SEND: Taking Control of Your Email

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	ShiSend 07-08-84 SEND The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home David Shipley and Will Schwalbe Alfred A. Knopf, 2007, 245 pp., ISBN 978-0-307-26364-3

The secret is, of course, to think before you click. Send is a survival guide, filled with helpful lessons, a bit funny, and e-ssential. (adapted from the flyleaf)

One of email's stealthiest characteristics is to simulate forward motion, giving a feeling of action when nothing is happening. (7)

The great goal: email that is so effective that it cuts down on email! (7)

"On email, people aren't quite themselves: they are angrier, less sympathetic, less aware, more easily wounded, even more gossipy and duplicitous." (10)

Deadly emails can be vague, insulting, cowardly (You're being let go.), unending (Re: Re: Re: Re), sarcastic, too casual, or inappropriate. (13)

"How you send something can have a profound impact on what you're sending. Your method of delivery sends a message of its own." (15)

Conveying an emotion, handling a delicate situation, and testing the waters are usually done better by voice. (23)

"Email is both so intimate and so easy that it makes unwise actions far more likely…." (24)

"Rule: When it comes to outgoing messages, don't assume instant familiarity." (26)

Every email is an interruption. A letter is less intrusive. (27)

"The ease with which an email can be forwarded poses a danger." [Don't we all know it?! dlm] (27)

"Rule: Never forward anything without permission, assume everything you write will be forwarded." (28)

Never use an email to check references. You can't hear the pauses or strains in the voice. (40)

Job interviews, performance appraisals, job firings, and marriage proposals are among the obvious things that should be done in person. (50)

"Never do anything electronically that you would want others to do to you in person." (51)

"When I send an email to one person, there's a 95 percent chance I'll get a reply. When I send to ten people, the response rate drops to 5 percent. When you add people, you drastically decrease the exclusivity and make people feel they don't need to read the email or do what you ask." (56, quoting Patrick Lencioni)

"What a cc says is simply this: I want you to know what's going on, even though you probably don't have to do anything about it." (62)

Blind copies are sneaky things. Handle with extreme care. Don't talk behind the backs of the people you work with. But, on rare occasions, Bcc's are a way of signaling faith in your colleague, if you value his/her confidence. (74)

"Cc: I want you to know and I want the others to know that I want you to know.

Bcc: I want you to know and I DON"T want the others to know that I want you to know." (77)

"The Subject line is the most important, most neglected line in your email." (78)

Some useless subject lines: What to do?; ?????; Re:; FYI; Two things; Great news; Urgent; Tomorrow; Status; How is this? Quick question; We would like your assistance. (79)

Here's a BAD example of an actual email. Note how the enthusiastic Subject is deflated in the email:

"To: All Employees

From: H.R.

Re: MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY!!!!!!!

The Friday before Memorial Day weekend is a full working day. If you leave early, you need to mark it as a vacation day." (86)

Do you really need the attachment? Can you put the material in the body of the email? If you do send an attachment, tell in the message what's in it. (88)

Avoid all these symbols: Urgent, Notify Sender, and Follow-up Flag. Let the email speak for itself. (92)

Fonts. Don't allow the font style to overwhelm the message. Use black: it's easiest to read. Twelve-point type is the norm for business. Don't use backgrounds or wallpaper: neither is appropriate for a serious message. (96)

Use titles but avoid Ph.D. Address people as "Dear." Don't be too familiar or rude. (99) Don't be inappropriately formal or informal.

Your signature tells others how you want to be addressed. (111)

Vocabulary conveys tone - formal, casual, literal, figurative, precise, vague understated, exaggerated, simple, prosaic, etc. Some words are safer than others. (116) Be vivid and specific but write according to your relationship with the receiver. (117)

Don't use words if you don't know what they mean. You can embarrass yourself. (121) Poor spelling can change the entire meaning of the message. (123)

Simple, short, repetitive grammar intensifies. (127)

Thank you is appropriate after someone does you a favor but snotty before. (128)

Punctuation can be important. Compare No thanks to you. with No. Thanks to you. (129)

Keep paragraphs short. Don't bury the key point. Don't fear white space. (130)

CAPITAL LETTERS indicate shouting. Generally we don't like to be shouted at. Unless there is a celebration! (132)

Regarding requests.

"Email makes it easier than ever before to fire off requests. With the click of a mouse, you can ask anybody to do just about anything. This is not such a good thing." (141)

Put something attention-grabbing in the Subject line. Make your request early in the email. Be brief. Be specific. When you are asking an important question, don't bury it. Keep it to one sentence. Be straightforward. Be polite. Follow up, but gently. (143-153)

Resolving differences. "It's always worth replying promptly and with special cheerfulness to people with whom you've had misunderstandings or difficulties in the past." (161)

Thanks. Email is a terrific way to thank people for small things. For big things call or write a letter. (167)

Apologies. Three cardinal Rules for apologizing for a mistake you made on email:

1. Email got you in trouble, but it probably won't get you out of trouble. Fall on your sword and get on the phone.

2. Don't blame email. You sent it.

3. Pray that the wounded person has made a similar error and may therefore forgive. (173)

Emotions. Email makes us impetuous! Be careful. "Strong emotions are beasts that are hard to control when let out on the page or screen…." (175) "Sarcasm may be a less direct form of anger, but it's still anger." (186)

"In case you were worried, there is no proof that email makes you stupider." (193) [But it sure provides the opportunity for a whole lot more people to discover it! dlm]

"If you're going to be mean, it's best not to do it on email, for practical reasons as well as cosmic ones." (195) "If you wouldn't make the comment to the other person's face and stick around for the response, you probably shouldn't put it in an email. (198)

Email is not ephemeral. It's easily made public and it can live forever. "And it's not just your job you can torpedo--what you put in email can help sink a whole company. Think Enron." (199)

"Email has a special ability to make it look as thought you're breaking the law even when you're not." (200)

"Nothing bad can happen if you haven't hit the Send key." "If you haven't sent it, you still have time to fix it." (217) Use this acronym for proofreading:

S - Simple

E - Effective

N - Necessary (if not, delete it)

D - Done (how will you follow up?) (218)

Final Word: Give grace to the other guy and be hard on yourself. [dlm paraphrase] (222)

