That's why this note is so difficult to write, honestly one of the more difficult notes I've written in some time. We need to pause our Sunday evening service for the time being, which was always a possibility given that we originally committed ourselves to a pilot run of four services. I've had extensive conversations with staff and volunteers, and in doing so it's become clear to me that we have more work to do to make an evening service sustainable for the long term. We as staff and volunteers need to honor our limits as embodied humans, and the Sunday evening rhythm has been pushing us a bit beyond those limits. If we're going to sing an opening hymn each Sunday called "Come Away from Rush and Hurry" - then our staff culture and church culture need to match the lyrics that we're singing. 

We are brainstorming possible ways to make that Sunday evening rhythm more sustainable in the future, but we need some time to prayerfully consider our options. For example, we would almost certainly need more volunteer availability (sometimes even to help lead certain evening services without much staff involvement), which means we need more time to build up and train those teams. The staff would potentially need to scale back on other commitments as well (to make a Sunday evening service work), but at this time we don't believe the Lord is calling us to scale back on any of those other things.

The bottom line is that the evening service has been a win and I would enjoy seeing it return. But for now we need to pause, pray, build, and brainstorm long-term solutions to make something like this more viable.

Please help me spread this word to those who have been attending Sunday evening services. I really hope all of you who have been attending at night can attend a 9am or 11am service, even if you're not able to do so every week because of work conflicts. One of you mentioned this past Sunday that you'd be "praying the service continues", and my heart is heavy for people such as you.

The good news is that God is doing amazing things at City Church and in many other faithful churches in our city, which is why we're having this conversation in the first place.

I'll conclude with a huge "thank you" to all who made the evening service possible in January. It was a joy serving with you, and I love you very much.

See you this morning at 9am and 11am - and invite your friends and neighbors!

Individual and corporate losses have mounted, and they are certainly worth lamenting and grieving. At the same time, God has been remarkably gracious to us as a church family. He's protected us physically, given us alternate ways to grow spiritually, and opened unique doors for service in the Gainesville community. Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few new folks who have become part of our church family in the past year! They haven't even seen the inside of our church building, but they are worshipping with us and even serving.

I want to say a huge "thank you" to the City Church family. You all have been remarkably resilient and generous. I could not be more proud to be one of your pastors. Whenever I think of you corporately - Philippians 1:3-5 immediately comes to mind. The next 12 months will bring fresh challenges (and joys!), and I'm beyond glad to be walking through them with all of you.

A few updates:

- We are doing everything we can to resume an essentially full slate of children's ministry classes. The target start day is Easter Sunday (April 4) during the 9am service only. These classes will likely be in the First Magnitude Warehouse and on their deck. We sent a survey to families about the option to drop their kids off at our building and then worship at First Magnitude, but so far it doesn't seem like enough families are comfortable having their kids at a different location than the worship gathering.

- We are now "live-streaming" our pre-recorded worship services on Saturday nights. In other words, we are recording them in one take rather than piecing things together in post-production. We aren't releasing them for public viewing until Sunday morning, but that could change at some point. There's also a chance we will start allowing some people to join us in person for the Saturday recordings.

- We're not yet sure when we will go back inside for our Sunday services. We're working diligently with the elders and health team to make a wise decision, and we'll keep you posted! Hopefully we'll be back inside soon!

- We've revamping our website a bit to help you get a better picture of how you can join us in serving the Gainesville community. Stay tuned! Community engagement has been a major challenge in this COVID age, but opportunities do exist. They just require more work and flexibility.

- Easter services will be held at 7:30am, 9am, and 10:45am at First Magnitude! Good Friday service location and time TBD.

- All of our ministry teams still need volunteers! Reach out to us if interested in serving with the A/V Team, Hospitality Team, Children's Ministry Team, or Worship Team.

Love you all!

City Church Family:

The sermon for this Sunday's online worship service is from Mark 9:42-50, and therefore deals with matters of sin and hell. There's never an easy time to consider these words from Jesus, but I've been particularly restless the past 72 hours as we've all seen the news about the killing of George Floyd. Lord, why this passage? And why this week? Here at City Church we plan our passages far in advance, and in fact I had written most of the sermon before we knew anything about George Floyd. 

