New City Church Dress Rehearsal

The dress rehearsal was today (8/7/2011).  The band (including Jon who is behind Joel) wanted an opportunity to try out the Bridge before we had "The Launch" on August 14. I (Adam) also preached from 1 Corinthians 1 on the three types of ways to fix the world, preaching wisdom, preaching power and preaching Jesus Christ crucified.  Preaching wisdom is self-help techniques, whether religious (read your Bible, pray, tithe) or non-religious (life coaching, psychology).   Preaching power (such as creating a quasi-religious emotional experience) is similarly worthless in creating real hope.  Only in the Cross does Jesus bring hope.  There, dying in our place, for our sins, Jesus both acknowledge the utter helplessness of humanity and provides a real way for us to be reconciled to our Creator.  Only preaching this sort of message allows the power of God to be present.  And preaching is God's method to bring hope to humanity, but only preaching that can say, as Paul did,

"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2

Join us next week as we start walking through the book of Mark.  Mark: When God came to the neighborhood.