Weekend Worship Theme - We Love - February 16

Wanted to take 5 minutes and share with you the theme of this weekend worship service and purpose for the songs and direction we are taking as a worship team this weekend at Cottonwood Creek.

Theme - We Love - 1 John 4:19 - Building Relationships based on Love from Christ.  Songs chosen for this are:

"O Worship the King"
Great call to worship to get our people in the mindset that we are gathered to worship the King of all kings!!  Key line in song is "You alone are the matchless King.  To You alone be all majesty.  Your glories and wonders what tongue can recite?  You breathe in the air, You shine in the the light." Psalm 104:33 reads, "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being."  So, let us worship the King today and celebrate His love as we call people into corporate worship.

"Because of Your Love"
We have sung this song for a couple of years at CCBC and it never gets old.  We exist only because of His love and what Christ did on the cross for us by taking our sins away.  Listen to this reminder from this song; "As we come into Your presence, we remember every blessing that You poured out so FREELY from above.  Lifting gratitude and praises for compassion so amazing, Lord we've come to give You thanks for all You've done.  Because of your love - we are FORGIVEN, OUR HEARTS ARE CLEAN, WE ARE FOREVER CHANGED - Because of Your love!"  Thank you Lord for your love that has set us free!  Hallelujah!

"Glorious Day"
This song focuses on the love Christ showed humanity by being an example for us, by going to the cross to die for our sins, and gives us the hope that ONE DAY HE IS RETURNING - what a glorious day that will be!  Great wording in the chorus - "Living He loved me, dying he saved me, buried He carried my sins far away.  Rising He justified freely forever, and one day He's coming, oh glorious day!!!"  We will sing this song with expectation and hope to lead our people to Christ - We are praying for you Brady as you lead.

Offering song - NEW SONG called "Your Love Never Fails"
This song is a scripture song from 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 - Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I love the verses of this song - very well written - "Nothing can separate even if I run away - YOU LOVE NEVER FAILS.  I know I still make mistakes, You have new mercies for me everyday - YOUR LOVE NEVER FAILS.  The wind is strong and the water's deep, but I'm not alone here in these open seas - YOUR LOVE NEVER FAILS.  The chasm is far too wide, I never though I'd reach the other side - YOUR LOVE NEVER FAILS."  What a great reminder to us all that no matter what our circumstance in life, our past, our sin, our regret....His love has never given up on us.  Trust Him today with your life!!

So, that is it!  Pray with me as we look to the weekend and our time of worship together as a church.  God is going to move in a mighty way.

How to Reach Your Community - Part 1

How can the Biblical Community Reach the Secular Community?

Define Community - social groups of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage. Example – Stonebridge Community, Baylor Community, Church Community, Sports Community, and so on…

Our Need for Community

We were created for relationships – to have community with one another. We were not created to be isolated away from one another, but to share life with others. Example – ski trip – solo or group?

• Genesis 2:18, ... “It is not good for the man to be alone...
• Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Identify your community

Secular Community – community groups that exist around life – where you live life and how you live life. Who you socialize with, play/coach ball games with, work with, have social parties with and more.

Biblical Community – community groups that exist where Christ is the leader of your group – a community on mission to fulfill the great commission of Christ – Matt. 28:19-20. It is purposeful, Christ-centered and focused on building the community of believers in Christ.

• Matthew 28:18-20 - 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Fact - The church is not about building a secular community, but a biblical community, where people gather and live life together without a purpose. Our church is about engaging the secular community that we all live in by sharing Jesus and building the Kingdom of God. Ultimately growing a community of believers to reach the world for Christ.

STOP - In order to build this Biblical Community, there must be a point where you have surrendered your life to the leadership of someone other than yourself.


Question - Have you ever surrendered your life to Christ? If not, then this might be the starting point for you. You will never have a life of transformation until you recognize Jesus as your Lord, by repenting of your wrong doing, give your life to Jesus and allow Him to be the Lord of your life.

You will never engage your community until you have had life transformation yourself!! Begin there. If you are unsure about your relationship with Jesus, then now is the time to settle that matter. You can surrender your life to Christ today!

Begin with yourself and examine your relationship with Christ today.

Do you have a relationship with Christ? Have you surrendered your life to following Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

• Romans 10:9-10 - 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

All of us struggle with sin, but have we surrendered that sin to Christ? Read Romans 3:23 and 1 John 1:8-10

• Romans 3:23 - All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.  
• 1 John 1:8-10 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

January 23 Daily Bible Reading

January 23 Daily Reading Response: Romans 14

To view the JOURNEY TO EASTER READING PLAN, GO TO 
 Cottonwood Creek Scripture Reading Plan


As we read today’s scripture leading us to Easter Sunday,  we find ourselves reading Romans 14.  This chapter is a great reminder against being judgmental.  So often we justify judging others because we think we are better, smarter, or holier than those around us.  However, the truth is that the Bible clearly says DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS.

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sistes? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”  12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.  13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister ( Romans 14: 10-13).

Remember because we are not omniscient, we do not have the ability to  know the heart, the maturity, or the circumstances of those whom we judge, so like Romans 14 says, let’s leave the judging up to God, and let’s focus on verses 19 & 22:  Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification(Rom 14:19).  And,  “So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves (Romans 14:22).

As you read Romans 14 today, What sticks out to you?

What did I learn from the passage that I didn’t know before?
What did the passage mean to those first century readers?
What does the passage mean to me?
What verse really stuck out to me?
What changes do I need to make in my life?
What verse gives me comfort or wisdom in my trials and difficulties?
What is God’s will for my life?
Is there a verse that I would like to memorize?

