Reformation Day

Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

Below you will find some brief information about our special Reformation day night service on October 28th at 6pm.  We would like to invite you to join us for this time, whether you attend COTR or another local church.

WHAT:  Reformation Day Special NIGHT Service. 

Traditionally the last Sunday of October we at COTR set aside to remember God's gracious reformation of Christ's church in its return to the authority of the Word and the biblical gospel of salvation only by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone to the glory of God.  The Protestant Reformation more aggressively began through the bold action of Martin Luther, the German Reformer, who on October 31, 1517 posted his 95 theses in protest to the abuses of the Roman Catholic church.  Our desire is to remember those God has mightily used to His glory as a catalyst to our ongoing reform into 'the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ' by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word.

Traditionally we dedicate the last Sunday night of October to a biography of an important Reformation character.  This year's biography is on William Tyndale, and more importantly God's work through him in the English Reformation.  We invite you to join us for our special night service, with details below.

WHERE: Church of the Redeemer: 1715 Hwy 314 NW, Los Lunas, NM 87031

WHEN: Sunday NIGHT Oct 28th @ 6pm

A light dinner of soups, breads, and desserts will follow after the service.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Robert Browning

Practical Help for Gospel Preaching - 8 Sessions List

We are moving into our last portion of the Evangelism Sunday School Course. Below is a list of the 8 sessions of this practical help section: 1. 9/30/12 - Starting the Gospel Conversation & Handling Different Responses 2. 10/7/12 - Addressing the Question of the Reliability of Scripture 3. 10/14/12 - Addressing the Question of Suffering & the Goodness of God 4. 10/21/12 - Colossians 4.2-6: Praying, Preaching, and Demonstrating the Gospel 5. 10/28/12 - Addressing Roman Catholics & Works Based Salvation 6. 11/4/12 - Addressing So-Called Christians 7. 11/11/12 - Addressing Jehovah Witnesses with the Gospel 8. 11/18/12 - Addressing Mormons with the Gospel COTR folks, think about joining us for these sessions to grow and enrich these sessions with your thoughtful participation. May our Triune God be glorified through us as we proclaim the excellencies of Christ Jesus. Pastor Roberto

Shame

In a fallen world, shame is a tragically common part of our daily lives. It is--at least, it should be--impossible to see a drunk in the gutter, a 'perp walk,' or our own sin without feeling a sense of shame at the sheer sinfulness of sin. We are shamed by faults, by injustice, and sometimes by history. In any case, it surrounds us and pervades the world in which we live.

But we often forget that even the Son of God experienced shame during His time on earth; for this reason we refer to this time as His 'humiliation' in contrast to His 'glorification.' During His life and especially drawing near to His death He experienced greater shame than many of us will ever know (cf. Is. 53:2-9, Phil. 2:5-8). From a human perspective, Jesus died in humiliation and weakness, bereft of power and of all divine support...

...but that was not the Lord's perspective. In the economy of the Lord what is highly esteemed by humans is often detestable to God (cf. Luke 16:15) and what is abhorrent to men is often precious to God. It is for this reason that the Lord brings fame out of reproach, power out of weakness, and timeless efficacy out of what appears to be an untimely end--in the death of Christ, what appeared to be His shame was actually His glory!

Listen here to find out more.

Suffering Unjustly

What happens when we suffer unjustly? How should we respond? Where is God when these things are occurring? These questions and ones like them are common in our thinking as we ponder the inequities of this life.

First of all, we can say that God knows and cares about our suffering and, more importantly, He cares about justice. God is the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25, Deut. 32:4, Ps. 58:11, Ps. 94:2). He sees the suffering of His creatures (Matt. 10:29-31) and takes into account all motives (Heb. 4:12-13). He cares for the cares of His children (1 Pet. 5:7).

Second, we can look to the examples of His faithfulness in Scripture and trust Him in the midst of injustice. This is most important for us because it drives us to the ultimate Example--the only one who ever suffered true injustice.

Listen to more, here.

Trusting God

God sent the prophet Malachi to the people of Israel to rebuke them for a number of things: sins in the priesthood, sins in the families, and sins in the worship system. At the opening of the book, however, God chose a foundational element for which to rebuke them: the lack of trust in His gracious love.

These people more than all others had a good reason to believe that God loved them because He had been intimately and obviously involved in the entire history of the nation. In spite of this, the people whom Malachi addressed still struggled to trust that God loved them and that He had set them apart. In fact, their attitude had reached such a distrustful state that they were openly disputing the loving nature of God.

How did Malachi respond to their dishonoring words? Listen here to find out.

PRAYER for Ongoing Reformation Conference

Please be in prayer for our Ongoing Reformation Conference, which starts tonight, Fri May 11 at 7. SESSION 1 The speaker tonight is Pastor Dan Caffese from Sovereign Grace Bible Church in Phoenix. He's covering Romans 8.1-4. SESSION 2 - Saturday morning Pastor Shaan Sloan from HCF - Rom 8.5-17 (passage is close, verses might not be exactly right) SESSION 3 - Sat morn Pastor Thomas Dollahite from COTR - Rom 8.18-27 SESSION 4 - Sat afternoon Pastor Scott Butler from COG East Mts - Rom 8.28-30 SESSION 5 - Sat afternoon Pastor John Hunt from OPC Abq - Rom 8.31-39 May our Covenant Lord through the Word and by the Spirit strengthen, grow, and comfort us in the Gospel, and produce in us more worshipful obedience resulting from our conference this weekend. Pray expectantly, come hungry, leave blessed. Pastor Roberto COTR

UPDATED PRICES Ongoing Reformation Conference

Hola amigos, We recently received clarification about the cost for families with children to attend the Ongoing Reformation Conference on May 11-12 at Inlow Camp in the Manzano mountains. The prices are as follows: LODGING: Adults (18 and above) - $22 per night. After two adults pay $22 each per night then the children are free and don't have to pay any extra for lodging. If there is only one adult and three children for instance, then one child would be charged $22 in place of the second adult for a total fee for lodging per family being $44 per night. MEALS: Individuals 7 years of age & up pay $21 for 3 meals: Fri dinner, breakfast & lunch on Sat. Children 3-6 pay half price for meals, which is $10.50 for 3 meals. Children 2 & under eat for free. Hopefully this enables those with families to attend without having to pay too high of a cost. If you have any questions about the conference please check out Church of the Redeemer's website or comment below. Dios les bendiga en Cristo, Pastor Roberto