The Simple Truth

The Gospel of John

This Sunday I'll do an introductory message for our series, "The Gospel of John" where we'll be making our way through the entirety of this blessed book.  We haven't done a series through a book of this length in some time and I am excited to see what God is going to do in us over the next few months.  Below is the blurb for the series and the first few messages in the series...

Few books in the Bible are more beloved than the Gospel of John. This love affair is not without reason for John's gospel offers one of the most beautiful and insightful depictions of Jesus found anywhere in scripture. Why are we studying the gospel of John? Our purpose is the same as John's was for writing it - John 20:31 "...these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."  John is the perfect balance of theological depth and practical insights and will take our faith in Jesus to new heights.  Come and join us on this epic journey through this amazing book.

4/1  The Intro

4/8  The Word

4/15  The Voice

4/22  The Lamb

4/29  The Plunge

5/6  The Disciples

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend is only eight days away! Next weekend is going to be a busy and exciting time around PBC. Here's what is happening around PBC next weekend...

4/6 GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE.  7:30pm in the Playhouse. This service will be a journey through five stations as we reflect on the price Jesus paid to purchase our salvation. This beautiful service is one of my favorites of the year.

4/6-7 TWENTY-FOUR HOUR PRAYER VIGIL.  From 9pm on 4/6 until 9pm on 4/7 we'll be conducting a 24 hour prayer vigil on the campus of Westminster Choir College. You can sign up to pray during a one hour slot. During this time we'll be lifting up our church, the upcoming Easter service, as well as individual prayer requests.

4/8 EASTER SUNDAY.  10am in the Playhouse at WCC. I always love Easter Sunday. This year we'll be kicking off a new series through the Gospel of John. This is an absolute great time to invite a friend to church. Take one of our "You're Invited" cards and invite someone to come with you to Easter service.

4/8 EASTER EGG HUNT. Immediately after service on 4/8 we'll have our annual Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddos. This is always great fun! I love riffling through all the kids candy and picking out my favorites! :)

There's An App for That!

If you have an Android based smart phone or iPhone you can now stay more connected to the happenings around Princeton Bible Church.  Last week we rolled out the PBC App which will give users access to weekly sermons, this Blog, upcoming events, and much more. Overtime we'll be adding more features and improving the App. Please go to your mobile app store and download the app. Make sure you give the app a rating and review. Let's get the word out about what God is doing at PBC.

Most importantly, I want people to understand that we haven't developed the app, or put our sermons on the radio in order to be cool, hip, or culturally relevant. These things are tools that we desire to be used to further God's kingdom.  I encourage you to use the app (and radio program) as an outreach tool with your friends and family.  

Here is a link to a website regarding our app. It contains links which will guide you to the place where you can download the app.  Share this link with anyone you think might enjoy the app.

http://get.thechurchapp.org/share/princeton-bible-church,-nj

Integrating God's Word into My Life

I hope you'll join us this Sunday as we conclude the 40 Days in the Word campaign by talking about how we can integrate the Bible into all areas of our life.  Jesus says in John 8:31-32 that in order to be his disciples we must "continue" in his word. That word "continue" means to abide or to remain.  Hopefully during this 40DITW we have developed some habits that will become life long. If we hope to be a true follower of Jesus we need to continue and learn to integrate God's word into every facet of our lives.

See you Sunday.

Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD this weekend. 

How Do I Study a Bible Passage

I'm a proud owner of the Lord of the Rings DVD collection. My favorite part of the collection is watching the "Making of..." extra features on the DVDs.  They go through the details of how the movie is made. It's fascinating to watch!  Thousands of hours poured into the making of a 2-3 hour movie.

This Sunday I'm going to give you a behind the scenes look at how to study the Bible (a live "Making of..." session on how to study a Bible passage). If you've ever wondered how to dig into a passage of the Bible and get something out of it you don't want to miss this Sunday's service.

See you there 10am in the Playhouse at Westminster Choir College.

What Does Revival Look Like?

One of our ALL IN prayer requests for PBC in 2012 is that God would bring revival into our midst. But what does that look like? How will we know when we're experiencing it? Will it be like Acts 2 with the Spirit descending upon us like a mighty rushing wind and people speaking in unknown tongues? Will it involve thousands of people coming to faith at a single service? OR how about miraculous signs and wonders happening all around us? While those things would certainly be exciting and I would love it if God would move in this way at PBC, it's more likely that revival will happen when individual sparks are fanned into a raging fire which cannot be contained. These sparks happen as people make God honoring decisions that push them ever closer to their Lord and Savior.  Let me share some of the sparks that are igniting all around PBC (the names, genders, details have been intentionally excluded to protect the innocent :))

Revival looks like...

