Reisetter’s Reflections..

April 9, 2008

Sharing is Caring – The Bookmark

And they’re off!

By now all three of our Sharing is Caring groups have met one time. It sounds, based on early returns, like we’re probably hovering right around 45-50 people from First Christian Church who have participated in a small group during this first cycle.  That is great!!  Praise the Lord!

For those of you who aren’t able to join us on this 8 week journey, I will try to use my articles in the Spirit to give you a glimpse of what we’re doing in our groups, and to give those of you who are with us a refresher!

During last week’s small groups, we reviewed Brian Shaw’s sermon “Can’t Keep It In” and his text of Mary Magdalene seeing Jesus after the resurrection and then immediately running to tell the disciples about her encounter with Christ.  One of my favorite comments from a participant in my group was a rhetorical question, “How many brand new cars spend their first night in the garage?”  That is to say, when most of us have purchased a new car, our natural instinct is to show it off or to tell others about it.  If this is how we respond to buying a new car, how much more excited to share should we be about a personal encounter with God through Jesus Christ?!

As an exercise for participants between last week’s small groups and this week’s small groups, we handed out the two-sided bookmark.  The bookmark offered us a tangible reminder to pray for and look for opportunities to share our faith with people who we regularly come into contact with, who do not yet have a personal faith in Jesus Christ.

My bookmark rests in a book I’m currently reading about Abraham Lincoln – which affords me the opportunity to see it and be reminded frequently.  So far, I’ve got three names on it: Stacy, a gal I went to high school with who I dialogue with quite a bit on a blog; Matt, a young man who helped with my 2006 campaign and who I remain in contact with; and Cody, a young man I just recently met online.  All three of these people have openly told me that they don’t have faith in the claims of Christ, in fact they’re not even sure they believe in God at all.

My prayer is that God would open their eyes to the truth of his Word and the truth about his Son, Jesus; that they would come to the point in their lives where they would trust Christ for the forgiveness of their sins; and that they would choose to follow him and build their lives around him for the rest of their days.

I’d encourage you to make a bookmark with people you think God might be nudging you to pray for and share your faith with… or you could pick up one of your own next time you are at church.  If Jesus really is who the Bible says he is, and if you and I have had a life-changing personal encounter with him, we shouldn’t keep that to ourselves!  In fact, God may have put you in someone’s path for the express purpose of sharing your faith in Christ with them.  Exciting, isn’t it?!

     Matt ÿ

Reisetter’s Reflections..

March 20, 2008

8 Weeks After Easter

Beginning Sunday, March 30, we at First Christian Church are going to begin an 8-week process of exploring what it looks like to become a community of believers who more effectively share our faith. It will include Sunday sermons, weekly small groups and exciting spiritual growth for all of us!

Over the past couple weeks Liz, Brian Shaw, Jen and I have met together a couple times in Liz’s home to strategize and plan what this 8-week adventure will look like.  The details aren’t finalized yet, but I want to at least let you in on the over-arching goals that we have agreed on.

By the time our 8-week journey is complete, it is our prayer that all of us at First Christian Church will:

Experience a bubbling up of our own personal faith in Christ.  Sharing our faith effectively with others begins by having a strong and growing personal faith of our own.  Being filled up to overflowing with a freshness and excitement about what the Lord is doing in our lives can provide the spark that ignites influential faith sharing.

Overcome fears and roadblocks that keep us from openly sharing our faith with others.  Every one of us has certain inhibitions when it comes to sharing our faith.  By studying encouraging stories in the Scriptures and by openly talking about those fears, we will gain confidence to go out and share our faith more boldly with others.

Gain practical ideas and tools for sharing our faith more effectively.  Just like it is helpful to have a lug wrench and a jack to change a tire, it’s also useful to have access to a few practical tools when it comes to faith sharing.  We’ll go through several of those tools so that we’re ready to articulate our faith more clearly when the opportunity arises.

Become more aware of the people from our everyday lives with whom we have the opportunity to share our faith.  People we could potentially share our faith are around us everywhere every day.  We need to become sensitive enough to actually see those people or to know when a good faith-sharing opportunity is presenting itself.

Become more intentional about inviting others to worship and church activities as a means of growing closer to Christ.  Getting people to church is not an end in itself … it’s a means to an end.  A very important means to a very important end.  And toward that end, we, as a congregation, hope to become more intentional about inviting others to our church.

