Tag: Celebration Church

Easter Sunday

The Resurrection of Jesus

But very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” (Luke 24:1-7)

The sun had not yet risen over Jerusalem, but a soft light began to creep into the sky, announcing the dawn of a new day. Mary Magdalene, with a few other women, went to the tomb where the body of Jesus lay. Their hearts were heavy, burdened by grief. The events of the past few days replayed in their minds: the betrayal, the arrest, the crucifixion, and the burial of Jesus. As they approached the tomb, they carried spices and oils, hoping to honor the body of the One they loved. They whispered to each other, concerned about the heavy stone sealing the entrance. But their worry momentarily faded as they saw that the stone had been rolled away, revealing an empty tomb. 

“Who has taken Him?” Mary gasped, her heart pounding. The others echoed her confusion as they peered inside. The grave clothes that had wrapped Jesus were neatly folded and an unsettling mixture of hope and fear filled the air. Suddenly, two men in dazzling apparel appeared, their presence both alarming and comforting. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” they asked, their voices echoing in the silence of the sacred place. Mary’s heart raced, caught between sorrow and the spark of something she could not yet grasp. She knew they were speaking of Jesus, but the weight of her grief clouded her understanding. “He is not here,” one of the men explained. “He has risen!”

Those words hung in the air, striking a chord deep within her as memories of Jesus flooded her heart – the miracles, the teachings, the moments of profound love and grace. She remembered Jesus saying He would rise again. Could it be true? Could He truly be alive? “Remember how He told you,” the angels said, “that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day.” In that moment, as clarity began to break through her disbelief, the heaviness in Mary’s heart lightened, replaced by the thrill of hope. This was the end by no means. Instead, this was an incredible new beginning because Jesus was alive!

Prayer: Lord, today we celebrate the resurrection of Your Son! Thank You for defeating death, hell, and the grave, We worship You on this Easter Sunday. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Followup Activity: Today, as you go throughout your day, greet people by saying, “He is risen!” If they look at you with a puzzled look, let them know that you are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. If you are leading your family through this devotion, lead them to do the same.

*Image courtesy of Jonny Gios

**This devotion is a part of RENEWED, an 8-day Holy Week Devotional from Celebration Church and available at http://www.celebrationchurch.org/library

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Palm Sunday – The Triumphal Entry (a devotion)

As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into the village over there,” He said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them… 

The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to Him and threw their garments over the colt, and He sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of Him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around Him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!”

The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as He entered. “Who is this?” they asked. And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-3, 6-11)

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, people spread their cloaks before Him, acknowledging His royalty. On that donkey’s colt, He made public His claim as Messiah, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 – “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Look, your King is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey- riding on a donkey’s colt.” Many of the people, however, thought of Jesus as an earthly king who would lead them in a revolt against Rome. When Jesus did not meet their expectations, many of them turned on Him, trading their praise for condemnation – their worshipful “hosannas” for angry cries of “Crucify Him!”

The triumphal entry is the story of a King who came on a donkey instead of a horse. The truth is that Jesus Christ comes not to conquer by force as an earthly king but by love, grace, mercy, and personal sacrifice. His kingdom is not one of armies and splendor but of lowliness and servanthood. He comes not to conquer kingdoms and nations but hearts and minds. He brings peace not through might or politics but through reconciliation with God. The type of triumphal entry Jesus wants to make is one into our hearts where He reigns supremely over our lives in righteousness, peace, justice, and unity.

Prayer: Lord, You are the great King over all of the earth. As we remember the happenings of Palm Sunday, help us to invite You to make a triumphal entry into our hearts and lives as we continually humble ourselves before You in worship. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Followup Activity: Read Matthew 21:1-11 and reflect on the ways the people honored Jesus as He entered Jerusalem. Then, in your journal or on a piece of paper, make a list of all of the ways we can honor the Lord today. If you’re leading your family through this activity, consider leading them through a time of prayer where you engage in some of the worship practices you’ve listed on your paper. 

