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ST. PETE VINEYARD
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The Miraculous, wise Jesus AND the Human Jesus

9/26/2018

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I want to do a follow up to last week’s email so if you didn’t get, or read, it last week, you might want to read it below first. A story like “the woman at the well” is so rich & deep that a few paragraphs couldn’t possibly do it justice, so here are a few additional thoughts regarding the story in John 4, some of which were inspired by Mike & Bill who emailed me back last week with some comments.

I think it’s interesting that Samaria wasn’t Jesus’ actual destination (v.3). We can get so caught up in looking & planning for our “calling”, “purpose”, or “destiny/destination”, that we fail to recognize the rich opportunities along the way. Just because we aren’t called to something long term doesn’t mean we can’t meet a need or fill a void that’s right in front of us.

Jesus stopped there because he was tired (v.6)! What??? I love that the scriptures show both the miraculous & super duper wise Jesus AND the human Jesus who deals with some of the same challenges that we do. Being tired & needing to rest isn’t a sign of weakness or a lack of spiritual maturity. And if you have a pastor or spiritual leader who tries to convince you otherwise, find new people to serve alongside of because their needs & objectives are a higher priority than your wellness.

Jesus didn’t actually reach a multitude while in Samaria, he technically only reached one person. She was the one with the connections & personal relationships & invited them to come out & meet/listen to Jesus (v.30). We can be so worried about reaching the masses when often it’s simply about meeting that one person right where they’re at & allowing that one person to share the good news with their friends.
The story ends with, “many people believed because of the woman” & “many more believed because they heard directly from Jesus” & other’s said, “we no longer believe JUST because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world” (v.39-42). I guess I would encourage you not to undervalue the impact your words & testimony can have on someone to spark faith in Jesus. And at the same time it’s important that we don’t underestimate the presence of Jesus either. They talked him into staying with them for 2 days! Now we could have lots of theological conversations about that alone but I’m so thankful for the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit who is available to us 24/7 & IMHO, in an even more special way when we gather together in community for worship, communion, & fellowship. May we always honor & value the presence of Jesus & the impact he makes on us & others when we are with him. So tell others about Jesus, invite people you know & meet to church on Sunday & to lunch with you or to tag along with you when you serve the poor, & keep your eyes open for opportunities that pop up that weren’t even a part of the plan.

Much Love, Pastor Chris. 
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The Jesus Who Heals

9/20/2018

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​We’re well into our Real Jesus series now & I hope between the messages, our small group discussions, & even our own personal study at home that we are learning more about Jesus & following him more closely. This Sunday I’m going to talk about, “The Jesus Who Heals”, & as much as we love formulas & patterns, one of the things that has stood out to me as I’ve been preparing is that the healing ministry of Jesus is all over the map. He heals males & females, adults & children, Jews & Gentiles, people who are seemingly worthy & grateful, & others not so much. He heals those who display faith & believe, & others who doubt. He heals in crowds & in private. He heals many by touching people, many others just by his words & even with dirt/mud, & there were some who didn’t even get healed! 
 
So if you’re looking for a formula, you might be disappointed with my sermon on Sunday. So I don’t always know how it works but I know Jesus healed 2000 years ago & I know he still does today (I’ve simply seen & experienced too much to believe otherwise). I concluded last week’s sermon with the many references of Jesus saying “come to me” & in my experience most of the people who don’t ever come, or call out, to him ever actually get healed by him. 
 
I’m not making any guarantees but if you have an ailment or need a touch from the Lord, I want to encourage you to come to church this Sunday with some expectation that Jesus is going to meet you where you are as you “come to him”. If you know someone with an ailment or who needs a touch from the Lord, invite them, bring them, & let’s give the Lord a chance to do what he does best: heal & mend the broken (hearts & bodies). 
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The Wise Jesus AND the Human

9/13/2018

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I want to do a follow up to last week’s email so if you didn’t get or read it last week, you might want to read it here below first. A story like, “the woman at the well” is so rich & deep that a few paragraphs couldn’t possibly do it justice, so here are a few additional thoughts regarding the story in John 4, some of which were inspired by Mike & Bill who emailed me back last week with some comments.

I think it’s interesting that Samaria wasn’t Jesus’ actual destination (v.3). We can get so caught up in looking & planning for our “calling”, “purpose”, or “destiny/destination”, that we fail to recognize the rich opportunities along the way. Just because we aren’t called to something long term doesn’t mean we can’t meet a need or fill a void that’s right in front of us.