Be used by God to help others come to a personal faith in Jesus Christ, who do not yet have a personal faith in him.  One of the main reasons we are on earth as followers of Christ is to help people who don’t know Jesus come to a personal faith in him for forgiveness and salvation.  We want God to use us more for that purpose.

           

When you read through these goals, do they seem a bit daunting to you?  They do to me!  But I can’t think of anything more worthy of our time and attention.  As March 30 approaches, please be in prayer for our congregation… that we would pursue these goals together enthusiastically and successfully, and that God would use all of us to shine the light of Jesus Christ into a dark world that seems desperately in need of real hope.  And then join us for lunch after church on the 30^th and get plugged into a small group for the following 8 weeks.

 

Reisetter’s Reflections..

February 20, 2008

Highlights from “Be Still”

When is the last time you set aside some time to be silent, read God’s Word, and speak and listen to God?  If you’re like me, there have been times in your life where it has been way too long.  Maybe you’re in the middle of one of those seasons in your life right now.

The last two Wednesdays that our adult group has gathered, we’ve been blessed by watching and discussing a video offered to the group by the Jenkins Family called “Be Still”. The premise behind the video is that amidst the fast-paced, hectic, noisy lives we live, in order to truly be in a most healthy relationship with God, we need to take time to be still.  We need to take steps to remove ourselves from the pace of life to be with and speak to and listen to our Heavenly Father.

Here are just three of the many helpful points that the video highlighted, which make time alone with God more appealing for me, and might for you, too.

1. Just as drinking water nourishes our bodies, being still with God through prayer and exposure to Scripture nourishes our souls. Think of how regularly we can be found drinking something.  We are continually nourishing our bodies.  And if we aren’t, it won’t be long until we suffer some serious consequences.  We should approach being still with God similarly, if we don’t do it regularly and often, we threaten the health of our spiritual lives.  God wants us spiritually well-nourished and healthy and we should give God the opportunity to do so.
    

2. Like intimacy between a man and a woman never looks exactly the same from couple to couple, or like a friendship between two people has unique characteristics, so our relationship with God – including how each of us is still with him – is unique from everyone else’s.  No two relationships between God and a person look exactly the same.  There is no formula that you or I have to follow.  Knowing God and growing closer to him will look different for each of us.  For me, this takes away the pressure to have to do certain things or jump through certain hoops… it frees me up to do intimacy with God in my own way.
    

3. Without contradicting what I just wrote above in #2, it is helpful – especially as we begin to develop the habit of being still with God on a more regular basis – to pick the same time and the same place for our quiet times with the Lord.  Maybe it’s right when you get up in the morning in a certain chair in your den.  Maybe it’s after your shower and just before heading out for the day at the dining room table.  Whenever and wherever it is, you’ll be more likely to establish regular, ongoing nourishment of your soul if you set aside a special space and time to drink deep from God each day.

One of my favorite authors, Henry Blackaby, in an effort to speak contrary to the message of our culture and underscore the importance of taking time to quiet ourselves and listen to God says, “Don’t just do something, sit there!”

If you haven’t done that lately – without the TV or radio on, without all the thoughts about what you need to do today running through your head, without the rush of an appointment haunting you – I’d suggest you try it.  And if you don’t know how or where to start, call the Jenkins and ask to borrow their DVD… it provides some wonderful insights and practical tips for anyone who wants a more intimate relationship with their Lord.

     Matt ÿ

 

Reisetter’s Reflections..

February 7, 2008

Warm Days in the Windy City 

Are any of you ready for this winter to be over?  Man alive, we’ve had more snow, and more cold temperatures this winter than I can remember for quite a few years.  They say the Groundhog saw his shadow on Saturday, so I think that means just 6 more weeks of winter … so just hang on a little longer, we’re almost there!

As a mid-winter diversion, I want to write about an exciting summer opportunity that will be available for you to participate in.

I’m in the beginning stages of planning an inter-generational service trip to Chicago in June for 25 or so people between the ages of 8^th or 9^th Grade and Senior Citizen.  Nothing is set in stone yet, but at the risk of inflating your hopes, I’ll tell you what I know so far, so you can begin to make necessary plans to join us.

Several years ago I met a guy named Bob Muzikowski … a rough and wild-living Ivy League grad turned hard core Christ-follower, who started off his adult life making gobs of money in investment banking in New York City, and then heeded Christ’s call to move to Cabrini Green in Chicago, which was the roughest neighborhood in America at the time, to start a little-league baseball program for the purpose of leading kids to Christ.  (You can read all about it in a tremendous book he wrote called Safe at Home … an idea for the First Readers Club??)

