My Space - Sharing the Gospel with teens

Tomorrow afternoon Stefano, Jenny & Danielle will run the
My Space program.

This week the Rock Solid
Bible Study theme will be:
"Hall of Fame" and we'll study
Habakkuk 3:2, Psalm 105:1-2.

The goal is to help our young people who are living in a society driven by the search for fame, to understand that the goal of our lives is to glorify God.
Only in this way we can find the deepest satisfaction of life!

Westminster Shorter Catechism
Question. 1. What is the chief end of man?
Answer. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Porterbrook - Bologna Local Group

Tomorrow from 3 to 7 pm we'll have the third plenary session of the Porterbrook - Bologna Local Group.

The meeting will be held in San Lazzaro Church and we expect about 35 students from 4 churches in Bologna
and a few from other towns and cities.

Tomorrow we'll start the third and fourth modules of the course:

Module "Church": Missional Community Life
led by Gianluca Derudas from Nuova Vita church:
1. Missional context
2. Missional community
3. Missional engagement
4. Missional intentionality

Module "World": Evangelism
led by Stefano Mariotti from San Lazzaro church:
1. The message
2. The messenger

3. Building relationships
4. Talking about God
5. Presenting the gospel

These are some of the videos from Tim Keller that we'll discuss at the meeting:

Interdenominational Prayer meeting with Pastors from the Bologna area

Tonight Stefano will participate at the
Bologna Evangelica Prayer Meeting,
an interdenominational prayer meeting for
church and mission leaders from the Bologna Area

Young Adults - Bible Study

Tomorrow afternoon we'll have the monthly Young Adults Bible study.

We have a very nice group of people
in their twenties mostly from non-Christian background.

We'll study the book of J. I. Packer
Knowing God
Chapter 8 "The Majesty of God".

Sunday Service 29/04/2012 - Forte Torre Church - Bologna

On Sunday we'll be at the Forte Torre Evangelical Church in Bologna Town Centre.

Stefano will preach on Matthew 5:1-16,
focusing on the meaning of being Salt & Light!

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Matthew 5:1-16 (ESV)

Audio sermon (Italian) Series on Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Audio (in Italian) of Stefano's sermon on Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

1 Is life an oblivious circle?

2 Is my life a futile search for satisfaction?

3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 (ESV)

 Listen the Audio-Sermon (Italian)

My Space - Sharing the Gospel with teens

Yesterday we had a really good meeting with the teens!

Practically all of them have Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist class-mates!

At the question:
have you ever heard the idea that God is like a mountain and that there are many ways (i.e. religions) to arrive to the top?

They all replied yes
and some said they agreed,
but at the end of day they all understood that there is only one way to God: Christ Jesus!

Jesus said:
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also." John 14-6-7 (ESV)

My Space - Sharing the Gospel with teens

On Sunday afternoon Stefano, Jenny, Danielle & Valentina will run the My Space program.

This week the Rock Solid Bible Study theme will be:
"Other Teams in the League"
and we'll study Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 and John 14:5-9.

The goal is to help our young people who are living in
an increasingly multi-cultural and multi-faith society,
to understand that Jesus is the only way to God and,
at the same time, to learn at how to respond in a wise,
godly way to followers of other faiths in order to respect
while evangelising them.


Jesus said:
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also." John 14-6-7 (ESV)

Bible Study on Ecclesiastes - Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Please pray for tomorrow evening when Stefano will continue the series of Bible Studies on Ecclesiastes.

What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 1:3 (ESV)



To illustrate the meaninglessness of a life's search for satisfaction apart from Christ, we will look
at the figure of Sisyphus.

In Greek mythology Sisyphus was a king punished by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this action forever.

The word "sisyphean" means "endless and unavailing, as labour or a task".

Porterbrook Local Group

On Monday night Stefano will lead one of the four local group to interact with the material we studied at the second plenary session of Porterbrook.

The goal is to challenge the students not only to think about practical applications in their lives, but also at how what they are learning can be implemented and transmitted in their churches.

This week we will look at:

Module: Character - Gospel living
Unit 5. Looking forward: to eternity
Unit 6. Living now: decisions
Unit 7. Living now: friendships
Unit 8. Living now: horizons
Unit 9. Living now possessions

Module: Bible & Doctrine - Reading God's Story
Unit 5. The story of promise
Unit 6. The promise of a people who know God
Unit 7. The promise of a place of blessing
Unit 8. The promise of a king and a kingdom
Unit 9. The promise of blessing to the nations

Our latest newsletter

Dear friends, here is our latest newsletter,
(right-click and open it in a new window to read it in a larger format)

Easter Sermon on Mark 15:25 - 16:7

Please pray for Sunday,

when Stefano will preach

an Easter Sermon on Mark 15:25 - 16:7

"What do we celebrate at Easter?"

