tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81319093929190446602024-03-13T13:38:35.856-07:00Salt and LightOrange Grove Baptist Church -
9308 Orange Lake Road
orangegrovebc@gmail.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-40209582819211871292013-07-11T08:43:00.000-07:002013-07-11T08:43:25.052-07:00The Almighty and the Dollar<br />
<i>“All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”</i><br />
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-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity<br />
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<i> “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here.”</i><br />
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-John 18:36 (HCSB)<br />
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The “chi ro” (first two letters of the Greek word “Cristos” meaning Christ) was likely already an ancient Christian symbol when Constantine “adopted” it early in the 4th century. But it was at the Battle of Milvian Bridge where the symbol gained its fame and will forever be linked to the Emperor. According to historical documents, Constantine saw this symbol in a vision prior to his battle with Maximus for the control of the entire Roman Empire (east and west). He saw it as a sign from God and indeed he defeated his rival. And just like that….under Constantine’s rule….Christianity in the Roman Empire….was now legal. But it didn’t stop there. Constantine, who may or may not have been a Christian himself, made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. For the first time, the Church was institutionalized. For the first time, the Church became intertwined with the State. For the first time, it became financially rewarding to be part of the Church. It can be argued and debated that Constantine was responsible for putting Christianity “on the map”. But one thing’s for sure. The next 1,300 years would be one long continuous saga and struggle regarding state “ownership” of the Church. Perhaps no one, including Constantine himself, could have foreseen the implications of his actions. Obviously, during Constantine’s time, few stopped to consider Jesus’ words in passages such as Mark 12:13 – 17 and John 18:36. If Christian leaders, at that time, would have taken these passages to heart….perhaps they would not have walked down Constantine’s red carpet so briskly. Today, evangelical Christians often bemoan the separation of church and state. But as the saying goes…”be careful what you ask for….”. History shows us that a healthy arm’s length distance between the Church and the State is actually a good thing. And is consistent with Jesus’ teachings. <br />
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[Read Mark 12:13 – 17 below]<br />
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Before we dive into the scripture for today, a little background is necessary. Without it, we can’t fully appreciate the gravity of what is happening in these four verses. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, Palestine was part of a province of the Roman Empire. Typically, when the Empire conquered an area, it tolerated its culture and, sensitive to that, would support a ruler who had “roots” in that region. In Palestine and surrounding areas, that was Herod the Great....until his death in about 4 BC. Herod committed numerous atrocities during his reign, but he was tolerated by the Jewish community due mainly to his lavish construction projects (including expansion of the Temple). Prior to his death, Herod divided his kingdom among his three sons….and that’s when the wheels started to fall off for Palestine. Archelaus, the son rewarded with Palestine, was such a disastrous ruler that Rome had to forcibly remove him from power and govern Palestine directly from the "mother ship". The military was used and a Roman governor assumed command of the region….making Palestine, for the most part, a police state. The first thing the governor did was impose a series of taxes (ground, poll, income) to help pay for all the additional support/oversight from Rome. Without a doubt, these new taxes enraged the Jews who felt the Roman Empire tightening its grip around their way of life. From their perspective, a complete overreach of “federal” power. Many, in our own country, feel the same way today.<br />
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So it is within this setting, that we find ourselves in Mark 12.<br />
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At the beginning of our scripture, we are introduced to Pharisees and Herodians (supporters of Herod). Based on what you now know, you can bet these two groups were bitter enemies. And yet they had joined forces and set their sights on a common enemy – Jesus of Nazareth. Scripture tells us that they were sent (v. 13) so we know that their confrontation was a planned one. Part of their plan of attack was to be subtle…and seductive….and we see this in their compliments of Jesus (v. 14). They join in asking what they believe is the ultimate “trap question” (v. 14 – 15). Answer one way, and Jesus risks the alienation of his own people and followers. Answer another way, and the authorities could have had him arrested for being a revolutionary. However….Jesus saw right through them…and he let them know it (v. 15b). Jesus asks for a coin….a denarius to be exact. And it is notable that Jesus himself did not have a coin in his possession.<br />
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Before we look closer at Jesus’ remarkable response….a little background about ancient coinage and what it symbolized in the Roman Empire. Coins were a sign of power and wherever a coin was circulated it was assumed that the area was under the control of the person emblazoned on the coin. The particular coin that Jesus held would have had an image of Tiberius Caesar on it. It may even have had the words “pontifex maximus” which basically meant “high priest of the Roman nation”. In effect, the coin itself would have declared the Emperor’s divinity. Can you imagine the outrage of one of our coins showing the image of a sitting president and declaring his/her divinity over the United States? Now you understand the rage of the Jews a little better can’t you?<br />
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Jesus’ response to the trap question is nothing short of brilliant. But not just because he eludes the Pharisees (once again) but because it lays down a principal that we Christians can live by. By asking “who’s image and inscription is this?” (v. 16) Jesus recognized that the coin had Caesar’s name on it…so in a sense…it already belonged to him. When Jesus said “give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar” (v. 17a) he was simply saying…”pay the monetary taxes without anger because you are just giving back what the Emperor already owns. Money is the State’s domain. And after all…it’s only money”.<br />
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But then Jesus says to “give to God what is God’s”. (v. 17b) What did Jesus mean? Ever wonder what “things” Jesus was talking about? Some believe this passage is about tithing…giving to the church. But I think the meaning is much deeper….and perhaps Jesus’ question in v. 16 gives us an important clue. I think Jesus was talking about us….you and me. We belong to God. Just as those ancient Roman coins bore an image of Caesar….we bear the image of God. We’ve known that to be true….all the way back to Genesis 1:27 (So God created man in His own image…..). And according to Jesus, we’re to give ourselves over to God. We’re already His….and much more precious to Him than money.<br />
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Why is this such an important lesson today? Because this scripture reminds us that we can have peace in a world in which we feel like we’re losing our grip on control. A quick run through CNN, Fox News and Drudge Report will be convincing enough that the world…our nation…. is in chaos. Runaway deficit spending. Healthcare mandates. IRS scandals. Byzantine regulations. Corruption at the highest levels. Government overreach. Bureaucracy. Gridlock. It seems like every day brings a new crisis. Now that you understand history a little better….the environment during Jesus’ ministry…..you can at least rest assured that none of what we’re experiencing today is anything new.<br />
It’s easy to feel helpless. Hopeless. Out of control. But that’s not the attitude Jesus wants us to have. The State is going to do….what the State is going to do. But we belong to God. The State will have its domain….and Jesus recognizes this to be so…..but, try as it might…it will never own us….because we are made in the image of God and we are to give back to God the things that belong to God.<br />
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Mark 12:13-17<br />
13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Him to trap Him by what He said.[a] 14 When they came, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know You are truthful and defer to no one, for You don’t show partiality[b] but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay, or should we not pay?”<br />
But knowing their hypocrisy, He said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” 16 So they brought one. “Whose image and inscription is this?” He asked them.<br />
“Caesar’s,” they said.<br />
17 Then Jesus told them, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-61820459105160407112013-07-05T11:00:00.000-07:002013-07-05T20:28:58.727-07:00Friends in Low Places<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Friendship is unnecessary, like
philosophy….like art….it has no survival value; rather it is one of those
things that give value to survival.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>C.S.
Lewis<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A friend loves at all times, and
a brother is born for a time of adversity.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>Proverbs
17:17 (NIV)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">A couple of weeks ago, I flew to Tampa, Florida where I met up with a group of close friends for our annual "guys weekend"....a yearly event that has become tradition....and maybe even legendary. Now...to be sure...when seven guys get together - who've known each other since high school and college - things can get pretty crazy and spontaneous. And spontaneity creates memories. So we spend a ridiculous amount of time laughing about what happened on the last trip...and somewhere in all the madness....new "material" gets generated for the next trip. And the cycle just repeats itself. But underneath all the laughs and hysteria, there's a current of something more serious. Without really looking or even paying attention....time has put its unique seal on our friendships. After all....only <u>time</u> can serve up the hard stuff. High school. College. Marriage. Kids. Divorce. And loss. Loss of jobs....wives....parents...health. Even substance abuse and life-threatening illnesses have made their unwelcome introductions. And now, as we slip (unwillingly at times) into middle-age, the thought has crept into our minds that there will come a day
when one of us will be gone. Before its said and done, this group of friends will have gone through it all....together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I couldn't help but ponder this institution called "friendship". <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And naturally, as a pastor, I turned to scripture for answers to my questions. What is the biblical model of friendship? Does the Bible really address friendship at all? Are there threads of truth about friendship that we find in scripture? From my research, I picked two stories from the Old Testament as well as material on friendship from the Apostle Paul and Jesus himself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Story of Naomi and Ruth.</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong> </strong>Naomi's f</span>amily moves from Canaan to Moab due to
famine in the Promised Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The family settles into life in their new territory and her s</span>ons married
Moabite women….something that was frowned upon in Jewish culture.<strong> </strong>Tragically, Naomi loses her husband and her two
sons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was barren, childless and in a
foreign land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost completely alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Almost. </span>She encourages her two daughters-in-law (Ruth
and Orpah) to return to their homeland and their gods. To understand the gravity of what Naomi was demanding, one must place themselves in that time. All alone, Naomi's prospects would have been dim. In order to keep from literally starving to death, she would have had to rely on the benevolence of strangers and outsiders...for the rest of her life. There was no safety net in a modern-day sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Orpah complies with Naomi's request but Ruth refuses...and in Ruth 1:16 - 17 we read the famous passage where Ruth professes her loyalty. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">She d</span>ecides to stay by Naomi's side
to Bethlehem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> She m</span>ust have had much courage
considering Ruth knew she would be an outcast there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Story of Job and his <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></b>The Book of Job is an amazing piece of literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ancient as it is (over 2,500 years old) its complexity reads like poetry...or perhaps a Shakespearian play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Throughout its 42 chapters, the a</span>uthor was trying to answer two big
questions:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Why does God permit evil and
suffering?” and “Why do bad things happen to good people?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In the story, </span>Job was considered blameless and
upright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God “challenges” or dares Satan to "mess with Job" because God
believes that Job will remain true to Him no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, a series of messengers tell Job that he
has lost his family, livestock and crops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still Job does not curse God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then Satan inflicts a series of physical ailments that torture Job. With boils, rashes and infections ravaging his body, Job cuts himself with shards of clay to distract his mind from the pain. But despite his horrific condition, he still
does not curse God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Three</span> of his friends