As the details of George Floyd's death unfolded and protests intensified, I strongly considered scrapping this sermon entirely (at least for this Sunday) and preaching on something else. However, this would have meant re-recording most (if not all) of the service on Saturday, which I thought would have been an unfair imposition on Jay and his family as well as my family. More importantly, I actually sensed a prompting from the Holy Spirit to "keep going" and trust the Lord's providence in putting this passage before us this weekend. I believe there are at least three reasons for this, and I want to mention them here since I can't mention them to you in person today as we worship in your homes.

1. I believe the Lord wants to remind all of us that injustice without repentance leads to hell. 

Injustice of any kind, especially killing one of God's image bearers, is a prelude to an eternity in hell in which we are forever kept from enjoying the blessings of God. To call racial injustice spiritually dangerous is a vast understatement. Unless there is miraculous repentance on the part of the one committing the injustice, Scripture is crystal clear about the consequences.

2. I believe the Lord wants to assure us that he is a God of perfect justice. 

In the aftermath of George Floyd's death there have been national cries for swift justice and change. At the same time, many are painfully skeptical about the chances that Derek Chauvin (and those with him) will ever face the kind of justice they sense is right and fair. Much of this skepticism is fueled by America's sordid history with racial injustice, such as the information we recently learned about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. The doctrine of hell reminds us that God is a perfect judge who will judge everything perfectly in its time. Even if earthly justice is fleeting, God will not ultimately allow injustice to go unpunished. Pol Pot, the dictator who notoriously tortured and killed countless Cambodians, died peacefully in his sleep and expressed zero remorse about his crimes. There was no earthly justice for Pol Pot, but God will still ensure that perfect justice is done. In one sense this is "comforting," but at this point we must be very cautious - and that leads me to the third reflection.

3. I believe the Lord is calling all of us to examine our own hearts. 

When we're justifiably angry about an injustice someone else has committed (particularly injustices committed on a grand scale), it is tempting to ignore or be dismissive about our own sin. But that's spiritually dangerous in its own right! Once again, an unrepentant posture toward sin leads to hell, and the "size" of the sin and injustice is irrelevant. Racial injustice "in the news" should therefore cause us to examine our own hearts and plead with the Lord to expose our own complicity and other sins. May the injustices committed by others lead to our own repentance rather than a sanctimonious spirit. Fighting for justice and humble self-reflection can always co-exist. "God be merciful to us, for we are sinners!" (see Luke 18:13).

City Church family - please keep these comments in mind as you engage in today's online service. I love you, and I'm grateful to God to be one of your pastors. I look forward to many more years of coming alongside all of you to fight for justice and pursue humble self-reflection.

One final comment: the doctrine of hell can be particularly painful for those who have lost loved ones who did not profess to be followers of Jesus. Please know that I am hurting with you, and I am very willing to talk more about this with you (theologically, philosophically, etc.). Reach out to me anytime.

By the way - I really appreciated this prayer from John Piper, who is a Minneapolis resident and served as a pastor there for decades. 

Recommended Reading:

- "God's Very Good Idea" (Trillia Newbell). This is a great resource for those looking to talk about George Floyd with their kids. Quite frankly - adults will benefit as well.

- "Just Mercy" - Bryan Stevenson

- "The Warmth of Other Suns" - Isabel Wilkerson

- "How Could A Loving God Send Anyone to Hell?" (Benjamin Skaug). In my opinion, this probably the best (and most accessible) book about the doctrine of hell. The answers to common objections about hell are particularly enlightening.

We are hoping to serve our Gainesville neighbors in at least two ways: by helping with deliveries and providing childcare. Presently we are building two databases/lists: a list of people who have needs in either areas, and a list of people willing to help meet these needs.

1. If you HAVE a need (for grocery/medical deliveries OR childcare), please let us know by sending an email to info@citychurchgnv.com

You can also call the church at 352-587-2144 and leave a message.

