A Place Where Nobody Stands Alone (October 2nd, 2005)

How Big is Your God? (October 9th, 2005) - reaching a global and local world

No Black, No White, Just Epiphany (October 16th, 2005)

where nobody stands alone

Individual Growth effects Cooperative Growth (October 23rd, 2005)

Upgrading for the Untouchables  (October 30th, 2005)

The Mafia church - a church of families for families (November 6th, 2005)

embracing creativity a Psalmist style of worship (November 13th, 2005)

Epiphany DNA Message Series Proverbs 29: 18 (NAS) – Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish Say it with me, then say Yes Sah What is meant by Epiphany DNA?? - what are we made up of? - Where are we going? - What were we created to become? - Epiphany DNA is the vision and the genetic makeup of the epiphany ministries. It tells us what we are and where we are going. There are 7 statements that help to define the Epiphany DNA Title:  DNA part 1:  Growing a church with one anothers It is the dream of a place with more than 800 ministering members mobilized to encourage, support, love and accept one another.  A message so simplistic in its sincerity yet so powerful in its connotation will always ring true.  That message is that this is a place where nobody stands alone. Luke 14: 23 (NAS) – And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.” Exposition of verse This is a mandate from the master to the slave Church growth principles – go out and bring them in Places to go - Highways and along the hedges Method - Compel them This verse indicates that the individual to go out is a follower of Jesus Christ. - The follower of Jesus Christ is first a minister and not a member of a country club. I. Be a nobody to make someone a somebody John the Baptist said - I must decrease and He must increase. Paul said - I have become all things to all me, so that I may by all means save some. What is the best way to be a church where nobody stands alone? a. By being a church of One anothers b. This week in Connect Group i. Building Bridges through Relationships ii. The way to connect to this hurting world and let them know that they don’t have to hurt is to build bridges through relationships. 1. If you care about people, then you need to be intentional in building relationships with people, so that their needs will be filled and they will be able to see Jesus Christ clearly.   "To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity." Friedrich Nietzsche quotes (German classical Scholar, Philosopher and Critic of culture, 1844-1900.) Similar Quotes. The purpose of the church is to be a place where nobody stands alone.  To be a place of one anothers. c. Being a church of one anothers. i. The “One Anothers” of Fellowship (Partial List) 1. Serve one another a. Galatians 5: 13 2. Accept one another a. Romans 15: 7 3. Forgive one another a. Colossians 3: 13 4. Greet one another a. Romans 16: 16 5. Bear one another’s burdens a. Galatians 6: 2 6. Be devoted to one another a. Romans 12: 10 7. Honor one another a. Romans 12: 10 8. Teach one another a. Romans 15: 14 9. Submit to one another a. Ephesians 5: 21 10. Encourage one another a. 1 Thessalonians 5: 11   "One can always be kind to people one cares nothing about." Oscar Wilde quotes (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900) Similar Quotes. ii. ANY attitude that causes disunity is sin (gossiping, back stabbing, hatred, belittling, snobby attitudes) 1. Colossians 3: 15; I Corinthians 1: 10; II Timothy 2: 14; Proverbs 17: 14; II Corinthians 13: 11; Philippians 1: 27, 2: 1 – 3; Colossians 2: 2; Philippians 4: 2; I Peter 3: 8; I Corinthians 14: 33; John 13: 34 – 35; II Timothy 2: 23; Romans 15: 5 – 6; Romans 12: 16 – 18; Colossians 3: 13 – 14; Psalm 133: 1 Play the Prune Juice Video Clip by BlueFish TV II. God commands us to grow his church 800 ministers – church growth The percentage of baseball players signed to professional contracts who never appear in a major league game: 92%  Harper's Magazine, April 1984. The greatness of the church must not be overlooked It is said to say that the same statistic could be true for the bride of Christ today. The majority of individuals that join a church never get seen in action, because they choose not to be in action. There are a number of reasons maybe their giftedness and their talent is not welcome in the church they attend they simply have lost the focus of what needs to be done, and therefore they turn the bride of Christ into an adulterous bride.   Because they no longer come to spread the love of Christ, but come for personal self ambitions. a. Luke is sharing a command of Christ:  Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in.  Reaching as many as possible.  Growing a church b. Why do you want to be part of growing a church? i. Biblical mandate Found in Luke14 ii. Personal Need 1. Many more still hurting       a. lack of vision of personal life b. addictions 2. broken lives 2 Timothy 3: 2 - 5 (NAS) 2 For men will be lovers R117 of self, lovers R118 of money, boastful, R119 arrogant, R119 revilers, R120 disobedient R119 to parents, ungrateful, R121 unholy, R122 3 unloving, R123 irreconcilable, malicious R124 gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters R125 F22 of good, 4 treacherous, R126 reckless, R127 conceited, R128 lovers R129 of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, R130 F23 although they have denied R131 its power; Avoid R132 such men as these. iii. Multiply the good within the church Titus 3: 13 - 14:  13 Diligently help Zenas the lawyer R126 and Apollos R127 on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. 14 Our R128 people must also learn to engage R129 in good deeds F15 to meet pressing R130 needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. c.  Who makes the church grow? 1 Corinthians 3: 6 - 10 (NAS) 6 I R110 planted, Apollos R111 watered, but God R112 was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive R113 his own reward F31 according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow R114 workers; you are God's field, R115 F32 God's building. R116 10 According to the R117 grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I R118 laid a foundation, and another R119 is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. It is all of us. Romans 12: 4 - 6 (NAS) 4 For just R589 as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who R590 are many, are one R591 body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ R592 according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly Illustration:  It is easy to determine when something is aflame. It ignites other material. Any fire that does not spread will eventually go out. A church without evangelism is a contradiction in terms, just as a fire that does not burn is a contradiction.  Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 162. III. Be faithful and grow spiritually To accomplish this growth of Jesus Christ you have to allow your ministry to grow. a. You have to allow your talents to grow in and for Jesus Christ. Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) 14 "For R940 it is just like a man about R941 to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 "To one he gave five talents, R942 F549 to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went R943 on his journey. 16 "Immediately the one who had received the five talents R944 went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 "In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 "But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's F550 money. 19 "Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled R945 accounts with them. 20 "The one who had received the five talents R946 came up and brought five more talents, saying, `Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.' 21 "His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful R947 slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put R948 you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' F551 22 "Also the one who had received the two talents R949 came up and said, `Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.' 23 "His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful R950 slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 24 "And the one also who had received the one talent R951 came up and said, `Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 `And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.' 26 "But his master answered and said to him, `You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 `Then you ought to have put my money in F552 the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 `Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.' 29 "For R952 to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 "Throw out the worthless slave into the R953 outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When Mahatma Gandhi was the spiritual leader of India, he was asked by some missionaries, "What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in India?" His reply was, "Christians." You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its taste, with what shall it be salted? It is thereafter good for nothing but to be thrown out and walked on by the people. Matthew 5:13. Source Unknown. c. Membership is based off of your ministry to the body and the community A problem of the church today is that we have “members” that believe wrongly about membership.  They believe that membership is a position to hold and not a job to do.  That is why at epiphany the term membership is always accompanied with minister.  Therefore we do not have people doing anything in the church but holding a position or title. Our vision is to mobilize contagious Christians. Our vision is to get lethargic Christians to wake up and do something in the name of Jesus. We got people hurting and lost and they need to know that the only way to cure what they got is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.