David

David Mays

The MissionExchange (formerly EFMA)

DMays@TheMissionExchange.org

www.TheMissionExchange.org

www.davidmays.org

Helping leaders fulfill their roles in the Great Commission

Organic Community: Creating a place where people naturally connect

ORGANIC COMMUNITY

creating a place where people naturally connect

by: Joseph R. Myers

jmyers@languageofbelonging.com

Baker Books, 2007

Foreword by Randy Frazee teaching pastor, Willow Creek Community Church; author, The Connecting Church and Making Room for Life:

"He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils." Francis Bacon, a seventeenth-century philosopher, penned these prophetic words. Accepting a new reality and moving people toward it is the clarion call of leadership. But change and transition can be a difficult task. Machiavelli said, "There is nothing more perilous than change." Because change is so difficult, we often delay moving in the new direction due to the mistaken notion that while things may not get better, they certainly won't get any worse. Now, instead of making the necessary changes, we also must deal with the negative effects of postponing that change.

A new reality is upon us, and change is already delinquent.

In the pit of the stomachs of most church leaders I know, there is this gnawing sense that Christian community has to be more natural, spontaneous, and life-giving. Yet most of us in ministry today have been trained to offer up models that are often overprogrammed and contrived.

Readers beware. Joe is not offering "Organic Community Kits." That is not his style. Rather, he provides a solid framework and makes us think for ourselves. He even encourages us to challenge his thinking. After years of being friends with him, I know that Joe is less interested in people thinking he is right than in good, healthy, honest dialogue taking place on the real issues of community.

Peter Block, The Answer to How is Yes: Acting on What Matters (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2003):

Transformation comes more from pursuing profound questions than seeking practical answers.

When we look for tools and techniques, which are part of the How? question, we preempt other kinds of learning. In a sense, if we want to know what really works, we must carefully decide which are the right questions for this moment. Picking the right question is the beginning of action on what matters, and this is what works. This is how we name the debate, by the questions we pursue, for all these questions are action steps. Good questions work on us, we don't work on them. They are not a project to be completed but a doorway opening onto a greater depth of understanding, action that will take us into being more fully alive.

Organic community has the human complexities that promote artistry over mechanics. In our worship of "how-to" pragmatism, we have in some cases treated the church as an object and programmed the life out of it. It would do us well to remember that our job is to help people with their lives rather than build infrastructures that help institutions stay alive. Sometimes we focus so much on building a "healthy church" that we forget to tend to the health of people.

The goal is not to manufacture community, nor is the goal to build programs. The hope is to watch living community emerge naturally and to collaborate with its environment in helpful, healthy ways.

The difference between a paint-by-number kit and the blank canvas of an artist is the difference between master plan and organic order. In short, master plan tries to manufacture life, whereas organic order is an invitation to live.

Master plans provide specific answers to future questions that have not yet been asked ~ that may never be asked. A master plan does not allow for flexibility, uncertainty, or serendipity ~ ingredients of the "aha" moment.

Those developing the master plan freeze their hopes for the future in the plan. This is not a vicious act. Indeed, those developing the master plan are likely to see it as a generous act ~ the gift of passing on their team's wisdom, spirit, and hope.

Master plans use the language of "ought" and "should," language that points to the future in a rigid, predetermined way. Organic order, on the other hand, does not use a language of "oughts" and "shoulds." It presents a language of possibilities.

When people are planning a new initiative (at church, for example), they often start with the question "Where are we headed?" The question "Where are we headed?" is always answered with some form of "There!" When planning a new initiative, I prefer to ask, "What are we hoping for?" Your answer to this question, whatever it might be, will serve as an organic guide. Most likely the answer will allow enough flexibility to deal with future questions as they emerge and the guiding principles to answer those questions more effectively.

Our focus should be on the journey, not the destination. When planning for organic community, the question that will move us forward is "What are we hoping for?" not "Where are we headed?"

In my short time on earth, I've witnessed or participated in various church models; the purpose-driven church model, the cell church model, the house church model, the seeker-sensitive model, the servant-evangelism model, and on and on. And I'm not that old!

These are all wonderful, descriptive, organic patterns that worked ~ they worked with those participants, they worked in those communities; they worked in those environments. We get into trouble when we think someone else's model will work exactly as described with our participants, in our communities, in our environments. We turn a descriptive, organic order pattern into a forced, prescriptive, master plan pattern.

Organic order suggests there are many patterns we can use to connect to God and others. Patterns do not produce clones.

People long to participate. They are looking for their place, a place that feels like home. However, many times there's a disconnect between longing to participate and actually participating.

How do we close the gap? Is it a matter of motivation? A matter of timing? Whatever the reason, one observation is clear. Many church leaders have spent too much time on the act of getting people to participate and too little time trying to understand how people participate.

People look for place before purpose, which is to say they seek first to belong before helping to meet a goal.

Sometimes leaders put their faith in master plans because they have greater faith in master plans than they do in people. Plans are more predictable and easier to control than people. And who controls the plan? Usually one person.

Measurement is an important part of our lives. It is a healthy, helpful tool. But many of us have been raised on an unhealthy, dose of results-oriented, bottom-line measurement. We develop a program with a mission statement, a vision, values, and goals. We have a clearly defined end. We are certain we know where we are headed and how to get there. We write a proposal that explains the program and informs our supervisors as well as ourselves how we will measure success.

This is the master plan approach to measurement. Measuring by the bottom line marshals all attention to an end point. The bottom line is an invitation to do whatever is necessary to reach that bottom line. It forces us to think too highly of the highs, and it drives us into panic and depression during the lows.

Measurement has dynamic power over the journey and the results. It is not neutral. The measurement is the message. Our way of measuring in not a neutral tool that simply tells us what there is to see. No, our way of measuring influences the facts in a way that has a profound effect on our perception of reality. Measurement is serious business.

We must understand what we are measuring. We are talking about measuring life ~ community, relationships, health. We are not talking about measuring inanimate entities. Reducing living organisms to a census count demeans the way we were created. Even the book of Numbers devotes only about 10 percent of its content to "numbers"; the rest is about the relationship between God and Israel.

Author Unknown -

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.

