CityLight Church

Sunday Worship 10 AM

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  • 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

Epiphany

Epiphany – that moment of “Ohhhh, that’s what she meant!” or “now I get it.” It’s the second of earthshaking revelation that was right in front of you all the time, but you were too blind to see it. Epiphanies put all the pieces of the puzzle together for us.

Jesus was the ultimate Epiphany. He was a great Light breaking out on a dark land, our land. Jesus brings definition to all our confused and misguided attempts to understand the world around us.

Traditionally in the Church calendar this is the season of celebrating that great Epiphany. One of the stories retold year after year is the “Baptism of Jesus” found in Matthew 3. It’s a kind of tip for us following in the footsteps of Jesus to understand our mission as we model our faith communities off of His ministry. So let’s look at it together. How does Jesus’ ministry bring revelation & definition to how we at CityLight do ministry?

Anointed

In Matt 3:13-17 we see Jesus coming from Nazareth (MK 1:9) intentionally to be baptized by John the Baptist. John’s baptism was one of Repentance + Forgiveness = getting on tract w/God (Lk 3:3) Why did Jesus do this? Well, baptism was an outward sign of an inward decision. And simply Jesus identified with John’s message/ministry. Additionally Jesus was fulfilling prophecy – Jesus had a very specific plan given from the Father. And in engaging in this ritual Jesus set off an epiphany. Heaven tears open, the Holy Sprit descends like a dove to anoint Him and the Father speaks confirming words of love to Him. We see in John 1:32-34 that this single event was an epiphany for John the Baptist as well. It was the moment when he really understood that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

At CityLight we too need to be anointed by the Holy Spirit and confirmed by the Father. If we engage in ministry without these two things we are destined to failure. And I believe as we move forward in God approved ministry that it will bring epiphany to others as well. They will “get it” and understand that what we are doing is something ordained by God and not just the works of man.

Tested

Continuing in the story (Matt 4:1-11) Jesus is described as full of the Holy Spirit. How about us? Could we & our ministry be described this way? Jesus was lead by the Spirit into the desert to pray & fast. Additionally the Spirit allowed Jesus to be lead into Spiritual warfare. Notice that all the tests were essentially Satan offering Jesus short-cuts to fulfill His mission. Guess what guys- there are no short cuts in the ministry! We have to keep in step with the Spirit. Do things His way and according to His timing!

Message

Jesus not only had a ministry, He had a Message (Matt 4:12-17). And it was a bright light in a dark place. Jesus moved from His hometown to Galilee in response to the news that John the Baptist had been thrown into prison for confronting Herod (the ruler of that region) of adultery. In doing so Jesus fulfilled prophecy – and a great revelation would dawn in a land darkened by the shadow of death. So what did Jesus preach when He got there? He preached John’s message – “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” That was the Good News – God is near even in such a dark place! He is King even when it looks like darkness has overcome. The Hero is coming, He is near. And He wants us to get right with Him and draw near.

We see the Apostle Paul picking up on this same message of the nearness of God and His desire that we would reach out to Him while preaching in Athens (Acts 17:27). Will this be our Message? At CityLight will we be a light in a dark place? Will we remind people of God’s nearness?

In an interview Chris Tomlin describes how the dark brothels of Bangkok, Thailand served as a backdrop for an epiphany of the Holy Spirit to inspire the hit song – “God of this City”. Watch the interview and be overwhelmed by the nearness of God….

Now hear the song…. Let us at CityLight be a light in our dark land!

How to start?

In Acts 13:1-3 we see the Antioch Church; an international, full of Holy Spirit & grace loving community; praying and worshiping before the Lord. Out of this time of seeking out God’s will (His epiphany) this church sends out their pastors,Paul & Barnabas, on an amazing adventure of the Holy Spirit. We too at CityLight can experience these things as we humbly come to Jesus with hearts willing to yield and simply follow Him.

Blessings,

Patrick

Sorry this week’s audio recording was a digital disaster. However, you can download the 1st part here which is less of a teaching and more of a bloopers out take & stand up comedy act… enjoy:   “Epiphany”

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Comments

  1. Carol January 11, 2011 · Reply

    Great video, great memories… You guys are truly a light to the city!

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