Epiphany DNA Message Series Proverbs 29: 18 (NAS) – Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish Say it with me, then say Yes Sah What is meant by Epiphany DNA?? - what are we made up of? - Where are we going? - What were we created to become? - Epiphany DNA is the vision and the genetic makeup of the epiphany ministries. It tells us what we are and where we are going. There are 7 statements that help to define the Epiphany DNA Title:  DNA part 2:  How Big is Your God?  Glocal outreach – an outreach vision Small Group Message this week - How Big is your God? 1. If you were God, what is one thing on earth you would address right away? It is the dream of a place socially active in global and local outreaches. This place will facilitate a glocal (global + local) small group outreach. There will be an active small group outreach in every city of Robertson County. Social and spiritual outreach will be conducted in every country of the world by supporting foreign missionaries (193 countries).  This is a place that desires to be a community church, not a church in the community. It is the dream of a place that expands its public ministry into every home through televised and/or webcasted services. Romans 15: 20 (NAS) And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation; 21 but as it is written, "THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND." A function of an apostle:  1. Taking the gospel to unreached areas.  As a church we have the duty to fulfill the role of the apostle. Paul said to the Romans, "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation" (Romans 15:20). Paul had a heart to reach the unreached areas of life. What are the unreached areas in our lives?  We currently have two unreached areas that we are capable of reaching. 1. Love those you can see Possible Video Clip:  Guess Who - making vows, loving someone he can see We are to reach the unreached pockets of people in Robertson County Why is it difficult to love those unlovable? Because sin abounds in people’s lives:  Matthew 24: 16 - "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.  Sin gets in your way of loving other people. But if we do love those that are unlovable, then we will be marked.  John 13: 35 - "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." The first area of unreached peoples are the unreachable hearts of the people of Robertson county.  The young families and young people that are not being reached in Robertson County. The best way to reach people in this day and age is through small groups of relationships.  Connect Groups.  It is in the Connect group enviroment that authentic relationships, love and ministries can be accomplished.  Church needs to be a place where you feel like you belong.  Small Groups (like Connect Groups) do that.  Remember, Jesus focused on 12 not the 5,000. Why should you join a connect group? (6 reasons) 1. The message of the Bible will become more relevant. You will understand the Bible better in a small group. If you've ever listened to a Bible teacher or preacher and wanted to stop that person and say, "But what about?" or "I don't understand!", then a Connect Group is for you! Preaching and teaching is one way communication. You listen while the speaker speaks. It's fine for imparting knowledge, but is not as effective for personal application as a Connect Group. In a Connect Group setting you can ask questions, participate in a discussion of the text, while at the same time others share insights and illustrations of the truth that you are trying to grasp. The Bible must be applied to your own personal situations and that happens best in Connect Groups. 2. You will not "slip through" the cracks of the church. You will be able to be noticed and notice others on a smaller scale. It is so difficult to build meaningful relationships when you are "tossed around" in the crowd. When you are able to be a part of a smaller group, then your voice is heard and you are able to connect with greater efficiency. 3. Talking with God will make more sense. Prayer will become more meaningful to you. Many people are hesitant to pray in front of others, especially in a large church. In a small group of 6 12, you can learn to participate in prayer by having a conversation together with God. No one is pressured to pray, but as you become comfortable, you'll be able to pray "sentence prayers" and join in. There are many promises in the Bible related to group prayer. In praying together with a few others, we are drawn together and we find answers to the needs in our lives. 4. You will be able to handle stress better. Connect Groups provide excellent support in times of crisis, change and stress. You'll find a sense of security knowing that there are people who really care for you and are committed to standing with you. When someone loses a job, or a family member has an extended illness, or a mother needs a babysitter; there are practical needs that will be naturally taken care of through your Connect Group. Your group will coordinate the sharing of hot meals to be brought in when and if your family is in need. Many people in our church could testify that they would not have made it through a difficult time if it hadn't been for the support of their Connect Group. 5. You will have a natural way to share Christ with friends, relatives, and work associates. It may be that some of your friends who don't know the Lord wouldn't be caught dead in a church. They have a preconceived idea and jus the thought makes them defensive. But those same people may be open to an invitation to a casual Bible discussion in a home or office setting. In a Connect Group, your friend can ask questions and express honest doubts without feeling "put on the spot." When your friend sees the love and warmth and honesty of your group, it will make him more receptive to the message of the Bible. 6. You will be a New Testament Christian. The book of Acts is very clear about how God intends for His people to grow and have their needs met in the church. We will never be able to hire enough professional pastors to meet all the individual needs in our family. God never intended it to be this way! Transition:  How do you reach the world?  By focusing on the individual.  Jesus focused on a few to win the many.  It will be impossible to play (addition) tag with an entire country by yourself, but you can reach them all by multiplication through individuals. 