 Romans 14 (New International Version)

1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]  12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.  13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.  19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[c]

Footnotes:

a.  Romans 14:10 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verses 13, 15 and 21.

b.  Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23

c.  Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts place 16:25-27 here; others after 15:33.

January 17 Daily Bible Reading Plan

January 17 Daily Reading Response: 

Romans 10

To view the JOURNEY TO EASTER READING PLAN, GO TO:   Cottonwood Creek Scripture Reading Plan

Romans 10:
How many body parts does it take to be saved?
So often people try to make salvation complex. However, the concept of salvation is complex, but the act of believing in Christ is simple. In fact, it only takes 2 of our many body parts to follow Christ. Romans 10:9-10 says: with the MOUTH one declares “Jesus is Lord” and professes faith & with the HEART one believes that Christ raised from the dead.
So, don’t wait another minute- settle your salvation today.
9 I fyou declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe an are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).



What did I learn from the passage that I didn’t know before?
What did the passage mean to those first century readers?
What does the passage mean to me?
What verse really stuck out to me?
What changes do I need to make in my life?
What verse gives me comfort or wisdom in my trials and difficulties?
What is God’s will for my life?
Is there a verse that I would like to memorize?

Romans 10 (New International Version)

1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”[a] 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[g]
16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[h] 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”[i]
19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,
“I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”[j]
20 And Isaiah boldly says,
“I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”[k]
21 But concerning Israel he says,
“All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people.”[l]

Footnotes:

1. Romans 10:5 Lev. 18:5
2. Romans 10:6 Deut. 30:12
3. Romans 10:7 Deut. 30:13
4. Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
5. Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
6. Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
7. Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
8. Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
9. Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4
10. Romans 10:19 Deut. 32:21
11. Romans 10:20 Isaiah 65:1
12. Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2

20/20 Vision

Hello – this is Keith Tyler, Worship Pastor at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church with your inspirational thought of the day:

Let me ask you a question today. Whom or what do you fear? As you walk through your life on a daily basis, what grips you from your inner core and traps you from experiencing a life of freedom…a life that is free in Christ? Is it a relationship? A life-changing decision? Keeping a hidden secret?

The Old Testament has a word for you today. In 2 Kings chapter 6 – Prophet Elisha is being attacked by an army coming against Israel. His servant runs up to him worried about the horses and chariots and the oncoming attack, but Elisha responds, “There is nothing to worry about. Those who are for us are more than who are against us.” Elisha turned to his servant and prayed, “Lord, open their eyes to see what you see,” and when he did, he saw the mountains filled with God’s army.

I pray this same prayer for you today. Lord, open our eyes to see what you see. You are a God who is for us, not against us. Give us the strength and FAITH to stand in times of adversity and fear knowing you are with us.

January 16 Bible Reading

To view the JOURNEY TO EASTER READING PLAN, GO TO: Cottonwood Creek Scripture Reading Plan

January 16, 2014:  Romans 9
Today’s scripture reading passage is tough to swallow.  There is a lot we do not understand, but we trust God’s wisdom and His plan.  The beginning of the chapter made a mark on me this morning.  Verses 1-5.

1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen.

Paul struggles over the thought of those (his people, of his own race) who do not know Christ.  You can hear the anguish in his words.  Let us, as believers, have a heavy heart for those in our world, our country, our communities, and our families who do not know the Lord.  Pray for God’s mercy on them.  Pray that those who are lost will come to know Christ as Savior!




What did I learn from the passage that I didn’t know before?
What did the passage mean to those first century readers?
What does the passage mean to me?
What verse really stuck out to me?
What changes do I need to make in my life?
What verse gives me comfort or wisdom in my trials and difficulties?
What is God’s will for my life?
Is there a verse that I would like to memorize?

Romans 9 (New International Version)
Paul’s Anguish Over Israel
1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen.
God’s Sovereign Choice
6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[b] 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[c]
10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[d] 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[e]
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[f]
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[h] 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”[i]
26 and, “In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”[j]
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28   For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”[k]  29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:  “Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”[l]
Israel’s Unbelief
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[m]
Footnotes:

1. Romans 9:5 Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!
2. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12
3. Romans 9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
4. Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
5. Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
6. Romans 9:15 Exodus 33:19
7. Romans 9:17 Exodus 9:16
8. Romans 9:20 Isaiah 29:16; 45:9
9. Romans 9:25 Hosea 2:23
10. Romans 9:26 Hosea 1:10
11. Romans 9:28 Isaiah 10:22,23 (see Septuagint)
12. Romans 9:29 Isaiah 1:9

What is Worship?

Hello – this is Keith Tyler, Worship Pastor at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church with your inspirational thought of the day: 

 

When you hear the word “worship,” what do you think? Music, church, idols, an event, a place? Personally, I think of worship as an action that connects me to God. Listen to this definition from Louie Giglio, who says, “Worship is OUR RESPONSE to God, for who He is and what He has done.” Listen that again: “Worship is OUR RESPONSE to God, for who He is and what He has done.”

Romans 12:1 clearly describes worship like this. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Did you hear the action in that verse? “Urge you”, “Offer”, Sacrifice” We see that worship is an offering of ourselves to God. We see that by offering our lives to God, it pleases God. And lastly, we see that this is what God requires of us as followers of Christ – to worship God because this is true, authentic and right in His sight.

So today, pause to worship God.  Offer your life to him, and worship Him for who he is and what he has done for you.

Listen Live  - click here: http://johnmarkcaton.com/inspirational-thoughts/2318-2/