Six Suggestions On How To Navigate Doubt

Teaching

No matter what you believe, if you’re thoughtful and honest, you will face some measure of doubt. Is what I believe true? Can we know what is true? Do I believe what I do because it is true or for other reasons (personal experiences, moral preferences, particular environment, etc)? Have I reasonably considered the other options?

I was recently asked by a friend, who is in the thick of considering the claims of Jesus Christ, “How do followers of Jesus manage doubt? How do you not let doubt swallow you up completely?” Those are good questions, no matter what you believe.

In this post, I’d like to specifically deal with doubt within the context of Christianity. Following Jesus is not an isolated hobby for personal enrichment nor for those merely looking to have their spiritual needs met. Rather, Christianity claims to be the truth of the universe and, if true – and I believe it is – that changes everything. As CS Lewis once said:

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

Here are six suggestions on how to navigate doubt as you follow Jesus.

#1 Ask the Spirit for clarity and conviction.

Start in prayer. Ask the Spirit to illuminate your thinking, bring clarity and convict of any sin that may underlie your doubts. Habitual sin and/or unconfessed sin harden our souls and decrease our spiritual capacity to see rightly. In prayer, simply ask, “Holy Spirit, please convict me of any sin that may be clouding my thinking and preventing me from seeing you rightly.” Then, stop and be attentive to what comes to mind. Is there unconfessed sin in your life? Do certain relationships need to be reconciled? Are you holding on to something that He is asking you to let go of? Do you really want to deal with your doubt or are you intentionally holding on to it? Are your doubts genuine or is it that you don’t want to believe? Respond in prayerful, faith-filled, trust and obedience. You may find that your real issue isn’t doubt after all.

#2  Identify your specific questions.

Following prayer, it is crucial to identify the specific questions that are the source of your doubt(s). Doubt feels like a fog bank rolling in and we all know that it is easy to get lost, turned around and disoriented in the fog. One of the ways to combat this is to identify your specific questions/issues and not allow your doubt to remain ambiguous and nebulous. To address your doubt, you need to isolate the source of the doubt. Take some time to sit down and write out your top three questions. You may find that what felt like a fog bank was merely an isolated rain shower.

#3 Assume we are what the Bible says we are.

As you walk this out, assume for a moment that we are what the Bible says we are – broken, fallen human beings that prefer the absence of God to his presence, living life on our own terms rather than on his terms. Here’s the question: How would broken fallen human beings experience being encountered with the reality of God? Think about that for a minute. Would it not be with doubt, questioning, and suspicion? I think so. So, on the one hand, our doubts could be pointing us to the fact there is not a God (which is how we often interpret them). Or, on the other hand, they may actually be highlighting the reality of God and our brokenness (which, I believe to be the case).

#4 No one lives their lives based on absolute certainty.

Faith is not a belief in the absence of evidence. Faith is a trust which rests on sufficient evidence that is more plausible than the alternative. In other words, you don’t need 100% certainty to believe something, it just needs to be more true than false. For example, can you be sure that Antartica exists though you’ve never been there? Can you be sure that George Washington was a president of the United States? Is Seattle going to have a professional basketball team some day? I can answer “Yes” to all of these. Why? It’s plausible. Every day, whenever we’re faced with a decision, we always (though typically unconsciously) go with the side that we believe to be the more plausible of the two – even if we’re not 100% sure.

Years ago, a New York Times reporter interviewed atheist Richard Dawkins and recorded the following interaction:

“On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is certitude that God exists and 7 is certitude that God does not exist, Dawkins rates himself a 6: ‘I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there.”

The point is that everyone lives their lives based on probabilities, not just Christians.  We rarely know anything with absolute certainty in life. So, when it comes to faith in Christ, it is helpful to ask yourself where you land on the spectrum of probability. What is the probability there is a God, we are broken and in need of a savior, Jesus died for our sin and rose from the grave to bring us home to Him?

Since this is something we’re banking our life on – in this and the next – it is worth accepting even if you’d say you’re not 100% sure. For example, if I had $1million to bet, it would only be wise and prudent to place it on the team that was 60% sure to win, right? For sure that 40% doubt is loud and concerning but it is still only 40%. If you’re not familiar with it, you should look up “Pascal’s wager” on this point.  Personally, my experience is that gap of doubt closes the longer you walk with Jesus as you see the truth of it all unfold in real time.

