1. All Because of Jesus by Steve Fee
2. Nothing but the Blood version by Matthew Smith (Hymn text by Robert Lowry)
3. Cling to the Crucified by Indelible Grace (Anonymous hymn text)
4. It is Finished pt.II by Red Mountain Church (hymn text by Jonathan Evans and Benjamin Francis)
5. The Wonderful Cross version by Chris Tomlin (Hymn text by Isaac Watts)
6. The Solid Rock version by Charlie Hall (Hymn text by Edward Mote)

Sermon Text: Matthew 7:24-29

This message and this text will have each of us wrestling with the question, “Am I really born again?”

Rather than trying to give you insight on how to answer that question, I thought it would be nice to hear from a dead guy.  JC Ryle was the Archbishop of Liverpool from 1880 – 1900.  He is considered by many to be one of the last great Puritan theologians, and his insights and Biblical advice about this topic are worth careful (and prayerful) consideration.

Hear from Bishop Ryle…….

Are You Born Again?

by J. C. Ryle

Are you born again? This is one of life’s most important questions. Jesus Christ said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

It is not enough to reply, “I belong to the church; I suppose I’m a Christian.” Thousands of nominal Christians show none of the signs of being born again which the Scriptures have given us—many listed in the First Epistle of John.

No Habitual Sinning

First of all, John wrote: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin” (I John 3:9). “Whosoever is born of God sinneth not” (5:18).

A person who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination. There was probably a time when he did not think about whether his actions were sinful or not, and he did not always feel grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it. Sin no longer pleases him, nor is it even a matter of indifference to him; it has become a horrible thing which he hates. However, he cannot eliminate its presence within him.

If he said that he had no sin, he would be lying (I John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appealing in both his words and his actions. He knows that “in many things we offend all” (James 3:2). But he can truly say, in the sight of God, that these things cause him grief and sorrow and that his whole nature does not consent to them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Believing in Christ

Second, John wrote: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (I John 5:1).

A man who is born again, or regenerated, believes that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour who can pardon his soul, that He is the divine person appointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and beside Him there is no Saviour at all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness. But he has full confidence in Christ, and trusting in Him, he believes that his sins are all forgiven. He believes that, because he has accepted Christ’s finished work and death on the cross, he is considered righteous in God’s sight, and he may look forward to death and judgment without alarm.

He may have fears and doubts. He may sometimes tell you that he feels as if he had no faith at all. But ask him if he is willing to trust in anything instead of Christ, and see what he will say. Ask him if he will rest his hope of eternal life on his own goodness, his own works, his prayers, his minister, or his church, and listen to his reply. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Practicing Righteousness

Third, John wrote: “Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him” (I John 2:29).

The man who is born again, or regenerated, is a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God’s will, to do the things that please God and to avoid the things that God hates. He wishes to continually look to Christ as his example as well as his Saviour and to prove himself to be Christ’s friend by doing whatever He commands. He knows he is not perfect. He is painfully aware of his indwelling corruption. He finds an evil principle within himself that is constantly warring against grace and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence.

Though he may sometimes feel so low that he questions whether or not he is a Christian at all, he will be able to say with John Newton, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Loving Other Christians

Fourth, John wrote: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (I John 3:14).

A man who is born again has a special love for all true disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a special love for those who share his faith in Christ. Like his Lord and Saviour, he loves the worst of sinners and could weep over them; but he has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never so much at home as when he is in their company.

He feels they are all members of the same family. They are his fellow soldiers, fighting against the same enemy. They are his fellow travelers, journeying along the same road. He understands them, and they understand him. They may be very different from himself in many ways—in rank, in station and in wealth. But that does not matter. They are his Father’s sons and daughters and he cannot help loving them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Overcoming the World

Fifth, John wrote: “Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world” (I John 5:4).

A man who is born again does not use the world’s opinion as his standard of right and wrong. He does not mind going against the world’s ways, ideas and customs. What men think or say no longer concerns him. He overcomes the love of the world. He finds no pleasure in things which seem to bring happiness to most people. To him they seem foolish and unworthy of an immortal being.

He loves God’s praise more than man’s praise. He fears offending God more than offending man. It is unimportant to him whether he is blamed or praised; his first aim is to please God. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Keeping Oneself Pure

Sixth, John wrote: “He that is begotten of God keepeth himself’ (I John 5:18).

