A "Portland Report" According to My Convictions
Guest Editorial: Chris Broom - Evangelist Chicago International Christian Church
"Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, 'You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.'" Joshua 14:6-8
Here we see an incredible chapter in an epic story. Joshua and Caleb were two of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the Promised Land. They found the land to be exceedingly good and yet 10 of the 12 most prominent leaders of the tribes of Israel, the vast majority, gave a faithless report. They did not believe that God would bring them victory and therefore led the Israelite community into grumbling against their leader Moses, and thus God Himself. (Numbers 14:2, 27, 36)
1. What is unwholesome talk and slander?
2. Why did so many people leave the Portland Church after the mission team to Los Angeles was sent out in Spring of 2007? (And why are they still leaving?)
Helping Others Overcome!
Kyle Bartholomew
This past week I began studying the book of Hebrews in an attempt to gain some insights and practical principles into keeping people faithful. The book of Hebrews was written to a Jewish audience in an attempt to keep them from falling away. Many of the Jews who had abandoned Judaism to become Christians had gotten confused about the new concepts they were learning along with the everyday hardships that come with being an every day Disciple. There are three specific concepts in chapters one and two that will help us keep people faithful!
First Principles
Kyle Bartholomew
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. (Hebrews 5:11-6:3)
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:7-8)
House Churches!
Kyle Bartholomew
There some 20 plus passages in the New Testament alone that seem to confirm that our brothers and sisters met in each others homes for the purpose of fellowship, or as we would say House Church services. This method was a key in their ability to build small groups of disciples into tight knit families that would encourage each other as they worked to evangelize the world.
A common method of outreach for the first century Church was the practice of house to house evangelism. In Acts 5:42 the Bible states,
"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."
It seems that after converts were made, their homes were used to gather disciples together for the purpose of fellowship and prayer. Acts 12:12 states,"When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying."
In fact it had become so well known that disciples gathered in homes for worship and prayer that when Saul began to persecute the Church he knew exactly were to go to find disciples. Acts 8:3 states,"But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison."
After Saul repented and became the apostle Paul he too used this method as the Bible states in Acts 28:30,"For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him."
The Five Year Plan
Guest Editiorial: Kip McKean
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3
Today marks fifteen months since the Spirit planted the City of Angels International Christian Church on May 6, 2007! Since that time God has added to our 42 member Mission Team from Portland, 121 baptisms and 62 restorations! In the past two months, 30 disciples have been sent out: Melina Zepeda to Santiago, Chile as a full-time intern; Kyle and Joan Bartholomew and the Honolulu Mission Team; and today DJ and Kacie Comisford and the New York City Mission Team. To achieve these dreams, nine months ago $71,000 was raised for the City of Angels Church to be self-supporting; then one month ago $126,000 was joyfully sacrificed for missions. Therefore, the Spirit has multiplied our one congregation into three, while taking on the support of Matt and Helen Sullivan in Santiago for $3,500 per month. Even after sending out so many powerful disciples, the City of Angels Church has 206 members with a weekly contribution of $8,500! Participating in these modern day miracles, Lu Jack Martinez, a disciple converted at Harvard in the early days of Boston, stated, “Never before, in my 22 years as a disciple of Christ, have I ever seen a single congregation do so much, for so many, with so little! Truly, these miracles of God – in the midst of Satan’s vicious attacks – evidence that we are not a movement of man, but a movement of God!”
Currently, the Sold-out Discipling Movement numbers 31 churches – 14 in the United States and 17 international congregations. Dynamically increasing disciples are the “new” church plantings: Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Santiago, Honolulu and soon New York City and Washington DC. The vast remainder of our sister churches are small, but heroic and resolved remnant groups – each uncompromising in the call to be sold-out disciples and more than willing to share their meager resources of people and money in sending out mission teams. Two long-established congregations that are to be especially commended are Portland, Oregon and Syracuse, New York! Portland has sent out Eugene, Phoenix and Los Angeles. From the 75 member Syracuse Church, with the assistance of Portland and Eugene, have come the Chicago and DC plantings, led respectively by Chris and Theresa Broom and Andrew and Patrique Smellie.