I think this post from Dr. Horton communicates the sentiments of Emmaus Christian Fellowship quite well. As I read it, I found myself saying, “amen, amen, and amen!” A modern reform is needed indeed, and I believe this is the way.

http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=articledisplay&var1=ArtRead&var2=1384&var3=main

via Dr. Horton on the Need for a Modern Reformation « On the Road to Emmaus.

Tags: Michael Horton, Modern Reformation

Posted in Articles Good Thoughts from Others Michael Horton Modern Reformation Christian Thought Modern Reformation Joe Anady
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Hello Church,

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this sermon series but have one regret: there is so much more that could be said concerning the unfolding of the story of redemption and the typological nature of the Old Testament!

I acknowledge that I have moved very quickly, only briefly introducing these concepts to you, but please understand that I plan to address this topic in two ways in the future.

One, the history of redemption will always be in view as I preach. In order to understand the scriptures one must keep both the whole and the parts in view. The moment we begin to look at the small details of the text and ignore the overarching story of scripture (the meta-narrative), we are lost. The same is true if we pay attention to the meta-narrative while ignoring the individual parts. In the next couple of months we will be going back to the study of an individual book (probably in the New Testament), moving verse by verse through the text. No matter which book of the Bible we are studying we must keep the history of redemption in view. In this way, instruction concerning the unfolding of God’s redemptive purposes will be never ending.

Two, I plan to teach through the history of redemption in much greater detail in an Emmaus Essentials course a few years from now. I would like to give you all an opportunity to progress through the current Emmaus Essentials track before offering a more “advanced” track. We are laying foundations now by studying systematic theology but there is so much more that I would like to teach! Please remain faithful in attending Emmaus Essentials so that we can continue to grow together in our understanding of scripture.

Because we have moved so quickly through the history of redemption (covering the whole Old Testament in only a few months) I would like to request questions from the congregation. These might be questions that you used to have, currently have, or think other might have. The point is that I would like the opportunity to answer those questions either from the pulpit or through writing. If you have questions pertaining to this sermon series please post them here and I will do my best to provide answers.

Posted in News Theology Joe Anady
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Hello Church,

Just wanted to remind you that it’s time to sign up for Emmaus Essentials – Making Sense of Who God Is.

The class will start on July 3rd and run through the rest of the summer.

I was reviewing the subject this past week and I can tell you that it’s going to be a good one!

Click HERE to join!

Blessings,

Joe

Posted in News Church Life Joe Anady
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Emmaus Christian Fellowship is almost eleven months old (born June 5, 2011). In some ways it feels as if we have been together for a long time, but in other ways it feels like we have just begun. The past eleven months have been filled with a lot of hard work for the Elders and Leadership core here at Emmaus; lots of study, lots of meetings, lots of writing.

In particular, we have been working hard on the Foundation Documents of Emmaus Christian Fellowship. These documents will include things such as our statement of faith, confession, bylaws, membership process, mission statement, as well as other core documents which will bring clarity to the beliefs, policies, and vision of ECF.

These documents are important and I’m looking forward to the day when we will give them to the people of Emmaus for review and feedback (I have a date in mind as a goal but I rather not say given that rushing these documents for the sake of meeting a deadline would be foolish and potentially harmful to the decades of ministry that await us).

I write this post because we are approaching a time when the beliefs of Emmaus Christian Fellowship will be stated with great specificity. My concern, as we grow in our understanding of the scriptures, is that we maintain a disposition of heart where we are able to, one, stand firm upon our convictions and, two, be humble and gracious towards those who might disagree with us on the non-essentials of the Christian faith.

Maintaining this balance is no simple task. Christians have struggled throughout the ages with this interplay between standing for truth and loving those who might disagree. It has been a struggle because it is a complicated endeavor.

I think the motto, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity”, is potentially helpful for three reasons.

First of all, the motto acknowledges that there are essentials to the Christian faith that all must agree upon in order to be a Christian. As a result, there are some things worth fighting for. Consider Paul’s words to Titus concerning the qualification of an Elder within the church: “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9, ESV)

Second, the motto acknowledges that within the church we must leave room for liberty in the areas that are non-essential to the Christian faith. Consider Paul’s words to the Romans concerning the diversity which existed within the church of Rome: “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.” (Romans 14:5–6, ESV)

Third, the motto encourages us to do all things with charity, which I take to mean, humility, graciousness, and out of a heart of love. Paul encouraged the church in Colossae in the same way saying, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14, ESV)

We must be careful at this point given that we have made a mess of this “love” concept in our modern day supposing that it means that we are never to disagree, confront, or rebuke. To those who hold the view that love is being perpetually passive I would ask the question, have you ever read about Jesus in the gospels or Paul’s writings to the churches? These men confronted boldly from time to time and yet they did so out of love.

Consider the contrast concerning Paul’s dealings with the church of the Thessalonians. First he says, “But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” (1 Thessalonians 2:7, ESV) And then a few verses later he says, “For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:11–12, ESV) Paul uses the imagery of a nursing mother and an exhorting father to illustrate his care for the believers. Both tenderness and exhortation can and should emanate from a heart of love.

In regard to the charity principle, the point is this – we must be sure that whether we are encouraging or exhorting that our hearts are truly humble and filled with love, even for our enemies. To be perpetually passive or constantly confrontational will not do. It is possible to be passive out of a heart of hatred just as it is possible to confront in love.