* Image courtesy of Tim Mossholder

* This devotion is part of an 8-day Holy Week devotional titled RENEWED. It is available as a free download from Celebration Church in New Orleans at http://www.celebrationchurch.org/library

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10 Reasons You Should Go To Church

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When I was young in ministry, I used to pray Psalm 27:4 which says, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

I had no idea He would take me so literally. Since coming to Christ more than three decades ago, I’ve spent most of that time serving in churches and ministries, mostly in worship ministry.

One thing I’ve noticed during that time is that often, even the most devout Christians, for one reason or the other, fall away from attending worship services or small group meetings on a regular basis.

So, in response, here’s my list of ten reasons why people should go to church:

1. Christian Fellowship goes two ways: with God and with others. (1 John 1:3)

2. It’s one of the greatest habits (Hebrews 10:25)

3. For the opportunity to use your spiritual gifts to help others. (1 Peter 4:10)

4. Accountability. (Hebrews 13:17)

5. There are no self-sufficient Christians. (1 Corinthians 12:21)

6. To make a joyful noise unto the Lord! (Psalm 100)

7. To “devote yourself to the apostles teaching, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

8. To pray for others and to be prayed for (Matthew 18:19)

9. To express your love for God publicly (Psalm 22:22)

10. It’s what Jesus did (Luke 14:6)

There are possibly hundreds of other reasons to attend worship services and small group meetings. Any that come to your mind today? If so, leave a comment below.

P.S. If you have fallen away from church, Easter is a great time to come back. If you live in or around New Orleans, South Baton Rouge, or even if you live in Turrialba, Costa Rica, let me officially invite you to join us at Celebration Church. This year, we have 58 services across all of our campuses. Check it out at http://www.celebrationchurch.org/easter.

*photo courtesy of Unsplash

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One Word We Need To Stop Using During Communion

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

Recently, one of our pastors spoke with a guest who had attended one of our worship services. The man said he enjoyed the music and the preaching, but he was confused about something he heard from the stage.

“What was confusing to you?” asked the pastor.

The man replied, “Well, this man said we were going to remember what Jesus did for us and then he asked everyone to come forward and receive the elements. I wasn’t about to do that because I’ve only heard that word used when someone was speaking about drugs.”

It may sound silly, but since then, I’ve tried to not use the word elements when speaking of the bread and juice that we serve when we celebrate communion (another term I want to find another name for). I thought about calling it the body and the blood but I figured that might really freak people out. I haven’t successfully found appropriate terminology for the term yet, so for now, I will refer to the elements as the bread and the juice.

If you can think of better terminology, please reply.

 

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Prayer Service Outline Built Around the Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

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Last night, our church had a special time of prayer and worship in conjunction with our January Prayer and Fasting Emphasis. It was a powerful time of worship, reflection, confession, and intercession. As is usual with these types of services, we tend to go off script from time to time, so we use these outlines as a guide and ask the Lord to guide us and lead us accordingly.

I hope this outline blesses you and your churches. If you have similar (or different) outlines, please share them with me so our church can benefit from your experience.

Prayer Service Outline

Opening 

  • 2-3 Song Worship Set
  • Welcome and Offering Prayer
  • Offering as service continues

AFFIRMING GOD’S GREATNESS Section

  • Read Matthew 6:9 – “Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
  • Comment personally upon the scripture.
  • Direct the people to spend a moment in personal prayer, instructing them to acknowledge the Greatness of the Lord.
  • Pray for the people before the worship music continues.

Song about the Holiness/Greatness of God

  • Suggested song: Glorious by Bryan and Katie Torwalt

SUBMITTING TO GOD’S WILL Section

  • Read Matthew 6:10 – “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Ask the people to pray for God’s will to be done. Ask them to think about how often they really pray for God’s will to be done.
  • Direct the people to get into small groups where they pray for God’s will to be done in the lives of others in the group.
  • Pray for God’s will to be done in our church, in your campus, and in the lives of those present.

