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Weekend Recap – January 28/29, 2012

In Kettering, Rob Turner preached from John 11:1-16 about how God works through hard things and how suffering can lead to His glory. It was a timely message for our church family and many were prayed for this past weekend.

Our songs in Kettering were:

1. It’s So Sweet to Trust in Jesus – arrangement by the Apex Band (AGES album)
2. Love is Here – arrangement by the Apex Band (LIVE album)
3. Absent from Flesh – by Sojourn Music
4. None but Jesus – by Hillsong United
5. One Thing Remains – by Jesus Culture

In Xenia, one of our elders, Rennes Bowers, spoke about “zoe life” which is the abundant, eternal, Spirit-led life that God gives His children.

Our songs in Xenia were:

1. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus – just the verse & chorus of this classic hymn
2. Hosanna – by Hillsong United
3. Your Great Name – by Natalie Grant
4. How He Loves – by John Mark McMillan
5. None but Jesus – by Hillsong United
6. From the Inside out – by Hillsong United

Going:: The Arrogance of Apathy – A Work of the Enemy

In years past, as winter would set in and the darkness of the season would fight to blot out the joy of my soul, I would find myself stumbling into depression. I would spend countless hours sitting on a couch and watching movies. This allowed the images before my eyes to falsely convince me that I was, in fact, living. This temptation besets many Christians as they withdraw from others and become inwardly focused. This disconnection is not only detrimental to the life of a believer, but serves to deconstruct the church body. For if we are truly living stones that make up the temple of God, then we must know that our job as weight bearing stones is to support the overall integrity of the church. As our brothers and sisters are buffeted by blows from the enemy, it is the divine charge given to the stronger Christians to carry the burden and encourage those in the midst of trial. Paul speaks to this in Philippians 2:1-6:

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love,
any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete
my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full
accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let
each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests
of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ
Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality
with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form
of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in
human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross.

How Did My Sin Hurt the Church?

Taking Paul’s warning of the danger of selfish ambition seriously, I began to wonder how the church was affected when I became inwardly focused. It took several recent conversations that I have had with missionaries on the field and missionaries preparing to go to the field, to uncover the answer to this question. It is that of missionary care. In my defense, I feel like I was set up to fail in this area, just because of the speculation that surrounds life on mission. The term ‘mission’ even carries with it the connotation that it has a singular focus, holding only those who have been ‘called’ by God accountable for achieving its goal. I was satisfied in taking the backseat, watching God’s plan unfurl without me, thus being lulled into sinful apathy. And it was this same apathy which was the painful thread woven through my missionary conversations.

God did not save me for works of self-indulgence, but gave me as His child the function of obediently humbling myself for the betterment of the church. If the church is filled with saints who don’t act in humble obedience, it becomes blind to the volleys that Satan hurls toward those on the frontlines. Missionaries are assaulted with this hellish fury in the attempt to halt the procession of God’s glory throughout the world. Therefore, we must encourage our brothers and sisters so that they may be strengthened in their mission. Charles Spurgeon speaks of the double edged sword that is the burden most missionaries carry, reaching lost souls paired with hatred of Satan.

‘If the watchman warn them not they shall perish, but their blood will
I require at the watchman’s hands.’ To sit down and spell over the
question—’Am I free of his blood?’ is terrible. I have sometimes
thought I must have a day or two of rest, but I frankly confess that rest is
very little rest to me, for I think I hear the cries of perishing souls, the
wailings of spirits going down to hell, who chide me thus: ‘Preacher,
can you rest? Minister, can you be silent? Ambassador of Jesus can you
cast aside the robes of your office? Up! and to your work again.’… It is a
work so solemn that if you do not encourage your minister, your minister
will probably sink down in despair. Remember that the man himself
needs encouragement, because he is weak. Who is sufficient for these
things? To serve in any part of the spiritual army is dangerous, but to
be a captain is to be doubly exposed. The most of the shots are aimed
at the officers. If Satan can find a flaw in our character, then it will be,
‘Publish it, publish it, publish it!’ If he can lead us to keep back a
doctrine or go amiss in practice, or wander in experience, he is glad
enough. How delighted is the devil to break the vessels of mercy. Pray
for the poor man, whom you expose to perish, if you do not preserve
him by supplication.

If you have ever watched a fight, you know that the weak fighter does not attack his opponent where he is strong, but focuses on his weakness in an effort to cripple him. As missionaries become weakened by the strains of ministry and their endless pursuit of the unsaved, the enemy studies them for the areas in which they are letting their guard down. He lingers patiently until he can strike them. And without brothers on guard, the missionary is blindsided and falls.

Ministry and mission can be heavy. However, the yoke of the gospel mission becomes light when many shoulders of the saints bear it. This usually is not the case, for the church falls prey to the costly lie that missions are a holier breed, of whom sin does not touch. “Well, they looked happy in the picture from their last update, life must be good!” becomes the false thought that we entertain in our heads. Church! Be careful not to make this assumption! A picture cannot capture the suffering and the trials of a missionary that is hidden behind a smile. Let us not wait for the cry of the one who has fallen, but let us be as sentries, looking out for those undergoing the labor of missions and calling the church to their aid. Let us not sit idly silent and then act shocked when they become burned out or are tempted into sin.

God has awakened me to my role in this cycle with questions of conviction. Might it be that the missionary is doing so much work to advance the gospel, that they do not have the time to voice their sufferings? More painfully indicting is the thought that maybe we as a church have trained them not to complain. For we can say to them, “We want only good news.” “We will have to rethink your funding if we don’t see success.” “Christ didn’t complain, neither should you!” These words smell of arrogance, and might I say that frightfully, they generally come out of the mouth of one about to slip down to the pit themselves. So church, be seldom and be wise in your comments of critique, yet be bountiful in words of encouragement. For while it takes many words of encouragement to shore up a soul, it takes but one wayward criticism for it to collapse. Do not make Spurgeon’s words true, “They are more knowing than wise”.

How Do We Encourage Those Who Go?

So brothers, after repentance, we have work to do. But where do we get started? The firstmost powerful and practical step would be to pray for missionaries. Intercede for them as Christ interceded for us to the father. Paul in Colossians declares that Christ is the first over all creation. All things submit to him, for it is through him that all things are sustained. That means there is no power that he cannot overcome. Also, let the missionary know when you pray for them as for what you prayed. Second, speak words of scripture and encouragement to them. Spurgeon writes,

Oh ye that have searched the scriptures through and know its
promises- ye that have been among these beds of spices, and whose
garments smell of frankincense, be sure to quote the promises of
God to trembling hearts, and especially to those engaged in arduous
labor for the Master. Comfort them. Repeat the doctrine of God’s
faithfulness; say to them, ‘He will be with thee, he will not fail thee,
neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ Oh that the
wise-hearted in the Lord’s family would be thus employed at all times.

Lastly, there are many creative ways that you can encourage your missionaries:

While missionaries certainly do appreciate the practical gifts that you send, how about sending something that you know that they would
rarely, if ever, treat themselves to.

For missionaries that are married, ask them how their marriage is going. Ask them how they are maintaining God’s view of mission in their
relationships (spouse, children, friends).

Ask married couples what kind of date they would like to go on somewhere near them. They are usually so frugal with their funds, that they
would feel guilty spending lavish money on a date.

Arrange a day that they cannot turn into a mission, but is strictly for the sake of pleasure.

Plan a trip to go and encourage, trips don’t always have to be focused only on some type physical labor, but plan a trip with the focus to
encourage the missionaries heart.

If money is an obstacle for you, here is a website with 13 creative ways to help a missionary that won’t break the bank.

It is a grace that God has awakened me to this blindspot in my life. And as He has shed light on this area in my life, so I want to shed light on this area in your lives as well. But do not be discouraged, for God does not awaken us to areas of oversight or sin that we should dwell there, but He awakens us with a purpose. In the same way you rise out of bed in the morning, not consuming yourself with thoughts of the bed, but about the day ahead, rise from this area of darkness into the light of God’s words with a task to do. If you already are faithful in encouraging, I urge you continue! If this is an area of weakness, start with simple ways to encourage a missionary and see how our God will bless!

This blog post was written by Jesse Bowers, Team Lead for Missions.

Family Ministry:: Looking For A Bible?

Quite often we get questions from parents regarding what type of Bible might be most suitable for their children, and sometimes for themselves. We would encourage all parents to dilligently search for a Bible, that above all, will be “used” by their children, and themselves as well.

Family Ministry at Apex does not sell Bibles and does not have an exclusive contract with a particular company that sells Bibles. With that said, we would like to recommend the following sequence of Bibles for those who choose to use the ESV Bible, a version Apex commonly uses.

Recommended up to Age 5:            “The Jesus Storybook Bible”
Recommended for Ages 5 to 9:        “The Seek and Find Bible”

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12:      “The Grow Bible”
Recommended for Teens – HS:       “The ESV Student Study Bible”

Two places you can find these Bibles and many other helpful resources are:

Westminster Bookstore       http://www.wtsbooks.com/index-exec/
Christianbook                         http://www.christianbook.com/

9 To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those taken from the breast?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

Isaiah 28: 9-10

This blog post was written by Kevin Bowman, Team Lead for Family Ministry.

Growing:: Marriage Conference

Apex, we are very blessed as a church to have Paul Tripp, well-known author and national speaker, coming to Apex on March 23-24 for the Apex Marriage Conference. Paul will be speaking both Friday evening and Saturday morning. He will be teaching from God’s Word and also using his latest book on marriage, What Did You Expect?? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage.

While this conference is called a “marriage conference”, we are encouraging everyone from teenagers to adults to attend. God created the marriage relationship, and understanding it biblically is essential in understanding God’s commitment to His church. Teenagers, singles, dating couples, engaged couples, marrieds, divorced and widowed are all welcome to register for this conference.

Mark your calendars and register early for this conference in the Apex Missions Cafe. There are only 1,250 registrations available, and we expect a large crowd. Registration is available for Apex until February 3rd. Starting February 4th, Apexers and people who do not attend Apex can register. We have already heard from other churches who are interested in registering for the conference. We are excited to see how God will use this conference in the life of Apex and we hope that you will join us!

For more information:
Stop by the table in the Apex Missions Cafe, contact the Apex office at 937.432.9022 or contact me directly.

Phil Depp
937.432.9022 x204
phil.depp@apexcommunity.org

This blog post was written by Phil Depp, Team Lead for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship.

Weekend recap – January 21/22, 2012

Our gatherings this past weekend were powerful…at both campuses.

In Kettering, we started out with our new announcement video called “the Lowdown” and then heard from one of our missions team leaders, Rita, about upcoming mission opportunities within Apex and how we can be praying with a more missional mindset.
After that, our band took us into a time of slowing down, thinking about the goodness of God, and responding to Him in song. Our songs were:

• Only You – by David Crowder Band
• Majesty – by Delirious
• Before the Throne – by Sovereign Grace Music
• Revelation Song – by Kari Jobe & Gateway
  *During this song, we read Psalm 145 together

Then Jason Wing delivered the message on John 10:31-42, reminding us that Jesus truly is the Son of God.

After the sermon, we sang:

• From the Inside Out – by Hillsong United

In Xenia, our gathering flow was very similar. We started out with “the Lowdown” as well and then heard from one of our other missions team leaders, Jesse Bowers, about how we can pray for the persecuted church. Then, we dove into singing. Our songs were:

• Solid Rock – arrangement by the Apex Band
• To Know Your Name – by Hillsong
  *Between these 2 songs, we read John 10:11-15 together.
• A Mighty Fortress – by Christy Nockels
• There is a Redeemer – arrangement by Zac Dixon

Rob Turner preached on John 10:11-21 – seeing Jesus as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. After the sermon, we responded by singing:

• Hallelujah, What a Savior – by Ascend the Hill

In both Kettering and Xenia, we were once again reminded of God’s faithfulness to His children. We’re so thankful that we get to gather and reflect on that together!

Going:: Proper Motivation for New Advances in Mission

As we have been graced with a new year, our feet want to hit the ground running. However, I think it is wise to pause and consider what our fuel is going to be for this new year. Unless we want our gospel ambitions to fall among the casualties of our annual resolutions, we must trust what Scripture says about what must be our catalyst for gospel action.

Let us look at 2 Corinthians 7:10-11…

10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

While it is easier to praise God than be introspective, we at Apex must not be hesitant to fall to our knees in repentance. For repentance acknowledges regret to God for our shortcomings. As the Holy Spirit reveals error within the church, we must run to our savior for grace and not to ourselves for self-righteous vindication. For within the pain is also found the remedy. As our consciences have been surgically opened and our sin revealed, the extraction of it brings pain, but removal of death brings about new strength.

2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us that repentance bears fruit. As we give up our sins, we are then granted an earnestness to fill the home of evicted sin with gospel truth. We desire to do this quickly, earnestly, making up for the time that sin had devoured. This is not to bring about our own salvation, but is the proper response of one who finally had something to compare their sin to. Death tastes bitter when the sweetness of life in the gospel has touched our lips.

So we run…

We run now to the source of this life. We run to him whose side was pierced for our transgressions. We run to his commands, his authoritative cries of war against death and decay. We run to justice. We run to a hurting world that is still in the throes of the deception of sin.
And as our feet grow swifter, our steps prove with each new impression that we truly have cast off our sin and have become followers who are empowered to do what we once could not.

So, for 2012, sons and daughters of God… repent… then make ready to run!

This blog post was written by Jesse Bowers, Team Lead for Going.

Family Ministry:: 2012

Every January I enjoy previewing the upcoming year in Family Ministry. Through a variety of means, FM will periodically update  the Apex body about our efforts to minister to children, students and their families. In the coming weeks we will present information about things like Apologia, Summer Camps, Dad-Daughter Dances, House Church Resources, Family Mission Trips, Parent-Child Dedications, Operation Christmas Child, Mission Clubs, PJ Purity Party, Revolve Tour, Service Projects, Underground Church, VBS and a host of other things.

All of those things are designed to present the Gospel to our families, our neighbors and our world. We believe that these efforts are valuable in that they encourage, educate and motivate our families to share the Gospel to those God has placed in their households and life path.

Ultimately, it is the duty of Parents and Guardians to share the Gospel to the children or students in their care. It will always be on my mind and in my heart, to provide support to those seeking to share the Gospel with the Kids and Teens they care about the most.

2012 will present a unique cultural backdrop to which families will live out their lives.  In a year where so many messages will permeate our homes and the minds of those we love most, we must not cease presenting the “Gospel”  to our families. If we are not vigilant, our households will hang on the words of those who are cross, instead of the words of the one who hung on “the” cross. We must teach our children to trust and  have confidence in God, not mankind.

Developing a Child’s Confidence in God

Psalm 27:1-3 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Through a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise up against me, in this will I be confident.

The Bible is an inexhaustable source of strength and advice, Psalm 27:1-3, is just one of many scriptures that directs us to trust in God and not to be afraid. A family that will memorize and meditate upon this verse will have a solid biblical point of reference when life seems threatening.

A Simple Daily Plan

The book of Proverbs contains many principles that clearly speak to questions and scenarios that face all family members. I would humbly suggest that many of the questions that will be posed in 2012, are answered in these 31 chapters. Read one chapter a day, chapter 1 on the 1st, chapter 2 on the 2nd and so forth. Repeating this every month will provide opportunity to focus on a different verse or two within each chapter. Let me offer this last bit of advice . . .

If there is an “ant” mentioned in a verse – READ THAT VERSE TWICE!

This blog post was written by Kevin Bowman, Team Lead for Family Ministry.

Growing:: Marriage Conference – Single?

Weekend Recap – Jan. 14/15, 2012

This past weekend was our 10 year anniversary as a church…well, technically speaking, January 6th would be our 10 year anniversary, but we chose to celebrate it this past weekend.

God has been incredibly faithful to this community and we wanted our gatherings to reflect that well.  We did NOT want it to be a “look how cool Apex is” kind of day. We wanted it to be a “Wow, God is really REALLY faithful!” kind of day.

We started out the gatherings talking about the story of “Ebenezer” from I Samuel 7.  It’s a strong reminder to us all that we are only here by God’s grace.  All odds pointed to this “Apex-thing” flopping in a major way.  But God moved…and protected…and provided…and loved…and sustained…and so on and so on. That is the story in I Samual 7 and that is our story too.
After discussing Ebenezer, we introduced our new announcement video called The Lowdown. This video will be updated each week and will help you know what is coming up in the life of Apex.
This was a fun weekend as far as songs go. We did a couple that we were doing our very first year as a church as well as some newer ones.  Here’s our setlist…

Kettering:

1. My Glorious – by Delirious
2. Alive – by Sovereign Grace Music
3. The Greatness of Our God – by One Sonic Society
4. You Said – by Hillsong
5. You’ve Stayed – by the Apex Band

Xenia:

1. My Glorious – by Delirious
2. One Thing Remains – by Jesus Culture
3. God of Wonders – by City on a Hill
4. Before the Throne of God Above – by Sovereign Grace Music
5. You’ve Stayed – by the Apex Band

Throughout the gathering, we heard from various Apexers via video about how they saw God’s faithfulness to Apex since they’d joined the community. It was great to hear stories of our very first day, family members saved, relationships built, and the church being deepened throughout these past 10 years.