Peter Block, The Answer to How is Yes:

The quality of our experience is not measured by the seconds on the clock, but by the timelessness of our experience. We fool ourselves if we ask how long it will take before we know who we are, become conscious, identify with our purpose, or remember our own history in a more forgiving way.

Story is the measure of community.

Story is the universal measurement of life.

Stories are the measure of the journey.

Kennon Callahan has coined a phrase: "persons served in mission." He suggests that when we provide our congregational "counts," we remember to count "persons served in missions," not just our members, attendees, and former members. Might I add that by using the words "in mission," Ken is confirming that story is the measurement tool of community. Churches don't become legendary on the community grapevine via reporting of numbers. They become legendary through the sharing of their story of mission within the community.

Kennon L. Callahan, Building for Effective Mission: A Complete Guide for Congregations on Bricks and Mortar Issues (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995), 15

Through the mission work of a few people in the congregation, the whole church becomes a legend on the community grapevine. This is a happy by-product of doing mission effectively. The making of a legend doesn't require the participation of everyone in a congregation in that specific mission ~ after all, there is a diversity of gifts. At the same time, it happens because of the shared, joyful compassion of some doing mission for the sake of mission (not for the sake of becoming a legend).

Stories enable leaders to form a better picture of the health of community than numbers alone ever could.

Richard A. Jensen, Thinking in Story: Preaching in a Post-literate Age (Lima, OH: CSS Publishing, 1993) 18,19,21,24:

[M]ost of the storytelling art of Garrison Keillor is precisely episodic and not linear in nature. Keillor's stories very seldom resolve themselves. It is not because of the ending of the story that we listen and read so intently. We listen and read intently because we enjoy the journey itself.

In the end, "the only Big Plan is to discontinue the Big Plans. The only Big Answer is that there is no Big Answer." (William Easterly, The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good New York: Penguin Press, 2006, 30)

Master plan tries to deliver power through position. A person is set into a position on an organizational chart and given control, authority, jurisdiction, permission-granting rights, and influence. He or she is trained in how to use these tools to achieve the master plan.

Every project calls for various individuals to play a role in it. Sometimes one role may need to be fulfilled for the entire life of the project. Sometimes a role is very short-lived.

Sometimes there is an ebb and flow; the role exists in a fluid state. The point is that the project "tells" us who will steward the power during the many steps between onset and successful completion. The project demands the pacing, the contacts, the leaders, even the steps themselves.

Our success is not dependent upon a "one-positional powerhouse." It is not dependent on a charismatic leader. Everyone within the company participates in the power and shares their sources of power when called upon by the project, not because of their position in the company.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard business professor:

Your structures should be very loose and very flexible: less hierarchy, more opportunity for people to play many different roles. Sometimes you may be a team leader, and at other times you may be team member. Also, be very flexible with respect to titles, and very fluid in terms of moving people from project to project, depending on the requirements. And be very project oriented, rather than fixed-job oriented.

Cooperation is the means by which master plan coordinates. Organic order prefers collaboration.

Spirit of cooperation is a rigid spirit, one that stifles creativity and discovery. It is more concerned with sequence than rhythm. It squashes the human spirit. The master plan becomes the master.

Our theology influences the way we think about the organizational tool of coordination ~ more so than any of the other organizational tools. Do we see God as master planner or as creator of organic order?

A theology of God as master planner implies that God has a purpose ~ even one purpose ~ for your life and it's your lifelong job to pursue it, identify it, and live it out. The gospel becomes, "God has a plan for your life." God has planned the job, the life partner, the house, the child, and so on. He wants nothing more than our cooperation with his plan.

A theology of God as creator of organic order, however, allows for collaboration with him. We are privileged to participate with him in the forming of our future. He invites our ideas, our energy, our creativity, our perspective. He gives up a measure of control to facilitate relationship with us and to demonstrate his love.

We are changing not only the meanings of some of our words but also the very structure of how we form our sentences. Our understanding of this fundamental shift will affect how ~ perhaps even whether ~ we are able to connect future generations with the gospel.

We are moving from a noun-centric to a more verb-centric language, meaning that the verb is becoming the main idea of the sentence. Some indications of these changes, and the influences behind them, are

• word clustering
• Internet influences
• acceptance of quantum theory
• open source code initiatives

Our infatuation with nouns may have led us to describe the Holy in terms of a noun's need to objectify, limit, even control.

We are hesitant to express the Holy as verb and then operate accordingly. God is easier to get our minds, concepts, and theology around if the Godhead remains only noun.

God describes himself with the verb "I am." The Trinity is not three objects. The Trinity is a dance of three verbs. Three "I ams."

God as noun can become answer. God as verb can become a relational experience.

So what? What difference does it make ~ noun-centric or verb-centric? The difference is this: Language not only expresses social structures. Language also shapes worldview. Language shapes the way we behave and believe.

Keith Johnstone says, "There are people who prefer to say 'Yes,' and there are people who would prefer to say 'No.' Those who say 'Yes' are rewarded by the adventures they have, and those who say 'No' are rewarded by the safety they attain." [Keith Johnstone, Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (London: Eyre Methuen, 1981), 92]

A better question for the church might be "What can the church do to assimilate itself into people's lives?" instead of "How can we assimilate people into the church's life?" The church will have a more robust mission in the community (and the world) if it would try to assimilate into people's everyday lives.

As leaders of small groups, what if we asked, "How can we assimilate the church into the groupings people already have in their lives?" It is not the primary purpose of a church to have small groups. Rather, I believe it is a primary responsibility of a church to help people live whole, healthy lives. And as a part of the whole, the church could help people make healthy connections with those they encounter every day.

Sacred Assembly - Background Information

Our church has been going through a lot of spiritual warfare in recent months.

This is no surprise considering that our church’s leaders decided at the end of last year to initiate a massive focus on prayer in our church for 2007. A lot of good strides have been made over the last 10 months, yet in spite of that the spiritual battle has intensified.

