Wisdom

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7

"The Fruit of wisdom is Christlikeness-peace, humility and love-and the root of it is faith in Christ as manifested wisdom of God." - J.I. Packer Knowing God

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To you the King is born. The Savior of the world. For it is not that we ever loved or could love God, but that he, in his immense love and mercy loved us, the sinner, first.
That God himself would be born a man and die the death of sin is indeed humbling. Who among you would do so? Who among us could lay down his life for anyone lastly his own enemy.
God does have great love for his creation. God is faithful to fulfill all he has promised. It is we who have failed him in unbelief and rebelion. But it is Christ who came into the world, who lowered himself and spoke like a child to his children and sacrificed himself for his own.
May we all this Christmas realize the depth of our own need, brokeness and sin. May this Christmas leed us all to our knees, rejoicing in what Jesus has done and the grace that has been given!

Praise be to God, the Holy One, our righeousness and salvation. He alone saves. It is for us that Jesus came and died-it is for us that he is risen and reigns and will return-REJOICE!

Christmas is Mission

We handed out these little red cards our our recent Christmas service in an effort to get people thinking about more than themselves this Christmas. They give several "practical ways to live out Christmas" in the city. Little things like buying groceries for someone or giving blood, serving at a shelter and so on. You can see the full list at MYSTERYCHURCH.COM. Just click on the TAKE ACTION button in the upper right corner.


"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." - Matt 5:13-14

Young Adults Leaving

"More young adults are falling away from church and many are finding church irrelevant to their lives because their needs are not being met...The lack of opportunity for connection within the church proves to be a frustration point for young adults. One study participant said, “After graduation they give you a pat on the back and say, ‘When you start a family, we’ll be here for you."
Read the Full Article

Christmas Reading

Suggested Christmas Reading
(Notes from our Christmas Service)

Luke Chapter 2
The Book of John
Gen. Chapter 1-3
Isaiah 59:2
Romans Chapter 1
Rom Chapter 5 & 6
Col 1:13, 2:9
Ephesians 1:9-10
Mark 1:15

Christmas Party

We are having a Mystery Christmas Party this week. Our Wed Night Bible Study will be at the Inge's House this week instead of the Neely's. 6-8pm. It will be a time to meet, great and hang out with our two bible studies. Come, bring a friend and celebrate! There will be games, food and new friends. Spread the word with everyone you know and normally see at Bible Study.

Again:
Christmas Party
All Mystery bible study people (Sun. & Wed.)
6pm at the Inge's House (get directions at mysterychurch.com under "location")

See you then & Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Service

Well, we had our first ever public service this past Sunday and it was awesome! We held a Christmas service/preview service at a The Foundry music venue.

We wanted it to be laid back and simple, but we did have a few goals for the night:
1. Worship Jesus
2. Get our two Bible Study groups together in one place
3. Share the experience with friends and interested people
Mission accomplished we think.

All in all it was a success. It was really cool to gather, sing and celebrate Christmas as one large church body. It just felt good. As I walked into the room after spending some time alone it really brought a smile to my face.

Special thanks to our entire church for sacrificing their time and talents for the weekend and for the last six months. We have so much talent it's scary! Thanks also to Journey church for the childcare help.

Please join us in praying that God will provide a place to gather regularly next year. We are hoping to make this an every week event as soon as God is willing.

Jesus is awesome and He, not us, are building his church.

Shepherds vs. Sheep

On average, churchgoers feel 8% more informed than their pastors when it comes to cultural issues. Read more Here: Congregations Know More Than Their Pastors

ADVENT

Advent is the season Christians use to pause, ponder, and prepare for Christmas. The birth of Jesus Christ is more than just a story, it is the fulfillment of a promise that holds life transforming potential and world wide redemption.
"Advent, then, is a time for us to repent and believe. Knowing that Jesus was born to forgive our sins, we repent (admit our failures to God) and believe that we are forgiven because of the death and resurrection of Jesus on our behalf. Also, knowing that Jesus is coming back, we repent and believe that when He returns, He will give us eternal life."
Here is a way to introduce Advent into your life and family this Christmas season. It's a great time to share with friends, small groups children and family.Check out www.adventdevotions.net for more resources, info and ideas. This downloadable booklet is a good daily Advent resource http://www.adventdevotions.net/downloads/English.

Reminder

Our First Christmas Service is this weekend. There will be singing, a christmas message & cookies. Sunday Night 6-7:30PM at the The Foundry (located at The Bridge) in Joplin.

Get a printable flyer at Mysterychurch.com & also click the "Tack Action" link to find out ways you can live out Christmas Missionally in the City.

Bring a Friend and see you there!

Dreadful

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
- Hebrews 10:31

New Life

"New life is spread not only by mental acts like belief, but by bodily acts."- C.S. Lewis

Book Review

Here is a good little book by Steve Sjogren full called 101 Ways to Reach You Community of ideas for connecting with your city/community through servant evangelism. Its basically a big idea book for churches, small groups and individuals. Very practical. Buy, read, do. Pretty simple.
Click HERE to buy it now from Amazon.