It’s not too late to sign-up for Mclean University at: www.mbcloudoun.org/mu! Get answers to your questions about Jesus, the Bible and more in this series of classes that will introduce you to some of the basic building blocks for the Christian faith. Each lesson examines biblical truths and helps you apply them to your life.

If you are beginning a relationship with Jesus or are just exploring who Jesus is and what the Bible says, we recommend you begin with Christianity 101. Remember, McLean University is not just for new believers.  There are several classes offered to help believers in Jesus to grow in their faith.

Check out this video to get inspired and then take a class!!

Have you ever seen this bumper sticker?

You may have noticed it on a car, truck or van and if you are a U2 fan you may remember they used this Coexist logo on their Vertigo concert tour. Coexist image was originally created by a Polish graphic designer named Piotr Mlodozeniec for an art contest hosted by the Museum of Seam for Dialogue to promote peace and reconciliation among people of different worldviews, faiths, and belief systems. This newer version of the sticker above has an expanded message of tolerance to also include Eastern religions as well as issues surrounding gender, including homosexuality.

Seeing this sticker immediately triggered all kinds of questions in my mind. So how are we as Christians to respond to this postmodern message of Coexist? How are we to reconcile that Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and at the same time He tells us that there will be division among family members about their belief or lack of belief in Jesus (Matt. 10:34-36; Luke 12:49-53).

I know what you are thinking, “Isn’t the Bible contradicting itself when it says Jesus is about peace, love and turning the other cheek (Matt. 5:39), but people’s beliefs in him will cause families to be divided and split up?” This doesn’t make any sense.  The Bible seems to be contradicting itself.  I just can’t grasp or comprehend these two differences. Well, the Good News :) is that you are not alone.

So how do we reconcile this contradiction?  The Bible does tell us that we are to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:39; Luke 6:27-36).  But it also commands us to preach the Gospel to all nations (Matt. 28:18-20), but to do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). You see God is not contradicting Himself. What God is saying is that Christian’s are to be in the world, but not of the world (Romans 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17).  As Christ followers we are called to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15; Romans 10:14-15) regardless if we may offend another individual, but we are to do so with gentleness and respect.

In Matthew 10:36 Jesus is not advocating literal war with your families, he is saying that as the gospel is shared it will naturally cause division between those who reject and accept Him. We need to stand up for what is right and true according to the Word of God. We are to cling to what is good and hate what is evil (Rom. 12:9).

We also need to remember that God is not only a God of mercy and grace He is also a God of justice (Matt. 24:6-8; Rev. 19:15). Jesus is not a pacifist as is seen in Rev. 19:15. The peace that Jesus brings is one of salvation and redemption of man’s sins (Heb. 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19).  Peace that we have a rock solid hope of an eternal future with Him after we die. Peace that we do not have to fear death if we place our faith in trust in Him (John 3:16-18; Acts 4:12).

So what’s the take away?  Well there are many, but what I want to emphasis is we cannot fall into the trap of worrying whether we may offend someone and not share the Gospel. Satan uses a postmodern philosophy to plant seeds of doubt to keep us from doing what God calls us to do. Don’t let Satan win next time you have the opportunity to share the gospel. As Christians we should strive to pray for peace and do everything within our power to live at peace with one another but at the same time we should never sacrifice the truth of the Gospel for the sake of keeping the peace.

Amelia Sipress, Associate Director of Ministry Teams @MBC Loudoun

almighty Abba blessed capable caring daddy delightful everlasting everywhere Emanuel fearless forgiving faithful great holy intelligent just kind King loving Lord majestic merciful magnificent noble outstanding

If you were given the alphabet and told to come up with a word for each letter to describe God, could you do it? That was the challenge during September’s Second Saturday. As people got food and built community, they enjoyed praising God as they brainstormed different words to describe Him from letters A thru Z.