The issue is the heart. This is my prayer for Emmaus Christian Fellowship, that our hearts would be pure. We must stand for the truth of the gospel and do so because we possess a true love for God and our fellow man.

Click here for more thoughts on the motto, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.”

Posted in Articles Devotional Thoughts Church Life Humility Theology Joe Anady
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Hello Church,

I noticed that Russell encouraged you in the O.I.A. discussion questions to do some research on “Covenant Theology” in preparation for your Gospel Community Groups. It seems that I am a little behind on this (it is Thursday already and most of you have met) but here is a good resource on that subject. I assume that this will be useful for your discussions next week as well.

I recently came across this chart put together by a Pastor friend of mine from Murrieta Valley Church. I met with him shortly after we started Emmaus Christian Fellowship and he was a great encouragement to me. It was nice to see his work pop up when I Google searched, “Covenant Theology Chart”.

Blessings,

Joe

Posted in Articles Online Resources Redemption Theology Joe Anady
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Now is the time to sign-up for the Biblical Counseling class which starts on Sunday, April 1st or Tuesday, April 3rd. You will need to order the book and read the first two chapters before the first class and so we are recommending that you GET ON IT!

Please go to emmauscf.org/essentials to sign up, order the book, and download the course overview.

In His Service,

Joe

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Today, Emmaus Christian Fellowship will be holding it’s first baptism and for that we are grateful. It’s no small thing to baptize a follower of Jesus Christ!

For the one being baptized, the moment is of great significance. There is a lot that is communicated through baptism. First of all, the one being baptized is saying to the Lord, and to all who observe, “I am trusting in Christ for my salvation, my sins have been washed, I have been given new life, the old way of life is gone, and I am now set apart as unto the Lord for His service!” But we must remember that God is also speaking through Baptism. He is saying to all who observe, “trust in Jesus, be washed, be made new, My Son passed through the waters of My wrath so that you could pass through unharmed.” Baptism proclaims the Gospel through symbolism and it is for this reason that we consistently baptize those who believe.

For the one baptizing (in this case, Jon Severns and myself as representatives of Emmaus) this is also a significant event. It reminds us that our primary mission is to make disciples. We love it when someone comes to Christ and is baptized, but it is only the start. We celebrate the new life in Christ and the power of the gospel but we are also reminded that we, as the church, are to play a large role in the sanctification process of the one being baptized.

My prayer for us, Emmaus, is that every time we perform a baptism we would rejoice in new life, be reminded of the gospel, and also see the one baptized as a new part of the Christian family – one to be cared for, encouraged, and exhorted within the context of Christian Community where a love for God and a love for one another reigns supreme.

One of the steps in the baptism preparation process at Emmaus is for the baptism candidate to write out their personal testimony.

Below is the testimony of Carolina Gutierrez:

“Sometimes it’s not until you sit down and actually think about how far God’s sovereignty has brought you are able to just how unworthy you are and how great He is.

I was raised Catholic and my entire family is Catholic. I grew up going to a small church in San Jacinto. In High School I stopped attending and did not start to attend again until I was 19. As many other teens do, I found myself caught up in parties and completely lacked a passion for The Lord.

I came to Christ sometime around January 2011 but the work in my heart started October 2010. At the time I was still attending both my childhood Catholic perish and regularly attending a college aged Christian Bible study. I was also “church hoping” between Christian churches. I swiftly found myself identifying with my brothers and sisters in Christ at this Bible study and feeling completely overwhelmed with a sense of awe during worship to the degree that I would be brought to tears on different occasions. God began to move in my life, giving me a desire to know Him, to seek Him above all other things.

I am still challenged in who I am daily, but God’s faithfulness in every factor of my life is what I hold strong to. I always knew I wanted to teach but the Lord has placed in me a passion for His suffering children. He has given me a thirst to be uncomfortable in means of severing these children.

Aside from what He has done inside of me, He has blessed me abundantly with a diverse church family that is constantly challenging me and uplifting me. But above all these things that I have listed the greatest gift of all is God’s love and saving grace. I am constantly reminded of how imperfect I am and how mighty He is, and the yet in all my imperfection I am still His child and He is in control of it all.

The relationship I have with Christ is something I had longed for my entire life.  He has filled the emptiness that nothing else was able to fill. His sovereignty and His timing in bringing me to salvation is something I will forever stand in awe of.”

Posted in News Baptism
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I really enjoyed our time together in the Making Sense of the Bible course! I hope that you finished with a deeper love and appreciation for God’s Word and ultimately a deeper love for God Himself.

Enjoy your five week break from Emmaus Essentials but please do not forget about the Biblical Counseling course starting on April 1st. You can view the details about the course at emmauscf.org/essentials (including a link to purchase the book and a course overiew (which should be up in the next week or so)). You can sign up for the course on The City by clicking here and then clicking on the green “Ask permission to join…” link which is located at the bottom of the “About” paragraph.

Once you are in, please indicate which class you plan on attending (Sundays at 10am or Tuesdays at 5:30pm – to be held at the Church Office as long as space permits) by replying to the post in the Biblical Counseling group on The City.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Joe

Posted in News Joe Anady
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