Studs Surround Me

I thought I would write a little blog about how much I love the staff that surrounds me at Vintage Church. Amazingly we all work part time, usually only meet in person once a week, and still manage to get everything done. Here is the crew: Andrew Ogea (Executive/Worship Pastor), Matt Brichetto (Ministry Director), Luke Johnson (Discipleship Director), Wendy McGuire (Kidz Director), and Travis Manint (Media Arts Director). No matter if we are going through a typical week, putting on a special event, witnessing to a neighbor, cleaning up a mess, setting up and tearing down for the millionth time...they never stop working with passion for the glory of Christ being proclaimed in New Orleans and beyond. This past week Matt Brichetto sent me an email asking me if it would be alright to send out a letter to those who were involved in our Christmas Adopt Sunday. God had placed a burden for the family that he adopted and he felt led to share that burden with the rest of the church. This is one example out of thousands that makes me thankful to God. It is an honor to be SURROUNDED BY STUDS.

Here is the letter. May it challenge your journey with Christ.



Hey Vintage Family

Happy New Year! The beginning of a new year always brings such great excitement for what is to come. This year the great Adopt Sunday we had just a few weeks ago is still so joyously in my mind. I hope you were truly blessed to love on those families. On Christmas day Sarah and I were surprised with a call from one of our mothers wishing us a Merry Christmas and thanking us again for the past Sunday. Talking to her was a great blessing for us. As Vintage Church, we really want to continue to love and serve these families in whatever way God might call us.

I have not been able to put out of my mind the houses that my two families lived in. One of my families didn’t have any visible source of heat and the other didn’t have blankets to sleep under. This morning I heard the weather man say that this week in New Orleans we are expected to experience some of the coldest temperatures of the winter. My thoughts immediately went to my two families. So I want to encourage each one of us to take 5 minutes this week to contact our families and ask them if they might need anything.

Allow the Spirit of God to work through you to meet any needs that your family might have ultimately bringing Him glory.

Thankful for and appreciate each of you

BE the church!
--
Matthew Brichetto
Vintage Church

Drenched Wk 1

Yesterday we launched into a 2-week series on the Holy Spirit called Drenched. My prayer in 2010 is that the Holy Spirit would come within everyone who is saved by the Gospel and also come upon Vintage Church to display the Glory of God for the salvation of the World.

Here are my notes from the first sermon in our Drenched Series. We walked through Acts 1-2 while looking at three important aspects of the Spirit (Who He Is, When He Comes, and What He Does):

Francis Chan “The Forgotten God”
You might think that calling the Holy Spirit the “forgotten God” is a bit extreme. Maybe you agree that the church has focused too much attention elsewhere but feel it is an exaggeration to say we have forgotten about the Spirit. I don’t think so.
Perhaps we’re too familiar and comfortable with the current state of the church to feel the weight of the problem. But what if you grew up on a desert island with nothing but the Bible to read? Imagine being rescued after twenty years and then attending a typical evangelical church. Chances are you’d be shocked. Having read the Scriptures outside the context of contemporary church culture, you would be convinced that the Holy Spirit is as essential to a believer’s existence as air is to staying alive. You would know that the Spirit led the first Christians to do unexplainable things, to live lives that didn’t make sense to the culture around them, and ultimately to spread the story of God’s grace around the world.
There is a big gap between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches operate today. In many churches, you would be stunned by the apparent absence of the Spirit in any manifest way. And this, I believe, is the crux of the problem.

1) WHO HE IS

• THE PROMISE (1:1-11)

Who is He?


*The Holy Spirit is a Person.
He speaks Rev 2:7
He intercedes Rom 8:26
He testifies John 15:26
He leads Acts 8:29
He commands Acts 16:6-7
He guides John 16:13
He appoints Acts 20:28
He can be lied to Acts 5:3-4
He can be insulted Heb 10:29
He can be blasphemed Matt 12:31-32
He can be grieved Eph 4:30

*The Holy Spirit is God.
He is eternal Heb 9:14
He is all-powerful (omnipotent) Luke 1:35
He is present everywhere (omnipresent) Ps. 139:7
He is all-knowing (omniscient) I Cor 2:10-11
He is called God 2 Cor 3:18
He is the Creator Col 1:16-17
He is God. Eph 4:4

2) WHEN HE COMES

• 1. THE OBEDIENCE (1:12-14)

• 2. THE LEADERSHIP (1:15-26)

• 3. THE ARRIVAL (2:1-4)

When does He come?

Before answering this question, we need to establish an important fact. The Holy Spirit has always been.

*For the most part as we study the Bible, here is our conclusion in regards to the Trinity:
OT – Work of God the Father
Gospels – Work of God the Son
From Pentecost – Work of the Holy Spirit

However, Scripture is very clear that God the Father, Son, & Spirit have been working together as three in one since the beginning of existence. Let’s look at the Spirit through Scripture & today.

