It is common in our culture to hear the phrase “grow up” as a reprimand.  Typically someone was acting immature, and someone more mature uses the phrase as a corrective.  However, in our culture the person who reprimands the immature one takes little responsibility for the action of growing up.  That’s not how Paul sees it.

In Eph. 4:1-16, Paul essentially is calling the Ephesian church to grow up, but the phrase does not carry the negative reprimand.  Rather, Paul uses the phrase “grow up” as inspiration for the church to live out his description of the church in the first three chapters.  And as Paul inspires the church to live out its calling, he places the responsibility of maturity on all of us.  No more individualism.  We are to live as one.

This week, read 4:1-16 in order to prepare for our conversation on Sunday.  As you do, think about what it would mean to be responsible for the whole church to grow up in Christ.

The next Take It Home Seminar is for YOU and your 5 year old!

SAVE THE DATE:

Sunday, MARCH 4

Ash Wednesday:
Background: “A season of prayer, penance and self-discipline. It precedes the joyful celebration of Christ’s victory over death.”[i]

Scripture:
Matthew 6: 1-18 and Psalm 51

Prayer: “Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are repentant: Create and make in me a new and remorseful heart, that I, worthily lamenting my sins and acknowledging my wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – Amen”[iii]

Reflection: Spend a few minutes to reflect on the scripture.

Insight: As we enter this season of Lent or what we can call “spring training” for the soul a great way to start is by checking our motives. Why do we do good things? Why do we flip through the pages of scriptures? Why do we decide to replace coffee or soda with water for 40 days? Is it our gratefulness to Jesus for freely giving his life, or is it because of the rewards that he offers?  Do we do the right things to impress our savior or to impress our community? How can we deny the tension we face when facing our motives? We can train ourselves to become more grateful by “continually looking away from self to the finished work of Jesus’ ministry and considering deeply the alternative consequences of our fate without it.”[iv] Throughout this season different spiritual disciplines will be suggested to help in training an inside-out mindset “so that Spirit-produced growth of the inner person is in harmony with outward obedience.” A.B. Bruce suggested that we try this formula: “Show when tempted to hide, hide when tempted to show. The Pharisee were exposed, and yielded, to the latter temptation.”

Notes: Use post-it notes or type some notes into smart phone etc. to remind yourself of any insight you might have gained.

Go: This week try and give to the needy, pray, and fast in secret as a training of the soul.

In fact, uncommon grace was the primary experience of the first church in history because it was so good at expressing uncommon grace.

Acts 4:32   All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.  33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

They experienced this uncommon grace through their testimony about Jesus in three ways: 1) by their community, 2) by equipping one another, and 3) by their verbal witness of Jesus.  In each instance they were pointing to the new life in Christ that takes shape in us because of Jesus’ resurrection.  What resulted from all three forms of expressing uncommon grace was that they also experienced uncommon grace.

Uncommon grace is what we are after this year, but it cannot be divorced from a testimony of it in all three forms stated above.  If we are giving uncommon grace we will also experience it.  Let me filter this goal of uncommon grace through our vision statement, so you can see how it applies to us in our context.

Come As You Are: “No Strangers”

Luke talks about the uncommon grace of unity among the church.  Unity was the high mark of the church’s diverse community. This unity is tough to come by in our church if we don’t know others in our community.  As a church, we have had a great track record of being a very friendly church.  When people come the first few times, they are surprised that we are so intentional about welcoming people into our community.  But often times, it is the 4th, 5th, and 6th visits that leave people feeling out of place.  They ask, “How can I go about making real friends here?  How can I break the ice to be known and to know others here?”  This is where we need to demonstrate a “no strangers” policy if we are going to achieve the uncommon grace of the first church.

For us, this means expressing uncommon grace by simply walking across the room and introducing ourselves to someone we don’t yet know.  You might know their name, or have even seen them do something in a Sunday service, but you haven’t a clue as to who they really are.  Uncommon grace means we seek out strangers and make them friends no matter if they are in our same age and stage or not.  Other ways we can express this uncommon grace on a Sunday morning is to invite folks we have just met to sit with us in church, or go out to lunch with us after church.  If you see a visiting family come to through the door on a Sunday, uncommon grace means we don’t simply point to the classroom they are to go to, but we walk the family to the classroom.  It means we take the time to introduce them to the teacher and other families who are dropping off their kids to the room.  Uncommon grace means we find something in common with a person we don’t know yet, and invite that person to go do that common thing together during the week.  A “No Strangers” policy doesn’t mean we need to add more things to our schedule.  It means we make room for others in what we are already doing in life.  No strangers means we simply get curious and invite people to join us in the things we are doing.

