Articles
New Service Times Begin This August
Beginning August 1st, we will move our services back a half-hour to 9:30 & 11am. As we make these changes, our goal will be to increase our effectiveness in helping spiritual wanderers become authentic followers of Jesus. Eleven in the morning is still early for many people - especially on a Sunday. Our hope is that this change will allow more people who currently don't go to any church feel comfortable at CGS. 9:30 gives us all a little more time to get ready and still make the early service. In this service, we don't tend to hit the drums as hard or crank the volume as much, so if its been a little loud in the second service for you, it might help to give the 9:30 a chance. Any change presents challenges and inconveniences, our hope is that we can stay together, keep communicating with each other, and continue to stay ON MISSION for Jesus.
Questions for Different Age Groups
10/19/09 | Gordon McDonald
THE CENTRALITY OF THE GOSPEL
04/25/09 | Tim Keller
The Christian life is a process of renewing every dimension of our life-- spiritual, psychological, corporate, social--by thinking, hoping, and living out the “lines” or ramifications of the gospel. The gospel is to be applied to every area of thinking, feeling, relating, working, and behaving.
H1 - Following Jesus the Healer
Series: 2009 Northwest Prayer & Healing Conference
04/06/09 | Tim Vink
H3 - Deliverance from Demonization
Series: 2009 Northwest Prayer & Healing Conference
04/06/09 | Tim Vink
Tim Vink's Handouts from the 2009 Northwest Prayer & Healing Conference
Series: 2009 Northwest Prayer & Healing Conference
04/06/09 | Tim Vink
Evangelism through Networking
11/05/08 | Tim Keller
Breaking Pornography Addiction
10/29/08 | David Powlison
In a recent sermon Pastor Tim talked about God's boundaries for sexuality. Pornography is a huge issue in America, so we are prayerfully posting this resource as a way for men and women in our church to get help.
FAQ's on the English Standard Version
10/17/08 | Tim Schaaf
CGS is switching to the English Standard Version and recommending the new ESV Study Bible. This document helps us understand why this is a good idea and how this can help us grow.
F.A.Q.'s For the Congregational Summit
How Are Decisions Made? What About Flags? Insight into our Music. And More ...
Introduction to Natural Church Development
01/24/08 | Mark Sanders
Natural Church Development and how it will impact CGS.
WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
01/02/08 | Richard Pratt
Insight into the Kingdom of God and how prophecies are fullfilled in Jesus' ministry. This article was referenced in the sermon "The Gift of a King."
Gospel Renewal in the Church
If you haven't read Lovelace's book, the following might not mean much...but once you understand his concepts you realize how brilliant and true this is. His main point is that the Gospel has to be the foundation for all hope of revival and renewal. We have to understand 1) That the Gospel is Good News and Bad News - The good news is that Jesus is mighty to save, the bad news is that we are sinners in need of saving. 2) The Gospel Changes Everything - from legal justification to real life growth in holiness (sanctification) to supernatural power in spiritual warefare - everything we are, everything we do and everything we hope for is changed by Jesus' work on the cross. 3) The Gospel is the Root of Life - once we embrace the ways that the Gospel has changed us, we find ourselves natrually growing in mission, prayer, community and theological insight. We can preach on any of these, program around these and try to equip people to perform them, but will always fail unless they grow from a foundation of the Gospel. Lovelace compares them to secondary colors - they only exist when the primary colors are blended together. In same way we can only have a good prayer life when we blend out justification, sanctification and spiritual authority.
Overcome Evil with Good
Series: REALationships
KEY PRINCIPLE: Overcome Evil with God "On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.†Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. " (Romans 12:20-21, NIV) .
E-mail: The Relationship Blowtorch
Series: REALationships
Does the "E" in e-mail stand for "EVIL"? It can. Read this article to find out how and when to use e-mail in a conflict.
10 Building Blocks for Helping Your Kids Become Champions in Life
10/29/07 | Jim Burns, Pat Williams
10 Steps to helping your kids become champions
Forgive as God Forgave You
Series: REALationships
KEY PRINCIPLE: Our Forgiveness Shows What We Think of God's Forgiveness.
Take One or Two Others Along
Series: REALationships
Conflict Starts in the Heart
Series: REALationships
Faith Into Action
Series: CGSNEWSLINE
I've been thinking a lot about faith in action. As someone who likes books and learning, it's easy for me to think of "Faith" as a rational pursuit. I want to know more about God, understand more about the Bible, and teach more about the Gospel - all good things! But unless I learn to put the stuff in my head into action, it's all useless. As James says, "faith without works is dead!"
Conflict Provides Opportunities
Series: REALationships
The Speed of Change
Series: CGSNEWSLINE
...people between age 18 and 30 are falling out of church at an alarming rate. 70% of young people fall away from Christianity, and less than half return. This is a trend that, I believe, God wants to change.
CGSNEWSLINE - Faith In Tough Circumstances
Series: CGSNEWSLINE
This past Sunday I shared a poem by John Piper called Waiting for My Husband After the Bridge Collapsed. It was inspired by the crash of the bridge of 35W in Minneapolis and helps us see how God can work even in the best circumstances. This is the sort of event that takes the words of the song “Blessed Be Your Name†and puts them to the test. How easy is it to praise God when he “gives and takes away