#5 Consider your alternative options.

What are your other options? In other words, if you choose to reject Christ for something else, what would that be and why would that be better and more probable? So, here’s what a conversation with my doubt might look like, “Ok ‘doubt’ you’re loud and a bit troubling but what are the other options? What else explains the brokenness within me, in my relationships and in the world? What explains Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ongoing impact around the globe? What explains the fact that nothing in this world can satisfy the desires of my soul? What alternative is there that more adequately explains all these things?”

Many other worldviews, philosophies and religions are able to explain aspects of why we and the world are the way we are, but none of them explain it all as extensively as Christianity. The point here is that if we choose to turn from Christ we are not turning to a neutral position. No, in fact, we are turning to another position that we are saying is more probable than the alternatives.

#6 Work out your doubt in community.

When we’re stuck in doubt, it can be easy to isolate or merely surround ourselves with other who are also stuck in doubt. In this case, we only reinforce our doubt and do not position ourselves well to sincerely work through what we believe. To navigate your doubt it is important to surround yourself with others who love you and are willing to listen, encourage, exhort, pray and answer questions. It may not be obvious to you why you are stuck, but it may be obvious to those around you. Intentionally invite others in.

Fighting the good fight of faith with you,

Pastor Adam

“If I feel called to local church leadership but know that I am not ready, what should I do in the meantime?”

Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

This was a question I intended to hit during the sermon on Pastors, Elders & Overseers, but ran out of time. Therefore, I thought I’d hit it here briefly. While I have vocational ministry in view, as that is what the text addresses, clearly this could apply to any form of leadership at home and/or at the office. Not every follower of Jesus is called to lead within the local church, but every follower is called by Jesus to be a missionary wherever he has sent you.

For those that feel called to local church leadership, yet know they are not yet ready, I have the following eight suggestions:

First, there is not a magic formula to become a pastor or enter vocational ministry. Bible college and seminary are helpful, and often recommended, but those alone don’t guarantee future church leadership or fruitful ministry. Jesus tends to have a customized plan for every individual leader and often the only commonality among those plans is the local church.

Second, spend this season of life getting to know Jesus really well through the Word and in prayer. Saturate this season in prayer, growing in sensitivity to the Lord’s leading. Grow accustomed to recognizing the Spirit’s voice and, then, obeying. The best time to hone this particular aspect of your relationship with Jesus is prior to taking a leadership role.

Third, start serving and be patiently faithful with whatever is before you. He/she who is faithful with little, will be faithful with much. Don’t begrudge the small things; be faithful with them. The best measure of whether a future leader will be faithful with larger responsibilities is determined by whether he’s being faithful with his current responsibilities.

Fourth, if you’re in college, pursue a vocational direction. While I understand the joy of desiring to major in Biblical Studies or Ministry, you will be better served by picking up a vocational skill of some kind. That could be anything, including teaching, business, engineering, design, programming, etc. It will make future employment easier and it will help you understand others – the majority of whom will spend their lives working a distinct vocation.

Fifth, share your desires with others and seek their counsel and evaluation. Invite others who know you, love you and have observed you leading to speak into your life. Do they affirm your desire? Do they see in you what you see in yourself? They’ll also be able to help you discern the difference between godly ambition and selfish ambition.

Sixth, begin a plan of study. Study what? Anything. You could begin with our church’s recommended reading list. You could talk to me. You could audit classes from Covenant or Reformed Theological Seminary for free online. The saying, “Leaders are readers” is true. Personally, I currently break my reading into 5 categories: theological, historical, sociological, biographical and classical. I try to be reading something in every category. That’s just me. Figure out what works for you. One helpful place to start is Lit: A Christian Guide to Reading Books, by Tony Reinke.

Seventh, consider what aspects of your character need grace-filled, spirit-led addressing. You probably don’t need long to determine what areas those are. Take some time to consider those areas and what it would look like for God to transform them. When/where will you start? What are the gospel-disconnects revealed by this particular area of life? What can you implement today? What does repentance look like? How will you walk that repentance out? Who do you need to talk to?

Eighth, get your house in order. Paul asks Timothy a haunting rhetorical question, “If someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” The answer is obviously, “he can’t”. The time to get your household in order is well before you take a leadership role. Assess your “house”. Pay off debt. Create a budget. Do you have a regular date night with your wife? Do you get regular time with each of your kids? Are you leading yourself? What are some practical next steps? Re-evaluate every season.

For further study and reflection, I also recommend reading Dave Harvey’s, Am I Called? The Summons to Pastoral Ministry.

For Jesus’ Fame,
Pastor Adam

Church Membership Page Live!

News, Teaching

We began our new series, Church Membership: What it Means to Believe, Be and Belong, last Sunday the 8th. This series will run for the next seven weeks and will serve as the primary content of our ongoing membership process. Check out the new Church Membership webpage to listen in and learn more!

Church Membership: Series Overview

Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

For those of you that are interested in the direction we will be heading for the next two months in our Church Membership series, beginning this Sunday, this post is for you.

Q: What is this series all about?

This series is created to be the first point of connection for those considering Downtown Cornerstone as their church home, for a season or a lifetime. This series will serve as the first round of our ongoing church membership process, which will take place as a class going forward. As you can see, we’ll cover everything from key doctrinal issues to an overview of the vision, mission and values of Downtown Cornerstone. Consider it an “Introduction to Christianity” meets “Downtown Cornerstone 101.”

Q: Who is this series for?

This series is for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned follower of Christ or still considering his claims. However, this series will be required for all who desire to become a member of DCC to ensure you are aligned with our doctrinal and philosophical distinctives. The content over the course of the series is designed to enable you to make a wise, informed and prayerful choice to become part of Jesus’ family here.

Q: What if I have questions along the way?

If you have any questions along the way, feel free to post them here (on the City), speak with your community lead or contact me directly. There are several books that I also recommend, including: Church Membership: How the world knows who represents Jesus, by Jonathan Leeman; Those Who Must Give an Account, ed. Hammett & Merkle; What is a Healthy Church Member, by Thabiti Anyabwile; To Be or Not to Be a Church Member? by Wayne Mack

Series Overview:

07.08.12 Church Membership: What it means to believe, be and belong

During the first week we will introduce the series and provide an overview of church membership. What is it? Is it biblical? Why does it matter? We’ll take time to unpack what it means to believe (i.e. doctrine, theology, and truth), be (i.e. identity in Christ) and belong (i.e. to God and others) as a follower of Jesus. We’ll also discuss the process for becoming a member of Downtown Cornerstone Church and what you can do to get started.

07.15.12 Our Bible

The second week we’ll look at the Bible. What is it? How do we know we can trust it? How did we get it? Why do need it? What do we do with it? What role should it play in our daily lives? This should be a very practical week and serve to boost your confidence in God’s Word. We start with the Bible because it is here that we learn about who God is, what he is like and how we can know him.

07.22.12 Our God

The third week we’ll discuss God. Who is God? What is he like? How many gods are there? How can we know that God exists? Where do we see the trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in the Bible? What has the church historically believed about God? Understanding God biblically is the starting place for being in relationship with him and his people.

07.29.12 Our Gospel

After discussing our God and our Bible we will move on to explore God’s redemptive plan through the person and work of Jesus Christ (aka the gospel). We’ll look at the gospel from Genesis to Revelation through the lens of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. We will also discuss how the gospel applies to both believers and unbelievers, giving shape to our daily lives and decisions.

08.05.12 Our City

The gospel of Jesus Christ is intended to take root in specific local contexts. For us, that’s the city of Seattle. This week we’ll discuss our missional context. Why are we here? Why are cities important? What are the unique challenges and blessings of the city? How do we best take the unchanging truth of the gospel into our ever-changing culture? We’ll also review the history of Christianity in Seattle and our role in Jesus’ continuing story today.

08.12.12 Our Church

As the good news of Jesus Christ goes into the city, sinners are saved, lives are changed and, inevitably, a church is planted. This week we’ll dig into what Jesus’ local church is intended to be and do, including issues related to leadership, structure, governance, discipline, and more. We’ll also discuss the history, vision, mission and values of Downtown Cornerstone.

08.19.12 Our Mission

What then is our mission? Why do we exist? How do we measure success? The Bible is clear that we are saved to be sent across the street, and around the world, with the life-changing news of the gospel of Jesus. But, how do we do that? We’ll also talk about our local and global mission of planting churches in our city and the cities of the world.

