Sharing Jesus
The question of "Who is Jesus?" can't possibly be answered in a few lines, but there are some things we know about Him that make all the difference.
He made you...
With all the skills and abilities you have – those you like and those you're not so sure about. He put you together in a miraculous and marvelous way to make you the person you are.
He wants you to know Him...
The very fact you're reading these words suggests He is reaching out to draw you into a real and vital relationship with Him that makes all the difference in the world, now and forever.
He knows you...
Through and through – deeper and better than you know yourself. Psalm 139 tells us that all the days of our life are written in His book before one of them came to be.
He is alive today...
Even though He died a criminal's death 2000 years ago. He is the Son of God who came into this world as a man to break the hold of sin and give you the life you were made for.
He loves you deeply…
And sacrificially. In spite of knowing every single thing about you (yes, even those things no one else knows), He loves you… enough to offer Himself as a sacrifice on your behalf.
For this life and the next...
The people and churches who connect with each other through this website stake their lives on these things. They have something to share with you and a place for you in their community!
Lord Jesus, we offer this prayer on behalf of the person reading these words. We thank You for Your deep love for all of us, and we pray now that You would draw this person to Yourself. Open their heart to receive the gift of life You have already prepared for them. In Your precious name, Amen.
What to Expect
We understand Sunday morning can be a confusing time when visiting a new church. This page is to provide information to make the experience more comfortable for you.Bring your Device.
It does not matter if you have an Android phone or Ipad. Bring them and visit faithbentonville.com/sunday for everything you will need to follow along with the service.
On Sunday morning the community of Faith Bentonville gathers at 1602 NW 12th St. Bentonville, AR 72712 to tell the story of what God has done for us. When you arrive at Faith Bentonville, please park anywhere.
The Classic entrance is located near our worship space and coffee bar.
The Source Coffee Bar is open all morning at Faith. We have free snacks and coffee on the refreshment table, and if your palette requires a more sophisticated coffee drink, then order something from the coffee bar. Please feel welcome in this place; sit down on a couch and enjoy the community of Faith Bentonville.
The Worship Gathering begins at 10:15 and is located near the North entrance. Our service is a little over an hour and is fairly casual (lots of golf shirts are seen on Sundays).
Bring your Device. It does not matter if you use an android, iPhone, iPad, or other tab they will all work great with our site. We use our web Site to bring you the best content on Sunday morning to you. Just go to www.faithbentonville.com/sunday and easily follow along with the service, read the scriptures, and explore all the content which went into making the Sunday service.
Prayer is extremely important. If you have a prayer which you would like our community to pray for please before or during the service go back and talk to our sound tech. They will make sure your request is heard.
The Main Entrance is located in the newer part of our building and is closest to the road. This entrance leads to our fish tank info center and the nursery. While at the fish tank, see what looks interesting to sign up for, and pick up a gift bag for you and your children.
Our Nursery is located near the Main entrance. All children through the age of 3 or children with special needs are welcome in the nursery. All other children, 3 years old through 4th grade are welcome to come to children’s church which dismisses during the worship service.
Children’s Church begins after the first few songs during the worship service. All children 3 years old and older are welcome to join in the fun and learning. However, if your child does not want to join in, they are perfectly welcome to stay with you throughout the service. But if you would like to walk down to the children’s church room with your child to check it out, then feel free to go and check it out. Our children’s church room is past the nursery, next to the gym.
Worship
Worship is about remembering God’s story in the past, present, and future. A corporate gathering is a dialogue between God’s people and God’s word, a chance to remember the story they’re a part of, renew their commitments, and be sent once again into His world. Here are four rhythms that illustrate this dialogue during worship gatherings:
EXPERIENCE THE GOSPEL
- "God is holy"
- "We are sinners"
- "Jesus saves us"
- "Jesus sends us"
REMEMBER THE STORY
- Creation
- Fall
- Redemption
- Consummation
ACTIONS IN LITURGY
- Adoration
- Confession and/or Lament
- Assurance, the peace prayers of thanksgiving, and petition instruction
- Communion commitment/charge blessing
This is the heart of the church’s liturgy, a word that has gathered a lot of buzz, much of which I think is unhelpful. “Liturgy” gets spoken in tense whispers, held out as a sort of mystical code, a way to ensure transcendence or to root us to tradition. But frankly, these are all horrible reasons to embrace liturgy.