Both Rob Turner & Jason Wing preached on Psalm 36 which, again, just brings us back to the extreme faithfulness of God. The sermons reminded us to keep our attention on what God has done, be humble about where He has brought us, and never forget our great need for Him.

To close, we had elders & key leaders from Apex’s history come and pray over the church in each gathering. We thanked God for 10 great years and prayed for His wisdom as we approach the next 10.

So, Apex is 10 years old. My hope is that 10 years is only a drop in the bucket compared to the plans God has for our future.  No matter what, when the name “Apex” fades away, the name of Jesus will still be standing strong and that is why we worship HIM!

Growing:: New Year Post

As we enter 2012, we are thankful to the Lord for the opportunities that will be available in the Growing Ministry at Apex Church. New classes for Christ believers, as well as those searching for answers about Christ will be offered in the new year. The counseling and discipleship ministry will also offer a variety of equipping gatherings on topics such as: marriage, parenting, finances and men’s and women’s conferences. The Apex counseling team will continue their monthly training in order to better serve the body of Christ here at Apex.

Paul Tripp Conference
We are excited that Apex is hosting the ‘Redeeming the Realities Marriage Conference’ with Paul Tripp March 23 and 24.

Whether you are a teen, student, single, dating, engaged, married, divorced or widowed this marriage conference will be beneficial for you. Why are we encouraging everyone to come? Often, we believe that marriage is for fulfilling our own needs, wants, and desires. We pray that this conference will give Apex a bigger picture of marriage, and that is to give Him glory. You still might be wondering why would we want everyone to come? Singles, there may come a day when you are sitting across from someone wondering if this is the person you will marry. We desire for you to view marriage as God views it this side of the aisle. Also, you probably have married friends. If a friend comes to you struggling in their marriage, we want you to be able to guide them with His love, truth, and grace.
Apex, we plead with you to join us in the following:

1. Pray that God will get glory through this conference.
2. Register for this conference and tell your friends!

Cost for registration is $15 per person. See the table in the lobby or the missions’ cafe for more details. Registration will be open to Apex ONLY until Feb 4. After Feb 4, anyone can register. Seating is limited! Visit the table in the lobby or the missions’ cafe to pick-up your registration envelope. Information about childcare registration is available at the tables. If you have questions contact Melanie Begg at melanie.begg@apexcommunity.org

Shep Prep
At Apex, we live out discipleship within the context of small groups of Christians known as house churches. Apex house churches are facilitated by house church shepherds. We encourage every current and future house church shepherd to receive the equipping they need for ministry within a house church through Shep Prep. There are two steps to Shep Prep.

The first step is The Bible Class. The Bible Class is a 13-Week equipping seminar where participants learn who the Biblical God is, what God is doing in the World, how to interpret scripture, and what it means to be the community of God on mission for Christ. Registration for the Bible Class closed January 1, but look forward to future opportunities soon.

The second step is House Church Shepherd Development – aka Shep Prep. The Shepherd-in-Training will meet with another shepherd and walk through topics such as the spiritual disciplines and formation, house church ministry, Christian servant-leadership, and missions through the house church among other topics. Shepherds-in-training will receive coaching as they go into house church ministry so they can receive wisdom and advice as they serve the church and raise up the next generation of disciples themselves. Training for Shep Prep will take place within the first quarter of 2012.

The Gospel Class
Do you have questions about God? Who is He? What is he like? Who is Jesus? Why did he die on the cross? Did he really raise from the dead? Does any of this really matter to me? Maybe you want to know more about Jesus and His life. Every month Apex offers the Gospel Class for people with questions like these. We will learn about the new life that Jesus gives as he saves us from our sin and death. Jesus saves us from death and into life with God in a new family – the Church. The next class is January 8, 15, and 22 from 11:30-12:45 in the upstairs conference room. Classes last three weeks and all the materials are provided. If you are interested in The Gospel Class, please contact Jason Zastrow at growing@apexcommunity.org.