When you send this note, please be as specific as possible as far as the nature of the need and when you need it. Be sure to include contact information that will allow us to get in touch with you quickly and efficiently.

2. If you have capacity to help MEET a need, you can begin by reaching out to people you already know (church folks, neighbors, colleagues, etc.) if you think they might have needs you can help meet. If they do - then help meet them!

3. If you have capacity but don't personally know of anyone you can help, let us know of your willingness to serve and we'll put you on our list! We will then reach out to you as needs arise if we believe you might be a good fit. Please be very specific with WHAT you want to help with and WHEN you could help (for example, which days and times you could help watch kids). Please include helpful contact information. You can send an email to info@citychurchgnv.com or call 352-587-2144 and leave a message.

Let's love one another and our city well during this time! And let's be praying for the Lord to work in great power.

- Chipper

Additional information about other City Church gatherings and services coming soon. Please help us spread this information to the rest of the City Church family.

As of now we are still planning to hold services tomorrow morning (3/15) at 9am and 11am. This is in keeping with the decisions that Creekside and Christ Community are also making. This will be a somewhat shorter service (closer to an hour), and part of our gathering will involve opportunities to indicate needs (like childcare, deliveries, etc.) and opportunities to indicate a willingness to help meet those needs.

For information about adjustments we have made to these services, please see our blog post from Thursday.

We are intentionally keeping two services in order to have smaller gatherings, and public surfaces will be sanitized between services.

If for any reason you do not feel comfortable attending, we completely understand! In that case you should feel 100% at peace with your decision to stay home tomorrow. We know people will make different decisions, and we love and respect all of you very much.

If you are volunteering tomorrow, please know that you are under zero pressure/obligation to serve if you don't feel comfortable doing so. Simply let us know if this is the case and we will adapt accordingly. Contact Ryan Harding (or your team leader) if you no longer want to serve tomorrow (Ryan@citychurchgnv.com).

Blessings,

Chipper

We love our City Church family, and are comforted that Jesus loves us even more and provides perfectly for our needs.

As of now we are still planning to hold services at 9am and 11am on Sunday morning, 3/15. This decision could of course change at any moment, and we will provide you with daily updates. City Church, Creekside, and Christ Community intend to make a joint decision on this matter. We (the staff and elders) are staying up-to-date with the information provided to us by the CDC as well as state and local authorities. We also appreciate the various outreaches from City Church members via text and email with additional information for us to consider.

A few adjustments for Sunday morning's services:

1. Sadly we will not be serving communion. We thought about serving it in an alternate way (and acquired supplies for this), but we recognize that some would still be uncomfortable taking communion given the current climate. We don't want to inadvertently pressure people to take communion when they don't feel comfortable doing so.

2. We will only be serving wrapped snacks for refreshments, and we will not be serving coffee, tea, or water. Please feel free to bring coffee or water bottles from home into the service.

3. We will not be serving snacks to the children. If you want your children to have something to eat or drink on Sunday morning, please bring something from home and feed it to them yourself.

4. Greeters and other church leaders/staff will not be shaking hands. We encourage you to do the same. We also encourage your to wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds (in keeping with CDC guidelines).

5. We will be sanitizing public surfaces before and after the services, and possibly during services as well.

6. If for any reason we need to cancel our Sunday gathering, I (Chipper) will make a video recording of the sermon on Saturday and post it by Sunday morning (we will record from the sanctuary to maximize audio quality and lighting). 

Additional Notes Plus Opportunities to Serve:

1. If you haven't already, consider reading the pastoral letter I sent out a couple of weeks ago and posted on the City Church blog.

2. Speaking of opportunities to serve our city (again, see the letter), we are actively brainstorming ideas to serve the most vulnerable people in our city plus those involved with providing healthcare.

For example:

A) We are looking for an efficient means to coordinate deliveries (groceries, medicine, etc.) for older adults to make it possible for them to avoid leaving their homes.

B) We are looking for ways to bless healthcare workers who may be working extra hours and under significant stress.

C) In the event that K-12 schools close, we are looking for ways to provide childcare for parents or guardians who need to work (particularly healthcare workers, first responders, etc).