2. Love those that you can’t see We are to reach those Unreached in Foreign Places The second unreached area that is attainable for our church are the foreign areas of the globe that missionaries are willing to go to if they are equipped with the proper resources. We are to carry on the word of reconciliation to the world:  2 Corinthians 5: 18 - 19 18 Now all R184 these things are from God, who R185 reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry R186 of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God R187 was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not R188 counting their trespasses against them, and He F35 has committed F36 to us the word of reconciliation. Reaching out locally and globally has equal importance.  Great Commission.  Missions. Many people believe that we need to just focus on matters of the local community and not those that are a half a world away. This poses problems Matthew 28 tells us to make disciples in all of the world.   For us to only focus on America, those that look like us, those that smell like us, those that think like us is the staunchest smell of egoism that exists. Christ has sent us to go out into the world:  John 17: 18 - 18 "As You R1105 sent Me into the world, I R1106 also have sent them into the world. As a church we are called out to be a light to the world, not just in the places that we wish to light up.  We are called to light the world.   "The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved." Mother Teresa of Calcutta quotes (Albanian born Indian Missionary and Founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979. 1910-1997) The church of today is called out to love the unlovable.  We are called out to be involved in the world’s loneliness. Our generation is so very concerned about social activity. Bono is currently active in poverty and AIDS outreaches of global proportions.  He represents and is leading a mindset that is strong in our society.  A mindset that wants to do something that goes beyond itself.   "In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged."  gotaro Dalai Lama quotes (Head of the Dge-lugs-pa order of Tibetan Buddhists, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, b.1935) This is what Paul’s ambition was all about.  This is what he had in mind when he stood as an example to all peoples about what a Christ - lover/follower should be about.  We should be concerned about the peoples of the world.  We should be active in reaching people where they hurt.  The old saying, “They know where we are, we don’t have to go out and tell them”  doesn’t cut it anymore.  We now live in an age that those that truly follow Jesus Christ want to reach out and to something that is greater than themselves. This is what global outreach is all about. Illustration It seems the old Standard Oil Company offered an enormous sum of money to a missionary in China to work for them, to help with the development of Standard Oil in China. The missionary turned them down. So they doubled the salary offer. He turned them down again. They said, "What do you want? We can't give more money than that.: He said, "The money doesn't have anything to do with it. The job is too small." SimNow. Reaching a world is a great task, but can be conquered by a body of Christ in Springfield, TN. Illustration Alila stood on the beach holding her tiny infant son close to her heart. Tears welled in her eyes as she began slowly walking toward the river's edge. She stepped into the water, silently making her way out until she was waist deep, the water gently lapping at the sleeping baby's feet. She stood there for a long time holding the child tightly as she stared out across the river. Then all of a sudden in one quick movement she threw the six month old baby to his watery death. Native missionary M.V. Varghese often witnesses among the crowds who gather at the Ganges. It was he who came upon Alila that day kneeling in the sand crying uncontrollably and beating her breast. With compassion he knelt down next to her and asked her what was wrong. Through her sobs she told him, "The problems in my home are too many and my sins are heavy on my heart, so I offered the best I have to the goddess Ganges, my first born son." Brother Varghese's heart ached for the desperate woman. As she wept he gently began to tell her about the love of Jesus and that through Him her sins could be forgiven. She looked at him strangely. "I have never heard that before," she replied through her tears. "Why couldn't you have come thirty minutes earlier? If you did, my child would not have had to die." Each year millions of people come to the holy Indian city of Hardwar to bathe in the River Ganges. These multitudes come believing this Hindu ritual will wash their sins away. For many people like Alila, missionaries are arriving too late, simply because there aren't enough of these faithful brothers and sisters on the mission field. Christianity Today, 1993 We have a choice -    "The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life." John Fitzgerald Kennedy quotes (American 35th US President (1961-63), 1917-1963) How are we to do this?  We need to support foreign missionaries.  People that have the calling of God on their life to fulfill this outreach to the unreached peoples.  We have to do this through small groups.  Our Connect Groups.  We cannot adminstrate any other way, because it will get lost in the shuffle.  Our Connect Groups are the best way to keep this a priority and a focal point for our ministries. Invitation: Have a representative come from each of the Connect groups to represent the foreign missionary and country that they represent.  We can pray for this country, missionary and for this Connect group in its local outreach. John G. Paton, a missionary to the South Sea Islands, often lived in danger as he worked among the hostile aborigines who had never heard the gospel. At one time three witch doctors, claiming to have the power to cause death, publicly declared their intentions to kill Paton with their sorcery before the next Sunday. To carry out their threat, they said they needed some food he had partially eaten. Paton asked for three plums. He took a bite out of each and then gave them to the men who were plotting his death. On Sunday, the missionary entered the village with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. The people looked at each other in amazement, thinking it couldn't possibly be Paton. Their "sacred men" admitted that they had tried by all their incantations to kill him. When asked why they had failed, they replied that the missionary was a sacred man like themselves, but that his God was stronger than theirs. From then on Paton's influence grew, and soon he had the joy of leading some of the villagers to the Lord. Source Unknown.