A man who is born again is careful of his own soul. He tries not only to avoid sin but also to avoid everything which may lead to it. He is careful about the company he keeps. He knows that evil communications corrupt the heart and that evil is more catching than good, just as disease is more infectious than health. He is careful about the use of his time; his chief desire is to spend it profitable.

He desires to live like a soldier in an enemy country—to wear his armor continually and to be prepared for temptation. He is diligent to be watchful, humble, prayerful man. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

The Test

These are the six great marks of a born again Christian.

There is a vast difference in the depth and distinctness of these marks in different people. In some they are faint and hardly noticeable. In others they are bold, plain and unmistakable, so anyone may read them. Some of these marks are more visible than others in each individual. Seldom are all equally evident in any one person.

But still, after every allowance, here we find boldly painted six marks of being born of God.

How should we react to these things? We can logically come to only one conclusion—only those who are born again have these six characteristics, and those who do not have these marks are not born again. This seems to be the conclusion to which the apostle intended us to come. Do you have these characteristics? Are you born again?

Set List:

1. Redeemed, Restored, Forgiven by Matthew Smith
2. Our God by Chris Tomlin
3. Come Thou Fount by Robert Robinson (David Crowder version)
4. Amazing Grace by John Newton
5. Grace Greater Than Our Sin by Julia Johnston and Daniel Towner (version by Adam Crawford. His hymns CD is FREE)

Tips on using these blog posts for your spiritual growth…

• Listen: Find the songs online and load them on your ipod or mp3 player. Then listen throughout the week in preparation for corporate worship. Also, if you listen to music while you work you can use a free online playlist like grooveshark to stream these songs.
• Read: the sermon text each day in addition to your devotional reading.
• Pray: Ask God to open your spiritual eyes to truths in the text and scriptural truths within the songs. Pray also for others who may be in the congregation this Sunday morning.

1. Hosanna (Praise is Rising) by Brenton Brown
2. Nothing But the Blood version by Matthew Smith
3. In Christ Alone by Kieth and Kristyn Getty
4. He is Exalted by Twila Paris
5. Be Thou My Vision version by Ascend the Hill

Sermon Text: Matthew 7:15-20

Part 4 in the series ‘Why Church Planting?’ (Part 1|Part 2|Part 3)

Toward the end of last summer, God began to re-stir a passion in my heart. I was with a group of students from NewBranch at a local missions camp we participate in each year. The last worship service of the camp was a time of intense prayer for each other, for those we had ministered to, and for ourselves.

While asking God to humble me and use me, he made it crystal clear that church planting was my calling. I thought of one of my favorite passages of scripture, Isaiah 6:1-8. After being wrecked by the holiness and grace of God, Isaiah responds to the call. Verse 8 reads:

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

That was my response to a God who has saved me by his grace through Jesus Christ. “God, wherever you want me to go! Just let me serve you!” After that moment Lauren and I began to talk, think, and pray about where God would have us. Church planting was always a seed in my heart. Now that God had give life to the seed, we felt the urgency of pursuing the process.

New England kept coming up. I had heard of the need in the area from a pastor who left his ‘booming’ church in the Bible belt to pastor in rural Vermont. But to be completely honest, New England? “No way,” I thought. “Surely there are other friendlier and warmer places that need churches.” There are, but when God says “jump” you say “how high?”

On the way to church one Sunday in September, I was praying for clarity on the subject. Heading out west was an idea. Planting locally was an idea. Thankfully, the confirmation of God was undeniable that morning. God is sending us to New England to plant a church.

God is stirring my heart for the least churched area of the nation; a land with such a rich gospel history that is in need of, and hopefully on the verge of, spiritual awakening.

Can I humbly ask you to pray for me and my family? Pray for strength, preparation, discernment, wisdom, etc. Pray for timing. We plan on moving there in 2 1/2-3 years. Will you also commit to pray for New England? Ask how God would have you be a part of taking the gospel these people. Take a few minutes to read How New England Is The New American Missional Frontier by Jared Wilson.

Here are some more resources to help educate you and guide your prayers… (via Jared Wilson)

• NETS Institute for Church Planting
• Vision New England
• Gospel Alliance New England
• SEND North America (an initiative of the North American Mission Board)

(Part 1 | Part 2)

Why Auburn?

