November 17th 2015

COMMUNITY
FREE CHURCH

WEEKLY

This is a practical way that we can make a

difference. Please PRAY and ask God how He
might lead you to help. Our church can be a
powerful witness to Jesus through this practical
need!

Shoe sizes: !14 mens shoes, 11 in mens shoes.

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8.5 boys shoes, 2 in girls shoes.
Coats:!
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14/16 boys winter coat, 10/2 boys

winter coat, 6 girls winter coat Plus they need hats and gloves.

Clothes:!
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42x32 in jeans, XXL in shirts.

28x30 in jeans, XL in shirts.
12 in boys jeans, L in shirts.
6 in girls jeans, 6 in shirts.

Whatever you can supply please drop off at the

church this week through Sunday. We will have a
table in the foyer for the items we are collecting.
If you are buying a winter coat or shoes please
call the church ahead of time so we can check
off that item to avoid duplicates.

Pick Up A Tag November 22nd

at the Thanksgiving Dinner!

Peggy Meier is back from her trip to Kenya serving in an

outreach eye clinic. We are hoping she will share some
stories, pictures and testimonies of God at work in the
coming weeks! Thank God for Peggys Passion to serve
people and show them the love of Jesus!

It is our hope that this helps you in

reflection on the work that God did
through his Word during the sermon.
Isaiah the King and His Glory
11/15/15 I am the Lord, who does
all these things.
Womens Bible Study Fellowship
9:10am First Christian Church, Champaign

God is sovereign and directs all of

human history and will use any means
necessary to accomplish His purposes.

Wednesday 11/18!

Youth Group 6:00pm

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Missions Mtg 8:00pm

Exposition:
Isaiah 44:24-28 "

Thursday " 11/19!

Worship Committee Mtg 6:45pm

Christian Education Mtg 6:00pm

Worship Practice 7:30pm

Tuesday "
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Saturday "

11/17"
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11/21 "

Act Like Men Coffee 7:00am

Basketball 8:30am

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Adult Christian Education

Sr. High School Jake Barrett
Jr. High School Ronda Ekberg

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Childrens Church 10:45am

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Worship Gathering 10:45am

Pastor Jason: Isaiah 49

Sunday !

11/22"

Isaiah 45:1-4"
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Christian Education 9:30-10:30am

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All Church Thanksgiving Meal

12:30pm - Invite a Friend!
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I will..."

Common Grace - Amongst us.

Ezra 1:2

Isaiah 45:7" "

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1 Corinthians 4:17-18
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It Is Well Horatio Spafford

Job 2:10
Isaiah 44:24, 45:7, 45:12,
45:13

Isaiah 45:8 " "

Isaiah 45:9-11 "
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Key: Isaiah 44:24, 45:7

John 1:23, Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah 45:4-6"
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Sovereign Grace - In us.

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Israels Resists Gods Plan

Isaiah 45:12-13"
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Cyrus isnt a threat to Gods

plan - he is Gods plan

What is Expository
Preaching and Teaching?
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Glenwood Retirement Community

Worship Service 2:00pm

AWANA Clubs 6:00pm

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Community Thanksgiving Service

at the High School 6:00pm

At CEFCM we gather on Sunday morning

around expository teaching. This involves
reading the text, understanding the text,
proclaiming the Text and not just
preaching it, but explaining why the text
matters to us as believers.
We do this because we believe that the
Bible has something greater to say over
and above what we may want to say.

the Ottoman Empire shortly after World War

Two.
A caliphate is legitimized under the direction of a
Caliph, or authoritative Islamic teacher, which in
this movement is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. This is
the same Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who in 2009
told then commanding officer Colonel Kenneth
King: Ill see you guys in New York, as he was
transferred to Baghdad.