He and his wife and their family still live near Cabrini Green and have recently started a private Christian school near Cabrini Green called Chicago Hope Academy (search for it online… a pretty neat school.)  After crossing paths with him again last February, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to take a group of people over there to help him and his ministry out in whatever way possible, and the opportunity finally arose.

Our group will leave Cedar Falls Sunday, June 8 and return on Friday or Saturday, June 13 or 14 – that’s the most firmly established detail of the trip; everything else is still up for grabs. 

We’ll probably be doing work around the school throughout the week, and there has been mention of us helping with a new baseball diamond for the little leaguers.  And if Bob doesn’t have work enough to keep us busy, we’ll work for a day or two with a mission-oriented organization in the city.  We will do devotions together during the week and we’ll spend time doing some faith sharing within our own group.  We might even try to get some Cubs tickets or go to the Navy Pier during a couple of the evenings.

Other than for the purpose of building some excitement and giving you an opportunity to consider how you might be involved with this opportunity, I’m writing about this now so we can all be in prayer for this trip.  Pray that the details would come together as seamlessly as possible.  Pray that the Lord would get the right group of people together.  Most of all, pray that this trip would produce maximum impact in the spiritual lives of those who are involved.  And then stay tuned as more details come…

-Matt

Reisetter’s Reflections..

December 5, 2007

“Evangelism:  Using Your Influence to Promote Christ”

During UNI’s football season, I shared the role of “team chaplain” with two other guys from the community.  The title might sound like a bigger deal than it really was … all we did was rotate leading a devotion and a discussion on nights before games with the 15 - 20 players who chose to join us in the UNI Commons for “chapel” after the Panthers’ team dinner and film.

I led the chapel last Thursday night, and I used Matthew 9:9-13 as my text.  In this passage Matthew decides to follow Jesus, and then he invites his other “sinner” friends to his house to have dinner with Jesus.  This, I told the guys, is a great example of intentionally using one’s influence for Christ.  And I challenged them with the notion that we who are true believers ought to be doing the same thing.

Matthew first responded to Christ’s call in his life, personally, by following him.  And then, secondly, he used the influence he had with fellow tax collectors and other sinners to expose them to Jesus.

Evangelism isn’t complicated and it does not have to be scary.  In its simplest form it can be boiled down to two steps: 1) Know Christ, and 2) Make Christ Known.  And it follows common sense.  If we’ve been liberated from sin through personal faith in Christ’s death and resurrection, then a desire to help others you love experience the same liberation ought to flow from deep inside you and me.

At the end of our time together Friday, I reminded the guys that their tremendous season would be over in 3 games or less. Unfortunately, it ended the next day. And while it has been a blast to watch this season as a fan, and while they’ve been living the dream as players, I told them, in the end, if they’re not ultimately focused on knowing Christ and making him known – even ahead of playing good football – they’ve wasted their lives.

The same goes for you and me. Nothing else should be more important to us than knowing Christ and making Christ known – when it’s all said and done, that’s all there is! I believe it was Hudson Taylor who first said, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” How are you spending the influence God has blessed you with?

-Matt

Reisetter’s Reflections..

September 6, 2007

 “Gardening in God’s Kingdom”

The first 8 verses of John 15 are some of my favorite verses in Scripture.  I think part of the reason for that is that I’m not much of an abstract thinker, and that passage is pretty concrete.  I don’t have to guess a whole lot to understand what Jesus means with these words.

Just this past weekend, when I was reading part of it again, I had a new thought about John 15:1-2.  Those verses read, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” 

So the picture is simple. Jesus is the vine.  We are the branches.  And, as branches, we will each face one of two possible outcomes:  1) The Father (gardener) will cut us from the vine, because we are not bearing fruit, or 2) The Father will prune us so that we are more fruitful.

In other words, one way or another, we’re gonna get cut –whether by being completely cut off or by simply being pruned.

Being cut and the pain that comes with it – even if it is just a healthy pruning – is an idea that isn’t too popular today where comfort and ease are two of our culture’s highest values.  Add to it that the all-loving, all-merciful Father is the one doing the cutting, and you’ve really got the potential to make some people pretty…well, pretty uncomfortable.  But there it is on the page and out of Jesus mouth, “My Father prunes every branch that bears fruit, so it will be more fruitful.”

