Serve My City June 8 2019

Serve My City – June 8, 2019

Unite My City Serve Day 2019 is Saturday, June 8th, and you can be a part of it! Join Eastwood Tulsa and 40 churches all over the Tulsa area as we meet real needs in our communities and collectively show God’s love to our city.

Six Sectors – 40 Churches

Serve My City has six sectors all across the Tulsa Metro area. As the point church for East Tulsa, Eastwood Tulsa has worked in cooperation with Guts Church, New Joy Fellowship, Common Ground Church, International Gospel Center, Church 3434, The Building Project, Memorial Drive Church of Christ, New Spring Church and One Hope Tulsa to plan and organize volunteers for area service projects.

On June 8^thwe will serve alongside one another at two Elementary schools, an apartment complex, and trash clean up around McClure, as well as other service projects. Lindbergh Elementary School and Ellen Ochoa Elementary School have plans for a community garden to include a greenhouse and raised beds. At Lindbergh Elementary School, we will also help with landscaping, painting, and other minor cosmetic projects.

Family Missions

This volunteer opportunity is a family missions opportunity available to anyone who has a heart to reflect God’s love to the world around us, build relationships among believers of different denominational, racial and generational backgrounds, and to meet the needs of our community.

City Wide Rally at Gathering Place

Christians across the Tulsa area are coming together for Unite My City Rally Night to celebrate our unity at Gathering Place on Thursday, June 6^that 6:30 with food, games, and live music.

Day of Kick-Off Location & Details:

Eastwood Tulsa
948 S 91st E Ave, Tulsa

Saturday, June 8th

8:30 am Rally

9:00am to 3:00pm

Arrive at 8:30 am on June 8^thfor a Rally in the parking lot to check in, get your assignments, have some coffee and enjoy live music, a speaker, and a moment of prayer.

Visit https://eastwoodtulsa.org/events-volunteer/to volunteer today!

#ServeDay #UniteMyCity #JoinTheMovement #Tulsa #ServeMyCity #Missions #Family #EastwoodTulsa

April 22, 2019

Love One Another

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Dr. Ronnie Floyd

The United States of America is comprised of more than 328 million people, each of whom lives in one of 19,510 incorporated locations in the United States (towns, cities, and villages) in 3,142 counties.

Our vast nation needs the transforming message of Christ.

Advancing an intentional strategy of prayer for America calls upon each Christian, church, and ministry to do all we can, working together to achieve this God-sized assignment: to remember our audience and the daunting task entrusted to us.

Not one of us can advance this strategy alone. We need one another.

Transforming America with Prayer

Transforming America is only possible when the Lord hears the roar of His people in prayer for all of America.

That is why the National Day of Prayer is significant. It calls upon each of us to unite with our fellow believers in prayer for our nation on one specific day: Thursday, May 2, 2019. The National Day of Prayer is the one day each year when every town, city, and county should have at least one prayer observance for America. This needs to be accomplished in 2019.

Prayer can help create a culture where a transforming message can be heard and received by everyone, including people who may not look like us, believe like us, talk like us, or understand us.

If we cover our nation in prayer, America will receive this transforming message that will be lifted up across our nation, beginning now and especially on the National Day of Prayer.

Transforming America with Jesus’ Words: Love One Another

“Love One Another” is the theme for the 2019 National Day of Prayer. These words are powerful and convicting. They set a spiritual standard for us and challenge us.

Jesus’ words, “Love one another,” are recorded in John 13:34: “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another” (CSB, emphasis added).

Please notice, in this one verse, Jesus calls us three times to love.

Love is so important to Jesus that He went further with these convicting words in the next verse: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love another.” Of all the actions we can take as Christ followers, only one action distinguishes us from everyone else in this world. It is Love One Another.

In our nation, where government cannot fix us and politics cannot heal us, we must call out to God and live out before others these transforming words: Love One Another!

Why Love One Another?

Love One Another is a dynamic theme to advance, beginning now and through the National Day of Prayer and beyond. These are the words of Jesus Christ. We cannot improve on what Jesus said: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you. . .” (John 13:34).

I find it very powerful that in the first part of John 13, Jesus said someone would betray Him, and at the last part of that same chapter, He declared someone would deny Him three times. But it was in the middle of this chapter that Jesus proclaimed boldly but compassionately, “Love one another.”

This theme is extremely relevant. It is clear, simple, and easy to understand. It is also easy to communicate, even to people who are perhaps very different from us and do not understand us.