*From Creation to Bethlehem –
In creation of the world Gen 1:2
In man’s creation Job 33:4
In the saving of man at the flood. Gen 6:3
He came upon, rested on, & filled men like Gideon, Samson, Zechariah, & David.
He told of the coming Messiah in Isaiah.

*From Bethlehem to Pentecost –
Jesus
Begotten of the Spirit Luke 1:35
Baptized by the Spirit John 1:32-33
Led by the Spirit Luke 4:1
Anointed by the Spirit Acts 10:38
Empowered by the Spirit Matt 12:27-28
Became an atonment for sin by the Spirit Heb 9:14
Raised by the Spirit Rom 8:11
Gave commands by the Spirit Acts 1:2

*From Pentecost till Now –
Works in the Individual I Cor 6:19
Works in the Church Eph 2:22
Works in the World John 16:7-11

When does He come?
He comes within everyone who is saved by the Gospel and also comes upon the church to display the Glory of God for the salvation of the World.


3) WHAT HE DOES

• 1. THE CLARITY (2:5-13)

• 2. THE WORDS (2:14-40)

• 3. THE RESULT (2:41-47)

What does He do?

We see the Holy Spirit coming within believers and upon believers for the Glory of God. In more detail here are some other examples of the Spirit at work.

Helps us speak as our MOUTHPIECE. Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12
Teaches us and reminds us as our CONVEYER. Ps. 143:10; John 14-16 Acts 9:31
Empowers us to witness as our EQUIPPER. Acts 1:8; Rom 8:26
Convicts us of our sin as our CONDEMNER. I Thess 1:5
Free us from our sinful slavery as our REDEEMER. 2 Cor 3:17
Protects us from our sinful nature as our DEFENDER. Rom 8:2
Surrounds us into His presence as our COMFORTER. Rom 8:15-16
Leads us by His fruit as our SANCTIFIER. Gal 5:22-23

*taken from "The Holy Spirit" by Billy Graham

Knowing...Who He is, When He comes, What He does. What is God stirring within your heart? I can tell you that what He is stirring within my heart is a longing to experience a DRENCHING movement of the Spirit of God within my life, within Vintage Church, throughout NOLA & the world.

Leonard Ravenhill Why Revival Tarries – A classic on revivals
In his chapter “As the Church Goes, So Goes the World” he writes,
For this midnight hour, incandescent men are needed. On the day of Pentecost, the flame of the living God became the flame of the human heart to that glorious company. The Church began with these men in the “upper room” agonizing – and today is ending with men in the supper room organizing. The Church began in revival; we are ending in ritual. We started virile; we are ending sterile. Charter members of the Church were men of heat and no degrees; today many hold degrees, but have no heat! Ah brethren, flame-hearted men are the crying need of the hour!......We need knights of prayer to lead nights of prayer.

Favorite 2009 Vintage Pics

Annabeth and I are currently downtown NOLA. The Vintage Vision Team hooked us up with some R&R to kick off the New Year. We have had a blast reflecting on 2009 and getting excited about 2010. I am so grateful to God for all that He has done and is continuing to do. Here are some of my favorite 2009 pics hanging with the Vintage Fam:

Mardi Gras Outreach



Myanmar Trip w/ Rob & Sean



Lawrence Park w/ my Bolt



Vail, CO
Acts 29 Retreat w/ Annabeth



MissionLab Summer Rap Video w/ Drew



Kidz Summer Outreach



V2K
Talking w/ Pastor Cipriano



East Bayou (Vintage Sponsor)
25 Year Celebration for Pastor Mike



Fall Baptism at Valence



Israel Trip w/ the Vintage Crew



Vintage Christmas Adopt



For more pics from the last year go to www.vintagenola.org/photo-gallery/

Join the Conspiracy

Following our ENOUGH series through the book of Colossians, the Vintage Church family is in the middle of a series called ADVENT CONSPIRACY. For 4 weeks our church is uniting together to reclaim the true meaning of Christmas. We are sacrificing the money and time that we would normally spend on ourselves in order to give to others who are in greater need. Vintage will give in two specific ways: our money & our time. We will give money to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (supporting foreign missionaries around the world) and Matties Little Angels (supporting a daycare in our neighborhood). We will give our time by adopting over 60 kids from Matties Little Angels and hosting a Christmas party on Sunday, Dec 20th.

Here is a video summarizing what Vintage will give toward this Christmas:



Churches from all around the world have joined this conspiracy. You can find out more info about this movement at www.adventconspiracy.org.

To summarize, we want to focus upon Christ this Christmas. On November 29th, we launched this series by laying out a foundational theology as to why we celebrate Christ. Here are my notes and a link to my sermon:

WORSHIP FULLY

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Why should we WORSHIP CHRIST FULLY?

Christ...

