
• Where is God calling us to walk humbly with Him?

I pray this new approach will bless His people at Christos Community.

Bendiciones!

-AlexV