In August I was reading through the book of Nehemiah as I was doing some ministry planning for the upcoming new ministry year which for us begins in September. With our eyes on all the opportunities for outreach and spiritual growth over the next 11 months of ministry between September and July I felt that we needed to get off on the right foot. It seemed to me that many in our congregation had gotten their eyes off of Christ and on to more distractive things. In addition, a situation had arisen over the summer months which included my mishandling of a situation within our ministry. I had sought personal forgiveness and reconciliation with the person I had wronged and offended yet God was still dealing with me about the situation. While studying through Nehemiah I came to chapters 9-10 where Nehemiah and Ezra called God’s people to an assembly. It became clear to me that this assembly was a catalyst God used to call His people back to faithfulness and obedience – a.k.a. – revival.

I knew that what God did in Nehemiah’s day was what we needed in our church. So I studied the steps that Nehemiah took and the commitments that the people made to God and we designed our own Sacred Assembly. One of the important elements of the assembly was the actions of the spiritual leaders in spearheading the event. So I outlined for our spiritual leaders what Nehemiah did and proposed that we likewise unite in leading our church in meeting together for Bible reading, personal and corporate confession, and worship. In the weeks and days leading up to the assembly it became clear to me that God wanted me on a personal basis to lead the way in confession.

Even though I had personally asked forgiveness from the person I had wronged, it was obvious that I needed to publicly ask this person to forgive me and give my commitment for reconciliation. I had met with this person the day before the assembly and we both knew what needed to happen but they didn’t commit to being present at the assembly. Less than an hour before the assembly they informed they would be present. In the assembly itself I brought I message from Nehemiah and just before releasing people to go to the prayer stations for personal reflection and cleansing, I publicly confessed my sin and asked the person to forgive me. I believe everyone was quite shocked. But looking back our leaders agree that this was the catalyst that opened the floodgates for everyone present to seek God and to seek forgiveness and reconciliation – not only with Him but with anyone with whom they had a strained relationship.

While everyone was moving from station to station, the person I had wronged came over to me, put their arm around me and after having been estranged from them for 3 months, extended their forgiveness to me. Words cannot describe the holiness of that moment. After a time of personal reflection and cleansing our elders led in prayers of confession to God for the sins of our church as a whole. We then, following the example given in Nehemiah, ended with a time of worship. After worshiping through song for 25 minutes the Spirit of the Lord was so powerful in the room that everyone was singing and praising God with uplifted voices and hands. It was a movement of God that we had never seen in the 12 year history of our church. The ripples of that event are continuing as people are continuing to forgive one another of offenses and renew their commitment to live holy lives for God’s glory.

Sacred Assembly - Research

Sacred Assembly Research

CALL A SACRED ASSEMBLY

by Claude V. King, Co-Author of "Experiencing God"

In the Book of Joel, God's people had experienced great destruction from swarms of locusts. As a spiritual leader, Joel knew the remedy was to call God's people to return to Him in a sacred assembly. When the people responded, God heard, forgave, and restored the land (Joel 1-3). Brothers and Sisters, now is the time to call God's people in the United States and in our churches to repentance.

"Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'" (Ezek. 33:11).

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand (Joel 2:1).

Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty (Joel 1:14-15).

"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing- grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'" (Joel 2:13-17).


If you sense, as I do, that God's people must cry out to the Lord at a time such as this and seek His mercies, call the people you lead to a time of sacred or solemn assembly- a holy convocation. If you sense a need for help in guiding God's people to repent in a time of crisis like we face, I've prepared the following suggestions to assist you. Most of the following is abreviated and adapted from my book Come to the Lord's Table: A Sacred Assembly for the Church. This book is a three or four week study to guide God's people in returning to Him in preparation for Communion or the Lord's Supper. But we may not have that much time to return to the Lord. Consequently, I'm providing the following suggestions to assist you in guiding an emergency sacred assembly to prepare the church for the crisis we are facing.

Service Elements by Claude V. King, Co-Author of "Experiencing God" Est. Duration: 1 - 2 hours Scripture does not provide a specific agenda for a sacred assembly, so ask the Lord to guide you in preparing for this service. Below I've suggested some elements that might be part of a sacred assembly. Customize a service for your church or group - you have great latitude in what the service is like. Include the elements you sense would be most helpful. Choose from the following elements to design your service or plan your own activities as God guides you. Music and Singing: If you use music at all, sing hymns or provide special music related to God's holiness, God's provision for our sin, forgiveness and cleansing, repentance and so forth. Scripture Reading: Read Scriptures related to the same topics. Include others that may call for members to deal seriously with specific sins. Consider responsive readings of Scriptures also. Message: If you choose to preach, use a brief message on the nature and importance of repentance or on the place of a sacred assembly in returning to the Lord. Keep in mind that the focus of this service is on response to the Lord not just teaching and learning. Use the message to call for response and reserve most of your time for responding to the Lord. Prayer: Provide for a variety of prayer experiences interspersed with Scripture reading or times for public response. - Provide soft music for a time of silent prayer and meditation. - Break into smaller groups of 4 to 8 (preferably members of the same sex). Invite members in each group to ask the question, "How may we pray for your spiritual needs?" Then have one or two in the group pray for each request. - Provide opportunity for people to come and share a need or confess a sin and pray with a pastor, a minister, elder, deacon, ministry team member, or intercessor. If appropriate, share some of these needs with the congregation and invite some members to come and surround the person with prayer. Public Confession: The general guideline for public confession of sin is to confess the sin as broadly as the offense. Reserve public confession for sin that has become publicly known or sin that is against the church or many of the members. I recommend that the pastor personally screen each person's desire for public confession and make sure it is appropriate. Those receiving people for prayer should agree on a procedure to follow regarding public confession. Following a public confession of sin, guide the congregation to express their forgiveness, invite the person to pray aloud and ask God for forgiveness, invite some members to gather around him or her and pray for mercy and victory, or in some other way respond to the request for forgiveness. Reconciling Relationships: Review the list of sins that may cause an offense. Then encourage members to go to each other to ask forgiveness or to be reconciled over offenses God has identified. Provide soft music. Ask those who are not sensing a need to reconcile to pray for their fellow church members who are needing to forgive and be reconciled. Don't rush this time. You may want to share guidelines similar to these: - If you are the offender, acknowledge your sin and say, "Please forgive me." Don't give excuses or try to justify your actions. Don't imply or make accusations about wrong on the other person's part. That is their responsibility. - If you sense a broken relationship exists and don't know what is wrong, say, "I sense that there may be a broken relationship between us, but I'm not sure I know why. Help me understand what I need to do to be reconciled with you." - If you miss getting to reconcile with anyone, contact him or her after the service. Testimonies: Invite individual testimonies about ways God has been working in lives during the service including experience of God's love and grace, a spiritual breakthrough, a victory over a besetting sin, reconciled relationships, confession of newfound faith in Christ, and so forth. Invitation to Receive Christ: Often in history, people have been converted during a time of sacred assembly. With the uncertainty in our land and the threats being made, some may sense a new or special urgency to reconcile with God. Extend an invitation for those who want to place their faith in Christ and provide a place with counselors who can assist those who respond. Open-ended Closing: As you close the service, invite members to continue responding to the Lord as long as needed. They may want to remain for prayer, continue seeking to reconcile relationships, or to seek out prayer with one of the leaders.