This past week the world was stunned by news

of coordinated Islamic terrorist attacks in the city
of Paris France. Almost immediately the world,
particularly the Christian community, rose up to
show solidarity and support by sharing the
hashtag: #PrayForParis.
In response Charlie Hendo cartoonist Joann
Sfar shared his thoughts in a cartoon both in
printed and social media that read:
Friends from the whole world, thank you for
#PrayForParis, but we dont need more religion!
Our faith goes to music! Kisses! Life!
Champagne and Joy! #ParisIsAboutLife.
His response is not a shock given a 2014 Pew
Research Study which showed 40% of the
population in France is historic Catholic (in name
only), 5% Protestant, 20% agnostic, 15%
atheist, 8% Islamic, and 12% were other or dont
know (1). What this tells us is that the greater
percentage of France is either irreligious or
identifies with a religious ideology other than
historic reformed orthodox Christianity.
In light of this study it is interesting that the
statement issued by the Islamic State (ISIS)
after the attacks referred to France and other
European countries as crusader nations.
However Europe may see itself, the Islamic
world sees them as Christian, and therefore the
ideological enemy of Islam.
The major difference between ISIS and other
Islamic groups such as Al-Queda, is that ISIS
has laid claim to a caliphate (a predetermined
region or goal that they desire to come under
Islamic rule). It is important to note that there
has not been a caliphate in place since the fall of

Those chilling words have clearly proven

themselves plausible by the recent coordinated
attacks in Russia, Lebanon, Great Britan, Egypt
and now France. No longer is ISIS acting with
regional goals, but with growing international
ambitions. The words of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,
Ill see you guys in New York, dont feel all that
impossible and unattainable given the ambitions
of ISIS.
What is really disturbing to me is that there are
some for whom the religious ideology of ISIS is
considered equal, and on par with the power of
prayer. Even more disturbing is the number of
evangelicals who have come out to agree with
Joann Sfar, that we should pull back in prayer.
We as Christians cannot do as they have
requested. In moments such as this we cannot
and should not stop praying. #PrayForParis is
not just a hashtag. It is the only plausible and
powerful response to a war that has been
declared on freedom both temporal and eternal
that was bought on the cross of Cavalry by
Jesus Christ.
Prayer is not religion. It is the very anthesis of
that idea and transcends the narrow limits of its
definition. Prayer is power and the power of
prayer lies in the fact that the power of God
hears and answers prayer. Given recent events
this means that Paris and the whole world needs
more prayer, the intervention of Gods power.
(continued on next page)

But how will God accomplish this? How did he

save the Apostle Paul, then the murderous
Saul? Concerning prayer we know this:
The Lord God Almighty can do all things; there is
nothing impossible for Him (Luke 1:37).
The Lord God Almighty invites His people to
pray to Him. Prayer to God should be made
persistently (Luke 18:1), with thanksgiving
(Philippians 4:6), in faith (James 1:5), within the
will of God (Matthew 6:10), for the glory of God
(John 14:13-14), and from a heart right with God
(James 5:16).
The Lord God Almighty hears the prayers of His
children. He commands us to pray, and He
promises to listen when we do. In my distress I
called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; my cry
came before him, into his ears (Psalm 18:6).
The Lord God Almighty answers prayer. I call
on you, O God, for you will answer me (Psalm
17:6). The righteous cry out, and the LORD
hears them; he delivers them from all their
troubles (Psalm 34:17). (2)
The most important thing to remember is that
the power of prayer does not come from us. It is
not some special, magical words we say or the
way in which we say them, or even how often

we say them. The power of prayer is not based

on a certain direction we face or position we
take. The power of prayer does not come from
the use of indulgences, icons, candles or beads.
The power of prayer comes from God Himself
who hears our prayers and answers them.
Prayer is the admission that we cannot, but that
God can. Prayer places us in communication
with God Almighty, and because of that we trust
that there will be life changing testifying results,
whether or not God chooses to grant our
petitions or deny our requests. Whatever the
answer to our prayers, the God we pray to is the
source of the power of prayer, and He can and
will answer us, according to His perfect will and
timing.
Therefore, we cannot stop praying for all manner
of people, good and evil, that will not just be
affected but also infected with the grace of the
one whose power we pray for. Dont buy the lie
that you serve anyone better by not praying, but
instead pray all the more for a demonstration of
Gods power.
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(1) 2014 Pew Research study of religion in European nations.

(2) What is Prayer? gotquestions.org

Every week we are going to highlight the sacrificial efforts of one

of our many many GREAT volunteers.

This weeks volunteer is: Skip Dovel. If you spend any time
at Community Evangelical Free Church you cannot miss
Skip because he is constantly manning the front door inviting
and welcoming all who come. When he is not on the door
Skip is active in leading the Missions Committee, serving as
an Elder, a the stage hand for Great News Radio, and a man
who is passionate about leading other men to the Lord.
Praise God for great volunteers like Skip who glorify
Jesus! Do you want to serve with Skip? Ask him how!