Jesus stopped there because he was tired (v.6)! What??? I love that the scriptures show both the miraculous & super duper wise Jesus AND the human Jesus who deals with some of the same challenges that we do. Being tired & needing to rest isn’t a sign of weakness or a lack of spiritual maturity. And if you have a pastor or spiritual leader who tries to convince you otherwise, find new people to serve alongside of because their needs & objectives are a higher priority than your wellness.

Jesus didn’t actually reach a multitude while in Samaria, he technically only reached one person. She was the one with the connections & personal relationships & invited them to come out & meet/listen to Jesus (v.30). We can be so worried about reaching the masses when often it’s simply about meeting that one person right where they’re at & allowing that one person to share the good news with their friends.

The story ends with, “many people believed because of the woman”, “many more believed because they heard directly from Jesus”, & other’s said “we no longer believe JUST because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world” (v.39-42). I guess I would encourage you not to undervalue the impact your words & testimony can have on someone to spark faith in Jesus. And at the same time it’s important that we don’t underestimate the presence of Jesus either. They talked him into staying with them for 2 days! Now we could have lots of theological conversations about that alone but I’m so thankful for the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit who is available to us 24/7 & IMHO, in an even more special way, when we gather together in community for worship, communion, & fellowship. May we always honor & value the presence of Jesus & the impact he makes on us & others when we are with him. So tell others about Jesus, invite people you know & meet to church on Sunday & to lunch with you or to tag along with you when you serve the poor & keep your eyes open for opportunities that pop up that weren’t even a part of the plan.

Much Love, Pastor Chris.
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The Real Jesus

9/6/2018

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Picture
When we hear the word evangelist, I’m guessing the name or face of Billy Graham or someone like him comes to mind for most of us. I can honestly say that while I have a fondness for BG, a nameless Samaritan woman in John 6 jumps out at me first. “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town & said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town & made their way toward him.” Jn. 4:28-30‬

This story is truly amazing & blows up so many silly church/ministry stereotypes. It is no small thing that the person Jesus is dealing with is 1) a woman 2) a Samaritan (“for Jews do not associate with Samaritans” v. 9) 3) had a fairly scandalous past & 4) had ZERO ministry/leadership/evangelistic training.

This story screams 1) that Jesus will meet with ANY of us despite our gender, nationality, past mistakes, or violation of societal norms & 2) ANYONE can do ministry & bring people to Jesus! You don’t need a seminary degree or have to know the entire Bible, have all the answers, or been observed/trained for months/years. She was a mess, barely knew anything, & only knew him for all of about 15 minutes before going directly to the people she knew & essentially saying “hey y’all, this Jesus has had a profound impact on my life & I believe he’ll do the same for you; follow me & I’ll introduce you to him & you can see for yourself!”

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for education, training, & equipping but sometimes we just make this far more complicated than it needs to be. I want to encourage EVERY ONE of you SPV peeps to invite someone to our Real Jesus series that starts this Sunday, & even to a corresponding small group/discussion group if possible. You can call, text, email, Snapchat, telegram, or use any form of communication you choose with a, “Hey, would you want to come to church with me this Sunday?” OR... something along the lines of the Samaritan woman: ”come & see (& hear about) this Jesus with me, he’s been known to do some pretty amazing things!”

I hope to see you AND some of your friends /relatives this Sunday for worship, fellowship, Holy Communion, & the new Real Jesus series & let’s all be praying that all of us who are there have a deep & intimate encounter with the Real Jesus.

Much love to you all, Chris. ​
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Optimize Your Health

8/30/2018

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I shared a little bit about prayer in last week’s email & this week would like to continue that thought a little but also provide some clarification regarding spiritual disciplines as a whole. I’m not proud of this fact, but I have on numerous occasions attempted to guilt trip people into praying more, going to church, reading their bible more, sharing Jesus with others, etc. as duties or obligations for what a spiritual life looks like. But these & other spiritual disciplines aren’t duties or obligations that we HAVE to do, but rather gifts to us that we GET to do! 

Jesus said it this way in Mark 2: “The Sabbath was made for us, we weren’t made for the Sabbath.” We aren’t indebted to the sabbath, the sabbath was given to us as a gift to rest, reflection, relationships & renewal. (Ooh, those all start with R, I could work a sermon around that). I often hear people say or churches advertise things like: “do _____ in order to get closer to God.” My personal view of the incarnation (he is in all & through all) tells me that we can’t actually get any closer than we already are & yet there is a relational aspect at hand to where we FEEL closer at times. I used to believe, & even teach, others that God moves away from us when we stray or fall short; thankfully, I don’t believe or teach that any longer & instead believe just the opposite, God actually draws near & even runs to us! But part of discipleship & sanctification is to willfully draw near to him & the result of that is often FEELING closer to him. 

