CityLight Church

Sunday Worship 10 AM

  • Pictures
    • Baptism 24.8.2013
    • Picture Gallery 2009
      • Advent 2009
      • CityLight Thanks+Giving 2009
      • Early Days… random pics
      • Mens Breakfast: Nov 21st
      • More Dec 09′ Pics
    • Picture Gallery 2010
      • Back to Bethel 21.11.2010
      • Festival of Lights Pics 5.12.2010
      • Greece Pictures
      • Jan 10′ Media
      • Jan 10′ Pics
      • Light of My World 19.12.2010
      • Thanksgiving 2010
    • Picture Gallery 2011
      • A Good Year 2.1.2011
      • CityLight Summer Services – June 2011
      • Mission: Brazil 23.1.2011
      • Passover 2011 Pictures
    • Picture Gallery 2012
  • Cause
    • Donate: Bikes
  • Connect
    • Break Through Youth Ministry
    • Football Fellowship – Saturdays @ 9AM
    • Friday Night Home Group
    • Men’s Breakfast
    • Women’s Bible Study
  • Contact
  • Events
    • Advent Celebration 2014
    • Church in the Park
    • Nations United Worship
    • Thanksgiving 2013
  • Made For More
  • Teaching
    • Old Testament / Starý zákon
      • Genesis / 1. Mojžišova
        • “Back to Bethel” – Gen 34-36
        • “Can’t Silence My Love” Gen 39-41 13.2.2011
        • “Crossing the Line” Gen 46-47 2011.2.27
        • “Dream Big” – Gen 37 (31.1.2011)
        • “Dream Big” – The Life of Joseph, Gen 37-50
        • “Lasting Words” Gen 48-50 2011.3.6
        • “Why him?” Gen 25-27
        • 10.10.2010 “The Stories We Tell” Genesis 22
        • 17.10.2010 “Captivating” Gen. 24
        • 19.9.2010 “Dinner Date w/ God”
        • 22.8.2010 “The Soap Opera Life”
        • 26.9.2010 “Good & Terrible” – Gen 19
        • 29.8.2010 “Inside Out” Gen. 17
        • CityLight Feb 2010 Media
        • Feb 14/2 Gen 1: “In the Image of God”
        • Feb 28/2010 “Rest for your Souls” (Gen 2:1-3)
        • Gen 13 – “Overweight”
        • Gen 15 “Fear Not”
        • Gen 1: “In the Beginning” Feb 7/10
        • Gen 2 – “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” Feb 21/10
        • Gen 20-21 Old Sin, New Grace
        • Gen 27-33 “Finding Jacob”
        • Genesis 12 – “Lost” 20.6.2010
        • Genesis 14 – “Naturally Supernatural” 4.7.2010
        • Genesis 15 “Spiritual Explosion” 17.7.2010
        • Genesis 38 “Skeletons” 6.2.2011
        • Genesis 41-45 “Rags, Riches, Restoration” 20.2.2011
      • Judges: Bringing Out the Hero in Us
      • Exodus / 2. Mojžišova
        • Exodus 15:22-27 Thirsty? >
        • “Delight” Exodus 21-24
        • “Empty” – Exodus 16 + John 6
        • “Go with the Flow” – Exodus 19 + Acts 2
        • “God Here” Exodus 25-31
        • “How is your heart?” Exodus 4-12 10.4.2011
        • “Identity Crisis” Exodus 1-3
        • “Illuminate” Exodus 33-34
        • “My Strong Song” > Exodus 14-15
        • “Pure Fear” – Exodus 19 + 20
        • “Remove+Redeem” Exodus 16:1-16 16.5.2011
        • “Wait” Exodus 24-32
        • Exodus 17-18 “My Banner”
        • Exodus 35-40 “Move Me”
        • Loving the Law – Exodus 20
        • On The Edge
      • Leviticus / 3. Mojžišova
        • Leviticus 18-20 – “Sex City”
        • Leviticus 23 “Cycles of Celebration”
        • “Be Different” Leviticus 8
        • “Called To Worship” Leviticus 2-7
        • “Calling All Pagans” Leviticus 1
        • “Clearly Seen” Leviticus 9
        • “Come Confident” Leviticus 16
        • “Life Blood” – Leviticus 17
        • ‘Freedom Feast’ Leviticus 21-23
        • 1Samuel 1-3 “Shhhhh!”
        • By the Book – Leviticus 25-27
        • Honor – Leviticus 24
        • Leviticus 1-5 & Isaiah 43:21-44:23 “Chosen”
        • Leviticus 11-15 “Mr.Clean”
        • Leviticus Series – it’s all about worship!
      • Numbers / 4. Mojžišova
        • “I Am Blessed” Numbers 6:22-27
        • Num 35 “Refuge”
