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 I
was reminded recently of why Jesus died. We know the trial was
illegal and that the charges were false. We know that He died
willingly. We know that He could have commanded the armies of
heaven to come and rescue Him, but he chose not to. There are three
verses that give us the answer to the question - Why did Jesus die?
First of all, He
died that we who were dead in trespasses and sins might have life
through Him. "To
us, the greatest demonstration of God's love for us has been his
sending his only Son into the world to give us life through Him."
1 John 4:9
Secondly, He
died that we who now have life through Him should no longer live for
ourselves but for Him who died and rose again. "We look at it like
this: if one died for all men then, in a sense, they all died,
and his purpose in dying for them is that their lives should now be no
longer lived for themselves but for him who died and rose again for
them." 2 Corinthians 5:15
Thirdly, He
died that we might share His life, that we might live with him.
"He died for
us, so that whether we are 'awake' or 'asleep' we share his life."
1 Thessalonians 5:10
We praise God for His marvelous gift of love. He
gave Himself and in Him we have all that we could ever need both in
this life and in the life to come.
"So go on cheering and strengthening each other, with
thoughts like these, as I have no doubt you have been doing." 1 Thessalonians
5:11
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His Mysterious Ways
by Mark Hanke,
pastor of First Baptist Church, Fort Collins, CO
We are just putting things away here at FBC after one of
the most incredible nights. Realizing that to be externally
focused we must invest in the lost, we took a huge step tonight.
We brought in an illusionist team and paid more money than we ever have
for an outreach event. Our Children's Ministry asked me how many
counselors we should train and before I could think I suggested we get
50. They thought I was a little high - but they agreed and
gathered 50 people together for an afternoon of training. We
trained 50 counselors thinking that we were stretching our faith.
We invited the community and 500 people showed up - and God gave us a
tithe. Over 50 kids and parents gave their lives to Christ.
I prayed with one young girl and then turned to her mother who was
sitting with us. The mom then prayed with me to receive
Christ. What a night!
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A Word from CBAmerica
PRAY. . .In submitting our worship,
we love the MASTER
We
encourage individuals and churches to participate in the National Day
of Prayer on Thursday, May 1st, and to use this occasion to worship in
prayer as well as to intercede for CBAmerica ministries in our Regions
and Chaplaincy. Resources for promotion are available at the
National
Day of Prayer website.
GIVE.
. .In surrendering our wealth, we link the MINISTRY
We
ask each congregation to pick a Sunday in May to receive a special
offering for CBAmerica. These funds are
necessary in this transitional phase to continue our ministry
operations in networking and serving the Regional fellowships.
This is an opportunity for churches to give beyond their regular
support of their Regional ministries and to unite in the bigger scope
of national service.
 GO. . .In sharing our
witness, we live the MISSION
Through the
generosity of Tyndale House Publishing we are able to provide resources
for outward focused ministry at greatly reduced prices.
Currently, we are offering "Choosing Your Faith" which
examines the faith styles in depth; guides readers on how to choose
their faith and why to choose Christ.
Visit the CBAmerica website
for other publications on the subject of choosing your faith
and other Tyndale Publishing books available through CBAmerica.
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Upcoming Events
SENIORS LUNCHEON: Friday, April
11, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. at Good News Community Church, located at 5511
West 136th Avenue in Broomfield, Colorado.
WYOMING/MONTANA MINISTRY RETREAT:
Sunday, April 20th - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at First Baptist Church
in Douglas, Wyoming. All church ministry staff, past and present,
are invited.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CBA FALL MINISTRY
RETREAT:
Monday, September 15th - Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at St. Malo
Retreat Center in Estes Park, Colorado. Plan now to attend with
your spouse and staff couples.
Call Edie at 303-772-1205, 877-640-1814 or edie.cooper@rmcba.org for
more information on any of these events.
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Structuring Your Church for Success!
 Rocky Mountain Baptist Conference has invited leaders
within the Rocky Mountain CBA to the Winning on Purpose Seminar they
are offering on Saturday, April 12th, 2008. This seminar begins
at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. and takes place at the Northglenn
Campus of Colorado Christian University. Guest facilitator, John Kaiser,
author of "Winning
on Purpose", is a nationaly recognized expert on
organizing our ministry efforts for results. Cost is just $15 per
person (this is not a typo). For more information and to register
visit
Rocky Mountain Baptist
Conference. AND, if you are the
first person to email edie.cooper@rmcba.org
and put FREE BOOK in the subject line, we will send you a
copy of 'Winning on Purpose'.
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"Serving the Voices"
Chaplain
to the Music Industry
 Nick Greenwood is a Chaplain under
the CB Chaplaincy program. But, Nick is a one-of-a-kind chaplain - he serves as
a chaplain to the music industry. He is currently
creating and directing a program called RYCO Network who are doing two
things: 1) Launching creative and streamlined ways of getting much
needed resourced and trained chaplains on the road with bands and 2)
Creating a networked list of Host Homes across the country.
Nick's question to you and others in the CB congregations
- Would you be
willing to serve these Christian vagabonds as they are away from their
ordinary systems of support (churches, families, etc.)? A host
homes' service would include providing things such as beds, a meal or
two, use of laundry facilities, internet, showers, etc.
The sacrifice that a host home will make is minimal, but
the result and impact on the community of traveling musicians will be
HUGE!
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Hit the Bullseye Conference '08
Moving
Congregations from Maintenance to Mission
 Imagine if you could hold a private audience with not one,
but over a dozen transformational pastors - pastors who have led
systemic change to great success in their congregations. . .
What questions would you ask?
What advise would you seek?
Welcome to the Hit the Bullseye Conference '08, where you
will meet - and learn first-hand - from top innovators and church
planters.
When? - April 29th-30th, 2008
Where? Veteran's Memorial Civic and Convention
Center in Lima, Ohio
How Much? Early-Bird Rate is only $199 (reserve by
March 21st)
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The e-companion!
is published 6 times a year. We are looking for articles, stories
and events happening at your church. Or, maybe you have read a
good book lately and would like to write a book review. We will
consider any information that you forward to rmcba@rmcba.org.
Deadline for the next issue of e-companion! is May 1, 2008. Add "e-companion!
article" in the subject line.
Edie Cooper - Editor
Rocky Mountain CBA
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