As we pursue one another in our community, we will be expressing the uncommon grace of the resurrection life.  We will find our relationships growing as we develop this unity that the early church developed.  However, we won’t develop this unity if we don’t know each other as friends first.

Be Transformed: “Tools for the Trade”

In every profession there are tools that are needed to do one’s job.  A hammer for the carpenter.  A spreadsheet for the accountant.  A needle for the nurse.  The same is true for us in the church.  We need tools for our trade to give our witness to the resurrection of Christ.

In the first church, the tools they used were material.  No one went without because everyone shared their belongings.  It was (and still is) an uncommon grace to share possessions with all.  As the church equipped one another with their material possessions, the church gave witness to Jesus.  Letting go of their ownership over material goods, was a way for the church to show uncommon grace and equip the church with the tools for the trade of being Christ Followers.  The result was that the community was transformed by this uncommon grace given to all.

Today, we need tools for the trade of being Christ Followers.  We need help in understanding grace so we can similarly demonstrate a witness to the resurrection life by being compassionate to one another.  I know this doesn’t come easy.  That’s why we need to learn our way by using the tools of Scripture, prayer, sacrifice, and worship in our discipleship.  This year, we are going to help you by providing access and teaching to these tools so that we as a community might be transformed by this uncommon grace on Sundays, in Home Groups, and through our ministries during the week.

Go Change the World: “Execute”

The first church was busy about giving their witness to the resurrection of Jesus.  They put Jesus’ plan in motion to make disciples of all nations.  As they began to execute the plan, God saw fit to move them out of Jerusalem, into Samaria, and then throughout the world.  All of this movement was so that they could give their witness to all the world.

The move out of the seminary last summer was a kin to God moving the first church.  God pushed us out of the nest of the seminary.  It was time to grow up as God’s witnesses in our city, and we couldn’t do it well from that location.  We needed to put our money where our mouth was when it came to envisioning a church that would go change the world.  It was time to stop hiding in a safe place, and start entering the community in a significant way by speaking about the resurrection of Christ.  So, God gave us a place smack dab in the middle of South Park Shopping Center.

Over the last year, we have spent a great deal of time in research and development in order to discern how God would best use us to go change the world.  We have discovered two unique ways in which we are able to do that in our community: 1) through our 5×5 Challenge, and 2) through Servant Evangelism.

The 5×5 Challenge was designed to help us as a community focus our witness of the resurrected Lord in 5 area ministries (Touching India, Blood:Water Mission, North Littleton Promise, Homelessness, & Juvenile Offenders) and through 5 tangible expressions (Praying, Partnering, Fasting, Giving, and Serving).  By continuing to take this challenge, we will express Jesus’ uncommon grace in our greater community in which we live and work.

Servant Evangelism was a phrase coined by church planter Steve Sjogren who basically said that the proclamation of the gospel in the first century had to match the proclamation of the gospel in our century.  A big part of the proclamation of the gospel with Jesus and the apostles started with acts of service (healing) which led to opportunities to speak about uncommon grace (preaching).

We want to do the same in our city.  Throughout the year, we have designed specific opportunities to demonstrate the uncommon grace of God in a way that serves our city, and opens up opportunities to verbalize that this uncommon grace comes from Jesus.  In other words, we want to share a practical expression of God’s grace and love with our neighbors in South Park shopping center as well as with our neighbors who live next door.

By executing our 5×5 Challenge and our Servant Evangelism strategies, we will follow suit of the first church. We will both demonstrate and proclaim the uncommon grace of Jesus to our world, and thereby change it in Jesus’ name.