Epiphany DNA Message Series Play Guess Who Video - Interracial Marriage - where Simon (Ashton) is introduced to his future in laws. Proverbs 29: 18 (NAS) - Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish Say it with me, then say Yes Sah What is meant by Epiphany DNA?? - what are we made up of? - Where are we going? - What were we created to become? - Epiphany DNA is the vision and the genetic makeup of the epiphany ministries. It tells us what we are and where we are going. There are 7 statements that help to define the Epiphany DNA Illustration:  A man, his wife, and mother-in-law went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they were there, the mother-in-law passed away. The undertaker told them, "You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here in the Holy Land for $150." The man thought about it and told him he would just have her shipped home. The undertaker asked, "Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your mother-in-law home, when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would spend only $150?" The man replied, "Long ago a man died here, was buried here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance." There are some chances in this world that we can’t afford to take, but there are those that we have to take. Title:  DNA part 3:  No Black, No White, Just Epiphany It is the dream of a place that embraces racial and ethnic equality. It's essence will be the message and goal.  This church will not judge on the basis of skin color or place of origin, but will embrace everyone, by having interracial and multiethnicity equality within.  This place will be interracial and multiethnic in every aspect of its existence.  We desire to be the first balanced multiracial worship service in Robertson County. Focal Passage:  the sermon of Paul on Mars Hill in Acts 17. Acts 17:26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 1.  Treat everyone as if God is part of them AS the KJV puts it - God made One blood of all nations   v.27 - he is not far from any of us I. Love your neighbor Our community seems to have a problem with this one. There is hate in our county. A few years back we had people that decided to fly a flag that was not favorable to certain people and it ended up as a pretty violent situation.  Would it had ended violently if there was no tension between white and black? a. An interracial church will be the remedy to a racial community Our church is not there yet.  Our church is not a the purposed image of God’s church.  We are too white W. E. B. Du Bois once said that the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line. (The Souls of Black Folks, 1903) c. Wal-Mart church theory i. Church needs to be more like Wal - Mart b. We need to have God’s heart for people and not our own color glasses on our face. We need to have God’s Heart for people.  Conincidentally this is the Connect Group Message for this Wednesday.  Focal passage Matthew 9: 35 - 38 35 Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Illustration: A holy man  was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like. "The Lord led the holy  man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In  the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the  table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy  man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and  sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very  long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and  take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer  than their arms,  they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy  man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, "You have seen  Hell." They went to the next room and  opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the  large round table with the large pot of stew which made the  holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand." It  is simple" said the Lord, "it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves. Transition:  We have become a county that has never learned how to feed each other.  We need to be a church that develops a community to interact, love and accept one another.  A part of this is learning to respect God’s boundaries in relationships. 2. Respect God’s boundaries in relationships V. 26 Boundaries of habitation determined by god d. Jesus was not Caucasian and Moses didn’t marry a white woman The pictures of Christ that we all have of him that is white in face is not the way that Jesus looked. The land and the area of which Jesus lived is what we call our Holy Lands today. He would have not looked caucasion He would have not look African american Jesus would have looked more like a Saudi Arabian or Iranian   King of Saudi Arabia   Director for Gulf Affairs - Ali Al-Ahmed Moses the Jew married an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1) and God defended him when Miriam and Aaron spoke against him because of this marriage (Numbers 12:4-8). Then why are we so bent out of shape when it comes to interracial relationships? Some of the Scriptures often used to discourage intermarriage marriage include: Deut. 7:3-4 "Do not intermarry with them.... for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods.... " 1 Ki. 11:2 "They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, 'You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods...." Ezra 9:14 "Shall we again break your commands and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices?..." i. These scriptures do not point to skin color, like most would use them, they are speaking of spiritual compatibility. e. Spiritual compatibility should be first and foremost a consideration in a lifetime commitment, not what others may think, and not what society dictates. Skin color makes someone no less or no more a child of God than a person having white or black hair color. Remember the words of old: "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16) Consider this passage 2 Corinthians chapter 6 14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.” Again notice that this passage has nothing to do with race. So, we see that God intends for His people to set themselves apart as a “higher standard” and avoid following people who follow false gods or religions.  If we marry someone that we are not spiritually yoked with, then we would be forced to follow who they are and what they worship. The essence of marriage is found in spiritual issues not racial or national issues. Quite frankly if they were then we would all be in trouble, because not one of us is a pure breed of anything. It is an issue of being evenly yoked Man who came to pastor, had attended church for 25 years, respected, leader in the church, said, "Pastor, I've got something to tell you. I've never told this to a soul, extremely difficult to tell you this now, but my wife and I have had a fight every day for the past 30 years of our marriage." Pastor taken back. Didn't know what to say to the man. Playing for time to gather thoughts, said, "Every day?" "Yes, every day." "Did you today before you came to church?" "Yes." "Well, how did it end up?" "She came crawling to me on her hands and knees." "What did she say?" "Come out from under that bed you coward and fight like a man!" 3.  Mirror God’s heart for People How do we do this as a church? To mirror God’s heart is to be the replica church that He intended for us to do. For us to become interracial it must begin in our leadership team. Our leadership must reflect what we are seeking to become This will start with you as the individual. The purpose of boundaries is to seek the lord. And now is time for us to seek the Lord on this issue.  It is time for us to search our heart for the slightest bit of anger or fear in this area and ask the Lord to deal with it.  It is time to give this effort to God and allow him to light our path as individuals and as a church.

