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# 5point7 Community Church: A Faith and Mercy Ministry

## Sitemaps
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## Posts
- [The importance of biblical preaching](https://5point7.org/the-importance-of-biblical-preaching/): We are all familiar with that famous passage of Scripture in Hosea which states, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6). Most people usually generalize this verse and try to apply it to any situation where people suffer hardship due to their ignorance. But, this verse is not addressing financial ruin for lack of financial knowledge. Or political destruction due to a lack of political knowledge. This verse is speaking specifically about a lack of the knowledge of God, as we clearly see from verse 1 of the same chapter. The chapter also shows where the people were supposed to find this knowledge of God; in the Law, The Old Testament revelation given to Moses. In the Hosea passage, God is speaking directly to the priests (Hosea 4:4). The reason God's people were perishing from a lack of knowledge, was that the priest were failing to fulfill their responsibility of teaching the Law (4:6; Mal. 2:7).
- [The Disappearing of godliness](https://5point7.org/the-disappearing-of-godliness/): This past October, we, evangelical Christians, celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. It provided an occasion for us to remember, and appreciate our reformed heritage. It gave us an opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate some of our reformed theological principles. For myself, it was good to be reminded of that core, reformed distinctive which first caught my attention; its God-centeredness. 20 years ago, as a young christian, I was very frustrated with church. I was especially turned off by the man-centered approach which seemed to pervade every aspect of modern American Christianity; in the worship, in the preaching, in the church programs, everything was always about man. I was starving for something deeper, something transcendent, something other-worldly and authentically spiritual. God, in His great mercy, led me to find some precious treasures which I never knew existed before. I found myself being carried away by the writings of John Calvin, the Puritans, anpd many of the old Presbyterian theologians. They're writings helped me to understand what biblical Christianity was about, that essentially, it was a God-centered faith, not a man-centered one. I also found, that among those who embraced it, the God-ward focus of reformed theology usually expressed itself in a God-ward focused living and worship. Reformed theology and a deep, God-centered piety seemed to go hand in hand. Unfortunately, what disturbs me about much of today's reformed Christianity, is the increasing decline of this God-ward focus and lifestyle.
- [When bad news is necessary](https://5point7.org/when-bad-news-is-necessary/): This year, I started a new preaching series through the book of Genesis. The series started off on a positive note as I expounded chapters 1 and 2, preaching about the creation and about man and about the Garden of Eden. But, then came chapter 3. Things got a little gloomy as I had to preach about the fall. Then came Cain and Abel, then Noah and the flood, then the Tower of Babel. I found myself preaching alot about sin, judgment and the wrath of God. There was a part of me which was ready to get through all of this matter on sin and judgment, I was ready to preach on something a little more positive and upbeat. After all, we're a brand new church plant looking to attract new people, not drive them away. However, as I progressed through the book of Genesis, I found that I could not excape the subject of human sin and evil.
- [Biblical Discipleship](https://5point7.org/biblical-discipleship/): In recent years there has been much talk around evangelical church circles about discipleship. So much so, until doing discipleship seems to be the latest evangelical craze. Amid all the talk on discipleship, one of the things I've noticed is just how little is said concerning the end result of our discipling, what exactly are we trying to produce in these disciples? Most of the talk on discipleship has to do with methods; how to do small groups, how to do life on life, how to do missional communities, etc. Very little is said on what a mature disciple actually looks like. It's as if the goal has become simply getting people in a discipleship group, a method has become the message.
- [What makes a good sermon?](https://5point7.org/what-makes-a-good-sermon/): Its no secret, that when it comes to what kind of sermons are popular in churches today, those that are heavy on theological content are at the bottom of the list. Sermons which go deep in expounding a biblical text, or in explaining a doctrinal concept, are criticized as being boring and irrelevant. Part of the reason for this is that we have a wrong understanding of what sermons are for. I have often heard Christians make statements like, “I need a Word from the Lord for me,” or “I need to hear something that will get me through the week.” The assumption behind such statements is that sermons should be motivational by nature. The idea is that the purpose of a sermon is to help the individual deal with personal life problems. Its purpose is to motivate and prepare you to handle the challenges of life. While a good sermon can strengthen and inspire you to face difficult life situations, that is not the sermons primary purpose. The sermon is something much more than a pep talk or motivational speech.
