THE DAHLONEGA CHURCH PLANT UPDATE
Dr. Tim Keller on Reaching College Towns
In a recent article in ByFaith Magazine, Dr. Tim Keller says:
"We must give high priority to finding ways to minister in three areas: universities, big cities and ethnically diverse situations. College towns are incubators where we can learn how to address the ideas of the rising culture…we must go to the university towns, big cities, and the ethnically diverse places because there we will learn to understand and reach America’s future." Since Dr. Keller, who is one of my living heroes, usually speaks on the importance of city ministry, it is refreshing and encouraging to hear him emphasize the significance of college town ministry as a strategy for reaching and shaping the future landscape of the church and culture. Ministering to the campus is one of the primary areas of focus for the Dahlonega Church Plant.
Travel Update
We had a wonderful experience on our recent support raising trip to Mississippi. It was great to see and spend time with family and friends (and to meet new friends!). We had gatherings in Greenwood, MS, and Jackson, MS, before heading to Tupelo, MS, for the weekend, where I had the privilege to preach. On our last day there, I warmed the same chair all day at the Atlanta Bread Co., and had lots of folks stop by to hang out and catch up. During that trip, many folks committed to being part of our support team, for which we are so thankful! This past week we enjoyed time in Monteagle, TN, with old friends and new from Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta. See the photo gallery from these trips here.
"How Can I Pray?" Funny You Should Ask!
How about praying right now...
"Father, I pray for the Caston's fundraising efforts. Help them remember that their ability is the enemy of grace, and that even though they are called to share the vision and seek out supporters, ultimately, You are the Great Supporter and Sustainer of this work. Let them boast in their weakness, need and inability, so that the power of Jesus may rest upon them.
Father, guard their hearts from worry and the schemes of the evil one. Give them opportunities to rest and recharge, as they consciously believe and rest in the gospel moment by moment.
Also, Father, I pray that You will provide the Castons a house that will become a home—a place for life and hospitality and fun and counsel and repentance and faith and all the dynamics of living the gospel in community. And when they find that place, may the moving process be as smooth as possible. However, Father, I realize that the most important thing is not their comfort, but that they are living by faith as Your sons and daughters. So may Jesus, Himself, be their peace, joy and hope."
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Contact
www.thewonderofthegospel.com
mckaycaston@gmail.com
678-651-5557
"God's Abundance and Mine"
In the gospel, God invites me to meet him at the cross, where an eternally binding transfer takes place. God brings his abundance. And I bring mine. However, my abundance is that of need, and his is that of provision. I bring my abundance of sin, and he brings his abundance of grace (propitiation, forgiveness, the imputation of Jesus' righteousness, adoption, the gift of the Holy Spirit, hope, peace, joy, etc.). Part of the glory of that transaction is that when I first brought my abundance, it included not only my known, but also my unknown sin; not only my past and present sin, but also my future sin. When Jesus said, "It is finished," he meant finished. And so now the Father calls me to live out of the abundance that is mine as a free gift in the gospel. I am no longer to be a fearful pauper, but a believing son.
"And so Father, help me to understand and embrace the abundance of your grace. Set me free from guilt and a life of penance. Let me glory in Jesus."
"Jesus is the Hero"
A common view of the Bible is that it was given by God to show people how to live right. Some (including myself) have said that it is a "users manual for life." However, the more I read the Bible, the more I am convinced that its purpose is not to show me how to live right, but to show me that I can't live right—and that I need a Savior. I need someone who "lived right" in my place. Not Abraham, Moses, David, Peter or Paul. The Bible shows them as flawed, needy sinners just like me. They are not the heroes of the Bible. Jesus is. The perfectly obedience Son who lived for me, died for me and rose for me. He is hero.
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