As we begin Building His Church: A 50 Day Spiritual Journey, it is important to give thanks and praise to God for who He is and what He has done in our individual lives. We should begin this journey of prayer in the same way Jesus taught His followers, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name’” (Matthew 6:9). Let us start out on the right foot saying together, “Hallowed be thy name, Lord God.”

In all, it was a great Second Saturday of fellowship, learning and praising God together.

The only trouble we had was coming up with a word that describes God beginning with the letter “X.” Maybe you can help?

omniscient patient peaceful powerful quiet quotable reliable righteous sensitive superb sinless trustworthy trustful trinity unstoppable understanding unifying victorious valuable wonderful eXtreme Yahweh zealous

by Claudia Rabe

God gave our family the opportunity of going to Nicaragua with our MBC Loudoun Mission Team this summer. I went with my husband, Walt, and our two sons, Garrett and Ethan. This trip was a life-changing experience for our family.

I learned that there is a lot of truth in Proverbs 16:9, which says “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Before going on this trip, I had personally envisioned myself connecting with the younger children but things did not necessarily go as I had expected because God had better plans for me.

I had the opportunity to meet and build a relationship with Yessica, a 15-year-old girl who I initially noticed because of her beautiful eyes. When I complimented her, I noticed that she was very guarded about her appearance. I started chatting with her and she shared a little about her family – she grew up in a home with 10 kids and they had an alcoholic father who had left them. Our conversation deepened and I felt God leading me to say, “God loves you very much! Do you believe that?” I continued by telling her that the Lord had laid it on our team’s hearts to be in Nicaragua. There were many places in the world that we could have gone but that He had brought us here for moments such as these. Immediately, I saw tears. That is when the wall began to drop and she really began to share. I listened as she poured out her heart and told many stories – she had been working since she was 8-years-old, the abuse and misunderstanding she had encountered and many other unfathomable things. I wept as I felt my heart breaking for her. As the tears rolled down my face, I prayerfully told her that I could not relate to all her experiences because I had grown up very differently. I said our one-week presence in Nicaragua was not going to transform her life, but God could.

All too quickly, I realized that it was time for us to head back to the hotel. As our bus drove away, I saw her waving good-bye with tears in her eyes as she held one of her brother’s hands. I waved and knew that image of her would be forever imprinted in my mind.

Over the next few days, Yessica and I were able to connect frequently and continue our conversation. Before the trip, I had bought a brand new Spanish/English Bible and marked it with over twenty Bible verses that share the Gospel message. I had the privilege of being able to give her my Bible and share these verses with her, talking about how they apply to her life.

I experienced many wonderful people and things throughout our trip to Nicaragua, but meeting Yessica left the biggest imprint on my heart. I will always cherish our time together!

by Amelia Sipress, Associate Director of Ministry Teams @ MBC Loudoun

Everybody loves good news. But we really love God news, and August’s Second Saturday wasn’t short on it. We heard from MBC Loudoun’s mission team about their trip to Nicaragua where God did some awesome things in and through these individuals who have a passion for reaching across borders to share the message of Christ.

The team organized a Vacation Bible School for the Nicaraguan children that clearly showed God using a simple program to establish relationships with the children and teenagers. The team taught the children biblical truths. Most children in Nicaragua grow up without having the presence of a fatherly figure in their lives. As the team did the VBS, they had the opportunity to connect with the children and demonstrate God’s unconditional love to them as well as teach them biblical truths.

The team also visited Rama Cay, which is one of the poorest places in Nicaragua. One of the team members had been to Rama Cay the year before and described the change he saw between the two visits: “It could only be from God. The previous year, the people were closed and hardened. They didn’t greet or talk to us. They allowed us into their homes with reservation… This year, the people were more open, the children came out to greet our MBC team, and allowed us into their homes more readily. The change was astonishing.”

This is only the beginning of what God has begun to do in Nicaragua. The team created medical records for the children, helped provide children with nutritious food and set up a ‘Ladies Night’ at the church where they pampered, bonded with and encouraged the local women.