Why did Jesus have to die?

Why did Jesus have to rise from the dead?

Sunday Service 01/04/2012 - Montespertoli

On Sunday Stefano and Jenny will be at
Chiesa Evangelica di Montespertoli,
a Brethren church in a village near Florence.

Stefano will preach on Luke 15:1-10:
"Lost, Searched & Found!"


Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Luke 15:1-10 (ESV)

Generations - Florence Conference

Tomorrow Stefano will participate and lead a seminar at  "Generations",
the annual OM & YfC conference for Youth Workers and parents of teenagers.


This year the conference is in Florence
and the theme will be
"Redemption, a bridge to communicate with this Generation".

The main speaker will be Paul Westwood from Belfast.

Young Adults - Bible Study

Tomorrow afternoon we'll have the monthly Young Adults Bible study.

We have a very nice group of people 

in their twenties mostly from non-Christian background.

We'll study the book of J. I. Packer 

Knowing God 

Chapter 7 "God Unchanging".

25/03/2012 Series on the Parables of our Lord – 32 “Shrewd as the Dishonest Manager?” Luke 16:1-15

Tomorrow Stefano is continuing
the series on the Parables taught by our Lord,
preaching on Luke 16: 1-15
"Shrewd as the Dishonest Manager?"

 

 

 

 

 Is the Manager Shrewd or Dishonest?

Are the sons of light wise and innocent or wicked and dull?
(Matthew 10:16)

Are we worshipping God or Mammon?

My Space - Sharing the Gospel with teens

Tomorrow afternoon Stefano, Jenny & Valentina will run the My Space program.

This week the Rock Solid Bible Study theme will be:
"Three Persons in One - The Godhead"
and we'll study John 14:9b; 16-18.

The goal is to help young people to have a complete picture of who God is. To learn that we need to know God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, because if we forget about one of them, the way we understand God will be incomplete.



As visul help we'll look at a clip from the movie
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"



Mike Teavee says that Chocolate TV is scientifically impossible, and he refuses to take the chocolate bar.



 
Charlie Bucket, on the other hand, is prepared to believe that something that seems impossible might be true.
So, he takes the chocolate
and experiences the truth for himself.



It may sound impossible for God to be three people and one at the same time.
But if we put our faith in God, we can choose to experience His truth.
We can know the Father, the Son and the Spirit, as three beings yet still completely one.


Question 9: "How many persons are there in the Godhead?"
Answer. "There be three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost;
and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory;
although distinguished by their personal properties."

(Westminister Larger Catechism)

Porterbrook Local Group - Budrio

On Monday night in Budrio Stefano will lead one of the four local group to interact with the material we studied at the first plenary session of Porterbrook.

The goal is to challenge the students not only to think about practical applications in their lives, but also at how what they are learning can be implemented and transmitted in their churches.


Indeed, we are really excited by the fact that
only in the Bologna area there are students from
5 local churches, and in each local group we mixed the students from the various churches in order to encourage the interaction and learning from each other discussing the different ways in which we can live out the Great Mandate!

We will look at :
Character - Gospel living
1. A life for God
2. A love for God
3. Looking back: to the cross
4. Looking around: at the Christian community


Bible & Doctrine - Reading God's Story
1. What does it say?
2. Why does it say it?
3. So what does it mean for us?
4. What is it trying to do?

Sunday 11/03/2012 - Ravenna

Tomorrow we are invited at 
Chiesa Evangelica di Ravenna,

 

 

an Indipendent Baptist Church in Ravenna, a town which is about an hour from Bologna by the Adriatic Sea.

Stefano will preach on Luke 8:4-15 asking "Is the Farmer distracted?"

"And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."

Luke 8:4-15 (ESV)

Titus 2 Ladies Group - Friday 09/03/2012

Tonight Jenny will lead the Titus 2 Ladies Group continuing the Bible studies series on women from the New Testament whose lives were transformed by Jesus. 

 

This time they'll be looking at the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus in John 4:1-42. 

 

 

 

 The goal is to challenge women from our church to see how this passage encourage us to move out of our comfort zones and cross social or cultural barriers with the Good News of Jesus!