The Connexion

Corporate Christ

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:36:04 +0000

Last night we closed the book, literally, on Frank Viola’s “From Eternity to Here” This has been a great study on God’s grand mission in the world. “It’s to expand the life and love that’s in the Trinitarian Community. It’s to increase the fellowship of the Godhead and reflect it on earth. This is God’s dream, His eternal purpose. To obtain a bride, a house, a family, and a body that is by Him, through Him and to Him.”

Four facets of the same entity – the church – the corporate Christ as God desires it to be expressed to the world. The life of Jesus hasn’t ended on earth, we, as members of that corporate Christ manifest His physical presence. We are a new community, a new humanity, a new species to make visible the invisible.

Now that’s something to live for!

A Frustrated God?

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:35:18 +0000

When you think of or take a look at yourself do you see condemnation or guilt for past or current mistakes? Do you have a spiritual inferiority complex? Do you feel like you are unworthy of God? Well, if you do, you have no right to feel that way and it frustrates God.

Sure, in ourselves we are unworthy. But we are not in ourselves, we are IN CHRIST. That is where God sees us, inside the purity of Christ. In Christ, our faults and failures are unseen; forgiven and forgotten.

We, in the body of Christ, are the object of God’s lavish love. God desires nothing more than to pour out pure and perfect love upon us. It’s a love not based on our conduct but upon God’s conduct on the cross.

When we habitually look down ourselves it causes a divine frustration in the heavens. God has taken care of everything necessary for us to receive God’s love and live a life of freedom from condemnation. Accept that love and return it to God with gladness!

YOU are the object of God’s unbreakable affection!

Adam – Eve – Christ – Church

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:51:55 +0000

In our second session of the book study on Frank Viola’s ”From Eternity To Here,” the discussion focused on how and why Eve came to be and how she and Adam are a beautiful metaphor of how and why the church came to be. Adam and Eve’s story are a shadow; a type, of Christ and the church.

A couple of parallels: Just as Eve came from Adams side when he was put into a deep sleep, Christ was put into a deep sleep, death, on the cross and through the piercing of His side the church, the bride of Christ, came into being. Eve was just like Adam, yet not him, and was Adam in a different form. The church is just like Christ, yet not Him, and Christ in a different form. We are His body.

God’s eternal purpose is fourfold, and all the same. The first that we are discussing is that God desired a counterpart, a bride for the Son, the church. This is one of the reasons God created the universe – All of creation is a statement of love from your God to you!

Purpose

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:44:25 +0000

There has been a lot said about our purpose over the past years, well, what about God’s purpose?

In our MicroChurch we are going through the Frank Viola book “From Eternity To Here,” and what we are are learning is a whole new way of looking at the Scripture. The grand epic saga of the Bible carries one solid thread throughout that has for the most part been left out of what we typically hear on any given Sunday.

In this blog I will post the highlights of what we are discovering in our MicroChurch. Follow along with us if you like. Next Sunday we will have gone thru Chapter 4.

The Jesus Manifesto

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:40:39 +0000

We spent last night at MicroChurch looking at the new Jesus Manifesto written by Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet. It’s a call for us to put Jesus front and center, making Him preeminent in all things. We had a good discussion going over the manifesto point by point and gaining new understandings about the magnificence of our Lord.

If you haven’t seen the manifesto look here.

Fight For It

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:39:01 +0000

How would your life be different if you knew you had 30 days to live? Would anything change? What would you fill your time with? What would really matter?

Because our time is so short we were reminded last night to fight for peace in our relationships; make things right because we never know if the chance will pass us by – permanently.

In order to do the hard work of making peace we must confront the issue with humility. We can’t let it pass and fester to the point it poisons our relationships. We must love deeply; stretch and extend our spirits to the point even of discomfort; and we must forgive unconditionally. We have to do it because that what Jesus did for us.

We have to fight to make peace, it doesn’t come naturally. We have to do our part in the hopes that the other person will reciprocate. If they won’t that’s their’s to own, not yours. And for those toxic people that keep hurting us we need to place boundaries between us so they can’t keep hurting us, even while we do the divine work of letting it go and giving the work of justice up to God.

Think Eternal

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:05:31 +0000

In last nights message we met Larry. Larry has Lou Gerhigs disease. Larry’s whole perspective on life changed after his diagnosis. Larry knows what really matters now and he is living his last days the best he can with those things in mind.

Our life is but a mist, a wisp of air, a micromoment of time in light of eternity. Why then do we spend so much time getting worked up about things that have no real lasting value or meaning; things that have no impact in our short time of living? Why do we pursue the accumulation of things and stuff that we can’t take with us? Why do we so often hoard not just those things but also our kindness, our encouragement our love.

The message challenged us last night to do three things differently. 1- Guard against materialism, 2- Be generous with our money, attention, love, life, everything, and 3 – Focus on what really matters. Lets all give it our best shot!

God is great and good

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:14:03 +0000

God is Great and God is good! That was the simple but profound message we heard from Steven Furtic last night – in the way only he can deliver. Sometimes we need reminded just how big, how great, how good, how faithful God has been – is – and will be to us. Especially during the tough times when all seems to be falling apart, it’s good to remember how God has brought you though in the past. The best indication of how God will work in the future is how God has acted in the past. No matter what – God is great and good. Bank on it.

God Is… Here

Pastor Don Wismer — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:46:10 +0000

“I AM with you always, to the very end of the age” Jesus

God is Here! Can you wrap your mind around that? God is always present with you.

Perry Nobel from Newspring Church in Anderson South Carolina shared with us how we can always remember that fact. You can know by The Life of Jesus. The Death of Jesus. And the Victory of Jesus. Each of these areas of focus give us an anchor to hold onto reminding us that God is here.

You’ll just have to see the message to appreciate the way Perry tells the story – especially the one about changing his daughters messy diaper – unforgettable.

We’re not able to post the message on the website. If you would like to see it email me at Don@ConnexionFW.com and I will send you a WMV file to watch.

God is… Love

Pastor Don Wismer — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:59:36 +0000

Just how could God really love me? I’ve done so many things wrong, made so many mistakes, I’m so… insignificant. Ever felt that way? Like you were not worthy of the attention and love of God? Lots of people do, and because they do, they miss out on the peace and freedom that a loving God offers.

God isn’t just loving – God IS love. Here’s a truth to ponder; if you were the only person on earth that wasn’t in the family of God; the only one who needed salvation from sin; the only one living in separation from God; God would still have sent Jesus to bring you home!

“For God so loved (insert your name here) that He gave His one and only Son… John 3:16

You ARE worthy – You ARE loved – by the One who IS love.