These traditions were formed out of a pastoral desire to see the church shaped by the gospel, immersing them in the story every week, enabling the body to remember who God is, what he’s done in Christ, and what He promises about our future.
Worship Is Remembering
If there’s one thing that’s clear about the people of God, it’s this: we are a forgetful bunch. Adam and Eve forgot God, even in the midst of Paradise. The patriarchs forgot him as they drank, womanized, and lied their way toward their destinies. Israel forgot him as soon as the mud from the passage through the Red Sea dried upon their sandals. We forget again and again. That’s why one of the most often repeated commands in the Bible can be summed up with one word: remember. Over and over, to the patriarchs, to Israel, and to the church, we’re told, “Remember.” Even the Ten Commandments are prefaced by a reminder: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.” “Remember your story,” God says. “Remember what I did. Now hear my commands.”
Connecting Past, Present, And Future
When God calls us to remember, he connects us to past and future in a single thought. We’re connected to an entire legacy of faith, stretching from the garden to the New Jerusalem, and connecting us to His people throughout that history. God’s promises are rooted in our heritage of faith and anticipate their fulfillment, and that anticipation is a powerful gift for those who are suffering, struggling, and stumbling along their way. Remembrance is at the heart of New Testament worship. Where before God’s people gathered primarily to be with God at the Temple, we now gather primarily to be with God’s people and to remember Him. We gather to let His word dwell richly among us (Col. 3:16). We gather to encourage one another as “the Day” approaches (Heb. 10:25). And we gather, as theologian David Peterson says in Engaging with God, to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) —a command more about shared, congregational confession of the gospel than bold confrontation between two people (as the first is commonly treated).
Telling The Story
If you look at almost any long-standing church tradition, you’ll see that their gatherings had just this intention—the gathering itself tells a story. It begins with God gathering His people, to which the people respond with praise and adoration. Seeing God in the Scriptures almost always results in a cry for mercy, and so the church responds to their own praise with a cry of confession or a lament over the sin in the world. To this, the Scriptures reply with an assurance that, in Christ, our sins are forgiven. We are nurtured by His word, and are sent out again on a mission.
Why We Gather
Written for the Resurgence by Mike Cosper
Read
1. Pay Attention To The Context, Please!
“Paying attention to the context is the most basic thing you need to do if you want a clear understanding of what you’re reading.”
2. Remember What Category Of Literature You’re Reading.
“This will help you to recognize whether it needs to be read more literally (like historical narrative) or more figuratively (like an apocalypse or a parable), or in some other way.”
3. Don’t Forget That You’re Reading Cross-cultural Literature.
“Most of the Bible was originally written to people living in the area of the world we call the Middle East. It wasn’t written in the 21st century, nor was it written in English. … This means that you should first ask what something meant to them before asking what it means to you.”
4. Allow Scripture To Interpret Scripture.
“If you keep in mind that the passage in front of you doesn’t stand alone — that it is one part of all that God has revealed in his Holy Scriptures — you will protect yourself from drifting into mistaken and harmful interpretations.”
5. Keep It Connected To The Big Story.
“The big story of the Bible is nothing more and nothing less than a story about Jesus. Everything in the Old Testament gets funnelled toward Jesus. Everything. This is true whether you notice it the first time you read it or not.”
Taken from titled article from Kenneth Berding. http://magazine.biola.edu/article/14-spring/five-tips-for-better-bible-reading/
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