come to see him and sit with him in silence for seven days while he
mourns. In ancient Jewish tradition, friends and family would sit, in silence, with mourners until the mourner himself broke the silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Job finally speaks and
and then a dialogue/debate ensues as to the root cause of Job’s predicament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> His friends were loyal to a fault</span>, but instead of sharing
God’s grace with Job, his friends try to lecture and rationalize why something
bad might happen to Job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though his
friends hurt him deeply, they are still his friends and at the end of the story we find them
reconciled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apostle Paul and his friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Without his friends, Paul’s ministry may
have been radically different. I think we often get this image of Paul as a loner....traversing the Mediterranean, making tents and preaching the gospel like a street preacher. But historical evidence paints a very different picture. The Apostle was probably supported by a traveling road crew of sorts...as well as a growing network of friends in each city he visited. Without people there is no ministry. And Paul<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> obviously r</span>elied
heavily on other people as he mentions nearly 40 different friends
throughout his letters.....with many of those ancient "shout outs" in Romans 16:3 - 16.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Certainly, his relationships </span>with Timothy and Priscilla and Aquila are great examples of his close friendships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul loved people, was interested in
them...prayed for and supported them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From his writings, Paul appeared to be the
kind of friend we would like to have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jesus and friendship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Christians get insight into what Jesus
thought about friendship through his sayings, parables and love for sharing a
meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like we enjoy sharing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>meal with our friends, so did Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he went a step further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shared meals with everyone….whether they were his closest disciples or
outcasts of society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His love for
meals especially shines through<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in Luke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One commentator wrote: “In Luke, Jesus was
either going to a meal, leaving a meal or at a meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No wonder the Pharisees accused him of being
a drunk and glutton”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a parable Jesus
presents in Luke 11:5 – 8, Jesus tells the story of a friend who goes to
someone’s house at midnight and asks for bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although the main point of the parable is about the need for persistent prayer, it should not be
lost or overlooked that the friend pounding on the door at midnight is not asking for bread for himself
but for a friend that has traveled long and is hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The obvious lesson is that our prayers should be
persistent and about others….not ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> No surprise. With Jesus, it was never about himself. Above all, </span>Jesus tells us outright that friendship is to be
cherished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Co</span>nsider John 15:13:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p><span class="woj"><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">13 </span></sup>No one has greater love than this,
that someone would lay down his life for his friends.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">So....what is the message...the threads of truth we find running throughout these examples?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Sacrifice.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Obviously, Jesus
is the ultimate model of sacrifice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
disciples were his friends and he died for them….as he did for all of
humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus even says, with no
shortage of clarity, that the greatest love is to lay down one’s life for his
friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although we may never be called
to lay down our lives for friends, the message from Jesus is clear:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to put our friends ahead of ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Prayer.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Jesus’ parable about
the man knocking on the door at midnight is about the persistence of
prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not prayer for ourselves….but
prayer for others….as shown by the actions of the man in the parable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Loyalty.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Perhaps the
greatest lesson about friendship in the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When Job had lost everything, his
friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar were there by his side...in seven days of silence. When Naomi was left alone without
a husband or children, it was Ruth that refused to leave her. When Paul was weary from this
travels and discouragement, it was Timothy, Priscilla and Aquila that lifted his spirits. When Jesus’ heart was heavy,
struggling with the unavoidable crucifixion….his disciples were there to share
a final meal with him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>True friends are the ones that are
with you in the<u> low places.</u> </strong></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the best modern-day stories about friendship is the collegiate
friendship that developed between C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien (author of <em>The Hobbit</em> and <em>Lord of the Rings</em>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without that friendship, C.S. Lewis could have very well
remained an atheist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of Tolkien
however, Lewis would come to know God and accept Jesus Christ as his
Savior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lewis, of course, would then go on to
become one of the greatest theologians of our time…producing classics such as
<em>Mere Christianity</em> and <em>Chronicles of Narnia</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p> Friends can and do make a difference.</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our true friends are the ones who will make sacrifices for
us….who will pray for us….who will be right by our sides during the darkest of times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our prayer should not be that we will have
such friends….but rather that we will be that kind of friend to someone
else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-75776514793725930802013-06-27T20:29:00.003-07:002013-07-05T20:45:40.936-07:00Grace in the Darkest of Places<em>Sermon delivered on April 28, 2013</em><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">It’s not
often that I venture into political waters during a sermon. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as I prepare for this week’s message, the
trial of Kermit Gosnell is in full swing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dr. Gosnell, a Philadelphia physician, is accused of killing as many as
seven babies who were alive after botched abortions…using a procedure whereby
the baby’s spinal cord is snipped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
clinic has been referred to as a House of Horrors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As if abortion (and possibly murder) weren’t bad enough, the court
case has illuminated a systematic failure of oversight by a
number of agencies including the Pennsylvania Department of Health, PPFA,
National Abortion Federation and local hospitals who took care of abortion
patients (would-be mothers) seeking emergency treatment after late-term
abortions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the details coming to
light in the case are much too graphic to use in a sermon or even on this
blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire story is a shocking
reminder of what humanity capable of when a person, or group of people, is
completely devoid of any consciousness or conviction by the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">And as if
the Gosnell trial wasn’t bad enough…..coincidentally, during the trial,
President Barrack Obama became the first sitting president to address Planned
Parenthood when Obama spoke at Planned Parenthood’s national conference this
week.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">If you don’t
already know, Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the
United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typically, Parenthood
will deliver about 25% of the abortions in a given year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their latest report (2011) 333,964
abortions were done at Planned Parenthood clinics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it is, at the very least, more than a little
disturbing that a sitting President would align himself (so eagerly) with such
a group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And by far the most disturbing moment
of the President’s speech was the very end when he said “God bless you, Planned
Parenthood”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Wow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">In 2 Peter
2:10 – 16, Peter describes the characteristics of such “teachers”…or in this
case “leader”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prideful (want to run
things their way), interested in popularity and personal gain, willfully ignorant
(blind to what the Bible teaches), fancy speech (use elaborate words), arrogant
and leads others astray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">How are
Christians to respond to such “heresy”? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heresy, by the way, is defined as the word of
God falsely and deliberately twisted to fit the world view of one committing
heresy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I struggle to call Obama’s
statement anything other than out right heresy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I struggle to understand how I, as a Christian, should respond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I stop paying taxes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stop praying for our leader?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Respond with violence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Condemn others?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hard to believe, but the answer to all of
those questions is “no”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2 Peter 3:14
– 18, Peter admonishes his readers to focus on Christ and not to expect peace
in this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also urges believers
to rely on God’s grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is Grace, not
hate or rebellion or condemnation, that has the power to change and transform
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-13778656621162133152013-06-27T20:16:00.003-07:002013-07-05T20:54:52.277-07:00Push Back the Darkness<em>Sermon delivered on May 12, 2013</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">After my ordination ceremony, there was a reception to
celebrate the occasion. Cake, punch and lots of hand-shaking. As I'm
milling about...making sure to thank all who have supported me and been a part
of this ministry journey (thus far) I was chatting with someone when they
asked....almost nonchalantly...."so, why did you decide to go into the
ministry anyway?" For some reason, the question stopped me in my
tracks. I don't remember who the person was.....and I don't even remember
what I said in return. I suppose I gave one of those "pat",
canned responses that sounded more "corporate" and predictable than
anything else. But I know one thing....I went home that night thinking of
nothing but that question. <br />
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And as I thought more about that question, I tried to clear my head, reach from
the heart and actually say out loud the first thing that came to my mind in
response to that question. When I did this exercise, three words bubbled
up: "push back darkness”. I guess at the end of the day, I
want to be in ministry so that what I can to push back the darkness. A
darkness that can only be pushed back with light. When I probed that a little
further, I came to a conclusion that my desire to push back the darkness is
simply a Christian's desire to be relevant. To make a difference.
To live a life that has meaning. And guess what? I'm not the only
one. After only a few short years in ministry, there is one thing that I
am absolutely sure of....is that everyone is searching for relevance.
Young/old. Black/white. Male/female.
Believer/unbeliever. All are searching for relevance. For me….that
can only be explained by the fact that a loving God places that desire within
us. Whether we want it or not. Whether we recognize it or not.<br />
<br />
As I thought through all of this I was reminded of a movie called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">October Sky</i>. In that movie, a
group of teenage boys, growing up in the poor and impoverished coal country of
West Virginia, have a dream of creating a home-made rocket that could be
launched and take flight. The boys spent hours and hours building a
rocket....almost to the point of being an obsession....much to the chagrin of
their families and friends in their coal-mining community.....where boys
graduated from high school and went to work in the mines until they retired…or
died…whichever came first. But these boys had bigger aspirations. And
they had at least one cheerleader....their young science teacher who encouraged
them to push ahead and not give up on their dream. Amidst all the
discouragement, she was there as a lone voice of support. Tragically, the
teacher was diagnosed with leukemia....and there's a scene where the boys visit
her in the hospital. Even lying in her hospital bed….terminally-ill with
cancer, the teacher thought not about herself....but about her students who
were preparing a rocket that would compete in the national science fair.
