December 19, 2012

Acts 2:32-33 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. ³³ Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.”

Sunday was an emotional service for many as we closed our fall series “Portraits of Christ” with the last portrait - “Risen Christ.”  It was emotional because it hit home.  I revisit the points today because I don't want us to move on so quickly losing the impact of the experience we had together. 

Jesus is the “Risen Christ” and therefore (1) Sin is Forgiven, (2) Restoration is Made Possible and, to aid us as followers of Jesus (3) the Holy Spirit is Given.  The number of hands that went up in both services was numerous. That signified a need to ask God for forgiveness from something nagging our conscience.  It illustrated so well the point that we are in need of forgiveness, but not just forgiveness but...restoration.   Jesus did not overcome death, hell and the grave so we could be forgiven, but that we would be restored to the Father in full relationship.  Today, don't settle for anything less than restoration.  Be at rest in the fact that you are forgiven, then look to the person of the Holy Spirit to be that comforter, counselor and truth-teller about your life in Christ.  This is the step so many of us do not take...and we suffer needlessly because of it.  Seek the power and the presence of God’s Spirit daily so you can live restored!

This coming Sunday we are looking forward to Christmas!  My wife Becky and I will be speaking on the promise from Isaiah 9:6.  Take an early look and see how God will speak to you.  These will be family services and we are looking for ways to include our children.  We will be handing out 5 ornaments per service and would like to choose from a list of people who respond to this devotional.  All you need to do is send an email to mystory@baysidech.com. Include your child's name, age and which service they will be in.  We have a team that will draw names and give them out at the service.  The entries must be in by this coming Friday at noon to be in the drawing.

We hope you will be joining us for Christmas Eve Communion and candlelight services.  These are always so special and an opportunity to invite your friends and family who don't usually attend church.

Please know we love you and look forward to seeing you!  May God richly bless you.

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog.

PS - We appreciate everyone who makes good use of the parking located on the new property.  Anyone who parks over there this weekend will be eligible for a special treat!

December 12, 2012

“When you bear much fruit, you are my true disciples.  This brings great glory to my father.”
John 15:8
 

Last Sunday we finished our third week examining this passage known as The Vine, found in John 15.  As we conclude this passage, I wanted to leave you with a couple of closing thoughts.  From the passage we learned that pruning is critical to a branch if it is to bear any fruit. Without pruning, we get no fruit.  With pruning, we can have much fruit.  The key is to “remain” in Christ and the pruning will literally take care of itself because we will be following the lead of God.  When we let God lead us, we will see great fruit come from our lives.  It’s easy to want to resist pruning because we think it will hurt, but the truth is we already hurt.  God is trying to get us to the other side of the pain caused by insecurity, anger, bitterness, lust, jealousy, etc.  Give in to the pruning.  God’s work “fruit” will not become your worst nightmare, it will become a beautiful dream come true.  Remember, to move from bearing no fruit, to bearing much fruit. The following will draw you in the right direction.

1.      Work through obvious contradictions in my life. 

2.      Simplify...sort out my priorities!

3.      Who am I now?

a.      Words, thoughts, behaviors and attitudes.

4.      Who does God describe me to be?

a.      Psalm 15, Galatians 5:16-26, Matthew 5, 6 & 7

5.      Let God’s grace have its way!

a.      Freedom from: Time to cut loose of some of the old life...friends, hobbies, habits and pursuits that are wasting my time.

b.      Freedom to: Be intentional about next steps and embrace the freedom and confidence He created me to live in.

This coming Sunday we will be closing our series with a portrait of the “Risen Christ.”  This will be a great event to bring a friend to.  Take a look at the last chapters of John as you look toward Sunday. 

We are excited to see you as we all come together and celebrate the goodness of our God.

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog.

December 7, 2012

"Remain in me" John 15:4.  These three words are so unbelievably simple and yet they open a door for us, as followers of Jesus, to experience Heaven on earth. What is true in Heaven can be true of us...if we will "remain."  Seriously, who doesn't want that!

How about you today?  What is true in Heaven that needs so badly to be true in your life?  It’s yours...if you will "remain". Take the time today...right now, to "remain" in Christ. If you are struggling to understand how to "remain", clue in to the last couple of weeks Sunday messages on our website or by utilizing the Bayside 3.0 app available for Mac and Android users in the App Store. The messages will open a whole new dimension to your life in Christ.

This coming weekend we are wrapping up the John 15 passage with part 3.  We are specifically tackling "how" to see that which is true in Heaven become true in you.  Are you looking for a huge breakthrough in your life?  We are going to show you how!  Seriously, this weekend’s talk has massive potential...don't miss it.

We love you and look forward to seeing you this weekend as we gather to celebrate the work of God in our lives.

Remember the 11 o'clock service now starts at 10:45.

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog.