Category Archives: Cedar Blog

Cedar Blog

Disciples Making Disciples: Christian Identity

Disciples Making Disciples: Christian Identity

We are called to make disciples who make disciples and we use Discipleship Maps to help us live out this calling. These maps explore twelve essential qualities of a disciple who makes disciples.

The fifth essential is Christian Identity. Disciples reflect on their identity in Christ, claiming their baptism and recognizing Jesus as their only comfort in life and in death.

Identity is a hot button issue these days. Identity is our answer to the question: “Who am I?” We spend a lifetime trying to sort this out and if we fail we call it an identity crisis.

For disciples, identity is not primarily shaped by our family, or our race, or our gender, or our occupation or education or marital status or any personal preferences. Our identity is in Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20a).

Christian identity is how God sees us through Jesus Christ. It is God’s answer to a disciple’s question, “Who am I?” Because Christian identity is a divinely proclaimed reality, it supersedes all the other identities and identity markers that a person or a group may have.

This identity shifts the focus from inward to outward, redirecting our purpose from serving ourselves to serving God and others. This dramatic change is made possible only by the work of Jesus. “For by grace you have been saved through faith… For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians. 2:8a, 10).

Because we are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” we now live for God and others. While worldly identity defines us according to personal characteristics, Christian identity defines us according to God’s design. It defines us as we truly are meant to be according to God’s Word.

We are God’s workmanship!

Pastor Kent

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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Cedar Blog

Disciples Making Disciples: Bible Reading

Disciples Making Disciples: Bible Reading

Jesus said, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…”(Matthew 28:18-20).

We are called to make disciples who make disciples and we recently received a Discipleship Map to help us live out this calling. This tool is one of many gifts of our belonging to The Alliance of Reformed Churches (ARC). This map explores twelve essential qualities of a disciple who makes disciples.

The fourth essential is Bible Reading for Devotion. A disciple practices simple methods of reading the Bible for devotional purposes. This practice shifts the focus from simply “getting into the Word” to “letting the Word get into you” which transforms a daily checklist into a spiritual rhythm.

Getting into the Word treats the Bible like a destination, a task to complete, or information to master. The goal too easily becomes finishing a chapter or checking off a reading plan. Getting the Word into you treats Scripture like daily nourishment, letting it take root to reshape your character from the inside out.

  • Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” 
  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
  • James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

God is the Potter, we are the clay. When we read the Bible, God shapes us. This is how God grows disciples who make disciples. (Dig deeper here!)

May the Lord be with you,

Pastor Kent

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.

Cedar Blog

Disciples Making Disciples: Being a Disciple

Disciples Making Disciples: Being a Disciple

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and mak disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

We are called to ‘make disciples who make disciples’ and we recently received a tool to help us carry out this calling. The tool is called Discipleship Map and it is one of many gifts because Cedar Hills belongs to The Alliance of Reformed Churches (ARC). This map explores twelve essential qualities of a disciple who makes other disciples.

One essential is Being a Disciple. A disciple understands what it means to follow Jesus.

One of my favorite images of a growing disciple is the one who follows so close that they become covered in the dust of the one they follow. Being a disciple is more than sitting in a classroom memorizing information. Discipleship meant sharing meals, traveling, observing daily habits, and completely imitating the rabbi’s character and lifestyle.

When Jesus called his disciples to “follow me,” he was inviting them into a whole-life relationship. As followers of Jesus, this is still our call today. We follow close enough to Jesus that His way of loving, serving, and acting “rubs off” on us. (John 15 – abide.)

This Biblical vision of following is found in the story of Mary and Martha. (Luke 10:38-42) Martha was caught up in preparing to serve Jesus. Mary simply sat at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better.” (Luke 10:41-42).

A disciple chooses to follow Jesus. Discover more by watching this video: The Choice.

May the Lord be with you.

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.

Cedar Blog

The Reason For Our Hope

The Reason For Our Hope

The series of messages we’ve shared over the past couple of months focused on the promise God made about sharing our testimony in Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Last week Pastor Steve shared some practical tools to help us give the reason for our hope. (Here is a link to G.O.S.P.E.L) This is a great tool. (As was the call to Prayer-Care-Share.)

My favorite tool illustrates the gap between fallible humans and perfect God. We cannot bridge this gap on our own but Jesus bridged this gap for us. Find more here.

Find some key Bible passages, a simple/memorable tool, and be ready to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15) You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be a witness!

May the Lord be with you,

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.

    Cedar Blog

    Make Disciples

    Make Disciples

    Discipleship is the main thing. Jesus talked about it this way: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

    We are the kind of people who follow Jesus and aspire to obey him in all things. And so we make disciples.

    Though we aspire to this it can be difficult to measure fruit. What does discipleship look like? How do we know if we are doing this successfully? Is discipleship really the main thing? How can we do better? These are the kinds of questions that guide us (and motivate us) as leaders.

    At a recent meeting we shared dozens of stories with the same basic theme. That theme was individuals who followed Jesus and their lives were transformed. Individuals growing in kindness, growing as people who pray, growing a bolder witness, growing to be better leaders, growing in love, growing to be better followers of Jesus. These are all stories of discipleship. Following Jesus.

    Because discipleship is the main thing, we are the kind of people who grow. So, how are you growing?

    In John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  Discipleship starts (and ends) with abiding. When we abide with Jesus, we become like Jesus. It’s the main thing. 

    Kent Landhuis
    Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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    Cedar Blog

    The Practice of Generosity

    The Practice of Generosity

    I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

    When we abide with Jesus, we become like Jesus. This is the premise behind our desire to grow in spiritual practices. These practices mold us to be more like Jesus and they bear fruit.

    We recently explored the practice of generosity and discovered that it is about giving our stuff and ourselves away. I’m curious what fruit has come from our giving.  I’m not sure how to measure the giving of our stuff but I heard a number of stories about sharing. If measuring the fruit of giving ourselves, I’d measure time given.

    For the month of June, I asked leaders to share the number of volunteers and the number of hours they served. (I asked them to estimate – conservatively.) The fruit results blew me away. By our conservative estimate, more than 370 people donated more than 1,766 hours!

    Well done good and faithful servants!

    Broken into categories it looks like this:

    • Leadership Ministries – 52 people donated 130 hours.
    • Discipleship Ministries – 111 people donated 724 hours.
    • Worship Ministries – 69 people donated 195 hours.
    • Outreach ministries – 138 people donated 717 hours.

    Of course, it’s challenging to pin down the exact category of these donated hours because so much ministry overlaps and bears fruit in multiple ways but my main take away was this – YOUR GENEROSITY IS A HUGE BLESSING!

    Thanks

    Kent Landhuis
    Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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      Cedar Blog

      Letters from Cherith

      Letters from Cherith

      Have you ever prayed to God and felt as though He was distant? Have you ever prayed for a particular thing, only to feel like your prayers were falling on deaf ears? Have you ever prayed with tears streaming down your face (the infamous ugly cry), diligently waiting for an answer, yet hearing nothing? Instead, you hear silence. You feel as though God is far away. You feel abandoned by God. You feel rejected. You feel as though your prayers just reach the ceiling of your bedroom and never make it to heaven’s door. I know we have all been there. I call these moments “Cherith.”

      In 1 Kings 17:3, God calls Elijah to a location called Cherith. This word can be translated into English as “separation.” The original Hebrew word means “cut off.” God called Elijah to this desolate place to have an encounter with Him. God separated Elijah from what was “normal” for him and called him into what I would describe as a wilderness season. There, Elijah learned to fully depend on God for his survival and overall well-being. First Kings 17:6 says, “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.” Elijah had no other choice but to trust God for his sustenance in Cherith. The brook that Elijah drank from represents ultimate surrender and reliance on God. This moment of separation and isolation prepared Elijah for the next season of his life.

      Have you ever reached a point in your life where all you could do was trust God for your sustenance?

      I have had my fair share of “Cherith moments” in my twenty-something years of living; moments where God separated me for Himself. Moments where it felt as though all hope was gone, and my only option was to trust in God. My very first encounter with the word “Cherith” was during my sophomore year of college. I discovered the story of Elijah in Cherith, and it deeply resonated with me. During one of my elective art classes at Mount Mercy University, I began writing to God in my planner. I titled these entries “Letters in Cherith.” In those pages, I told God everything that was on my mind from prayer requests, to revelations, to sorrowful moments. During that season of life, God became my sustenance.

      Cherith represents God’s sovereignty, providence, and faithfulness. The Bible reminds us in Psalms 141:2 that our prayers rise to God like incense. No prayer and no tear is ever wasted in His presence. Therefore, if you are in a “Cherith” moment, I encourage you to journal about it. Tell God what is on your mind. He is your Father and your friend. As I have continued to journal about my own Cherith moments, my faith and trust in God have only grown stronger.

      Frankline “Franky” Tshombe
      Children’s Church Leader

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        Cedar Blog

        Make Sabbath Sticky

        Make Sabbath Sticky

        As we are wrapping up our teaching on Sabbath, I am challenged with how to make this spiritual practice “sticky” in my life. It is easier to practice when Sabbath is top of mind, but how will we balance Sabbath as we also look to incorporate generosity.

        To that end I read an interesting article 7 Sabbath Tips from 15 Years of Practice. I encourage you to go read the article, and consider applying some of these very practical tips to your Sabbath practice.  The hook the author Austin Gohn used in the article is moving and I would like to offer it to all of you here.

        In a recent interview with former senator Ben Sasse, who is dying of Stage-4 pancreatic cancer in his fifties, he was asked, “Is there advice that you would give to someone who is the Ben Sasse father of three at age 40 or age 35, when the kids are young and everything’s stressful and chaotic? In light of where you are now?”

        “No. 1, honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. Man, I wish I’d treated the Lord’s Day differently over the course of my life. I’ve always known it, believed in it and thought: Maybe next week we’ll get better. We’ve been at Sunday worship every morning forever, but man, am I tempted by 12:45 or 1:30 in the afternoon to get back to work or, to an addictive level, work about the N.F.L. Boy, I would treat Sabbaths differently — and especially digital intrusions into the Sabbath.”

        So, brothers and sisters, we are challenged to consider our own mortality and seize each Sabbath day with delight!  Let us not forget this practice as we endeavor on in our abiding practices. Let us worship God in Sabbath practice, not out of obligation or duty, but out of reverance for God.  Trusting that He will bring the blessing for our faithfulness.

        Steve Poole
        Pastor of Youth & Young Adults

        What did you think of this article? Did you laugh? Cry? Learn something new? Let Steve know below.

          Cedar Blog, Uncategorized

          Sabbatical News

          SABBATICAL NEWS – We are the kind of people who want to take care of our staff. We do that by offering fair compensation in a positive, flexible work environment. We also build healthy, collaborative teams that serve together in following God’s call. We are blessed with dedicated staff who love the Lord, love the church, and love each other.

          The Alliance of Reformed churches strongly recommends that after seven years of service pastors are given the opportunity to take a sabbatical. A sabbatical is time away from regular responsibilities for the sake of renewal and refreshment. Sabbaticals are common in academic and religious organizations. The Alliance feels so strongly about this that they offer grants to churches to help cover the expense involved in a Sabbatical.

          Pastor Leah has been faithfully serving our congregation for 19 years. She has never had a sabbatical. We are pleased to announce that we have received a grant from the Upper Mississippi Valley Network of the Alliance to cover the expenses of a Sabbatical for Leah. She will be taking the summer off from her regular duties beginning May 24. She will return from her sabbatical on August 16.

          Please pray for Leah that this time is truly a time of renewal and refreshment. Also pray for her teams and for her summer replacement Ben Drzycimski. If you have questions about worship, music, tech, or media this summer do not contact Leah. Please contact Pastor Kent, Ben, or the office and we will assist you.

          Cedar Blog

          Sabbath – Sabbatical – Jubilee

          Sabbath – Sabbatical – Jubilee

          The Sabbath, a day each week set aside for God’s people to stop, rest, delight, and worship, was given as a gift to us. God also called for a Sabbath rest for the land every seven years. Leviticus 25:3-5: “For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.” 

          The Sabbath invites people to rest once a week. The Sabbatical year gave rest to their farmland once every seven years. Since God’s people did not plant during the Sabbatical year, they had to trust God. “Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you – for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land” (Leviticus 25:6-7).

          All their needs were met by harvesting the Sabbatical year’s “volunteer” crop. God promised to take care of them – they would have enough until they harvested again in the eighth year. (See Leviticus 25:20-22) Just like Sabbath keeping, observing the Sabbatical year required trust in God.

          God also gave the people the opportunity to celebrate a Super Sabbath called the Year of Jubilee. In Leviticus 25:9 Jubilee is described as the Sabbatical year after seven cycles of seven years. This 50th year was a time of celebration and rejoicing. A year of release from indebtedness and all types of bondage. (Leviticus 25:23-55) All prisoners and captives were set free, all slaves were released, all debts were forgiven, and all property was returned to its original owners.

          During the year of Jubilee both the land and the people were able to find rest and delight. The Jubilee represented mercy, forgiveness, and freedom which was a foretaste of the mercy, forgiveness, and freedom we have in Jesus Christ who paid our debt on the cross. Through Jesus we are forgiven the debt caused by our sin. We are no longer in bondage, no longer slaves to sin. We are set free by Jesus so we can truly enter the rest God provides. This is a true delight – a Jubilee!

          Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This rest grows from Sabbath to Sabbatical to Jubilee!

          Kent Landhuis
          Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

          Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.