Epiphany DNA Message Series Proverbs 29: 18 (NAS) - Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish Say it with me, then say Yes Sah What is meant by Epiphany DNA?? - what are we made up of? - Where are we going? - What were we created to become? - Epiphany DNA is the vision and the genetic makeup of the epiphany ministries. It tells us what we are and where we are going. There are 7 statements that help to define the Epiphany DNA Title:  DNA part 4:  Connect Groups grow the individual - a growth vision It is the dream of a place that embraces the growth of the individual and the collective. This is a place that will intently reproduce 12 small groups per year and one church plant per year for the purpose of creating more stations of growth and relationships for the individual and the collective.  It is a dream of seeing people come into the church and having the church mobilize them for everyday ministry, then sending them out to do that ministry.  With every church plant that is sent out, it will be accompanied with at least 10% of the resources and people, of the current ministry, to provide a strong launch for the new church. Focal Passage:  Matthew 13: 24 - 30 (NAS) You are growing through every situation in life, but how are you growing? 24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 28 "And he said to them, `An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, `Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' 29 "But he said, `No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 `Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn." 1. Be on your toes to grow as an individual (v. 25) The enemy sows bad seed where the Master has sown good seed (v. 25) Growth of the body means growing the individual. While men sleep (v. 25 - possibly signifying spiritual sleep of man), the enemy has opportunity.   Matthew 13: 39 - the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. While men spiritually sleep, droning through life, the enemy has an opportunity to sow bad seed into their life.   Sleep - People not concerned about sin, they are weary in their spiritual duties, spiritual exercises have ceased, it is a time of darkness and insecurity.   During this sleep they are prone to loose the presence of Christ - as He allows their choices to harden their hearts or make their paths crooked. Illustration In 1968 a scientist discovered a 600-year-old seed necklace in an Indian grave. He planted one of the seeds, and it sprouted and grew. Though it had been dormant for 600 years, the potential for life was still there in the seed. Maybe you feel like you've become spiritually dormant, but your now have a desire to be fruitful. It’s not too late! How to grow in Christ … 1. Begin cultivating deep roots by spending time in God's Word every day. I know that should be a given for a pastor, but you would be surprised at how many pastors don't make time for this. 2. Then eliminate the weeds in your life that eat up your time and energy and distract you from doing God's will. 3. Next, cooperate with God in the pruning process by thanking and praising him for what he is doing in your life. He is working to make you more fruitful than you ever thought possible. 4. Finally, wait expectantly for the harvest of spiritual fruit in your life. If you’ve followed the first three steps, the harvest is inevitable! Psalm 92: 12 (NAS) - The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. God wants to see us grow (our love, forgiveness and life) “Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.'  Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you'"  Erich Fromm quotes (German born American social Philosopher and Psychoanalyst, 1900-1980) Illustration: Some people equate spiritual growth with chronological growth Someone once said about being elderly “golden age not so golden” He gave this illustration:  Sitting at coffee one morning one old guy complained - my arms are so week that i cannot hold my coffee, one said my eyes are so bad that i cannot see my cofee - so dizzy i don't know where i am at - one said "what did you say, i cant hear - then they said, well at least we can still drive The spirit unlike the body doesn’t necessarily break down over time:  BUT Growth does not happen overnight. It takes time. It’s not instantaneous. God takes two days to make a mushroom; he takes 60 years to make an oak tree. Do you want to be a mushroom or an oak tree? Connect Group Message:  Making the most out of opportunities. - Colossians 4: 2 - 6 - For us to grow as individuals, then we will need to seize the day, seize the opportunities available before they disappear. How long do you think that you have for a window of opportunity? If God gives you the opportunity for spiritual growth and maturity, do you think it wise to sit and wait? Make the most out of your opportunities. 2.  Don’t allow the enemy to ruin your life (v. 26 - 28) The slaves and master noticed the bad seed sprouting. (v. 26 - 28) These three verses are symbolic of Christ as the master and the slaves as his true ministers in the church, and the ministers of the church noticing how the church ought to be filled with good seed, but sometimes the enemy comes and plants bad seed. We must always be on the watch and not allow the enemy to plant bad seed in our lives. The bad in your life will be noticeable to other people You may say its my life and people know that I am not perfect.  That still doesn’t matter. 1 Corinthians 8: 9 (NAS) - But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. What you do will effect others. Illustration: >*Watergate Bug* > >A honeymoon couple is in the Watergate Hotel. > >The new bride is concerned and asked, "What if the place is still >bugged?" > >The groom says "Hmm...  Good point.  I'll look for a bug." > >He looks behind the drapes, behind the pictures, under the rug . . . >"AHA!" >he shouts! > >Sure enough, under the rug was a small disc shaped plate, with four >screws. >  He gets his Swiss army knife, unscrews the screws, throws them and the >plate out the window. > >The next morning, the hotel manager asks the newlyweds "How was your >room? >How was the service?  How was your stay at the Watergate Hotel?" > >Curious, the groom says, "And why, sir, are you asking me all of these >questions?" > >The hotel manager says "Well, the room UNDER yours complained of the >chandelier falling on them!" The bad seed is so entrenched in our life, that if we are to pull it out immediately, then it will cause such a hole in our life. They couldn’t get rid of it immediately, because it would have killed the complete crop.   The evil was entangled around the good as well.   Pulling one will automatically disrupt the other.   When sin manifests itself in our life it is like a contagious epidemic in the areas of our life. This is the tactic of the enemy.  He wishes for the sin to grow in our life, strangle us and devour us. 1 Peter 5: 8 (NAS) - Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. These bad weeds will hinder us in life Athletes often describe hitting a "wall" of performance. It is a barrier where no apparent amount of effort appears able to push through the pain of the moment. Athletes who hit such a barrier either surrender to the lid or they devise new understandings of the mind and disciplines of the body to help break through the barriers of their efforts. These barriers often hinder or hault the growth process.  In a church body, the two things that will break the barriers is vision and unity.  In an individual life the two things that will break the barriers is vision and unity (between you and the Father) Growth of the body means we must grow the individual. How? Growing the individual means reproducing (sprouting) small groups, so that they will be accessible for anyone wishing to grow in Christ. What are Connect Groups and why are important for the body of the church? Luke 12: 26 - 28 Why do the lilies grow?  B/c they focus on God. How do we allow our finances to grow, relationships grow, job get better - We have to let go and let God. Luke 12  26 "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 "But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! Discipleship - A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing. M. Luther.   