What kind of fruit is God after?  Many kinds, I’m sure, but the first fruits that come to my mind are from Galatians 5, the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  It is toward these ends that the Gardener’s shears are aimed. It is these traits that God is working to display in us.

So, have you been pruned recently?  Has God brought some disappointment into your life lately?  Has he allowed you to fail at something you didn’t want to fail at?  Has he let you hear a word of admonishment or rebuke that wasn’t initially very enjoyable to hear?  Has he, in the privacy of your own heart or mind, taken you to the proverbial woodshed about a particular issue in your life?  Of course he has.  In fact I hope he has.  If you’re not being pruned there is an alternative that is far less appealing!

While everyone will agree that those aren’t things most of us would sign up for ahead of time, we can also agree that our Father doing the pruning is trustworthy and he is doing it for our own good and for his own glory.  This truth gives us an unshakable hope in the midst of trials and challenges and detours.

Someone once said, “No pain, no gain.”  That might not be true for all types of pain, but as for the pain of being pruned by our Father it is most certainly true.

     -Matt ÿ

 

Reisetter’s Reflections..

August 22, 2007

“The Truth Project: Coming September 12”

I want to take the opportunity to fill you in on a Wednesday evening adult study I’m excited about launching in just 3 weeks.  The Truth Project is a 13-week curriculum designed to help Christians become more familiar with a Biblical worldview.

Wednesdays at 6:30 pm from September 12 - December 12 (except the Wednesday of Thanksgiving week,) after eating a meal with the Logos group, we will gather in the sanctuary to watch a 1 hour DVD presentation, which will include a lecture over one of the areas covered by the curriculum.  After the DVD presentation, we will have a 30 minute group discussion over the content we just viewed.

The content from this curriculum stems from an understanding of Scripture that has been shared by countless thousands through the ages, namely, that the Bible is inspired by God, that its words are true, and that its teachings are meant to be the authority for all of faith and life.

As I have been, I am sure you will be challenged by the material we will cover.  You might even have a hard time accepting or agreeing with every last portion of this curriculum, which is OK.  Nevertheless, my prayer is that the Lord will use this opportunity to grow each of us in whatever way he sees fit.  Furthermore, I’m convinced that we will be blessed by sharing this experience together and I’m convinced our church body will be altogether strengthened and encouraged.

Please consider joining us this fall, and while you’re at it invite a friend or two to come along!  In the meantime, if you’d like more information about the curriculum, you can visit www.thetruthproject.org online.  Also, if you have specific questions or need more information from me, please don’t hesitate to call and ask.

     See you Wednesday, September 12!

            -Matt

 

The Truth Project Topics     9/12     Veritology: What is Truth?     9/19     Philosophy & Ethics: Says Who?     9/26     Anthropology: Who is Man?     10/3     Theology: Who is God?    10/10     Science: What is True? (Part 1)    10/17     Science: What is True? (Part 2)    10/24     History: Whose Story?    10/31     Sociology: The Divine Imprint     11/7     Unio Mystica: Am I Alone?    11/14     The State: Whose Law?    11/28     The American Experiment: Stepping Stones     12/5     Labor: Created to Create    12/12     Community & Involvement: God Cared, Do I?

Key Terms Worldview:  A comprehensive set of truth claims that purports to paint a picture of reality; the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world. Biblical worldview:  A formal worldview based ultimately upon the nature, character and being of God as it is expressed in His Word and His creation.  It becomes the foundation for a life system that governs every area of existence.

 

Reisetter’s Reflections..

August 8, 2007

“Life is hard.  Be encouraged.  Follow Christ!”

As I made several trips through the halls of Allen Hospital, during our two day stay following Jillian’s birth a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t help but consider that many people there were probably not experiencing the relief and happiness we were feeling.  Instead, many people in the hospital were likely concerned about an alarming symptom or anticipating a frightening surgery or fighting a dreadful illness or hanging on to their last hours of life on this earth.  And that’s not to mention the friends and family who were walking through these challenges with their loved ones.  Pretty serious stuff … stuff we will all experience someday in one form or another, if we haven’t already.

In light of those rather grim reflections I remembered this inspiring, hope-filled story.

You’re probably familiar with the hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul”, and you might know the story behind its inception.  In 1873, Horatio Spafford planned on visiting Europe with his wife and four daughters, who he sent ahead of him on the S.S. Ville Du Havre.  After the ship’s collision with another ship, however, Spafford’s daughters all died, and he received an ominous telegram from his wife, Anna, who had been rescued and who finished the trip to Europe.  The telegram read, “Saved alone.”

