discipleship

April 28, 2025

The Gospel

Ephesians 2:1-10

For by grace you all have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. A dead man can’t do anything to save himself…he’s dead! He must be made alive again.

The bad news…if you have not yet trusted in Jesus, you are dead. Your sin has killed you. And if something doesn’t change, nothing will change. You will remain dead. Separated from God forever. Not a very pretty picture. In fact it’s a very grim picture. An unsettling picture. But an accurate picture. The bad news is you’re as bad off as you can possibly be without Jesus.

The good news…Jesus came to change all of that. He came to give you life. His death has taken care of the sin problem, His resurrection has taken care of the death problem, so that through faith in Him you can can be saved because of His amazing grace.

It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised would come. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf and was raised the third day conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Ephesians series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

March 31, 2025

Greatings and the Blessing

Ephesians 1.1-14

God made some truly incredible promises to Israel in the OT…promises that include their adoption as sons, redemption, forgiveness of sins, an inheritance, the Spirit…promises that, because of Jesus, because of His blameless life, sacrificial death, and grave-conquering resurrection, can now be realized. Great news for believing Jews…and unexpectedly and unexplainably good news…part of the mystery…for us Gentiles who have believed as well.

We don’t take Israel’s place…but as believers from both the nation and the nations, we stand together in the Body of Christ…the Church. A mystery which Paul will explain more fully in the coming weeks.

Good news for those who have believed. For those of us who have trusted in Jesus. We have been sealed for the day of redemption. Our place in the kingdom secured. We’ll be ready when the King comes back. You can be too.

It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf and was raised the third day conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Ephesians series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

March 24, 2025

Prelude to Ephesians – Goodbye Ephesus

Acts 20.17-38

Paul says goodbye to his friends at Ephesus. In his absence, he warns them of the need to be ever vigilant…to stay true to both the teaching and the living out of the Word.

Last words are lasting words, and Paul’s last words to the folks from Ephesus are a reminder of the spiritual battle that rages all around us, of the importance of Truth, of our need to stand our ground. When we compromise on the Truth of God’s Word because it’s uncomfortable or unpopular, it won’t be long until we begin to compromise in all areas of faith and practice. Soon truth becomes relative…what feels good must be right…and the difference between the world in here and the world out there becomes negligible.

That’s true for the Church…but it’s also true for us as individuals. How intentional are you in following Jesus? As I asked earlier, are you running the race or just wandering around in your spiritual walk? What impact is God’s Word having on your life? Is it causing you to think and act differently? Are there parts of Scripture that you refuse to believe because they don’t agree with your or the culture’s worldview?

My challenge for you this week…take one intentional step down Torah Road by… Praying. Reading the Word. Spending time with fellow believers. Sharing your story. Finding a place to serve. Giving generously to someone in need. Inviting someone to come along with you on the discipleship journey.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Ephesians series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

March 10, 2025

Prelude to Ephesians – A Riot at Ephesus

Acts 19.21-41

Paul prepares to leave Ephesus to return to Jerusalem and then on to Rome. But before he can leave, a riot breaks out in the city. The gospel is transforming lives, which is proving to have an adverse effect on the local economy.

The gospel is good news. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, those who believe in Him have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, a new heart and God’s Spirit living within them. They pass from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the beloved Son…they are not who they used to be. Jesus changes everything!

For the folks at Ephesus, that meant confessing their sins and making a clean break with their past…no more magic, but also no more Artemis worship. And it made an IMPACT on their city. The IMPACT can be seen in two ways. First there’s the number of folks who believe, then there’s the radical change in their behavior. One or two or a handful whose behavior is radically changed will have an IMPACT, but probably not enough to cause a riot. And a great number of folks whose behavior changes a little will have an IMPACT, but again probably not enough to cause a riot. But when you combine those two…a large number of people who are radically changed…then you have the recipe for a riot.

