
Here are the links to our worship music and sermon videos and the sermon outline for 1/10/21. Pastor Mark is beginning a new series of messages from the Book of Ezekiel.
SO 01 10 21 Intr. to Ezekiel Growth Group Questions ( blank)
Here are the links to our worship music and sermon videos and the sermon outline for 1/10/21. Pastor Mark is beginning a new series of messages from the Book of Ezekiel.
SO 01 10 21 Intr. to Ezekiel Growth Group Questions ( blank)
I enjoyed this sermon & I’m looking for a new church.
As someone almost 70 years old, I came to Christ about 25 years ago. Raised in 1st the Methodist & then Episcopal church in Chehalis Washington, I grew away from Christ as a teenager. I later realized I never understood the messages of our Lord & I’m sure the teachings of the Episcopal church didn’t help because during our pre-membership training sessions, the pastor created such a large tent I could’ve just about worshiped “The Force” (Star Wars) in a new age setting & still been accepted theological by that congregation…. & I’m not exaggerating.
My personal Damascus road experience occurred the Monday after a weekend which included a Promise Keepers event on Saturday followed on Sunday by a visit the The Washington State Reformatory in Monroe. I’m a musician & played keyboards & sang during various church services before my coming to Christ. I literally went to bed a pagan & awoke a believer. Although my church was North Creek Presbyterian (Mill Creek) which in PCUSA I was drawn to the teaching of RC Sproul (Ligonier Ministries) which is PCA. PCUSA has drifted so far away from Biblical authority I’m finally leaving NCPC. I hung on because I felt that church still needed believers such as myself, but I’m now convinced it’s never going back & will continue to drift further away from Biblical authority.
I played weekly with the praise band for about 15 years, lead the Monday chapel by myself (both music & message) at the Everett Gospel Mission for about 10 years (approx 480 services), & I’ve been involved with a prison ministry about 25 years (@Twin Rivers in Monroe where I’m currently a “Sponsor” volunteer). I’ve been involved in building projects & etc.
I’m looking for a church that supports
1. The 5 solas (by grace alone, by faith alone, through Christ alone, through Scripture alone, for God’s glory) & Calvinist thought
2. “When Helping Hurts” (Corbett/Fikkert) influenced giving. Because of my work with homeless men I’ve come to understand the damage indiscriminate giving causes. As we’re taught in Matthew, we’re responsible for the effects of our giving e.g. I don’t give money to people at freeway off ramps because I know the vast majority of those dollars will be used to support some addiction, & I don’t want to explain to my Savior at the day of judgement why I provided an addict the last $5.00 he needed to purchase what turned out to be a fatal dose of Fentanyl.
3. Solid (a) Biblical teaching …. as the original author intended the original reader to understand & (b) prayer
4. Avoidance of “Click Bate” culture in preaching …. by which I mean just because CNN thinks it’s a significant issue doesn’t make it important. This is not to say we should avoid popular culture, but realize it’s priorities are limited to creating, growing, & supporting an audience, not to what is really important or even true.
5. Realizing all types of music (not lyrics but music) are not inherently ungodly (I was a professional Rock musician during my 20s & currently I play jazz piano). I think all music used in services should be considered for it’s content & I enjoy “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” as well a some modern Biblical praise music. I especially enjoy singing traditional hymns in a more contemporary style.
I would like to come close to all these points but I can be flexible on everything except doctrine. A friend heard this list & kidded me saying “you don’t expect much do you”. I don’t care which version of the Lord’s Prayer is said, or which type of baptism is used, or which translation of the Bible is used (provided it is faithful to #3 above).
My career was in construction management & I’m a very practical person given to figuring out how to get things done & I have a sense of humor. I’m a cancer survivor still dealing with delayed side effects of treatment, but through God’s grace I’m still able to walk outside about 5-6 miles daily, work part time, & with my wife take care of two of my grandchildren (ages 4 & 7) about half the weekdays each month.
I’m currently listening to RC Sproul’s 550+ sermons which systematically work through the entire New Testament while I search for a church & I’ll likely keep listening to them even after I’ve found a home.
If you’d like to talk call me at 206-349-7474 or text me a time you’d like me to call you.
Do you think your church would be a good fit for me?
So you get a better idea about me please understand when the NCPC choir used to visit a sister church in South Everett “Greater Trinity Missionary Baptist Church” (primarily black congregation) I had no problem sitting in the front & shouting at the pastor during his sermon AND I had no problems sitting quietly on my hands with “The Frozen Chosen” at NCPC so I do have flexibility.
Through God’s grace, yours in Christ
John Osborne