In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Dependence for a New Facility

We have prayed for God to provide us with the funds and property for a new building on a number of occasions.  Blue Sky has steadily grown to a point where we feel the smallness and restriction of the building we are in. We long for a space to permanently call home and plant churches out of. We want a building that makes it easy for new guests and families to feel safe, that they might be more receptive to hearing the gospel as they visit any given Sunday. We have prayed for God’s blessing in this many times, but this morning something felt more fully revealed than it had in the past.  Although I have rarely cared for money or felt troubled by financial canyons that seem impassible, I do frequently feel a true need and desperation for God’s action in bringing costly things to bear. Within the church I have sometimes puzzled at why we seem lacking in the resources we desperately need to make some of the giant strides forward it seems God has charged us to make.

QUESTION 1: Why, God, have you not supplied your church abundantly and clearly with the money for a new facility in this grossly expensive city you have sent us to?

Desire for God’s Fame

Another theme we prayed on was the importance of, and longing for, the fame of Jesus.  Not the fame of any network, not any church, not any individual, but Jesus.  As we prayed, we asked that the roots of this network would grow deeply and that they would be far reaching.  We asked that He might use us over the next 200 years to spread a desire and passion for His name.  That we would hold fast to biblical truth and be uncompromising in sound theology. As we prayed that, the inescapable reality that there is a generational ebb and flow of Jesus being worshiped was brought to mind.  Some generations are filled with belief and pursuit of God, others are not.  Some experience dramatic empowering of the Holy Spirit and see many miraculous signs and wonders, others don’t.  So why is that? Why would it not be that God continuously builds the momentum of His church from generation to generation until it apexes at the 2^nd coming of Jesus?  If it is true that no generation has changed or created anything new about God, that He is the same yesterday, today and forever as revealed in scripture, and that all we do is follow the teachings of our timeless, eternal God, why would He not ordain the same favor generation upon generation in holding fast to Him?

QUETSION 2: Why, God, would it be that one generation you bless, from the other you withhold? Why look upon one, and turn your face from the other? Why not keep the momentum going?!  Why not make it so that we never see a Jesus-loving-God-exalting-Holy Spirit- empowered church dwindle, drift or die?

AN Answer

Both of the questions above make me wonder, what purpose does God have in doing things the way he does? Isn’t there a much more effective route to take?  Although there are 10,000 reasons and purposes behind every wave and move of God’s hand in his sovereign decisions and wisdom, I believe one substantial reason to be that he is a God JEALOUS for his own glory, and rightly so. 

A Facility: In our best efforts to calculate and plan for funding a new facility, the fact is that, at the end of the day, the pooling of all our current resources would maybe buy us about 20-30% of a building in our city.  The impossibility of the situation is glaring.   The hope and beauty of the situation is that it leaves no room for a savior, other than our God, to provide us what we need. The direness of the situation has caused a great dependence on the action and provision of God in His people, not any individual or conventional wisdom. When we someday open the doors of a new facility to call our own and be firmly established in, there will be no mistake in who is honored and worshiped as the one who made it happen.  No man will stand on the stage and be applauded. No man will have songs written about him and sung to him for providing so richly and extravagantly for God’s people. No man’s name will burn blazingly through all generations to come for what he has done; God’s will.  God is jealous for His own glory, and in His sovereign choosing to currently withhold the necessary funds to move forward, He will receive much more glory on the day He when he provides for us and shows himself mighty and able to act and move as the God of this city.

God’s Fame: Regarding God’s decision to bless or withhold, to save or condemn, to build up or tear down with any given generation: what greater purpose in doing so than for God to be worshiped in both peaks and valleys as the only one with power to save? We see clearly that churches and networks have seasons, some last many more years than others.  God chooses the length of those seasons. Through the blessing of God, there are some personalities, churches and movements that become firmly and famously established over many years.  God determines who He uses as His hands and feet, how influential they are, and how long of a season they are to be used in that capacity. The only thing that is season-less, is God.  He does not change. He does not fail. He is steady and true through all generations and there is no other equal to Him.  As the waves and swells of movements and churches come and go the one who is worshiped and credited for all of them is God, not man.  Out of the heartache and desperation produced by lulls, God’s people are utterly dependent and crying out to Him as the only one who can do anything to satisfy and save them.  Out of the times of great joy and gratitude when there are swells of God’s blessing and times of favor, God’s people are utterly grateful and worship Him as the only one who was able satisfy and save them.

God is jealous for His glory.  He is most fully glorified by His people when he is worshiped in both times of great need and times of great provision. 

Check out our recap video from our fall youth retreat, UNBOUND!

http://animoto.com/play/r7VxGfLxf75gv4zT07Mvjg?utm_content=main_link

We recently kicked off the new school year with our first ever Fall Student Party. Students from Bellevue College, University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University and other area colleges came to get some free popcorn, churros and soda, play glow-in-the-dark human foosball and watch the Princess Bride “under the stars”. The building was transformed for the night, starting with the lobby, which was filled with tons of food and games. The auditorium had lasers, black lights, glow in the dark soccer balls and a HUGE inflatable foosball field that felt like a mix between the classic table game and Tron. Everyone wanting a quieter night made their way into the Kids Space, where The Princess Bride played on the projector and stars in the simulated night sky swirled overhead. Thanks to everyone who came and made the night memorable!