So I wonder what kind of IMPACT we are having on our community, and is it the IMPACT we want to have…are we causing a stir by the way we follow Jesus? Are we disrupting the economy of those who are peddlers of sin and bad choices? The Ephesian Christians caused a stir, not by picketing outside Demetrius’ shop and not by running a smear campaign against Artemis. How did they cause a stir? By living a different kind of life. A noticeably different kind of life. A life marked by the gospel and transformed by God’s grace. And if we want to make an IMPACT on our community for good, that’s where it starts…by living lives that have been radically transformed by the gospel of God’s grace and sharing the hope that we have with those around us who so desperately need it. So let me challenge you this week…if one or two of us live lives that have been radically transformed by the gospel of God’s grace and share the hope that we have with others, we’ll have an IMPACT…but if hundreds of us do it, we’ll have a riot. Let’s start a riot!

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This post is based on a sermon from our Ephesians series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

February 10, 2025

Everyday Disciple: A Life Founded on the Rock

Matthew 7.13-29

Jesus invited those who heard Him to experience life in His kingdom. The same invitation is available to us today. The choice is clear. There are only two kingdoms, two ways, two kinds of fruit, two foundations…heaven or earth, narrow or broad, good or bad, rock or sand. So how do we take Jesus up on His invitation? How do we enter into the kingdom life that He invites us to experience?

Well, it starts with trusting in Him for eternal life. It’s a free gift available to all who recognize that they are sinners in need of a Savior and who believe that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death on our behalf, and was raised again the third day, conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus we could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. We could become citizens of His kingdom…sons and daughters of the King.

But then what? In Dallas Willard’s, Divine Conspiracy, he says that discipleship is not something that just happens, but it’s something that we have to intend to do. Living life in the kingdom, following Jesus, being an everyday disciple doesn’t just happen. It is something we have to intend to do…we have to make the choice. And our failure to make that choice may explain why we have such a hard go at kingdom living. Once we make the choice, being a disciple of Jesus…walking Torah Road…is a life-long process…a process that requires us to get to know Him. And the only way we get to know Him is through His Word…and prayer and time with other believers, sharing our story and living a generous life. Cultivating the inner life of the Spirit. It’s a me-thing that’s a part of the we-thing.

And as we grow individually, we also grow as a church. With the goal of reaching the lost, expanding the kingdom, and making Jesus more famous. A group of everyday disciples who are shining brightly and having an IMPACT around the block and around the world.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Everyday Disciple series: Songs of the Season. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

February 3, 2025

Everyday Disciple: The Golden Rule

Matthew 7.1-12

The way we judge others is a revealing measure of our progress in kingdom living. It is a good indication of whether or not we are treating others the way we want to be treated. Let’s be honest…how many of us have attempted the Golden Rule, only to find it frustratingly impossible? Maybe it’s because we’re too busy treating ourselves the way we want to be treated that we don’t have the time or the inclination to do the same for others.

But it is possible for those of us who have trusted in Jesus…kingdom citizens/everyday disciples…to treat others the way we want to be treated. It starts with simply recognizing that they are in need of the same mercy that we are. Just as the Father has been merciful to us, it’s extending that same mercy toward them. Just as the Father has loved us, so we too are to love others. Whether we think they deserve it or not. They probably don’t, but…neither do we. And the Father still loves us…He still shows us mercy. We’re to do the same.

But it is impossible to treat others the way we want to be treated without Jesus. He’s the one who gives us a new heart and true righteousness that allows us to love others the way that He loves. If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, it starts with recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior…being poor in Spirit. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death on your behalf, and was raised the third day conquering sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The kingdom of heaven…yours.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Everyday Disciple series: Songs of the Season. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

January 27, 2025

Everyday Disciple: A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Matthew 6.19-34

Jesus makes it pretty clear. We either pursue an earthly kingdom where we are the hero…everything is geared toward our own glory…we’re the main character in our story, or we pursue the kingdom that Jesus came to bring where He is the Hero…everything is geared toward bringing glory to the Father…where He alone is the Main Character of the Story. There is no middle ground.

