Following God

Following God's call and leading can is sometimes hard.  There are a lot of reasons for this, sometimes you end up living where you don't want to our doing what does not come natural, and other times it means saying goodbye to people you dearly love.  In August of 2012 I felt God start leading me away from Orange City, IA where I had been doing youth ministry for around ten years. I loved the work and the people dearly, and knew that obeying the Lord would be extremely difficult, and it was.  Almost a year later, that leading clearly guided me to Westchester. Saying goodbye to relationships, handing off ministry that I was deeply invested in, and requiring my family to also say goodbye to people they loved was all excruciating.  But, it was completely worth it.  

I Corinthians 6:19- teaches that since we have been bought by the blood of Christ at the Cross our bodies are temples of the Spirit, and we are not our own.  Similarly, Oswald Chambers writes: 
"We are not sanctified for ourselves. We are called into intimacy with the gospel, and things happen that appear to have nothing to do with us. But God is getting us into fellowship with Himself. Let Him have His way.” Paul, in Acts 20:24 says, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”  

I don’t know all the ways God plans to use, or not to use me.  I am confident, through prayer, dialoguing with brothers and sisters in Christ, and experience that God has lead me to where I am.  I know that my life belongs to Him and he can call me where He wants, when He wants.  I miss people I love, this week as I have had the privilege of joining the youth group on a trip I miss youth ministry a little more.  But, I would not trade the joy of walking in the will of God for anything.  As we follow Christ, He will, at times call us to leave a group or send people out from our group for various reasons.  We do it, not out of begrudging obligation, but joy for the mission of the Gospel. 

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Chuck Mullikin

About the Author:
Chuck serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Adult Discipleship

Worship Round-Up (May 31, 2015)

a weekly review of Sunday worship to provide resource and further reflection from our Sunday service.

Sermon

"Unashamed of the Gospel"

Pastor Dave MacKinnon

2 Timothy 1:8-12

Listen to audio here

The theme of the service this week is very centered on the Gospel. Pastor Dave preached on being unashamed of the message of the Gospel even though adherence will certainly bring us through trials and suffering. To emphasize how "worth it" the Gospel message is to believe and live we sang some wonderful reminders of the great news that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I recommend reviewing this week the words of "Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery" "All I Have is Christ" and "In Christ Alone". Within these songs we find hope and a wonderful reminder of the great love God has for his children and the extent to which we are forgiven in Christ. We opened the service with a song of praise "O Worship the King" with a new chorus for us to have resounding in our ears. We also sang "My One Comfort" which reminds us that our comfort is not in material possessions, status, or anything in this life but only in Christ and being one with Him. I pray you find encouragement from these words this week!

Music

O Worship the King (Lift Up Your Voice)
by Johann Michael Haydn | Robert Grant | Austin Hilmer

My One Comfort
by Dustin Kensrue
Listen on YouTube



Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery
by Matt Papa | Matt Boswell | Michael Bleecker
Listen on YouTube



All I Have is Christ
by Jordan Kauflin
Listen on YouTube


In Christ Alone
by Keith Getty | Stuart Townend
Listen on YouTube

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship

Church Doesn't Save Anyone

Sometimes I struggle to set aside the time to let God speak to me through the Bible.  I am reading the Bible often and I love to study it, but this doesn’t always translate into a good devotional time.  I find myself devoted to knowledge, or helping a student with a specific issue, instead of letting my life be devoted to God for that time.  One thing that Pastor Dave has encouraged me with is to read until something sticks out to you.  This way I don’t need to read an entire chapter or book, I can sit down and read until something strikes at my heart.  This has helped me with my devotions and it’s something that might help those of you who struggle as well.

Today I opened up the Bible to one of my favorite books to study, 1 Corinthians.  There are many challenging ideas in this book, and it is one that I have spent much time with.  However the Bible is living and active and as I was reading through chapter 10 I was able to focus on something that seemed new to me.  There are many comparisons that can be made between the Church and Israel.  Both have been chosen by God and we both represent him on Earth.  There are also some ways that we are similar that are a little less appealing. 

