Hope in Suffering
Pastor Anthony Coughlin from ReaLife Church preached for us on Sunday from 1 Peter 3:8-17. It was a great example of God’s providential care. Pastor Ant preached on Hope in Suffering. A few weeks back, we opened the year with a time for people to share of God’s grace to them. Many of our people shared of the hardships and difficulties that they were facing. It seemed like suffering was the big theme of the day. So then, it was so fitting for us to hear just a few weeks later on how to suffer with hope. Again, count it a blessing Seven Mile Road that we are connected with some great churches in our city who love us and serve us well. Here are some thoughts for you and/or your SoulCare Community to consider in applying the preaching.
- What stood out to you as you heard Anthony share? What inspired or comforted or convicted or ________ you as you listened?
- Are you facing suffering right now?
- Can you be holy (holy = being like God) without being in community? Why or why not?
- Are you in community at Seven Mile Road? (This means more than just ‘Are you in a Soulcare Group?’ Rather, are you experiencing and living in Biblical community?)
- How can we be blessed/happy in suffering?
- How can we be witnesses for Jesus in suffering?
- Take some time to praise/pray for the work that God is doing in and through ReaLife Church.
Relax, Christ the Redeemer Reigns!
Pastor Doug Logan killed it today. (To kill something is a compliment. I learned that from Doug. I usually need a translation for half of what he says.) Here’s what may have been the funniest line ever spoken from the pulpit at Seven Mile Road.
“Seven Mile Road…we love y’all man. We hear how the Lord is killin’ it for His glory out here. You know, y’all ripped the people off and took their building for free. I know how y’all roll. It’s alright. We rip people off in Camden, we just do it with a gun. Y’all robbed em’ without a gun…But I praise God for Seven Mile Road.”
You can hear Doug’s sermon here. As you do, be encouraged by what the Lord is doing in our region. Count it a blessing that we get to be swept up into the Kingdom work that He is doing in the Northeast. Here are some thoughts for you and/or your SoulCare Community to consider in applying the preaching.
- What stood out to you as you heard Doug share? What inspired or excited or convicted or ________ you as you listened?
- Why is it often easier for us to focus on doing rather than being?
- In what part of your life right now is God calling you to “Be still and know that I am God“?
- Take some time to pray for the work that God is doing in Camden through Epiphany Fellowship.
Adoption & Foster Care Informational Event
On January 15, churches across America will be observing Sanctity of Life Sunday. The day coincides with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and calls all who will hear to engage in the work of promoting life. But there are two ways to fight for the lives of unwanted children.
One is to oppose abortion. Last week, Siby and Stephanie came over with a movie called Sarah’s Key. As parents, Shainu and I found the film incredibly difficult to watch. This was not because it was poorly done, but quite the opposite. The movie grips you as it tells the story of French Jews that were rounded up during the Holocaust and sent to the concentration camps. In particular was the story of a little girl named Sarah who was separated from her brother, father, and eventually ripped out of her mother’s clinging hands. In one of the conversations that ensued about the movie, we found ourselves asking (as so many do), “How could the Holocaust have happened?” How could thinking, intelligent, moral human beings have allowed, participated in, or remained silently complicit to such a gut-wrenching horror? But before long, we couldn’t help but wonder if future generations will say the same thing about us and our society concerning abortion. R.C. Sproul calls abortion the ‘American holocaust’ saying,
Since that time [the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade] perhaps 50,000,000 babies have been murdered in the womb with the full protection of the state and the knowledge of the church. Abortion in America is, in the judgment of my very wise father, the greatest evil in our history. The American holocaust dwarves the evil of Nazi Germany in both numbers of the dead, and the numbers of we who know what is happening….To be silent is to be complicit. It is to tell our children and grandchildren that we are as guilty as those Germans who knew, and were silent.
So oppose abortion. Speak against it. Vote against it. Preach against it. Pray against it. Offer the gospel and grace to those who have committed it.