        • Numbers 1-2 “Centered”
        • Numbers 30 – ‘Broken Promises’ 14.10.2012
        • Sunday 21.10.2012
        • “Of Blessings and Curses” – Numbers 21-25
      • Deuteronomy / 5. Mojžišova
        • Deut 12-26 More Than A Song
        • Deut 5-6 “If you love ME…”
        • Deut 1-4; 7-10 Remember
      • Joshua – Moving Forward!
        • Joshua 1 Move Me
        • Joshua 2 Check Out
        • Joshua 3 Cross Over
        • Joshua 5 – Cut Out
        • Joshua 10-12 Sun Stand Still
    • New Testament / Nový zákon
      • Acts – to the Ends of the Earth!
        • Acts 1:1-14 “To the Ends of the Earth”
        • Acts 1:12-26 “Waiting to be a Witness”
        • Acts 2:1-21 “Overflow”
        • Acts 2:17-39 “Spirit Poured Out”
        • Acts 2:42-47 “DNA”
        • Acts 3:1-10 “One Day”
        • Acts 3:11-26 “ReThink”
      • JESUS word.life.art – Teaching Series
        • Mk 1 “Not Alone”
        • Mk 2 “Out of the Box God”
        • Mk 4 “Kingdom of God”
        • Mk 5 “Does God Care?”
        • Mk 6 “Amazed”
        • Mk 7 “Clean?”
        • Mk 8 “Open Eyes”
        • Mk 9 “Transformed”
        • Mk 10 “Rich?”
        • Mk 11-13 “Temple Teachings”
        • Mk 14-15 “Jesus Life”
        • Easter 2013 – RISE!
    • Topical – CityLight Teaching Team
      • “A Joel Moment” 18/4/2010
      • “HOPE” 4.4.2010
      • Esther 21.3.2011 “Purim- Revealing the Mystery”
      • Hebrews 12:14-29 “Esau Syndrome” 1.10.10
      • “Conversations” – 2yrs of CityLight!
      • “God Man” – Chad Shively 8.5.2011
      • “God Names” – Chad Shively 1.5.2011
      • “Good & Pleasant” Acts 2:42
      • “Grow” 1 Samuel 1-3 13.3.2011
      • “I was blind, but now I see” – John 9
      • “Kingdom” – Alberto Melo
      • “Life for God’s Sake” Romans 12:1-2
      • “Thanksgiving Always” – 1 Thess 5:16-18
      • “Treasure” Psalm 37
      • “Vision – Living Words” Acts 2:42 / James 1:22
      • ‘BE___’
      • 15.8.2010 “The Journey Home” – Hebrews 11
      • 25.7.2010 “At His Feet”
      • 3.8.2010 “Tithe as Worship”
      • A Good Year – John 2:1-11
      • Advent #3: “Come Let US adore HIM” (Mt. 2:1-12)
      • Advent 2012
      • Advent 2015
      • Advent: 13.6.09 “Revelation as Gift”
      • Advent: 6.12.09 “Pregnant with expectation?”
      • Body & Bride
      • CityLight – April 26 : “20/20”
      • CityLight April 19 – “Remember”
      • Declare OUT! – Acts 11
      • Dynamically Driven and Devoted
      • Epiphany
      • Erik Racz
      • Erik Racz: Acts 16 – “Road to Freedom” 5.9.2010
      • Erik Razc – “PS 95” 27.12.09
      • Festival of Lights!
      • Gifted to Give (1 Cor 12)
      • Give 11.4.
      • Hebrews 12 “Strip down, Shoot straight” Jan 3/10
      • Hebrews 13 “Continue in Love” 17.1.10
      • Joel 2 “New Creation” 27.3.2011
      • Kid’s Ministry Seminar 2011
      • Life Together
      • Light of My World
      • Lighting the Way
      • LOVE IS
      • Loving the Light – Matthew 2:1-12
      • Passover 2011
      • Resurrection: Proofs & Power
      • Rise – Easter 2011
      • RISE 2012 – John 11
      • “Dynamically Driven and Devoted” (Acts 2:42-47)
      • “Shaped to Serve” (Eph 2:10)
    • Guests / Hosť
      • Saved By Fire – 25/4/2010
      • “Good God – Psalm 73” 24.7.2011
      • 12.9.2010 “Praying for the things we really need”
      • 8.8.2010 “Learning the Lesson” – Frank Gonzales
      • Greece 16.1.2011
      • Mission: Brazil 23.1.2011
      • Worried World – Pastor Oto
  • Vision

CityLight – April 26 : “20/20”

“20/20”

 Vision 

It has been asked of me – “What is the vision for our fellowship?” What a great question! To be honest, my personal vision for our church is not important. What is important is God’s vision. What is His opinion, His will, His direction? That is what is important.
 

