A Collection of Thoughts and Articles on What We Believe and How Things Work Around Here.
We Believe: The Apostles' Creed | About Elders @ CCF | The Story So Far
Apostle’s Creed
This ancient creed is a summary of the Christian faith. It has been used in the Church since the second century to teach people the basics of The Faith.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
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About Elders @ CCF
What is an elder?
Elders are the overseers of a church. We believe the terms pastor and elder are used interchangeably in the New Testament. As Churches were started in the early days of the Christian Faith (see Acts in the New Testatment) elders were appointed in each congregation to serve those churches by leading them. Elders are the people who ultimately are responsible for the spiritual, emotional, and material health of a local church body. (see Titus 1, I Timothy 3 & I Peter 5:1-4)
What do elders do?
Elders serve the church family through prayer, teaching, and counseling when appropriate. To use a New Testament word elders are “shepherds” who care for and love people who have joined God’s family. Elders also govern by overseeing the staff and finances of the church.
Who are Celebration’s elders?
Celebration’s current official elder team includes: Paul Barber, Tim Jackson, Tom Perry, James Strand and Pat Walker. Four of these men (Paul, Tim, James & Pat) had already served unofficially as elders since the earliest days of CCF’s existence. Over the summer and fall of 1999 those four men were affirmed and set in as elders by the congregation. As CCF grew, so did the need for another elder. Tom Perry was appointed as an elder in 2003. As CCF is currently structured Tim Jackson serves as an elder on staff in his role as Lead Pastor. Paul, Tom, James and Pat do not receive a salary from the church.
Why elders and not another form of leadership?
This is not leadership by committee. It is leadership by a unified team --- which we believe to be a much healthier and viable approach over a long period of time. A team allows for greater diversity and effectiveness in leading. A team approach also provides accountability and a support system for those who serve as elders.
How are elders chosen?
The process we are currently using is this: When the existing elders believe it is time to make a change or expand the team they will discuss and pray about who in the church is qualified. When they are in agreement on who could serve they will talk to the prospective elder. If he/she is willing to go forward the elders will then consult with the prospect’s spouse (if applicable) and other family members or close friends if appropriate. The final step will be to recommend to the church family that they affirm the prospective elder. There will be an “open consideration” period of several weeks when members of the church family will be asked to share their thoughts and feelings about the person(s) being considered. If at the end of that time everything is still on go a date will be announced to officially “set in” the new elder(s).
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The Story So Far
by Tim Jackson & Jim Ross
In the beginning God…
In the beginning --- before anything we can relate to or comprehend came into existence --- God was already there. No one created Him. His existence defies our understanding. His knowledge boggles our imagination. Because He stands above and beyond humanity there is nothing He needs from us. Nor does anything take Him by surprise.
However, God is not remote and unknowable. He is personal. He makes Himself known to us. He thinks, feels, loves, hates, desires and acts on His will. He is unique in our universe because He is the only person whose will and desires are not marred by the malignancy called “sin”. In other words, He is not in conflict with Himself. He always is and does exactly what He intends to be and do. And both who He is and what He does are morally right.
In many ways we are like God because He made us in His image. We think, feel, love, hate, desire and act on our will because we share in God’s personhood. We do not share His infinitude. We are, and always will be, finite creatures. Yet finite as we are, God in His boundless grace and love has chosen for humans to occupy the first and best place in His creation. He conferred upon humanity the responsibility of caring for this planet. He bestowed on us His penchant for creativity. He gave us life so that we may walk with Him in the cool of the day.
Humanity attempts a coup…
Not long after God breathed life into the first humans our story took a desperate turn. In a foolish act of rebellion the creatures declared war on the Creator. This choice allowed evil to place a strangle hold on everything and everyone in the created world. The relationship between God and humanity was broken. The relationship between humanity and the earth became adversarial. Relationships between humans were infected with selfishness. The world as it stands right now is not as it was originally created. It is fallen from perfection. And we are broken.
On this point the story that God is telling makes a startling distinction from other religions and worldviews: The ultimate problem with humanity is not one of shortages (i.e., poverty, ignorance, repression, etc) No, the problem is that we are guilty of real, moral failure and rebellion against God. The feelings of guilt we have are not always illusory and misleading. They are often clues to real moral problems that we are powerless to correct. As such the solution to our broken condition is not one of resources (i.e., money, education, freedom, etc). If through human ingenuity we could somehow manage to meet the social, political and economic needs of the whole world, humanity would still be broken. There is a breach that exists in the relationship between Creator and creature. God’s justice has been violated and we did it. No act of charity on our part, no religious service will repair that breach.
So here is our dilemma: God who is full of love toward us is also full of wrath toward evil. What hope do we have if we are the carriers of that evil? God is not a doddering, benevolent grandfather who winks at our disobedience. His integrity will not allow it. Thankfully neither is God an unfeeling, merciless tyrant. He answered our rebellion with an all out search and rescue mission to reclaim a fallen world with His own Son on the point.