- [It’s not about us](https://5point7.org/its-not-about-us/): In this difficult task of church planting, one of the things which drives and motivates me the most is my desire to see a return to biblical Christianity. By biblical Christianity, I mean, an expression of the Christian faith that is shaped by the Bible and not by the culture. Sadly, today in America, the church has been almost completely reshaped by the culture. The values of modern American culture have so pervaded American Christianity, that any local church which tries to be strictly biblical is mocked and ridiculed as being odd or extremist. In order to really see how the culture is influencing the church we must first be able to recognize the marks and characteristics of modern America. So, what are they?
- [A call to action](https://5point7.org/a-call-to-action/): In his classic book The Cost of Discipleship, German Pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes the very sobering statement, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." To many, these sound like extremely fanatical words. Anyone speaking like that today, especially in our Western culture, would be considered mentally unstable. However, we should note, Bonhoeffer was not stating his own personal feelings when making this statement, he was simply expounding the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Mark 8:34). In this verse of Scripture, Jesus makes it clear that the first requirement of the Christian life, is self-denial and cross-bearing. The cross was a symbol of death and suffering. So basically, Christ was teaching that in order to be his disciple, one must die with him. We learn from the outset, that the Christian life is a way of self-renunciation and suffering. This requirement is not reserved only for Pastors and Christian leaders, but Christ states that this is the case for anyone who would be his disciple.
- [Gospel-centered at the core](https://5point7.org/gospel-centered-at-the-core/): Every institution, organization or society has it's own identity, it's own set of core values which defines it. Churches are no different. Every church has certain beliefs and core principles which shape it's character and ministry. A core belief or value is a part of the foundation an entity stands upon. It guides all behavior and action. It is central to who you are, it is part of your DNA. At 5point7 Community Church, we have a number of important core values. One of our most important values is gospel centrality. The terms, gospel-centered, seems to be popular and trendy now a days, there are a whole host of ministries claiming to be gospel-centered. I've never been the type to jump on bandwagons and follow fads, but I must admit, that the recent trend towards gospel-centered ministry is a positive one. This is one case where I don't mind riding the bandwagon.
- [A Dream Coming True](https://5point7.org/a-dream-coming-true/): Today I am overflowing with joy and excitement over what God is doing with 5point7 ministry. The Lord has recently blessed us to purchase a church building within the 48224. This church was once home to Jamison Temple Missionary Baptist Church. It seats roughly around 200 people, has a nice size fellowship area, and space for children's ministry and class rooms. My excitement is not with the building as a material thing in itself, but my excitement is over what this building now gives us the ability to do in the community.
- [Pray for Detroit](https://5point7.org/pray-for-detroit/): As Christians, we believe that our existence in this world is temporary, and that our true and permanent home is in God's coming, heavenly kingdom. However, the passage from Jeremiah 29:7, as well as other passages, proves that God is concerned with human society in this world, and that we His people should seek the welfare of the societies we find ourselves living in. One way in which we can seek the welfare of our society, is to pray for our city.
- [It’s time to step up.](https://5point7.org/time-step/): Back in the late 80s to early 90s, when I was in the streets, I knew many young black men who made lots of money selling drugs. Many of these men were but teenagers or in their early 20s at the time.They had essentially no education, but yet demonstrated tremendous entrepreneurial ability. Some of these men had exceptional leadership ability and charisma. Without any type of formal education or training, these guys could strategize, plan, manage, cast vision, and lead just as well as any corporate executive. Not to mention, the people they had to lead were some of the most hardcore, ruthless and terrifying people you could ever meet.
- [A perspective on N.W.A and today’s inner city crisis](https://5point7.org/perspective-n-w-todays-inner-city-crisis/): With the recent release and success of the movie Straight Outta Compton, there has been a resurgence of interest in the late 80's, early 90's rap group N.W.A. When I heard there would be a movie done on N.W.A., I wondered just how the group and it's legacy would be portrayed. Would the group, and its impact on the culture, be portrayed in a positive or negative light? Would their songs be portrayed as poetic works of protest against a racially oppressive system, or rather, as mere moral decadence and rebellion? Would the group be portrayed as an embodiment of the anger and hopelessness felt by people trapped in the ghetto, or as just a group of young thugs whose music helped to glamorize and glorify the criminal underworld of the streets?