The first church had an amazing experience of uncommon grace because they were so busy sharing it with each other and the greater community around them.  We want uncommon grace to be a staple in Aspen Grove Community Church, and that’s why it is our goal for the year.  For us that means we need to have no strangers in our community, equip each other with the tools of the trade, and execute our strategy for change.  It is lofty.  It is challenging.  It is dependent on God.  Yet, all in all, we feel that God has led us here.  It is the right next step for Aspen Grove Community Church to move closer to being God’s church that allows people to come as they are, be transformed and go change the world.

Will you join us in experiencing and expressing uncommon grace this year?  If so, make a comment below and tell us how you feel God leading you to accomplish this goal.  We would love to hear what you think.

For the Leadership Council

Scott Vermillion

(Jon Holm, Emily Ballard, Mike Miller, Meredith Srnec, Sam Walker, and Mickey Clemons)

Hi Parents of 4 year olds!!!

As you read through the following scenarios, can you identify what they have in common?

Two moms talk together as their kids play. They share their personal struggles and experiences and offer support and advice to one another (see Proverbs 13:20).

A woman is reading a biography or autobiography of a person of great faith & character. As she reads, her horizons are expanded, her thoughts and beliefs are challenged and she is motivated to move toward God or others in a new and fresh way (see Hebrews 11:4b).

A woman, though older in years, is a baby believer or has areas of immaturity in her life. She benefits from relationship with a younger woman who is more spiritually or emotionally mature (see Proverbs 13:20).

A woman devotes herself to studying the Word of God and sees herself change as she submits herself to the wisdom, teaching and correction of what she learns (see Psalm 119:24).

An older woman meets with a younger woman on a regular basis. The younger woman receives counsel, instruction and support from the older woman in structured, intentional meetings for the purpose of encouraging the younger woman’s personal growth (see Proverbs 1:5).

So what do these women have in common? Would you be surprised to know that each of these scenarios fits within a definition of mentoring? When most of us think about mentoring, we are probably likely to identify it with the last description. However, a “mentor” is simply a “wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” It is someone who possesses maturity, wisdom and life experience that we wish to sit under and learn from.

Therefore, pursuing a life of wisdom and maturity means embracing the broader understanding of this concept. This also fits well with Aspen Grove’s vision and mission:  “Come as you are, be transformed, go change the world.” You don’t have to be someone you’re not to be involved in mentoring. You have something unique to offer to other women just as their presence offers you something needed for your growth and well being. As you embrace that give and take, you and they will be transformed and further equipped to minister to others and to change the world.

Although mentoring as a formal, structured program can be an important part of growth, our heart for the women of Aspen Grove is that it be more than just a program. We want it to be who we are. Our desire is to help you embrace a natural lifestyle of being learners and teachers, givers and receivers.

A first step in intentionally laying a foundation for embracing mentoring as a way of being is our upcoming Women’s Tea. Please join us as we connect with each other and learn more about mentoring from our special guest, Jacque VerStraten. Then, in the next few weeks, watch for information about our next Bible study, “Living and Sharing a Life of Wisdom.” This will be a great opportunity to get into the Word and to begin to identify and connect with other women in the church who have expressed an interest in going deeper with God and others!

Feel free to contact us! We would love to help you connect and grow here at Aspen Grove! You can email us at women@aspengrovechurch.org. Or, feel free to speak to one of us individually (Jami Qussar, Libby Jones, Ashley Kenney, Maryse Martin, June Wiegert, Teresa Ross, or Amanda Stage).

Blog written by Jami Qussar

We’ve spent the last two months focusing on Touching India, our ministry to the Dalits, the “untouchables” of India. So what is AGCC going to do next in India? Well, I have a dream. I’d like our little church to change the world. Let me tell you how.

It’s called a transformed community. Let me explain.

In 2007 my wife read an article in the New York Times about the plight of the Dalits. The figures were staggering. 250 million people living in oppression as modern-day slaves. The word “poverty” isn’t strong enough. Beaten, raped, abused, sold as sex slaves. The Dalits have no rights, and are treated as less than humans. The more I read the harder it was to believe. It was horrible.

Emily and I felt a tug on our hearts to do something, but didn’t know what.  So in 2008 we decided we would go to India and see for ourselves. And when we did we were blown away. We visited the slums of India. We visited a village where families lived in abandoned concrete pipes outside of a factory. We went to a village where day after day people broke rocks at a quarry by hand because they had no tools. And they received no pay for their indentured labor.

