10 Tweets

Here's last weekend's sermon in 10 Tweets, "The Magi" in The Most Scandalous, Mysterious, Barbaric, Controversial Christmas Series

1/ Magi: They weren't kings, we don't know how many and they didn't arrive on the night of Jesus' birth.

2/ Whatever the star was (supernatural, natural & subtle, or an angel), God was leading these pagan Magi to himself.

3/ We look for signs from God, but even signs will take us only so far.

4/ We might sense God’s leadings, nudgings and whispers, but we need to bring all that to God’s Word.

5/ The Bible speaks so specifically to our entire lives that it helps us bring our entire lives into our tough decision.

6/ The religious leaders know their Bibles, but what’s astounding is that they don’t join the Magi in their quest.

7/ The religious leaders aren't out to kill the Messiah, but their children actually do.

8/ Spiritual indifference in one generation is the breeding ground for hostility in the next.

9/ There’s nothing more generationally contagious than the spiritual vitality of parents.

10/ Genuine worship requires inconvenience & effort, relinquishment & surrender, joy & rejoicing, giving & sacrifice.

Behind the Scenes

Here are some of the things going on behind the scenes at Five Oaks:

// Last Advent: If you haven't been to one of the Advent services yet, this Thursday is the last one (6:30-7:10am). I've loved them. It has added a entire and deepening layer to Christmas this year for me.

// Fire Pits: A new feature this year for our Christmas Eve services on the way into the building. Expect treats, too.

// E-Vites: Do you know about email e-vites to Five Oaks Christmas services. Check it out here.

// Youth Specialities (continued): The rep from the youth pastor search firm is here last night and today. After talking to him for a while, going with Youth Specialities is one of the smartest decisions we could have made in this search.

// Christmas Extravaganza: The first ever combined middle school and high school this Wednesday evening.

// The OT: Our next series is on the miracles of Jesus, and I want to cover an Old Testament book after that. The problem is there are so many I want to cover I don't know how to narrow it down. Nice problem to have.