CCF Sunday Messages

We are now entering the final chapter of our "Amazing Grace" study through the book of Romans!  And don’t think Romans 16 is a “throw away” chapter!  Yes its the end of the letter, but don’t give up now.  In some ways this is one of my favorite chapters!  In chapter 16, the “greeting chapter,” we are reminded that the letter Paul wrote was not to nameless and faceless people.  We are reminded that ministry builds relationships and relationships build ministry!  He mentions 27 people (including Phoebe in verse 1) by name and gives some details about his relationships with them!  With some he shared living space or prison space, with others he labored for Jesus.  Behind every name is a story about Paul’s Holy Spirit-led, gospel-spreading network!

So, as we start the home stretch we see that this final chapter of Romans is about getting and being connected!  One of the biggest complaints I hear is that people have a hard time “connecting”.  We will explore the idea as it relates to the internet and the giant Redwood trees.  They both have something to add to the very personal aspect of Romans 16.

Listen in as Pastor Steve opens up chapter 16 with Paul's greetings and final words to the church in Rome.

We are getting so close to the end of this fantastic letter from the amazing Apostle Paul to the church in Rome!  The contents have been about grace from beginning to end. As we enter the second half of chapter 15, we will see as the tone of the letter changes a bit.  Paul speaks to them about some “odds and ends” as he draws this letter to a close.   His argument made, Paul discusses some of his future travel plans with them.  Not everyone has a “pioneer spirit”, but Paul certainly does!  He will travel about 10,000 miles that we know of for the sake of the news about Jesus!  And he is not ready for retirement.  He wants to go to new frontiers for Jesus!

Have you noticed how many new churches are cropping up in the Charlottesville area?  Every time I turn around I hear of a new church plant meeting in a different school somewhere in our region.  Now this is not wrong, but we could certainly agree that people in the Charlottesville area can find a place to worship Jesus, and no new churches are really doing anything that different from what is already being done.

But, like Paul, there are some that have experienced such joy and freedom and peace in Jesus, they can hardly imagine a place where people just don’t know!  Well, that was the apostle Paul!  He had such spiritual ambitions!  

But you might say: I am not called to traveling; I don’t like to fly, and I'm a homebody.  We will see that the churches have a role together to support and encourage those who are going to new places. A church that is alive is always working on the inside to love one another and on the outside to love the one who has never heard and to use our resources to make sure they can hear about Jesus as well.

There are some real gems in this last section of chapter 15.  Does Paul ever make it to see the people in Rome?  Does he ever make it to Spain and western Europe? Listen in as Pastor Steve takes until into the home stretch of the book of Romans.

We are getting so close to the end of this fantastic letter from the amazing Apostle Paul to the church in Rome!  The contents have been about grace from beginning to end. As we enter the second half of chapter 15, we will see as the tone of the letter changes a bit.  Paul speaks to them about some “odds and ends” as he draws this letter to a close.   His argument made, Paul discusses some of his future travel plans with them.  Not everyone has a “pioneer spirit”, but Paul certainly does!  He will travel about 10,000 miles that we know of for the sake of the news about Jesus!  And he is not ready for retirement.  He wants to go to new frontiers for Jesus!

Have you noticed how many new churches are cropping up in the Charlottesville area?  Every time I turn around I hear of a new church plant meeting in a different school somewhere in our region.  Now this is not wrong, but we could certainly agree that people in the Charlottesville area can find a place to worship Jesus, and no new churches are really doing anything that different from what is already being done.

But, like Paul, there are some that have experienced such joy and freedom and peace in Jesus, they can hardly imagine a place where people just don’t know!  Well, that was the apostle Paul!  He had such spiritual ambitions!  

But you might say: I am not called to traveling; I don’t like to fly, and I'm a homebody.  We will see that the churches have a role together to support and encourage those who are going to new places. A church that is alive is always working on the inside to love one another and on the outside to love the one who has never heard and to use our resources to make sure they can hear about Jesus as well.

There are some real gems in this last section of chapter 15.  Does Paul ever make it to see the people in Rome?  Does he ever make it to Spain and western Europe? Listen in as Pastor Steve takes until into the home stretch of the book of Romans.

We return to Romans with Pastor Steve this Sunday after a couple weeks in the Psalms with some of our staff pastors!  Maybe you remember, we have been discussing “Gray Matters”: those issues that are matters of opinion and tradition that can tend to separate and divide people.  For the Jews and Gentiles in Rome it was matters of food regulations and days of worship.  For us the list can continue to areas of clothing and entertainment, alcohol usage and even tattoos!

