Sunday, January 30, 2011

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SkateChurch

Posted: Saturday, January 29, 2011

Each week SkateChurch gathers to worship the Lord, study His Word, and spend time learning how eternal truth applies to the current skate culture. Caleb Chavez is currently leading the crew through a series titled "Back to Basics" where they are exploring topics like salvation, prayer, and how to study the Bible. After the study, skaters enjoyed the polishing up on their skills in the Calvary Skate Park, while others hung out playing pool or video games. It is a great time of life on life discipleship. SkateChurch takes place every Tuesday at 7:00 PM in the MIX Game Room, and everyone is welcome to join—skater or non-skater, young and old alike.

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Back To The Basics: Church and Fellowship.

Back to the Basics

Basics of the Church and Fellowship

God made humans with a natural desire to communicate, to fellowship, and to assemble together. We are, by nature, relational beings. It is important as believers to fellowship (spend time together) with other Christians so that we can grow spiritually, and support/ encourage one another. Tonight we looked at God’s basic design and purpose for the Church and for fellowship.

We will start at the beginning-- What is Church? What do you think church is?

It is common to refer to church as a particular building; however this is not the biblical meaning of church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which means “an assembly”, or “called-out ones”. The church is people it is comprised of, not the building. It is the body (believers) of Christ, of which Jesus is the head. “”For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” 1 Corinthians 12: 13-14.

This brings us to our second question—Now we know what the church is, but what is the actual purpose of the church?

Acts 2:42 answers this question, “And [the church] continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” According to this verse, the purpose of the church should be to teach biblical doctrine, to provide a place of fellowship, to take communion, and to pray together. Matthew 28:18-20 also teaches that the church is called to be faithful to share the gospel with nonbelievers. We are called to speak the truth, but also to live lives that back up our faith. The church is to be Christ-like and Christ-following.

Finally, why is church attendance important? Why do we go to church?

The Bible tells us we need to attend church so we can worship God with other believers and be taught His word for our spiritual growth (Hebrews 10:25). Church is the place where believers can love one another (1 John 4:12), encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13), “spur” one another (Hebrews 10:24), serve one another (Galatians 5:13), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), honor one another (Romans 12:10), and be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32).

We are so proud of you all for coming to SkateChurch, but don’t let this be it. Try checking out Velocity, Vertical, Renovate, and/or Main Service this week. If you already attend one of these regularly, keep it up!

Off camera: adult supervision.

Everyone gearing up for an exciting teaching.

Announcements for this last week's SkateChurch.

Worshipping.

Girls Only at The MIX, this thursday. (Today, actually.)

SkateChurch Recap: Back To The Basics (Part 3)

The Basics of Prayer

Common Questions about Prayer

What is the correct posture to pray?

There is no correct posture. Pray however you are most comfortable AND least

distracted.

Should I use eloquent words?

No, speak to God like you would speak to a friend.

“Do not be rash with your mouth with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything

hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be

few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2

Why should I pray?

1 . Prayer develops our relationship with God.

“If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall

be done for you.” John 15:7

2 . The Lord says to do it.

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh

is weak.” Matthew 26:41

What if I don’t know how to pray?

Good news! God promises that the Holy Spirit will intercede for you.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should

pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings

which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26

What are there requirements for successful prayers?

1 . A humble heart.

2 . Whole heartedness.

3 . Faith. “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that

you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:24

4 . Righteousness.

5 . Obedience. “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His

commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:22

Does God hear/ answer prayers?

Yes. He always hears and He always answers. Sometimes He answers with a “Yes”,

sometimes with “wait”, and sometime with “No”.

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Psalm 34:17

Why does God choose to answer prayers with a “No”?

God answers every prayer, but sometimes He does not answer it the way that we want

Him to. If He says no to a specific request, it wasn’t in His perfect will. God sees the

bigger picture and ultimately uses everything for His glory.

Should I pray in groups or alone?

Both! God encourages us to pray alone and with friends or family.

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it

will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you shut your door, pray to your

Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you

openly”. Matthew 6:6

**If you have any prayer requests you can submit them to http://www.calvaryabq.org/

needhelp_submitprayer.asp and people at Calvary will be praying for you throughout

the week. You can also talk to any of the employees/ leaders at the Mix Game room

and Skate Park, and we would be glad to pray with you!

Everyone gearing up to go to the Prayer Room.

Inside the Prayer Room.

Caleb teaching on the basics of prayer.

Monochrome Skate

Tim Torres in black and white.

The Skate Couch

Caleb, Couch, and our interns Ethan and Will decided to make a serviceable couch out of skate decks. And it's actually quite comfortable.

Materials: check.

Totally inexperienced 15 year old commanding a power saw: check.

Satisfaction with hard work: check.

Awesome skate couch: check.