One of the students asked her....."why do you care so much about this
rocket?" And she replied...."because if you succeed then I’ll
feel like my life mattered. That it meant something bigger than just
me." Perhaps that young, dying teacher spoke for all of us....as she
sought to push back the darkness in her world. To share and pass on a
light to those around her.<br />
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It's interesting to note that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">October Sky</i>
was based on a true story and that several of those students went on to become
engineers and were instrumental in the space exploration programs of the 1960s
that put a man on the moon.<br />
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Almost 2,000 years ago, the Apostle Paul wrote about this same need to share
light….through what is widely-considered his most intensely personal letter - 2
Corinthians. Paul wrote this letter while in Ephesus in about 56
A.D. after one of his missionary journeys to Corinth where he started a
church. In this letter, Paul was writing back to the fledgling church in
the great City of Corinth - arguably the most important, strategic and
influential city in Greece. This southern-most city was built on an
isthmus and as such, it has sea ports on both sides. It didn't take long
for Corinth to become the most important commercial city in the Mediterranean
region. However, with such wealth and transience, came much
corruption. Corinth was renowned throughout the region as a "party
town". In fact "to corinthianize" was a common phrase that
was often associated with debauchery. Corinth was home to the temple of
Aphrodite (goddess of love) on the hill of the Acropolis. At night, as
many as 1,000 temple prostitutes would descend upon the town to
practice their trade. Amidst all this grandeur and immorality, Paul was
trying to encourage his feeble house church to share their light and push back
the darkness. One can only imagine how irrelevant the small, fledgling church
in Corinth must have felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;">In 2 Corinthians 4:1 - 12, we find Paul lifting up this new
congregation. He encourages them to simply share their hearts, to avoid
relying on tricks and gimmicks for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And he also reminded them that some would remain blind to this light because of
their own choices....and that no matter what they did, as believers, those
folks would never “see”. Knowing that, I would imagine that Paul wrote
those words with a broken and heavy heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;">In 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul makes a beautiful illustration….a
way to explain this sharing of light….by comparing it to the creation event in
Genesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the world was formless
and empty before God added light, so too is the sinner’s heart before it
accepts the light of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
in verse 7, Paul uses a metaphor that is very unique – “jars of clay”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul’s audience would have understood a jar
of clay to be a cheap, rinky-dink container commonly used to hold a candle in
the window at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For ancient
families, it might have been the only light in their one- or two-room
houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul’s point was….it’s the light
that’s most important….not the container holding it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words….for us…it’s the message that
is of eternal importance….not the messenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Paul was himself amazed at the irony that God entrusted such frail
creatures with the greatest truth ever revealed – the Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;">What can we learn from Paul’s teaching so that we give light
a chance to be seen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stop fretting over
the fate of the world</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During my
ordination ceremony, Brother Philip Price (who delivered the sermon) reminded
the congregation that Jesus was born into a “mess” perhaps even more so than
the mess we live in today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul’s
fledgling little church survived and even thrived…in the midst of the most
affluent and immoral city in the Mediterranean region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As bad as things seem today, we are
certainly more advantaged than those earliest believers. In many ways, there
are reasons to be hopeful that the light of Christians will continue to push
back darkness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stop focusing on our
own abilities and limitations.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul
never let himself get too discouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
saw himself as a steward of the Gospel….and giving up was not an option.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In verses eight and nine of our passage Paul
writes, “We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not
in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not
destroyed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And perhaps most
importantly, Paul lets us know that we’re not accountable for the results….only
the effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He writes that some will
never come to accept the light despite our best efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our charge is to simply share the light and
let God take care of the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stop doing church as
we know it</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well I guess that sounds
surprising coming from a Protestant, evangelical pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of Paul’s message was “if you have the light
of the Gospel, go to where the darkness is”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is our charge as believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve heard it said that the church needs to open its doors wider to the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well perhaps we need to knock out
a few walls while we are at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If our
faith is limited to only show up for worship service each Sunday, what good is
that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is to be gained by only
sharing a light in a place that is already well-lit?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;">In our search for meaning and relevance, we find it in 2
Corinthians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be a light and push back
the darkness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-51469561497677200262013-06-27T14:36:00.004-07:002013-07-05T20:58:23.424-07:00Change of Heart<em>Sermon delivered on April 7, 2013</em><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span>-Richard Stearns<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></span></i><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Why should we not…instead of the paltry offerings we make, do something that will prove that we are really in earnest in claiming to be followers of him who, though he was rich, for our sake became poor?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></span></i></div>
</blockquote>
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</span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span>-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lottie Moon</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">In preparing for this week’s sermon, I did some research into the lives of Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a life-long Southern Baptist, I was certainly familiar with their names....the stacks of offering envelopes bearing their names and gracing sanctuaries during Easter and Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I confess that, up until now, I was only vaguely familiar with their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Annie Armstrong (born in Baltimore, Maryland) was a tireless, outspoken, strong-willed leader and was one of the major reasons behind the success of the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was known to be a prolific letter-writer…which would come in handy in her push for social justice for the poor and oppressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annie accepted Christ at 20 years old and was deeply impacted by the impoverished state of people in industrialized Baltimore – home to poor immigrants and African-Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In later years, it was Annie Armstrong that would suggest that Christmas missions offerings and prayer be dedicated to another like-mind Christian woman – Lottie Moon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Lottie Moon – born 20 years before Annie Armstrong - died in 1912 at the age of 72.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Affluent, well-educated and only 4 feet 3 inches tall….just like Annie, Lottie was outspoken and strong-willed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During a time when it was unheard-of for women to enter the mission field, Lottie’s younger sister became a missionary in China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At age 33, Lottie followed her sister’s path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, she was constantly frustrated at the insistence of the SBC that she (like other women) be relegated to classroom teaching instead of being permitted to evangelize alongside her male counterparts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Annie, she was a determined, persistent writer and she used her pen to convince SBC leadership to put her directly in the mission field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She got her wish, but at first she thought of the Chinese as “heathen” and, to underscore that point, she kept her American clothes as a form of separation between her and them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, though, her heart was changed and she came to love and respect the Chinese people to whom she ministered…..deeply moved by the overwhelming physical and spiritual needs surrounding her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When missionary salaries were cut, she shared everything she had to help the poor and starving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1912…the year she died, Lottie weighed only 50 lbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She died on a ship going back home for a much-deserved furlough and rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Since 1988, Lottie Moon Christmas offering has raised an astonishing $1.5 billion and finances over half of the annual missions budget for SBC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">These women had so much in common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were devout Christian women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both from well-off Christian families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both head-strong, determined and disciplined writers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But perhaps the most important thing they had in common was the change of heart both women experienced….brought on by the Holy Spirit…using their life experiences as catalysts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Luke, in his Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts, makes reference to the Holy Spirit over 40 times!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Acts 2:36 – 47 tells of a time when the Holy Spirit moved in a tremendous way to change the hearts of literally thousands who were in Jerusalem to witness the birth of the first Christian church under Peter’s leadership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The Holy Spirit is alive (or at least can be) today just as it was almost 2,000 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Acts 2:37, Luke writes that “they were cut to the heart” by the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our prayer should be that our hearts are broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only then will we respond in a way that leads to transformation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-53920883388652986422013-06-27T14:04:00.000-07:002013-06-27T14:04:01.116-07:00A Church Is Born<em>Sermon delivered on May 19, 2013</em><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">In Jewish culture, our “Pentecost” is called the “Festival of Weeks” or “Day of First Fruit”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of three major Jewish pilgrimage festivals (Passover and Tents/Booths were others).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In ancient times, all males who lived within a certain radius of Jerusalem were required to make a pilgrimage to these festivals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that so many took these pilgrimages helps explain why there were throngs of people in the city of Jerusalem during these festivals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The Festival of Weeks was probably the most attend in Jerusalem – even more so that Passover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Festival of Weeks took place during a time of year when the weather was warmer, dryer and more suitable for travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And since the festival started after the harvest of first fruits, food was plentiful….making the atmosphere celebratory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Christians “adopted” the time period around the Festival of Weeks and made it a Pentecost celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And since the first Pentecost celebration happened at such an early date, it is sometimes referred to as the “birthday of the Church”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The term “Pente” means “50” referring to the time between the crucifixion and descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As recorded in scripture, Jesus (in a bodily resurrected form) continued to appear and counsel the disciples for 40 days after the resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel of Luke tells of a very real ascent of the resurrected Jesus after 40 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And 10 days later, as also recorded in scripture, the Holy Spirit descended upon the early church during what was to be later regarded as the first recorded sermon (by Peter) of the early Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scriptural account is very detailed, noting there were 109 in attendance including the mother of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as fascinating as the worship service at Pentecost is, I want to step back from that scene just a little bit….to a time that set the stage of the birthday of the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This scene takes place in Acts 1:1 – 12<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The Book of Acts, written by Luke, is actually a continuation of the Gospel of Luke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, Luke reminds Theopholis (whom Luke addresses in verse one) of that fact from the very start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest difference between the Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts, is that Luke tends to be about Jesus of Nazareth’s ministry on earth, whereas Acts tends to be about the Holy Spirit’s ministry on earth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">There has been much speculation as to who “Theopholis” really was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the name means “lover of God”, some have speculated that the name was symbolic of all believers (at that time called “Followers of the Way” as the term “Christian” was not being used yet).