UNdone Recap

Wow! Last night was pure fire. The Lord was moving and speaking to and through so many hearts & minds last night. The night started out with a reading from Psalm 66 which lead us into an amazing time of prayer, praise and worship:

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
Sing the glory of his name;
Give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!”

And we truly praised how awesome is our God that He does not hide His face from us, that He has given us all that we will ever need and want, from breath in our lungs, a heart to love, and a mind to think and discern His ways. God has given us everything we ever need. Not a single one of us has asked to be born. Yet God put you here out of His great love. So many of us spend our lives running from God and running towards the things of this world, yet the things of this world are fleeting. We are but ashes and dust. Everything that we long for will one day fade away but God is forever, and His love is eternal! We long for riches, wealth & fame while along the way we consume our life with sin. We ignore God and our sin yet still He loves us.

God loves you so much that Jesus came down to die for the sins of every man, woman, and child, yet we ignore Him. We take for granted all that He is, all that He said, and all that He has done. How many of us would choose to die in such a way for the salvation of the world. Even you are so foolish as to say “I will”, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God so none of us is even worthy to commit such an act. But Jesus, the God of the Bible is worthy of all praise and honor. Jesus is the way, the truth & the life. It is through his death & resurrection that we find our redemption and reconciliation with God. He has given us His word & His Spirit that we may know his name. How awesome are your deeds o’God!

You may not understand what this is all about but what’s holding you back from finding out? We use the excuse that we’ve been scorned by religion, but this isn’t about religion. Religion won’t save us from a fallen and broken world.

The truth is we don’t want to come face to face with our God or our sin because every single one of us knows that we are guilty. This world is the way it is not because of God but because of our own sin. But rather than walk in guilt and shame or worse run from and ignore the truth, will you come down to the Campus next Monday at 7pm and find out what this is all about as we become UNdone before the Lord.

- Anthony

PS> Please feel free to email your Prayer Requests to united@fhcchurch.com

UNdone: Prayer
Monday Nights @ 7pm
INSIDE the FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram)
www.fhcchurch.com

UNplugged and You

What an amazing passage of Scripture this week! Following up on the death of Abraham in chapter 25, this week we look a little bit closer at the events surrounding his death, namely the participation of his two sons of blessing, Isaac and Ishmael. While it is clear from Scripture that Isaac is the chosen vessel for God's covenant, God does not ignore Ishmael, but also blesses him with much earthly wealth and prosperity. In fact, much of the blessing of Ishmael is still taking place today in the rapid and vast expansion of the Arab nations. It is wild to think that God would bless a man of iniquity and an ever present threat to His covenant and people?

Join us Monday night for an incredible Bible Study like no other. Gather with us as we take a hard look at the blessings of God and the purpose behind all of His blessings. What we all need to know is that God is sovereign and is active in the life of every person on this planet. He is extracting His glory from your life, but it may not be for your glory. Come discover the active role God is playing in your life, and its eternal consequences.

As always, your questions will be welcome, and we love it when you bring a friend. See you at 8pm for UNplugged!

UNplugged: Interactive Bible Study
Monday Nights @ 8pm
INSIDE the FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram St)
www.fhcchurch.com

UNdone: Prayer

If my people pray…

A little over a year ago I hopped on a bus from NYC and headed into Philly. Now, for those of you that know me, you know that this isn’t anything out of the ordinary. I mean, seriously, one time in back in high school I felt like a Cheese steak, so I went straight to Geno’s and came straight home. But, this time was different. So much so that a picture I took that day is the wallpaper on my cell phone. What made this particular trip so different? It was an answer to my prayer.

You see, at that point, although I was a Christian, I was VERY far from God. Things were happening that were beyond my control and far beyond my understanding. It took everything I had in me just to keep it together, which I wasn’t doing a very good job of. So I went to Pastor Jeremy and asked “How do we fix me?” His answer, of course, was that “we” don’t. We “tap out”, go to Jesus and let him do his thing. Being fairly new to this whole Christianity thing, I had no idea what that meant. Really, I didn’t even know how to pray.

Then came the day I reached my breaking point. A friend had sent me a MySpace video centered around Romans 3:23 (“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”), filled with images of a young girl going through many of the same things I struggled with before becoming a Christian, and it hit me hard. A lot harder than I’m sure he intended. That was the proverbial “last straw”.

So, that night, without even meaning to, I prayed - literally crying out to God “I don’t know what to do! Just tell me what you want me to do!” And He did. As clearly as if someone were in the room with me, I was told “Go!” (Lech-Lecha for all you Genesis lovers out there.) Of course, at this point I’m thinking “Great Cat, as if people don’t think you’re crazy enough, now you’re hearing voices!” But, nevertheless, I went.

When I got off the bus, staring at Independence Hall, I literally had my breath taken away for the second time in my life (the first is another story for another time). And in that moment I knew (that I knew that I knew) that God had answered my prayer.

