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
-New believers to find their home here

Word & Spirit

“The Word without the Spirit is pedantic; the Spirit without the Word is chaos” —John Piper

The Sword of the Spirit

“…receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21)

-Unbelievers in our midst to receive new birth by the Word
“since you have been born again…through the living and abiding word” (1 Peter 1:23)
-Individuals who cherish the written Word & meditate on it day & night (Ps. 1)
-Church that values the preached Word & practices “expositional listening”
-Souls “saved” by the implanted Word & guarded by disciplined reading

The Spirit of the Sword

“While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word” (Acts 10:44)

-Spirit making us doers of the Word and not just hearers (James 1:23)
-Spirit using Word to comfort the afflicted & afflict the comfortable
-Spirit-filled lifestyles of godly character, righteous living, and mission
mindedness
-Spirit-gifting that exalts Christ (1 Cor. 12:3) & empowers the church (Eph. 4:11)

Mission X: 2009

For July 21-26 there will be a team of youth coming in from the Florida Sovereign Grace churches to work and minister in the New Orleans area. Below are some of the activities that will be occurring. Please continue to pray for them throughout this week.

Care Team Work (July 22-24)
-Safety & strength as they work in New Orleans heat
-That they would connect with the homeowners and communicate the love of Christ

Outreach to the Homeless (July 23)
-Opportunities to share the Gospel as they distribute hygiene bags

Youth Alpha (July 23, 24, 28, & 29)
-Boldness for youth to invite their friends as guests
-Visitors to feel welcomed and comfortable
-Spirit accompanying the presentation of the truth—bringing clarity,
persuasion, and power
-Spirit shining in their hearts so they see God’s glory in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 4:6)
-That this would be a spiritually maturing experience for the youth

Community Carwash (July 25)
-That we would have another army of volunteers from the church
-This would bring in an influx of visitors into LCC

Also, please pray for Pastor Jeff Ehrhardt as he leads this trip.

Freedom from Bondage

Bondage in the Heart

Freedom from:
-Shackles of the fear of man
-Hooks of lust
-Maze of anger
-Nets of pride
-Traps of misplaced affections
-Cages of harbored bitterness

Bondage in the Body

-Miraculous healing of the sick in our midst
-Those who are suffering to persevere in faith
-Elderly to be sustained as they “wait with eager longing” for “the redemption of their bodies” (Rom. 8:19, 23)
-Those who cry, “How Long, O Lord?” (Ps. 13:1) to sing, “I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation” (v. 5)

Bondage in the Mind

-Depressed to find hope in the Gospel and joy in the Cross
-Minds that are spinning with the concerns of the world to rest in the peace of God
-Anxious to know the pleasure of seeking “first His kingdom” and having “all these things” added to them (Luke 12:31)
-Our church to replace worry with meditating on the glory of Christ and thinking “on these things” (Phil. 4:8)