Lord willing, in February NewBranch will begin a weekly outreach Bible Study at a trailer park in Auburn, GA with the long-term goal of planting a church. It’s been an incredibly humbling experience to watch God orchestrate all of this.

Ken and I found out about a ministry called StreetWise via a brochure in a coffee shop in Dacula. Not long before that we spent time on a staff retreat seeking the Lord and asking him to bring opportunities to reach out in our community. God answers prayer.

Several members of NewBranch jumped in headlong at StreetWise. One of the needs was for volunteers to pass out food on a weekly basis at a trailer park and an apartment complex in Auburn. A group of us began passing out food, praying for people, sharing the gospel, etc.

After several months of this, StreetWise approached us about starting a Bible study at the trailer park. God, in his I-know-what-I’m-doing-ness, had been leading the leadership of NewBranch in the same direction. Providence.
The need in the area is great: financial problems, family problems, drug problems, medical problems, criminal problems. But the deepest need is the same as always: the Gospel. And the gospel is the power of God for salvation to anyone who believes (Romans 1:16)!

The same gospel that saves you moves you out of your comfort zones to befriend sinners. It’s the same gospel that sends us out to the highways and hedges and compel the poor, cripple, lame, and blind to come in to the great feast that is Jesus (Luke 14:12-24).

You can leave our Sunday morning location and drive to the trailer park in 15 minutes. This is our backyard. This isn’t our Judea-Samaria or our Ends-of-the-Earth, this is our Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). And, according to Jesus Christ, we will be his witnesses.

This is only a brief overview of how God has graciously brought NewBranch to this point. As you hear and read more here and on Sunday mornings, cover this in prayer. Ask God how he would have you serve him in this ministry. Pray that he would break chains, free captives, and save souls for the glory of his name.

What I wanted to spend some time talking about in this post is how these church plants affect our church, NewBranch Community Church.

In short, this is why we exist.  Our purpose statement is “to glorify God by making disciples of all nations”.  This is our mission, because this is the mission of God.  To be honest, my question above (“how do these church planting efforts affect NewBranch”) is the wrong question.  The question should not be how will these efforts affect NewBranch, the question should be “how will NewBranch effect these efforts?”.  See, the mission of taking the gospel to all nations does not exist for the church, but the church exists for the mission of taking the gospel to all nations.  The purpose of the church is not self-serving, but mission-serving, and church planting is the Biblical mandate for all churches.  Just as healthy disciples make other disciples, healthy churches plant other churches.

And this has always been part of our vision.  From the very beginning, we have dreamed of God using us to plant churches around us, and around the world.  From the pages of our membership booklet (remember that thing?), comes the following statement….

If we hold true to our mission and remain steadfast to our core values, by the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God…we see this disciple-making, relational church strategy being shipped out to nearby and far-away communities through intentional church planting.

Now, none of us really knew much at all about church-planting and we didn’t have any idea how this was going to happen, but we knew this was the heart of God…and it was our heart as well.  It always has been, and we’ve had our antenna up looking for how God might be leading us to move out in faith.  We had no idea He would lead us to begin planting a church in Auburn and we certainly had no idea that He would lead us to start working on a church plant in New England.  But I can tell you that every single one of the elders is convinced that God is leading us to do just that.  Both of these blossoming opportunities have the thumbprint of God on them, and I get chill bumps thinking about it.

In upcoming posts we will give you more background on how God led us to begin church planting efforts in these two locations, but what I want us to see right now is that both of these efforts are our shared responsibility.  If you are a member of NewBranch, then you are part of what God is doing in Auburn and in New England.  Your church family is on the move, and we don’t want you to miss out on what God is doing in our church family.   I’m convinced that God is in the process of speaking to each of us about how he wants to use each of us in these upcoming endeavors.  Now, He will not use everyone the same way, but He will use everyone in some way.  God may be calling some of you to be part of the upcoming Bible Studies that will be starting in the Auburn Trailer Park in the month of February.  He may be calling others to help support the work of StreetWise as they continue to take the lead in meeting food and clothing needs in the community.  He may call others to financially support Lauren and Kevin as they make plans to move to New England  in 2014.  In fact, He may even call some of you to move up to New England with them!  Who knows?  The point is, the Auburn church plant is not a StreetWise church plant….it’s your church plant.  Kevin and Lauren are not just moving up to New England to start their own church, NewBranch is going to New England to plant a church.

