Commision and Commandment Comments

Vision statement

2010-04-19T09:36:00.004-04:00

This past weekend a group of our members completed the vision statement for the church.

Moscow Christian Church by 2015 will increase to 150 average attendees engaged in vibrant blended worship. 90% of these attending households connected in Sunday school and AT Groups, creating a common spirit and purpose that will inspire every member to develop and use their God-given gifts to serve the ministry of Moscow Christian Church reaching the unchurched households of the Tri-County area and beyond. So help us God.

To hear more about this check out yesterday's sermon

Zacchaeus is our friend

2010-03-30T12:07:00.000-04:00

Check out our worship moment from last Sunday.

Watch the head shaving

2010-01-25T16:25:00.002-05:00

We had a great after service yesterday morning with a hat shower for Jamie Miller and my reason for understanding why she need the hat.

Reminder that a benefit dinner for the Miller on Feb 6th from 5 to 7

Week 5

2009-06-28T05:53:00.001-04:00

1. Imagine you were an exile returning to Jerusalem. What in I Chronicles would you have found inspiring about Israel’s history and God’s promises concerning David’s dynasty? About the need to remain faithful to God?

2. What themes did you notice in David’s prayer shortly before his death (I Chr 29) and Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple (II Chr 6)?

3. As you read 2 Chronicles, what did you notice about the activities of the kings of Judah?

4. Describe Ezra and the challenges he faced when he returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. How did the people respond when Ezra helped them finally know God’s standards and recognize their own wrongdoing? Why was it so important for them to confess their sins and follow God’s law?

5. Why was ethnic purity so vital to the nations existence? (See Ezra 10 and Nehemiah 9)

6. Where did Nehemiah’s loyalties lie? In what ways did he demonstrate his reliance on God and deep commitment to prayer as he accomplished a great work in what the Persians considered to be a rebellious city?

Week 4

2009-06-28T05:39:00.000-04:00

1. What important promise did God make to David concerning the future of his dynasty (II Sam 711b, 16)

2. Which character weaknesses and failures played a dramatic role in David’s life? What was God’s response when David publicly acknowledged his sin? In what ways did the consequences of David’s extramarital affair affect his family and, eventually, the entire nation?

3. How would you describe Solomon? What do you find admirable (and not so admirable) about him? What drew him away from God? Why did the people eventually rebel against him?

4. What factors caused the nations of Israel to split into the northern kingdom (Israel) and southern kingdom (Judah)?

5. When you consider the bravery of Elijah and Elisha in opposing idol worship in Israel, what stands out to you concerning their relationship with God and/or the people? Why?

6. What would you identify as the dominant tendency of the various kings who led Israel and Judah? In what ways di the disobey God? What distinguished Josiah from many other kings? (2 Kings 22-23)

Week 3 Question

2009-06-13T22:54:00.000-04:00

1. Although God lived among the Israelites and guided them into battle, the Gibeonites still were able to deceive Joshua and other leaders. How did this happen (Joshua 9)?

2. What was God’s intent in repeatedly commanding the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites? Why was God so harsh in dealing with paganism? What does this reveal about God and his view of sin?

3. To what extent had the Israelites assimilated to Canaanites culture by the end of the book of Judges? In what ways does Samson’s life illustrate the effects of sin? What does it illustrate about the unlikely people and events through which God sometimes works?

4. What tragedies and unfortunate events befall Naomi and Ruth? What themes surfaced as these events played out?

5. When the Israelites asked Samuel to appoint a king, what were they communicating about God and his kingship over them (I Samuel 8)?

6. As you read about David’s life following his anointing and before he became king, what did you learn about him that you hadn’t realized before? What kind of man was he?

Questions for Week 2

2009-06-06T13:51:00.001-04:00

1. What important role did religious rituals - sacrifice, offerings and feasts – play in the Israelites life? As you read of these practices, what insights did you gain regarding God’s involvement in the lives of His people and the worship and commitment to holiness he desires?

2. Why did people have to offer blood sacrifices?

3. Despite all God had done for them, the Israelites repeatedly disobeyed, complained and turned away from him. What kinds of temptations did Satan use to draw the Israelites away from God? What kind of things did they complain about? How different are these from our temptations and complaints?

4. How did God respond to their complaints and disobedience, and what does his response reveal about Him?

5. When the spies returned from scouting Canaan, how did the people respond to their report?
What did the peoples words and action reveal about their view of God?

6. Moses prepared a new generation of Israelites to enter the Promised land with a “a refresher course.” How do you think his words and example influenced the people?

Questions for week 1

2009-05-29T14:30:00.003-04:00

These questions are from the previous version of the 90 days in the Bible participants guide and were found on the reading sheet for this week. Feel free to use the comment section to interact on these questions.

