Fanning The Flames With Our Words

This Sunday we will conclude our message series dealing with the words we speak. It certainly has caused me to focus on speaking words of life rather than negative words of death. As we have learned from Jesus' teaching, our words are an indication of what is going on in our hearts. We must guard our hearts!


Paul encouraged Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God which is in you..." in 2 Timothy 1:6. We as the body of Christ have great opportunities to fan the flames for Christ as we speak into each other's lives. I have found our Growth Groups to be great vehicles to do that. Just last night at our group I told a brother in Christ I was proud of him.


As we gather for worship Sunday, may we all fan the flames in others by lifting them up with positive, edifying words. As we will see this Sunday, they literally do have the power of life and death.


See you then!


Pastor Tommy

Mega Sports Camp Opportunity 1 1/2 Weeks Away!

I'm excited about participating in Mega Sports Camp 2011! It will be held again this year at Northwood Baptist Church (888 Ansel School Rd, Greer) beginning Sunday, July 31 through Thursday, August 4. The camp hours are 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the total cost is $15 which includes a t-shirt, a sports bag, snacks, and tons of fun! Sports offered for kids will be basketball, soccer, cheerleading, and baseball. 

The most exciting part for me is that through the vehicle of sports a number of kids will come to know Jesus Christ! My 40 year old body will be out there each night running, jumping, clapping to the worship songs, kneeling in our sports huddles, and kneeling in prayer with the kids each night. My skills aren't what they used to be; but I believe God is okay with that. He can use me just by being available. Maybe you feel you can't really contribute to a sports camp because there's no way you can get out there and play. That's okay. We'll have plenty of others who can do that. We have opportunities for people who will sacrifice their evenings for five nights for a couple of hours. In return for your investment, the Kingdom of God will grow.

If that's a team you'd like to be a part of, how about emailing me and letting me know you're in. We'll find a place for you on the roster!

Thanks!

Pastor Tommy (tommy@ridgeviewchurch.net)

Don't forsake the small things this summer

I appreciate the encouraging words I received as we finished up our Man 2 Man series. In many ways this series was about stewardship; being a good manager of what God has entrusted us men with. For many of us men, we can always have our eyes set on the next big goal, career track, etc. Sometimes the less glamorous things like being in a Growth Group at church, spending time with family, giving God the firstfruits of our income, exercising, or personal time with God can get postponed "until tomorrow" or "the fall semester." 

Jesus said we must be faithful in little matters: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" (Luke 16:10). God has entrusted us with stewardships; are we being obedient in them? 

I was challenged recently by this statement: "How can I pray for God's blessings on certain areas of stewardship when I'm being a disobedient and poor steward in others? What does my lack of faithfulness reveal about my relationship with God? Am I truly making Him the Lord over all my life?"

Wow, those are strong and convicting words! God expects me to be a good manager over many thins such as my physical body, my family, my friends, and my income to name a few. A lack of faithfulness in the small things reveals a character flaw of mine. I must turn and repent each time I realize I'm falling into that trap. I want to hear my Master say "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21). I've got to stay connected to Jesus everyday. I pray for wisdom that He would show me areas where He wants me to be faithful and I pray for strength to be fully obedient in all those areas.

As we fly through these dog days of summer, take a moment and think: "Are there any areas of your life that you've been neglecting? Don't forsake the small things this summer. A good word for all of us! 

Pastor Tommy

Man 2 Man Series Finale This Sunday: Ally

Our four week Man 2 Man message series will wrap up this weekend with what I believe will be one of the most important. I look forward to challenging all of us as men to have an ally in our lives. Why an ally? Because even the greatest of men have weak spots and vulnerabilities that the Evil One knows about and looks to target. We need men in our lives who have our back! The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 states, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up."

Men, do you have an ally in your life? The key thought I want you to think about for Sunday is this: Without accountability, you are vulnerable. I look forward to sharing this Sunday how we all can thrive as a Shepherd Warrior, a spiritual coach for our family, and a knight who lays down his life for his bride.

Men, don't miss this Sunday! God's Word and God's Spirit are going to work in your heart to shape you to be all that He wants you to be in Christ!

Blessings,

Pastor Tommy

16 Things I Pray For My Boys Every Month
That I Received From Evangelist Tom Harmon

1. Their salvation.

2. Their mate.

3. That they would fall in love with God's Word.

4.That God would keep them from the evil one.

