ACC - Leadership Online

Art forgeries are often very hard to catch. Only those who are experts with the original classic paintings can spot the fakes.

Secret Service agents – given the responsibility of identifying counterfeit currency – carefully study legal currency, so that they can quickly nail bad money.

As followers of Christ we are always to beware of bad doctrine – false teaching – that does not line up with Scripture.

In fact, Jude said, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith…” – this means to become doctrinally strong – knowledgeable in the Word. As Paul advised Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” If we do this, we will be able to identify false teaching quickly.

Read and study your bible – there is no substitute.

Let me suggest two other resources to help you become doctrinally strong:

The ESV Study Bible – the best study bible I have ever seen – I highly recommend you purchase one – you then get access to the online version too! http://www.esvstudybible.org/

Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem. This book is a very helpful and concise book on the basic keys of Christian doctrine from a respected theologian. http://amzn.to/coHiRw

You may be a biblical neophyte – or an experienced, well seasoned bible student – regardless – there is always more to learn. Get going – get learning – today! Your life will be incredibly enriched and you won’t fall victim to heretical teachings!

Peace,
Dave

Yesterday we learned about Diotrephes (see III John) – perhaps the very first church boss. He was immature (always wanted to be first), insecure and easily threatened (gossiped about other leaders and was uncooperative – definitely not a team player) and controlling and manipulative (kicked people out of his church if they disagreed with him!).

Man, would that guy be a pain in the neck to have around ACC!

Today I thank God for the incredible team of elders he has allowed me to work with here. These men sincerely want what God wants for our church. They are humble, flexible, prayerful, loving, pensive and true to the word of God; I consider each a good personal friend.

As we lead our church please pray for us. Our team needs courage, wisdom and ever-increasing hearts for God, His people and the unchurched.

The ACC elder team: John Beckley, Ray Demich, Dale Hugo, Jim Johnson, Ken Kerr, Jim Ray and myself.

Please note: Not a Diotrephes among us! That, my friends, is by the mercy and grace of God!

Peace,
Dave

Two important things that you need to know:

1. This Sunday, August 1st we begin a new teaching series ONE HIT WONDERS. Think “Kung Fu Fighting” – “Earth Angel” – “Funkytown” or “Achy Breaky Heart”. Awesome, very well known songs but it’s the only chart topping hit that the band (or singer) ever had; thus the song is a ONE HIT WONDER. Our 6 week teaching series will look at the 5 one chapter books in the bible – small but awesome! Can you name all five? Get ready for this Sunday by taking three minutes to read Obadiah.

2. Last Sunday at the beginning of my sermon I interviewed our worship team’s most excellent guitar player – Brian Sherrill. The lesson Brian taught us is that while he makes guitar playing look easy – the truth is it is not easy at all – his expert playing represents literally hours of diligent practice, lots of hard work. We cannot learn to play guitar by trying hard, we learn by training – practicing. That is how it is to live for Christ – the key is not trying harder, the key is to training. That means committing ourselves to regularly practicing the spiritual disciplines. Anyways…in our interview I promised to give you the link to Brian’s cool website – you can take guitar lessons from him! Check it out: http://www.activemelody.com/

See you Sunday!

Peace,
Dave

Yesterday morning at ACC we received a great challenge from James and Jana Gunn. They took about 20 minutes to teach us what God has been teaching them about the spiritual discipline of giving. Good stuff!

One principle that both James and Jana emphasized was that God should get “first dibs”. It is the idea that God gets paid first – before our electric bill, phone bill or mortgage; before going out to eat or buying a new iPad. The first check written is to our home church and everything else comes after that.

Is that hard? Is that a step of faith? It is. Yet it is within that type of obedience and faith that God generously provides for our needs and blesses both us and our church.

You have probably noticed – great things are happening at ACC: growing attendance – so many new families, 4 mission teams sent out in the last 9 months and lives being changed by the good news of Jesus Christ. It is all very encouraging and exciting!

This is exactly why we do not want money to get in the way of ministry. We want to move full steam, ahead – to take advantage of every opportunity and impact our community for Christ. We are all challenged to do all that we can – and then a little more!

I shared some of the following facts:

• Last fiscal year’s target offering: $7,700 per week
• We had to reduce our budget to: $7,150 per week
• What we actually received: $7,000

It doesn’t take a CPA to see we ended in the red.

Now for this year:
• This fiscal year’s target offering: $8,100

Our current reality:
• Average weekly offering per giving unit: $42.50 per week or $170 per month.

What this means:
• We need each giving unit to increase their normal monthly giving by $20 per month.

God can and will provide – through his people. Please join me in praying that money will never get in the way of doing ministry at ACC!

Peace,
Dave

The birth of a child. A juicy rib-eye steak. The smell of burning leaves. The beauty of the Smoky Mountains. A ride on the Raging Bull at Great America. The refreshment of jumping into a cool pool on a scorching hot summer day.

What do all of these things have in common? You have to experience each of them yourself to really have a clue. Reading about each of them won’t do the trick. A friend telling you about them won’t cut it.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

In his commentary on this Psalm, Charles Spurgeon, the famous British preacher of the 19th century, wrote: “Our senses help our understandings; we cannot by the most rational discourse perceive what the sweetness of honey is; taste it and you shall perceive it.”

We are meant to experience God with our senses – to really encounter him and interact with him – not to simply have a certain amount of “head knowledge” about him – or knowing a list of facts about him. If we do indeed “taste” Him we will discover that he is truly “good” – in every sense of the word!

The classic spiritual disciplines allow us various ways of tasting him. Ways that He uses to engage us: Scripture, prayer, fasting, mediation, worship, fellowship, solitude, silence, journaling, service, etc.

Have you tasted Him lately???

The awesome thing is that whatever we apprehend of him here in this lifetime is but a “taste” – the full feasting experience will be our face to face fellowship with Him in heaven!

In the meantime – get tasting!

Peace,
Dave