© 2007 by Claude V. King. Permission is granted to distribute the following unchanged and in it's entirity for non-commercial purposes only. It may be translated and adapted for use in churches and with other Christian groups. Major exerpts have been taken from Come to the Lord's Table: A Sacred Assembly for the Church by Claude King, (Murfreesboro, TN: Final Command Resources). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Underlining, italics, and bold face type in Scripture quotations are used by the author for emphasis and are not a part of the original Scripture text.

Background for Sacred Assemblies

by Claude V. King, Co-Author of "Experiencing God"

In 1989 Richard Owen Roberts of Wheaton, Illinois, introduced me and other leaders in my denomination to the biblical pattern for corporate repentance-the solemn assembly (or "sacred" assembly in the New International Version).1 We began to study sacred assemblies in Scripture to see their connections to revival. Sacred assemblies were occasions for God's people collectively to worship Him, to repent of personal and corporate sin, to remember His special blessings on them, and to anticipate future blessings. The prescribed sacred assemblies (or holy convocations) for Israel included the Sabbath (Lev. 23:3) and seven other days of sacred assembly: the first (Passover) and seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:4-8), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, Lev. 23:15-21), the Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25), the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:26-32), and the first and eighth days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-36).

Sacred assemblies were times for God's people to confess and repent of their sins. They were times to renew the covenant relationship with the Lord and return to Him in faithful love and obedience. They were times for worship and sacrifice, feasting and fasting. Even with these regular opportunities to renew fellowship with God, His people tended to depart from Him and from obedience to His commands. Spiritual leaders knew that the sacred assembly was a time for corporate repentance in the face of God's righteous judgments (see Joel 1-2). A number of national revivals in the Old Testament occurred in response to a sacred assembly.

The term "sacred assembly" is not used in the New Testament. However, Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Last Supper on one of God's prescribed sacred assemblies-the Feast of Passover. The first disciples were celebrating a sacred assembly when the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. The church of our day also needs regular opportunities for individuals and the church to renew their relationships with the Lord-to remember and renew the New Covenant relationship they have with Him. In light of the current crisis, we need to bring God's people together for an emergency sacred assembly to hurry back to the Lord.

Examples. The following are some examples of sacred assemblies in Scripture:

• Jacob assembles his family, Genesis 35:1-15
• Moses consecrates Israel, Exodus 19:10-19
• Joshua seeks the Lord following defeat at Ai, Joshua 7
• Samuel guides Israel to return to the Lord, 1 Samuel 7:2-13
• King Solomon and Israel celebrate Tabernacles and dedicate the temple, 2 Chronicles 5-7
• King Asa guides an assembly, 2 Chronicles 15:1-15
• King Jehoshaphat calls a fast, 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
• King Hezekiah celebrates the Passover, 2 Chronicles 30
• King Josiah renews the Covenant, 2 Chronicles 34:14-33
• Revival under Ezra and Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8-10
• Nineveh repents after the message from Jonah, Jonah 3

Multiple Leaders. Multiple leaders were characteristic in Old Testament revivals. I'd recommend you enlist other staff, elders, deacons, or other spiritually sensitive persons to assist you in planning and guiding the sacred assembly. If this is all new to you, you will find yourself walking by faith-and that is a good way to walk. Trust the Lord to guide you.

Who should come? In the Old Testament sacred assemblies they invited all who could understand. Older children, youth, and adults would certainly be included. Even younger children can benefit by seeing adults taking their faith and relationships with Christ and His church seriously. Call people to come for an open-ended period of time. You may want to hire some childcare workers for babies and preschoolers so every adult member can participate in the service. Or you may provide space in the back of your meeting room for parents to care for children and still be able to hear and participate.

Fasting. Fasting was commonly a part of the call to an emergency sacred assembly. The focus was perhaps three-fold: (1) deny self to seek the Lord, (2) don't waste time eating when more important matters must be dealt with, and (3) emphasize the seriousness of the time. Encourage fasting the day of the sacred assembly for those who are physically able to fast.

Pray. Seek the Lord's directions as you plan for and conduct a sacred assembly. Enlist intercessors to pray for you as you prepare.

Sacred Assembly - Order of Service

Sacred Assembly

PA CD Prelude

Worship Team Call to Worship: “Amazing Grace”

Rob Introduction

Worship Team “Come Thou Fount”

Rob Message/Scripture Readings

Rob Intro. Personal Confession at prayer stations

PA – CD background

Worship Team Song: “Take My Life”

Elders Corporate Confession of sins

Worship Team Worship Set

Rob Closing and dismissal

Worship Team Closing Song

Sacred Assembly Sermon Notes

Sacred Assembly

Background:

In the Old Testament Sacred Assemblies were usually associated with Jewish holy days like the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

At the Sacred assemblies the spiritual leaders would call God’s people to confess and repent of their sins. They were meant to renew their covenant relationship with the Lord and return to Him in faithfulness and obedience.

They were times of worship and sacrifice and fasting and opportunities to renew their fellowship with God. God’s people have always tended to depart from Him and from obeying His commands.

Spiritual leaders knew that the sacred assembly was a time of corporate repentance in the face of God’s righteous judgment. And when God’s people truly turned to God for repentance often revival would spring out from those sacred assemblies.

Sometimes God’s leaders wouldn’t wait for a Jewish holiday to arrive. If they felt the need to call God’s people together into a special Sacred Assembly they would.

