For God so loved…that he gave!

God is a giver…and so are you!

Christmas is a season of giving.  It’s obvious when you see people bustling around the shopping centers looking for just the right gift for that special someone.  You see it in the way that people look for ways to care for the less fortunate especially during this time of the year.  But you see it most  in the fact that God gave us his Son, Jesus Christ.

God is a giver motivated by his love!  God looks at us…the world…and he sees us as we are: desperately sinking in a sea of sin.  Moved by his heart of love, God in his grace and mercy jumps in to rescue us through the birth of Jesus Christ.  The plan has been in place since the beginning of time where God would choose to save us from our impending doom through the gift of himself.  It’s at this time of year where we reflect on the truth that God is with us—Emmanuel!  We see it most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ…God made flesh.  Through that flesh God gave us the perfect, once for all sacrifice to atone for our sins.  Through the gift of Jesus Christ we receive the gift of forgiveness and life.  Christmas is a season of giving because God is a giver.  God gave himself, the perfect sacrifice, forgiveness.  So, God is a giver!

And, so are you!  This past Sunday our church voted to give generous offerings to the International Baptist Convention, the Union of Baptist Churches in Germany (Bund), and our host church.  We’ve been blessed and now we are a blessing.  That pleases the Lord!  This past month we’ve doubled the food goods received weekly from this location to support the Berliner Tafel, Laib und Seele in our community.  That pleases the Lord!  This month our deacons approved a benevolence gift to Alabaster Jar that was used to purchase gloves for the women cared for by that ministry.  That pleases the Lord!  This past year we increased our missions giving through our budget and our Finance Committee, leaders, and deacons are working on a proposal to increase significantly our missions budget for 2010.  That pleases the Lord!

In the same vein and on a similar note:  a  special “ thank you” to the church for the kindness and generosity you have shown to Laurie and me through a tangible monetary expression of your support.  Mutual love strengthens the bonds of fellowship and deepens our commitments to serve one another in love.  Your generosity is much appreciated.

May God’s great gift of Jesus Christ inspire us to give the gift of Jesus to others!

Blessed to be a blessing,

Scott Corwin, Pastor

Christmas is coming! Get ready!

When I was a little boy, Christmas was always an exciting time of the year around our house.  My mom—full of a playful spirit—helped to “make the season bright” with her spontaneous exuberance that would often break out into an exclamation…complete with fist-pumping in the air:  “CHRISTMAS IS COMING, IS COMING, IS COMING!”  Just thinking about her saying it puts a smile on my face and excitement in my heart.

It’s true…Christmas is coming, and it IS a time full of joy.  But it’s not here yet!  We’re still in the season of Advent, the time of anticipation and preparation.  So, not so fast!  It’s true:  Christmas is so close that we can already begin to feel the joy, but in our anticipation we must not lose sight of the seriousness of the season.  There’s work to be done to get ready for Christmas.

Dietrich Bonhöffer speaks about the seriousness of Advent and the joy Christmas when he writes:  “We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us….The coming of God is truly not only glad tidings, but first of all frightening news for everyone who has a conscience.”  (Testament to Freedom, p. 185)

Think about it:  throughout the pages of Scripture the “coming of the Lord” is a day of great judgment.  His arrival is announced with the cry of  “repent” and “the kingdom is at hand.”  When the Lord comes he comes into the very midst of sin, evil, and death and pronounces judgment on the world…and us!  But, by judging us, he cleanses and sanctifies us through his grace and love.

So what is the work of preparation?  The work of repentance, confession, forgiveness.  The work of surrender and recommitment.  Someone’s knocking on the door announcing his arrival!  It’s Jesus!  Are you rightly prepared?  Is your heart ready to be the dwelling place of the Lord?  Get ready…because the celebration is just around the corner!

Getting ready,

Scott Corwin, Pastor

Coffee House–An Example of Invest, Invite, and Introduce

I don’t know about you, but I thoroughly enjoyed this past Sunday’s Coffee House. And, I’m not just talking about the music!

Yes, our Praise Team did a marvelous job. Thanks, Lucas, Karin, and crew for leading us to worship! So did the Gospel Choir. Thanks, Foster, our IBC Gospel Choir, and the members of the “Gasthaus” Gospel Choir for inspiring us to dance and clap! Steve and Sylvia Bronk were outstanding. Thanks for moving our hearts and minds. Once again our Fellowship Team blessed us. Thanks, Werner, Phoebe, Alma, Birgit, Minjie Chen, and others [I know I’ve left out too many names!] for serving us with love…and wonderful cakes!

All of these things were fantastic, but something else was equally exciting for me. The people of IBCB were doing evangelism! Yes, we were putting into practice “I-Cubed” evangelism—invest, invite, introduce. Here’s what I mean. People from IBCB had invested their lives in friendships with people in their “spheres of influence” (i.e. family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.) In the course of the past few months, those friends were invited to attend the Coffee House.