I believe everyone in the United States would agree that our nation could become much better if we would just love one another. Everyone gets it. America needs to learn to love one another.

How Deep Is Jesus’ Love?

John 13 begins Jesus’ farewell to His disciples. From John 1 through John 12, the word love is used 12 times. From John 13 through John 21, the word love is used 44 times.

Love is the theme of His farewell.

Love was Jesus’ burden when He prayed for unity among His followers in John 17. He prayed, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (v. 26, emphasis added).

Loving one another distinguishes us from unbelievers. Loving one another is God’s transforming power in all relationships.

According to the testimony of the early Christian apologist Tertullian (A.D. 155–240), the pagans said about the early Christians, “See how they love one another?”

The pagans witnessed these early Christians washing the feet of others. They even saw them lay down their own lives for the Lord, for His name, and for others.

When Jesus said, “I give you a new command,” He was speaking of a new kind of love that is personal and fresh. Theologically, the death of Jesus Christ is the only way we can get right with God, and it is the coming of the Holy Spirit that sets our hearts afire with love!

The specific word for love used in John 13:34 expresses purpose. It is the kind of love that gives of self completely and unselfishly. It is a love that calls us to lay down our lives for others and to seek the welfare of others.

Love like this transforms people and can transcend all problems within relationships. Love like this is a new kind of love, and the Holy Spirit ignites us to love even our enemies. Jesus said, “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). This is extraordinary love based on the depth of God’s love for His Son Jesus, and for each of us.

Even in his epistles, John addressed this kind of love. With boldness he declared, “Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love his brother or sister” (1 John 3:10).

Jesus is calling us to forgive, release, forget, and even to seek out those who offend us and love them in a better way. Jesus calls us to love people just as He loves us: willfully, sacrificially, and unconditionally.
Because God has loved us, we are to love one another. When we belong to Jesus, we belong to love.

How Wide Is Jesus’ Love?

Love One Another spans all generations, all ethnicities, and all languages.

Each of the 350,000+ churches and 200 denominations in America needs to live up to these profound, life-changing, transforming words of Jesus: love one another!

God’s greatest footprint on our nation is the hundreds of thousands of churches across our country. Each church can host a prayer observance for America on the National Day of Prayer, or a few can join with each other to cover their region in prayer.

While our task of mobilizing unified public prayer for America is daunting and intimidating, it is not impossible.

A Day of More Prayer

We need to resolve to make Thursday, May 2, 2019, the day America is prayed for more than any other day this year. We need millions of people to pray for America on the National Day of Prayer.

We may differ with one another at times, but we can always love one another. Love is our highest duty to God and to one another. Love is the badge of our discipleship. Love is what sets us apart from others.

Jesus did not say that we are known by our creeds, songs, doctrine, knowledge, achievements, dress, appearance, or the color of our skin. We are only known by our love.

We need a baptism of love by the Holy Spirit that will immerse the entire Church of Jesus Christ and our entire nation in a baptism of love. This kind of love must begin in the church houses of America, and then go to the state houses of America, and ultimately go all the way to America’s White House.

Loving one another will transform America.

“Love one another just as I have loved you.” John 13:34 #Love1Another

RONNIE FLOYD is president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. His website is ronniefloyd.com.

This article was originally published at https://www.prayerleader.com/love-one-another/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”National Day of Prayer @ Eastwood Tulsa” h4=”Thursday, May 2nd from 11am – 1pm”]Join us for a come and go prayer service as we pray to Love One Another.

Loving one another will transform America. We encourage you to get involved in the National Day of Prayer! #love1another

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March 27, 2019March 27, 2019

The History of Easter

When I was growing up, my family made a big deal about getting all of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins together to celebrate everything from Christmas to New Year’s Eve to birthdays. Easter was no exception. After wearing our brand-new Easter clothes to church Easter morning, we would all head over for lunch at Uncle Adrian’s house followed by the best Easter egg hunt ever.

Grandpa would put $50 in one plastic egg and wrap it in silver foil and $100 in another plastic egg and wrap it in gold foil. Then he would hide them among hundreds of other candy-filled plastic eggs. The trick, of course, would be finding the coveted silver and golden eggs before anyone else. The problem was, grandpa usually hid those eggs so well you would need a metal detector and a shovel to find them. This search covered over an acre of both cleared and wooded property. He would even hide them in the pool occasionally (this was in Florida so the water wasn’t that cold – brrr).