The prophet Joel did this. God’s people had experienced great destruction from swarms of locusts because they hadn’t been faithful to the Lord. As a spiritual leader, Joel knew the remedy was to call God’s people to return to Him through a Sacred Assembly.

Joel 1:13-14; 2:12-13,15-16

God’s people weren’t being faithful in taking care of their spiritual responsibilities. And God said that the real issue wasn’t that the people weren’t doing what they were supposed to do. They weren’t, but that wasn’t the real issue.

The real issue was that their hearts weren’t right. God said, “Instead of tearing your clothes as a sign of contrition, if you want to tear something, tear your hearts cause that’s where the problem lies.

Your hearts aren’t right with me. Return your hearts to me and then we can get somewhere.” And the people responded, God heard their prayers, forgave them, and restored their land.

We’ve called this Sacred Assembly for our church for a number of different reasons:

• We’re at the beginning of a new ministry year and now is a good

time to join ourselves together in commitment to God before all the outreaches and disciple-making events of the next 9 months.

• To unify our entire congregation before the Lord. God blesses

churches that are unified – not churches that are divided.

• Because we long for God to bring revival into our lives, our church, and this community.

This Sacred Assembly is based on the one called by Nehemiah. Before we begin let’s sing this old hymn together.

Band: “Come Thou Fount”

In the book of Nehemiah it tells the story of how God called a man to go to Jerusalem and lead the people in a great building project. That man was Nehemiah.

And the building project was the walls around the city. Jerusalem had once been one of the most beautiful cities in all the world. In King Solomon’s days we’re told that gold was as common as rocks.

And Jerusalem was the capital city of God’s people, the Jews. But God’s people had forsaken him and over a period of hundreds of years God passed judgment on His unrepentant people.

Eventually he allowed a foreign nation, Babylon, to defeat Judah in battle and destroy Jerusalem. They killed a large percentage of the population. Many who weren’t killed were deported and resettled back in Babylon.

Only a very small remnant of the poorest people were left to live in the land. But 70 years later God sent a remnant back from Babylon to live in Jerusalem and they rebuilt the temple so they could once again have a place of worship.

And then several years later God sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem to lead the people in rebuilding the walls around the city. Throughout the course of that building project there were lots of distractions and obstacles.

People from the surrounding nations didn’t like it and they threatened to start a war with them. They ridiculed them and did everything they could to discourage the project.

Even some of their very own people were against rebuilding the walls. So Nehemiah was leading the people with attacks and opposition from without, and dissention and complaining from within.

But in spite of all that God blessed and the walls were completed in 52 days. And when it was over Nehemiah brought the people together in a Sacred Assembly.

Now that they had the temple rebuilt and now that the city had walls again, the people had what they needed to begin to prosper again and to become the righteous nation that God had wanted them to be.

Everything was in place except a spiritual revival. The people had to want to serve God. The people had to want to separate from sin and separate from the world and honor God first and foremost and be obedient to him.

So here’s what they did. Listen to Nehemiah 9:1-3.

They: Gathered together,

Fasted,

Read from God’s Law,

Confessed their sins,

Worshiped

We’re gathering here tonight like the people under Nehemiah. We’ve fasted this week and this morning and this evening we have read from God’s Law.

Only when we read and study the Bible do we understand our need to confess our sins. Only when we look into God’s Word do we understand that God is holy and that we must live holy lives for Him.

This morning we studied Romans 12:1-2 where God asks us to give ourselves on the altar - soul, body, mind and will as our spiritual act of worship to God.

And when we come face to face with a holy God as revealed in His Word we realize that we need to confess our sin before Him. We need to come clean so that His hand of blessing will be on us.

Worship came last. It came last because only when we truly confess our sins to God and come clean before him can we have a right relationship with Him. And only when we’re right with God can we truly worship unincumbered by sin.

I long to have God’s hand of blessing on my life, and my family and on this church body. I long for God to use us in this sinful world we’re living in as beacons of light and righteousness.

And that’s why this evening we’ve called this Sacred Assembly. To give everyone here a chance to hear God’s Word, confess our sins to Him, worship Him with clean hearts and leave this place going out into the world as witnesses taking the light of God out into our neighborhoods, our places of work, and our community.

The rest of Nehemiah chapter 9 recounts God faithfulness to His people down through the years. Folks, God has been faithful to us. He has never let us down. He has never failed to provide for us.

He has been faithful to this church now for the 12 years that we have been here in Norwalk. If you would agree with that, say, “Amen”.

Since God has been faithful to us I’m calling us to in turn be faithful to Him. I’m calling everyone here to commit ourselves anew to honoring Him in every area of our lives. And it begins with our spiritual leaders.

Listen as we hear from Nehemiah once again. Read Nehemiah 9:38; 10:28-39.

In these verses were 5 areas of commitment that the people were making. They said in Nehemiah 10:29 that they were going to follow the Law of God. They were pledging to obey the Word of God.

Tonight I’m going to ask you review your life. As best as you know how, are you obeying the Word of God in your daily life? If not, I’m asking you to commit yourself tonight to faithfully following the Word of God.

Secondly in verse 30 it says they were not going to allow their children to intermarry with the godless people around them. That’s a commitment to purity. I’m asking you tonight to commit to living a life of purity in reverence to God.

Third, in verse 31 it says that they would uphold the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship. I’m asking you tonight to commit to honoring the Lord’s day and not forsaking being here with your church family every Sunday.

Fourth, in verses 32-37 it says they would be faithful to tithe and give their offerings so that the service of the temple could be properly maintained. I’m asking you tonight to commit to honoring God with your tithes and offerings so that His work here at FCC can be properly taken care of.

And finally in verse 39 that they would do everything they could to take care of the temple so that proper worship of the Lord would continue effectively.

I’m asking you tonight to commit to likewise taking care of God’s temple so that worship of him will continue effectively in our personal lives and in our church as a whole.

Now, we’re going to spend some time in personal reflection and confession. We’ve set up 6 prayer stations around the room - one for each of these 5 areas of commitment and the cross here at the front.

Take a look at your notes. (Read paragraph)

At each station there will be one of our elders and at least one prayer partner. If you would like someone just to pray with you or pray a blessing over you, that’s why they’re there. Please feel free to ask them to pray with you.