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than likely, however, Theopholis was a real person since it was very customary during that time to address specific individuals in letters or writings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s quite possible that Theopholis was a patron of Luke and assisted Luke (financially) in his ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Early in this passage of Acts, the risen Jesus instructs the disciples to wait in Jerusalem and not do anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This must have been incredibly difficult for the disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human beings, in general, aren’t very fond of waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We want it now.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So to see the risen Jesus and not be able to act on it must have aggravated the disciples to no end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately….the wait would not be long….as they would only have to wait for ten days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">But there was a reason why he wanted the disciples to “stay put”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Holy Spirit would be introduced as the first Pentecost worship service and the risen Christ did not want his disciples (now apostles) to miss it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Well….the disciples were a curious bunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know this, because in verse six we find the disciples trying to guess what the “big surprise” was going to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first guess was right off their wish list…..a restoration of Israel and rebuke of the Roman Empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They still didn’t get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still didn’t completely understand what Jesus was all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus reminds them, with no lack of clarity, that knowing that information was “above their pay grade”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, he did tell them that they would be a “witness” which means to “share the gospel with others”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is interesting that the risen Jesus mentions “Samaria” in verse eight….a signal that the gospel would be intended for everyone…not just the Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">After he sets the disciples straight, Jesus starts his ascension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scripture tells us that two men (angels) accompanied Jesus as he was taken into the clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The disciples’’ necks must have been straining as they gazed upward because one of the angels asked why they were looking up. I can almost picture one of the angels asking (in my best New York City accent):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What you looking at?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The angels promptly let the disciples know that Jesus would be coming back the same way he left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">This passage in chapter one lays the foundation for arguably the most important event in the life of the Church and the lessons we can take away from this part of Scripture are many:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">The promise will come</span></b><span style="color: black;">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like John in his Gospel (John 14:6), Luke reminds us that His promises are kept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we may not know why or what we wait for sometimes, we can rest assured that God has a plan and his promises will not falter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is the heart of a healthy, functioning church.</span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For generations, Christians have differed as to what it means to be “baptized in the Holy Spirit”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it a supernatural event?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But being baptized in the Holy Spirit is a personal event….not a corporate one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And whether it’s a visible, charismatic expression….or a private moment between an individual and the Holy Spirit…..one thing is for sure….nothing can happen until folks are convicted, touched and moved by the Holy Spirit….in whatever way the Holy Spirit is revealed in each person’s heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Stop looking up and get to work</span></b><span style="color: black;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the years, there has been an on again/off again fascination with end times and all thing apocalyptic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this passage is a healthy reminder that the Holy Spirit is not interested in our obsession about things to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus explicitly told the disciples that (in effect) it was “none of their business”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the angels deliver a message that basically says “stop looking up here and start looking around you”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Holy Spirit baptized people in the early church so that they would have power and strength that could be used right away….not in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The time for the Church is always now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Toward the end of Acts chapter 2, Luke describes the environment of the early Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Verses 45 – 47 read:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<em>45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.</em><br />
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<span class="text"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">This is the end game of what God did leading up to Pentecost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the purpose of the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why we exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus did not “pour himself out to us” only to have us save those blessings for the end time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He poured himself out so that we can, in turn, pour ourselves out….starting right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-42550376547496867072013-06-27T13:33:00.004-07:002013-06-27T13:36:49.245-07:00In Need of a Heart Transplant<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;"><em>Sermon delivered on June 2, 2013</em></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">During the previous century, modern medicine evolved to the point where doctors can perform organ transplants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some transplants - such as kidneys transplants are now even fairly common.....but heart transplants are a different story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first heart transplant was performed in South Africa in the 1960's....but progress was slow after that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first successful pediatric heart transplant didn't come until 1984. The biggest problem with heart transplants is the tendency for the body to reject the new organ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instinctively, the body fights the new heart….even though having the new organ makes the difference between life and death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The body simply does not want that new heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Transplant recipients must take a litany of drugs, throughout their lifetime, to prevent the body from rejecting their new heart.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">In much the same way, we reject God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deep down, we know God can be the difference between life (light) and Death (darkness) but we tend toward rejecting God anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re born sinners so it’s what we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how do prepare ourselves to accept God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well….seems that a heart transplant (at least the spiritual kind) is the answer (speaking of).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s turn to Mark 2:18 - 22 and learn more.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">In the 2nd chapter of Mark we find Jesus ministering in Capernaum....probably out of Peter's house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scripture tells us that there were so many people following Jesus that the crowd was spilling out into the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may recognize this scene as the same one in which the paralytic is lowered down to Jesus through the roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">Also in this chapter, there are five stories of conflict with the Pharisees...arguments about the authority of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one such story, the Pharisees (a word that means the "separated ones") are criticizing Jesus for his actions such as dining with "sinners" (tax collectors, etc.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since Pharisees advocated strict adherence to Mosaic Law, a question was asked about fasting because the Pharisees noticed that Jesus and his disciples were not fasting "properly".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Mosaic Law, fasting was required annually on the Day of Atonement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, Pharisees saw it as a sign of piety to fast on Mondays and Thursdays as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, Jesus and the disciples were not "following the rules".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In response to the Pharisees’ angst, Jesus shared three quick parables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of those stories are closely related and can be found in Mark 2:21 - 22.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In those two short parables, Jesus used the illustration of "patches" and "wineskins" as a simple way for Jesus to address the Pharisees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">In Jesus' day, patching an old garment with a new patch never worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason was that the new patch was unshrunk....so when it did get finally get wet, the patch shrunk, pulled away from the older fabric and literally tore the garment apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the garment would be in worse shape than it was before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">Also….In those times, wine was kept in wineskins as there were no bottles of any kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New wineskins had a certain amount of elasticity and could stretch which made them a good match for new wine while it was fermenting and producing gases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, old wineskins became harder and less yielding and were only appropriate for mature (fully-fermented) wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">Through these two parables, Jesus was saying the following:</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">His radical message could not simply be a patch for an old system as it would tear it apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His new teachings were impossible to integrate with old teachings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His radical message and purpose could not be "held" in an old container that could not stretch and change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An old container would burst.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">What can be learned from this passage of Scripture?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">The Holy Spirit wants to give us a new heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our new heart is like the new wineskin or the new garment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need that new heart to accept the Holy Spirit.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">The Holy Spirit wants us to stretch and change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must be willing to changed and grow if we want to fully accept the Holy Spirit.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">The Holy Spirit wants to show off this new heart to the world. Just before these two parables in Mark, Jesus is seen dining with sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Mark 2:15 - 17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked why he was doing that, Jesus said he came for sinners and not the righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are to be like Jesus, shouldn't we show this new heart (wineskin, garment) to a world that desperately needs to see it?</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">When we accept the Holy Spirit, we are no longer our "old selves".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We receive a new heart (wineskin/garment) capable of living out the will of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-25988759291950397892013-06-27T12:21:00.000-07:002013-06-27T13:37:10.274-07:00Go Your Own Way<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Sermon delivered on June 9, 2013</span></span></i><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The essence of sin is the failure to love God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;"> -John McArthur, Grace Community Church<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">In 1976, Fleetwood Mac recorded "Go Your Own Way" - a megahit about the breakup between Lindsey Buckingham and Steve Nicks (both from the band).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song was from the Rumours album.....which went on to sell 45 million copies, making it one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song itself sounds like a typical 70's era rock song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when the lyrics are read like poetry, the words tell a different story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An excerpt from the song goes like this:</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Loving you isn't the right thing to do, but how can I change things that I feel?</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">If I could, maybe I'd give you my world.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">How can I when you won't take it from me?</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">You can go your own way!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go your own way. </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">You can call it another lonely day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another lonely day.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">You can go your own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go your own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">The song paints a picture of someone offering their heart....only to be rejected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that heartbreak is coupled with the fact that the one being rejected knows the other is making a lonely choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this song were a romance movie, we could imagine the scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A heartbroken young woman, offering to give everything to someone else.....only to be rejected as he drives off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a scene like that, there wouldn't be a dry eye in the theater. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">But where are our tears when we consider how many times we - and all of humanity - have done the same thing to God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible is filed with stories of both individuals and His chose people, going their own way without God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We find one such story in 1 Kings 11:4 - 13.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">The two books of Kings are focused on a time with the people of Israel insisted on having their own earthly kings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanting a king in itself wasn't so bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, In Deuteronomy 17:14 - 17 Moses is directed by God to instruct the people of Israel as to how they should go about selecting a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, as time progressed, the people of Israel went their own way without God and chose kings that didn't meet the standards that God had set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some, such as Solomon (son of David) gradually went their own way without God....despite everything He had given them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">Solomon was the third king of Israel and over his lifetime he had over 700 wives! Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that's a lot to keep up with!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the marriages were made for political expedience and directly against what God had instructed through Moses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of these wives practices pagan religions - were not Christians - and Solomon was tolerant of their practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this proved to be dangerous....a slippery slope....and Solomon himself began to honor these various gods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Verse 4 tells us that "when Solomon was old"....a clue that lets us know the change was not immediate, but happened over time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps with Solomon not even realizing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">Solomon did other things that were in direct conflict with God's plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He took the pharaoh’s daughter as a wife, purchased horses from Egypt<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and accumulated silver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By going his own way, Solomon helped seal the fate of the nation of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he would not live to see it, Israel would split and would be forever weakened.....making it easy for future generations to be divided and conquered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God's disappointment with Solomon was evident in verse nine when we learn that "the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solomon had gone his own way.....had rejected all that God was offering him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">So what can we learn from Solomon's life?</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">It's not necessarily the <u>what</u> we do and don't do that upsets God the most, it's the going our own way that really disappoints God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Solomon did many immoral things in his life....that's not what got him into trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was refusing to let God take the lead that was his demise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, many of the things Solomon did weren't necessarily “bad” or immoral things in and of themselves (buying horses, accumulating silver) but it just wasn't part of God's plan for him or the nation of Israel.....and therefore "sin".</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">Going our own way sometimes happens gradually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the scariest realization is that change can happen to us without us even realizing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That may be what happened to Solomon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: black;">Earthly success is not always an indication that God's plan is being followed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solomon was incredibly wealthy, a great leader and from the outside looking in.....would probably be considered "religious" or "blessed".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was all a mirage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was not following God's plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mathew Henry wrote:</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Those who have dominion over men are apt to forget God's dominion over them; and, while they demand obedience from their inferiors, to deny it to him who is the Supreme.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Solomon's story reminds us of the heartbreaking consequences when we reject all that God is willing to give us and we go our own way.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-52933763243897336052013-03-21T06:57:00.000-07:002013-07-05T21:03:07.009-07:00The Miracle of Regeneration<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>The first day of
Spring is one thing, but the first Spring day is another.</em> </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> – Henry Van Dyke<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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A couple of Sundays ago I added a little "show-and-tell" to my sermon....complete with "props". I'm sure my congregation was at least a little curious as to why I had a 3-foot-long oak tree branch resting on the pulpit on that particular morning. I actually used it to make an illustration about rebirth, regeneration and the Spring season. <br />
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Of course....to make the illustration properly, I had to do a little botanical research on the budding process for trees. What I found out was even more amazing than I first thought. The small, emerging buds that we see on trees in early spring - like the ones on my oak limb sample - actually develop at the end of the previous summer. The tree forms these buds when the days are still long and there's plenty of sun. It then covers the buds with "scales" (looks sortof like bark) and insulates the buds throughout fall and winter.....until the days start to lengthen again and there is ample sunlight. As the sun grows warmer and the days longer (in Spring) the bud gets restless and the scales begin to drop off. Perhaps we don't notice all of the true miracles that happen around us....all the time.<br />
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I thought about a story I once heard. A wise king was wrestling with his Christian faith and belief. "If I could just witness a miracle", he said to himself, then I could finally belief that God exists and moves within humanity. Troubled....almost obsessed.....by these thoughts, he finally consulted his wisest counsel. To the king's delight, his wise sage informed him that God had given the old wise man the ability to grant the king a miracle. Eager to finally witness this long-awaited miracle, the king hung on every word of his trusted counsel. The wise gentleman instructed the king to plant four acorns in separate locations around the perimeter of a small, crystal clear pool. After planting the acorns the king was instructed to gaze into the crystal clear pool, for only a second, and then look up. When the king did, he was gazing up at four magnificent, mature oak trees. "Wow!" he shouted. "That is truly a miracle!" In just seconds, four acorns turned into four beautiful oak trees. Amazing". The wise man, with a slightly troubled look on his face, explained to the king that the "split second" was actually 80 years....a little trick necessary so that the king could see the miracle unfold. Sure enough, the king gazed back down into the crystal-clear pond and his reflection revealed a wrinkled face and stringy gray/white hair. Although the king's condition was temporary....he had learned a valuable lesson. Just because it took over 80 years for an acorn to become a mature oak tree....the process in no less a miracle. <br />
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At some point in your lives, I think we've all been like that king. When things are falling apart around us....we find ourselves almost shouting...."where is God in all of this?" "Does God even care about this little drama called 'my life'"? And then....God shows up. If it's still a little hard to believe, just spend some time outside during the next two months. God...is....here.<br />
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Springtime is all about rebirth, regeneration....resurrection. It reminds all Christians that regeneration is the way God begins His work in us, and it explains why each Christian is a new creation in Christ. <br />
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The New Testament is full of imagery of rebirth. In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nichodemus that unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Then in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul reminds us (as he does several times) that in Christ, we are new creations. And then in 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter shares with readers a "new birth into a living hope". Even though Peter wrote this letter during a time of intense Christian persecution - at the hands of Nero - his words brought hope, promise and optimism to his fledgling Christian readers. We get a sense that Peter knew the persecution would spread and continue....and so his letters encouraged Christians to remain strong. <br />
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Peter's letter is clear that it is the Holy Spirit who grants us a new birth (1 Peter 1:3) and that the miracle of rebirth is nothing we can do for ourselves. Peter also explains that, as Christians, our "living hope" and outpouring of brotherly love is a directly result from the "seed of God" planted within our hearts as part of the regeneration process. <br />
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While preparing for this sermon on rebirth and regeneration, I ran into an article, written by columnist Beverly Beckham, that originally ran in the April 24, 2011 edition of the Boston Globe. Beverly's article is a powerful and moving reminder of the miracle of rebirth. A link to the article is below. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vyn4jedjmoa14h3/With%20Spring%20A%20Rebirth%20of%20Hope.pdf">Article: "With spring, a rebirth of hope"</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/uac5xk8zg02yts2/The%20Miracle%20of%20Regeneration.mp3">Audio Sermon: The Miracle of Regeneration</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/sxf6mo9jg69a6pv/The%20Miracle%20of%20Regeneration%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20031013.pdf">Sermon Notes: The Miracle of Regeneration</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-53042705946559566272013-03-18T04:16:00.001-07:002013-07-05T21:06:35.778-07:00Focus on the FamilyA few weeks ago, I was flying to New Orleans - from Nashville - coming back from a consulting engagement in Tennessee. I brought the latest copy of USA Today on board to help pass the time on the relatively short, but crowded, Southwest flight. A glance at the Opinion page and I saw a headline that read "Debate over preschool obscures the core problem". A subtitle read "Fragile families harm children". Any reader would have had a hard time missing the alarming chart in the middle of the page which showed that in 1960 5.3% of children were born out-of-wedlock....but by 2010 that percentage had grown to 40.8%. Let that sink in for a moment. Today, two out of every five children are born to single mothers. As a man and a father, I just can't imagine turning my back on the fundamental responsibility of holding one's family together.<br />
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Apparently, being a father is just not as fashionable these days. <br />
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The article cited a number of research studies that have concluded that children raised in one-parent homes typically face an uphill battle - socially, physically, financially and emotionally. Now...to be fair....there are plenty of single parent success stories - most of those being single moms. The article was simply pointing out that raising children with only one parent makes child raising harder than it has to be. Reading through the article, you can almost feel the arms of the author being cast skyward in desperation....as the article begs the questions...."where did we go wrong?" and "what do we do now?". The article ends with a bone-jarring claim: "the primary engine of social advancement has always been the family, and it is breaking down."<br />
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Of course....a secular article in USA Today is not going to refer to the Biblical model of the family. But if we truly ask ourselves....if all parents were following the Biblical model of the family....would there even be a need to write the article I found myself reading? The answer, of course, is "no". <br />
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God's plan for the family was not an afterthought. We read of God's plan all the way back to Deuteronomy 6:4 - 9. This is a well-known passage where we experience Moses communicating with the people of Israel. This passage is also where we first learn of the Greatest Commandment (Jesus himself would later reference this passage during his ministry on earth)....and the fact that instructions regarding the family were mentioned alongside of the most revered of Jewish teachings....reminds us that the family is important. <br />
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Within these five verses in Deuteronomy 6 we learn that God should be part of all daily activities - waking, working, going to bed. Family activities that have remained unchanged over the course of several thousand years. Moses also instructed God's people to protect their house with the Word of God. Many took this literally...and some still do. Phylacteries are small containers of scripture that some orthodox Jews wear on their forehead and arm. And some adorn the doorways in their houses with "mezuzahs" (containers with scriptures) that can be touched when traveling from room-to-room.<br />
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Scripture is "crystal clear" that "family comes first" - to borrow a phrase that seems overused at times. It is in the context of the home - not the Church - where families learn and grow in faith.<br />
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In a modern society where the breakdown of the family is so alarming and profound, it would be tempting for us, as Christians, to just shake our heads, wonder where it all went wrong....and resign ourselves to the fact that things just aren't like they were in the "good ol' days. But that is not how Jesus Christ would respond. Our congregations should approach the problem of the family with prayer, love and compassion....not condemnation, shame and embarrassment for those who find themselves in the midst of family turmoil. After all, if Jesus Christ did not come to condemn the world (John 3:17) then how can we justify doing so? <br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/i62gll8v2o8kfzt/Focus%20on%20the%20Family.mp3">Audio Sermon of "Focus on the Family"</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ptopaj1qqbgyeo4/Focus%20on%20the%20Family%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20022413.pdf">Notes from "Focus on the Family" Sermon</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-28749797186957914892013-03-06T17:35:00.000-08:002013-03-06T17:35:15.660-08:00Spread the WordDuring a sermon a couple of weeks ago....I got on the "anti-Facebook" bandwagon.....warning my congregation that there is evidence that social media has a tendency to make some unsuspecting users a tad more self-centered and narcissistic. My wife and 12-year-old daughter, both Facebook junkies, were not amused. They both would be surprised to hear me, just two weeks later, exclaiming the amazing ability of Facebook and other social media sites to spread the news about Christ's grace. <br />
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I recently stumbled on a FoxNews.com story about a Facebook page called Jesus Daily....a site that now has over 15 million regular followers. The site was started by a physician in Virginia who, from what I can tell, was just following the command of Jesus himself....to embark on the Great Commission. Here's quick YouTube video on Jesus Daily.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/79cGdaslKD4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Amazing what one person can do when moved by God. My faith in social media is renewed! Sortof. ;-)<br />
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About that same time I was pondering the good works of Jesus Daily, I received the latest issue of Christianity Today and the cover story was called "The New Radicals"....an article about David Platt, Francis Chan and others who are challenging comfortable Christians to extreme discipleship. <br />
