CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE

Mystery will be partnering with First Presbyterian church of Webb City to celebrate Christmas Eve together Monday Night the 24th @ 7pm at our usual location at Broadway and Ball.
It will be a candlelight and communion celebration. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come out and worship together. It will be an enjoyable time of reflection, singing, scripture, communion and community with our friends of First Pres.

Luke 2:10

“The church today is calling people to God with a tone of voice that seems to confirm their worst fears.”
Tim Keller

YOU ARE INVITED

Mystery will be celebrating Christmas December 23rd at our Sunday Night service. Invitation cards are available in the lobby on Sundays. They are great ways to invite friends, family and total strangers to celebrate with you the birth of Jesus. Pick some up this week and hand them out. Start asking friends to join you Sunday the 23rd at 5:30pm for singing, sharing and teaching. Christmas is one of the best times to introduce people to church. Who knows... they might stick around.

Christmas just ain't Christmas without Jesus.

Enjoy

THE SHOW GOES ON

Well its been a crazy week around here. Rain, Ice and falling trees. Limited internet access so updates might not be coming regularly.

Please be in prayer for our city, the electrical workers and people struggling with loss of power and property.

It has been very encouraging to hear of all the people of Mystery banding together and sharing resources and warmth. These times really push us as people and show the strength of the gospel in our lives.

We are planning to continue as normal with home groups and Sunday service this week.

If you are in need of anything please do not hesitate or feel too proud to contact someone from the church or the church itself. We are a strong community and we have a loving, caring Father who provides for his kids through his church.

p.s. please do not forget in all the craziness that we are still raising support for the children of Uganda and India through our Give Love Christmas initiative. We have two weeks left to raise roughly $1200.00 for the kids.

A Golden Opportunity?

There is a new movie coming out this week called The Golden Compass. Its getting quite the stir from the Christian community, which until its seems just a couple weeks agao knew nothing about the books. Now it seems this movie is the new devil. Kind of like the Passion was the new Jesus. May I point out that neither of which deserves anywhere near those credentials.

The book is part of a series some have called the "anti-narnia". Pullman, who has admitted on his own, is not a fan of God and believes religion, Christianity in particular, is bad.

I would suggest though that rather than join the ranks of the picketing and loud protests of some of our "brothers" we might use this an an opportunity to engage people. Just as Christmas is a wonderfull opportunity to share love, truth and the message of Jesus so this too might be a gift from God to connect with people outside our normal sphere of life.

I am not saying go buy the book or see the movie even, that is up to you. I am however saying educate yourself. My wife is reading the first book now. My kids and I have been talking about the movie and watching the preview. Might be a great after of entertainment followed by long talks about Jesus. it might be just more smoke and mirrors to get the legalists riled up and the indifferent more distracted. Maybe i will just watch Lord of the Rings again and long for a day when the king truely does return.

For a well thought out commentary on the movie as well as some good advice on how to proceed and use this movie as an opportunity for living missionally and sharing the truth and grace of Christ with our friends.

Click to jump to Christianity Today article

By Faith

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8,9

When you read these verses in Ephesians what comes to mind? What does it mean to you that that God has given you his grace. That despite our efforts and energy, despite our rebellion and insistence on being our own saviors God gives us himself. He saves us that we might boast in Him. That Jesus would be the source, focus and center of our joy.

It's December now. A time when we think about what to give others, what we want to receive, but have you paused today to ponder the gift of God- the gift of grace? How does this effect Christmas? By grace you have been saved, through faith, by God alone. Jesus died for sin, so that we might be set free. Free to revel and rejoice in Jesus.

GIVE LOVE

Click to Enlarge

CHRISTMAS IS MISSION

Just a reminder that this is the season when people are open to here the gospel, check out a church and just talk about spiritual things and the meaning of life. How are you taking advantage of this? Who are you inviting to church and into your home? Who are you sharing life with? Where is your time and money going?

Here is a challenge this week. Invite someone you know over. Invite someone you meet to church. Go someplace new in Joplin and strike up conversations about life and Christmas.