On his trip to meet his wife, Spafford asked the captain to notify him when they came to the portion of the Atlantic Ocean where his daughters died, then he wrote these words:

 

Though Satan should buffet,

     though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And has shed his own blood for my soul.

My sin – O, the bliss

     of this glorious thought,

My sin – not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Not only are these words encouraging as we face challenges, but they represent the awesome truth of God’s Word.  Come what may, we who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through faith and trust in his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins can be confident we will stand victorious on the final day.  This ought to help us put our challenges and trials, even the really tough ones, into the correct, God-centered perspective.

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  Life is hard.  Be encouraged.  Follow Christ!

            -Matt

 

 

Reisetter’s Reflections..

July 17, 2007

“Truth Matters”

I first heard this story from Dr. Tony Evans, one of my all time favorite preachers, at a Promise Keepers men’s conference in Chicago.

There once was an American admiral guiding a battleship across the sea early one dark and foggy morning, when all at once an unfamiliar image showed up on his radar screen.  Seeing that his vessel was on a collision course with whatever was out there, he immediately got on the radio and demanded the unknown party to adjust their course three degrees to the south.

The response came back quickly, “I will not.  You move your ship three degrees to the south.”

Somewhat taken aback, the admiral got right back on the radio and firmly restated his demand, “Maybe you don’t understand, you’re on a collision course with a pretty big boat!  Change your course three degrees to the south!”

Again the same voice offered the same response, “I will not.  You move your ship three degrees to the south.”

Indignant, the skipper grabbed the radio and shouted, “I am an admiral in the United States Navy, and I demand that you move your course three degrees to the south immediately or there will be dire consequences!”

Once more the unwavering voice replied, “I will not.  I’m the lighthouse.”

Friends, God is the lighthouse and his Word, as revealed to us in the Scriptures, is immovable and unshakable.  Yet we live in a culture today that is increasingly hostile to it; where some would suggest that we should twist the teachings of the Bible to fit our preferences and our lifestyles, rather than the other way around. 

Doing that, however, is arrogant and will lead to ruin – individual and societal ruin.  So stand firm on the side of God’s Word, then, no matter what personal desires or public opinions might dictate, because his Word is reliable and true – like a lighthouse at sea.

     -Matt ÿ

 

Reisetter’s Reflections..

June 20, 2007

As one of the newer additions to the First Christian Church family, I want to take this opportunity to officially greet you.  I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for you and me together during the next year.

Most of you know I’m a Cedar Falls kid – born and raised here, graduated from CFHS in ‘94, and was even guilty of parking in First Christian’s parking lot once or twice to escape a tardy slip after a late arrival to school… sorry about that!  I also stayed in town for college, graduating in 1998 from UNI with a degree in General Science.  Since then, I have taken classes at a couple different seminaries, have been the college ministry director at Nazareth Church, and have been a candidate for the Iowa House of Representatives.

Just when I thought I was through working for churches, the opportunity to come on board here presented itself.  To the best of our discernment (yours, my family’s, and mine) it seemed like God’s will for me jump into this position, which will begin on July 1.

Speaking of my family, they are what you’re going to enjoy most about me!  Jen and I have been married for 7 years, and Mason has been around for 3 of them.  As you might notice, we’re expecting another one soon – a daughter in late July, Lord willing.

Other than working for First Christian Church, I am employed by the Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) – a Christian organization interested in supporting policies and legislation on the state level which strengthen family values.

As for less-important affiliations, I’m a Yankees fan through and through.  And as first time season ticket holders for ISU football, I can technically say that we support the Cyclones with our dollars – but it’s the Hawkeyes and the Panthers we support with our hearts!

Most importantly, whenever my time here is done I want myself and others to be able to say that, because of our being together, we have a firmer belief in the Scriptures, a stronger personal trust in Jesus Christ, and a clearer understanding of how God wants us to live for him each day.   By God’s grace and providence, may that be so. 

Please feel free to contact me anytime, by any means (phone, email, or stop by) if I can help with anything.  Thanks for letting me join you in the journey!  I look forward to knowing you and growing with you! ÿ

Matt Reisetter
1925 Main Street
319.266.6207 – home
319.230.2271 – cell
email: Matt Reisetter  ÿ