08.26.12 Our Discipleship

In light of all this, what does it practically look like to follow Jesus Christ? This week we’ll talk about how our identity in Christ gives shape to our daily lives, including our location (family, homes and neighborhoods), vocation (work, career, finances), recreation (rest, play, leisure), restoration (mercy, justice, brokenness), and multiplication (stewardship, growth, others). We’ll also examine discipleship pathway and what it looks like to go from “lost” to “leader”.

Is Church Membership Biblical?

Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

In an effort to adequately prepare you for our next series, Church Membership: What it means to believe, be and belong, I will be writing a handful of posts to address frequently asked questions regarding church membership and related issues. Whether you’re a follower of Jesus or still considering his claims, this should be a helpful series.

Q: Is Church Membership Biblical?

In our individualistic and consumeristic culture church membership is often misunderstood and, at times, avoided altogether. This is unfortunate as becoming a member of a local Jesus-loving, Bible-believing, gospel-centered church is a vital part of the Christian life. While it is true that the term church membership is nowhere to be found in the New Testament, it is inferred and assumed throughout. (see also: “trinity”) Membership is not only biblical, but vital to the overall health of every local church. Therefore it is important for every follower of Christ to have a biblical, rather than cultural, understanding of what it means to be covenantally committed to a specific grouping of God’s people in a specific local context. You might ask, “Is it necessary for Christians to make a formal commitment to their local church?” The answer, in short, is “yes”. Let me show you why.

Ten biblical evidences for church membership:

#1 The church is formed through a common allegiance to Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 4:5 “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord…”
Acts 17:3 “Explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise…”
John 20:31 “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God…”
Rom 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…”
1 Cor 15:3 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… (Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:3-12; 1 Cor 12:3)

The church is the people of God redeemed by the person and work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. We start here because this is where the church starts. The church isn’t merely an optional club, non-profit or voluntary society that we select as a matter of personal preference. Jesus died to forgive the sins of everyone, everywhere, who trust and follow him. He then brings those who have responded to his call together, within a given local context, and calls them his people, his church, to live underneath his gracious and sovereign reign. God’s goal in history is not merely to form a club, but to create a new humanity. That alone does not prove church membership is biblical, but it does demonstrate God’s aim to create a new people. Let’s look at the issue more closely.

#2 The first Christians corporately identify themselves as churches.

Acts 8:1 “There arose on that day a great persecution against the church…”
Acts 11:22 “The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem…”
Acts 11:26 “For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people…”
Acts 12:1 “Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church…”
Acts 12:5 “Earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church…”
Acts 14:27 “And when they arrived and gathered the church together…”
Acts 15:3 “So, being sent on their way by the church…”
Acts 15:4 “They were welcomed by the church…

The Bible uses the word church to describe the way in which the early Christians lived and were organized. There are no examples of Christians in the Bible that lived separate from the local church. From the beginning, we see that the local church is primary to God’s purposes.

#3 The first Christians were “added” to the church.

Acts 2:41 “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
Acts 2:47 “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Here we see that when someone expressed faith in Christ, they are added to the newly forming church. These new Christians didn’t merely become isolated Jesus-followers, they were added to a people. To become a follower of God was to be added to the people of God. Church membership represents being “added” to a particular local church.

#4 An intentional record was kept.

Acts 1:15 “a group numbering about a hundred and twenty.”
Acts 2:41 “there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
Acts 4:4 “the number of the men came to about five thousand.”

In other words, the early church is counting heads and keeping records of those who demonstrated faith in Jesus Christ – likely for purposes of planning and care (cf Acts 6). There is biblical evidence that the early church kept a list of widows (1 Tim 5:9). If there were lists of widows it is very reasonable to conclude there were also lists of those who belonged to the church. Viewed in this light, church membership is counting yourself among those that belong to God’s people, in Christ, in a local context.

#5 Common commitment and mutual dependance.

Acts 2:42-47 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers…and all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”

From the beginning, those in the church were committed to and mutually dependent on one another. It is evident that the church was not just a random collection of isolated individuals who happened to gather once or twice a week. Church membership is demonstrating your common commitment to and mutual dependence on other followers of Christ in the context of a local church.

#6 Pastors/leaders are responsible for specific sheep.