5. That they would have a conscience void of offence before God and man.

6. That their character would be more valuable to them than their credentials.

7. That they would stand up for what is right even if it means standing alone.

8. That they would be kept from the love of money.

9. That they would be kept morally pure.

10. That they would have the heart of a servant.

11. That eternity would burn in their hearts.

12. That sin would always be distasteful to them and that they would be broken easily over sin.

13. That they would love each other.

14. That they would trust God with their parents and not allow rebellion to set in.

15. Regardless the hardship, that they may never become bitter against God.

16. That our boys would be glad to be boys.

17. That I do not stir up anger in them, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Ridgeview Church Membership

This past Sunday we had a membership class after church. I am pleased to share with you that Brian & Kerri Timms, along with Dillon and Kim Key, have agreed to live by our membership covenant and desire to unite with our church through formal church membership. I believe that joining a church is very important. I picked up a brochure some time ago from our parent church that lays out nicely why they encourage people to unite officially in membership. Allow me to share them with you:

1. Joining a church helps one identify with a body of believers
In the New Testament, when the apostles would go from town to town, they always sought out a group of believers with whom to identify. It gave them a sense of belonging as they joined together with their Christian family in the local towns. When you join a church you are saying, "I belong here; this is my family."

2. It is important to join a church in order to have a relationship of accountability

One of the most important reasons for joining a church is that it puts you in a position where you can be accountable by others. The Bible talks about this accountability in Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5. 

At Ridgeview, we recognize the need for a formal membership. We teach in our membership class to commit to membership for four reasons:

1. A Biblical reason

Christ is committed to the Church- "...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her..." Ephesians 5:25

Christ expects us to be committed to His Church- "Consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household."       

Ephesians 2:19

2. A Cultural reason

Membership swims against the current of America's "consumer religion." Commitment always builds character.

3. A practical reason: It defines who can be counted on

Every team has a roster. Every school an enrollment. Every business has a payroll. Every army an enlistment. Even our country takes a census and requires voter registration. Membership identifies our family.

4. A personal reason- It produces spiritual growth

Accountability to the body will produce growth.

When someone joins Ridgeview church, they agree to the membership covenant. Here is what they are agreeing to:

"Having received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and been baptized, and being in agreement with what we believe and what we practice, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with the Ridgeview Church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members to do the following:

1. I will protect the unity of my church

*By acting in love toward other members

*By refusing to gossip and resolving conflicts using Matthew 18:15-17

*By following the leaders

(Romans 15:5,19,1 Peter 1:22, Ephesians 4:29, Hebrews 13:17)

2. I will share the responsibility of my church

*By praying for its growth

*By inviting the unchurched to attend

*By warmly welcoming those who visit

(Luke 14:23, Romans 15:7, 1 Thessalonians 1:2)

3. I will serve the ministry of my church

*By discovering my gifts and talents

*By being equipped to serve by my pastors

*By developing a servant's heart

(1 Peter 4:10, Ephesians 4:11-12, Philippians 2:3-4,7)

4. I will support the testimony of my church

*By attending faithfully

*By living a growing and godly life

*By giving regularly

(Hebrews 10:25, Philippians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Leviticus 27:30)

Let me again welcome our newest members! It is not only exciting to see them unite with our church through formal membership but also to see both families involved in the Eill Growth Group and serving Christ at Ridgeview. They are growing as disciples of Christ. That's a goal for all of us!

Summer Growth Groups Rooted Strong

I had the opportunity to visit each of our Growth Groups during our kick off week. It was great to see the groups filled with people studying the stories in God's Word. As we have entered week two, we are seeing the power of Growth Groups. God's Word is alive and we are seeing discipleship occur in our church through our groups. I am delighted to see new people are in Growth Groups this semester. I am thrilled to hear each week new people are sharing the Bible story or facilitating the group. Our goal is to see disciples made who in turn will make more disciples. 

I have two challenges for those who call Ridgeview their church home:

1) Join a Growth Group this summer. Do the things needed to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

2) If you are in a Growth Group, consider now the possibility of leading one in the Fall. Start asking to share the Bible story for the next week. Start asking now to help co-facilitate with your Growth Group leader.

Growth Groups are the primary way we make disciples at Ridgeview. Join one; look to leading one in the future. You'll be glad you did!

In Christ,

Pastor Tommy

Summer Growth Groups: Here we go!

We've gotten off to a great start to our summer Growth Groups semester. Our Growth Groups are meeting each week during this summer up to August 14. They are open groups. If you would like to jump in on one of them, I promise you will enjoy your experience. Also, because each week we will be taking a story from the Gospels, you can jump in at anytime and not be behind. As I shared Sunday, there is no discipleship without relationships. We want to see people at Ridgeview become disciples!

I'm looking forward to this Sunday as we begin a new message series on Father's Day entitled "Man 2 Man." Men, I will unpack for you what it means to be a shepherd warrior. We are going to look to God's Word and the model of Jesus to help us become better men, better husbands,
better fathers, better leaders, better co-workers, better Christ-followers.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Tommy

Are we making disciples at Ridgeview who are making disciples?

