New City East Side

We had a really great time for our 3rd place at the McCrimmons. We had Quail as our main course.

If you’re planning on joining us tomorrow, take a listen to our Sunday Morning Spotify playlist that will have the songs we will be singing! We can’t wait to worship with you at 11am in-person and virtually! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jcUPKpnpovtU9iAjMWUpa

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" 2 Cor. 12:8-9 Sometimes I struggle with unanswered prayers. I start to wonder why. I start to doubt whether God is really interested in me, whether He cares. In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul is sharing about a "thorn in the flesh" that he had been given. Whatever this ailment was, it was causing enough pain for Pau...l to approach God in prayer three times, pleading for it to be removed. Paul prayed; God didn't answer Paul's prayer. Paul pleaded again, and still no answer. I wonder how long Paul had carried this thorn. Was he angry that God had not answered him or delivered him from the pain? Was he tempted to grumble about it to others? Or even just to complain in his mind, allowing bitterness to grow in his heart? The third time Paul prayed about it, God answered, but it wasn't the answer Paul was looking for. God basically said "no". God’s grace was enough. And His power is made perfect in weakness. Paul’s response to God’s no is one we should model: Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. God was telling Paul (and us!) that we do not have to be perfect in order for Him to use us. God uses our brokenness, our imperfections, to accomplish His work through us. We only need to trust Him. Paul responds by boasting of the weakness that he was just pleading with God to remove! Paul is demonstrating his deep trust that God’s ways are better. That He is enough. God’s response to Paul is a life-giving reminder for all of us who follow Jesus. His grace is enough. This was clearly demonstrated when Jesus walked among us, lived a perfect life, suffered the punishment for our sin, died and rose from the dead. The next time I am tempted to doubt God’s goodness when my prayers are not answered, I only need to remember His grace. It is enough! See more

Whenever I read Eph. 5:15-17, I’m reminded of a former pastor and friend of mine. Years ago, he led a Bible study on Ephesians, and he challenged us to memorize this passage: So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (NASB) Conveying both caution and counsel, these three verses paint simple portraits of the wise an...d the foolish man. A foolish man is careless in the way he lives and doesn’t seek the will of God. But the wise man makes the most of his life by understanding the Lord’s will. Sometimes we complicate plain and simple by making it unnecessarily hard, don’t we? Recently the Holy Spirit convicted me of how me-centric my prayer life has become when it should be centered on God. How can I tell when I’m focusing on myself instead of Christ? When I’m worried about temporal things at the expense of the eternal. For instance, if you (like me) have ever wrestled with knowing the will of God, then you might be centering on yourself rather than actual concern about God’s will. What would make me think that? Because, over and over, God reveals His will in the Bible. A few examples of many: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thes. 5:18 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Matt. 6:33a For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life John 6:40 ...you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matt. 22:37b, 39b God became man that we might know Him as a man. In just 33 years, Jesus made the most of his time on earth, and in His life, death, and resurrection, along with Scripture and the Holy Spirit’s leading, we can discover everything we need to know about God’s will, both now and forever. See more

What is your first response when you are suffering or treated badly? I know for me, it usually shuts me down. I feel unable to pour out anymore, I try to feel validated that I should take a break and focus on myself. But as Christians, suffering, especially for the sake of the Gospel, should only spur us on to keep going. We see evidence of that from Paul in today’s CBR reading. For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had al...ready suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 1 Thes. 2:1-2 One part especially sticks out to me- we had boldness in our God. We serve a good God who loves us! Even when we’re suffering, he is still worthy of our devotion. He won’t let us down when we choose him or when sharing the good news of the gospel. Even though Paul writes about them having conflict in Phillipi, we know their labor resulted in many believing in Jesus. Another verse that sticks out to me in this chapter is this one. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 1 Thes. 2:9 Not only were they recovering from being shamefully treated in Philippi, they were working night and day, while still proclaiming the gospel. I pray that we can say the same of ourselves and that we still have boldness in our God to share the gospel in the midst of suffering, and in our busy work life. He is worthy of it all! See more