Now, we flash forward a full year, where I have the honor and privilege of co-facilitating UNdone, our Monday night corporate prayer service at FHCC. And week after week I am blown away by the power of prayer, something that most of us (all of us, at one time or another, if we’re really honest) take for granted. So, for those of you who are ready to “tap out” and let Jesus do His thing, come down to the FHCC Campus (67-08 Ingram St. in Forest Hills) THIS Monday at 7pm…

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” ~2 Chronicles 7:14

UNdone: Prayer
Monday Nights @ 7pm
INSIDE the FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram St)
www.fhcchurch.com

UNleashed Recap

“What has God accomplished in your life?” It’s a big question that’s asked frequently, and with good reason. The book of Psalms repeatedly instructs us to “tell of His wondrous works” (we in the modern church call “witnessing”). Many of the people who attend Forest Hills Community Church are diligently obeying that charge, sharing the stories of how God has changed their life with practically everyone they meet. Which stories do we tell, though? Do we tell the same three stories again and again, or do we see how God is working in our lives every single day?

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t tell the testimony of how you first accepted Jesus. What I am suggesting is that you look at the many blessings of God and the protection He has granted you, and maybe share that once in a while as well. You see, God doesn’t just save you once, He keeps on saving you… which makes perfect sense because you don’t stop sinning altogether once you become a Christian. You are constantly in need of the saving power of Jesus the Messiah, and He is faithful to provide grace to those who come humbly with broken, contrite hearts.

But Johanna, UNleashed is about worship and you’re talking about sin and repentance.

Yes, I am. Remember, people who haven’t been radically saved by God can’t really worship Him. They don’t have any genuine reason to thank Him. Christians, however, have accepted salvation and therefore have every reason to worship the One True God.

One thing that I love about UNleashed is the discussion, and seeing you find practical application through the Word of God to instruct you in how you live a life of worship. This week at UNleashed we’ll be studying Psalm 105:1-5, in which David praises God for taking care of Israel, His chosen people. As someone with a covenantal relationship with God, what has He accomplished in your life?

-Johanna

UNleashed: Worship Bible Study


Thursdays @ 8:00pm


INSIDE the FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram St)

www.fhcchurch.com

Sunday Preview

This Sunday we move on from Father Abraham, and unto his two more prolific boys, Ishmael and Isaac. The relationship between these two has been awkward and strained at best, but this week they gather together to bury their dad and fulfill their destinies. It would seem that peace may have finally reached between the two siblings; but, no luck. The feud and contrast is as pitched as ever.

Join us Sunday inside the Midway Movie Theater as we begin a new series inside the book of Genesis entitled, "Sibling Rivalry." It is not that God desires for there to be tension amongst family, but often it is the case as each person seemingly tries to live in competition with the other. Learn how to overcome the urge to compete and to find rest and fulfillment in the family of God.

Genesis: Book of Beginnings
Sundays @ 10am INSIDE the Midway Movie Theater
Mondays @ 8pm INSIDE the FHCC Campus
www.fhcchurch.com

BTW: This week we venture into the Book of Romans....

UNleashed Returns

There are countless songs about rejoicing in the Lord and how He has made me glad, or how I‘ve got the joy (joy, joy, joy, joy) down in my heart. Why is it so rare, then, to see someone crack a smile during a worship service? It’s overwhelmingly more common to see people sobbing, and while there are definitely times of worship that should result in remorse and repentance that will cause an emotional response, where is the unspeakable joy that the Bible mentions?

Do we forget that Jesus rose from the dead? Do we neglect that our lives have been transformed by a God who desires to know us intimately? Is that transformation not worth celebrating? Do we think that if we don’t end up with tears rolling down our cheeks that we didn’t worship hard enough?

This week, we’ll be studying Psalm 104:31-35, where God is praised for His creation. The word “rejoice” occurs twice in this brief passage, which should get your attention. Since we’re supposed to be rejoicing, let’s be sure we do it in a way that is pleasing to God. We should make time to enjoy the presence of the Lord, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing this Thursday night.

- Johanna

UNleashed: Worship Bible Study

Thursdays @ 8:00pm

INSIDE the FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram St)


www.fhcchurch.com

Women's Bible Study

The Dog Ate My Bible Study Homework.

With the overhaul at the campus last week, we were forced to cancel all Bible studies, including our women’s Bible study, Breaking Free. I hope all my sisters have been doing their homework! With a week off, it’s easy to fall behind in your disciplines, and I pray that hasn’t been the case for you.

In our homework, we’ve been studying five benefits of our covenant relationship with God:

• Benefit 1: To know God and believe Him
• Benefit 2: To glorify God
• Benefit 3: To find satisfaction in God
• Benefit 4: To experience God’s peace
• Benefit 5: To enjoy God’s presence

I’m sure that if you’ve been doing your homework, you’ve probably been blown away by something God revealed to you in each lesson. If you haven’t been doing your homework, I assure you, you’re not alone. It can be incredibly challenging to stay tuned in to your work, especially if there are outside distractions or if it’s not resonating with you entirely. I want to encourage you to turn off the television, the computer and the phone, put a “do not disturb” sign on your door, and pray that the Holy Spirit will show you something new as you spend time in the Word.

Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday at our lovely, newly renovated campus!
-Johanna

BREAKING FREE: WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY
Thursday @ 6:30PM
INSIDE the FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram St)

www.fhcchurch.com