Either way he loves us & is near us but why not take advantage of the gifts he’s given us like corporate worship, prayer, holy communion, meditating on scripture...to maximize the reality of his love & proximity. The sabbath along with spiritual disciplines were given not as nasty tasting medicine that we have to take in order not to get sick, but as beautiful gifts to optimize our health. Let’s receive & embrace those gifts with thanksgiving. Hope to see you & worship with you this Sunday.

Much love to you all, Pastor Chris. ​
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Praying for You

8/23/2018

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If I’m being honest, I don’t pray for you guys individually or for the SPV as a whole nearly as much as I should. I’m human, & just like a good ‘ol typical human, I often find myself thinking & worrying about my own issues & concerns more than others. I’m not proud of that but it’s true & it’s also something I pray about, asking the Holy Spirit to mature me in that area. But when I do pray for you, I find myself the majority of the time praying this same prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for & over the church in Ephesus: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:16-19

1) that you would be strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit
2) that you would be rooted & established in love
3) and because your foundation is love, you /we would be able to grasp how great the love of Christ truly is
4) to know that Christ’s Love is greater than knowledge (knowledge & correct theology is good but Christ’s Love is greater & more important)
5) that you would be filled with the fullness of God

So while I pray that over you, it might also be fruitful to exercise your own faith & to declare, confess, receive & walk in agreement with those 5 points (you can unearth more than 5 points in that text by the way but I tried to keep it simple). I’ll admit, I have doubts as to whether any of us, this side of the new creation, will ever be able to fully grasp how wide, long, high & deep the love of Christ actually is but let’s die (& be resurrected) trying! 

Much love to you all, Pastor Chris. 

PS much of that is also our aim & focus each week as we gather for corporate worship on Sunday mornings. Grasping the depth of Christ’s love is reflected in the prayers, the worship, the messages, Holy Communion as well as our fellowship with one another. Join us!
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Change of Season

8/16/2018

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I have REALLY enjoyed living in Florida these past 15 years, & not to complain, but the one thing I truly miss about not living up north is.....fall. I’m not mad at God or hating on Florida but seriously Lord, you couldn’t have worked in some cooler temps in September & October & caused some leaves to change colors? If it weren’t for Labor Day & the start of football (continue to pray for my Buckeyes) I’m pretty sure summer would roll right into Thanksgiving without me even realizing it! 
But...we do have Labor Day & football (thank you Jesus) and the biggest shift that takes place this time of the year actually happens in the church calendar as summer vacations end, kids & teachers go back to school, & we all (hopefully) start to settle back into worship, service, & community. In a few weeks we’ll start a brand new series called “The Real Jesus”, make a push to invite new people, join a small group, & settle back into some routine & consistency that many of us lost over the summer (& that’s not a dig, I wholeheartedly support summer vacations & adventures!). So if you’re reading this & you’ve been away for awhile, there’s nothing like a fresh start. And please know, this isn’t about “getting God back into your life”, the Spirit of God is an amazing travel companion & has been with you the entire time (“where can I run from your presence oh Lord...you are right there with me...”), rather, it’s more about getting the routine & discipline of corporate worship, community, service of others, generosity, holy communion, outreach...back into our lives. 

So let the change of the season begin! Even if the Florida weather & the leaves on our trees don’t cooperate. 

Much Autumn love, Pastor Chris
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Don't Worry

8/9/2018

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I’ve joked in the past about doing a sermon series on my least favorite bible verses. I know, I know, that sounds sacrilegious but that’s a better title than, “Jesus’ most annoying statements”, right? And just because it’s annoying doesn’t mean it’s not right, I mean, he’s Jesus, he’s always right, but if you’re worried about something the most annoying words you can possibly hear in that moment are, “don’t worry” (Mt. 6). And yet it’s a pretty safe bet that most of us are worried about something at this very moment, I know I am, & as annoying as those words are to hear they are also medicine to the soul & guess what, medicine tastes bad most of the time. 

Jesus’ encouragement/commandment to us to, “not worry” isn’t a snarky jab lacking empathy, it’s an invitation to something better. And the, “better” isn’t just simply tricking your mind into thinking positive thoughts rather than negative ones but his invitation is this: “seek first the kingdom of God” & allow the things you & I are worried about to be overshadowed by our preoccupation with the Lord & his purposes. Jesus promises when we do that, his provision will be made known to us & that’s where faith comes in. It seems ridiculous but sometimes I actually forget that this life journey of following Jesus requires faith. So seek first the kingdom, don’t worry, have faith, & receive the goodness & provision of the Lord, even when doing so seems annoying at first glance. 