The God-Man makes things right once again…
When it seemed humanity was destined to languish in an endless cycle of death and destruction The God-Man, Jesus Christ, entered our Story. He came to earth to take our punishment. By His death and resurrection He liberated us from slavery to evil and the tyranny of the grave. Because Christ put on human flesh He was able to enter a world of evil that His Father could not. Because He is God Jesus made a way for us to enter a relationship with God that was otherwise impossible.
Jesus is not merely a good example for us to follow. History and literature are full of heroes that inspire us to live better lives. He is not unusual because of His teaching. There have been many champions of truth and morality. Jesus is not the first or the last person to claim a divine nature. Religions are full of “theophanies” and “avatars”. Jesus is unique in that His life, death and resurrection provide the once and for all solution to our moral problem. He has accomplished what religion, philosophy, government, education, money and the arts have failed to do; He has rescued humanity from itself. We were helpless to save ourselves and every attempt on our part to do so was just another example of our rebellion against God. God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus when He died on the Cross. In the death of a sinless man for a sinful world God’s fair demand of justice was finally satisfied.
If Jesus had remained in the grave this would be like any other bittersweet story of a romantic martyr. Inspiring maybe but impotent to accomplish real change in our lives. But here is where the Story takes another turn. When Jesus walked out of the grave days after being crucified the last real enemy was conquered. Death was rendered little more than an ugly threat. In Christ death has died. In conquering death Jesus demonstrated that He is Who He says He is. He is God in the flesh, a Man of Sorrows who is also the Victorious King.
Living in this Story between the “now and the not yet”…
The world is still not as God created it originally but there is hope now that it will be some day. Jesus’ death and resurrection set some things right and set others in motion. We live on a planet that Christ has visited and that forever bears His footprints. In this world of suffering He has made a pathway of hope. We are invited to walk this path, to take this journey of Faith until He returns. When He does the world will finally, completely be set right again --- and those who have found that path will walk with God in the cool of the day.
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Biblical References for The Story So Far
Section One: In The Beginning God
God is Infinite (first paragraph) Exodus 15:11; I Kings 8:27; Job 11:7-11; Psalms 33:11; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 96:4-8; Psalms 102:25-27; Psalms 115:3; Psalms 139:1-16; Psalms 139; Psalms 145:3; Psalms 147:5; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Isaiah 46:8-10; Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:1; Ezekiel 11:5; Daniel 4:34-35; Malachi 3:6; John 5:26; Acts 17:24-25; Romans 9:19-21; Romans 11:33-34; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 4:13; Revelation 4:11
God is Personal (second paragraph) Genesis 1:1; John 3:16; John 17:5, 24; Acts 13:2; Acts 15:28; Acts 16:6-7; Ephesians 1:4
We are created in God’s image (third paragraph) Genesis 1:26,27, 31; Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:8; Genesis 5:1; Genesis 9:6; James 3:9; Revelation 4:11
Section Two: Humanity Attempts a Coup
The Fall of Humanity (first and second paragraphs) Genesis 3:1-24; Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:9-23; Romans 5:12, 17; Galatians 3:10; Ephesians 2:1; Ephesians 4:18; Titus 1:15-16; Hebrews 11:6;
God’s Wrath (third paragraph) Genesis 18:25; Exodus 20:5; Exodus 23:7; Psalms 5:6-7; Nahum 1:2; Ezekiel 18:4; John 3:18, 36; Romans 1:18; Romans 6:23; Romans 7:18-23; Ephesians 2:2,3; Colossians 1:21
Section Three: The God-Man makes things right once again
Jesus the God-Man (first paragraph) Genesis 3:15, 21; Isaiah 38:17; Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 53; Micah 7:19; Mark 10:45; Luke 2:25-32, 36-38; John 1:29; John 3:15-17; John 8:24; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Acts 13:38-39; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 2:1-3; Romans 3:20-28; Romans 4; Romans 5:1, 8-9; Romans 9:6, 30-33; I Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:13-14, 24; Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 2:13-14; I Timothy 3:16; I Peter 1:18-19; I John 4:10; Hebrews 10:11-14; James 2:10
The Resurrection (second paragraph) Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20; I Corinthians 15:3-8, 14-18
The Work of Christ (second paragraph) Genesis 4:3-5; Genesis 22:1-18; Isaiah 53:6; John 1:29; John 3:14-17; Romans 3:24-25; Romans 5:6-8; I Corinthians 5:3, 7; II Corinthians 5:19-20; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3;11; Galatians 5:4; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 5:1-10; Hebrews 7:1-28; Hebrews 9:11-28; Hebrews 10:11-22; Hebrews 12:24; I John 2:2, 4:10: I Peter 2:24; I Peter 3:18
Death of Death (third paragraph) I Corinthians 15:54-57; II Timothy 1:10; Revelation 20:6
Section Four: Living in this Story between the now and the not yet
Living this Story (first paragraph) Romans 8:29; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:13, 24; Colossians 2:10; Colossians 3:10; Hebrews 1:3; James 1:18
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