As a child, Easter for me represented family, church, fun and candy. Oh, the candy! Did you know that U.S. candy makers produce some 90 million chocolate bunnies and 16 billion jelly beans for Easter each year? I never understood why we received chocolate bunnies, but I didn’t care. They were cute and tasted good .

As I think about celebrating the Hope of Easter this year, I was curious about why it’s called Easter. I mean, the word Easter isn’t even in the Bible. No one knows for certain when people began observing the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a holiday, although some evidence points to the second century or earlier.

The English word Easter can be traced back to the Greek word Pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew term pesach, meaning “Passover”. The Passover Festival was established in the Old Testament in Exodus 12 as an annual celebration of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery.

In Exodus 7-11, Moses tells of the ten plagues inflicted by God upon Pharaoh and Egypt who held His chosen people captive as slaves for 400 years. The first Passover coincided with the last of the ten plagues, the death of every firstborn male in Egypt. For Israel to avoid this terrible judgment, God required a blood sacrifice. Every Israelite family were to select an unblemished one-year-old male lamb and care for it in their homes for 14 days. I can imagine how much they would have grown attached to their new pet. On the 14th day, they were to slaughter the sacrificial lambs taking some blood and putting it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they were to eat the roasted lambs. Later that night, as God brought justice upon Egypt, He saw the Lamb’s blood on each Hebrew dwelling and withheld judgment, passing over those houses in mercy. Ultimately, the festival foreshadowed God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of mankind.

Both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that Christ was the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system that God gave His people on Mount Sinai.

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” Isaiah‬ ‭53:7‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬
“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” ‭‭John‬ ‭1:29‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
“Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” 1 Peter‬ ‭1:18-19‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬

That the Messiah was crucified during Passover week (John 19:14) was no accident. Jesus was making a powerful statement in revealing Himself as the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament Law.

After the early church started, following the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the first Christians started gathering together for weekly worship services on Sundays, or “the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10), to honor the day on which the resurrection occurred. Eventually, believers started commemorating Christ’s triumph over death with an annual festival we now call Easter.

For true followers of Christ, what’s most important about Easter is not its origins, traditions, or even the very institution itself, but rather the glorious truth that it celebrates. The Son of God is alive, and His victory over death provides eternal, life-changing hope!

The resurrection changed everything, and gives us hope and peace even today. Celebrate with us on Easter Sunday at EASTWOOD TULSA at 10:45 am.

February 27, 2019

Share Your Faith

Evangelism 101

When I was in college getting my music ministry degree, one of the required courses was Evangelism 101. In this class, we were required to share the gospel with one person (not another student) every week. For this introverted, shy and quiet person, it was like asking me to get up on a stage in front of millions of people all staring me. My first thought was, “How am I going to get out of this?” followed by “I need this class to graduate!” As a Christian, I believe God when He says we are to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20) and this class was forcing me out of my comfort zone, approach total strangers, and tell them about Jesus!! (It also improved my prayer life.) Thanks, Dr. Jumper!

I’ll admit, the first week I seriously considered writing a work of fiction to turn in as my assignment. Pushing that thought aside, I asked myself what I was really afraid of; embarrassment, harassment, verbal abuse or worse? Okay, so I was afraid of getting tongue tied and embarrassing myself. What if I said something really stupid? So, I armed myself with a little script to help me stay on track while trying to keep my cool. Then I made a plan of attack.

Faith in Action

I would pretend to shop at the local Family Dollar while scoping out unsuspecting female shoppers who I could strike up a conversation. It went something like this.

“Oh, hi!” <big smile> “Are you finding any good sales today?” <still smiling> They would usually politely smile back and then give me a look as if I worked there and was annoying them. Not giving up, I would continue with something like, “Do you go to church anywhere around here?” to which I would get a “yeah” for a response. Still smiling I would respond with, “That’s great! Where?” By this point, I would get the annoyed sigh and some mumbled response while she turned to escape. But sometimes, I would actually engage with her and we would start talking about church, faith, and Jesus. After 16 weeks of this, I got pretty good.

Lifestyle Evangelism

I passed the class and continued with my studies. Do you want to know what changed? Me. I now had a new lifestyle. Wherever I went, I looked for opportunities to talk to someone about church, faith, and Jesus – always inviting them to church. This is a practice I continue to this day. Just last week we hired a plumber to fix our toilet. I chatted with him about the details of the job we hired him to do and some questions we had. As he was finishing up, I asked him if he went to church anywhere. He said he did but not very often. I invited him to church and he said he probably would. The rest is up to the Holy Spirit – not me.