This is said of the individual as well. Kierkegaard makes the same observation "And I looked around and nobody was laughing" says this, "I went into church and sat on the velvet pew. I watched as the sun came shining through the stained glass windows. The minister dressed in a velvet robe opened the golden gilded Bible, marked it with a silk bookmark and said, "If any man will be my disciple, said Jesus, let him deny himself, take up his cross, sell what he has, give it to the poor, and follow me." Kierkagaard. We live in a day and age that the church and our religion is not observed seriously because we don’t take it serious. Others see the bad in the so called Christians, that they don’t want any part of it. That is why we must strive everyday to eliminate the bad in our lives. 3.  Eliminate the bad to make way for God (v. 30) At the time of the harvest, it will be time to burn the bad and gather the good. Decision Time. Who are you going to follow? What are you going to allow in your life? Illustration:  Elimination Film maker Walt Disney was ruthless in cutting anything that got in the way of a story’s pacing. Ward Kimball, one of the animators for SNOW WHITE, recalls working 240 days on a 4 1/2 minute sequence in which the dwarfs made soup for Snow White and almost destroyed the kitchen in the process. Disney thought it was funny, but he decided the scene stopped the flow of the picture, so out it went. When the film of our lives is shown, will it be as great as it might be? A lot will depend on the multitude of “good” things we need to eliminate to make way for the great things God wants to do through us. - Kenneth Langley 1 John 1: 9

Epiphany DNA Message Series We live in a world that people believe that the church has disconnected with society. It seems as if the church of today is still living in the 1950s with its methodologies. Today we are going to be speaking about Upgrading for the Untouchables Video Illustration: Mouse clicking commercial - We see animals trying to learn the newest technology.  For us to reach this brave new world, then we must also be on the cutting edge. Proverbs 29: 18 (NAS) - Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish Say it with me, then say Yes Sah What is meant by Epiphany DNA?? - what are we made up of? - Where are we going? - What were we created to become? - Epiphany DNA is the vision and the genetic makeup of the epiphany ministries. It tells us what we are and where we are going. There are 7 statements that help to define the Epiphany DNA Title:  DNA part 5:  Upgrading for the Untouchables It is the dream of a place that effectively engages the post modern mindset most often overlooked by the modern day church by being culturally relevant, innovative, and authentic.  This place will be one of the leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation, divorce care, and minister / leadership training centers in northern middle Tennessee. Mark8: 22 - 25 (NAS) 22 And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. 23 Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?" 24 And he looked up and said, "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around." 25 Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. 1.  Get Real for the untouchables Being a church of Bethsaida This is what church is House of fish This was a place where a lot of fisherman lived and made a living.   home of Peter (fisherman), Andrew (fisherman), and Philip (unsure) (Matt 4:18; Mark 1: 16) This was a place that many people came to get fish for themselves and to be around those that knew how to fish. Bethsaida was a place of feeding (the 5,000) and healing (the blind man) Church is to be that place by being a house of relevance, innovation and authenticity   Being a church that is   Relevant   Innovative   Authentic   "Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future." Albert Camus quotes (French Novelist, Essayist and Playwright, 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1913-1960) I believe my home to be a place of relevance, innovation and authenticity. We are real people (well most of the time, steph dreams that spiders are in the bed), it is a challenge to live there (Stephanie beats me up at night) and we are very practical (getting gun when someone knocks on door late) How do we connect?   Bishop John Taylor said, “A hungry man has no ears.“   Today you have to earn the right to share the gospel.  People aren’t just gonna listen to you about the grace and plan of God, when they have real needs nagging at them everyday.   That leap of faith is too difficult for most people.   We have to meet them where there needs are.   We have to lead   drug rehabilitation   divorce care   jail ministries. Illustration: We cannot be a place that simply misses the point: Church program bloopers The bulletin of a church in Iowa announced: The Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door. Another church's bulletin carried this announcement: Due to the Pastor's illness, Wednesday's healing services will be discontinued until further notice. During a service one preacher made this announcement: "This being Easter Sunday, we will now ask Mr. Vassilas to come forward and lay an egg on the altar. Another church newsletter had this: At the evening service tonight, the topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and hear our choir practice. Not to pick on the choir, but an announcement in one church read: Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones. The church cannot afford to miss the point.  It has to be a place of relevance, innovation and authenticity. 2. Give sight to the untouchables   Giving sight to the blind post moderns This is where they are Let me clarify post modern - We are all post modern. Postmodern - relating to art, architecture, or literature that reacts against earlier modernist principles, as by reintroducing traditional or classical elements of style or by carrying modernist styles or practices to extremes. (www.dictionary.com) A postmodern world is definitely an existential world, and experiential world.  A world that defines truth upon the experience, There are many people that question absolute truth. They believe that truth is found in the individual - relative truth.   "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." Soren Kierkegaard quotes (Danish Philosopher, 1813-1855)   "Each man must reach his own verdict, by weighing all the relevant evidence." Leonard Peikoff quotes a world that is experience seeking (even pleasure driven) This is the world in which we have created. This is the world in which we live. What an experience this blind man has had. He has had friends drag him to an unacquainted celebrity of the day in which they begged him to touch him. This unacquainted celebrity proceeds to spit in this mans eyes and interrogates him about his sight. The blind man then has the experience of a lifetime. "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around." He squinted again and his sight was fully restored only to see the Master. This is where we are church.   All around us are blind people walking around waiting for that one experience to open their eyes.   We are here to assist in this worlds blindness, and as they journey through their own battles we will be there holding them up, so when they receive their sight for the first time they will be able to see the Master. Why are these people blind? Blind Post Moderns Physical and Spiritual Blindness was sometimes a punishment for disobedience (1 Sam. 11:2; Jer. 39:7) Blindness denotes ignorance as to spiritual things (Isa. 6:10; 42:18, 19; Matt. 15:14; Eph. 4:18). Solution is connected to the Messiah The opening of the eyes of the blind is peculiar to the Messiah (Isa. 29:18). The name Messiah is rendered in the LXX as Christos It means anointed one, an expected deliverer Depravity of man Romans 5: 6 - Why we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. "Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune." Socrates quotes 3.  Reaching the untouchables This is what Christ did The blind man didn’t deserve healing. The blind man was popularly considered unclean The blind man didn’t expect his sight at all Jesus didn’t care Jesus spent time with this man, that knew little to nothing about Him. the blind of that day were considered uncleaned and untouchable, there is a group like that today for the modern church, that is why we are here to reach the untouchables. 4) A true image of our regeneration, which Christ, separating us from the world, works and accomplishes in us gradually.