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And then finally I found myself reading up on some history, as I often do, and got on the subject of the Jewish Diaspora and how that spread of Jews helped the spread the Christianity by introducing cultures to a monotheistic God and establishing synagogues that would later be used by early Christian church congregations. <br />
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Perhaps God was nudging me to put together a sermon on "spreading the word"? You think?<br />
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Sure...a sermon on Matthew 28:16 - 20 would not be very original or groundbreaking, but with Easter right around the corner....maybe its time we reminded ourselves of that powerful piece of scripture.<br />
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Matthew packs a lot in to these five verses. In these verses we find Jesus:<br />
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....assuring disciples of His power.<br />
....giving them instructions on the Great Commission.<br />
....promising the disciples his continued presence.<br />
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What I find comforting, in a weird way, is just how much the disciples doubted Jesus. We see this same theme over and over again in the New Testament. The disciples weren't always brimming with confidence. They doubted Jesus' ability to save them when the seas turned rough. They had to touch the wounds of Jesus to belief his resurrection. And few believed that Jesus could somehow feed the 5,000 on a particular busy day during his earthly ministry. Basically, the disciples were much like you and I. Always doubting....always questioning our faith. So in the first part of our scripture passage, Jesus reassures the disciples yet again.<br />
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We then hear Jesus offer up details on the Great Commission. That it is universal...for ALL nations and people. That it is all about "teaching" or "making disciples". <br />
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Jesus commanded us to "go" and "teach" and know that we are not alone. What strikes me.....is that if this was the LAST recorded thing (in Matthew) that Jesus said to his disciples....the very last thing he would say to them before departing....then this must have been some important, groundbreaking, earth-shattering stuff.<br />
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I'm reminded that I need to have faith that is it possible for all of us to make disciples. Every-now-and-then we need to also be reminded that the greatest faith movement that the world has ever seen....started with, at most, a handful of ill-prepared, doubting followers. <br />
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As Margaret Mead famously said:<br />
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<em>Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.</em></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/1l0yjs0v80sgwsj/Spread%20the%20Word.mp3">Audio Sermon - Spread the Word</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/kxx4aur2bwvrvet/Spread%20the%20Word%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20030313.pdf">Sermon Notes - Spread the Word</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-86017989802412274992013-02-27T06:33:00.000-08:002013-07-05T21:08:42.954-07:00Easily DistractedOn Sunday, February 17th, I started off my sermon by talking about how I get easily distracted while driving. I just can't help myself.....I like to check out everything around me! And for some reason, I seem to get most distracted when Heidi is sitting in the passenger seat next to me. Those times have lead to some interesting comments from her over the years. LOL. Of course, in recognizing this affliction, I've come to the conclusion that my iPhone belongs tucked away in the glove box or center console away from view. Now THAT would truly be a dangerous distraction.<br />
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But there is a not-so-funny story in the Bible about distraction. The Old Testament book of Haggai, though very short, tells of an important tale of the people of Israel after the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 BC. Taken into exile by the rulers of Babylon, the Israelites were finally set free years later by Cyrus the Great (after Cyrus - from Persia - overthrew the Babylonian empire). The chosen people of God were now free to restore the splendor of their once mighty temple. Woohoo! Well....the Israelites may have been excited in the beginning....but the giddiness soon faded. The temple project was fraught with delays and after many years only a weed-infested foundation lay as a testament to their lack of follow-through. Of course....the question is.....what happened?<br />
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Well...in short....they got distracted. In Haggai 1:4 we find the prophet Haggai delivering a message from God.....warning the Israelites that they should not be living in "paneled houses" while the temple sits unfinished. This reference to "paneled houses" indicates that many of the Israelites were "movin' on up" (just like The Jeffersons) to fancier and fancier subdivisions. God's chosen people had become so concerned with their own personal wealth and prosperity that they neglected to finish the temple so that God could live and fellowship with them. The nation of Israel had become distracted by material wealth.<br />
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I recently found an article called <em>Standards of Living and Modern Economic Growth</em> by John Nye (professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis). The focus of the article was articulating just how much our modern standard of living has increased around the globe - especially in the past 300 years. The data was astounding. Never has there been a time when average people, world-wide, have enjoyed such economic prosperity. As the article stated, "in the most successful countries, the average citizen now enjoys a material standard of living that would have made the greatest king of two hundred years ago turn green with envy."<br />
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So here's the big question:<br />
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If the distraction of material wealth was a problem for the people of Israel back then, how much more is it a problem today?<br />
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There are a number of lessons to be learned from Haggai 1:2 - 11: <br />
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<li>Without the Holy Spirit we are selfish.</li>
<li>Materialism separates us from God.</li>
<li>Even after we are delivered from hard times, we tend to get complacent.</li>
<li>God wants to be our top priority.</li>
<li>Chasing after anything but God only leaves us wanting.</li>
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As C.S. Lewis wrote:<br />
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<em>And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history - money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery - the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.</em></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/5yzvw5ddyuunyi6/Easily%20Distracted.mp3">Audio Recording of "Easily Distracted"</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/txup2z7ocpjno3t/Easily%20Distracted%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20021013.pdf">Sermon Notes for "Easily Distracted"</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-47382737827369286002013-02-26T18:44:00.002-08:002013-07-05T21:09:01.097-07:00Orange Grove in the PressAssociated Baptist Press ran an online article regarding Orange Grove's recent journey with our sister Hispanic congregation. This link should take you straight to the article.<br />
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<a href="http://www.abpnews.com/ministry/congregations/item/8244-age-pushing-churches-to-financial-brink#.US1we6bnbIU">Aging Pushes Congregations to Fiscal Brink</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-61870140848851058302013-02-23T22:42:00.001-08:002013-07-05T21:16:34.602-07:00The Destructive Power of Self"The Destructive Power of Self".....fairly ominous and dark title for my sermon on Sunday, February 17th. Now that I examine that title a little more....it's doesn't sound like me at all....as I'm normally upbeat and positive. But earlier in the week I had been reading through a flurry of studies that have just come out.....pointing to the dangers that social media can pose for some users. Made me start thinking about the "self" and how seductive and deceptive it can really be. <br />
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Researchers are now finding that excessive dependence on social media can lead to narcissism and self-absorption....which can then lead to feelings of depression, inadequacy, loneliness and despair. Perhaps each of us can have too much....."us". In these articles it was interesting to read how some social media users are creating their own "15 minutes of fame"....concerned not with simply connecting with others but more concerned with building up some type of concocted stage on which to impress others. In those cases, surely "self" has gotten a little out of control.<br />
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But mainly, I had been impacted more by my own preoccupation with self. Earlier in the week....prior to my sermon, I had struggled through a difficult morning in which I was obsessing and wringing my hands over the direction for my career. Having left Singing River Health System in November 2012, my attention has turned toward trying to figure out "what now?". And that wonderment has, at times, been a bumpy ride. Sometimes I've thought...."am I on the right track?"....."have I made a mistake?"....."what does the future hold?". Natural thoughts....but when these same thought become a pre-occupation, the "self" grows bigger and more unwieldy. And on this Valentine's Day morning, "self" had definitely raised its ugly head. By about 10 a.m. that morning I had had enough and I prayed that God would but the genie (self) back in the bottle......helping me to look outward....as opposed to inward. I picked up my iPhone and called each of the ladies in my congregation and wished them a Happy Valentine's Day. During one phone call I prayed with a member who was struggling with an illness in the family and a number of big decisions in her life. During another call, I found out a member had a relative in the hospital....and being near the hospital I proceeded to meet with that person. And then I remembered that one of our members has a brother who is permanently in a nursing home due to a disability. I swung by Walmart, picked up a Valentine's Card and paid "Don" a visit. I had visited and prayed with Don before and knew that he had good days and bad days....and this was a fairly rough day for him....legs swollen with fluid....along with the regular list of ailments that continually plagued him. His sister (our church member) was with him...and so she was able to help interpret Don's speech which was often garbled due to his condition. I visited....gave him his card....and prayed with him as I usually did. After we prayed, he said something that I didn't quite understand. Turning to his sister....I saw her smiling....and she told me he said "I pray for my pastor (me) every day". In the gentlest, kindest way possible, God had completely chopped me off at the knees. Through His grace, I was able to turn an inward, self-absorbed, pre-occupation with self into an outward concern for others....at least it was a tiny step in that direction on this particular day. An in so doing, I experienced the beautiful irony of encountering some else who had been touched by that same grace and was pouring out their own heart on someone else. <br />
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There is no shortage of scripture that warns us about the danger of self. Solomon tried to caution us in Ecclesiastes 2:10. And the Apostle Paul really went out of his way to do so in at least three of his letters - Ephesians 4:22 - 24, Romans 7:6 and Colossians 3:1 - 15. For this sermon, I focused on the passage in Colossians. There are three "biggies" that we learn from this Scripture:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Dying to the old self and rising with Christ in the new self is a continual process and not a one-time event.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>According to Paul, we are not to refrain from living in the world and our body, "but to live a life of heavenly-inspired thanksgiving and praise here and now, in the body and the world."</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>The unhealthy desire to have more and more things for oneself - the pre-occupation with self - is idolatry.</li>
</ul>
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In this passage in Colossians, Paul uses some great imagery that his ancient Greco-Roman audience would have appreciated. The vision of baptism as a "watery grave"....where we're buried (hidden) and then raised from the dead....buried with Christ...and then re-emerging with Christ in the resurrection. And then the "putting on" of the new self....a crisp, white baptismal robe covering the dirty rags (after baptism) that candidates often wore as they entered the baptismal pool. <br />
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Even though we, as Christians, die and rise with Christ...taking off our old self and putting on the new self.....at that point of salvation.....we soon realize that making Christ our life (as Paul says) is a lifelong journey. A process. We struggle...but we keep trying. <br />
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Below are the sermon notes and audio recording of the sermon:<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/fzpo2eiv0fg812e/The%20Destructive%20Power%20of%20Self%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20021713.pdf">Sermon Notes from February 17, 2013</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ymx4557g52dko44/The%20Destructive%20Danger%20of%20Self.mp3">Audio Recording of Sermon on February 17, 2013</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-76143807282688709952013-02-05T19:36:00.000-08:002013-02-05T19:36:15.266-08:00A Call to PerseveranceGiven all that has gone on with our congregation...as well as me personally....I felt lead to deliver a message on "perseverance".<br />
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And since this past Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday....what better way to talk about perseverance than to offer up a good football-related story about the same subject? I found such a story in "Inky Johnson". Inky was a celebrated cornerback with the University of Tennessee Volunteers who overcame incredible odds.....having grown up on the wrong side of Atlanta amidst gangs, drugs, violence and a fragile home life. And despite his small, scrappy frame...Inky was getting noticed from any number of NFL scouts. But on an average Saturday during an average (at best) contest with Air Force....Inky would suffer a rare, tragic injury that would stop his football career dead in its tracks.<br />
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Now unless you are a die-hard UT Volunteers fan, you have probably never heard of Inky Johnson. And it would be very easy to lump him together with so many star athletes who fade from the scene after injuries and life struggles. But Inky's story is remarkable....not for what he accomplished....but for how he faced his circumstances.<br />
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I latched on to Inky's story because I wanted a good juicy tale about ...."enduring"....."knuckling down and getting through it"......"grinning and bearing it"......whatever you might call it. After all, I needed something to fit my preconceived notions....a story that would neatly fit the direction I thought my sermon would take.<br />
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But I didn't see any of what I expected in Inky's tale. I found a young man that always seemed to have a positive attitude. Who not only endured his circumstances but embraced them.....and used his tragedies to show what faith in Christ really means. The events in his life allowed his character to be shaped, molded....all the while becoming a better man in Christ. Perhaps I just didn't understand the true meaning of "perseverance".<br />
