It’s Time To Take Our Personal Faith Public---No More Secret Disciples

Last Sunday we read, “Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away.  With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes.” (John 19: 38-39)  Both men who had been hiding in the shadows took their faith publicly by taking the body of Jesus down, anointing him with oil and placing him in the family tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.  Both of these men are devout Jews, teachers of the Law, so they knew that touching the body of a dead man meant they could not worship in the Temple, make sacrifices or observe the Passover for seven days.  Why would they do such a thing? Because they trusted that Jesus was the Messiah, the paschal Lamb, who came to take away the sins of the world---Jesus was the Passover—For the angel of death will not have the final word for all of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ.  They took their faith public.

Our Christ Church family has had a full summer with our students going to Fuge and our kids to Mega Sports Camp where, 61 children made first-time decisions to follow Jesus, and 22 others recommitted their lives to Him. That is 83 commitments to Christ.  We broke ground on our new building for our Lincolnton Campus, prayed over the land, and put a stake in the ground to reach unchurched thousands in Lincoln County.  Our Ghana Mission Team gave medical care to 497 people in three villages, built three pavilions for worship in each village and witnessed 170 baptisms.  Throughout the summer our campuses have had dozens of baptisms as well.   There is no greater joy in the world then to see folks take their personal faith public by receiving and declaring Christ as Lord and Savior.  This is our Mission and what Vision 2:28 is all about as we planted three new churches in Ghana, and nearly 200 baptisms and professions of faith have occurred. Our total giving is now $917,387, which puts us just $83,000 short of having the first million towards our five million dollar goal. Let’s all do our part and have 100% participation.

Christ Church welcomes two new staff members!  Mike Moffatt is our new Life Group Pastor at Christ Church coming to us from Life Church in Mansfield, Texas.  Matt Ledford is our new College and Young Adult Pastor coming from Journey By Grace Church in Pittsburg, PA.  Their passion and expertise will help us further our mission of Reaching and Developing.

Two more Sundays remain in our John: The Life Giving Gospel series and we begin the “Hot Topics” series on Sunday, September 6 as we spend six weeks in the Book of Ephesians studying a chapter each week.  With greater passion and commitment we will take our personal faith even more public—No Secret Discipleship at Christ Church.  The Good News of Christ is too good to keep to ourselves…let’s go public by inviting someone to worship this Sunday!

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Charles
   

Fusion Weekend is an unforgettable 3-day camp experience for middle and high school students, hosted by CCStudents at Camp Valley Haven. Open to all students in 6th–12th grade, this weekend is designed to help students grow deeper in their relationship with Christ while having an absolute blast. From incredible worship and powerful testimonies to meaningful small group discussions, hands-on service projects, high-energy group challenges, and late-night campfires with s’mores—Fusion Weekend has something for everyone. Don’t miss out on this life-changing experience! Scan the QR code above for more details and to register.

Calling all Kids in Kindergarten-5th graders!
You are invited to join us on Friday, September 25th from 7-9 pm at the Mt. View Campus for an evening of worship, fun, fellowship, and plenty of glow. Kids will enjoy glow-in-the-dark fun, pizza, drinks, dessert, worship, and fellowship.
For more info and to register your child, visit bit.ly/CCKds.
We can’t wait to see your kids GLOW for Jesus!