Epiphany DNA Message Series Proverbs 29: 18 (NAS) - Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish Say it with me, then say Yes Sah What is meant by Epiphany DNA?? - what are we made up of? - Where are we going? - What were we created to become? - Epiphany DNA is the vision and the genetic makeup of the epiphany ministries. It tells us what we are and where we are going. There are 7 statements that help to define the Epiphany DNA Title:  DNA part 6:  the Mafia Church – a church of families for families It is the dream of a place that cares so much about new families that it will go the distance. Families of all ages and sizes will connect with others that have been in their shoes.  It will be a place that offers relevant training to promote successful and joyful living in today's world This is not to exclude families of any ages, but to incorporate families of all ages to teach and to learn.  We need families of all ages to be examples to families of all ages. Video Illustration:  Napoleon Dynamite fighting with Uncle Rico as a bad example of family relations "If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional family in the world, all you have to do is go to a state fair. Because five minutes at the fair, you'll be going, 'you know, we're alright. We are dang near royalty." Jeff Foxworthy quotes (American comedian, b.1958) Focal passage: Luke 14: 26 (NAS) - "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Don’t hate others, just set priorities What is this hate? a. We are to hate everyone around us to become a disciple of Jesus Christ b. It is like He is asking us to forsake all others and follow him. i. Why is He asking this of us? 1. Matthew 6: 24 NAS "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. c. This hate is a priority issue. i. We are not to allow anything to come before our relationship with Him. What does this hate mean? This word Greek - ou misei (hateth not) is derived from the original Greek word meaning detest and hate to the fullest extent, but this word does not mean this.  It is a watered down version of the stronger word for hate in Greek, meaning more of a sense of priority. Matthew 10: 37 (HCSB) The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. This word hate is not meant in the proper sense of the word, but of preference.  If someone comes before Christ, then you are not worthy of Christ. Biblical Examples:  Thus Abraham parted with his own country, and Moses with Pharaoh’s court. the disciples of Christ, should be ready to part with their dearest relations and friends, with the greatest enjoyment of life, and with life itself, when Christ calls for it; or otherwise they are not worthy to be called his disciples. ii. We are first and foremost disciples. If any man come to me… Not in a corporeal, but in a spiritual way; but so come, as that he believes in him, applies to him for grace, pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation; professes to be his, submits to his ordinances, and desires to be a disciple of his; Mark 8: 34 - 35 (NAS) Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, "If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it. Love like the Mafia   Becoming like a Mafia family d. Once you have the priorities down, then you can start seeing the big picture of priority. > Now that Sounds like a message that breaks thumbs. > From: "david evans" <epiphanybaptist@bellsouth.net> > Date: 2005/11/02 Wed PM 03:02:40 CST > To: <epiphanybaptist@bellsouth.net> > Subject: e p i p h a n y - A Relevant Message We are here to love one another, this is our priority Leviticus 19: 18 (NAS) - You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. e. Mafia families are dedicated to one another "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family" Anthony Brandt quotes i. This verse is the perfect verse to show the intensity and dedication that we ought to have for God’s family. 1. It is like the devotion to a mafia. Play the Godfather theme music and have people hug and shake hands together. f. For us to be effective in our vision for being a church of families for new families, then we will have to be dedicated to one another. "We always say 'I would kill for my family' or 'I would die for my family' but would you really? I mean, when really put in that situation, would you really give up your life? Do you really love something or someone that much?" Johnny Depp quotes (American film Actor. b.1963 Owensboro, Kentucky, USA) i. For us to be effective, then we will have to be a place for a new family to come and find families that have been there and done that. 1. A place of families that take their own experiences (painful and joyful) and use them to teach others, so that we are not reinventing the will of solution.   Real Families be relevant Real Families should be relevant to Real Families in need We need to offer Relevant Training g. We need to be a place for the family to come and be equipped to make life fulfilling i. Messages and teachings ought to have practical light within it. ii. Just to talk about King David is one thing 1. To talk about how his life went to a nobody in the wilderness to the King chosen by God is needed. 2. How does one go about going from a nobody in the work place, to the place that God has designed for them. iii. Just to talk about Abraham as the Father of many religions is one thing. 1. To talk about how he trained his children up in righteousness is another. We need to be a place for the family to come and be equipped to make life fulfilling That means that we as individuals are going to have to become the people of God that we need to be. "A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian... and most of all, his family ought to know." Dwight L. Moody quotes (American Evangelist, 1837-1899) Who do those closest to you say you are? Are you truly a righteous, a pure, a loving, a forgiving, a good person? Today for us to be a church of families for families, then we will have to make individual selves more family friendly and allow God to do a work in our lives. Information to include: Small group blurb Matthew Henry [1.] Every good man loves his relations; and yet, if he be a disciple of Christ, he must comparatively hate them, must love them less than Christ, as Leah is said to be hated when Rachel was better loved. Not that their persons must be in any degree hated, but our comfort and satisfaction in them must be lost and swallowed up in our love to Christ, as Levi’s was, when he said to his father, I have not seen him, Deu. 33:9. When our duty to our parents comes in competition with our evident duty to Christ, we must give Christ the preference. If we must either deny Christ or be banished from our families and relations (as many of the primitive Christians were), we must rather lose their society than his favour. [2.] Every man loves his own life, no man ever yet hated it; and we cannot be Christ’s disciples if we do not love him better than our own lives, so as rather to have our lives embittered by cruel bondage, nay, and taken away by cruel deaths, than to dishonour Christ, or depart from any of his truths and ways. The experience of the pleasures of the spiritual life, and the believing hopes and prospects of eternal life, will make this hard saying easy. When tribulation and persecution arise because of the word, then chiefly the trial is, whether we love better, Christ or our relations and lives; yet even in the days of peace this matter is sometimes brought to the trial. Those that decline the service of Christ, and opportunities of converse with him, and are ashamed to confess him, for fear of disobliging a relation or friend, or losing a customer, give cause to suspect that they love him better than Christ.

