New Thru 30 Week 2 Books

I got a little long-winded on the parable of the sower in the second service this week, and didn't cover the theme pictures to help us remember what each book of the New Testament we're reading is about.

Here's the memory aids for your notes: in the first service about the eight books we're reading this week.

Book Title Memory Aid Theme Memory Aid
Mark "M" Ark Jesus as Servant "Serving an Ant"
James "J" Aiming Faith Gauge Aiming at a Strong Faith
Galatians Gull Lay Shine Unshackled Shackles falling off
1 Thessalonians 1 Thistle Onion Stay on Target Trying to stay on the target
2 Thessalonians 2 Thistle Onions Work while you Wait Work while you weigh
1 Corinthians 1 Core-Indian Spank the Saints Spanking the Saints
2 Corinthians 2 Core-Indians Anatomy of an Apostle What's inside Paul?
Romans Row man (oars) Paid in Full Debt Paid in Full

We'll get the MP3 what I said about them in the first service on peachtreechurch.com today.

New Thru 30 Discussion

Peachtree Church is reading through the New Testament in 30 Days! Leave your comments here!

Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of Tribulation

Some additional material for the message:

What will happen in the End Times? (Oct. 4, 2009 at Peachtree)

Seven Seals (over 21 months of the Tribulation)
1st Seal: White Horse- AntiChrist who brings false peace (Rev 6:1-2)
2nd Seal: Red Horse - WWIII (Rev 6:3-4)
3rd Seal: Black Horse - Rampant inflation, famine/disease (Rev 6:5-6)
4th Seal: Pale Horse - Death (25% of world pop.) (Rev 6:7-9)
5th Seal: Martyrs (The Gospel still goes out!) (Rev 6:9-11)
6th Seal: Earthquake (supernatural judgment from God's hand) (Rev 6:12-17)
7th Seal: Seven Trumpet Judgment (All from God's Hand) (Rev 8:1-2)
Seven Trumpets (over next 21 months of the Tribulation)
1st Trumpet: Hail, fire, and blood - Ecological disaster (1/3 of earth's trees and grass destroyed) (Rev 8:7)
2nd Trumpet: Mountain of fire (Meteor?) - 1/3 of everything in the sea dies (Rev. 8:8-9)
3rd Trumpet: Star called Bitter (Meteor?) - Poisons earth's water (Rev 8:10-11) )
4th Trumpet: Darkness (Rev 8:12)
5th Trumpet: (1st Woe) - Locusts that sting unsaved but they don't die (Rev 9:1-11)
6th Trumpet: (2nd Woe) - four angels released killing 1/3 of mankind with "fire, smoke, and sulfur" (Rev 9:13-16)
7th Trumpet: Loud Worship in Heaven at the soon-coming victory of Jesus over the Antichrist (Rev 11:15-19)
Seven Bowls (over last 3 1/2 years of Tribulation, “The Great Tribulation”)
1st Bowl: Boils (Rev 16:2)
2nd Bowl: Sea turns to blood (Rev 16:3)
3rd Bowl: Rivers and springs turn to blood (Rev 16:4-7)
4th Bowl: Sun scorches men (Rev 16:8-9)
5th Bowl: Darkness on the Beast's Kingdom (Rev. 16:10-11)
6th Bowl: Euphrates dries up (preparing for entrance of armies of the "Kings of the East) (Rev 16:12)
7th Bowl: Earthquake and hail (Rev 16:17-21)

Then Christ’s Second Coming

Ecclesiastes

Just finished the most amazing personal study of Ecclesiastes. I’ve spent the summer listening to Matt Chandler's 15 part message series (awesome) and meditating on it myself. It has been life-changing.

The conclusion of the whole matter (after Solomon’s life-long experiment of partying, sex, building, comfort, study) —

Fear God and keep His Commandments

Ecuador Photos and Journal

Cathy Carpenter is posting daily some photos and text about our trip.  Here’s the link to that:

http://carpwiki.wikispaces.com/Ecuador_Mission_Trip_2009

I just had breakfast.  Still behind a day on posting, but I’ve got to prepare the team devotional right now.