• People committing to read the Bible from cover to cover for the very first time.
• The shackles of addictive sin being broken after a 20+ year battle.
• People wrestling with passages of scripture that have bothered them for years.
• Families rearranging their budget so that they can give sacrificially.
• Someone anonymously paying to have repairs done to the church truck.
• Small groups doubling in attendance during 40DITW.
• A person committing to follow Jesus in the midst of marital struggles.
• A person praying for their spouse and seeing them finally come to church after years away.
• A group of people faithfully meeting at 5:30am to pray for the church and each other.
• A young person, who had wondered away from God during their college years, now finding a renewed excitement about God and His word.
• A person hardened by the hypocrisy of certain Christians feeling their heart softened once again to their Savior.
• A revived spirit of prayer that continues to grow with each passing day.
• A person emerging from a prolonged state of depression and discovering a renewed commitment to Christ.
• A married couple reading God's word and praying together every day.
• A group of guys helping a fellow brother move.
• A person praising God in the midst of being diagnosed with cancer. Glorifying Him because it was caught early.
• A group of people who minister to a family during a time of sickness.
• Someone giving a substantial financial gift to help another family in the church.
• A person at the end of their emotional rope being lifted up in prayer by friends and finding the peace that passes all understanding.
• People finding courage and strength to face obstacles they thought to be insurmountable.
• People using their extraordinary giftedness to serve the Lord in unique ways. 

Just to mention a few. 

So, now what?! Ask God to get out his revival fan and fan the sparks of revival until they become an unquenchable flame that engulfs every person at PBC.

Have you got a "spark" of revival story? Share it with anyone who will listen. Spred the good news of what God is doing in your life.

Can I Trust the Bible?

Hope you can join us on Sunday for week one of 40 Days in the Word. This week we'll answer the question, "Can I Trust the Bible?" Trust is not automatic - it must be earned. The thing/person being trusted must show itself to be trustworthy.  We'll discuss seven reasons why the Bible is in fact trustworthy.

If you haven't already done so make sure you sign up to be part of one of our six-week 40DITW small groups as together we love, learn, and live God's word.

PBC on the Radio

At the beginning of 2012 God opened an amazing door for PBC.  God provided an awesome opportunity for us to demonstrate we are "ALL IN" in 2012.  At 8:00am on Sunday, 1/8/12 we rolled out our very first radio broadcast called, "The Simple Truth", on WCHR 920AM.  We will occupy that time slot for the entirety of 2012 and hopefully beyond.  During our 30 minute time slot we are broadcasting edited versions of the PBC Sunday morning sermons.  I'm so excited about this opportunity for our church. I think it is a tremendous opportunity for us to broaden our reach in the community and give the congregation of PBC another tool in their personal outreach to friends and family.

How can you help with The Simple Truth radio broadcast?

• Prayer - ask God to change lives thru these broadcast. Ask God to bring people to PBC as a result of listening to us on the radio. Ask God to help us raise the funds needed to pay for the broadcasts.
• Let people know. Invite your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors to tune in at 8:00am on Sundays.
• Help us fund the broadcast. The cost for this is very reasonable (about $65 per week). If you'd like to sponsor a week, month, or year :) we could certainly use your help.

I'm excited to see how God is going to use this ministry in the coming months. May it be for His honor and glory!

40 Days In The Word

This Sunday PBC is starting a new spiritual growth campaign called "40 Days in the Word".  I'm so excited about this I can hardly contain myself. The campaign will involve 7 weekend sermons about the word of God (see below for the series blurb and weekly topics), a 6-week small group curriculum where we'll learn how to more effectively study God's word, a daily personal online devotional, and a weekly memory verse pertaining to the word of God.

As with anything in life, you will get out of this campaign what you invest in it. So, I encourage you to attend the services every Sunday, get involved in one of our small group studies, and take the time to watch/listen to the daily devotions. Let's go "all in" during this campaign and watch God do something really special.

In Amos 8:11 the prophet describes a famine, not of bread or water, but of hearing God's word. Sadly, we live in a time when the word of God is readily available but scarcely read. Frankly, too many of God’s people don’t know God’s Word, don’t really believe God’s Word, and don’t ’do’ God’s Word. Our church is participating in "Forty Days in the Word" with hopes of being transformed into people who are ’doers’ of the word. During this seven week campaign we will explore the authenticity, reliability, power, comfort, interpretation and doing of God’s Word.  Join us as we learn God's word, grow in our love for God's word, and begin living out God's word.

1/29   How do I Build My Life Upon the Bible?

2/5     Can I Trust the Bible?

2/12   What is the Purpose of the Bible?

2/19   How Can I See What God Wants Me to See?

2/26   How Do I Know What it Means?

3/4     How Do I Integrate God's Word into my Life?

3/11   How Can I Use God's Word Effectively?

Christmas Eve Service

Join us tomorrow night (12/24) at 7pm for our annual Christmas Eve Service. Service will be in the beautiful Bristol Chapel - love that place at the holidays.  We'll be singing your favorite carols, and talking about the purpose of Christmas. At the conclusion of service we'll help put together plates of Christmas cookies for the always fun Christmas Cookie give away.  After service I encourage each of you to take a plate (or two) of homemade Christmas cookies to a local service provider working on Christmas Eve. All those who receive these cookies are so appreciative and you get blessed in the process.