If you missed all the fun, don’t worry, we’ve got another student party coming up at the start of winter quarter on January 13^th at Blue Sky Church.  Everything will be free, and the night will have great food, highly entertaining competitions with prizes and a fun chance to hang out with other college students in the area. Plan ahead because you’re not going to want to miss it!

http://bible.org/question/what-should-we-look-choosing-church-home

I would add two points to the list that's presented and one critique of the author's statements:

First, the critique:

Point 7. "Be wary of churches that promote the miraculous like healings, miracles, and speaking in tongues. These things do not promote spiritual growth and maturity, but rather appeal to the flesh."

I believe spiritual gifts being used in the church such as healings, miracles, and speaking in tongues DO promote spiritual growth and maturity in the church and in disciples of Jesus; as long as preaching Jesus remains the focus of the churches mission, and they are in balance. Some churches are drastically out of balance and over-emphasize healings, tongues, and the use of other spiritual gifts which minimize the gospel of Jesus and focus on the miracles themselves.

That being said, there are two additional points I would add to the list:

1. Visit lots of church websites before you get to college and read about what's going on and what their beliefs are online. Chances are, if they look like they care about their website, an in person visit will reveal that they're serious about Jesus and being a church on God's mission. An out of date calendar, most recent post dating from August 2005, or email gif with the old timey rotating "@" only says there's not much happening here. I urge you to find a church that's alive and healthy.

2. As a college student, don't take 4 years to find the church that's the perfect fit; all that does is keep you disconnected from devotion to one local church and from really growing during your college years. Jesus didn't intend for us to take a hiatus as Christians while we pursued our higher educations.

One Eighty is the place at Blue Sky Church where our Middle School students find each other!  We meet during the two service times at 9:15 and 11:15 after the band is finished leading worship. We just started a new series called "growing on your own" where we are looking at some fundamental things we can do to help us grow spiritually.  In this 3 week series we will talk about the importance of spending time with God, developing real relationships with other students who follow Jesus, and trusting God even with things like our money. If you are a student, or have student(s), and have been searching among the many Seattle churches and Bellevue churches for a place that feels like home, I invite you to come check out Blue Sky this Sunday!

   This is exactly how Jesus sees individual members of His church; no matter how “important” their gifting or role is in the functioning of the whole body. Jesus sees each member as immensely valuable. Imagine what it would do in the life of the church if those with less vital roles to play understood the great value they are as a part of the whole. We’d have a lot more people content following Jesus in the role God has appointed them to play and administering God's grace in it's various forms effectively as the apostle Paul teaches. Paul helps us unpack these thoughts in 1 Corinthians 12 as he describes individual roles of a Christian in Jesus’ church.

   If you’ve missed the last month of our series “Being Part of a Church”, I encourage you to catch it online here. I hope it will have profound impact as you're learning about Jesus, or being reminded about your role in His church.

Adventures in Science kicks off on Sunday, August 28 for the 1st-5th grade class in the Kids' Program.  This 8 week series will give your children hands-on fun with making things bubble and ooze.  We will be performing experiments and diving into the many mysteries of God, from creation to the amazing sanctifying work that he carries out in those who follow Jesus (talk about an amazing mystery). The Bible teaches of many profound mysteries, many which were fulfilled by Jesus himself.  It will be a fun series with the kids that will have an impact on them!

If you are searching for a place to bring your family among the many Seattle churches or Bellevue churches in the area, I encourage you to come to Blue Sky.  You can check in your children when you arrive at each classroom and then take a moment to relax and hear what the Bible teaches while your kids do the same.  The Kids' Program is available at both our 9:15 and 11:15 services for children from birth through Junior High.

What do billowing ship sails, sopping wet buckets, map-guided treasure hunts, and lots and lots of water have in common?  They were part of our amazing Kids Summer Adventure Day Camp at Chism Beach Park this year.  The kids spent four days overlooking Lake Washington and setting sail on their own imaginary journey.  

Whether you live in Seattle or Bellevue, Kids Summer Adventure is worth the short drive and will have a definite impact on your child.  Parents can attest that mouths were moving a mile a minute each day as the kids tried to describe all that happened.  Among the talk of sailing sea cows (one of our team names), shipwrecks, and mutant jellyfish (one of the games), it became apparent that God was doing something wonderful in the kids…both in friendship with others and in their love of Jesus.  At Blue Sky Church we are intentional about being one of the Seattle churches that stands out because of our love of and devotion to teaching the children that God brings.

This year amidst the fun, the kids learned about what it is like to trust God and treat Jesus as a treasure.  Our culture so often points kids in directions that do not satisfy and will inevitably leave them looking for something to satisfy their soul.  Realizing this, I was left longing for Jesus to reveal the truth to the kids, much like Jesus taught in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”     ~Matthew 13:44

The truth is that that kind of devotion and value of God can sometimes seem scary, right?  When all is said and done, when all of our life is in the rear-view mirror, we will all find that a life devoted to Jesus will bring joy like nothing else in this world. So, who's ready to go buy the field? If you’re new to the area or are still searching for a home among all of the Seattle churches and Bellevue churches in the area, I invite you to come.  Bring your kids, enjoy some coffee and donuts, and come see what we're all about at Blue Sky Church.