Catch up with you later!

Ecuador Trip, Day 2

Had a great scrambled egg breakfast at the Hostel. Katie had a HUGE pancake (yes one, it looked like cornbread).

I led a team devotional at 9:00 from Ephesians 4:11–16. Every one of us is here for a reason (God got you here), and we must work as a team, and God will do His work through us.

Steve outlined the day for us and then we went by bus to our three stops:

1. cable car up to 13,300 foot mountain peak to overlook the 13 million people city of Quito

2. Visit the equator (including a museum and SEVERAL science experiments showing the geographical uniqueness of the equator)

– see water drain different directions on either side of the equator

– balance an egg on a nail (more gravitational force at equator)

– how your balance is thrown off at equator

3. These were neat, but then it was on to what we came for: ministry.

This first day of ministry, we went to the Guayalbamba Baptist Church, the fellowship Steve & Cathy are intimately connected with.

Dean and I prepared to bring a message while most of the team prepared game activities for the children of the church. Sheila practiced with a praise team made up of Andy, Savannah P., Ashley, and Cody.

At 5:30pm, service began with two songs by the American worship team, Dean preached on Jesus (Who do you say that I am?, Matthew 16). with an interpreter.

One more song, and then I preached with Steve interpreting from John 15 (I am the vine, you are the branches).

I’ve preached with an interpreter in Romania (when I was 22!). Both times (including today) felt very much the same: Not very effective.

Steve did a great job of interpreting (I guess;>)), but the culture barrier feels almost insurmountable.

I don’t know what they think is funny (never underestimate the power of humor to get a congregation to listen), I don’t know, in this kind of setting, what they struggle with, and I’m just a white face to them instead of a trusted shepherd.

I’m not gifted to speak to people I don’t know…give me the Peachtree flock any day that I can walk alongside and know what life if like, so I can apply Truth to our joint problems.

As I reflected on it, I totally got the Incarnation, why it was so important for Jesus to be God with us.

Plus the incredible importance of having trained national pastors who can walk with their congregations knowing what struggles they face. (Jason & Kerri Gupta, thanks for investing your lives in training national pastors!)

The Ecuadoriano congregation was so gracious, and I certainly felt that connection with Christ-followers I feel no matter what country I’ve been to.

They led worship for us, and though I could only pick out about 1 out of 10 or 15 words, the adoration for our God came through, and I sang loudly the Spanish words (reading them off the overhead projections).

When we sang, “Lord, I Life Your Name On High”, I sang it in English.

The pastor shared how much Steve & Cathy had helped their congregation, and there was OBVIOUSLY a love for them. It was so neat to hear Steve tell our team how God had led them to this congregation and what all had been accomplished in a few years (will save that for another post).

Games with the kids, then fed by the ladies of the church: fried pork, fried banana, dehydrated banana chips. I loved it!

We began the hour drive back to the hostel at 9:30pm or so (Spanish church services go long).

The altitude has made us all tired (my theory, that or all the walking we do), and most of us slept on the way back to the bus.

The Peachtree Team has had incredibly positive attitudes, and our team is bonding together VERY well.

Tomorrow: Prayer Walking and meeting Street Kids

Ecuador Trip, Day 1

Met at Peachtree at 1:00 (Saturday).

Left for airport at 1:30.

Through security, no problem.

Sat for about 2 hours. Boarded plane and had an on-time takeoff at 5:40pm.

About 2 hours before landing, a passenger repeatedly fainted and the plan diverted to Panama City, Panama. There was about a 2 hour delay to get rerouted back into the air traffic.

Arrived in Quito, therefore at about 1:30am instead of 9:55pm.

Steve & Cathy were waiting along with Lori, Savannah, and Dean, our team members who had come on different flights.

Drove to Hostel.  Got in bed about 3am.

Couldn’t see the mountains, but tons of city lights. 

Lord, thank you for getting us all here safely!  Can’t wait to see what’s ahead!