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ! assuming that you have heard about him and were taught... in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph. 4:17-24 Paul has reminded the Ephesian church of the multitude of spiritual blessings they have received through their union with Christ (Eph. 1:3). He reminded them that they had been guilty of following the course of this sinful age, and that they were following Satan (the prince of the power of the air). But God. God in Christ intervened on their behalf with a love and grace that was beyond all comprehension. Because of Christ’s victory over Satan, sin, and death through His life, death, and resurrection, they have been raised from death to life. By grace and through faith they are alive! What now? Paul reminds them to no longer live as the Gentiles. What does this mean? Gentiles here is shorthand for those outside the church who don’t know God. The Gentiles in the church are new creations, who know God and are known by God. Now, they are called to walk as new creations. Because they have been made new in Christ, they are called to live lives of love for God and others. They are called to pursue righteousness and purity in communion with Him. This is how they learned Christ. Have we learned the Christ the same way? See more

Connect with New City East Side http://www.newcityeastside.org/start-here Sermon: How God's People Play a role in His Plan Passage: Amos 7... Date: May 30, 2021

For though we walk according to the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not in the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ... 2 Cor. 10:3-5 These verses from our Community Bible Reading are a sobering reminder that we are constantly in a spiritual war and that our weapons have power ...to destroy strongholds. But what exactly are these weapons? How do we use them? In the book of Ephesians, Paul breaks this message down and gives blue prints on exactly how to wage spiritual war. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Eph. 6:10-18 Jesus, help us take every thought captive and keep us alert. Thank you for clothing us in armor that’s able to overcome darkness. Help us pray as we persevere in the strength of your might. See more

If you missed the service yesterday you can follow the link to hear the uplifting worship music and a great sermon from our guest speaker, Dan Martin. https://fb.watch/66d-CY3pY2/

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matt. 7:9-11 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Rom. 8:32... We had to buy a new vehicle very unexpectedly recently, and it has me thinking a lot about God’s good, faithful provision. This new-to-us vehicle runs great, has the features important to us, and was the exact price I was hoping to pay. It could have been a really stressful situation, but it was actually easy. We found out our old van was done for one day, and had this new one the next. I have a lot of personal stories really similar to this one. My life is full of evidence that God sees me and cares for me, that he is faithful to meet my needs. And yet often when things seem to be going sideways, I quickly question his love for me. I doubt that he really cares or is able to provide. But in the Matthew verses, Jesus speaks a better word than my doubts. If broken human beings know how to give their children good things, then how much more will a perfectly loving, good and kind Father do so? The one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who loves us with an everlasting love, delights in giving us good things. I suspect I am not alone in my tendency to forget these truths, which is why we must preach the gospel to ourselves. We see the Father’s steadfast love displayed most clearly in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. If he would give up his own Son for us, we should never question whether he will give us anything else we need! Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil. 4:6

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison... Col. 4:2-3 We ought to be devoting ourselves to prayer. In prayer we need to be alert and intent and we need to remember to do it with thanksgiving. . As we are praying we should remember to pray for one another, specifically that God will open... a door for us and give us opportunities to proclaim the mystery concerning Christ. What is this mystery concerning CHRIST that we need to be proclaiming as children and ambassadors of God? The cross reference in my study Bible led me to Eph. 3:3-4, but the mystery is described in detail in Eph. 3:6 - This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Christ was promised way back in Gen. 3:15, in Gen. 12:3. All the families of the earth will be blessed through Jesus. All that we need is fulfilled in Christ. We must place our faith in Jesus Christ. . We have so many blessings as we partake in the promise of Christ Jesus. Gal. 3:26 lets us know that in Christ Jesus we are all sons (and daughters) of God through faith. We are children of God in the Messiah. . Gal. 3:28-29 lets us know that we are all one in Christ Jesus. It goes to unity. Being Christ’s, we are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. We are unified in the Messiah. . Romans 8:1-2 lets us know that in Christ Jesus, there is now no condemnation. We have been set free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. So now, there is freedom from the power of sin/death in the Messiah. . Let’s be faithful to pray for each other that we will have opportunities to be ambassadors for Christ in order to point others towards being reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:20 & Eph. 6:18-20) See more