Much love to you all, Chris.
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God in the Presence of Sin

8/3/2018

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​This will sound like a controversial statement but I assure you it is very sound theology: not everything in the OT accurately represents the heart & character of God. One of those OT concepts, & probably the most damaging thing I was taught growing up in church, was that, “because God is so holy he cannot be in the presence of sin.” That one little statement (& continued emphasis) caused me to believe that any less than perfect action on my part (losing my patience, cussing, an impure thought...) would immediately cause the presence of God to depart from me until I repented. The Holy Spirit was like a yo-yo in my life & without realizing it I had adopted a faith that was overwhelmingly rooted in my works, behavior, & obedience rather than God’s grace, Jesus’ faithfulness, & the constant (& precious) indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Seeing the Incarnation, Jesus coming into the world as fully God & man, in a fuller light was a game changer for me. God chose to come to us, “in a land of deep darkness (a light has come)” so that overwhelmingly convinced me that God not only can be in the presence of sin but actually runs towards it! And if Jesus/God incarnate ran towards the sin of the world then maybe, just maybe he doesn’t run away from me after every little (or big) mistake I make. And maybe, just maybe, he is kind to the broken-hearted (what is more kind than being WITH someone when they are down or wayward?). That little epiphany (see what I did there?) caused the theological dam to break in my life & I started seeing the Abba revealed in Jesus as running toward the wayward son (prodigal son story) rather than refusing grace until he groveled & repented for hours. I now see that Jesus is the kindness of God that provokes us to repent. Because I know he is gracious & merciful I am now so much more interested in knowing & modeling him more. 

So what does all of this mean? His presence is real & you can trust it/him. We need his presence, your friends, relatives, co-workers, kids, etc need his presence...& he’s even closer than we think. If you needed to hear that then drink it in & if you already know that then be a herald of that good news! 

Much love to you all, Chris.
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Nothing is Impossible with God

7/26/2018

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We have 2 significant things going on this weekend & I hope you’ll join us for both. Our annual all-church picnic & beach baptism is this Sunday @5pm in Redington Shores. Please come & share a meal with your church family & lend some support for those being baptized. On Sunday morning we will be concluding our, “If We Have Not Love” sermon series with a message entitled, “Love Never Fails”, so make sure you’re there for that along with some amazing worship, holy communion, as well as fellowship & ministry with one another. As we wrap up the Love series I thought I might just give a brief re-cap of who, as followers of Jesus, we are called/required to love:

1) Love God: ok, this is pretty much a given, sort of like Christianity 101. This might be really easy for some & yet difficult for those who have been told God is different than who He really is or feels He is responsible for something he actually didn’t do (“God Why did you take away ______ or let this happen?”).  That’s why good theology of who God really is is so important & why we spend so much time on it.

2) Love your neighbor: this too is pretty basic but the twist Jesus presented to us in his teaching on this subject in the story of the Good Samaritan is that our neighbor isn’t just limited to the people of our immediate community, who share the same skin color, religion, politics, ideology, & worldview as you & me but Kingdom Love extends beyond borders & social/religious norms.

3) Love yourself: if we’re called to love our neighbor as ourself, yet operate in some sort of place of perpetual self-loathing, do your neighbor a favor & just leave them alone! But seriously, love, care, & provide for yourself & it’s then, & only then, are we able to love others well. And if there’s something in your past (or present) that haunts you, please get to a place where you’re able to forgive yourself (that may require getting some help, by the way). Generally speaking though, we all need to cut ourselves some slack. Most of us are just too hard on ourselves & the sooner we recognize that no matter how deeply we are flawed (& we are ALL deeply flawed), God’s Love & grace is even deeper (& broader & wider).

4) Love your enemies/those who persecute you. Yeah I know, I hate this one too but this is what elevates Kingdom living above everything else. Following Jesus is so much more than just a moral code or righting the wrongs of the world, it is about revolutionary love that is foreign to world & it’s systems. God’s love towards humanity is radical & he calls us to, “be imitators of God”, which means we have to do the stuff he does & be who he is. The bad news is: it’s impossible. The good news is: nothing is impossible with God & therefore through the work of the Holy Spirit we actually can walk all of this out.

Much love, Chris.
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    Pastor Chris Cahall

    Chris loves Jesus & despises religion. Journey with him to dig a little deeper into your faith.

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St. Pete Vineyard
Sunday Mornings,10:30 am  •  5000 10th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL  33703
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