While Jesus primarily addresses a religious audience, He also mentions the Gentiles, who were running their own kingdoms as well. You don’t have to be religious to seek the favor of men. The desire to build our own kingdoms has plagued us since our first parents decided that being image bearers wasn’t enough…they wanted to be their own gods. And we’ve been building kingdoms ever since.

Why are we so stressed? Maybe…just maybe it’s because we are busy trying to build our own kingdom. Hard not to do particularly when, as a society, we’ve made it pretty clear  “it’s all about me”. The American Dream has made earthly kingdom-building a virtue. And for many of us, we’ve fooled ourselves into thinking we can pursue both. We fail to see the impossibility of pursuing our own agenda, our own kingdom, while at the same time claiming citizenry in the kingdom of heaven. We compartmentalize our lives so that God gets Sunday morning, maybe a night during the week for youth group or small group, but then the rest is ours. And we build our kingdoms. A quick glance at our calendar or our checkbook is a pretty good indication of where and what kingdom we’re investing in. That and of course our level of stress.

You can’t pursue both kingdoms successfully…eventually your true loyalties will become clear. As kingdom citizens/everyday disciples, Jesus wants us to live worry-free lives, but that’s only possible as we learn to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…then everything else falls into place.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Everyday Disciple series: Songs of the Season. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

January 13, 2025

Everyday Disciple: Beyond the Rules

Matthew 5.17-48

Jesus quickly dismantles the rule-based system of the Pharisees. To be sure, He doesn’t abolish the Law, but He shows very clearly that keeping the rules, if not from a transformed character, will never accomplish kingdom righteousness. That is very freeing, and very scary. It’s a life of being first and foremost that then naturally leads to a life of doing.

It is pretty convicting that the five examples that Jesus uses to illustrate our need for a heart transplant all have to do with interpersonal relationships. That our failure in so many of these areas to “keep the Law/Torah”, to even do the externals, is a natural consequence of our failure to love. We expect it of the Pharisees, but what about those of us who claim to be kingdom citizens? If life in the kingdom is characterized by love…love for God and love for others, what causes the break-down in our love? Sobering thought.

Life in the kingdom can only be experienced fully as we learn to allow the character of the King to infect all of our lives…breaking down the walls…and asking Him to change us…to transform us…to make us into who He created and saved and called us to be. Focusing less on doing the right things and more on becoming everyday disciples and the right things will come. Because if we become who He wants us to be, then we’ll do what He wants us to do.

I said this last week, but remember this isn’t a how-to manual for getting into the kingdom. On your own, you don’t have what it takes. Your brand of “righteousness” won’t cut it. Let me say it as clearly as I can… If you are like the Pharisees and are counting on your good works or “law keeping”…rule following…to get into the kingdom, Jesus is telling you that you are out of luck. His standards are too high. You need a new heart. And you need the righteousness of the King. Only His will do.

The good news is…that righteousness…His righteousness…is available to you right now today. It starts with recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior…being poor in Spirit. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death on your behalf, and was raised the third day conquering sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The kingdom of heaven…yours.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Everyday Disciple series: Songs of the Season. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

January 6, 2025

Everyday Disciple: A Dangerous Idea of Blessedness

Matthew 5.1-16

Jesus’ idea of those who are blessed is not necessarily the folks we would have picked. It’s not the spiritually elite, the I’ve-got-it-all-together crowd, the my-universe-is-running-just-fine-thank-you crew. But the kingdom belongs to those who recognize their desperate need for Him and long for the reconciliation of heaven and earth.

As we track the beatitudes, there is a progression…poor in spirit, mourning for sin, gentle, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaker…that leads inexorably to persecution. Aligning ourselves with the King is a dangerous proposition. It could even cost us our life. And why does the persecution come? Because of the undeniability of those who embody kingdom characteristics. The difference that being an everyday disciple makes in us is going to be obvious to the whole world. We won’t be tasteless salt or a hidden light. We will be noticeable. We are going to be a light on a hill. By doing that. By embodying those qualities and living that way, we are bearing the image of God brightly. Pointing people to Him and bringing Him glory. Said another way, if we embody the beatitudes, we will force a response from those around us. Some will persecute us and others will give glory to the Father. Both are good things!

