What Do You See?

This is the back door to the Capitol Theater - where our Church gathers on Sunday mornings.
The backdoor of the 567 shares this great space.

What do you see in these pictures?



Trash? Weeds? A Broken chair or 2?



How about this - Could you see...
Flower gardens
beautiful landscaping
bright lighting
dumpsters moved and/or hidden
A small stage behind the old Liz Reeds
Stage lighting
maybe some outdoor tables set up on certain occasions
back door signs for the 567 and other businesses
Could you see a small outdoor music venue?
Can you see People moving around from Spaghetti Alley, Tokyo Alley, and the Downtown Grill... The smell of good food, the sound of good music, and maybe every once in a while a movie projected onto the side of one of the buildings?

Hmmmmmm... Are you ready to redeem our alley???

Addicted to Pornography

Breaking Pornography Addiction
By David Powlison, CCEF Faculty

Have you ever said anything like this?
“I’ve tried to stop so many times, but somehow I still end up in front of the computer surfing websites.”
“Cold showers, prayer, avoiding situations—I’ve tried everything. Is there any hope for me?”
“I know I should get help, but I am too ashamed.”
“I thought only men struggled with pornography, but I spend way too much time in my own little fantasy world.”

If you have, it’s likely that you are feeling trapped by an addiction to pornography and sexual fantasies. You feel guilty and ashamed, but you just can’t seem to stop. Maybe you are starting to notice that your relationships with the real people in your life are being affected by your struggle.

There is no magic bullet to free you from your addiction, but when you ask Jesus for help, he will come to you mercifully and firmly. Jesus welcomes all kinds of strugglers into his kingdom, and his Spirit will provide the deep-down change you long for.

Change happens when you face your behavior honestly, understand the roots of your behavior, and then go to God to work true change in your life. The true change that comes from God will affect not only your behavior, but also your imagination and desires in life. Do you believe God can do this? Take a step of faith; read this article, and ask God to use it to begin to change you.

Read the entire article here.

Bragg Jam Pics from the 567

Bragg Jam was huge this year and a whole lot of fun. This may have been the giggest year yet for the annual event. Thanks to all of our volunteers, not just from me, but from the 11th Hour's Brad Evans and all of the board who puts Bragg Jam together.

Here's a couple of extra shots from our Church - the Capitol Theater... where it was PACKED to say the least! They finished up at about 1:45am - We were setting up at 8:30am.

Why We Serve at Bragg Jam

I have been enjoying an e-mail conversation on what being missional means and looks like. I described some of that for NCCd - and how this weekend that meant many of our folks volunteering for Bragg Jam and serving in venues from the River Walk to several local bars. I explained that we would not be tending the bar, but selling merchandise and tickets, here's what followed with some editing:

Keith, I have been thinking about our conversations, and was wondering the purpose of your members serving in the bars. Don't get me wrong, I believe in reaching the lost. My father was in prison for 10 years and I grew up in bars rather than church, but I am curious how selling tickets open doors.

My response:
Primarily it is a relationship thing.
1) New City's relationship with those putting on the event just went through the roof - we provided 1/3 of their volunteers. This group - and their entire board are all working for the revitalization of downtown, where our church is. This event is a part of that revitalization. So - as a whole our involvement opens doors with all of those connected with this event. Some of those board members and I are already having great conversations about religion and Jesus.
Not only that, but this will also give us an opportunity to be a part of future decisions that shape who our city is and will be...
2) It allows our volunteers to step out of their comfort zone and go where Jesus would go - and I do believe that Jesus would go to those places. Our volunteers - mostly - have backgrounds of cultural withdrawal where everything not 'church' is bad and should be avoided. They are being stretched.
3) As they serve, many of them will serve with other volunteers they do not know - volunteers who are unchurched, unsaved, and generally feel condemned by the church rather than loved. They will (at the very least) get an opportunity to start a new relationship and be Jesus - if only for a little while tonight.
In all of these relationships we hope to ultimately show and share Christ. Perhaps
we will have the opportunity to share Him tonight - perhaps it will come over time as we develop new relationships.

Jesus was a friend of sinners - would people describe you or your church in that way?
Jesus was called a glutton and a drunk - not because he was one, but because as a friend of sinners, that was often the company that he kept. What are you or your
church in 'danger' of being called?
We want to go where Jesus would go.
Love those whom Jesus would love.

This certainly isn't an exhaustive list of all the 'whys' nor is it an exhaustive explanation of our missiology, but hopefully it will help those who read and question understand a little better why we do what we do.

Mission flows from the gospel. Understanding the gospel is essential to a right missiology.
For example - Jesus came for the sick, not the well - GOSPEL
Jesus came for sinners, not the righteous - GOSPEL
Jesus took on flesh and dwelt among us (rotting flesh, dirty rotten stinking sinners) - GOSPEL
Jesus suffered and died for sinners - GOSPEL
No matter who we are, we are sinners all the same - we share a common problem (no matter how good or bad our rules and laws deem us), we are sinners in need of a Svior - we all share a common solution > Jesus.