All in all, hearing from our MBC Loudoun Missions Team was encouraging. Hearing from them allowed us to celebrate all that God had done in and through them.

If you are interested in taking a short term missions trip with McLean Bible Church, you can find more information here.

by Jim Supp, Campus Pastor @ MBC Loudoun

For 4 years now the Supps have hosted a breakfast just prior to the start of the school year. Normally this occurs on Labor Day – traditionally the day before school begins. Although the county threatened to disrupt the event by starting school a week early, everything went off without a hitch. Truthfully, it was one of the best breakfasts yet. Our total attendance this year was 50 people representing 11 families in our neighborhood. We started at our usual time of 7:30 (yes, this was a Saturday morning) and people came in their finest PJ’s with some wonderful bedhead creations – including most adults. We gave out prizes for best bedhead, best PJ ensemble and best morning disposition. After enjoying waffles, fruit and muffins the kids settled in to listen to a message from God’s Word. (And we had every single adult listening in as well.) I shared the story of the Good Samaritan as we considered what it means to be a good neighbor upon returning to school. There was eager interaction on the part of the children and all were attentive to the very end. I took the opportunity to pray over the kids as they prepare to head into their next year at school. What a blessing it was for us as we continue in our efforts to build spiritual bridges to our neighbors. I mean, how often do you have the opportunity to have 50 people from your neighborhood standing in your driveway, in their pajamas, listening to God’s Word? How cool is that? I pray you are encouraged in your efforts to build these bridges as well.

Did you know that marriage was the first institution established in all of creation? God established the marriage relationship (Gen. 2:24) prior to establishing the institutions of the church, governments or any other institution we have today. Marriage is the foundational institution of social order. The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote that the covenant of marriage should emulate Jesus Christ’s own love and relationship with his church, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

As by evidence presented above, God values the marriage relationship above all other relationships that exist, this includes our relationships with parents, friends and our children. Since God places such a high value on the marriage relationship, we should take an opportunity like the Marriage Conference to invest in our marriages. Whether you are just starting out in your marriage or have been married for decades, it is always good to spend time strengthening and deepening your relationship with your spouse.

Gary Chapman, who is the key-note speaker, says you should attend the conference for the following reasons:

First, to keep your own marriage growing. Marriages either get better or they get worse. They never stand still. Most people prefer a growing marriage. Secondly, to equip you to minister to other couples who turn to you for help. In the church and in the work place, people turn to friends long before they go to a counselor.

Finally, it will be a great time to reconnect with your spouse. If your spouse has the love language of “quality time” or “receiving gifts” then surprise them with tickets for the conference.  You could even make the conference into a staycation by spending the night out.  So what are you waiting for?  Sign-up now before the event sells out. You can get the group rate information by CLICKING HERE.

There are just some things in life that don’t need any explanation. Watch the video below, as it gives a glimpse into the many ways God worked in and through all the students of The Rock that traveled to the Dominican Republic in the name of Christ.

by Kathy, Rhonda, and Wendy, Dinner Groups Team @ MBC Loudoun

I’m sure we all can relate to our mom and dad yelling at some point in our lives, “Dinner is ready, come and get it!”  Or perhaps these days this may be communicated via a text message!  But in the 1800’s they rang what was called a dinner bell so everyone that is out and about would know it is time to come in from work or play to eat dinner.  Well, we are ringing the dinner bell for you all to come and sign-up for the fall session of MBC Loudoun Dinner Groups.

We will kick-off Dinner Groups with the First Annual Dinner Group Chili Cook-Off to be held on Saturday, September 17, from 4:30 – 6:00 pm to initiate our Dinner Groups.

Why is MBC Loudoun interested in Dinner Groups?