- [Bringing transformation to Detroit](https://5point7.org/bringing-transformation-detroit/): One of the major goals for 5point7 ministry, is to help bring comprehensive transformation and revitalization to Detroit. I must admit, that repairing Detroit will be a very formidable task, many might say it’s impossible. When you consider the amount of poverty, crime and blight that exists here, and the limited resources available, it almost seems insane to think anything could be done to bring this city back. However, I believe that this once great city can be brought back, and if our efforts to revitalize begin with the people,then it will be brought back.
- [A community ripe for redemption](https://5point7.org/community-ripe-redemption/): As another school year begins, and I prepare for another year of mentoring at Wayne Elementary School, I take some time to reflect on our efforts from the last school year. We were able to establish some pretty good relationships with the staff and the students of Wayne Elementary, as well as with the residents surrounding the school. We were able to provide lunch for the entire school staff during teachers appreciation week. We had about 17 boys in our after school mentoring program and were able to pour into their lives. During the summer, we put on a soccer tournament which drew a pretty good response from the community. The event which touched my heart the most, was the back to school back pack give away we had in August. We gave away 270 brand new back packs with school supplies and even had to turn a few people away because we ran out. I was overcome with joy when I saw how the community responded. While passing out fliers for the event, I had a number of residents approach me about helping in anyway that they could. The adult residents were so appreciative of our labor of love. I had the privilege of meeting and talking with quite a few long time residents and with some community workers. These are folks who love their neighborhood and are especially concerned for the children of that neighborhood. We talked about some of the problems facing the community and about things we could do to help solve these problems.
- [How to be like God](https://5point7.org/how-to-be-like-god/): Jesus taught that the two most important commandments in all the Bible are to love God with all of the heart, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). In Luke 10:29-37 we learn that our neighbor is not just the person living next door to us, but any human being we happen to encounter as we live our lives. In other words, we all have a God given obligation to love, we are to love God and love people. God himself has shown what real love looks like. According to John 3:16, God's love for the world was so great, that He offered up His only Son to pay the penalty for sin, so that anyone who believes can be delivered from death and have eternal life. Because of His love for us, God had compassion for us in our woeful condition. That compassion moved Him to action. He did something about our condition as sinners doomed to eternal death. What He did was costly, He gave His only begotten Son over to death. Jesus, the Son of God, took the place of sinners on the cross and took their punishment. Now that's love.
- [The urgent need for mentoring](https://5point7.org/need-mentoring/): In a community filled with broken families, and with children that are being raised in single parent homes, there is an urgent need for mentoring. The Bible states that if you train up a child in the way he should go, when he's old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Children do not normally grow into mature, disciplined and virtuous adults on their own. Traits such as good character and self control must be taught and reinforced by example. I believe that one of the main reasons we are seeing such destructive behavior from our youth, and such immaturity from so many of our young adults, is the lack of discipline and training they have suffered as a result of growing up in broken homes.
- [How to repair a broken community](https://5point7.org/how-to-repair-a-broken-community/): Proverbs 29:15 states, "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother." The book of Proverbs give many similar statements. Such statements imply that children, in and of themselves, are prone to folly and to shameful behavior Pr.22:15, and that the undisciplined and uninstructed child is destined for self-destruction. God's remedy for foolish children is the correction and discipline which comes from responsible fathers and mothers, Pr.1:8; 6:20; 13:24; 15:5; 23:13-14. If it is true that the child left to himself will bring destruction to his life, then imagine what would be the fate of a community filled with such children.
- [Good news for our community](https://5point7.org/good-news-community/): As we all watch, with sadness, the horrible events unfolding in Baltimore, we find that there is much to reflect upon. For one thing, we see that there is much hurt, anger and frustration in our community. Whether you agree with the tactics of the protesters in Baltimore or not, you can't help but notice the frustration pouring out of a people who are tired and who feel that their voices are not being heard. Baltimore is just one expression of what is going on in the black communities all over the United States. The same hurt and anger exists everywhere, which is why we see protesting and other acts showing solidarity in other major cities across the country, including here in Detroit. One thing that this all suggests to me, is that there still remains a deep scar within the soul of black America, and before our community can truly progress, our community needs to be healed.

## Pages
- [Blog](https://5point7.org/sermons-media/)
- [About](https://5point7.org/about/)
- [Contact](https://5point7.org/contact/)
- [Get Involved](https://5point7.org/community/)
- [Homepage](https://5point7.org/)