Song About God’s Will or His Wisdom

  • Suggested song: God I Look to You – Bethel Music

REQUESTING GOD’S PROVISION Section

  • Read Matthew 6:11 – “Give us this day our daily bread…”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Instruct the people to think of one area of their lives where they need God’s provision. Direct them to pray and ask God for His provision in this area.
  • Ask another pastor, elder, deacon, or life group leader to pray for the needs of the people.

Song About God’s Provision, Blessings, or Care

  • Suggested song: Good Good Father – Housefires

ASKING FOR GOD’S FORGIVENESS Section

    • Read Matthew 6:12 – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Direct the people to pull out a blank sheet of paper (which we’ll need to provide). Have them draw a line down the middle of the paper creating two sections. At the top of the first section, have them write “My Sins.” At the top of the second section, have them write “Sins against me.” Give them 60-90 seconds to create a short list of their own sins in the first section. Then, give them 60 – 90 seconds to create a list of those who have sinned against them.
  • Lead Then, lead the people in a prayer where they ask forgiveness for their own sins and grant forgiveness to those who have sinned against them.

Song About the Forgiveness of God

  • Suggested song: How Can It Be- Lauren Daigle 

PRAISING GOD FOR HIS GUIDANCE Section

    • Read Matthew 6:13 – “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Recite the model prayer with your people and comment on what it means.
  • Upbeat Closing Prayer by Campus Pastor praising God for who He is, all He has done, and all He will do.
  • Upbeat Closing Praise Suggested Song –

Dustin Lee - Unsplash 1

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Baptism vs. the Brain-Eating Amoeba

Allinweekend

This summer, the campuses of the church where I serve have been emphasizing the importance of baptism. As a result, we’ve seen an overwhelming amount of people respond with a desire to be baptized. However, in order to continue our emphasis at one of our campuses, we had to go to war against a brain eating amoeba.

Recently, the residents of St. Bernard Parish have been undergoing a 60 day chlorine flush in their water system because of a dangerous amoeba found in the water. As you can probably imagine, this created a huge problem for campus pastor Patrick Eagan. How could he immerse people in water when there could possibly be a poisonous amoebe in the water? This problem was heightened by the fact that parish officials had warned St. Bernard residents not to let the water go up into their noses.

So, Pastor Patrick had to make a decision. He had scheduled baptisms for Sunday. He didn’t want to prevent people from taking their next step with Jesus, so, knowing he would have the full support of our church, he purchased 102 gallons of Kentwood water to fill his baptistery, plus a few more for coffee and public consumption.

That same Saturday evening in St. Bernard, a man came to the service and said, “I’m tired of being a Jesus Fan. I’m ready to be a Jesus Follower. Can I be baptized tonight?” He was baptized that very day in pure Kentwood water.

I’m proud to be a part of a church where creative solutions can be found to help people take the next step in their faith development.

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Brazil Nuts

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“I have a surprise for you,” said my mother as she entered my room with her hands behind her back.

“What is it?” I asked as I looked up from my bed.

I was ten years old and was taken aback. Seeing my mom in my room was unusual for me. And I didn’t understand why her hands were behind her back.

“Well,” she said, “Today at work, someone gave me something to eat and I thought of you.”

“You did?”

“Yes,” she replied, “And when you eat these, you’ll dream of other countries and distant far away lands.”

She had my full attention.

“What is it?” I asked.

She then tossed a package of Brazil nuts into my lap.

We both laughed, but that memory came to me this past week when one of our Brazilian Mission Team members offered me a Brazil nut.

“Huh,” I mumbled as I munched on the nut. “I’m actually eating a Brazil nut while in Brazil.”

Manaus, Brazil is a city of roughly two million people. Like most cities, there are wealthy people and poor people and lots of other somewhere in between.

While in Manaus, I had the opportunity to work with Pastor Edson Fernandes from the Igreja Batista Agape. Agape means Unconditional Love. Pastor Edson, his wife Neide, and the congregation of their church live up to that name very well. They show unconditional love to the people of their community and to each other.

They took a risk in welcoming us into their church. Over a week’s time, we were able to minister to the children of the community during the day, visit with many people in the city and in schools during the week, present a special dramatic presentation to a packed house, and see many children, teenagers, and adults commit their lives to Jesus Christ.