Bow your head and close your eyes.

PRAY

When you are ready, feel free to move about and go to any or all of the stations. If you want to sit where you are and pray this handout you can do that. If you want to come up to the cross and pray you can do that.

When the band begins to sing we’re going to ask you to return to your seats and our elders are going to lead us in a prayer of corporate confession.

PRAYER STATIONS

BAND: Song

(Introduce with 2 Chronicles 7:14)

CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SINS (ELDERS) – STANDING

WORSHIP SET

CLOSING

Sacred Assembly - Confessions of Leadership

DAN:

God, your Word is holy and true. It is our light and our guide for everything pertaining to life and godliness.

Father, forgive us for not spending time in your Word on a daily basis.

Forgive us for not meditating on your precepts and truths and for not applying them to our daily lives.

Forgive us for not being grateful for your Word.

Forgive us when we have taken your Word, the Bible, for granted. God, most of us have the luxury of owning multiple copies of your Word, some collecting dust at home, while millions of people around the world have yet to own a copy in their own language.

We pledge ourselves anew today to honor your Word in the way we live and to make it our only source of truth and guide for living. We will not neglect your Word.

If you will make this commitment with us, say, “We will”.

MIKE:

God, we recognize your call to us this day to live holy and pure lives for your honor and glory. Give us O God a holy hatred for sin, and a heavenly contentment to find our purpose and meaning only in you.

Forgive us for allowing the world to influence our thought life. Forgive us when we use your holy name in vain and for not speaking up when we hear others use your name in an unholy fashion.

Forgive us for watching television programs, movies and internet sites that promote violence, sex and the acts of the sinful nature.

Forgive us for transgressing your command to not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers in relationships and marriage.

Forgive us of our immorality and perversion.

Please cleanse our mouths, Lord, of the way we have used our tongues to cause hurt and damage to other brothers and sisters in Christ.

Forgive us of our unwholesome speech, our lying, our critical words, our gossip, our slander, our cursing, and for every word not spoken in love.

Forgive us for complaining when we should be grateful.

Forgive us for offending others and not going to them and seeking forgiveness and restitution.

Forgive us for not mending broken relationships when it is within our power to do so.

We pledge ourselves anew today to live holy and pure lives so that others may clearly see your light shining through us.

If you will make this commitment with us, say, “We will”.

TROY:

God , today we thank you for the church of Jesus Christ. We thank you for this local body, Fellowship Community Church. We recognize you as the Chief Shepherd and the cornerstone of this church. We humble ourselves to you as the Lord of this church. We thank you for creating a place here in central Iowa where anyone can come and have their lives changed by your power. We thank you for the hundreds and hundreds of sinners who have been cleansed of their sin and granted eternal life through the witness of this church. We thank you for precious fellowship – a little taste of heaven – that is available for everyone who will take the time to invest in building relationships in this body.

Forgive us for not honoring you by being in this place for worship and fellowship every Sunday.

Forgive us for allowing our culture with it’s convenience, with it’s leisure activities, and it’s emphasis on sports and recreation to sway us from our commitment to being in your house with your family every weekend.

Forgive us for not having a positive attitude and not having an encouraging spirit when it comes to our church instead of praising you for good things you have done and are doing.

Forgive us for believing Satan’s lie that we don’t need each other and that’ we’re not better together.

O God, we pledges ourselves anew to honoring you and the command you gave to meet together every Sunday and to encourage others by our faithful attendance. We pledge ourselves to not tear down or criticize our spiritual leaders but rather to lift them up in prayer, asking you to give our leaders guidance and wisdom.

If you will make this commitment with us, say, “We will”.

ALLEN:

God you have commanded that our tithes be brought to your storehouse. We recognize that storehouse to be our local church through which you work to bring the gospel to the world. We recognize it is our responsibility as people who are fed and nourished and nurtured here in this flock to provide for the physical and material needs of our local congregation.

Father, forgive us for believing that our church doesn’t need our tithes.

Forgive us for thinking that no matter how small the gift may be that it is insignificant or unimportant.

Forgive us for robbing you when we have failed to give you our whole 10% of every increase that you have given us.

Forgive us for not being generous by giving above our tithe when you have prompted us to.

Forgive us for taking our spiritual gifts for granted and not using those to bless others by serving in this body.

Forgive us when we leave it up to others to carry the financial and ministry loads of this church.

God, we proclaim our desire today to honor you faithfully first with our tithes, then with our offerings as you guide and provide. May none of us be found guilty of robbing you because we recognize that you own everything that we call ours and that you have been good to all of us – even more than we deserve.

If you will make this commitment with us, say, “We will”.

TOM:

God, thank you for this temple, this building, that you have given us as a center for outreach and ministry. We feel very blessed by your provision and know that without you it would not have been possible. We recognize that it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to take care of and care for this beautiful building and the land you have provided.

Forgive us for allowing only a small group of people carry the load of taking care of our building and maintaining it and our property.

Forgive us for when our leaders have asked for help and we have turned a deaf ear.

God, we also recognize that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that they do not belong to us. Our bodies belong to you and we are to honor you by how we care for them.

Please forgive us for mistreating our bodies through poor health choices.

Forgive us for destroying our temples by allowing alcohol, cigarettes and other chemicals into them and for our dependency upon these destructive substances.

God we pledge ourselves anew this day to be responsible for this building as a meeting temple for your people and to care for our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. We echo the words of Nehemiah and your people in saying, “We will not neglect the house of our God.”

If you will make this commitment with us, please say, “We will”.

ALAN:

God, this evening we thank you for the cross. Thank you for that great symbol of your everlasting mercy and love. Thank you, Father, for loving all of us sinners in all our ugliness and unholiness. Thank you for giving your Son, Jesus Christ, as the payment for our sin. Thank you, Jesus, for willingly humbling yourself and becoming one of us and giving your life so we could have eternal life through you. It is because of your unfailing, everlasting love that we make these commitments today.

Forgive us for daily forgetting to thank you for your love for us.

Forgive us for daily not expressing our love to you.

Forgive us for not making our personal relationship with you our highest priority.

Forgive us for not loving what you love and hating what you hate.

Forgive us when we allow sin to go unchecked and unconfessed.

Forgive us for being so self-reliant and self-sufficient.