However there is another way to fight for the lives of unwanted children.
Support adoption! Too often, churches and Christians are only known for what they are against. However, we ought to shout even louder what we are for. We are not merely against abortion, but rather for life. And supporting adoption may be the single greatest way to fight for the lives of unborn and unwanted children. Adoption is a profound and beautiful picture of the gospel. The good news of the Christian faith is that abandoned, needy, hell-bound, rebellious, unlovely, enemies of God were adopted through Jesus and made sons and daughters of God. Russell Moore says it well when he states,
James 1:27 tells us that every Christian has a responsibility to care for widows and orphans. And that’s going to look different for different people. Not everybody’s called to adopt; not everybody’s called to foster children. But everybody’s called to care for orphans and for widows. So, the first step I think for any Christian is simply to start praying: “God, how would You have me to care for orphans?” Because we all were spiritual orphans ourselves.
And so, for some people that’s going to mean adoption. You’ve got room at that table for another person there next year. Or, for some people that’s going to mean mission trips or it’s going to mean providing financial resources to families who are adopting…And so, the first step is…simply asking, “Lord, how would you call me to show the same compassion that You showed to me in Christ in adopting me into Your family, to the orphans of the world?”
So support adoption. Encourage it. Celebrate it. Preach about it. Consider adopting. Give towards those who want to. Pray for a movement of it.
And to that end, on Sunday January 15 at 4pm, we will be hosting an Adoption & Foster Care Awareness Event. The event will be led by Bethanna and Bethany – two adoption/foster-care agencies in the city. The event will be open to the public. So if you’re considering adoption or want to know how you can support adoption, come and join us. Don’t just be against abortion, be for adoption.
If I Could Tell You One Thing…
I love preaching. And I mean that from both sides of the room. I love being in the pulpit and in the pews. I count it a great blessing and joy to hear good men declare good news from our good God. Seven Mile Road, we have some good men coming to our pulpit in the coming weeks.
We’re calling the mini-series, If I Could Tell You One Thing. Here’s the idea. I’ve asked some of our church planter friends, “If you could come and preach one sermon at Seven Mile Road, what would it be? If there was one thing that we needed to hear, if you only had one shot, one opportunity (that sounds like the words to an Eminem song), what would you tell us?”
Here’s the lineup:
January 15: Doug Logan, Epiphany Camden Fellowship
January 22: Rob Burns & Gino Curcuruto, ReaLife Church
February 5: Ian McConnell, Grace Bible Church
There are many reasons why I’m excited about this. Here are some:
An opportunity for a different voice in our pulpit: I am grateful for the way Seven Mile Road receives my preaching. They remind me of 1 Thessalonians 2:13. However, it will be really healthy for our church to have some different personalities in our pulpit. I’m sure our people will benefit from and appreciate the change of pace.
An opportunity to hear from God: Here’s my prayer for this series. Lord, you love Seven Mile Road. You are faithful to speak to us. You know us. You know the places where we need to grow and mature; where we need to repent and believe; where we need to be encouraged and where we need to be rebuked. So come through these men and speak to us. Tell us what we need to hear and give us the grace to hear and obey. Make us humble to receive your Word and obedient to do what You say.
An opportunity to learn from wiser, godly men: Each of these guys have been at the work of planting and pastoring longer than us. They have wisdom we need. I honestly love each of these brothers. They love Jesus, they love their families, they love the Bible, they love our city, and they love the Church. And if all of that were not enough – they love us. They pray for us, serve us, and genuinely care about seeing us follow Jesus well.
An opportunity to grow our relationship with gospel-centered churches: It is a joy to be in a place where each church plant is rooting for the next. I haven’t sensed even a whiff of the territorial, competitive, cannibalism that exists among churches in so many other places. So the opportunity to grow in friendship and partnership with these brothers and their churches is a blessing. I hope having these men in our pulpit is a loud declaration of our unity in the gospel and our partnership in mission. Let us pray that Seven Mile Road grows in love for Epiphany Camden, ReaLife, and Grace Bible and vice versa.