At MBC, we believe passionately that every Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus Christ needs to have strong and vital relationships with fellow believers.  Dinner groups are a valuable way at MBC Loudoun to connect with others in biblical community. It is very encouraging to see the body of believers stepping into community with one another.  The unity of the Christian community derives from and is guided by the gift of the Spirit that lies at the heart of its life together (Acts 2:42-46; Hebrews 10:24-25).

What is my commitment level to Dinner Groups?

Each Dinner Group member will participate one time a month (October/November) to meet in a host home or point of gathering as decided by the host.  The dinner can consist of a potluck, out to eat at a restaurant, a picnic in the park or any other creative dinner outing that you can come up with.

If you want serve as a host of one of our Dinner Groups, we need people to host either in October or November, or if you have the gift of hospitality you are more than welcome to host both months!  Host duties are primarily logistical, and include scheduling the details of the dinner (time, date, location, whose bringing what, etc.).

We will then come back together as a large group on December 3 at 10:00 am (please mark your calendars) for a Cookie Exchange to end dinner groups until Spring, when we will do it all over again meeting new people for fellowship.

How do I sign up for a Dinner Group?

We will have sign-up forms in the bulletins on August 27/28, fill that out and drop it off in the lobby at the Chili Cook Off sign-up table.  There we will have sign-up sheets for bringing chili, corn bread, desserts, and accessories.  Sign-ups can still continue after that online at the dinner group site:   http://mbcloudoun.org/dinnergroups until September 7.

There will be games, prizes and, chili, of course, at the cook-off and you will also have a chance to meet the other people in your dinner group and start to plan for your October dinner.

Children are welcome, but there will be no childcare at this event.

Who is welcome to join a Dinner Group?

EVERYONE

Wait…..I have more questions:

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Rhonda Etter at home: 571-223-0498 or by email at loudoundinnergroups@gmail.com .

We want to thank you for this opportunity to serve our Lord in this manner and anticipate a wonderful turnout for Dinner Groups.  We are blessed that God has called us to minister to you in this way.

by Brian Walters, Director of Adult Ministries @ MBC Loudoun

This past weekend Jim preached about The Potter and the Clay from Romans 9:15-21. This is a sermon not to be missed because it speaks to a foundational truth of God’s Word and provides us a great reminder that God is the true Potter.

One thing that really stuck out to me in Jim’s sermon was when he mentioned that our culture today is very human-centric. Meaning we have become a culture that is all about “self.”  If something inconveniences us we get upset because it throws a kink into how we believe our life should be.  We believe we have the right to be happy all of the time when the reality is that God does not promise us this kind of life and it is He who chooses how to shape and mold us (Isaiah 45:9; Rom. 9:21).

As I chewed on this point while driving to work I wondered if I put others first in my life, even over my own needs and desires. Then I came up behind a car that was driving the speed limit and I got upset with the driver. Right then the Holy Spirit convicted me on this frustration, saying “why are you upset Brian?  Is it because this person inconvenienced you? Is it because this car got in your lane? And didn’t you JUST get a speeding ticket a few weeks ago?”  Ouch and Ouch!  Yes, its true, and I confess that I can be a little hardheaded at times. :)

At this very moment I realized that “YES” I do have a “ME” mentality that is focused on what pleases me and makes me comfortable. There is nothing wrong with someone who is obeying the law and in fact, it is what I should be doing. I should be thanking this person for setting a good example. In this moment I realized the reason so many of us struggle with patience is because we hate it when things don’t go according to our plan, our schedule and our reality. We forget the world doesn’t revolve around us and we are quick to elevate ourselves above others.

My point is that we all need to examine our lives and search our hearts and ask ourselves “am I too centered on me and not enough on others?” If Christ laid down his life for us (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16), putting aside all his wants and needs for the benefit of the entire human race (Phil. 2:3-7), we as Christians should model this type of love and selflessness to others too. So the next time you lose your patience with someone ask the Lord to show you why.

So what area of your life do you need to be less focused on yourself and more focused on God?