If you would like to help us plan any of this, don't hesitate to let me know. We may not respond to you immediately, but we'll do so as soon as possible.

3.  Anything you can do to help promote charitableness among folks will be huge. We probably won't all agree with one another here at City Church (or in our city) about next steps - so I'm also praying hard that the Lord will grant us unity and Christ-like attitudes. Pray that the Lord would protect us from letting passionate opinions and ideas morph into anger and factionalism.

4. As I said in the above letter, pray a lot! Pray for miracles. Pray for people to be drawn to Jesus in this season of uncertainty.

In case you haven't heard, the Coronavirus is here and we should be AFRAID. At least that's the prescription from the gatekeepers of our news outlets and social media. So far it appears that Wall Street is taking this medicine, which has caused wild swings in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. I noticed this morning at the gym that every cable news outlet (thankfully I can watch all of them at the same time!) is engaged in a rousing competition to see who can design the most devastating DJIA ticker. I think CNBC wins with their "Market TURMOIL" graphic that includes a bright red font, an enormous arrow pointing down, and grainy images of masks and HAZMAT suits.

I do not write any of this to make light of the Coronavirus situation. The virus has already affected many lives, and at this very moment many people are grieving the loss of loved ones or suffering through significant physical pain. But I do want to challenge two common responses to the Coronavirus: fear and self-interest.

A Joy That Overwhelms Fear

Two weeks ago at City Church we made our way through Mark 5:21-43, which poignantly shows us the authority of Jesus over illness and death. Sick for twelve years with an illness that causes social shame in addition to physical distress? That's nothing for Jesus. He can heal you with the hem of his garment! Sick with an illness that eventually causes your death before Jesus can make it to your house? No problem! Jesus can walk into your bedroom, throw open the blinds and wake you up from death just as parents would wake their daughter up from a nap.

Followers of Jesus can therefore be honest about the realness and horror of illness and death without being locked in fear, because the authority of Jesus deals our fear a lethal blow. Will Jesus always heal our earthly ailments? No. But he always maintains authority over them. And at all times we remain his spiritual sons and daughters, which means that illness and death never have the final word!

Keep in mind the certain hope for God's people! When King Jesus returns in victorious glory, God himself will give us resurrection bodies. Then we’ll enjoy eternal LIFE with God, an eternity where sickness and death and mourning will be no more. In that sense Jesus always heals, a healing made possible by his journey to the cross and his resurrection from the grave. There he defeated the power of sin and death, which is why today we sing (1 Corinthians 15:54b-55):

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

Should we be sorrowful and even angry that illness and death are part of this world? Yes! But we don't have to be afraid. Instead we can live with joyful hope, singing the praises of the authoritative King Jesus, the king who calls us his children. This kind of joy overwhelms our fear.

A Joy That Unleashes Sacrificial Love 

Crises often promote self-interest. When we're afraid, we tend look out for ourselves. There is of course an honorable, godly kind of zeal to protect our families and avoid foolish risk-taking. There is also a selfish kind of zeal in which we look out for ourselves without much (or any) concern for the way our actions affect those around us.

But the joy of being the children of King Jesus can satisfy us so profoundly that we are unleashed to sacrificially pour ourselves out for others rather than retreating to our fearful, self-protecting cocoons. Since we ultimately look forward to eternal life with God, we can consider the interests of others more significant than our own (see Philippians 2:1-4), even if the earthly costs for doing so are substantial.

And by the way, people might see our joyous hope and ask about the reason for it! In his book "The Rise of Christianity", Rodney Stark considers the surprising growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire and concludes that Christian compassion in the face of catastrophic plagues was a significant factor. Consider this observation of Christian service in the midst of a plague that began in 260 AD and at its peak was killing 5,000 people per day in Rome. Dionysius (then the Bishop of Alexandria) wrote:

"Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains."

Dionysius also wrote:

"Other people would not think this a time for festival [but] far from being a time of distress, it is a time of unimaginable joy."

And Rodney Stark reflects on this by concluding that:

"At a time when all other faiths were called to question, Christianity offered explanation and comfort. Even more important, Christian doctrine provided a prescription for action. That is, the Christian way appeared to work."