1.In what ways did Adam and Eve’s sin effect their offspring and world in which they lived? (Monday)

2. What kind of man was Abraham? What plans did God want to accomplish through him? What did God commit himself to do? (Tuesday 12:2-3, Wednesday 17:7-8)

3.As you read about what happened to Joseph and how situations in his life worked out, what surprised you? If you were writing a novel about his life what would you entitle it? (Wednesday and Thursday)

4.In what ways do you think Moses changed between his time in the Egyptian court and when God spoke to him in the burning bush forty years later?What do Moses’ objection to God’s call to deliver Israel from bondage reveal about him?(Friday, Ex. 3:11, 13, 4:1, 10, 13)

5. What do you think God’s purpose in providing the Israelites with so many specific instructions regarding daily life and worship? What did God demonstrate about his commitment to be with his people? (Saturday and Sunday)

Summer Book Club

2009-04-30T16:24:00.003-04:00

What if you could read the entire Bible this summer? From June 1-August 30 you could using the 90 Day Bible Reading Plan. To encourage Bible Reading this summer we are going to devote our sermon time and Sunday School time to:

The Summer Book Club
May 31 to August 30

Sunday School classes and sermon based around the 90 Days of Reading all summer long. We will offer a class all summer long using the material of Jack Modsett beginning May 31st and an 8 week class on How to Read the Bible by Mark Moore in July and August.
A sermon series will deal with a text from the previous weeks reading. Each week, we will not only look at a passage, but how to understand the genre it was written in and learn a reading strategy that can help us discover those conclusions.

- MJR

Freedom

2009-04-26T15:24:00.002-04:00

This Bible study accompanies the 4/26/09 sermon from Galatians 5:1-15 entitled "The Freedom of the Forgiven." The sermon can be viewed at

www.youtube.com/member/MoscowMinister

or listened to or downloaded at

moschristianchurch.mevio.com/

1. Look at Romans 8:1. What does this verse say we are free from?

2. Look at I Corinthians 6:12. Is there a limit on freedom? Who sets this limit?

3. Romans 14 (see also I Corinthians 10:23-31), Paul deals with Christian freedom versus responsibility to others.

Is the problem with differing on an issue of opinion the fact that there is a disagreement? (v. 1-14)
What is the difference between Paul’s teaching on meat in Romans 14:15 and I Corinthians 10:25?
What are the areas that you deal with Christian freedom that leads to difference of opinion?
If you are participating in one of these activities that someone else disagrees with, when do you stop doing it? Can you never do it? Can you ever do it?
If you see someone else doing one of these activities that you disagree with, when do they have to stop doing it? Can they ever do it?How does a congregation make decision on these issues and how should people respond who disagree? (Romans 14:22)

2009-03-24T11:53:00.003-04:00

What the congregation opened in 1911 as a place for the church to meet in a little under two and half hours came down this morning. This is a sad day for many memories were connected with that structure.

It is also a joyous day for the simple fact last June's tornado left a congregation to continue the legacy of people who were sixteen years without a structure to meet. We look back for the inspiration of those who came before us and we look ahead to those who will follow in our legacy and what we build for them both physically and spiritually.

-MJR

Pay Day

2009-03-15T11:45:00.008-04:00

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

(Matthew 19:29, NIV)

I want to piggyback off some of the thoughts from Sunday’s sermon (sermons are available to view via the youtube link on the right). Notice the last questions the king made to the twelve hour workers about how they were paid legally. This was not just reference to their agreement earlier in the day, for Jesus says this is a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven. If God’s just then His own rules of law are true of Him. If we are His servants then we can trust what the law says about them.

The Law says:

Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. (Dt. 24:14-15)

If this is a kingdom parable, then is God in violation of his own law by not giving his workers daily wages? Friends, when do we receive reward from God? When does God give back to us for what we have left behind to work in his kingdom? Is it just in the sweet bye and bye, when we gather on that beautiful shore? I fear for some of us that is the only reward we believe in and that’s why the things of God grow strangely dim in the darkness of this world and mess. Now there is an eternal side to pay day, we claim the hope we have in Jesus. As one source I read while studying stated, clearly this speak more of direct return of us receiving 100 brothers, 100 sisters, 100 fathers, 100 mothers, 100 children and 100 fields for each 1 we have left for the call of Christ.

But is that true? If you are one who wonders if ministers are borderline crazy for what they do and thinks missionaries have gone completely mad, then maybe it is because we don’t spend enough time mentioning the fact God fulfills his duty to pay us generously every day. Hold on, this is not the point where I tell you to sow a seed of faith with me for x amount of dollars, I will let you in on the secret to you becoming rich and famous. No, this is where we realize that in the relationships of the believers we find our greatest riches. We begin to understand that the love of God and love of others is not just commandment but the true joy of our lives.

Within the body of Christ we have:

mentor fathers who guide us in the faith
co-laboring brothers and sisters who through our work and time together can be called upon and memories shared.
mentored children in the faith have listened to what we told them about growing up in God and our now in love with Jesus and serve him.
praying encouraging mothers who want to wrap their hugs around us when they see us hurt, feed me when we are hungry, and want to know how our relationship with “the One” is.
fields of congregations that we have opportunity to share in the greatness of the family of God.

This week why not consider taking one of these groups each day and:

Thank God for those relationships
Pray specifically for one person on your list
Write, call, e-mail or text one of the people and just tell them how important they are to you.

-MJR

Welcome

2009-03-13T10:15:00.004-04:00

Welcome to a new feature of the church's ministry online. Our new site will exist for occasional addressing of pressing church life situations, additional thoughts that may not have made it into teachings and additional practices to live out what we have learned to become what we are wish to be in Christ.

Titling the blog places focus back on our mission as a congregation. Though Moscow Musings and Real Rush County Rants were considered.

I want to encourage you to enjoy what's here and interact with the comments section. Let us pour out our lives to serve a thirsting world knowing Christ has promised us if we drink from Him our well will never run dry.

In His Service,
Mike