Forgive us for not surrendering to your lordship and your Spirit’s control over our daily lives.

God, we place our bodies, and our lives on the altar of sacrifice like Romans 12 commands us to do. Take our lives and use them to bring you glory and honor. Use us to bring light to a darkened world. Use us to bring life transformation to children, teens, adults and families all over Norwalk and central Iowa. God without you all of this is impossible. We humbly ask you to take us, the weak vessels that we are, and strengthen and empower and use us beyond anything we could ever dream or imagine.

If you will make this commitment with us, please say, “We will”.

Sacred Assembly - 5 Areas of Reflection and Repentance

FCC Sacred Assembly

“…on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

Nehemiah 8:18 (KJV)

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast,

call a sacred assembly. Gather the people,

consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children…”

Joel 2:15-16a (NIV)

The 5 areas of commitment God’s people made in Nehemiah 9-10 are listed below and correspond to the stations around the room. A sixth area and station is represented by the cross. Go to any or all of the stations as God directs you and read the information listed for that station. Spend time in prayer and confession. Our purpose is to ask God to reveal to us any personal sin in these categories and commit ourselves to faithfulness in these key areas of our lives.

Category #1. God’s Word (Neh. 10:29)

It is God’s will for every believer to obey His Word, the Bible. Remember, you cannot love God and yet not love His Word. Psalm 119:15-16 says “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

Consider these areas for personal reflection/confession. If you find yourself neglectful in any of these areas, confess that to the Lord and receive His forgiveness.

- Do I make it a habit to seriously read and study God’s Word daily?

- Do I meditate on key verses or does God’s Word have little place in my thoughts?

- Do I memorize God’s Word?

- Do I practically apply God’s Word to my everyday life?

Category #2. Purity (Neh. 10:30)

God desires that we live pure lives first and foremost to bring Him glory and honor and secondly as a testimony to non-believers. Purity includes our physical bodies as well as our spiritual lives. It includes relational purity as well as purity of attitude. As you consider the following areas, if God speaks to your heart about a sin, confess it so you may receive His forgiveness.

Areas for personal reflection/confession:

- Is my mind often filled with unclean words and thoughts?

- Do I take sinful thoughts captive so they do not take root and become sin in my mind and life? (2 Corinthians 10:5)

- Do I watch programs, movies or internet sites that stimulate improper thoughts and feelings?

- Do I date non-believers when God says not to? (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

- Am I free of all sexual immorality?

- Do I speak slang words that are crude and inappropriate? (Ephesians 4:29; 5:4; Matthew 5:37)

- Do I use God’s name in vain (in any way other than worship, honor and praise)?

- Am I guilty of lying?

- Am I guilty of critical, angry speech, or any form of gossip or slander?

- Have I been critical or slanderous of my spiritual leaders? Do I undermine their authority?

- Do I increase the faith of our church by a positive attitude or do I tear it down by focusing on it’s imperfections?

- Am I known as a complainer?

- Is there someone I have wronged or offended that I need to seek forgiveness from?

- Do I sense a broken relationship with someone else and I may not know what the issue is, but I need to approach that person and be reconciled?

Note: If God lays on your heart someone you need to talk to why not do it right here tonight?

Category #3. Church (Neh. 10:31a)

From creation all the way through the New Testament God set a standard for our physical and spiritual well-being. In the Old Testament that standard was called the Sabbath – the setting aside of one day a week whereby you could gain physical rest as well as honor the Lord in worship. The New Testament saints carried that standard on as they gathered together once a week with their local church for worship and fellowship. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Do an honest evaluation of your heart and life with the questions below. If God brings conviction humbly ask for His forgiveness.

Areas for personal reflection/confession:

- Have I set the standard for my family that we will honor the Lord every Sunday by being in church no matter where we are?

- Have I allowed our culture to lure me away from faithfulness with convenience, leisure activities, sports, or personal profit?

- Is God pleased with my commitment to His church?

Category #4. Tithes and Offerings (Neh. 10:32-37)

God called His people to bring specific portions of every aspect of their livelihoods so that the Levites and priests could perform the service of the temple. Although these commands were not carried over into the church age in the New Testament, the concept of giving God the first of our livelihood still remains.

God has always expected His people to provide what is necessary so that His spiritual servants could do their job and so that His temple (in the O.T.) and His church today can function the way He has designed.

Areas for personal reflection/confession:

- Does God receive the first, full 10% of all my increase (regular pay checks, bonuses, unexpected financial blessings, etc.)?

- Do I honor the Lord by giving above my tithe free-will offerings to other needs and opportunities as He may lead?

- Do I honor the Lord by using my SHAPE (Spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences) in serving Him in my church family?

Category #5. God’s Temple (Neh. 10:39)

The applications of this commitment are many. The Old Testament temple was a physical place that God expected His people to care for. Today, it is the responsibility of the people of FCC to provide for and care for our building and grounds.

In addition, since the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no one place where God dwells or has commanded us to worship. God’s temple is now our bodies and He expects us to care for our bodies like the Old Testament saints cared for the structure called the temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Areas for personal reflection/confession:

- Do I support the ministries of FCC not only with my giving but with my involvement?

- Have I ever responded when the call is given to help with projects at the church (Spring Spruce-up, Fall Clean-up, building/land repairs and improvements, etc.)?

- Regarding my body, do I take care of my physical body by getting the proper rest, nourishment and exercise that I need?

- Do I have any habits which are destroying my body – the temple of the Lord (alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, etc.)?

- Can I with clear conscience say that I am “not neglecting the house of our God”?

Category #6. The Cross

The cross reminds us of our sin and our need for forgiveness and salvation. It reminds of Jesus who gave His life so we could have life. The cross is where we make commitments. It is through the power of the cross that we are able to keep the commitments that we make.

Areas for personal reflection/confession:

- Was there ever a time in my life that I genuinely repented of my sin and placed my faith in Jesus Christ for salvation? (Why not confess your sin to him right now and ask him to forgive you and give you eternal life?)

- Is my relationship with Christ my highest priority?

- Do I love what God loves and hate what God hates?

- Is Jesus the Lord (director and master) of my life?

- Am I willing to forsake and sacrifice anything for God and His kingdom?