January 5, 2017

The church just might be the best proof of the existence of God and the person of Jesus Christ. What?  You may be thinking that is a crazy statement.  The church has its history of abuses, splits, politics, and in fighting. How can you say this is proof of a loving God who is in complete unity with Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Actually the problems in the church prove my point. Despite the human tendencies of abuse, self-promotions, and greed, the church continues to exist. It has existed through good times and bad times, through determined political action to eradicate it and through times of great prosperity. (Prosperity can be as dangerous as persecution) It exists not as a homogeneous group, not as a sectarian enclave or a humanitarian service club, but as the body of Christ in a world filled with opposition to the very nature of God.

The purpose of the church is to be a living example of Christ in the world. And so it is. When Christ walked the earth, he could as easily eat with “sinners” as hold a debate with the most learned. All did not agree with him, but no one denied his love and acceptance of all who came to him. So it is with the church. We have within KCF those who have no place to lay their head, (yes, even in this cold they are sleeping outside) and we have people who are quite affluent. We have people who are strong mentally, and also those suffering from various forms of mental illness. We have people who are career successful and we have those that are struggling just to get a part time job somewhere. We have the elderly and the young; children and adults. We have ethnic diversity, and we have people who are illiterate as well as those that have university degrees.  All of these people come to one house and worship God together, love each other, eat together, work together, and accept each other. This is something you don’t see outside of Christianity.

Think about the church of Philippi. Its first members were three of the most unlikely people to band together.

Read Acts 16. Paul visits the river and finds a woman called Lydia. She was a wealthy business woman with influence. She would have been on the cover of Forbes or featured in Vanity Fair, and was a who’s who in the fashion industry. She accepted Paul’s message and became his first convert. His second convert was a slave girl who was demon possessed, probably had mental illness, abused by her men captors, and came with all the emotional baggage that a life of exploitation brings. His third convert is the Philippian jailer. This guy is a hardworking, loyal to a fault, blue collar individual. (imagine construction worker here, or for the older folks Archie Bunker.)

This is Paul’s dream team (tongue in cheek) who are founders of one of the most influential churches in the region. Only the Love of God, the presence of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit could be able to accomplish this.

When Paul thinks of this motley crew, here is what he says; “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6 (NIV)

Did they have things to work out? Absolutely! Where they perfect? Never. But did they have Jesus? Unequivocally Yes! Only Jesus can take three people from such diverse backgrounds and personalities and make them an example where Paul could say, “I always pray with joy” when he thinks of them. God began a good work in them and together, they were examples of the body of Christ in a world that knew nothing of Christ or the church.

We have the same opportunity.  We are different, but it is in our differences that we have the opportunity to allow Christ to reveal his love to us. Our church allows the possibility to reveal in us the things we need to change. Let us embrace it.

One of the best ways to embrace our differences is in the context of small groups.  In February we will be launching Growth groups. Get ready for it.

Growth Groups

Growth Groups will be starting at KCF in the New Year! 

• Grow in God
• Grow in Relationships
• Sermon-based
• 90 minutes/week
• Home setting

Interested in knowing more or signing up?  Contact the KCF Office 250.352.1722 or office@kcfoffice.com.

Alpha

The Alpha Course will start in the New Year.  We will have a meal together, watch a video and then have some discussion time.  The group will get together on Wednesday nights from 6:30 – 8pm at KCF.  This is a great course if you are a new Christian or have questions about God.  This is a good group to invite a friend to come out with you.   We have room for 3 more people to join.  Contact the KCF office or reply to this email if you are interested.

Support for Haiti Mission Team

A Team is going to Haiti at the end of January to early February this year.  Costs are increasing and it is a costly endeavor for each individual going.  They will be working hard there, some sacrificing wages while they are away etc.  We can participate as a church family with our prayers, support, finances etc. You can donate by Interac (debit or credit), cheque payable to KCF (notation for Haiti Trip), Paypal at www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com to KCF General (Notation for Haiti Trip) or cash.

International Tasting Faire

We are partnering with Rotary to host the International Tasting Faire. Tickets are available at KCF at $50/person (you will receive a $20 tax receipt).  The money raised for this event will go towards our teacher in Haiti and towards food security, namely Our Daily Bread.  What we need are auction items for the silent or twoonie auction. Do you have a service you could provide, or have a friend or favorite business you could ask to provide a gift certificate? Please reply to this email if you have something you would like to donate or volunteer your time.

Calendar of Events

• International Tasting Faire, Thursday, February 9.  Tickets at KCF Office.

Visit our website at http://www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com for all the news, sermons, and places to donate.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Pastor Jim

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