Christmas is Mission
John 3:16, 20:21

Justified

"Nobody has understood Christianity who does not understand this word. It is the word Justified." - John Stott

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

LAST FIGHT OF 07!

THE LAST MEN OF MYSTERY FOR 2007 is NEXT MONDAY Nov. 26th 7-9pm at Pizza by Stout

The next gathering will not be until February so you best get your man on one last time.

Free Cinnamon rolls and Arm Wrestling! Bring your book (or not) and join us for manly talk and challenging insights from the bible.

Turn those caps backwards and lets go over the top one last time till 08!!!

Working with the Arts

Mystery will be volunteering at the Spiva 60th annual membership show Friday November 30th.
10 volunteers are needed. We'll be helping set up tables, serve food and chatting with the people we're serving. Also we will handle tear down when the event is over.
This is tremendous opportunity to serve the local artist community. God is THE Creator and we value beauty and creativity as followers of Jesus made in the image of the creator to create.

Dress business casual we will be volunteering from 4-8pm.
Come meet new people, serve and celebrate the arts in Joplin.

What is the truth of the gospel?

The gospel is the good news that we sinners, guilty and under the judgment of God, may be pardoned and accepted by (God's) sheer grace, His free and unmerited favor, on the ground of his Son's death and not for any works or merits of our own. More briefly, the truth of the gospel is the doctrine of justification (which means the acceptance of God) by grace alone, through faith alone." John Stott

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us"
Galatians 3:13

Thanks!

Last Saturday we had a great turn out to serve and love First Presbyterian Church where we meet.
Thanks to everyone who came and worked hard and served. What a great show of gospel unity and commitment. Everyone at First Pres. was very grateful and excited by the work.

People Always Ask Me...

People ask me all the time what is Mystery?

1. We are a church. More specifically we are a gospel centered, biblically faithful, missional church. Which means:

Mystery is a community of people being transformed by the gospel of Jesus, in love with Jesus, Learning and applying the bible to our lives and living with a passion to see more people know Jesus and have their own hearts and lives changed.
As a church we exist for the glory of God and for the good of the city in which He has placed us to live.

2. A church is a place to meet new people, worship God and get involved in community, be real and build deep relationships. We value knowing who we are inn Jesus and sharing that with others as God shared himself with us through Jesus.

3. A church is more than a place it’s a people. And Mystery is a diverse biblical community where people seek to know and love God, live together along side others seeking to serve and transform the city by the power of the gospel.
Practically speaking, that means some of us are just checking out Christianity for the first time, while others have been in church their whole lives. There are people of all ages, diversity and backgrounds each with their unique story.

We’re a pace where its ok not to be ok. We are people who realize we’re not good at being good. We are a church and Everyone is welcome.

Love Live Enjoy – This is Mystery.

TONIGHT

Tonight is Theology on Tap. Bring a Friend and Enjoy.
7-9pm at Pizza by Stout

The Promise

God made a promise to Abraham. In it he heard of grace.
God sent the law through Moses. In it we heard the truth of our need for grace.
God sent Jesus in grace and truth to fulfill the promise, to bless us and to make us a blessing.

Gen 15,17; Ex 20; John 1:14

Mystery in The Joplin Globe

Mystery Church is in the news all this week...sorta. Steev was invited to be the verse of the week guy beginning today and running through next Saturday. You can find him in the print edition and also online at joplinglobe.com. The online edition has an added bonus of audio commentary about the verse as well as an interview with Dave Woods online Editor of the Globe about Mystery.
We are hoping they will do a feature on us in the coming months. Please pray for that as it would be great exposure for Mystery.
The verse commentaries and the interview will also be available in the coming weeks via our iTunes podcast. If you subscribe to that you will get it automatically as they are posted.

Hola!

Who are you inviting to church this week?
Who are you spending missional time with this week?
Who from Mystery are you inviting into your life this week?
Who are you building relationships with this week?
Who are you praying for and trusting Jesus with this week?
What's their name? What's holding you back?
Where is Christ your confidence and assurance?


See you Sunday!