Connect with New City East Side http://www.newcityeastside.org/start-here Sermon: Hope for the True People of God Passage: Amos 9

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord... Col. 3:22 Most people who work outside the home spend over 36% of their waking hours at work. That is a lot of time, and it is important for us to remember that our time at work is a precious gift from God and every second of our time at work matters to God. However, many do not see their time at work as a purposeful gift from God. Rather, we see work as a dreadful means to putting food on the table or to retirement. Wh...en I find myself with this attitude, it is usually because I have forgotten God’s good purpose behind work. In the beginning, God commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and to work (subdue the earth). As they multiplied, humanity would fill the Garden and eventually expand outside the Garden to fill the entire earth. The area outside the Garden was chaotic and the people would need to work to make the entire world livable. In other words, God provided humanity with the intelligence and physical abilities to harvest all the raw materials he provided. I think Psalm 147:1214 describe this well: Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. How does God strengthen our gates? He provides city planners, architects, and construction workers. How does God bless our children? He provides teachers, social workers, and pediatricians. How does God make peace at our borders? He provides lawyers and good police officers. How does God fill you with wheat? He made the grain, he gives us farmers, factory workers and restaurant workers. In a divine way, when we work heartily, as for the Lord God is creating through us, and we are obediently fulfilling the Creation Mandate. Yes, the Fall makes work painful, but through faith in Jesus, we can see God’s good purposes in our work and work in a way that brings him honor. See more

We should be working together! Check out this blog post on the New City Family of Churches page. "There are reasons churches are dying. Most often it isn’t because the people not coming are bad people seeking the wrong things. Very often it is because our churches aren’t really offering the things that matter most by being the people God has called us to be. If you are a part of a struggling church and would like help, we would love to talk with you. We don’t pretend to have everything figured out, but maybe together we could figure a few things out. Your church is worth it and so are the thousands of people around you." https://www.newcityfamily.org//where-are-all-the-young-peo

If you missed the Quarterly Training this past Saturday, you missed a great time of worship and growth. Take a few minutes out of your day to invest in your relationship with Christ. https://fb.watch/5-Tmq69TfL/

In case you missed the service Sunday... Here's the link to the FB live. https://fb.watch/5-S_5YAMwO/

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to sha...re in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:9-14 Much of the world that we live in revolves around qualifications. High school students applying to colleges must list their GPAs and what activities they were in to be admitted. Applicants must share their education and experience when interviewing for jobs to show that they meet the qualifications for employment. Certain professionals must pass certification exams (lawyer, doctor, accountant, etc.) to show that they have the qualifications to perform certain jobs. Even online dating sites have profiles where you share your qualifications to show that you are a worthy partner. So much of life in the world is about proving to others that we measure up. How freeing is it to know that the same standard does not exist in our Christian lives! What (Who) qualifies us to share in the glorious inheritance? Jesus. Who qualifies us to be holy and blameless in the sight of God by forgiving our sins? Jesus. Who delivers us from the domain of darkness and transfers us into His Kingdom? Jesus. And because Jesus has reconciled us to the Father through His life, death, and resurrection, and because the Spirit lives in us, we now have the ability by His grace to walk in a way that is pleasing to our Father! Because we have nothing to prove, we are free to love and serve our Father and others without being concerned about how we measure up or if others will think we’re worthy. Give thanks to our Father who has qualified us (in Christ) to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. See more

"For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.... But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" Phil. 3:3-9 Paul says that if anyone had reason to brag, it was him, but continued by saying all his works were nothing compared to what Christ has done for him. We can never find righteousness with God based on our good works, but thank God for the righteousness we have in Jesus thru faith. If you're like me, you may be well versed in the Gospel, but still catch yourself working. Working for love, approval, and peace. Not just with God but also with others. Working to accumulate accolades for people to be impressed by. Why? Because we believe the opinions and affirmations of others matter more than what God has said about us. Even believing these accolades impress God himself. So what should we do? We repent, I repent. Repent from believing that the opinions of others are more important than what God says about me. Repent for believing my good works are better than Christ's good work. Ultimately repenting from my belief that I'm something, when compared to Christ I'm nothing. Im nothing outside the good work of Christ. I do not boast in myself but I boast in Christ. Believer you can rest from your work to be loved, liked and at peace. All of this is yours in Christ. It is a gift! See more

Connect with New City East Side http://www.newcityeastside.org/start-here Sermon: Hope Amid Judgment Passage: Amos 8-9... Date: June 06, 2021

So... what are you doing this Sunday morning at 11am? We launched a new church this past Sunday and we would love for you to come check us out! Everyone is welcome and social distance standards are observed!

