News, Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the season of Lent (forty days leading up to Easter, excluding Sundays). This ancient Christian season is about preparing ourselves to rightly celebrate Good Friday and Easter, days that mark Jesus’ death for sin and victory over the grave. I love this season. It’s a season that reminds us that we are part of a much bigger story than our own, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses from millennia past. It’s a season that reminds us we are mortal. It’s a season that reminds us our only true hope is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its a season that reminds us it is OK to feel deeply about sin and suffering.

Our experience, appreciation and understanding of Good Friday and Easter is largely determined by how we prepare for them. That is what Lent is for. As with any tradition, Lent can become meaningless but it doesn’t have to be. For me, growing up, Lent meant little more than not eating meat on Fridays. It can be more. It is more. Lent is a time to prepare our mind, heart, imagination, affections, conscience and will to lay hold of the great love of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ afresh. This preparation is primarily marked by the practice of repentance, reflection and confession. What follows are some thoughts to help aid in your practice and participation in this season.

 
Also, be sure to join us tomorrow night, Thursday (February 23rd), for our monthly prayer night. We’ll be placing a particular emphasis on the season of Lent in prayer and repentance.

City Life, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Last week I had an opportunity to attend the Downtown Seattle Associations’ (DSA) State of Downtown Forum with 1,000 other business, art and civic leaders at the Westin Hotel. Both DCC and my family are members of the DSA. If you are a downtown resident, you should consider it yourself. It was a great event, filled with helpful insights on life (living, working, shopping, playing) downtown.

You might ask, “Why would a church be involved in something like that?”

First, we love Jesus Christ. We are a church with a deep love for Jesus, a thirst for His Word, and a passion for the spread of His Gospel. All things were created by Him, for Him and through Him – including Seattle. He is the Cornerstone of the church, this city, and reality itself. He is not distant and detached. Rather, he made this city and fashioned every person here in his image. Our city’s love for beauty, art, creativity, outdoors, and technology all point to the One who made and sustains them all. Therefore, it goes without saying, Jesus loves Seattle and wants “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4)

Second, we love Seattle too. If we love Jesus, we also love what he loves, including Seattle. Therefore, we embrace our city, learn from our city and are for our city. We are not in Seattle to stand above it (in judgment) or hide under it (in fear) or to mirror it (in surrender), but to serve it (in love). We love Seattle. We are Seattlites and are here for fellow Seattlites who dislike, hate or are skeptical of the church – as well as those who love Jesus’ church. We want as many people as possible to meet Jesus and experience life as it was intended to be – now and forever.

Third, this is why we exist to build a great city through the gospel of Jesus for the glory of God. God created all things good, whole and perfect. Sin shattered that perfection. But, God sent His son, Jesus the Christ, to live, die and rise again for the forgiveness of sin and to begin the restoration process of the entire universe – through His redeemed people. To be truly Christian is to be truly human; living as we were always intended to live, in loving relationship with God and others. God offers us this life-as-it-should-be through the Gospel, and sends us to be “salt” and “light” (Mat 5:13-14) in our city; to be agents of preservation, renewal and light in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. As this happens, the city changes. Personal Gospel renewal inevitably leads to city renewal as the very social, cultural and spiritual fabric of the city is redeemed. The result? A great city, where Jesus is loved, sin is forgiven, lives are transformed, relationships are reconciled, mercy is extended, integrity is restored, families are rebuilt. That kind of city is a foretaste of forever with Jesus.

“But, how do we do that?”

To do that well, our aim is to cultivate a faithful presence in our city and continually work to understand what makes our city tick. Or, in other words, as the Apostle Paul said:

“I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all
for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” 1 Cor 9:22-23

If we genuinely love our city, we should strive to understand it so that we can faithfully and effectively articulate the unchanging gospel into our ever-changing culture. That’s where the DSA event comes in. To become “all things to all people” is to understand where others are coming from (likes, fears, passions, hopes, dreams, etc.) in order to more effectively extend the gospel of Jesus. Here are some things I learned about our city last week:

 
Let’s love our city – and the people of our city – well, for Jesus’ sake. Let’s work to cultivate a significant faithful presence for Jesus, being intentional about spreading his mercy and message. That doesn’t happen overnight, but over decades. Let’s continue to ask Him to do what only He can, in our lifetime and in generations to come. God’s story truly is the greatest show on earth. “Behold I am laying in [Seattle] a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:6)