That question above has convicted me deeply as a Pastor. There are many things a church can be busy doing; good things. But, are we doing the main thing? Jesus gives us the main thing in His Great Commission. He says in Matthew 29:19-20, "19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 
I believe we are doing a good job in the "going" part of the Great Commission, at least in our community. I believe there are a few minor tweaks we will be making for this summer Growth Group semester that will improve the "making disciples" part of Jesus' command. At Ridgeview, we have people at all different levels of spiritual maturity. We have new Christians (infants) who are just learning the truth of the Bible. We have Christians in our church who are on the child level who are coming out of the infant stage of Christianity and are growing spiritually, developing habits of Bible study and prayer, and giving of their time and money to God, and are building relationships with God's people. We have people who are young adults in their spiritual journey. Just like natural children, spiritual children do go into things with the attitude of "it's more about me." Christians who are young adults in their faith move into more of an attitude of becoming less self-centered and more others centered. They begin to see themselves as a minister. They tithe and give their time not out of duty or sense of obligation, but out of a sense of thankfulness and love. Then, there are those who are spiritual parents. They have not arrived spiritually but they are growing and serving. They see themselves as one who intentionally needs to invest in others so they can make disciples who are making disciples. Parents reproduce and make babies! 


My question is where are you? Are you at the infant level in your discipleship stage? The child level? The young adult level? The parent level? There is nothing wrong about being at the infant or child level in your Christian faith. But, God does not want you to stay in that stage. I recently saw a documentary on television about a thirty year old man who is known as an adult baby. He had the capacity to feed himself but chose as he came home at the end of the day a caretaker to feed him, put diapers on him, wear kid's pajamas, and tuck him in his adult sized crib at night. He even built an adult high chair. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen in my life because that is not normal! It is not normal, or it should not be normal, nor is it God's will for Christians to stay stuck in the child level. The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:2-3, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."


Here's my challenge. We are beginning our summer Growth Groups semester starting this Sunday, June 12. We are not doing any topical type studies by a popular Christian author or going to go through a Christian devotional book. Nothing wrong with them. But, we are simply going to go through the Gospels this summer and take one story each week from the Bible and go on this journey of "Following Jesus Together." MY CHALLENGE FOR YOU IS TO JOIN A GROWTH GROUP THIS SUMMER! Why? BECAUSE I BELIEVE THEY ARE THE BEST TOOLS WE HAVE IN THE CHURCH WHEN COMBINED WITH THE BIBLE & THE HOLY SPIRIT TO MAKE DISICIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES! The Bible says in Hebrews 3:12-13, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." You cannot make disciples in the church without being in relationship with other believers who are open and transparent with one another around the Word of God.

When we combine Growth Groups (people who are in a relational environment with one another) who are taking the stories in the Bible and in cooperation with the Holy Spirit are open and honest with one another, we will see disciples made. We will see disciples who follow Christ, are being changed by Christ, and are committed to the mission of Christ.We will see people move from the infant stage of Christianity to the parent stage where they are investing in others to raise others up to become spiritual parents  themselves. Listed below are the Growth Groups we are offering this summer. You can sign up for them Sunday on your Connection Card or at the Growth Groups table, or you can contact Paul Eill (paul@ridgeviewchurch.net) to find a Growth Group for you. Make the choice today. God has called you to be a disciple who makes disciples!

In Christ,

Pastor Tommy

*Brown Growth Group: Sundays, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the home of Gloria Bupp (10 Windward Peak Ct, Greer)

*Hargrove Growth Group: Sundays, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the home of Tommy & Tanya Hargrove (14 Swenson Ct, Taylors)

*Eill Growth Group: Tuesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the home of Paul & Paula Eill (21 Cottage Ln, Taylors)

*Culbertson Growth Group: Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the home of Rex & Carolyn Culbertson (4476 Hawkins Rd, Greer)

Please welcome our new worship leader!

This Sunday will mark the first official Sunday our new part-time worship leader begins. His name is Taylor Strutton. He is pictured above in the middle. Taylor is a North Greenville University student working towards his Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance. He is going into his senior year. Taylor loves the Lord and is excited about leading Ridgeview in worship through music. He is a very talented young man with the ability to play a variety of instruments such as piano, guitar, and any form of percussion. Vocally, he is top notch! Please make a point of welcoming his this Sunday as he makes this transition to Ridgeview!

Also, I would like to thank those who have taken the mantle of leadership on the worship team during this time of transition. Jenny Dunster was a huge help and did an excellent job after our worship leader left for Buffalo, NY. Most recently, Jennifer White stepped in and led us in sweet times of worship. I appreciated how both ladies gave their very best to God in leading worship. There's a lesson for all of us, no matter what we do to serve Christ. Scripture says in Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." When we all have that mindset, we realize we must give our best for God. To this end we labor!

See you Sunday!