1 Peter 5:2 “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you…not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”
Acts 20:28 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

This tells us that the pastors/leaders knew who they were responsible for (i.e. “the flock”). It is for this “flock” that pastors will have to give an account before Jesus Christ (Heb 13:17). In order to give an account, the pastors must know who they are accountable for. Clearly, this cannot mean that pastors/leaders are responsible for everyone, but only those who are part of their “flock”. Church membership allows the pastors to know who they are ultimately responsible for.

#7 Christians are responsible to follow specific pastors/leaders.

Heb 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
1 Tim 5:17 “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor…”

Just as the pastors and leaders must know who they are responsible for, the church must know who they are to follow, emulate and show honor to. By becoming a member of a local church you are placing yourself under the watch and care of specific leaders who have been given the task of shepherding your soul. Without becoming a member of a local church it is impossible to actually obey these verses. Church membership is the act of committing to a specific flock that is graciously governed by qualified leaders.

#8 Church discipline infers church membership.

1 Cor 5:13 “God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you..’”
Titus 3:10 “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him…”
1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued to be with us. But the went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”
Mat 18:15-20 “If your brother sins against you…if he refuses to listen, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

In each case above, an individual is living in stubborn, unrepentant sin and thus removed from among God’s people. The question this raises is, “How can someone be removed from the church who has not first belonged to it?” Answer: They can’t. You can’t put someone out of the church if they have never officially been in the church. These passages, therefore, infer church membership.

#9 The Apostle Paul planted churches not isolated Christians.

Acts 14:23 “Appointed elders in every church…”
Acts 15:41 “He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches…”
Acts 16:5 “So the churches were strengthened in the faith…”

Throughout the book of Acts the Apostle Paul’s aim was to plant churches, not merely convert isolated, independent individuals. We see this not only during his three missionary journeys, but also in his epistles which comprise the bulk of our New Testament – written to churches (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Corinthians, Thessalonians, etc).

#10 Biblical metaphors for the church.

The Bible uses a host of metaphors to explain the relationship of Jesus to his people, and Jesus’ people to Jesus. There are four primary metaphors:

Citizens (see also: people of God)
Eph 2:19 “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens…”
Phil 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven…”

Body
1 Cor 12:12 “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…For the body does not consist of one member but of many…As it is, there are many parts, yet one body…now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
(see also Col 1:24; Eph 1:23; 4:12; 5:30)

Temple
2 Cor 6:16 “We are the temple of the living God…”
Eph 2:22 “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
1 Peter 2:5 “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house…”

Family
Eph 2:19 “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but…members of the household of God.”
Gal 6:10 “Let us do good to everyone…especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Heb 3:6 “Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son…we are his house…”

Each of these metaphors is intended to highlight that our relationship to Jesus is not merely individual, but corporately interconnected and mutually dependent. Look at them again. These couldn’t merely be used to describe the universal church, as its impossible to be “family” or part of the same “body” with people you’re not in direct proximity to. Nor could these metaphors be used to describe a loose collection of isolated individuals that happen to gather once a week. God chose these particular metaphors to describe a brand new people that are vitally and organically committed to one another by nature of their faith in Jesus Christ. Church membership represents the commitment to live out our corporate identity in Christ (citizens, body, temple, family).

Sneak Peek: Our Next Series

News, Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

I have some exciting news for you!

We are quickly coming to the end of our ten month series in the book of Acts. Starting Sunday, July 8th, we will begin a brand new series (tentatively) titled, Church Membership: What it means to believe, be and belong, that will run for eight consecutive weeks. The content of this series will serve as the primary content of our ongoing membership process. I am genuinely excited to see what God is going to do in, through and among us in this next season.

What Jesus’ Local Church is NOT

Unfortunately, there tends to be much miscommunication, misinformation, and misunderstanding when it comes to church membership. To become a member of a church is not the same as becoming a member of Costco, AAA or a country club. The church is not a club, nor a voluntary association, nor a customer service provider, nor an optional exercise for “really committed Christians”, nor merely a friendly group of religious people that tend to be free most Sunday mornings.

What Jesus’ Local Church IS

Rather, Jesus’ church begins with this simple fact: Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Savior and Redeemer. He died to forgive the sins of everyone, everywhere, who trust and follow him. He then brings those who have responded to his call together, within a given local context, and calls them his people, his church, to live underneath his gracious and sovereign reign.

In this way, the local church functions as an outpost of the kingdom of God that serves to affirm our faith in Christ and give shape and direction to our Christian lives.

