Thinking Disciples

A Jacked Up View of God

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:48:29 +0000

Be honest. When you think of characteristics that describe God what is the first thing that comes to mind? We know God loves us but do we think of God as a good God? I would argue many Christians walk around with a distorted image of God. Although he loves us, we get a picture of God who is continually tipping the scales and we usually come up short.

We picture God through a cloudy reflection of our own personal experiences and relationships.

Maybe you had a father who was more of a disciplinarian and all of a sudden our picture of God becomes more of a taskmaster than a loving Daddy (Abba). I would argue this: The farther we get from God the more our view of God becomes distorted. KEY: Keep it close.

I truly believe this. Your distorted view of God will directly affect your relationship with God. Yesterday at CityChurch (and last night at Community Group) we talked about the story of Hosea & Gomer (Hosea 1-3). You may need to read that one. God tells Hosea (a prophet of God) to marry Gomer (a prostitute).

Hosea 3:1 "The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods..."

We get a picture of Hosea wandering through the streets looking for his adulterous wife. Hosea represents God, and we represent the prostitute (that's right). God is continually searching for us and drawing us back into relationship with him regardless of how far we've gone astray (i.e. prostitution).

What an amazing picture!!! This is a story of PURSUIT (and you are the one being pursued). I think some of us could greatly benefit by changing our picture of God.

Redemptive Love Sermon Series: Relentless

CityChurch 1 Month Review

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:31:19 +0000

CityChurch celebrated its 1-month anniversary this past Sunday. There is one phrase that comes to mind after reviewing the last month, “God is faithful.” During our DIRT sermon series that explained our 4 core values as a church we have seen numerous people take the next step in their walk with Christ.

Things to Celebrate:

· 12 people have committed their life to Christ over the past month & numerous people have shared their story of turning back to God

· We have expanded our mentoring partnership with Wright Elementary and the Tulsa Boys Home

· We had 145 people worshipping with us last Sunday morning (2.21.10)

· CityChurch stepped up and raised money and remodel materials for the Jordan family who lost their home in a fire and have several children with special needs

· This past Sunday night we had our Community Group kickoff night where we launched 4 new community groups

· We have expanded our worship team, cityKIDS team, connect team, and set-up/tear-down teams

Things to Come:

· This Sunday we start our new series, Redemptive Love, where we will talk about understanding our place in God’s story of Redemption

· We have a HUGE vision for Love Tulsa and we will have several people sharing their stories on Sunday morning over the next several weeks

· We will be launching more Community Groups in the very near future!!!

· We are excited about going on the journey with an amazing group of people.

City Church Launch!!!

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:33:49 +0000

Despite about 8 inches of snow/ice the City Church Launch was a huge success. We had about 170 people from around the community join us with several individuals making a first time commitment to follow Christ. We are so excited to begin this incredible journey.

During the service we also announced that City Church will begin a renovation project for the Jordan family, a family who lost their home to a fire over Christmas.

It's Here!!!

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:48:07 +0000

January is finally here and it's a huge month for City Church. Here is a schedule of our upcoming month. Even if you're not a part of City Church but want to help us during our "Invite Saturdays" we would love to have you.

January

Jan 3 - Launch Team Training 6PM at Tulsa Ballet

Jan 9 - Invite Saturday (doorhangers) 10am - noon

Jan 10 - Preview Service #1 Tulsa Ballet @ 10:30AM

Jan 16 - Invite Saturday (doorhangers) 10am - noon

Jan 17 - Preview Service #2 Tulsa Ballet @ 10:30AM

Jan 23 - Invite Saturday (doorhangers, etc.) 10am - 2PM

Jan 30 - Invite Saturday 10am - 2PM

Jan 30 - Grand Opening Launch!!! Tulsa Ballet @ 10:30AM

Email: matt@citychurchtulsa.com

Love Tulsa

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:50:47 +0000

When we began to dream about a church in Midtown Tulsa we knew we wanted to be a community focused on transforming our city through serving others. This January as we launch City Church we will also be launching Love Tulsa: a movement of Christ-followers who are passionate about taking their walk with Christ outside the walls of the church. Love Tulsa is about taking the love of Christ to the schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and cultural centers of our city. By loving others we reflect Christ and open the door for real spiritual transformation to occur.