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As it turns out, Inky Johnson understood the scriptural message of perseverance much more clearly than did I. <br />
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For this particular sermon, I studied four particular New Testament passages on the subject:<br />
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Romans 5:1 - 5<br />
1 Corinthians 13:7<br />
Hebrews 12<br />
Revelation 2:1 - 3<br />
James 1:1 - 12<br />
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What I found surprised me. Looking at these passages and taking into account the nuances of the text (with specific focus on James 1:1 - 12).....it seems that God intended perseverance as a means for a good end...not bad or negative....and not something simply to "live through"....but to "live for". Perseverance is not simply bearing things.....it's turning them into something positive....something glorifying. According to scripture, persevering is not passive either. It's an active process whereby believers take something that might otherwise be tragic and turn it into something that honors God and shows others what faith (in action) can really do. Here the complete notes and audio recording of Sunday's sermon:<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/2bzqtvory70dnkm/A%20Call%20to%20Persevere%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20020313.pdf">Sermon Notes - "A Call to Perseverance"</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/vvlb9wp9hhtwo6u/A%20Call%20to%20Perseverance.mp3">Audio Recording of Sermon</a><br />
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By the way....after his injury, Inky would go on to finish college, publish a book, speak tirelessly to groups of athletes about his Christian faith...and as we speak....is showing others the love of Christ.<br />
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Have a great week! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-5023336014617990042013-01-27T11:44:00.001-08:002013-01-27T11:44:28.425-08:00No FearIn preparing for this Sunday's sermon on fear I was reminded of the famous Franklin Delano Roosevelt quote...."the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." FDR uttered these famous words during his inaugural address on March 4, 1933....in the depths of the Great Depression and rumblings of war across the Atlantic. With nearly 25% of Americans unemployed and great uncertainty about the country's future....surely widespread fear was rampant at that time. I think it's easy for those of us, living in the midst of 2013, to forget that we are not the only generation that has struggled with fear and uncertainty.<br />
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On an interesting note....FDR was sworn in with his Bible open to 1 Corinthians 13....commonly known as the "love chapter". Especially interesting given the discussion of "love vs. fear" that is part of this Sunday's discussion.<br />
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I also drew from an article I found entitled "The Physical and Mental Effects of Fear". This article made the case, very convincingly I might add, that "fear" was the greatest threat to humanity (in our time). It even made the bold assertion that being gripped by fear was more devastating than being a victim of nuclear fallout. Using results from a study done by the World Health Organization, the article shared some amazing facts. Many surviving victims of Chernobyl, Nagasaki and Hiroshima actually died of preventable cancers. However, because those victims feared what doctors might find, many did not pursue medical treatment immediately after their radiation exposure. Similar results have been found in groups of patients who have been found HIV Positive. Many, who would later die of full-blown AIDS, could have been successfully treated with medical interventions early on. But because of the fear of "what if".....<br />
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Probably the most striking paragraph in the article was:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Fear has manufactured a prison for them that is smaller than their potential boundaries. According to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, one of fear's sneakiest tricks is convincing us that the realm of possibility is more limited than it really is. It causes risk-avoiding behavior. It tells us that we are not good enough or smart enough and robs us of what could have been.</em> </blockquote>
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Wow. Pretty hard-hitting stuff. So my question is....if fear is so debilitating to the human soul, then surely our Scripture addresses how we should deal with it, right? Fortunately, the answer is "yes". <br />
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For this message, I chose three passages of scripture: Psalms 122, 1 John 4:17 - 18 and Luke 8:24 - 26. Using these passages of Scripture, three truths about fear - and freedom from it - can be fleshed out:<br />
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Focusing on others, especially through giving and sharing, frees us from fear. (Psalm 122)<br />
Wherever Christ is, fear is not. (Luke 8:24 - 26)<br />
Love is fear's worst enemy (1 John 4:17 - 18)<br />
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Our God never intended us to live a life filled with fear. Much to the contrary. Fortunately for us, Scripture has left us a blueprint for dealing with fear....and freeing ourselves from it. <br />
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A little bit of fear might be healthy, but taken to extremes....only serves to separate us from God. <br />
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Notes from sermon and audio file of message are below:<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/tjp6ce597zwnzf3/No%20Fear%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20012713.pdf">Sermon Notes - "No Fear" - January 27, 2013</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/pfnp4730x248q1v/No%20Fear.mp3">Audio of Sermon - "No Fear" - January 27, 2013</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-70976124613830038922013-01-17T11:53:00.003-08:002013-07-05T21:18:22.479-07:00Being Part of Something BiggerSunday, January 13th was a good day. No....Sunday, January 13th was a <u>great</u> day. On that day, two separate congregations worshiped together as a way of formally kicking off a unique partnership designed to share physical resources and put each congregation in a better position to survive and thrive. Although both congregations are Southern Baptist in membership.....there are probably more differences...on the surface anyway....than similarities. But with the help of a translator, a little patience and a genuine desire to be part of something bigger than each of us....we worshiped together.<br />
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Appropriately, Bro. Phillip Price - the person who took the first step in making this new partnership a reality - kicked off the service by welcoming both congregations. As the dozen or so members from Orange Grove Baptist Church stood to be recognized, I was overcome (once again) by the faith of those church members. Most have spent a lifetime nurturing and caring for the once thriving but now shrinking congregation of Orange Grove Baptist. And through all of the ups and downs....persevering through hurricanes, flooding, loss of population in the community, schools closing and employers leaving.....still they stand (and remain) faithful. In a couple of hours, this band of faithfuls will sign over the deed of the property God built for them.....the place many of them call their church home. They were able to do this....because they truly let the Holy Spirit take the lead. They did this because God gives us the will to put our self aside with a desire for something bigger than each of us.<br />
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And then as the congregation of Iglesia Bautista Fuente De Vida stood....much more in number than the first.....I applauded and wondered (still) how this group was able to get done all of the changes I saw before me. When the church was flooded last Fall (compliments of Hurricane Isaac) the church had to be completely gutted. Pastor Richardo and his congregation rolled up their sleeves and got to work. New sheetrock, new tile throughout, a remodeled kitchen (new stove, sink, counters and tile) and fellowship hall. Hardly a square foot was left untouched in the building that now passed the 45+ mark in age. The bright, cheery colors throughout the Sunday School rooms matched the sounds of the nearly thirty kids and youth that had now filled the church building. <br />
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The service began with a set of praise hymns....and the bongos, electric guitar and drums attested to the fact that there would be a little more "zip" in the service than we were accustomed to. Pastor Richardo's wife shook a tambourine from the front row....where Heidi and I also sat . I didn't understand much of the Spanish singing....okay, I didn't I understand any of it....and we did not have enough copies of the sheet music...but no worries....we had fun anyway.<br />
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Jose was a superb interpreter (going back and forth between English and Spanish almost effortlessly) so the service moved along with ease. I was honored to deliver the sermon on this special occasion. Actually "special occasion" sounds so trite. Sunday was the kind of day one always remembers. <br />
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With Jose as my interpreter, the sermon flowed. I was further put at ease knowing that the baptismal sitting directly behind me was full of warm water...awaiting our candidates for baptism...one of which was my youngest daughter Anna.<br />
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No one can remember the last time the baptismal had been used....and judging from the amount of dust, cobwebs, leaves and dead bugs I cleaned out of it on the Thursday before....it had been a long while. Just two days before the service, we didn't know if the heater worked.....or whether it would even hold water. There were a couple of times when I thought....surely....we'll need to postpone these basptisms. "This just is not going to work".....I thought. How shallow is my faith sometimes. Not only did the baptismal hold water....but, miraculously, the heater worked. Pastor Richardo borrowed some baptismal robes from another church...and we were in business. Inch-by-inch and step-by-step.....God challenges our lack of faith...at least he does mine. I'm reminded of Mark 9:24 - "I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief." Needless to day, it was another unforgettable experience when Pastor Richardo and I each baptized new members of our respective congregations....one of them being Sister Anna....my 8-year old daughter.<br />
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I delivered a sermon on Paul's teachings on unity and love. Appropriate....I think....since those are the things that put all of us together on that particular Sunday. You can follow this link for the complete notes from the sermon. I've also pasted the closing comments from the sermon below.<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/3qsegga69vinsqf/Pauls%20Idea%20of%20Church%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20011313.pdf">Sermon - 1/13/13 - Paul's Idea of Church</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<em>Today, I believe Paul is looking down on us from Heaven…and smiling. In an age when we hear of so many divisions in the Church….churches splitting up…..congregations at odds….churches closing….today represents a step in the right direction. Today, our congregations are an example of what Paul’s vision of love and unity can do. <br /><br />I don’t know why God uses frail, imperfect human beings like us to work out his plan…..I just know that he does. Paul…just like us….was one of those frail, imperfect people. <br /><br /> Over the past six months, we have prayed and sought God’s will for both our congregations. We have been faithful….and patient….and God has blessed us with folks like Brother Phillip (and many others) who have been with us every step of the way. If we continue seeking God’s will as we have done these past months, both our congregations will reach this community for Christ.</em></blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-48236671162804522032013-01-06T16:18:00.000-08:002013-01-06T16:18:02.534-08:00Fresh New StartToday was the first Sunday of 2013 so the whole "new year, new start, new you" theme (made popular by Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc.) was on my mind this week. I'm also looking forward to next Sunday when I'll get to baptize my youngest daughter (Anna). So with all that swirling around, it was easy to gravitate toward the first part of Romans...specifically Romans 6:4-10. In the last part of verse four, Paul writes about a "new life" that comes about through baptism....at least that's how it is worded in the NIV. <br />
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I started the sermon by describing some of the baptismal rituals of the first and second centuries. I had fun scaring Anna....saying that many candidates for baptism were immersed in their "birthday suit", in cold water...and in something that looked like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rs6mypNn1Xk/UOoME55zsrI/AAAAAAAAABg/y63CMGnvdGE/s1600/ancient-baptismal-font.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rs6mypNn1Xk/UOoME55zsrI/AAAAAAAAABg/y63CMGnvdGE/s1600/ancient-baptismal-font.jpg" /></a></div>
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That picture, of course, is of an excavated ancient baptismal. Shaped like a cross...which was not uncommon. Anna felt better when it became clear that the baptismal directly behind me would be full of warm water next week...so that she could be "baptized with the Holy Spirit" in relative comfort! Haha.<br />
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As with most of my sermons, there was a measure of historical backdrop...even some information about Jewish baptismal customs. During my research for the sermon, I learned that Jewish rabbis often referred to a man's "first-born" child as the first child born after his baptism.....even if the man had previous children! That's how serious Jews and early Christians were about the idea of a totally "new you".<br />
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The Apostle Paul was also very serious about baptism. For him, it was more than just an "event"....or a ritual....or symbol. It was real. Participatory. In union with Christ. In baptism, according to Paul, we take part in the death and resurrection of Christ. Not simply transformed....or changed.....or altered. New. Our old self dies and a new self emerges. <br />
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Now to be clear, it's understood that the physical act of baptism is not synonymous as salvation. But Paul's words are certainly to be understood as what takes place in our hearts when we accept the gift of salvation.<br />
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I closed my sermon with a excerpt from C.S. Lewis' <i>Mere Christianity</i>:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The Christian way is different: harder and easier. Christ says: "Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked -- the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours." </i></blockquote>
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Methinks C.S. must have been reading Romans 6:4 - 10 when he penned those words!<br />