The Bible uses a host of metaphors to explain the relationship of Jesus to his people, and Jesus’ people to Jesus. For example, the church is called a “flock”, “household”, “body”, “branches”, “living temple” and more. Each of these metaphors is intended to highlight that our relationship to Jesus is not merely individual, but corporate.

In other words, we are saved, in Christ, to be a people. When you choose Jesus, you choose Jesus’ people too. If we’re to love what Jesus loves, we must love the church, which he loved to the point of death on a cross. If we’re to be committed to what Jesus is committed to, we must be committed to the church – not merely in an abstract I’m-part-of-the-invisible-universal-church-sense – but in the sense that I belong to a real, flesh-and-blood, imperfect, local community of fellow believers.

Therefore, we demonstrate our common allegiance to Jesus and his people by becoming covenant members of a local church, thus church membership.

You Might Have Some Questions…

I hope you do! That’s why we’re going to take eight weeks to walk through what it means for a Christian to believe, be and belong to a local expression of Jesus’ people. So, I encourage you to pray and prepare as we go into this new season together as a newly forming church. I’m going to invite everyone who calls Downtown Cornerstone Church their primary church family to commit and covenant together. If you’re not yet a follower of Jesus, this series is for you too. It should help you gain clarity around what Christians actually believe and what it means to follow Jesus.

FIVE steps to becoming a member of Downtown Cornerstone Church.

In order for you to be adequately prepared, I wanted to get the five steps to becoming a member in your “hands” so that you can begin to pray, process and prepare accordingly:

So, all that said, we’ll be rolling out more information in the coming weeks. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to email us. Together, let’s ask Jesus to do what only He can, as we move into this exciting new season of life together.

Five Reasons to Join us for Good Friday and Easter

News, Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Good Friday and Easter have been set apart since the earliest days of the church to specifically remember, reflect and rejoice in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – and all these two events accomplished for those who embrace him by faith. Jesus’ death and resurrection are two sides of the same coin. Without his death, there’s no resurrection. Without his resurrection, there is no salvation. They cannot be separated, so I encourage you to not separate your participation in them. This weekend we remember two great events with one great purpose: God reconciling sinners to himself.
I invite you to join us.

Five reasons to join us for Good Friday and Easter.

#1 Jesus? You and/or your friends may know nothing about Jesus. If you’re an average Seattleite you likely know very little about who Jesus is, let alone why there’s so much hoop-la surrounding his death and resurrection. Given the importance of this towering figure, it is only wise to learn more. Join us. That’s what this weekend is all about.

#2 We forget. Even those who are followers of Jesus forget. We forget how radical a salvation God has accomplished for us in Jesus. We forget how deep our sin really is. We forget how great God’s grace really is. We forget that our condition is so bad God had to die for us, yet we are so loved he was glad to. We forget and need to be reminded. “I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder…” (1 Pet 1:13) That’s what this weekend is all about.

#3 Slow down. Life is busy and it can be hard to slow down and truly think about life, death, sin, meaning, purpose, faith and more. We get so caught up in moving from one activity to the next that we rarely get to step back and reflect. What am I living for? Why am I here? Am I living my life in line with the gospel? Do I truly have an interest in Jesus? That’s what this weekend is all about.

#4 Relevance. Even though the events we remember and celebrate this weekend occurred roughly 2,000 years ago in a small, rural outpost of the Roman Empire, they remain incredibly relevant. Jesus is relevant. In a world of one-hit-wonders, seasonal fads and passing celebrity, what we need is real, grounded, truth that has stood the test of time. That’s what this weekend is about.

#5 He is Risen! Jesus’ resurrection proves He is the Son of God (Rom 1:4). By his resurrection sinners are converted (Acts 3:26), sin is forgiven (Acts 5:30-31), the Spirit is sent (Acts 2:33), people are healed (Acts 3:15-16), the penalty and power of sin is destroyed (Acts 13:37-39), we are assured the gospel is true (Acts 17:31) and our future resurrection is guaranteed (Acts 17:31). That’s what this weekend is about.
HE IS RISEN!

Join us on Good Friday and Easter!

News, Teaching

Good Friday
April 6th @ 7:00pm
The Westin Building

Easter
April 8th @ 10:00am
AMC Theatres-Pacific Place

Celebrating Lent

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.