~ Pastor Jason Schifo

The
Crusader
Inversion
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By Islamic Scholar
Robert Sievers

Many of the recent articles posted on my blog:

unravelingislam have had a medieval focus.
Yet there has been a gaping omission with
reference to this time period. It is quite likely
that any dialogue with a Muslim will quickly
migrate to one particular time in Christian
history, the Crusades. Is there any strange
inversion or ironic twist that might better help
the Christian understand this infamous time in
our history?
Both Muslim and Christian alike are aware of
the Crusades, unarguably one of the greatest
Christian atrocities of all time. When confronted
with the topic of the Crusades, most Christians
will respond that the actions of those of the
time didnt reflect the teaching of Christ.
Christians may also point out that there are
good Christians and bad Christians, just as
there are good Muslims and bad Muslims.
These statements are true, but they miss the
real point.
A little closer look shows what happened.
While the global politics, societies, and events
of the time were complex, there is a critical
moment to note. This watershed moment was
when Pope Urban II gave his speech in
Clermont in 1095, asking Europeans to retake
the Holy Land as Christian territory .

Here is an excerpt from his speech.

All who die by the way, whether by land or by
sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have
immediate remission of sins. This I grant them
through the power of God with which I am
invested
Frequent readers of this blog will spot this irony
more clearly before explicitly being spelled out.
What Pope Urban II did in this speech is
introduce the concept of forgiveness of sins via
death in battle into Christianity. This decree by
the Pope came nowhere from Scripture and
was a result of human error. Nowhere does our
Lord Jesus Christ teach remission of sin for
dying in battle. Rather, this teaching comes
from Islam. It is unclear whether the Pope took
this teaching from Islam, but the reality is that it
is an Islamic teaching nonetheless. Those who
disagree should ask themselves what other
religion preaches salvation for dying in battle?
Obviously Christians are disgusted at the
concept of jihad within Christianity. It is
embarrassing and distasteful when considering
the mandate of Pope Urban II. He deviated
from the teachings of Christ and imitated an
element of Islamic doctrine.
At any rate, the events that followed this
speech were disastrous. Christians melded an
aspect of Islam into Christian thought
wholesale, and Christians are still apologizing
for it almost a millennium later. What is critical
here is not that individual Christians of the 11th
and 12th centuries engaged in brutal acts.
What is critical is that Biblical ideology itself
was viciously altered. This perverted ideology
caused its followers to act in horrible ways. By
papal decree, the concept of jihad, though not
specifically named, was smuggled into a place
where it never belonged, and never will belong.
So what is the point? The point is that the
Crusades started as a result of jihad being
declared. Does the Muslim applaud the
teaching of jihad or not? This is a question that
every Muslim should be asked. If they applaud
jihad, then they should not be against the
concept of the Crusades. If they denounce
jihad, then they do not follow Islam. Many
Muslims may react viscerally to this line of
reasoning.
(continued on next page)

The Crusader Inversion

By Islamic Scholar Robert Sievers cont.
Muslims may counter that jihad is only
warranted against infidels, so jihad is acceptable
when perpetrated against others, but vicious and
unwarranted when perpetrated against them.
But why is this so? The concept of treating
others as you wish to be treated as a moral code
is one most people can relate to and will agree
with (Luke 6:31). Why is it moral to treat
someone else differently than you yourself
would wish to be treated? Here the teachings of
Jesus can be brought to bear on the topic. over
the rightness or wrongness of the Crusaders,
and gotten back to Jesus message and its
relevance for everyone.
To recap, in the case of Christianity, the height of
brutality came when the Pope took a page from
Islam and tried to shoehorn it into Christian
theology. It is just too ironic to watch Muslims
harangue Christianity for the one instance when
it attempted to adopt an aspect of Islamic
teachings. The question must be asked: Do
Muslims applaud the inclusion of this Islamic
teaching into Christianity or do they denounce
adopting this piece of Islam into Christianity? I
hope this irony is not lost on you. Muslims
condemn Christians of the 11th and 12th century
for trying to adopt a tenet of Islam.

As a church that is committed to the gospel we

have chosen to stay in our current study and
celebrate Christmas through the greatest
Servant Song of Isaiah in chapter 53.
1st Sunday of Advent, Nov 29th, 10:45am
Isaiah 52: Awake, Awake...

