Lakeview Christian Center

Loving the Local Church

God is not just saving individuals and preparing them for heaven. Rather, He is creating a people among whom He can live and who in their life together will reproduce God’s life and character —Gordon Fee

Temple of God

“In [Christ] the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22)

-People of holiness who reflect God’s character
-Church distinguished by God’s manifest presence
-Church structured on the cornerstone of Christ
-Gathering as a place for God to dwell by His Spirit

Members of the Household

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19)

-Loving the church as Christ loves the church
“Every Christian should have his church enclosed within his heart, and be affected with its maladies, as if they were his own, sympathize with its sorrows, and bewail its sins” —John Calvin
-Valuing the corporate gathering & functional church membership
-Practicing Biblical fellowship & “iron sharpening iron”
-Cultivating an atmosphere of leading & following
-Serving the family of God as well as those outside the family

Men’s Retreat ‘09

ACT LIKE A MAN, BUT NOT A MERE MAN

The theme of this retreat is commissioning men for the high calling God has for them, but that they would walk in this calling by dependency on the Holy Spirit and not as mere “natural” men.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual”

Pray that the men would experience…

-Sweet times of communion with God
-Godly fellowship with other men
-Attentive minds & hearts to receive the preached Word
-Attentive ears to hear the Spirit’s conviction & encouragement
-Wisdom and equipping for God’s calling on their lives
-Strength to lead in the church and in the home
-Renewal in the Spirit & refreshing in the Word
-Increased delight in God and the nearness of his presence
-Abounding love for others and a heart to serve
-Commissioning to “act like men, but not mere men”

Living Sacrifices

Self-Sacrifice in the Home

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his [family]” (John 15:3)

-Husbands to love their wives “as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25)
-Wives to find fulfillment in joyful submission to their husbands
-Parents (particularly fathers) to disciple their children, even when resisted
-Children to honor their parents with obedience and love
-Singles to plan ways to support their family and the families in the church

Self-Sacrifice in the Church

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16).

-Seeking out and eagerly embracing opportunities to serve
-Coming with hearts for the “spiritual worship” of presenting our bodies (Rom. 12:1)
-Generous giving that declares, “I count everything as loss because of the
surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8)
-Spirit of love to mark our relationships — bearing one another’s burdens through serving, prayer and intercession, and words of encouragement from the Scriptures

Praying Psalm 1

The Way of Wisdom

“Blessed is the one who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1)

-Our church to be a wisdom-saturated community
-Biblical sobriety to guard against the temptations of “Lady Folly”
-The language and flavor of the world to become increasingly foreign to us
-Not submitting to the “counsel of the wicked” & the world’s philosophy of life
-People who cherish godly wisdom and pursue Biblical thinking

Delighting in God’s Word

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates day and night” (Psalm 1:2)

-Children of God grounded in the truth of God
-God’s Word to have a washing and sanctifying effect on our lives (Eph. 5:26)
-Communion with God in the Scriptures to be a daily priority
-Our functional Christianity to be “Word-centric” (not based upon human ideas but on God’s self-revelation)
-God’s Word to bring nourishment & vitality to the Spiritually weary (Ps. 1:3)