It has been said: “Without vision a people perish…” Proverbs 29:18a

Looking at the Hebrew for this verse we come to a more colorful understanding. It could look something like this – “Without REVELATION a people are LEFT ALONE (Lost)”. As Christians we are lost without revelation from God. We need the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives daily, step by step.

The opposite is possibly true – WITH vision a people flourish! Having said this it would be a good time to point out that Vision is not: a Purpose Driven Program, slogan, or motto. Vision is: REVELATION of God’s heart & plans.”Without vision a people perish…”

It has been said that “vision is caught, not taught.” Basically, it’s something revealed by experience and encounter w/God. It’s not something a pastor or leader can impress upon you, but you must take it in with all your heart as you are exposed to it by the Holy Spirit working in your life.

God of this City
Lets take a look at two videos. The first is a music video of the song God of this City and the second is an interview with Christ Tolmin who has popularized the song.

 

A couple of questions for meditation:

Q: Where did the song come out of?

Q: Do we believe that God is god of this city? of Bratislava?

That God is the Light even in this darkness in BA?

Do we expect God to do even greater things?

CityLight

 

Now lets take a look at a very famous text from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.Read: MT 5:13-16

Jesus starts out straight away to let us know that we ARE people who touch and effect others around us positively. It is our characteristic (or at least it should be). It is not a negotiable goal, but a reality to be lived in. v13 we are compared to Salt. And we are told they Salt must be ITSELF. It must demonstrate it’s saltiness, otherwise it is useless. Question: How many time do we simply try to be something other then what God has created us to be? How often do we want to “blend in” so much with the flavors around us that we don’t actually have any “saltiness” of our own?

Yet in v14 we are told that we ARE the “light of the world” + “city on a hill.” That is Jesus’ plan (revelation, vision) for us. I believe this comes out of the reoccurring pattern of the Bible that we are blessed to be a blessing (Gen 12). Verses 15-16 instructs us to shine for ALL to see via “good deeds”. The Greek word used for “good” is literally “BEAUTIFUL”. We are to have beautiful, attractive, pleasing works that lead others to “Praise your Father in Heaven.”

If I could share with you any vision for our church it would be this – to be what Jesus has created us to be – a light to the city around us. This is where we get the name of our church – CityLight. It is directly rooted in this intentional desire to simply shine the light of Jesus to the city of Bratislava.

A Tale of Two Churches

 

I’d like to share a story of two churches: the church in Jerusalem (Acts 1-2) and Antioch (Acts 11). You will notice that both of these churches live out the truths from the God of this City video. They believed that God of that City, a Light in Darkness, and in the process of doing greater things. But the church in Jerusalem only took the first step in the vision laid out by the Lord. They had received REVELATION, but didn’t RESPOND fully to it. That fist step took 10 years! But God had ‘Greater Things’ in mind.

Now lets take a closer look at the Antioch church. I believe this would be a great model church for CityLight. In Antioch was see Jews (who were foreigners) not staying in their expat communities, but reaching beyond to the local community being a Light in a dark place. The result was that God did indeed do greater things! The birth of the worldwide, multicultural church started here.

Q: What was this church like? Multicultural (v20), open, accepting, God was working in them (v21), graceful (v23), true to the Lord (v23).

But was this enough? Was the church in Antioch satisfied with just taking one more step forward? No! They wanted to go deeper and further in to the plans of God. Read: Acts 13. The Antioch church could have been content in their blessings, but they desired Greater Things. We see this multicultural church seeking the Lord for Next Steps!

So how did they do it? They had a worship service and were simply asking for REVELATION. How did the Antioch church respond? The immediately obeyed and followed the Holy Spirit. Let’s make the Antioch Church a model for CityLight, our church.

Remember:

Let us not be Lost, but respond to Revelation! Let us not loose Saltiness, but be a CityLight! God is god of this city! A Light in this darkness! And Greater things are yet to come!.

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