As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Luke 7:12...-15 In this historical account we see both the tenderness of Jesus toward the mother and his healing power by which he raises her son from the dead. Both are vital to His character as the Son of God. He is not compassionate and lacking in power or full of might yet uncaring. He is both perfectly compassionate and all-powerful! Praise God that we can trust His perfect compassion towards us and rest in His power to make all things new! Something that we often miss in this account is that Jesus defies social convention and risks being seen as unclean by coming into contact with a dead body. New Testament scholar Craig Keener notes that Jesus defied Jewish law and custom by interfering with a funeral procession and he also exposed himself to a day’s uncleanness for touching the bier (Num 19:21-22) and a week’s uncleanness by touching the corpse (Num 19:11-20). The amazing thing about Jesus is that the reverse always takes place, he touches the dead and raises to life and touches the unclean and cleanses them! He has done the same for those who trust in Him! By the compassionate love and eternal power demonstrated in the good news of His life, death, and resurrection, we who were dead and unclean in our sin have been made alive and cleansed by His grace! Let us by faith in Him walk in His compassion and in reliance on the Spirit’s power!

What an incredible morning of worship at our Public Launch this morning! We had lots of 1st time visitors and we were able to social distance by spreading out in the sanctuary. Thank you to everyone that volunteered to serve today!! Not only were you a blessing to others but you helped us all to sit at safe distances. If you missed the service in-person you can watch it on our Facebook page. The sermon was an excellent start to our new series, "Thy Kingdom Come." ...Thank you to our music team! You lead worship in such a powerful way... the Holy Spirit was moving with you and the congregation. Thank you for sharing your talents. We look forward to seeing everyone next Sunday! And, if you are looking for a place worship or you want to know about church family... this is our personal invitation to you to join us next Sunday at 11am! See more

And [Jesus] said to all,If anyone would come after me, let himdeny himself andtake up his crossdaily and follow me. Luke 9:23 It is heartening to think about the word we use when sharing the story of Godgospel. God knew the state of the world we’d be born into, and He offered exactly what was desperately needed: good news. Good news arrived in human form when God lavished us with Himself. In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we’re given a life-giving, pe...ace-yielding message of hope. As I consider the current state of our country, I’m grieved. It seems we’ve forgotten we’re the *United* States of America. Hearts have become cauldrons of hostility, a dangerous brew of rage and rights. The consequences bring daily headlines that can stir fear, anxiety, and anger.Friends, it’s crucial to remember that the good news of the Gospel is greater than any bad news of the day. So, how should believers respond? How can we find peace amid uncertain and tumultuous circumstances? Is there a way to become the change we long to see in our world? In today’s CBR passage, Jesus shows us the way: Come after Him Deny ourselves Take up His cross Follow Him Simple calls to action don’t mean they’re easy.Each requires intention, a deliberate choice to be obedient to Jesus.In believing and receiving Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life, we come after Him. Denying ourselves is where it gets harder; we surrender the right to our rights. This is where I think many of us struggle because the idea of surrender is contrary to a me-focused culture. We feel entitled to have it my way. We must remember the cross is an instrument of death, the gruesome weapon that killed our Savior. Taking up His cross is a call to our death. And, dead people have no rights. Following Him helps us become more like Him. When He is our focus, fear, anger, and anxiety diminish. When we allow His perfect love to fill our hearts and govern our lives, we change. Then, the world can change. Because love always triumphs over hate. See more

Welcome to New City East Side!

Come worship with us today at 11am - our first official Sunday as a new church!

Had a wonderful chance to chill out with the operations team and celebrate all that God is doing at New City East Side as we prepare for the launch this Sunday.