It is my prayer that we would begin thinking this way.  Please remember that the church is not the pastors, the elders, the staff, or the ministry leaders.  The church is all of us, and God has tapped all of us on the shoulder and commanded us to faithfully follow Him in these two church planting efforts.  You may be reading this thinking, “how in the world could God use me in these efforts?”  That’s not a bad question to ask…but ask it in faith:

Lord, how do you want to use me in the church planting efforts to which You’ve called our church family?  Please show me, and please give me the faith to say “yes” to whatever You ask of me.

Not long after I started going to the church I’m now attending I got pretty involved with various ministries inside our congregation.  I was on the worship team, headed up the women’s ministry and did some other things.  As time went on, I really felt that I was spending way too much time working within the church walls.  I truly feel that it’s our call as Christians to leave the church and to go out into the world, but I wasn’t quite sure where God wanted me to go, so I started praying for direction. In the meantime, I kept working.  I must tell you, I never really felt called to work in women’s ministry but I felt like I was to continue working there until I got my answer so I kept praying.  I prayed for years. And then one day I was heading over to do some apartment ministry work with our then student pastor, Kevin. As we were talking, he mentioned a local ministry that reached out to the underprivileged in our community called Streetwise Georgia. I got in touch with them, and have been working with their organization ever since.  My prayer was answered. And, in case your wondering, someone else has stepped up to take over leading our women’s ministry.

Through my work with Streetwise I was introduced to a needy trailer park community in our area.  I have since had the privilege to do some work there.  I pass out food, pray and visit with folks and just get to know people.  God has been at work there and I already have many stories to tell.  But I think one thing that has stood out to me lately has been the way God has allowed me to work alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I went to work in the trailer park area as the lone volunteer from our church. But now there are three adults who work alongside me on a regular basis as well as two students.  There are also two other adults who join as their work schedule permits. Two of those who regularly join in, Dana and Dawn, are busy women. Dana is preparing to be a missionary to Africa (which is a lot of work for those of you who don’t know), and Dawn has thirty-two children at home (I think it may be closer to five, but that would be like thirty-two to me). They enthusiastically work long hours, and we are in frequent contact about how things are going in the area. The other adults who help have full-time jobs but take time out of very busy schedules to regularly deliver food, visit with folks, or help out in any way they can. Two of the men who help have jobs in Atlanta and commute back and forth to work everyday. One of those men is my husband.  The joy I get from serving next to my husband is without compare. The students who volunteer could be home doing homework or whatever it is that young people like to do these days. They all serve joyfully and with thankful hearts. It is an encouragement and joy to work with these brothers and sisters in Christ.

God put it on my heart to pray and my prayers were answered many times over.  He gave me a place to serve, provided me with brothers and sisters in Christ to serve beside, and I’m continually seeing Him at work in the trailer park area. It’s been more than just dropping off food to people. It’s the opportunity to interact with people and to build relationships with them. And that’s something I believe we’re all called to do.  Build relationships with the hurting and the lost. I can’t even begin to tell you how thankful I am for this.

    And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
(Hebrews 10:24 ESV)

Read Lea Ann’s Blog HERE

1. Start a Bible Study in Auburn, GA with the long-term goal of planting a church there.
2. Sending me (Kevin) and my family to the New England area to plant a church

You’ll read about those in upcoming posts. But first, what’s the biblical basis for church planting?

The command of Jesus to go is the basis for all missionary efforts. Matthew 18:18-20 says

[18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Ed Stetzer gives 3 reasons the Great Commission is a church planting commission:*

1. The Great Commission is church planting because the church is to disciple:
“God expects the church to provide discipleship. Discipleship is not just a course or a series of studies. Discipleship begins with conversion and continues as an ongoing process. ‘Male disciples’ means that the church is to win people to Christ and grow these new converts in the faith. That process is meant to take place in the local church”

2. The Great Commission is church planting because the church is to baptize:


“Baptism is an ordinance of the local church. Baptism takes place in or among the local church… Baptism takes place wherever we can gather the church and wherever there is enough water to perform the ordinance. The Greek word baptizo means ongoing baptizing- immersing each new believer. Baptism is a local church ordinance with local church purposes. The Great Commission is given to the local church.”

