oasisCHURCH

New Small Groups Begin This Week (January 27)

This Sunday we will be distributing this flyer to everyone, which includes information about the two new small group meetings and locations. These groups will begin this Wednesday, January 27.

"Flame" Lyrics

Over on the Oasis Facebook page I have been profiling some hip-hop artists who's lyrics are impressively deep theologically. In case some of you have kept up with some of that and you are interested, I just thought I would post the lyrics to one of the songs here, just so you can see what I mean. This song is by the artist "Flame" and it is from his CD "Our World Redeemed" (which was a follow up to his CD "Our World Fallen"). Each song not only has very catchy beats and rhymes, but theology that is God-centered and grounded in His Word. This song is called "Who Can Pluck Us?"

Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins
[Repeat]

[VERSE:]
See what I'm about to mention some consider
Secondary
But never weary guarantee it's very
Necessary
When Jesus hit the wood and shed His blood on
The tree
He did something good He was atoning for
Me
And all believers we see Peter would call the elect
And
Even Jesus said that His sheep could never be
Snatched
Out of His hands nor the Father cause He's
Greater than
All and their one like a married woman and
Man
So listen up (listen up) I'm bout to make it plain
So
You can hear me clearly and sincerely what I'm
Saying
Through Jesus sacrifice the Father was satisfied (run
It back)
Through Jesus sacrifice the Father was satisfied
(one more time)
Through Jesus sacrifice the Father was
Satisfied
Now He gives assurance to all those for whom He
Died
Now you wonder why would I say something like
That
I'll be right back, I'll be – I'll be right back

[HOOK:]
Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins
[Repeat]

[VERSE:]
I'm trying to tell you something you probably have
Never heard
And if you have you probably perceive them as
Dirty words
Words like election and predestination
Can get
You stoned and thrown out of a congregation
But there in
The bible we gotta talk – talk about it (run it back)
But
There in the bible we gotta talk – talk about it (one more
Time)
But there in the bible we gotta talk – talk about it
We
Can still love each other and share our thoughts about
It
When Jesus died He drank the full cup of God's
Wrath
When He was crucified it was on our behalf
For all
Those the Father chose in eternity past
To be redeemed
That simply means to be bought back
So when Christ
Expired the debt and the price was paid
For particular
Would I say something like that?
I'll be right back, I'll be –
I'll be right back

[HOOK:]
Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins
[Repeat]

[Spoken:]
Do you enjoy fellowship with God?
Are you sensitive to sin?
Do you obey God's Word?
Do you reject the evil world?
Do you eagerly await Christ's return?
Do you see a decrease pattern of sin in your life?
Do you love other Christians?
Do you experience answered prayer?
Do you discern between truth and error?
Do you have the witness of the spirit?
Are you rejected or persecuted for your Faith?
Just a lil taste for your salvation man
Read the whole book of 1 John
Jesus Christ – Holla!

[VERSE:]
Some people are truly tricked cause Satan's got 'em
Convinced
That they are saved when everyday they
Straddle the fence
But yet that's nonsense for them I'm
Truly afraid
But those who mature can be assured that
They're truly saved
The Son who preexisted
Took on human
Flesh
Fulfilled the Father's Commission
Lived a perfect
Life
Took the wrath of God
Spoke to the Father and said
That it was finished
I'm done!

[HOOK:]
Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins

If you like Hip-Hop music, and you love the doctrines of grace and the Sovereignty of God, then this is certainly worth checking out. I actually have several others I have been listening to as well -- artists such as Lecrae, Tedashi, Eric Cross, Cam, Dre Murray, Trip Lee, 116 Clique (a compilation of several of those mentioned). Do a search on them. See what you think. I am very pleased with what I hear.

"Provocative in a Good Way"

Oasis Christian Fellowship Church!,

As we were adjourning from gathering Sunday morning, Chad mentioned that we should let the message that Chris shared be "provocative in a good way" for us this week. I think it is a fitting title for this post--It's catchy and kind of funny in a Michael Scott from the Office "That's what she said" kind of way. Wow. Anyway...

Its also an accurate and genuine desire of us -- 

(I would say "us" here is defined as, the Oasis leadership and I'll lump myself and those who participated in and embraced the recent Reformed Theology primer led by Chris at our last house church series in Athens)

that over the next seven to eight weeks as Chris summarizes and highlights the different areas and tenants of Reformed Theology, that you would work at it. When I say work at it, I don't mean that it will be boring. It will be very challenging and it takes effort to let yourself measure your beliefs and what is being said in the "pulpit" and what is being received as members of the body of Oasis. This shouldn't be any different from any other message Chris or Chad or whomever speaks. We should always be measuring what is said and how it relates to the Word of God in spirit and truth as worship to God! (John 4:24)'

I'll go a step further and say in every worship song that we sing, every testimony and every word spoken in corporate worship, measure what is said against the Word of God; Not to merely hold the speaker accountable, but to bring joy to your heart and re-affirm your bond with your church, the bride of Christ in worship to God. God desires us to wrestle with him and his truth's and truly seek him and in this we will find blessing.

ENOUGH!

