As we've seen over the past few weeks, the early church is on fire. They are reaching people, they are growing and all of this despite new opposition to the mission of the church. So, what do they do after their second big evangelism event? They stop and pray that God would keep them going.I have a friend that reminds me all the time that the Christian life is one lived with a steadfast dependence upon God. Without God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will never accomplish all that He calls [...]

​William Carey is known as the father of modern missions. When he was ready to head to India from England, a leader in a church where he was excitedly sharing his plans stood up and said,"Young man, sit down! When God pleases to convert the heathen, he'll do it without consulting you or me." I'm grateful that Carey ignored that man and went to India anyway.When we get excited to share the gospel, we can expect opposition and often that opposition comes from within the body of Christ! How d [...]

​I've shared this story before, but it fits in perfectly with our text today. On one of my overseas missions trips, one of the long term leaders challenged us not just to teach English. If that's all we did, we could make English speakers who would still be going to Hell. Instead, he challenged us to use English as a means to open a door to speak about Jesus and the Gospel. As he said that, I thought of this text and I knew that the only reason we do mercy ministry or missions is to o [...]

​Over the last nearly 2,000 years, there have been about 4,000 ideas on what "church" should look like. Big, small, formal, laid back, old music, new music, wine, grape juice ... I think that it was Jocko 42:11 that said "wherever two or more are gathered, three or more opinions are present." Despite all of that, often what we focus on as necessities for the church are merely opinions and options. Pianos, pulpits, robes, hymns, choruses and so on are all acceptable options but not req [...]

I agree with Greek philosopher Epictetus who said, "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. I agree. When we hear the gospel, how we respond is as important as hearing it in the first place!In response to the sermon we looked at last week, the crowds responded to Peter with a simple question, "What shall we do?" Peter's answer tells us what we should do when we hear the gospel. We'll answer that question with "Gospel Response in the Church".  09162018_ccc.mp3F [...]

​The Holy Spirit. If there is a misunderstood member of the trinity, it is the Helper promised by Jesus. While I was in school, I wrote a paper on the Holy Spirit where I made the claim that many in the church have, for lack of a better term, hijacked the person and work of the Spirit. And it is still true.I hope that you'll take some time this week as we look at the person and work of the Holy Spirit and what it means for us as we look to the future of this church. 09022018_ccc.mp3File [...]

​When I was asked to be an elder at my old church, when I asked why, I was told that it was due to my faithfulness in serving the elementary boys Sunday School class. I hope that wasn't the only reason because I'm not sure that faithfulness is the primary prerequisite for eldership in the local church. But what is? What the earliest church look for in it's leaders? And how did it make the decision on who should replace Judas?This Sunday, we will look at a very practical example of what the [...]

​This week we start a new series in Luke's follow up to his gospel account. This work, commonly known as Acts of the Apostles is more than a sequel though. It is a continuation of the great redemption story of how a loving and merciful God would come for His rebellious creation.As we head into a new book, we also head into an exciting time here at Cumming Community Church. I can't wait to see with you what God is doing in our midst as we seek to Follow Jesus Together!  20180819_ccc [...]

We are pleased this week to have Mark Doss, church planting director with the Central District, bring the message. Mark is also planting a church in central Des Moines. 08122018_ccc.mp3File Size: 26712 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

One of my best friends in church life is my pastor when we lived in Minnesota. Pastor Gary has a saying - we need to keep the main thing the main thing. It's great advice but it doesn't matter at all if the main thing is the wrong thing. That's why he always clarified his saying by reminding us that the main thing is Jesus.Paul said something similar as he wrapped up his letter to the Galatians. This week we wrap up our series in Galatians and as we do, Paul wants us to keep the main thing the m [...]