Bob and I went out to dinner this weekend to celebrate our 25^thanniversary and our server went above and beyond to make it special for us. As we were leaving I handed her a church business card and asked her if she went to church anywhere. She said yes with a big smile. I told her about our church and invited her to join us sometime.

Invite Your One

The point is, preparation, practice, and prayer will help you overcome any fear or insecurities you may have sharing your faith or even just inviting someone to church. If you are not in the practice of inviting people to church, try it and you may be surprised how not scary it is and how often people say yes. They’re just waiting for the invitation.

#SharetheLove this week and invite someone to church with you. It doesn’t have to be a total stranger – maybe your neighbor, a family member or a friend to make it easy the first time. If we are to make disciples of all nations, it has to start in our own backyards.

February 7, 2019December 5, 2020

10 Reasons You Should Join a Small Group

“It is in small groups that people can get close enough to know each other, to care and share, to challenge and support, to confide and confess, to forgive and be forgiven, to laugh and weep together, to be accountable to each other, to watch over each other and to grow together. Personal growth does not happen in isolation. It is the result of interactive relationships. Small groups are God’s gift to foster changes in character and spiritual growth.” Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian

10 Reasons to Join a Small Group

Small groups are the perfect place to pray with and for others.
Small groups are the perfect place to share one another’s burdens. Galatians 6:2
Small groups are the perfect place to study the Bible and grow in faith, knowledge, and service.
Small groups are the perfect place to experience authentic relationships in God’s family of like believers.
Small groups are the perfect place to bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers and introduce them to Christ.
Small groups are the perfect place to study His Word and to be in prayer, we do this individually but we are also to do it in community.
Small groups are the perfect place to become better servants of the Lord by developing skills in leadership and ministry.
Small groups are the perfect place to be discipled and make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20
Small groups are the perfect place to learn first-hand how to share Christ with loved ones, co-workers and strangers.
Small groups are the perfect place to put into practice the teaching you are receiving from Eastwood Tulsa.

So, small groups are the perfect place to be with one another! Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian points out:

“Community is deeply grounded in the nature of God. It flows from who God is. Because he is community, he creates community. It is his gift of himself to humans. Therefore, the making of community may not be regarded as an optional decision for Christians. It is a compelling and irrevocable necessity, a binding divine mandate for all believers at all times.”

Small Groups List Spring 2019

Small Groups launch Sunday, February 24th. We will finish in May. Please sign up for a group location nearest to your home or interest group.

Sundays @ 10:00 am “Bible Study” at Tulsa Nursing Center – Nick Hawkins

Sundays @ 5:00 pm “Biblical Stories” Steve Fisher in Broken Arrow

Sundays @ 6:00 pm “Prayers of the Bible” Small/Bauer location TBD

Sundays @ 4:30 “Prayer Group” Craig and Emily Spencer Midtown Tulsa

Sundays @ 5:30 pm “Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die” Bob & Betty Fisher in Tulsa

Mondays @ 7:00 pm “Biblical Stories” J.C. Herring in Tulsa

Mondays @ 7:00 pm “Experiencing God” (Men’s Group) Jeremy Rhodes in Tulsa *starts January 7^th2019

Mondays @ 9:00 pm “XA Students Zoom Virtual Group” Jeremy Rhodes

Tuesdays @ 6:30 – 8:30 pm “Men’s Basketball” Corey Shannon in the Gym

Wednesdays @ 6:30 am at Mom’s Diner “Bible and Breakfast” (Men’s Group) Craig Spencer

1^stWednesday @ 10:00 am “Women on Mission” Shirley Ward in Tulsa

Wednesdays 10:00 am “Biblical Stories” (Men’s Group) Jerry Rhodes in Tulsa

Wednesdays 10:00 am “Biblical Stories” (Men’s Group) Gordon Small in Tulsa

Wednesdays @ 3:30 pm “Prayer Group” at Tulsa Nursing Center – Gene Black

Thursdays @ 1:30 pm “Experiencing God” Jeremy Rhodes @ Eastwood Tulsa

Saturday’s @ 7:00 am “Run and Walk Club” Jeremy Rhodes in Tulsa

Date & Time TBD “Ladies Home Prayer Group” Helen Merritt

https://eastwoodtulsa.org/small-groups