COMMUNITY CHURCH
Friday, May 24, 2013
An Ecumenical and Inclusive Fellowship of the United Methodist Church

The Spiritual Life 

 

It Begins With Baptism!

 
 
Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are initiated into Christ’s holy church. Our Spiritual Life begins with Baptism, it is a sacrament. In a sacrament, God uses common elements — in this case, water — as means or vehicles of divine grace. Baptism is administered by the church as the Body of Christ. It is the act of God through the grace of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Baptism, as a means of grace, signifies God’s initiative in the process of salvation. John Wesley preached “prevenient grace,” the grace that works in our lives before we are aware of it, bringing us to faith. The baptism of children and their inclusion in the church before they can respond with their own confirmation of faith is a vivid and compelling witness to prevenient grace. Being Baptized does not mean we are automatically saved, salvation is a lifelong journey during which we must continue to respond to God's grace. Baptism offers the promise that the Holy Spirit will always be working in our lives, but salvation requires our acceptance of that grace, trust in Christ, and ongoing growth in holiness as long as we live.
 
To stay healthy we must nourish both our bodies and our minds, so often we forget that there is a Spiritual side to life that we must nourish to remain Spiritually healthy so that our journey to salvation continues. We can do this in a number of ways:
A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
G - Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7)
R - Read God's Word daily (Acts 17:11) - begin with the Gospel of John.
O -Obey God moment by moment (John 14:21)
W - Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matthew 4:19, John 15:8)
T - Trust God for every detail of your Life. (1 Peter 5:7)
H - Holy Spirit - Allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16, 17; Acts 1:8) Bible and Spiritual Growth Resources
When we practice all of these, we become and remain Spiritually healthy. Here at Community Church we encourage and support all ways to a healthier Spiritual Life. We encourage daily reading of and Bible Study such as the Stonecroft Bible Study and Disciple Bible Studies. These are offered at different times at Community Church, please be sure to check our "Life and Ministries" for the next classes.
 
 An active prayer life is important to us as individuals, it allows a closer communication with God. Through prayer we thank God for those blessings he bestows on us and also allows us to ask for the help we need to face adversity. We pray not only for ourselves, but for those in need of God's grace. There is an active prayer list sent out via email and also it is included in our "Life and Ministries" every week.
 
Weekly Worship is the cornerstone of our faith, John Wesley taught and practiced accountable discipleship.  He knew what we deep down know today--we can't keep on the path with Christ without the help and support of other Christians. Without hearing the Word read and preached, without gathering with other Christians around the table to share and feast upon Christ who is host and sacrifice for us, and without becoming part of the fire of the Spirit, we are like embers of a fire separated from the community of grace. We grow cold and the fire and flame of love grow cold and we die spiritually. We may still believe, but we stand outside the covenant in our practice.
 A typical worship service at a Community Church may include a greeting and opening prayer, time for people to greet each other, scripture readings, silent prayer and meditation, an offering, the Lord’s Prayer, a children’s message, the sermon, special music and hymns, and a closing prayer. Communion may also be served, usually on the first Sunday of the month at Community Church.  All are invited to celebrate communion, but you can choose whether or not you wish to participate.

Here at Community Church we offer three different styles of worship service on Sunday Morning so you may pick the one that you feel comfortable with. To see more about each service just click on the underlined words. Our 8:00 AM Worship is quite Informal with music provided by piano, with Pastor in shirt sleeves and everyone comes in comfortable clothing. We sing and praise God, pray together and listen to Pastor's weekly message. The 9:15 AM Worship is quite Contemporary with our Praise Band (Psalm 66) providing the music with the whole service projected onto the overhead screen. The service uses Drama, Dance, Videos and Music to enhance the worship experience (don't forget Pastor's message). Most of our young adult members like this service, but even some of us "gray hairs" find it fits our style. Finally the 10:30 AM Worship is quite Formal in structure and feel. Pastor is fully robed and so is our Chancel and Bell Choirs. Music is provided by an accomplished organist on a concert grade organ. To most of us older parishioners it reminds us of the churches we grew up in and attended with mom and Dad.It follows the "typical worship service " format more closely than the other two worship services and usually has a childrens sermon as well as Pastor's message.