Exists As God (vs. 6)

Served As Man (vs. 7)

Obeyed As Savior (vs. 8)

Reigns As Lord (vs. 9-11)

http://vintagenola.org/podcast/2009/11/29/advent-conspiracy-112909-worship-fully.html

Pics from Israel

I had a blast with Clay Corvin and the crew from NOBTS in Israel. Thanks for some great memories. Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip. They were all taken from my iphone with the best camera app.

1st morning sunrise outside Jerusalem

Top of Masada on the Dead Sea

Hiked down this trail from Masada

Temple Mount

Western (Wailing) Wall

Via Dolorosa

Vintage Drew

Holy Church of Sepulchre

The Godfather (Dr. Butler). Lamb Kebab was incredible!

James leading us in a song in an Anglican Church on the Via Dolorosa

My friends Clay and Adam Corvin

Hanging with the Vintage/MissionLab dudes

Inside Catholic Church

Speaks for itself

Chicken Schwarma with T-money

Looking at the Southern Wall

Pastor Mel & James with a skyline of the Old City

Clay giving devo in the Garden of Gethsemane

Me and the Duke. He walked us through the Parables. Amazing!

Hoot giving Devo at Bet She'an

Morning devo overlooking the Sea of Galilee

The Duke (enough said)

The crew on the Mediterranean

Mosaic floor

Our crew walking the streets of Arco

Giving devo at Ceasarea by the Sea (Die to Live/Live to Die)

JP (enough said)

Stole this sign to put up outside Vintage

Dr. Butler giving devo near the Mt. of Beattitudes

Cool Window

"On a boat"

In Christ and His Word

Reflection from Israel:

I want to praise God for His answered prayer. In my previous post, I shared three prayer requests for my trip: refreshment from Christ, feeding on the Word, and vision for Vintage. He answered all three. My time with the Lord through His Word was incredible. There is something about reading a passage like Mark 4:35-41 (Jesus calming the storm) when you are on a boat on that same Sea of Galilee. There is something about reading about the suffering of Christ in a pit where Christ actually suffered. While He was speaking to me in these places through His Word, He gave me a very simple vision for Vintage.

Stay in Him and follow His Word.

Listen to the words of Jesus in John 6.
"I am the bread of life....Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you....For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink....It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life."

Being in Israel again was another confirmation that we serve and follow an extremely real and powerful God. He came in flesh, walked this earth, loved people, voluntarily sacrificed His life, conquered the evil one, ascended into heaven, and remains with us through the Spirit.

His command to us is to "make disciples". How do we do this? In Him.

It might seem simple, but I think it is extremely freeing and powerful. Those whom Christ has saved are empowered by Him and are called to follow His Word. As a new church planter, I am swarmed by so many church growth tips & strategies online, in books, from other pastors, and conferences. All of this is good, but if staying in Christ and His Word isn't the priority it will ultimately be ineffective. May God forgive us for trying to lead His church outside of Him and His Word. He is our Senior Pastor and His Word is our strategy book.

Thank you Jesus for this reminder. Give us your strength as Vintage Church to stay focused upon YOU AND YOUR WORD.

I'll post some of my favorite pics in my next post.

Back to Israel

I am on my 3rd hour sitting at the Newark Airport waiting to board a plane for my 3rd trip to Israel. To be perfectly honest, this is really only my 2nd trip that will have any spiritual significance. My first trip was when I was a in high school and let's just say that I was more interested in the girls on the trip than the historical sites.

We will be traveling with our friends from NOBTS. Clay Corvin, Dr. Dukes, and Dr. Warren will be hosting/leading the trip and Dr. Dukes will be teaching on the parables. I am really looking to seeing these parables come alive as we dive into the text in the locations where they were taught.

I will certainly post a reflection blog of the trip, but I wanted to share a few prayer requests:

1. Refreshment with Jesus. I have really been bustin it this fall. Everything that I do I love to do, but I have definitely gotten tired. When I get tired it seems like my priorities get out of whack. My family life, school life, devotional life, friendships, fitness, Vintage, etc. Can anyone relate to this statement? Sometimes you can work so hard for Christ that you forget about Christ. I need to be with Jesus because it is only through Jesus that I can ever accomplish all the things above. Please pray that my time in Israel will be a time of refreshment with Him.
2. Feeding from Scripture. I am so pumped about Dr. Dukes teachings on the parables. I am really asking for Christ to smack me around with His Word. I am praying for Christ to ignite a burning passion within my soul to study and live out His Word.
3. Vision for Vintage. After spending time with Christ and His Word, I am praying for God to reveal His direction for Vintage Church. I am always overwhelmed by the task that God has called me to in NOLA. The weight and responsibility of being a pastor is extremely intense. I absolutely love it. My only fear is that I would lead outside of the will of God. I am so thankful for our church. I can't believe we just celebrated 1 year. Join with me in praying for God to reveal His good, pleasing, and perfect plans for Vintage as we journey into the future.

Thanks for praying.