Or think of it this way. IBCB started a gospel choir with Foster as the leader. Some IBCBers along with Foster participated in his other gospel choir and invested in growing relationships with them. Foster invited his other gospel choir to join with our choir to perform at the Coffee House. They came and so did many of their family members.

What happened at the Coffee House? We enjoyed getting together outside of a regular church service, nurturing our friendships, meeting new people, and deepening our fellowship. We sang about Jesus Christ, we worshipped God, and we heard an evangelistic message from the Scripture that pointed to salvation in Jesus Christ. In other words, we introduced people to Jesus.

I don’t know if anyone “prayed to receive Christ” or if anyone “became a Christian” on Sunday evening. I really hope and pray that at least one person took that step! But quite frankly, that is not my business; that’s God’s business. Only God can save anyone! Only God can change a person’s heart! Only God can bring people to salvation! But we can faithfully, invest in people’s lives, invite them to share in our lives, and introduce them to Jesus Christ. In so doing, we help lead them to Jesus. That’s evangelism!

Thank you, IBCB, for being a church that cares for others and is on the journey of investing, inviting, and introducing people to Jesus Christ!

Gone fishing,

Scott Corwin, Pastor

Sunday’s Sermon Slides:  2nd Advent, Great Expectations–Repentance: Good News, Bad News

The Habits of a “World Christian”

I don’t know about you, but I was “juiced” by Sunday’s NVision seminar! Yes, I used the slang “juiced,” and some of you might not be familiar with it. How about, I was “really pumped” by Todd’s messages! Oh, another slang term. Let’s try: I was inspired, motivated, and energized by Sunday’s reminder that God has called each and every one of us to be “World Christians!”

What is a “World Christian”? A World Christian is a “disciple for whom Christ’s global cause has become the integrating, overriding priority for all of their decisions.” Todd Ahrend of “The Traveling Team” did a marvelous job of helping us understand the dynamics of what it means to be a “World Christian” by sharing with us the unifying message of the Bible, showing us the history of the movement, explaining the contemporary cultural hurdles, and challenging us to think strategically as each of us makes daily decisions. Hey, what am I saying?! We as a church are faced with the same decisions as we seek to become a “World Christian Center!” Here are the habits that you and I should cultivate…and that we as a church should practice…in order to become “World Christians:”

Prayer—Praying for God’s world is a key to living as a “World Christian.” And I’m not talking about praying, “God, bless us!” No, I’m suggesting that you get a map, pick an unreached people group, and pray for a spiritual breakthrough among the people. [For some prayer ideas, go to “our missions” on our website to see the unreached people group of the day or log on to http://www.global-prayer-digest.org/ to download a monthly guide for daily prayer.] Start praying, “God, now that you’ve blessed me let me be a blessing to the nations by becoming a ‘World Christian.’”

Welcome—The world has come to Berlin, so be welcoming…especially toward those who represent unreached people groups. We are positioned strategically to become welcoming “World Christians.” For example, the Kurmani Kurds…an unreached people group from Southern Turkey and Northern Iraq…are well represented in Berlin. By welcoming people in our city, like the Kurmanji Kurds, we are becoming “World Christians” that are making Christ’s global cause an integral part of our discipleship.

Sending—No one can be everywhere at once…except God! So if you…as a “World Christian”…want to make a difference in God’s world, you will have to help by sending others or by sending your money to support those who are already there. Partnership is integral to participating in God’s “family business.” For most of us that means sending our money to support those who are going or have already gone. For some of us that means sending our family members…blessing them as they are…

Going—Christians are not evenly distributed around the world. In fact, in the “10-40 Window” 90% of the people have never heard the Gospel message even once. There are either no Christians or not enough of a Christian movement in most cultures of the 10-40 Window to carry out vibrant near-neighbor evangelism. If those groups are to be evangelized, believers will need to go to plant the gospel. Some of you may be thinking, “I’m not a missionary, so I can’t go.” Guess what? Many of you have already gone! You’ve moved to Berlin. Why not prayerfully consider making your next move to a job somewhere in the 10-40 Window in order to be a part of God’s global cause?

Mobilizing—God’s global cause is a world-wide Christian movement sustained by God’s Spirit and “mobilizers” who share God’s heart. “World Christians” who share their passion for God’s Kingdom purpose in order to motivate others help inspire Christians to become “World Christians.” Sharing the mission-message of Scripture and the situation in God’s world is another way to help others catch the vision of this growing movement. The priority of God’s purpose demands focused attention not only on God’s global cause but also on those who have taken up the cause. Mobilizers inspire, share, and focus on the task in order to rally others to support God’s purpose through personal conversations, SERVICE groups, ministry teams, committees, and church.

We say it in our slogan: “…for the good of God’s world.” We focus on it in our SERVICE groups: International Missions. We talk about it often: missional living. Now it’s time for us to take action. Plug into your SERVICE group and be a mobilize. Look at the resources on “The Traveling Team” website and do the personal and/or group study to help you and your group become a “World Christian.” Prayerfully consider what it means for us to become a “World Christian Center.”

Join me on the journey of becoming a “World Christian.”

Your Pastor,

Scott Corwin