Courageous . . . the Movie

Save-the-Date! The producers of Fireproof and Facing the Giants will be releasing a new movie on September 30th. It is called Courageous! Check it out the trailer below and plan to go see it. And by the way, here’s the movies official website: http://CourageoustheMovie.com/

Fear Makes Us…

What is your biggest dream? If money wasn’t an issue, what would you be doing? If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do? What decision do you need to make, but you haven’t made it, yet?

The answer to all of these questions in a nutshell is fear. Fear is not only contagious and can lead to negativity in a lot of scenarios, but fear makes us incapable. Watch this video.

Fear cripples in this same manner. Do we fall over? Well, hopefully not, although it would be funny. Just kidding! However, fear does paralyze us on the inside and it hinders our relationship with Jesus. In the Bible God gives Joshua a direct command. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.” – Joshua 1:9

God’s charge to us is the same as it was to Joshua. Be strong and courageous.
 
Do your biggest dream as if money wasn’t an issue, and as if you could not fail!

(Contributed by Jason Williams)

The Courage to Execute Judgment

In Numbers 25:1-9 there is an interesting story, and by interesting I mean a tragedy.

One of the saddest tragedies of my generation (30 and under) has been the attacks on September 11th. I can’t believe it has almost been 10 years. 3,000 people died that day and that is a tragedy.

In Numbers 25, there is a plague going on and 24,000 die, because of their disobedience against God. The Bible records a story in vs. 6-9 about how people were open with their sin. Nobody had the courage to stand up and address the issues at hand.

That is until someone named Phinehas addresses the issues. Phinehas in front of everyone got his spear walked up to the two who were in sin and speared them both with his spear!

The Bible in Psalm gives Phinehas a shout out in Psalm 106:30 – “Phinehas had the courage to intervene, stand up, execute judgment and the played was stopped.”

God is looking for people who will stand up and take care of the issues in their tent.

(Contributed by Jason Williams)

Honor

Psalm 12:7

⁷ You, LORD, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us forever from the wicked,
⁸ who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Just a quick thought.  In Philippians 4:8, Paul tells us to think and dwell on anything that is “noble…right…pure…lovely…admirable…excellent…or praiseworthy.”  Seems straightforward enough.  Obviously, we want to spend time thinking about good things and interacting with situations and people that are going to build ourselves and other up.  That’s a good goal.  But what about the other side of the coin?  What if the verse said, “Whatever is NOT noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, do NOT think about these things.”  What kind of implications would that have for your life?  I’m sure it would cut out a  LOT of the “gray” areas of our lives as Christians, seeing as we wouldn’t even be called to THINK about these less-than-excellent things.

You might say though that this verse doesn’t say that – it’s not that exclusive, it’s just prescriptive, directing our attention to several areas in which we might want especially to focus on.  However, refer to Psalm 12:7-8, referenced above.  David calls “wicked,” and his enemies, those who “freely strut about” and “honor what is vile.”  Do we not often do that as a culture, as individuals?

With an honest and objective heart, look at those you esteem, those you wish your life could be like.  Why do we hold others in high regard?  Because they have things we don’t have, because they have things we place a high value on (the very definition of “honor”).  Do we value sex, alcohol, greed, pride, or the “confident” attitude that comes with a disrespect for authority?  We consider others lucky, and are often jealous of those, who live a certain way – we often resent the restrictions of holiness.  But we have to ask ourselves…

If we give honor to that which God says is “vile,” have we not become “wicked” towards Him?

(Contributed by Chris Coultas)

Fathers Day at CATG

Here’s a sneak preview of what’s coming to Church At The GYM on Sunday…

You’ll have to join us on Sunday for the details on what this clip is all about.

(Contributed by Jonathan Williams)

Does It Really Matter What Time It Is?

“It doesn’t really matter what time it is, if you haven’t determined what to do with your time.” – Andy Stanley

Time is what makes the world spin round. Time also keeps us on a level playing field. Time cannot be stored up, but it can be invested.