This post isn't a commentary, but a forum. Over the next couple of weeks, as Chris brings us some basics about Reformed Theology -- WHAT OUR CHURCH HOLDS FIRM TO THEOLOGICALLY -- Please try to focus and challenge your minds, hearts and measure against the Word for yourself (and possibly for your family and generations to come) as a responsibility for growth as a believer in Christ.

With that, please leave here in the comment section of this post or any similarly functioning post any questions that pop up or answers of blessing that these truths reveal to you in your understanding of WHO God is and WHO we are in relation to Him and WHAT our church HOLDS to theologically. 

I'll start with my comment, and will continue to each week, but don't be shy to post questions, comments, blessings, desires, etc. for what we'll be dealing with. This should be a positive forum looking to instruct and teach, and not bring others down, but to build each other up. If you have any dissenting views, please do so in love and in the spirit of learning and try to back it up with scripture.

If you haven't heard the message, it should be posted either on the right column of this site, or on our Facebook page, which is linked on this page as well as Chris usually posts them shortly after Sunday every week.

Josh

"Yes, Oasis is a legitimate church."

Are those guys for real?

This might seem like a funny heading and a weird thing to write about. In fact, for those of you who have been part of our fellowship for more than three years it might seem like sort of a "Duh!" statement. Well, believe it or not, it isn't.

For local churches, typically new (less than 15 years old) churches, who do not have a building or do not have the "traditional" feel of what the local culture is used to church looking like, feeling like, sounding like, etc. it is often hard to be taken seriously. That is, until some of those "legitimacy" items begin to appear in the church. Having no building, office space, or any "landmark" of our own that we can be identified with can present some challenges for a young church. Don't get me wrong, these challenges are good ones. Needed ones. But they are challenges nonetheless. Let me give you some examples:

• If someone has an issue in life and needs some biblical pastoral counseling... In a traditional church it is easy to just say, "Let's set an appointment for you to come to the pastor's office for a counseling meeting." In Oasis we may have to meet in a park, a coffee shop, a restaurant, or a living room; perhaps even late at night. Additionally, at Oasis it is our prayer and hope that each member of the fellowship is growing in their biblical knowledge, discernment, and godly wisdom to be able to offer a listening ear and biblical counsel whenever a friend is in need of advice.
• If someone is in need of food, clothing, or shelter... In a traditional church it is typically easy to say, "Go to our church (meaning "the building") where we have a food pantry. Someone will help you there." In Oasis we take careful effort to first meet the needs of those in fellowship with us, but also the stranger and outsider as well. How is this done? Without a building or a centralized food pantry it is necessary for each member to be hospitable in their own way. If someone came to us in need of food, clothing, or shelter we would then connect them with a family, or families, in our fellowship who have the means to help. The church is people, therefore it is people (not pantries) who help people. PLEASE NOTE: That is not to belittle food pantries. We believe pantries are wonderful tools for ministry. However, not to be used at the sacrifice of people serving people.
• If someone wanted to be baptized... In a traditional church it is easy to say, "Let's go over to the church (meaning "the building") and baptize you in our baptistery (a large tub of water that is built into many church buildings)." In Oasis we have to schedule baptisms in pools, hot-tubs, ponds, or the river (although we have not yet done one in the river). Either way, the baptism is just as legitimate.
• If someone wanted to join the church or get more involved in the ministry of the church... In a traditional church it is possible that a person might first have to behave a certain way or do certain things before he/she is welcome to participate in ministry. At Oasis we recognize that people are more likely to "identify" with a group even before they partner with or "join" the group. Community is very important to us. We are first in community with Christ, but we are also in community with one another. And some people come into community with Oasis even before they really know Christ. That's okay. Subsequently, we also recognize a great responsibility is placed on the church to provide a biblical, family-like structure for the local church body. This means there is leadership, and membership, and commitments that people make to the local congregation called Oasis once they decide that this is the church family they want to call their home (see "The Gospel & Oasis 101"). In that sense we are like many other "traditional" churches." By the way, "tradition" isn't always bad. When tradition is firmly rooted in the Word of God alone, then we are all for it!

We could make this a very long post by continuing to create scenarios like the ones in the bulleted list above, but hopefully you can see the intent here. Yes, we are still very young (in terms of church life). Yes, we do things a little differently, look a little different, sound a little different, etc. Yes, we do not have a building or property of our own. But are all of those "legitimacy" items really necessary to make a church "legitimate"? In the eyes of some, perhaps, and unfortunately, yes. But we aim not to please man. I ask again, in the eyes of the One who has sent us to this little mission field in Ohio, are we legitimate?

We find our validation, not in whether or not our services are listed in the newspaper, or our sermons are on the radio, or we have a nice marquee sign out in front of our building that put us into debt. We find our validation in Christ alone, and in His Word alone. Look nowhere else. Consider nothing else when wondering, "Is that church legit?"

God is in the midst of doing great things among the fellowship of believers called Oasis. This has been "Part 1" of a three-part article. Stay tuned...

A New Look

I have been flirting around with some new icons and logos with which to recognize the Oasis church in 2010. Here's a sample.