SkateChurch Recap: Back To The Basics

Basics of the Bible

“... you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation

through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is

profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness...” --2

Timothy 3:15-16.

The aim of tonight is to learn the basics of our Bible so we are able to grow in our

relationship with Christ. We will look at three topics: how the Bible came to us, the

structure of the Bible, and how to study the Bible.

1. How the Bible came to us-- It is important to know where the Bible came from in

order to defend our faith. We find the answer in 2 Timothy 3:16 (above), all scripture is

written by men who were inspired by God. None of the forty authors take credit for the

Bible, all give the glory to God. God specifically chose each one of them to tell a unique

part of His tale. We have the Bible today because God uses people who desire His will

above their own to deliver His message. The Bible came to us from believers who were

called to tell of His great love, as well as those things that are pleasing and displeasing

to Him.

2 . The structure of the Bible-- The Bible is divided into parts: the old testament, and the

new testament, which is a total of 66 books. Those books are broken into chapters,

and each chapter is divided further into verses. Over forty men wrote the Bible over

a period of 1600 years. It is no accident that the Bible opens with the creation of the

world. The story begins with the beginning of our physical existence and proceeds

gradually to the emergence of our spiritual awareness. The message of the Bible,

simply stated, is that the spiritual is real, and Jesus Christ came to this earth to pay

the price for our sins.

3 . How to study the Bible-- The Bible touches on every aspect of life. Most people find

it difficult to understand the Bible. Following are ten suggestions to help make the

most of your Bible study:

1) Get a bible of your own!!!

2) Pray before you start any Bible study or reading. Ask God to clear your

mind and to show you things in His word before you begin reading.

3) When you begin your study of your Bible ask the Holy Spirit for help.

4 ) Make a promise to yourself. Get up a little earlier in the morning for your

reading. The deal is: "No Bible, No Breakfast, No Exceptions."

5 ) Set a time and a place aside, It should be the same time everyday. You

may want to read in the mornings, or the afternoons, or evenings which

ever time you are most alert. The important thing is that your spending

time with your Heavenly Father.

6 ) Get rid of all distractions. Turn off the television, Xbox or radio. Try to to

find a quiet place where you have a table to read and take notes. This is

alone time between you and God.

7 ) Always have a pen & paper handy to take notes, if something sticks out

or touches your heart, write it down.

8 ) Use a dictionary if you don’t know what a word means.

9 ) Highlight important stuff or things you really like in your own bible. But

don't do this if it belongs to someone else.

10 ) Last and not least, have a teachable heart.

If you have not ever read the Bible before, the book of John is an excellent

place to start. The Bible is God’s living Word written to His people so that

they might know Him more.

We challenge you to start reading your Bible daily!

Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on

it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.

Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Jeremiah leading worship.

SkateChurch in worship.

Deep in prayer.

SkateChurch Recap: Back To The Basics

Well it's been quite a while since our last post, but with the new year we're off to a fresh start. SkateChurch kicked it off to a great start in 2011. Here's a recap:

January 4, 2011

Back to the Basics

The Basics of Becoming a Christian

Message Recap

God sent His only Son to die on the cross as sacrifice to pay for our sins....

Remember the first time you got on a skateboard?

It might have been frustrating to learn to balance and push, but with a little practice, desire, and determination before long you were probably able to do your first trick. The same is true with your spiritual growth. If you have the desire and determination to grow closer to God, here are a few basic steps to help cultivate your relationship:

Read your Bible daily. If you don’t have a Bible, you can get one at The MIX for FREE. Simply talk to one of the employees. The Bible is one of ways the Lord speaks to us; it is important to listen to what He has to say to you. We suggest that you find a daily devotional plan to follow. Devotionals are available all over the internet and at bookstores. They help you to decide what to read out of the Bible each day.

Attend church regularly. We constantly need to be reminded of the good news of God’s grace and we need to encourage and be encouraged by other believers. Besides SkateChurch, there are several other opportunities to attend church here at Calvary throughout the week. Velocity is for middle school aged students, Vertical is for high school, and Renovate for college students. We challenge you, to check out one of these services this week, if you don’t already.

Get involved in ministry. Good news! If you attend SkateChurch regularly, you are already in a ministry. It helps to grow spiritually if you are serving others. Look for ways to serve at SkateChurch, another ministry, or just throughout the week.

Pray daily. Make prayer a part of your daily routine. Just like you read your Bible in order to hear God, you communicate to God through prayer. Lift up daily struggles, requests for others, and admiration towards God. In fact, you can speak to Him about anything. He wants a personal relationship with you. Pray that the Lord will fill you with the Holy Spirit.

Just like you might have attended Skate Lessons to learn to skate, it is important to learn these basic steps to grow spiritually.

The legendary Grigsby, in his element.

Everyone loves SkateChurch.

Caleb teaching on Back To The Basics.

They don't get out much.