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Links to notes and audio recording of sermon are below. Later this week, I'll have another post on "standing still" which was a part of this Sunday's sermon as well. I'll also provide some information on next Sunday's joint worship service with Iglesia Bautista Fuente De Vida. Will be a great day! Stay tuned and have a great week!<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/of3cqzrdrjpb21k/Fresh%20New%20Start%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20010613.pdf">Sermon notes from "Fresh New Start" - January 6, 2013</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/wa7pmf82ox7m2ye/Fresh%20New%20Start.mp3">Audio Recording of "Fresh New Start" - January 6, 2013</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-49127114112925198252012-12-31T06:56:00.000-08:002012-12-31T10:07:20.567-08:00The Lord's Supper<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">This morning we celebrated the Lord's Supper. First time we've done that at Orange Grove since I've been there. Today, I wanted to deliver a sermon that focused on helping us better understand the significance of the Lord's Supper. I think it would be fair criticism to say that Protestants - and probably more-so Baptists - often don't pay near enough attention to what the Lord's Supper means. Given that the practice dates back to the very earliest of churches....and we're expressly commanded to observe it (Luke 22:19b)...it seems appropriate that we know as much as we can about its history, meaning, purpose and context. Is there something more to the Lord's Supper than simply "do this in remembrance of me"? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In preparing a sermon, I always start out with a summary to expand from. For this week's sermon, the summary was.....</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Lord’s Supper is a time and place when a sharing, unified community of
believers, in the course of their ordinary lives,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fellowship with Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I used 1 Corinthians 11:17 - 26 as support for the first part of the summary and Luke 24:13 - 35 for the second part of the summary. While the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) give us much in the way of historical narrative of the Last Supper, it is these two passages of scripture in 1 Corinthians and Luke that offer deeper meaning to the Lord's Supper that we celebrate today. Below are the notes from Sunday's message....and if you're interested in listening to the audio track, I've provided that as well.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/kpgusg3ozuaz5u3/The%20Lord%27s%20Supper%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20123012.pdf" target="_blank">Sermon Notes from Sunday, December 30th</a></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/wbxaekonuhdw335/The%20Lord%27s%20Supper.mp3" target="_blank">Audio Recording of The Lord's Supper Sermon - December 30, 2012</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I'm encouraged by the fact that there is a movement, among Baptist circles, toward a greater understanding of what the Lord's Supper means. In <i>Re-Envisioning Baptist Identity: A Manifesto for Baptist Communities in North America</i>, The Lord's Supper is addressed as one of the areas of "reform" within the Church. Check out Affirmation IV in the document by clicking on this link:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/hpco7fmhebklkcu/reenvisioning-baptist-identity.pdf" target="_blank">Re-Envisioning Baptist Identity Document</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-74175853996325887552012-12-30T05:37:00.002-08:002013-07-05T21:18:58.717-07:00Days in HaitiYesterday, I read a news article reporting that the U.S. State Department had just issued an updated travel warning for U.S. travelers going to Haiti. Seems the number of kidnappings....even murder of U.S. citizens....had increased over the past year. Very troubling to hear....given how much Haiti seems to have benefited from the influx of American travelers....many of them faith-based groups seeking to help rebuild the island after the devastating earthquake. I've personally been to Haiti on two short-term mission trips and the news report got me thinking about those memorable events. I remembered that, for the June 2012 trip, I committed to keeping a daily journal...and actually did it! If you are interested in learning about what a short-term mission trip to Haiti looks like....at least from one person's perspective....follow the link and read on.<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0g4mlwyv2roitg2/Haiti%20Mission%20Trip%20Journal.pdf" target="_blank">Days in Haiti Journal - June 2012</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-91226827946729578242012-12-29T19:21:00.000-08:002012-12-29T19:21:06.788-08:00Doing Church DifferentlyIn a few short weeks, Orange Grove Baptist Church will do something quite radical. Partly to help revitalize its own congregation....and partly to help a sister church that is multiplying rapidly, Orange Grove will turn over the ownership and responsibility (a deed transfer is being prepared as we speak) of its facilities to Iglesia Bautista Fuente De Vida - a new Hispanic congregation of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here's the twist....Orange Grove Baptist Church isn't going away. Far from it. The idea is to leverage the physical resources that God has blessed us with so that <i>two</i> congregations can further His mission on Earth. Iglesia Bautista De Vida has nearly 100 members but no place to call home. Orange Grove has a home but lacks the people that bring so much life and energy to a church. The two congregations have found a way to share a common physical plant...putting both congregations in a better position for success. And by "success"....I mean impacting the world and changing lives....inside and outside the church building...in an <i>authentic</i>, God-lead way. Perhaps our efforts will inspire others to look for other creative ways of "doing church".<br />
<br />
While ours might be a creative approach, what these two congregations are doing is actually nothing new. The Winter 2013 issue of ONMISSION highlight a number of church revitalization efforts and many of those projects involved congregations sharing physical resources. There's a link to that ONMISSION issue on the main page of this blog. <br />
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A couple of weeks ago, there was an article on al.com about two Mobile, Alabama congregations - one Methodist and the other Presbyterian - that have decided to share a building. Here's the link to that article:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/12/two_churches_one_presbyterian.html" target="_blank">Two Churches, One Building</a><br />
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I'm reminded of a passage I read in David Platt's <i>Radical </i>on the topic of church assets. On page 118 he wrote:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In that moment I realized the extent to which we, as churches and Christians across America, are in some cases explicitly and in other cases implicitly exporting a theology that equates faith in Christ with prosperity in this world. This is fundamentally <i>not</i> the radical picture of Christianity we see in the New Testament. Further when we pool our resources in our churches, what are our priorities? Every year in the United States, we spend more than $10 billion on church buildings. In America alone, the amount of real estate owned by institutional churches is worth over $230 billion. We have money and possessions, and we are building temples everywhere. Empires, really. Kingdoms. We call them houses of worship. <i>But at the core, aren't they too often outdated models of religion that wrongfully define worship according to a place and wastefully consume our time and money when God has called us to be a people who spend our lives for the sake of his glory among the needy outside our gates? </i>[Italics are my emphasis] </blockquote>
Through this blog, I'll provide regular updates on this new journey our two congregations are about to undertake. Stay tuned! And since this is a new journey....."Godspeed" to both our congregations!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-4840013728924255032012-12-27T12:26:00.001-08:002013-07-05T21:23:13.940-07:00God breaks through.Sunday's sermon.....just two days before Christmas....was kicked off by showing a clip from a very familiar cartoon that many of us....especially those in the "over 40" set....have grown up on.<br />
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This now-famous two-minute clip comes at a point in the <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas</i> special when Charlie Brown is completely frustrated in his search for the meaning of Christmas. After throwing his hands in the air, Linus calmly explains the meaning of Christmas by quoting Luke 2:8 - 14 (KJV).<br />
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<i>A Charlie Brown Christmas </i>is now the longest-running cartoon in history. After debuting in 1965 it has been enjoyed by countless millions every year since then. It is encouraging and heartening to know that God is "breaking through".....inside and outside of the Church. <br />
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In fact, that's what this week's sermon was all about.....God breaking through. And the ultimate way He became part of humanity's condition was through the birth of His Son....100% God and at the same time....100% human....a mystery I can't begin to fully understand or explain. He came to be with us....in all our spiritual poverty....in all our weakness....in all our hopelessness. It is much like the king who when warned by his closest advisers that it was not safe to walk among his subjects replied: "I cannot rule my people unless I know how they live".<br />
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God broke through.<br />
<br />
Here are the notes for this week's sermon:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/kne1ymqiq9xnl0c/What%20is%20Christmas%20All%20About%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20122312.pdf" target="_blank">Sermon notes from December 23, 2012</a><br />
<br />
After showing the Charlie Brown "trailer", I walked through the scripture passage (Luke 2:8 - 14) and its key messages. The universal nature of Christ's birth. The irony that such strength came from infantile weakness and vulnerability. The official announcement of the Savior, Lord and Christ. In Luke 2:8 - 14 God bursts into human history in an amazing, miraculous, almost incomprehensible way. God "breaking through" is what Christmas is all about.<br />
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In pursuit of my master's degree in theology at Spring Hill College, I took a class called <i>Christianity and the Arts</i>. The purpose of the class was to help students perceive the Christian message in what we usually call the "secular" arts. What an encouraging eye-opener to see that God is breaking through in all sorts of ways. Take Charles Dickens' <i>Christmas Carol</i> for example. Dickens wrote his timeless novel in 1843....during a dawning industrial revolution in England.....a time that was accompanied by crushing poverty, worker exploitation, disease and runaway infant/childhood mortality. Urbanization, anonymity and a decisive break with rural family traditions was turning London into a soul-less society. No surprise that the celebration of Christmas had almost disappeared. For many, it wasn't even considered a day off from work.<br />
<br />
Many historians look back and credit the resurgence of Christmas "spirit" almost entirely to Dickens' <i>Christmas Carol</i>. Although he was only nominally religious and often rebelled against the Church establishment of the day, Dickens wrote a novel rich with Christian symbolism and reflection. To this day, Dickens' faith is debated. Some have even called his Christianity into question. I can't personally know his heart.....but I believe God can (and does) "break through" even the most arduous, hopeless circumstances and touch people in ways the rest of us can't fully grasp....so I like to think that God broke through Mr. Dickens. <br />
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Dickens would go on to be called the "greatest English novelist" and...over the last 170 years....the message of <i>Christmas Carol </i>has touched millions upon millions of people around the globe through books, television, movies and stage production. Its message of redemption, salvation and concern for those less fortunate jump off the pages...and remind us that Charles Dickens' heart was surely broken by the things that break the heart of God.<br />
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God broke through.....again.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-41054164589535655352012-12-16T12:20:00.000-08:002012-12-16T18:55:34.158-08:00God....Live and in Person<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TViVHlB6NsY/UM6Fn-hlb7I/AAAAAAAAAAU/HFoMenxzya0/s1600/St_John_the_Evangelist_008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TViVHlB6NsY/UM6Fn-hlb7I/AAAAAAAAAAU/HFoMenxzya0/s320/St_John_the_Evangelist_008.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<br />
This day...two Sundays before Christmas....I had planned on delivering a straightforward Christmas sermon. The one we always hear around Christmas...about Joseph, Mary, the manger and such. But Thursday's unspeakable tragedy changed all that. Today I struggled to come to terms with what happened....along with everyone else.<br />
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Today's sermon was a meager attempt to both understand how such a tragedy could happen....as well as appreciate the miracle of the birth of Jesus. The only way I knew how to approach it was through the Gospel of John. If you don't have time to read the notes or listen to the audio recording of the sermon, here is the message in a nutshell:<br />
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">While
the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) give us an historical account of
Jesus’ birth, it is the Gospel of John that most accurately tells us the <u>reason</u>
for Christ’s birth. The Son and Word
became a creature on earth. The light
became life. There is no other gospel
which so stresses the humanity and diety of Jesus. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As a human, I can’t fully understand or know why suffering
happens, why God allows it or what the purpose might be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, as a human, I can’t fully
understand how God can be born into humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only way I can begin to process the reality of suffering…..the only
way I can begin to appreciate the birth of Jesus….is knowing that God himself suffered
in our humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He became one of us….in
all our frailty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He met us where we
are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
Here are notes from today's message:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/d17vqqqzr6j7pez/God%20Live%20and%20in%20Person%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20121612.pdf" target="_blank">Sermon Notes from "God....Live and in Person" - Sunday, December 16</a><br />
<br />
You can also listen to a audiocast of today's sermon. Just open the file (below) in any mp3 player:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/lnshltcdj99tzce/God%20in%20Person%20121612.mp3" target="_blank">Audio Recording of Sermon</a><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-3143013782159616832012-12-15T09:17:00.000-08:002012-12-31T10:44:33.368-08:00Faith and Works Part 2: Faith and DeedsBelow is the sermon notes from Sunday, December 2, 2012. This sermon was the 2nd part in a three-part series on faith and works. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/z4fdv0h9fsb64zd/Faith%20and%20Works%20Part%202%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20120112.pdf" target="_blank">Sermon: Faith and Works Part 2 - December 2, 2012</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131909392919044660.post-24405984629554673262012-12-15T09:08:00.004-08:002012-12-16T19:30:41.036-08:00Faith and Works Part 3: Paul's LettersBelow is a link to the notes from the December 9, 2012 sermon. This was the the third part in a three-part series on faith and works. <br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/22plxvtvh92b132/Faith%20and%20Works%20Part%203%20-%20FBC%20Orange%20Grove%20-%20120912.pdf" target="_blank">Sermon Notes: Faith and Works Part 3 - December 9, 2012</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11516478072659893604noreply@blogger.com0