Epiphany DNA Message Series Proverbs 29: 18 (NAS) - Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. (KJV) 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish Say it with me, then say Yes Sah What is meant by Epiphany DNA?? - what are we made up of? - Where are we going? - What were we created to become? - Epiphany DNA is the vision and the genetic makeup of the epiphany ministries. It tells us what we are and where we are going. There are 7 statements that help to define the Epiphany DNA Title:  DNA part 7:  a Psalmist Style of Worship It is the dream of embracing creativity. Artists will have the opportunity to experience and extend their talent and ability through performance, recording, music festivals, and galleries. Play Video of epiphany embracing creativity - Matrix (a bland normal mind) meets Willie Wonka ( a creative mind) Focal Passage:  The creation story - Genesis 1: 1 - 6, 9, 11, 14-15, 20, 24, 26, 31 (NAS) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6 Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 9 Then God said, " Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, {and} fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. 14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 20 Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." 24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. I.  Acknowledge that He is creative We exist because of a very creative designer Why did God create the world the way that He did? He could have just snapped His anthropomorphic fingers and said “Exist” The Creation story is just one of the many stories that displays God’s desire for creativity. "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Albert Einstein quotes (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955) Many times in Christian circles, creative individuals repress their talents to not offend others. This is why Epiphany must embrace creativity, because there is a God given creativity to individuals that God desires to display.   "Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better." Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes (American Baptist Minister and Civil-Rights Leader. 1929-1968) Illustration: Have everyone that did a piece of the collage bring it up at this point and put together the art piece. (start with the corners first, then work into the art piece) Collectively we can worship creatively, because we worship a creative God. We are creative people, and some express their creativity in different ways There are some creative bumper stickers that are coming to us:  At last.... A bipartisan bumper sticker. FINALLY, > someone > has > >come out with a 100% bipartisan political bumper sticker. The > hottest > >selling bumper sticker comes from New York State: > > > >"2008 - RUN HILLARY RUN" > > > >Democrats put it on the rear bumper. > >Republicans put it on the front bumper. II.  We need to embrace different forms of creativity "The great creative individual. . . is capable of more wisdom and virtue than collective man ever can be." John Stuart Mill quotes (English exponent of Utilitarianism, ethical theorist, Philosopher, Economist and Logician. 1806-1873) This is why the creative individual is so important to corporate worship today.  They can bring a type of beauty and wisdom to a worship environment. There are many forms of worship that can be offered to God. DEFINITION - Worship is a full concentration of praise, thought and honor of oneself to God. This could be done in a many of ways, but must always include three aspects: Some keys to worship. 1.  Worship is not done for the individual but for God’s glory Matthew 6:5 "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 2.  Worship is done with the individual Mark 6: 4 - After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. 3.  Worship is done with the collective. Small Group blurb - Discovering your gifts - creativity Hebrews 10:25 - 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; Illustration:  We are to worship through encouraging one another. A husband was in big trouble when he forgot his wife's birthday. > >His  wife told him "Tomorrow there better be something in the driveway >for me  that goes zero to 200 in 2 seconds flat". > >The next morning the wife found  a small package in the driveway. She >opened it and found a brand new bathroom  scale. > >Funeral arrangements for the husband have been set for  Saturday. Today we have experienced worship: 1. Through hearing (music - singing songs) 2. Through sight (art - iconographic - the art of the slides and the interpretive movement) 3. Through touch - (fellowship - soldier’s experience and shaking hands) 4. Through smell (the candles in the corner) 5. Through taste (drinking coffee) 6. Through sacrifice (tithe’s and offerings) There are different expressions of worship. Exercise Litany of Passion Litany of the Passion Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. Response: have mercy on us. Jesus, the Eternal Wisdom, Jesus, sold for thirty pieces of silver, Jesus, prostrate on the ground in prayer, Jesus, strengthened by an angel, Jesus, in Thine agony bathed in a bloody sweat, Jesus, betrayed by Judas with a kiss, Jesus, bound by the soldiers, Jesus, forsaken by Thy disciples, Jesus, brought before Annas and Caiphas, Jesus, struck in the face by a servant, Jesus, accused by false witnesses, Jesus, declared guilty of death, Jesus, spat upon, Jesus, blindfolded, Jesus, smitten on the cheek, Jesus, thrice denied by Peter, Jesus, despised and mocked by Herod, Jesus, clothed in a white garment, Jesus, rejected for Barabbas, Jesus, torn with scourges, Jesus, bruised for our sins, Jesus, esteemed a leper, Jesus, covered with a purple robe, Jesus, crowned with thorns, Jesus, struck with a reed upon the Head, Jesus, demanded for crucifixion by the Jews, Jesus, condemned into an ignominious death, Jesus, given up to the will of Thine enemies, Jesus, loaded with the heavy weight of the Cross, Jesus, led like a sheep to the slaughter, Jesus, stripped of Thy garments, Jesus, fastened with nails to the Cross, Jesus, reviled by the malefactors, Jesus, promising Paradise to the penitent thief, Jesus, commending Saint John to Thy Mother as her son, Jesus, declaring Thyself forsaken by Thy Father, Jesus, in Thy thirst given gall and vinegar to drink, Jesus, testifying that all things written concerning Thee were accomplished, Jesus, commanding Thy spirit into the hands of Thy Father, Jesus, obedient even to the death of the cross, Jesus, pierced with a lance, Jesus, made a propitiation for us, Jesus, taken down from the cross, Jesus, laid in the sepulcher, Jesus, rising gloriously from the dead, Jesus, ascending into Heaven, Jesus, our Advocate with the Father, Jesus, sending down on Thy disciples the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, Jesus, exalting Thy Mother above the choirs of the angels, Jesus, Who shall come to judge the living and the dead, Be merciful, spare us, O Lord. Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord. Response: Lord Jesus, deliver us. From all evil, From all sin, From anger, hatred, and every evil will, From war, famine and pestilence, From all dangers of mind and body, From everlasting death, Through Thy most pure Conception, Through Thy miraculous Nativity, Through Thy humble Circumcision, Through Thy baptism and holy fasting, Through Thy labors and watchings, Through Thy cruel scourging and crowning, Through Thy thirst, and tears, and nakedness, Through Thy precious death and Cross, Through Thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, Through Thy sending forth the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, In the Day of Judgment, We sinners beseech Thee, hear us. Response: we beseech Thee, hear us. That Thou wilt spare us, That Thou wilt pardon us, That Thou wilt bring us to true penance, That Thou wilt mercifully pour into our hearts the grace of the Holy Spirit, That Thou wilt defend and propagate Thy holy Church, That Thou wilt preserve and increase all societies assembled in Thy Holy Name, That Thou wilt bestow upon us true peace, That Thou wilt give us perseverance in grace and in Thy holy service, That Thou wilt deliver us from unclean thoughts, from the temptations of the devil, and from everlasting damnation, That Thou wilt unite us to the company of Thy saints, That Thou wilt graciously hear us, Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. V. Christ, hear us. R. Christ, graciously hear us. V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Let Us Pray Almighty and eternal God, Who didst appoint Thine only-begotten Son the Saviour of the world and willed to be appeased by His blood, grant that we may so venerate this Price of our Salvation, and by its present life, that in Heaven we may rejoice in its everlasting fruit. Through Christ Our Lord Who lives and reign with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. R. Amen. III. Accept The beauty of hope The most beautiful and creative part of our Creator is salvation. Making something that is dirty, filthy and nasty clean again. Romans 5: 6 Just like clothes that we wear, we get dirty and need to be cleaned. Even after the cleaning sometimes dirt still wants to get back onto the cleaned clothes, so they need to be cleaned again. Just like humans, when we get cleaned from the sins in our life and we get saved by the work of Jesus Christ, we still slip up and do things that do no please our King, so we need to get cleansed again. 1 John 1: 9