We are all using our time at the same rate, but are we investing it for the same return?

(Contributed by Jason Williams)

Do What We Can For Whom We Can

²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.
²⁸ If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,
“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

Proverbs 3:27, 28

A principle our church runs on is helping those who we can help. The sad reality is that we cannot help everyone in the world, but those whom we can help WE ARE GOING TO HELP! Part of our philosophy at Church At The Gym is to live a life of purpose, to intentionally live on mission and help those around us.

If you are part of our local, faith community, we want to challenge you to go out on your own and help those around you. CATG holds special projects through out the year, but generosity is not something we turn on and turn off. It is who we are. Take your generosity with you everywhere you go. Live a generous life!

(Contributed by Jason Williams)

Mission

Businesses love to boast about their mission and mission statement. Whether it is to be the best cell phone carrier in the world or whether it is to provide the best sandwich in all of Sanford, Florida. If our mission is unclear, it will make it impossible for us to gauge whether or not we are doing a good job.

Our mission at Church At The Gym is simple we want to make Jesus famous. This is acted out differently in everyone’s life. Sometimes this will take us to Alabama to help with tornado relief efforts. Other times it will lead us to Guatemala to provide people with a house and a place of worship. Our mission challenges us to live differently at work, at home and in anything else we do. Our mission is not something we “turn on” and “turn off” like a toaster. It is something that compels us to live differently every day.

We challenge you to join us in our mission of making Jesus famous to the world.

(Contributed by: Jason Williams)

Our Great Responsibility

I love watching movies. I rarely go to the theater because it is so darn expensive nowadays, but I went to go see Spiderman when it first came out four years ago because of all the hype around it. I’m glad I did because I thought it was a great movie. The last two have been disappointing, but the first one was excellent! One of my favorite lines from the movie is when Uncle Ben tells young Peter Parker, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” This principle is true because it is a biblical truth! The Bible speaks clearly about accountability. We are told that to whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).

As Americans we are privileged to have much more than the rest of the world, and we will be held accountable. Our great power is our money, it comes with great responsibility.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 25:31-40 that Jesus will look at us and reward us by saying, “I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was naked, and you visited me.”

We here at Church At The Gym place a high value on living generously. People are hurting in our area and around the world, and we must help. With great power comes great responsibility.

If you would like to donate to one of our projects feel free to give online, and where it says “Note” type in the project you would like to help support. We also have trips that support this mission. We are heading to Africa in the fall of 2011, Belize in the spring of 2012, and Guatemala in the summer of 2012.

For more info, e-mail us!

(Contributed by: Jason Williams)

Disaster Relief

Several tornadoes touched down in five states across the South, on Wednesday, April 27. The storms caused widespread destruction overnight.  Over 300 lives were claimed. Thousands of homes and businesses have been destroyed.

Among the hardest hit areas is Tuscaloosa, Al. There have been over 100 confirmed deaths in the state, and that number is expected to rise. The people are in desperate need, and Church At The GYM is sending help.

On Thursday, May 5,  Church At The GYM will send a Disaster Relief Team and a load of supplies to the storm victims in Alabama. The load will included food, water and other necessities.

You can help us in three ways:

PRAY

First, you should pray for the people affected by the devastating tornados, and then, you can join us in praying for our Disaster Relief Team as they travel and serve in Alabama.

GIVE

Click the donate button to give online now!

In addition to giving financially to support our efforts, you can also contribute any of these items:

Baby Food, Diapers, Baby Wipes, Formula, Underwear, Feminine Products, Flash Lights, Batteries, Lanterns, Snack Foods, Suitcases, Plastic Storage Containers, Moving Boxes, Gift Cards (Wal-mart), & Medicine (over-the-counter)

GO

You are invited to join us on the trip to Alabama to serve the affected communities directly. We leave this Thursday and return on Saturday. For more details, call 407-323-1583.