Launch Update (12/7/09)

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:42:51 +0000

We are less than 60 days away from our City Church launch! Wow! God has been so incredibly faithful to us through this process. Our next Gathering (& Christmas Party) is this Sunday night, December 13th @ 6PM at the Tulsa Ballet. We will eat together, meet in the worship area for a short time, and then walk through the facility as a launch team. We will also be working toward our Christmas blessing to Wright Elementary. Come be a part of something bigger than yourself.

It's not too late to join our launch team. Along with what we are doing by serving our city we are asking each launch team member to commit to serving in at least 1 of the following areas:

Lock N' Load (set up/tear down)
Connect Team (lobby, greeters, coffee bar, etc.)
Worship/Tech
City Kids

Levels of Discipleship

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:50:21 +0000

So this is pretty much thinking out loud. These thoughts aren’t fully developed but I think they could lead to something useful. I’ve been studying Jesus’ philosophy of discipleship throughout the gospels and I have detected certain levels. In each of the gospels there seems to be an initial period where Jesus begins by showing who he is. He does this through miracles, teachings, parables, etc. In essence, he wants people to understand that he is the Christ. Ultimately, this period that we will call “Come and See” eventually leads the disciples to a place where they must decide who they believe Jesus to be. (Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:29) In the following passage the disciples exclaim that Jesus is indeed the “Christ” who was sent into the world to redeem us from sin. Eventually Jesus asks the disciples (or even just the people who follow him) to take their commitment to the next level. I call this the “Come and Die” level of discipleship. Once they have “come and seen” who Jesus is and have decided that he is the “Christ” he now asks for their life. Every single part of it.

I think about this in regards to Christians in the church. I think a lot of us get stuck in between the “Come and See” level of discipleship and never embrace the “Come and Die” level. Unfortunately, many people never experience the fullness of the blessings of the kingdom that are only available when you “come and die.” It’s a paradox of the kingdom of God. To truly find life you must give up your own.

As you grow in Christ he will eventually call you to come and die. Are you willing to give it all up? The rich young ruler thought he was in the inner circle (a deep level of discipleship) but when Jesus asked for his stuff he realized he wasn’t really willing to die. Are you? If not, what are you not willing to leave behind for Christ? What are your idols?

Future Site of City Church

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:48:03 +0000

We are excited to announce that City Church will begin meeting at the Tulsa Ballet Center starting JANUARY 31st. The Tulsa Ballet Center just went through a $17 million renovation in 2008. We will be giving more details about the Tulsa Ballet Center at our upcoming November 22nd Gathering at Agora Coffee House. Come check us out.

Check out more pics at www.facebook.com/citychurchtulsa

BooHaHa a Success!!!

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:40:37 +0000

Thanks to all the City Church peeps who served at the Brookside BooHaHa activities and parade this year. It was amazing opportunity to serve our city. Recap of the day:

- We were able to give away over 1,000 trick or treat bags with City Church info cards

- We helped run the pet and kids costume contest at the Food Pyramid on 41st and Peoria

- We helped run the kids festivities at Brookside Baptist Church

- We handed out 1,000 balloons on our City Church float (thanks to our friends from Wright Elementary for joining us)

- We were able to meet and have conversations with numerous people throughout the community

Check out our pics on facebook

October Gathering!!!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:36:23 +0000

This past Sunday we had our monthly gathering @AgoraCoffee. Check out pics from the gathering on our facebook page. (City Church Facebook) Here's a recap of our gathering:

LAUNCH DAY - Sunday, January 31st
Community Groups have launched and are meeting this Sunday
BOO HA HA worknight this Thursday & outreach Saturday from 11am-4pm
Begin to invite for our next gathering Sunday, November 22nd