And then finally, on the last day of the trip, we visited Dharmapuri. Dharmapuri is in southern India, and is one the world’s most concentrated areas of AIDS. A highway brings truckers from all over the country, who meet with prostitutes—girls and boys sometimes 12 or 13 years old. Since these children are Dalits they are not permitted to attend school, and have no chance of ever getting a job. So to put food on the table they sell themselves. Sometimes parents sell their own children into the sex trade just to have money to live. And this creates a perfect storm. A high concentration of prostitution, travelling truckers, and no health care. AIDS spreads like wildfire.

While visiting Dharmapuri the workers there showed us some land and told us of a dream they had. They wanted to build a hospital to care for these AIDS patients who could not receive health care. Their dream touched our hearts. When we returned in 2008 we knew we had to do something. So we formed the India Initiative. And in 2009 our church sent $20,000 to fund the building of The Good Shepherd Hospital in Dharmapuri. That’s a lot of money for our little church. But I’m not sure AGCC has ever spent money any better.

In 2009 we returned to Dharmapuri, and got to visit our completed hospital.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that was one of the happiest days of my life. The hospital is beautiful. Patients come and receive love, care, and medicine. It is truly a sacred place.

But we were not done. In 2010 AGCC sent $7000 to build a church on the same property. That church now holds worship services and provides spiritual care for patients at the hospital and their families. It is a simple concrete structure, but I believe that God smiles when he looks down on that building. It is beautiful in the eyes of the Lord. And now sick people are being cared for and learning about Jesus, a man who spent most of his ministry caring for the sick and the poor.

In 2011 AGCC sent another $5000 to help the hospital and church with their most needed operational expenses.

 
But I dream of something bigger. When we went to Dharmapuri in 2008 we saw a plot of land and a dream. Now there is a hospital and a church. The community has been changed. But what if we did more?

What if our little church helped to build a school on this land for the children who are not allowed an education? What if we built an orphanage to care for the fatherless and the widows. AIDS has made too many children orphans in Dharmapuri. What if we built a vocational center, so that boys and girls could learn a trade and work for a living instead of selling themselves as prostitutes?

What if we turned Dharmapuri into a transformed community? What if we took a small plot of land on the other side of the world and changed it completely for the Kingdom of God?

The problems in India are huge. The plight of the Dalits is tremendous. It is easy to get overwhelmed and feel like there is nothing we can do that will make a difference. We are a small church with a small budget. Can we really change the world? Really?

I say yes.

And that is my dream. That Dharmapuri, India would be changed forever because of the love of Aspen Grove Community Church. That this world would not be the same because of our church.
We can change the world.

Come as you are. Be transformed. Go and change the world.

Come to taste of India to dream with me. Please RSVP by Thursday, 2/16.

Amen.

Blog written by Michael Ballard

In Eph. 3, Paul reveals to us a model of mature faith.  His concern is solely with being a true witness of the gospel, and he is willing to do anything for people to receive it.  This week, we are going to look at Paul, the supermodel of our faith, in order to deepen our witness of the gospel.  In order to prepare for our conversation on Sunday, please read Eph. 3:1-13.

You will be blessed, challenged and encouraged by our special guest, Jacque VerStraten. Jacque and her husband, Pastor Chuck (now deceased), officially began their ministry when he graduated from Seminary in 1956. They ministered in several churches including Bethel Baptist (in Greeley) and Mission Hills (both as Senior Pastor and then as Pastor to Seniors/Prayer). Jacque has been a true encouragement to women through discipleship and mentoring. She has mentored numerous wives of Denver Seminary students and currently leads the Women’s Mentoring Ministry at Mission Hills. She will talk to us about “Sharing Life With Intention.”
Tune in next week for more about developing a lifestyle of intentional, life giving relationships through mentoring and how this fits with Aspen Grove’s vision of “Come as you are, be transformed, go change the world!”

Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 19!

The next Take It Home mini-seminar is for YOU and your 4 year old.  You won’t want to miss it.  We are going to have a lot of fun together learning more about our church!  More information to come…but for now, plan on being at church on Sunday, Feb. 19.