Youth Community Group (High School Girls)

Hey Netcast,

We wanted to let the church body know about a new community group for high school girls that will be starting on July 10th. Emma and Lindsey are recent Gordon grads and now teach first grade in Lawrence. They felt called to start a community group for young women in the church to be able to build relationships with one another and to grow in their knowledge and application of biblical womanhood. They will be discussing several topics that many young women face and looking at how they are called to respond. The group will be meeting every Wednesday night at 70 Lothrop St. in Beverly from 6:30-8:00.

Girls from 9th-12th grade are welcome to come enjoy some food and fellowship.

For more information or any questions, email Emmaloughlin96@gmail.com

Thanks to Emma Loughlin and Lindsay Malenich for your service to the Kingdom.

Netcast and Operation Christmas Child

The Siems Community Group that meets in Salem will be overseeing Netcast's efforts in participating in Operation Christmas Child. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Here are some details: For more information, email brooke@netcastchurch.org

1. Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required.
2. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift.
3. Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14.
4. Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child.
5. Use the gift ideas provided below.
6. Netcast will collect boxes and/or things to be put into boxes, Sunday November 4th, 2012.
7. If you don't want to do a full box, please consider bring supplies, this Sunday, for the Community Group to put together. (see list below)
8. Shoe box destination countries vary from year to year.
9. A donation of $7 or more helps cover project expenses like shipping the boxes. Also, you may write one check for them all and place it in any one of your boxes.

 

Holy Spirit: Gifted for Impact.

Through the study of scripture we see that the Spirit of God has been continuing the work of Christ ever since Christ fulfilled the gospel and has gone to be with the Father. And the work that Christ came to do is establish God's Kingdom here on earth. Therefore, God the Holy Spirit is currently at work in fulfilling the plan of building a Kingdom with people from every tribe, tongue, nation, culture, and race. God the Holy Spirit is doing this by empowering and gifting people to be Kingdom advancers. In essence, The Spirit of God, gifts and empowers the Church of God, to continue the ministry of the Son of God, all for the Glory of God. Therefore Christians are empowered, equipped and expected to serve God through the power God provides in the Spirit.

However, our flesh fights viciously against hiddenness and sameness. We hate doing the same thing over and over again; and we hate doing things without recognition. However, the Spirit loves to serve and Glorify Jesus. Our Spirit finds great joy in serving the Kingdom, but that joy is never found until serving becomes a discipline used by our Spirit to fight our flesh. Therefore if we don't discipline ourselves to serve, we'll never know how God has gifted us, and we'll only serve when it's convenient and self-serving. When we do that, we can only experience results in which the flesh can produce; and will miss out on finding the joy and power in the Holy Spirit through our service.

Questions:
1. How have you benefited from others serving within the Kingdom of God? (Personal Question)

2. How do you serve out of the grace given to you in the gospel, and not because of guilt? (Gospel Question)

3. How can our group be more intentional to serve together and hold each other accountable to serving? (Community Question)

4. How have you experienced a joy in the Holy Spirit through serving within the Kingdom? (Application)

Community should not be worshiped.

I want to be careful in what I say because I don't want to come across as if community isn't vital to us as believers. That said, we need to be careful to not put such an emphasis on community that we make it some sort of spiritual law. At Netcast, community groups are designed to be a family of people who meet so that deeper community can be forged. As a pastor, it is my desire that the people of Netcast are growing in relationship with others, therefore able to be authentic, transparent and stirred on to good things while at times being confronted with their blind areas. I never want Netcast to be a place where if someone is not at a community group every week than they can't be a partner with us or feel that they are not as spiritual as the next person. To me, that seems cultish and overly controlling. I feel that type of commitment is unnecessary to what community groups are trying to accomplish.

In my experience with this movement of community among evangelicalism, we have to be careful. The gospel is our means of justification, redemption and glorification; not community. Don't hear what I'm not saying, my heart is that everyone at Netcast would be plugged into a group and plan on attending as often as able. This way we are able to continue to stay connected with people. This hopefully would allow for deeper relationships to be forged that will go beyond a weekly meeting. Again the goal is never attendance, it's deep relationship. Often times it takes years of work for people to feel like they are building this.

Remember, community should not be worshiped. However, worship should happen in community. Lets press on to see Netcast become a gospel-centered worshipful community.

8 Desires for Netcast Community Groups

When the church started, it didn’t start as a new religion, but rather as a movement. There were no pastors, pays staff, real estate, marketing, tracks, etc. Instead, they were small groups of people living deeply in community and who shared a belief system that was radically different than any other belief system in the world. They believed that Jesus was God, that he was murdered for claiming to be God and rose from the dead signifying that he is God. By doing so, he has paid the penalty for the sins of everyone who believes in him and puts their hope and trust in him. 8 Things that we desire for Netcast community groups. 1. We desire for our community groups to be the front door of the church, not just the next step for people who show up on Sunday. 2. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we encourage one another and rescue each other from our deceitful hearts when it is necessary. Hebrews 3:12-14 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from(A) the living God. 13But(B) exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by(C) the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ,(D) if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 3. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we can just hang out and remind each other of the Glory of God in the mundane everyday life. 1 Corinthians 10:27-31 27If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go,(A) eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29I do not mean(B) your conscience, but his. For(C) why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that(D) for which I give thanks? 31So, whether you eat or drink, or(E) whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 4. We desire for relationships to grow in our community groups so we can be authentic, transparent and vulnerable and it actually be helpful. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11Again, if two lie together, they keep warm,(A) but how can one keep warm alone? 12And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 5. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we can pray together and learn together about the character and nature of God revealed in Christ. Acts 2:42 42 And(A) they devoted themselves to the apostles’(B) teaching and the(C) fellowship, to(D) the breaking of bread and the prayers. 6. We desire for our community groups to be a place where we serve people outside of the church and take care of each others needs inside the church. Acts 2:43-47a 43And awe[a] came upon every soul, and(A) many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and(B) had all things in common. 45And(C) they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day,(D) attending the temple(E) together and(F) breaking bread in their homes, they received their food(G) with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God 7. We desire for our community groups to provide opportunities for us to flee the Christian Subculture and Hang with, Play with and Eat with Non-Christians. Luke 5:27-32 27 (A) After this he went out and saw(B) a tax collector named(C) Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me." 28And(D) leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 29And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company(E) of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30And the Pharisees and(F) their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying,(G) "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32(H) I have not come to call the righteous(I) but sinners(J) to repentance." 8. We desire for our community groups to be all about pointing people to Jesus, not morality or religion, because He is everything. John 6:51: Jesus says "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;" Jesus is simply saying that he is the only one who can fulfill and sustain the deep longings and cravings of your heart. John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." He says this acknowledging that most of us often live in a state of darkness or despair, yet for those who are in Christ, there is opportunity for light in our darkest moments. John 10:9-11: Jesus says, "I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. John 11:25: Jesus says, "I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. John 14:6: Jesus says, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 15:1: Jesus says, "I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Signifying that apart from Christ, you will never produce any lasting fruit. Netcast Community Groups Netcast Community Groups meet every week with a “Spiritual” emphasis one week and a “Community” emphasis the next week. Spiritual Emphasis Week: • 30 minutes of Community • 30 minutes of Discussion • 30 minutes of Prayer Community Emphasis Week: • Invite Non-Christians into Community. • Learn to just do life together. Yearly Schedule: (3 months on; 1 month off) • January-March (Meeting) • April (off) • May-July (Meeting) • August (off) • September-November (Meeting) • December off