Four Christmas Gifts to Give Jesus
Here’s a simple thought. Nothing profound. (Really.) On someone’s birthday you give them a gift. Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth. So how do you give something to Jesus? Well Jesus told us.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)
Jesus stands in such solidarity with the broken, hurting, poor, and needy that what you do for the least in your city and world is done as unto Jesus Himself. Think of that. That means love for Jesus (as opposed to guilt) can drive us to generosity this Christmas! How blessed this Christmas could be for us if we saw each act of compassion as directly unto the Lord? See the face of Christ in each person you serve this season.
God has given us a few different opportunities to celebrate Christ this month in a way that blesses our city and our world. Here are four Christmas gifts that our small church can give Jesus this month.
Rent: The Northeast SoulCare Communities are teaming up to help pay rent for a single mom of three kids. Email Shainu to learn how you can help.
Toiletries: Covenant House, an organization that fights human trafficking in Philadelphia and houses homeless youth is having a toiletries drive (toothpaste, toothbrushes, body washes, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving cream, body wash, deodorants, etc.). There will be a box at our building next Sunday. Email Princy to learn how you can help.
A Clinic in Philadelphia: Winson shared a few weeks ago about the clinic that he and Jon started with Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission. God has used them to provide medical care to homeless men in our city. Email Winson to learn how you can help.
A Clinic in Bombay: Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey has teamed up with Bombay Teen Challenge to raise funds for a clinic in the heart of the Red Light District in Bombay. Click here to learn how you can help.
Identifying, Destroying, and Replacing your Golden Calf
On Sunday, we preached Exodus 32 and God is Coming: How Could We Mess This All Up? Here are some questions for you and/or your SoulCare Community to consider in applying the text.
1. What is an idol?
2. What are some major idols in our city/culture?
3. What are your idols? To help you identify your idol(s), ask yourself these questions:
- What do you habitually dream about to get joy and comfort?
- What do you really want out of life?
- What is that if you could just have ___________, then your life would be happy, complete, acceptable, significant, secure?
- How do you spend your money? Jesus said that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Follow the money and you’ll find a road-map to your god.
4. Read Isaiah 44:9-20. What does the passage say about the folly of idolatry?
5. Read Psalm 115:4-8 and Isaiah 44:18-20. What are the spiritual effects of idolatry?
6. Having identified your idol(s), what would tearing it down look like? What are some specifics steps you are going to take to destroy the idols in your life?
7. Why is replacing worshiping idols with worshiping Jesus essential in the war against idolatry? What would this look like in your life?
8. Read Exodus 32:30-34. How can this passage grow your love for Jesus?
By Thy Mercy
Friends, we’ll be singing a new (old) hymn this Sunday called By Thy Mercy. Listen to it by clicking here. The lyrics are below as well. Between now and Sunday, pause for a moment and let the words of this song soak in a bit. Maybe make it part of your Sabbath to just listen. Or gather the kids around to hear it with you. Looking forward to singing with you on Sunday.
Jesus, Lord of life and glory,
Bend from heaven thy gracious ear;
While our waiting souls adore thee,
Friend of helpless sinners, hear:
From the depth of nature’s blindness,
From the hardening power of sin,
From all malice and unkindness,
From the pride that lurks within,
Refrain:
By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord
By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord, good Lord.
When temptation sorely presses,
In the day of Satan’s power,
In our times of deep distresses,
In each dark and trying hour.
When the world around is smiling,
In the time of wealth and ease,
Earthly joys our hearts beguiling,
In the day of health and peace.
In the weary hours of sickness,
In the times of grief and pain,
When we feel our mortal weakness,
When all human help is vain.
In the solemn hour of dying,
In the awful judgment day,
May our souls, on thee relying,
Find thee still our Rock and Stay.