(special thanks to Alan Cross for gathering all of these quotes).

In other words, crises are often catalytic opportunities for people to encounter Jesus and put their faith in him, especially when Christians live with sacrificial zeal.

How Then Shall We Live in the Face of the Coronavirus?

1. Consume more Scripture than news.  

It's wise to be informed, but let's fill ourselves up with Scripture instead of cable news and social media. Scripture immersion drives out fear. News immersion stockpiles fear.

2. Avoid news sources that promote fear instead of providing helpful information.

I have friends who work in the news media, and I have great respect for what they do and the value that news media can provide. However, not all media sources are created equal. Sources that mainly cause alarm (bold fonts, red fonts, HAZMAT suits, "microscope" illustrations of the virus, doomsday charts and statistics, etc.) provide little value and can even be harmful. Decisions that can be profitable for a news company can (at times) be detrimental to the common good. So let's pursue news sources that are balanced and helpful rather than alarmist. This article from Scientific American is an excellent example.

3. Bring your fears directly to God in prayer.

As one Puritan author has said, "pray brief prayers often." This is such an effective daily strategy for combatting fear. There's no reason to wait to pray until our "formal" devotional times. Pray now!

4. Consider possible opportunities to sacrificially love your neighbors.

If the virus threatens us directly, how might God be calling you to love your neighbors? Which people in your community might be particularly vulnerable? How can you help bear their burdens rather than focusing only on your own? It's better to start thinking about these questions now rather than reacting emotionally when a crisis escalates.

City Church family - I love you all. Be blessed.

- Chipper

This year I will be writing an occasional “pastor’s desk” note that will address two goals:

1. I want to give up you updates about which books and articles I’m reading (I might throw in some podcasts as well!) so you can read along with me if you desire.
2. I want to provide a space to, when necessary, give more detail about how I reached particular theological conclusions during my sermons. On Sunday mornings I try to “show my work” as much as I can, but time constraints limit what I’m able to do in that setting.

I intend to write these posts on Mondays, but not every week. I will write them as often as I can depending on the rhythms of church life and the space they allow (or don’t allow) for me to write posts like these.

What I’m Reading

Books

“Remember Death” – Matthew McCullough (just finished)

“This Is Our Time” – Trevin Wax (just finished)

“The Cross Before Me” – Rankin Wilbourne (just starting)

“The Care of Souls” – Harold Senkbeil (just starting)

“Disappearing Church” – Mark Sayers (up next)

Podcasts

“This Cultural Moment” (so far seasons 1-3)

Showing My Work - "The Unpardonable Sin"

This past Sunday’s passage (Mark 3:20-35) included one of the most difficult “sayings” that’s directly attributed to Jesus. I’m referring to vv. 28-30, which deal with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and being guilty of an eternal (or “unpardonable”) sin for which there is no forgiveness.

There is some debate among Christian scholars and pastors about how to best interpret and apply this passage, and picking a side in the debate generally entails answering the following four questions:

1. Were the Scribes (and other religious leaders) committing a very specific blasphemy that was only possible for the Scribes to commit during Jesus’ earthly ministry? In other words – do we need to be concerned about this kind of blasphemy in the present day, or did the possibility for this kind of blasphemy “expire” at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry?
2. By the time Jesus gave this warning, had the Scribes already committed an eternal sin? Or was it still possible for them to repent and enjoy God’s grace?
3. Was Jesus mainly concerned about the very specific declarations the Scribes were making, or was there a root issue underneath the declarations that was even more concerning than the declarations themselves?
4. If it is possible to “blasphemy the Holy Spirit” in the present day, is it possible for us to know when this has occurred?

