Hi CITY Friends,

So, I'm not going to lie, we have a cool venue. Chain Reaction has awesome toys like fog machines, a kickin' sound system, and an all-around SICK vibe. I praise God for that venue every single day. 

BUT here's the deal... HANDS down... the best part of CITY CHURCH is...

THE PEOPLE.
Post a comment of an interaction you had today that was meaningful at City Church.

In Christ,

Kyle

NEWS FLASH:  The world does not revolve around you.
It doesn’t revolve around me either.  Sometimes I think that it does, but it doesn’t.  Bummer.

Our current culture of blogging, Facebook, and Twitter has a lot of us believing that this life is “all about me.” We have become self-centered.  We think we can get by on our own and accomplish great things.  We tweet and update our blogs because we think that people care what we have to say.  But read this: In John 15:5 Jesus says, “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Did you catch that last part?  “Apart from me you can do nothing.”  That means this life is not all about you.  It’s about you AND God.  Together.  This life is all about God and what you can accomplish WITH Him, not on your own.

Here’s the really cool part:  “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”  If you stay connected to God, you can and will do great things!  You will bear much fruit.

So how does Facebook and Twitter and all of our other forms of communication play into this?   These social media devices aren’t a bad thing.  But the way we use them is important.  The reality is that you are given a platform to say something, and some people are watching (or… reading…).  So what message are you sending?  You can make your tweets and status updates matter.  While you’re “connecting” with people online, be uplifting.  Share what God is doing in your life. Send a positive message.  (I admit, I am guilty of my fair share of tweets about what I ate for dinner and what’s on TV, but at least I don’t tweet from the bathroom like some other people I know) =)

And once in a while, disconnect from all of that.  Those things aren’t that important, but your connection to God is.  Take time to truly connect with Him, for He is the ultimate source of life.  He really cares what you have to say, so talk to Him.  Remain in Him and bear much fruit.

Sunday, February 28th began a new message series, entitled “Generation MEdia.” Pastor Kyle Steven Bonenberger invited his congregation to take a harder look at themselves and their relationship with God. As part of this Genertaion MEdia, Pastor Kyle says that we have become focused on ourselves, and have a tendency to believe that we can do everything on our own. In having this self-centered view, we have separated ourselves from God.

Pastor Kyle looked into the passage of John 15:1-6, in which Jesus explained, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in meand I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Aspart of the message, Kyle asked for his audience to research the word“pruning.” A general definition that comes from the online Wikipedia states that pruning is “ the process of removing the above-ground partsof a plant. It includes the removal of diseased, dead, unproductive or other unwanted tissue of a plant. It is useful in increasing the yield or quality of flowers or fruits.”

Kyle spoke a phrase that resounded in me in a big way. He said that we needto “cultivate the process of letting good things go,” not just the bad.Just like a beautiful flowering plant, sometimes we have to cut off even the colorful buds so that better, healthier parts of the flowercan grow and thrive.

AsI thought into my own life, I realized that there are “good” things inmy life that just may need to be pruned away so that God’s full plan and purpose for me can be cultivated. And that’s a hard thought because usually I, like most people, only look at the not so good parts of my life as the only things that need to be changed.

In Kyle’s message, though, I realized more than ever that God wants all of what I am. He is the power-source of my life, and without him, I am notat my full potential. I realized that God wants to trim away both the good and bad in my life so that I can be everything that he intends for me to be.

Even more so, though, I need God, and all of what He is. It is so easy to be focused in on “Generation MEdia,” where I am distracted by all of myself-centered ways. But God must be put first in my life, because without him, I can do nothing.

Friends,

In light of our current series Generation MEdia, I think one of the ways this generation gets it wrong is in the department of sex.  This is a great message about sex from a pastor in Nashville by the name of Pete Wilson.

I HIGHLY encourage everyone to watch it. You can also download it on iTunes as a free podcast HERE.



In Christ,

Kyle

CITY Friends,

I shared on Sunday how I am learning the significance of tapping into the source of strength (God & His word) DAILY.  God is the great strength-Provider, vision-Giver, and generation Changer.  Don't miss out on His power in your life this week.  TAP into the source of life.

No matter how many times we think we've seen a certain text in the Bible, there are insights to be gained. If you take the time to tap in, God will put you at a "LOSS FOR WORDS."  He did to me this morning... here's how.

Revelation 13:11 "And they have conquered him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb AND by the word of their testimony."

This is a famous passage that talks about Satan being the "accuser of the brethren."  In other words, Satan is constantly reminding God (and us) of our sin.  God says that when you place your faith in the work of Christ for your life, God looks at us the way He sees Jesus. 

Instead of sinful, jact up people, God looks at us as blameless.  It is what Martin Luther calls the "blessed exchange."  We get Christ's righteousness and Christ takes our sin upon himself.

BUT... that wasn't the insight I got this morning (as incredible as it is).

What put me at a loss for words this morning was the 2nd way God defeats Satan.

1.  The first way God defeated Satan was at the Cross.
2.  The second way God continually beats Satan is BY THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY.

That puts me at a loss for words.  In other words, every time you choose to follow God with your actions, you knock Satan down a bit further.  That blows me away.  The word of our testimony (your testimony, my testimony) actually knocks the enemy down.  Our testimony actually furthers the work of God.  That puts me at a loss for words.

What put you at a loss for words in the Bible this week? Leave a comment.

In Christ,

Kyle