-Pastor Adam Sinnett

Community, City Life, Uncategorized | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

We recently moved. Three blocks to be exact. And, well, it was a little bitter sweet. Why? Because we saw God do some amazing things in our little 2nd floor 850 sq ft apartment, and 11th floor community room, in the middle of the city. We saw Him grow an eight person launch team into a church. We saw Him answer prayers in extraordinary ways. We saw him multiply one community into six. We saw people come to know and grow in Jesus. We hosted many not-yet-believers and had countless opportunities to share the gospel. We hosted many of you. We saw relationships form, broken and reconciled – sometimes all at once! We saw many take the step of faith in committing to a church plant. We sang. We laughed – a lot.

It is probably not a surprise to you that God uses spaces. Don’t miss this. Yes, clearly, God uses people. But, he uses people in spaces: arks, prison cells, tents, deserts, whale bellies, castles, baskets, stables and more. Here’s what I want you to know, believe and live: God wants to use the spaces he has placed you in for his glory, the good of others and your joy. I want to encourage you to not see the every day spaces that you find yourself in (cars, cubicles, offices, homes, complexes, coffee shops, etc.) as neutral to the things of God. He wants to transform how you see and use the normal spaces in your life as miniature stages where his story can continue to unfold in small and big ways. He invites all of us into that.

#1 He wants to use your spaces.

It can be too easy to think that God only works through certain people, but not me, and certain places, but not mine. How would your outlook change if you viewed your every day spaces as stages within God’s story? We may not say it out loud, but we often live in a way that demonstrates our lack of faith in a God who is present, living, and working. We create a false separation between sacred and secular, when all of life is sacred. God is everywhere and everything is His, including your every day spaces. How could you redeem the use of your spaces for Him? Our previous apartment was just an apartment, but God used it as a stage for so much more. He wants to do the same with yours.

#2 Don’t underestimate what God wants to do through you.

Maybe this is because we live in Seattle or maybe it’s just the human heart, but too often we underestimate what God wants (or can) do through us. So, we wait or abdicate. We think, “I’ll do more when I’m in a better place.” We never get there, so we never do. Jesus wants you to experience the exhilaration of using your spaces for him, viewing them as stages within his redemptive story. That could mean personal transformation as you commit to trusting him and walking by the power of his grace in your every day spaces. It could also mean regularly inviting folks over for dinner or dessert, taking opportunities to pray for others as the Spirit prompts you, recognizing and meeting the needs of those around you and more. Start simple, but pray big. Don’t underestimate what God wants to do through you.

#3 Fight cynicism with anticipation.

We often celebrate cynicism, particularly in our city. But, cynicism is just unbelief that masquerades as intellectualism. It looks and sounds smart, quick and witty – but it is filled with unbelief in a God who has worked a massive redemption and delivered some massive promises to His people. The gospel of Jesus Christ transforms cynicism to optimism. Optimism creates a sense of anticipation. God’s specialty is taking normal, ordinary people and doing abnormal, extraordinary things. Our lives should reflect an anticipation that God is who he says he is. Fight cynicism with gospel-birthed anticipation.

#4 Some Practical Suggestions.

By now, some of you may be asking, “But how?” Good question. First, get to know your God really, really well through daily means of grace (Bible, prayer, community, etc). The better you know Him, the more you’ll trust Him. Second, repent of unbelief and cynicism as the Spirit leads. Ask Him to fill you with a fresh sense of hope, joy and anticipation in him. Third, consider dedicating your spaces to God. Not in a weird, I’m-going-to-anoint-my-elevator-at-work sense. But, just a simple prayer over your home, cubicle or car, telling Jesus you want to use them as mini-stages within His larger story. Ask Jesus to give you eyes and ears to see the many ways He is already at work in you and others around you – ask to join Him in that work. Lastly, think through what Jesus wants to do in and through you in your daily spaces. Wouldn’t it be cool to say, “That apartment is where Jesus transformed my anger” or “I shared the gospel with 10 co-workers in that cubicle” or “I learned what prayer is in that car” or “Jesus healed my marriage in that coffee shop” or “We hosted 20 non-Christians this year for dessert at our dining room table”? Your car is not just a car. Your apartment is not just an apartment. Your cubicle is not just a cubicle. They can be stages within God’s story; God uses spaces.