Romans 15 brings this issue to a close as Paul helps us to understand the relationship between the “strong” and the “weak”.  For Paul, “strong” meant that there was an understanding of living life by grace and not legalistic regulations on non essential issues.  But the Jews, coming from more restrictive backgrounds, had more convictions and regulations.  Even at CC Fluvanna we have people coming from a variety of backgrounds, some more restrictive than others.  

These lessons are vital for us, as we live our lives amidst the highly toxic American culture.  Rugged American individualism and ambition has produced a “me first” attitude where “weaker” people can be seen as a frustration, inconvenience, or hinderance.  Weaker people should be weeded out as “natural selection” might suggest.  Only the strong survive!  We can see this in attitudes in schools and sports fields, work and even in worship!

With that in mind, it may be hard to fathom what Paul says is true and right and spiritually healthy in Romans 15.  What should be the relation between strong and weak?  Listen in and see as we think about this important topic, including lessons from Mount Everest as well as our plane trip home from Bonaire where we were denied our complimentary peanuts!  Why? You'll have to listen in to find out!

We return to Romans with Pastor Steve this Sunday after a couple weeks in the Psalms with some of our staff pastors!  Maybe you remember, we have been discussing “Gray Matters”: those issues that are matters of opinion and tradition that can tend to separate and divide people.  For the Jews and Gentiles in Rome it was matters of food regulations and days of worship.  For us the list can continue to areas of clothing and entertainment, alcohol usage and even tattoos!

Romans 15 brings this issue to a close as Paul helps us to understand the relationship between the “strong” and the “weak”.  For Paul, “strong” meant that there was an understanding of living life by grace and not legalistic regulations on non essential issues.  But the Jews, coming from more restrictive backgrounds, had more convictions and regulations.  Even at CC Fluvanna we have people coming from a variety of backgrounds, some more restrictive than others.  

These lessons are vital for us, as we live our lives amidst the highly toxic American culture.  Rugged American individualism and ambition has produced a “me first” attitude where “weaker” people can be seen as a frustration, inconvenience, or hinderance.  Weaker people should be weeded out as “natural selection” might suggest.  Only the strong survive!  We can see this in attitudes in schools and sports fields, work and even in worship!

With that in mind, it may be hard to fathom what Paul says is true and right and spiritually healthy in Romans 15.  What should be the relation between strong and weak?  Listen in and see as we think about this important topic, including lessons from Mount Everest as well as our plane trip home from Bonaire where we were denied our complimentary peanuts!  Why? You'll have to listen in to find out!

Our Youth Pastor, Dave Blaha, continues our "Favorite Psalm" series giving us a teaching from Psalm 32. Listen in as Pastor Dave reveals the power of repentance, forgiveness, and a life instructed by God and His Word from Psalm 32.

Our Youth Pastor, Dave Blaha, continues our "Favorite Psalm" series giving us a teaching from Psalm 32. Listen in as Pastor Dave reveals the power of repentance, forgiveness, and a life instructed by God and His Word from Psalm 32.

Associate Pastor Warren McIvor kicks off a series of messages on the Psalms by encouraging us through the powerful message of Psalm 1. In this Psalm we are encouraged by the author to live a life of devotion to God's Word, "meditating on it day and night." Listen in as Pastor Warren guides us to consider what it looks like to truly dig in and study God's Word and build our life around it.

Associate Pastor Warren McIvor kicks off a series of messages on the Psalms by encouraging us through the powerful message of Psalm 1. In this Psalm we are encouraged by the author to live a life of devotion to God's Word, "meditating on it day and night." Listen in as Pastor Warren guides us to consider what it looks like to truly dig in and study God's Word and build our life around it.

As we continue in Romans chapter 14, this will be our second of three messages concerning “gray matters:” those issues of opinion, preference, and conviction that are not clearly outlined in God’s Word.  If we are going to live by grace and not law, then we have to figure out some things!  Am I free, in terms of the security of my relationship with God, to watch R rated movies, get a tattoo, eat any kind of food I want, have a glass of wine or go to yoga class?

Last week we learned that we cannot pressure other people to conform to our convictions!  People should not live to please us.  Jesus is their master, not me!  

This week we discuss the balance of freedom and love.  I think we know instinctively that in a healthy community, freedom has limitations, right?  That is why laws exist: to protect freedoms.  I am free to own things and another person is not free to steal them from me! Yet, I think we all recognize that we live in a time where everyone demands their rights!  This seems to be the most important thing to many: my personal rights!

But in the church where there is grace and not law, how do we handle Christian freedom and rights?  Am I free to enjoy a bottle of wine?  I have the right to watch what I want to watch, wear what I want to wear, and eat what I want to eat, right?  After all, I am free in Christ and I would never compromise that.

Listen in and learn what real freedom is and how walking is love is more important that walking in freedom!