3. The Great Commission is church planting because the church is to teach:
“We observe the fulfillment of this command to teach in Acts 2:42: ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching’ which was the basis of their growth and fellowship. The Great Commission is fulfilled in churches through the planting of new churches, and by the teaching of biblical precepts.”

Stetzer concludes,
“The early church fulfilled the Great Commission by planting churches. The first believers heard the commission, left their homes, and went out to plant. When we hear the Great Commission, we should also be motivated to go out and plant new congregations. The best indication of what Jesus meant can be found in how the hearers responded.”

NewBranch’s desire to plant churches is not a desire to multiply ‘NewBranch’ it’s a desire to humbly and joyfully obey the command of Jesus in the Great Commission, taking the gospel to those who have not trusted in Christ.

*From ‘Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age’ by Ed Stetzer. Pages 35-36

By: Lea Ann Sherwood

I live in a very nice home in a large “golf-club” community in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. While there may be some neighborhoods around that are more upscale, ours isn’t too shabby. Our house isn’t the nicest in the sub-division, but it’s not on the low end either. I would say it’s somewhere in the middle. I have enjoyed living in this house. It’s too big for just Tim and me now, but we sure have made good use of it over the seven or so years that we’ve lived here. We’ve raised up our girls, had one young lady stay with us for awhile who’s now become like our third daughter, had wedding in our basement (!), had some pretty lively discussions on our screened in porch (if those walls could talk), and had more people over than I can count. But even though I love my house, and even though we’ve done some great things in it, I always try to remember that there’s a big world out there beyond my home.

At this point in the blog most writers would start quoting statistics. Not me! I always hated statistics in school so I’m not going to bother. Instead, I will tell you what I see. I think by looking around the area where I live (and most of you who live in upper-middle class suburbia can attest to this), I can tell you that I see a lot of nice houses and well-dressed people. I also see some nice cars driving around. What I don’t see is a lot of obvious poverty. However, if you take your car out for a drive, you might be surprised at what you find. Poverty is everywhere. You really don’t need to look all that hard to find it. It’s even in the backyard of the really nice golf-club community where I live.

I work with a wonderful organization called Streetwise Georgia. They work in our community to help folks in need by offering spiritual as well as physical assistance. On Thursdays a group of us go to a nearby area to pass out food for Streetwise. We’ve been visiting this area for awhile, so we’ve all built up some relationships with the folks there. This past week I was visiting a family who had just moved from one apartment to another. While I was in the home, a little girl who lived there was jumping up and down with excitement as I was talking to the adults in the room because she had something she wanted me to see. Finally, the adults stopped talking and she got to show me what all the excitement was about. In the bedroom that she and her mother shared, on a small table next to the bed, was a lamp with a purple lampshade. We all had to stand in the room while her mother turned the lamp on. When the lamp lit up, the girl got excited and started jumping up and down, her excitement spread to me, and I started jumping up and down, too! Next, we turned the overhead lights off in the room and turned that bedside lamp on again. Imagine our excitement then!!! Now, it doesn’t take much to get me animated about things. One time my husband asked me if I was thirteen. As I considered this, I thought he probably should have taken that number down to nine, or maybe seven. I have a batman and superman figure on the dashboard of my Jeep just because it makes me happy. I like working with the youth in my church. Sure, I like working with the young people, but this also lets me do things like play Jenga, Pretty Pretty Princess, Candyland, and color in coloring books. But seeing that little girl’s reaction over that light created a different type of joy in my heart.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that girl and the light in her bedroom ever since. I could talk about how she was living in a very needy area, didn’t have much, but was happy with a light, and what an example that should be to all of us – especially since many of us have children who have loads of toys, electronic gadgets, etc… and seem to take them for granted. But that isn’t what has stuck with me. What has stuck with me is how in an apartment that was once a chicken coop, a little girl and her reaction over turning on a light brought real joy to my heart. She also made me think about the true light, and what an impact it has on a person’s life. It has made me hope and pray that I can be that kind of a light to others.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV) 

I have done mission work overseas as well as here in the states. I have so often found it to be the case that when we are sent to help others, we are oftentimes the ones who are helped, or taught, or blessed. I am so thankful for the wonderful time that I spent with this little girl last week. She taught me a lesson that I hope I always remember. A wonderful illustration of light.