Baptism, Community, News, Video

On December 11th, 2011, we had the privilege and honor of holding our first indoor baptisms as a newly forming church in the heart of downtown Seattle.

It was an exciting morning as we saw friends and neighbors proclaim commitment to Christ and be baptized, symbolizing their new life in Him. God has not called us to plant this church in order to merely build a great church – but to build a great city, from the avenues to the alley ways. That happens as individual lives are changed by Jesus and sent into the city armed with His message and mercy. Baptism marks that change, and for that we rejoice!

Missions, Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

On Sunday I planned to offer some practical help on how to engage others for the purposes of the gospel based on our text, Acts 8:26-40, but I ran out of time. If you missed it, you can listen to or read the sermon here. There was too much gospel gold to serve up in one sitting. What follows compliments what has already been said there.

God’s Heart

One of the reasons I love this passage is that it shows us so much about the heart of God. It shows us that God loves those who are really, really, really far from him. It shows us that God can use even the briefest, chance encounters to effect eternal change. It shows us that God is weaving a story beyond our comprehension. It shows us that he invites us in to be part of the action as conduits of his grace.

Where Do I Start?

One of the questions I often get is “Where do I start?” Many of you want to participate in God’s mission of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, but you don’t know where to begin. This passage gives us some help to do just that. What follows are five practical principles for joining Jesus’ mission, based on Acts 8:26-40.

#1) Keep it Simple. Don’t over-complicate what it means to live life with gospel-intentionality. You don’t need to carve out 10 extra hours a week. No one has 10 extra hours in their week. Rather, ask yourself, “Where is God already at work?” and then, “What would it look like for me to join him in that?” We don’t know exactly what Philip was doing when he heard the angel of the Lord tell him to head to the desert, but we do know that he was (1) in a place to hear the Lord and (2) ready to follow Him. Are you? Keep doing what you’re already doing, but with ears ready to discern where God is working and a spirit ready to obey. Keep it simple.

#2) Ask Questions and Listen. (Acts8:30,34-35) The very first thing that Philip did was ask a question, Do you understand what you are reading? That’s a good principle. It is easy to assume that we know where people are at and what they are thinking. But, often, the truth is we don’t. If we’re ready to share the gospel of grace, we must also be ready to tangibly demonstrate that same grace by patiently asking questions and listening to others – that’s just love. When the timing is right, they will eventually ask, How can I, unless someone guides me? You’ll be surprised how people will express interest in your beliefs, if you do the same for them.

#3) Use the Word of God. (Acts 8:35) We are told that, beginning with this Scripture [Philip] told him the good news about Jesus. He started with the Scriptures. When possible, we should too. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The Spirit uses His inspired word to work faith into hearts. There is no other way to say it, other than it is a supernatural work. I experienced this first hand when I became a Christian. This means it is important for every follower of Jesus to, not only have a Bible readily available, but also have some verses that you can quote from memory, such as John 3:16, 1Jn 4:10, Rom 5:8, Eph 2:8-9, Rom 6:23, John 1:12, etc.

#4) Open Your Mouth. (Acts 8:35) This almost goes without being said. Almost. We have to open our mouths. Yes, we need to pray. Yes, we need to demonstrate the grace, mercy and transforming effect of the gospel in our lives. Yes, often others need to know that we care, before they will care about what we know. But, there comes a point where we must open our mouths to communicate the life-changing, world-altering, sin-forgiving news of the gospel. Much wisdom and love is required to walk this tension.

#5) Lookout for Hungry Hearts. (Acts 8:28) If you want to share the gospel with others, look for hungry hearts around you. Who is seeking? Who is asking questions? Who seems to be interested when you talk about church, the Bible or Jesus? Who is going through a rough season of life and potentially more open to talking about deeper things? If there are people around you that this is true of, that’s from God. It’s not a guarantee they will turn to God, but it is a sign that God is stirring faith in them. Act on that. Pray for everyone, but lovingly pursue hungry hearts.

So, where will you start? Invite neighbors over for a monthly BBQ? Ask a co-worker out for lunch or coffee? Be more intentional with that one friend? Adopt a Real Change seller downtown? Pray for greater sensitivity to the Spirit’s movement? Look at everything you’re already doing, and everyone involved in what you’re already doing, and ask, How can I best live every day, ordinary with gospel intentionality? Just start and watch Him work.