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Paul uses Israel as an example of people knowing the truth, and even seeing God’s miracles and still setting their hearts on evil things.  As I read that it was a reminder that Church doesn’t save anyone.  As a parent I can bring my children to Church every week, read the Bible to them every night, and take them on trips where they see the power of God.  Yet without faith and new nature they will set their hearts on evil things just like many of the Israelites. 

This is in no way a condemnation of the Church.  I work here, you can be sure that I love and appreciate the Church. I believe God's plan with the church is for us to be involved with the local body so that we all grow together.  In fact 1 Corinthians is often viewed as a guide from Paul on how to do Church.  And even though Paul loves the church, he wants it to be clear that the believers in Corinth should not to get caught up in “Church” instead get caught up in Jesus.  He tells them, and us, to learn from the example of the Israelites.  We are not saved by being a part of a religion, or a nation, we are saved because Christ died and rose again.  

We need to stand firm on that.  Verse 12 says “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” 

Dear God, please help me learn from Israel’s history and follow you only without allowing my heart to settle on evil things.

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Josh Earhart

About the Author:
Josh serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Student Ministries

Self-Acceptance that is God-Glorifying

          I am working my way through Jerry Bridge’s book, 31 Days Toward Trusting God.  In the chapter entitled, Trusting God for Who I Am, Bridges refers to Psalm 139:14 where King David writes “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  Now David was handsome, athletic, a warrior, a musician, etc.  We might think - it was easy for David to write those words in Psalm 139, he had it all.  But what about me?  I am far less than all that David was, I struggle with even measuring up to just ordinary.

             

         It is hard to trust God with the way we have been created.  To not compare, to be content, to move toward self-acceptance.

May God encourage you with these two paragraphs from Jerry Bridges.

        “David praised God not because he was handsome but because God made him.  Dwell on that thought.  The eternal God, infinite in His wisdom and perfect in His love, personally made you and me.  He gave you your body, your mental abilities, and your basic personality because that’s the way He wanted you to be, and He loves you and wants to glorify Himself through you.”

       “This is our foundation for self-acceptance.  God sovereignly and directly created us to be who we are, disabilities and physical flaws and all.  We need to learn the perspective of George McDonald: ‘I would rather be what God chose to make me that the most glorious creature that I could think of.  For to have been thought about – born in God’s thoughts – and then made by God is the dearest, grandest, most precious thing in all thinking.’”

        These are good and encouraging words to us.  God thought of you, made you and loves you, just as you are.  Accepting yourself as God made you is a part of glorifying Him with your whole life.

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Dave MacKinnon

About the Author:
Dave serves on staff at Westchester as Senior Pastor

Worship Round-Up (May 17, 2015)

a weekly review of Sunday worship to provide resource and further reflection from our Sunday service.

Sermon
"Abundant Living"
Pastor Dave MacKinnon
Matthew 11:28-30
Listen here

As we wrap up our series on The Mess of Stress, Pastor Dave presented us with the call of Jesus-- to take his yoke and thereby find rest. The music supported this pattern by giving us the opportunity to reflect upon the series as well as this application. We began the service by reading the Heidelberg Catechism Question 1 (see below) and then singing a song based on that question. The service began with this affirmation so that we may be reminded that come life or death we have comfort in knowing that we have been bought with the blood of Christ and preserved by our Father. We sang our theme song for this series "My Worth is Not in What I Own". After the sermon we had extended time of music to affirm that in trial, pain, and tribulation that God "gives more grace", desires for us to "lay down our burdens" and "come as we are". We then ended by affirming that because of the love, preservation, and sovereignty of our father "all must be well".

Heidelberg Q&A 1
Q. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

A. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. 

Music

My One Comfort
by Dustin Kensrue
Listen on YouTube

My Worth is Not in What I Own
by  Graham Kendrick | Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty
Listen on YouTube

He Giveth More Grace
by Annie Johnson Flint | Austin Hilmer



Come As You Are
by Ben Glover | David Crowder | Matt Maher
Listen on YouTube



All Must Be Well
by Mary Bowly Peters, Matthew S. Smith

Listen on YouTube

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Austin Hilmer

About the Author:
Austin serves on staff at Westchester as Associate Pastor of Corporate Worship