2nd Sunday of Advent, Dec 6th, 10:45am

Isaiah 53: Who Has Believed...

3rd Sunday of Advent, Dec 13th, 10:45am

Isaiah 53: He Was Oppressed...We are Delivered

4th Sunday of Advent, Dec 22nd, 10:45am

Family Sunday. In This Way...

Christmas Eve, Dec 24th, 6:30pm

Simple Worship Service. Not So Silent...

Afterwards

Robert Sievers is a born again Christian who available to come

speak to Small groups, Sunday School classes, and at local
churches regarding Islam, the Quran and Christianity.

Mens Bible Study Fellowship will start

September 14th, 6:45pm, at First Baptist
Church of Savoy. There is a program for kids
1st grade through High School.
(There are currently 6 CEFCM men at BSF
Mens group!)
Womens Bible Study Fellowship will start
September 15th, 9:10am, at First Christian
Church in Champaign. There is a childrens
program birth through preschool.
(There are currently 5 women from CEFCM
attending the BSF Womens group!)

AT THE SCHIFO HOME

7:45-10:00PM
One of our favorite things each year is open
our home Christmas Eve and share in the
cheer (and some sweet treats) with you.

The nursery remodel was just completed this

past week, and the Christian Education team is
now hard at work getting us ready with check-in
procedures, setting up the space so that it can
be effectively used, washing toys and preparing
us to minister well to kids.
One way they are doing this is by rolling out an
exciting new curriculum for use in the nursery
from The Gospel Project as part of our
commitment that every age will grow to know
Jesus Christ
For those of you who might not be familiar, The
Gospel Project is a chronological plan that
includes great visual aids, age appropriate
videos, and worship cds that takes a child
through the entire Bible over the course of three
years. There is also is a free app for the iPad/
iPhone/ Android device which parents can
download to follow and help reinforce what the
children are studying in the nursery. This allows
parents to connect to what is happening on
Sunday morning like never before!

This is something we are so excited about

because if we get a child in Kids Church at a
young age by the time they transition to out of
the Nursery Area they will have heard the entire
Bible once AND the Gospel EVERY week.
Long term we are hoping to offer this program to
every age group up to and including adults!
All we need are volunteers willing to follow
Gods leading in leading other closer to
Jesus!

This Advent season we are going to do

something a little different in our 10:45am
service. Starting November 29th, the first week
of Advent, we will have the big kids
(Kindergarten through 5th grade) at the start of
service. We will open with traditional Christmas
worship, and then we will have a short 5 minute
childrens time centered around the meaning
and lighting of the Advent wreath. The kids will
then be dismissed to Kids Church and the
adults will continue in worship.
Our hope? In a season when the craziness
wants to pull apart families, instead we would
set aside time tol be blessed singing together.
Also, we are serious about families taking time
to read and understand Advent and Jesus
coming. This is a great time to share the Gospel
with your kids EVERY night!
Because we want to offer every avenue possible
for this, we have
ordered 4 cases
of Advent
calendars
(the kind with the
little doors and
chocolates) and
reading plans
available for free
on November
29th.
Plan now to be
intentional to set
aside the time to
share Jesus with
your children.

There are regularly

scheduled Elders Meeting
every month. If you need
prayer or an opportunity to
discuss an issue with the
Eldership please feel free
to attend this meeting by emailing the Elders at:
communityfreechurchofmahomet@gmail.com

Did you know we have a Faith

Community Nurse here at CEFC?
Himy name is Lois Reed and I am the Faith
Community Nurse here at CEFCM! What is
that, you say?
I am specially trained through a nationally
recognized program and here to be a resource
and support to you, yes, YOU! In all the stages
of life there are challenges that come upon us;
they can be financial, relational, spiritual and
related to our physical and emotional health.
God has given me the privilege to have access
to resources to help our congregation and
communityto pray for you, to direct you to
supports that can help.
So far I have been blessed to give out
resources to parents navigating adolescence,
people facing new diagnoses, found resources
for families who are impacted by substance or
domestic abuse, sources of free health care for
those without insurancethese are just a few
things that can possibly help.
Please, if I can aid you or your family in anyway,
email me at LReedtj@aol.com. And PLEASE
come up and say Hi on any given Sunday!
I am excited to serve you and your family.