Some of you have not yet trusted in Jesus, you don’t know what it means to be a son or daughter of the King. The beatitudes are not a how to manual for kingdom membership. They reflect the internal qualities that characterize those in the kingdom. It starts with the recognition of your need for Jesus.

For the rest of us, we are all in process…trekking down Torah Road…striving to follow after Jesus. Not easy, especially when we create boxes (work, school, recreation, weekend, church, etc.) that neatly divide our lives and keep us from experiencing the kingdom life that Jesus has for us…that keep us from being everyday disciples. The solution? Blow up the boxes and allow the character of the kingdom to permeate all aspects of our lives so that we can truly begin to experience the abundant life…complete with persecution.

Jesus’ definition of blessedness is dangerous…but it is true blessedness. It’ living life in the kingdom now. It’s being an image-bearer of the King…being an everyday disciple.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Everyday Disciple series: Songs of the Season. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

December 16, 2024

O Come, All Ye Faithful (Love)

Matthew 2.1-12

A tale of two kings…a tale of two loves. Herod, an earthly king, living in Jerusalem, seeks to build a name and a kingdom for himself. Jesus, the true King, has already been given a Name and a kingdom.

Herod’s love is a very worldly love…love for his own kingdom, love of power, prestige, position, pleasure. A love that was very selfish and self-serving. A love that did not save him because it could not. Jesus was a real threat to Herod because he knew what was at stake. If Herod didn’t think Jesus might indeed be a king…the King…if he didn’t think Jesus, though now just a Child, could in fact dethrone him, rule over him, take allegiance from him, he would not have felt threatened. But Jesus is a real threat to anyone who thinks seriously about Him. If Jesus is King…you’re not. It means your dethronement. It means your submission. It means you can’t lead your life any longer, as Herod did, according to your worldly loves. If Jesus is who He says He is, you either love Him or you hate Him! Herod represents King Me…his response to the true King, to King Jesus is hatred and rejection.

The Magi’s love is other-worldly…it’s clear where their loyalties lie. The Magi give their allegiance to Someone far greater than any earthly king…their King’s arrival was announced by the heavens. A star pointed the way. The Magi’s love led them to go to incredible lengths to see Jesus, and seeing Him, they couldn’t help but worship Him, expressing their love for Him for what He would do and God’s love already demonstrated in sending Him. They brought costly gifts…another natural expression of their love. In Him, they found an Object worthy of great pursuit…chasing after Him with all they had…their love for Jesus is clear…Jesus, the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, the Warrior-King from the line of David, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Hero of the Story and the only One who could rescue them, the Savior of the nations. The Magi recognize Jesus as King, and their response to Him is worship and adoration.

Where are your affections this Christmas? Who or what do you love? Is it causing you to be selfish and self-serving? Is it causing you to want to protect your stuff? If so, you may be giving your affections to people or things that are destined to disappoint. Or are you loving Jesus, the only One who can save and deliver and rescue…not just in an eternal sense, but also here and now? Is He the Object of your affections…your devotion every day? Do you live that way…going to great lengths to be in His presence, to worship Him, to serve Him with the same passion and diligence that the Magi did? Are you living as one who has realized their hope in Jesus, who’s experienced God’s amazing love? Are we as God’s people making much of Jesus this Christmas, or are we caught up in the hustle and bustle of building our own little kingdoms?

If you don’t know Jesus as Savior today…if He is not the King you adore, make today the day. To do so starts with acknowledging that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and then believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised would come. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf. He was raised the third day showing that He had conquered both sin and death, so that by believing in Him you could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

O Come All Ye Faithful…Christmas is a busy season, and we have a thousand things on our minds and a thousand things to do. But through it all, let us remember to come and adore Jesus who loves us and proved that love by coming into the world to bring us light for our darkness…and joy…and life eternal.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Advent series: Songs of the Season. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.