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Saturday, October 1, 2011

October 2011

Creed

The great Christian musician of the late 20th century, Rich Mullins, once wrote a song using the words of the Apostle's Creed. It was called "Creed." The words are taken from the Creed itself, except for the chorus, which sings:

I believe what I believe is what makes me who I am.
I did not make it, no, it is making me;
It is the very truth of God, and not the invention of any man.

This captures the truth of the faith so well! We do not invent our faith because we do not invent our God. Christianity is a belief in the truth that is given to us by God through the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:19-20; 3:4-5, Jude 3). We believe in a God, not that we invented, but who has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 44:6-20, John 14:6). We did not make this faith up, no, it is making us!

The Apostle's Creed is a summary of the faith that has been entrusted to the saints (Jude 3). Though not actually written by the apostle's themselves, it captures everything they taught us in their inspired Scriptures. In the ancient church, when adults were preparing for baptism, they were asked what they believed about God. The Apostle's Creed is how they would answer. "Do you believe in God the Father?" "Yes, I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth." And so on. Instead of reciting the whole Bible, they confessed what the Bible taught to demonstrate they were prepared for baptism. They were confessing that they were leaving behind their old beliefs and old gods and were being formed and shaped into the people the true God had created them to be. They were being baptized, reborn, into life under the one, true God. Basically, in order to be a member of the church you had to confess faith in the God confessed in the Apostle's Creed.

You may think this is a strict way of welcoming people into fellowship, but regardless, in our day we seem to have run in the other direction. Instead of requiring belief in God for membership in church, the culture has made belief in truth obsolete. Our culture has made what a person believes about God a personal matter and, thus, irrelevant. The church has been impacted by the culture to the point that she seems to not care so much about what a person believes about God so long as they show up on Sunday and are nice to people around them. We have become more concerned about how people live and act than We are about who God is and what He has to say to us.

Don't get me wrong, going to church and being nice are very important. They just can't save you. What really matters, even more than our own lives themselves, is God. There is nothing more important than who God is and what He does. If we begin to think our lives are more important, then we begin to fashion a god in our image. We make him or her or it or whatever in Ways that fit our lifestyles and culture-shaped belief systems. But that is not the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The true God is one triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who loves us for Christ's sake.

As we begin to live out this new vision of worshipping, growing, and serving, we do so as those who have been made in the image of God, born anew through baptism into Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We worship, grow, and serve the way we do because God is the way He is. Our new sermon series will be an in-depth look at this God who is so much bigger and better than any God we could form. We will learn the truth of this God from the Apostle's Creed which summarizes the truth of God, and not the invention of any man!

Pastor Bob

Las Buenas Noticias - Oct 2011

News briefs from Centro Cristiano Hispano
Hispanic Mission and Ministries in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, California
Christian mission outreach of the Pacific Southwest District, The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

October 2011
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

Centro Cristiano Oxnard welcomes their new Pastor, Rev. Charles Collier (Pastor Carlos). Please pray for all the members and leaders of CCO as they enthusiastically begin renewed outreach and discipleship ministries in the days ahead with their new pastor. Praise the Lord for the faithful years of ministry given to CCO by Pasior Marco Lozano. We pray for him, wife Francisca and family as They leave CCO's pastoral minisiry and we pray especially for the Lord's care in their lives.

Centro Cristiano Hispano Bible Institute has begun two new classes in Santa Paula with a group of six students in SEAN Pastoral Theology Book 5 and twelve first time students in Book 1. The Book 1 class in Moorpark has finished and the students are actively putting their faith into action with community outreach events in the parks and neighborhoods.

Centro Cristiano Emanuel, Santa Paula continues to work with the youth and children of their community. This summer 85 children attended their Vacation Bible School and 40 youth attended their youth sports and Bible competition held every Saturday in July. Also, twelve people were baptized in a special service this summer. Please pray for Pastor Marcelino and his leaders as they work faithfully to carry the Good News to the people of Santa Paula.

Centro Cristiano Moorpark continues with its Saturday ESL classes. Saturday evening worship and Wednesday Guitar Classes and Bible Study. On August 27, the members hosted a BBQ in the park for the neighbors and served food as well as conducted a neighborhood worship service. About 50 neighbors attended and received invitations to the ministries of CCM.

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Faith Lutheran Church • 123 Park Lane • Moorpark, CA 93021 • (805) 532 1049 • Send Email