A few reflections, followed by resource recommendations for further reading on this subject:

• The Scribes witnessed firsthand the undeniably powerful ministry of Jesus, so they had to draw some conclusions concerning the source of that power. Either the power was from God, or from somewhere else. And given that these Scribes and Pharisees were religious authorities, the only other plausible option was Satan/unclean spirits. Since they were rejecting Jesus and his Messianic identity, they were effectively forced to ascribe Jesus’ power to Satan. This conclusion contradicted the clear witness and promptings of the Holy Spirit (see for example John 15:26), which put the Scribes on very dangerous spiritual ground.
• I say “dangerous” because I don’t see enough evidence in this text (or parallel texts like Matthew 12:22-32) to definitively conclude that the Scribes had already (and therefore “finally”) committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Notice that the wording and syntax of vv. 28-30 strongly suggest that Jesus is giving a warning, and one of the important functions of a biblical warning is to expose dangerous behavior before it leads to final destruction. Warnings suggest that someone is in an extremely perilous position, but all may not be lost. I take the position that the Scribes were in an extremely dangerous position, but not necessarily a lost cause. I’m encouraged that a religious leader as obstinate and even murderous as Saul (eventually the Apostle Paul) could ultimately repent and trust in Jesus.
• It could be that Jesus, having divine insight into the spiritual condition of these Scribes (insight that we do not have!), knew that the Scribes had become so entrenched in their obstinance toward Jesus and their derision toward the work of the Spirit that they were effectively “beyond repentance” and permanently hardened in their sin. There is no way for us to know if this was or was not the case. Attempts to draw clear conclusions about this issue are speculative.
• The context of Mark chapter 3 indicates that the “core issue” for the Scribes is unbelief concerning Jesus’ identity and ministry. They are rejecting him completely, as seen in the accusations that preceded the accusation that Jesus is responding to in vv. 28-30. Denying the witness of the Holy Spirit (by ascribing the Spirit’s work to Satan) effectively becomes the ultimate symptom of that unbelief/rejection. This rejection helps us understand the placement of the scene Mark includes immediately following the warning passage (see vv. 31-35). Jesus identifies those who are sitting around him as his “true family” because they are believing in Jesus’ identity and ministry – belief manifested in their desire to do the will of God. This “reception” scene is an intentional foil to the rejection we observe from the Scribes.
• If rejecting Jesus is the core issue (ultimately displayed in an entrenched denial of the witness and promptings of the Spirit), then yes, we are certainly capable of mimicking the Scribes in their obstinance and should pay close attention to Jesus’ warning. Keep in mind that rejecting Jesus CAN look like open and aggressive hostility (such as what we see from the Scribes), but it can ALSO involve subtler forms of rejection like apathy and/or living obstinately in unrepentant sin (see 2 Timothy 3). When we reject Jesus (and resist the Holy Spirit) and there is no repentance, this is an eternal sin for which there is no forgiveness.
• The good news is that, should we repent of our sin and trust in Jesus, “all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter” (v. 28). The grace of God is far more wonderful and comprehensive than we can possibly imagine. If we run into the Father’s arms, he will never push us away.
• It seems plausible (if not likely) that someone could become so entrenched in their rejection of Jesus and denial of the Spirit’s witness that they could reach a point in their earthly existence when they are effectively beyond repentance. The problem is that WE (unlike Jesus) are incapable of knowing when someone might have crossed this line. The greatest amount of clarity we can have is when someone takes their obstinate posture to the grave, but even then we cannot have 100% certainty. Therefore, it seems wise to pursue people evangelistically without ever assuming that certain people are a lost cause. And it seems wise for us to flee sin and pursue repentance as a safeguard to possibly committing an eternal sin. It should be of great comfort to those who are anxious about committing an “unpardonable sin” that such anxiety indicates that they have not entrenched themselves in an obstinate position that is beyond repentance.

Further Reading

Note: I’m intentionally including articles/sermons that show you some of the differences of opinion about the issues we’ve been discussing. The following articles/sermons are not in full alignment with one another.

• https://www.challies.com/vlog/have-you-committed-the-unpardonable-sin/
• https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-the-unforgivable-sin
• https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/the-sin-against-the-holy-spirit-5191/
• https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/beyond-forgiveness-blasphemy-against-the-spirit
• https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/qa-friday-can-someone-committ-the-unpardonable-sin-today/
• https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/you-asked-what-is-the-unforgivable-sin/