I was honored to spend several days ministering alongside them. We left them with many supplies, clothes, and other items they could use for themselves, for outreach, or for their ministry. One of our team members even purchased lots of supplies to help them begin their own food bank ministry. As we were leaving, the Pastor and his wife said to us, “We will take many of the items you have left and use them to reach out to a mission church we support. It’s 20-30 minutes by boat down the Amazon River.

Seeing the love they have for others and their willingness to share what little they have to share the love of Jesus brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. I thank God for my time with Pastor Edson and Neide Fernandes and Igreja Batista Agape. I pray I can live up to the standards of love they demonstrate in and through their church.

Thanks, Mom, for tossing me that package of Brazil Nuts so long ago and sparking my interest in the nation of Brazil. Your investment has given me great joy on this day.

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10 Reasons You Should Go To Church

church

When I was a young Christian, I used to pray Psalm 27:4 which says, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

I had no idea He would take me so literally. Since coming to Christ almost three decades ago, I’ve spent most of that time serving in churches and ministries, mostly in worship ministry.

One thing I’ve noticed during that time is that often, even the most devout Christians, for one reason or the other, fall away from attending worship services on a regular basis.

So, in response, here’s my list of ten reasons you should go to church:

1. Christian Fellowship goes two ways: with God and with others. (1 John 1:3)

2. It’s one of the greatest habits (Hebrews 10:25)

3. For the opportunity to use your spiritual gifts to help others. (1 Peter 4:10)

4. Accountability. (Hebrews 13:17)

5. There are no self-sufficient Christians. (1 Corinthians 12:21)

6. To make a joyful noise unto the Lord! (Psalm 100)

7. To “devote yourself to the apostles teaching, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

8. To pray for others and to be prayed for (Matthew 18:19)

9. To express your love for God publicly (Psalm 22:22)

10. It’s what Jesus did (Luke 14:6)

There are possibly hundreds of other reasons to attend worship services (and small group meetings). Any that come to your mind today? If so, leave a comment.

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P.S. If you live in the New Orleans area as I do, Easter’s a great time to start or restart attending worship. Let me invite you now to attend one of the 30 Easter Worship Services at Celebration Church. For times and locations, click Here

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The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Thegiftsoftheholyspirit

“Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this.” 1 Corinthians 12:1

Devotional Thoughts

The Corinthian Church was in a mess. Many of them were argumentative, judgmental, and self centered. As He does with all Christians, the Holy Spirit had blessed each member with spiritual gifts, but they were not being used appropriately. Instead of being activated to minister to others and therefore glorify the Lord, they were being used for personal gain and selfish ambitions.

Obviously, one of the Corinthians had asked the Apostle Paul about spiritual gifts. Scripture doesn’t reveal to us the content of the question, but it does share Paul’s answer in 1 Corinthians 12:7. He writes, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” In other words, a spiritual gift is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at their conversion, to be used to minister to others and therefore build up the body of Christ.

Satan probably enjoyed the chaos and confusion in the Corinthian church over spiritual gifts. He wants you to be confused as well about the spiritual gifts the Lord has given you. Do not allow that to happen. Whenever you are tempted to use what God has given you for selfish reasons, stop and pray immediately, asking God to give you wisdom to use your gifts in a way that builds up the body of Christ.

Follow-Up Activity

Read 1 Corinthians 12. As you make your way through the chapter, underline or highlight specific verses which could help a person’s understanding of the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer Focus:

Lord, thank You for giving us spiritual gifts. Help me to fully use mine to honor You by building up the body of Christ.

(This devotion is part of the Celebration Church HOLY OTHER devotion series. You can subscribe to that devotion series here: Celebration Church HOLY OTHER devotions

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The Beauty of the Garden Spoken Word

Here’s a link to a Spoken Word written and performed by Niko Snead for the Good Friday Services at Celebration Church.  The video was filmed and edited by Javier Acosta.  Great job Niko and Javi.

The Beauty of the Garden

Related Post:  2014 Celebration Church full Good Friday script

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