Some Pics of My City

Just took a walk around the block - needed to take a break from the sermon prep...

The Rabbit Hole of the Gospel

The Matrix is one of my favorite movies... This scene is one of my favorite scenes:



Several recent conversations have reminded me of this scene.
As I talk with different people about the Gospel and Religion - about living rather than practicing, I often think of the Blue Pill and the Red Pill.
The Blue Pill is Religion - take it and you wake up tomorrow and believe whatever you want to - everything continues as it has.
The Red Pill is the Gospel - take it and EVERYTHING changes. Take it and enter into Wonderland - see how deep the rabbit hole goes!

The Gospel changes EVERYTHING.

H U G E Impact

An impact player is someone who by their presence alters the outcome of an event. High impact players make a difference. Brett Favre was an impact player (and may be again?). Michael Vick, love him or hate him, was an impact player.
New City Church is becoming an impact player! I just got a look at he list of volunteers for this year's Bragg Jam.
Think about this...
Of all the bars, taverns and venues in Macon, only nine were selected as a Bragg Jam venue - the 567 is one of them!
There are approximately 73 Volunteers serving all over Macon for Bragg Jam - 24 of that 73 are New City Church volunteers!
That is a Huge Impact!

Gospel Leadership

This past Sunday we talked about church leadership - specifically the overseer of I Timothy 3. As we ran through numerous NT passages we saw that:

1) The Overseer is male - the authority in the church

2) The term Overseer is used interchangeably with Elder and Shepherd/Pastor - all descriptions of the same office in the church

3) The local church had a plurality of elders/overseers/shepherd-pastors

There was not a single LEAD pastor but a group of equals who worked together

4) The primary responsibility – not the only – but the primary responsibility of this group of men was to guard the true gospel of Jesus Christ. All other duties of prayer, teaching, and leadership are tied to their gospel leading.

These men are the Guardians of the Gospel - leading in the gospel - loving the Bride of Christ - working, striving, and sacrificing to see her nourished and growing in the gospel.

A Difficult and Beautiful Gospel Truth

I Peter 1 ... 5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

The marks of an 'effective and fruitful' follower of Christ, it seems, should be - faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.
Do you desire those things? Not simply to possess in part, but to have them and to be growing in them?

Probably you do desire those qualities - probably you have tried to attain them. Maybe you have tried many times. Maybe you have tried really hard.

So what's the problem? Why can't you seem to get it? Why does it seem that you aren't growing in this fruit?

'Maybe,' religion whispers, 'you just aren't good enough for this Christianity thing.'
'You're a failure!'
'Try harder!' religion shouts! 'You just are trying hard enough.'
'If you were REALLY a good Christian you could do it.'
Perhaps religion has told you to compare yourself with someone else - and has told you 'you should just be like them - see how THEY have it all together.'

Is that you? You've tried and failed, and tried again.

Stop trying. It is true - you cannot do it. You are a failure. Try as hard as you can to be as good as you can - and you will fail again.
Pick yourself up by your bootstraps, dust yourself off and with even more resolve try again! And you will fail.

The problem is not our effort - it is our sight.
Religion teaches us that Jesus saves - and then we must work - and work harder!
But not the gospel...
9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Peter does not say that if we lack these qualities and are not growing in them we should TRY HARDER - he says that we have become nearsighted, we are blind - because we have forgotten the good news - that Jesus, the perfect has come! He lived out those qualities perfectly for us. He suffered and died for us - in our place because no matter how hard we try to get it right we can't. He has cleansed us from our sins. He has empowered us with His Spirit. he has defeated death and risen victoriously as our King who sits at the right hand of God.

Try harder? This is tough... NO.
Don't try harder.
Remember the gospel.
Remember what He has done for you - and look beyond your failings and imperfections and look to Him.

II Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The first Peter fruit of the growing Christian does not come by our righteous efforts, but by gazing at the glory of HIS righteousness. Sanctification - the process of growing in these Christian fruit comes - and we are transformed from glory to glory into the image of Jesus - not by stupendous effort or disciplined lies - but by beholding His glory.

THAT is Good News.
It is a Beautiful Gospel Truth.

The Big Story

In 3 minutes could you share the BIG STORY - Creation / Fall / Redemption / Restoration?
The biggest shortcoming I see is written of by JD Grear - HERE -and that is, that while the major themes of the BIG STORY are presented and the approach is much more holistic than other 'presentations', it is somewhat man-centered rather than God centered. While God is mentioned, the problem of sin against God is minimized. And while the approach is holistic, and restoration is presented, restoration is more than human - we are restored to a right relationship with God.
That said, a few minor tweaks and I think James Choung's presentation is pretty good.
Maybe this will be helpful to you. What do you think?

Here’s my attempt to explain the Christian faith… in three minutes. Crazy, right? InterVarsity asked me to do it, and here’s the result. I wanted to present a more holistic faith — something closer to the gospel that Jesus taught. Of course, many details will be painfully left out in such a short amount of time. So it’s not anything close to a perfect presentation. But it forced me to make it concise, so I appreciate the assignment — though I would never share it this quickly in person. James Choung