Doctrine

6-12-2014      Acts 15:1-3

S.       1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

O.      This clash of doctrine sends Paul to Jerusalem to settle the matter. Along the way to Jerusalem Paul shares the news of gentile conversion and this brings much joy.

A.      Joy should always be the product men’s lives being saved by faith in Jesus. Doctrines are a necessary product of growth and development within the church.

P.       Father; lead me to people that I can help find salvation and joy. Give me the message and the method to properly share your love, hope and joy through Jesus. Amen. 

Use me, Lord

6-8-2014         Acts 14:11-18

S.       11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

O.      After this healing the people wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas. Paul stops this action by explaining that it was God’s work moving through him.

A.      I want god’s works moving through me. I must live a life that God can use. I must have enough compassion for the lost that my focus is not distracted to the trivial matters of every day.

P.       Father; renew in me a sharp focus on the spiritual and at the same time dim the glare of daily life needs. Use me Lord to reach the lost souls all around me. Amen.  

The Trial of Jesus

6-1-2014         Acts 13:27-33  Korbin Born today J

S.       27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.30 But God raised him from the dead:31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

O.      Paul reveals the truth about the trial of Jesus and how God raised him from the grave.

A.      I serve, and love a risen Saviour. Jesus did this for me to set me free from sin and give me an abundant life.

P.       Father; I confess my sin and ask for forgiveness. Fill me with love and compassion for those who have not been told this wonderful message of life. Amen.

A Long-term Plan

5-31-2014      Acts 13:24-26

S.       24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

O.      Salvation preached to the Jews by John the Baptist is Paul’s reference point.

A.      We must connect the events God uses in our history to reveal the relevance of the place we are standing in today.

P.       Father; show us your hand at work in the past and today. Help us see your on-going efforts to save, keep and bless your children. Amen.

Jesus is "The Christ".

4-8-2014              Acts 2:29-32

S.            29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

O.           Peter confirms that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the Christ! Peter also declares that the people speaking in tongues that day are all witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. These statements are a “legal claim” for Jesus being the long awaited ruler of the Jews.

A.           I too must declare the truth as to who Jesus really is. Jesus is the King; of the Jews, of my heart, over all creation, King! He is my Lord, my Saviour, my Healer, my Friend, my Protector and so much more, more that words are able to explain.

P.            Father; I come to you today to bring my sacrifice of praise, my love and gratitude for all you are, all you have been and all you will be…..forever. Thank you, Father, for accepting me into your kingdom. Amen.

Hard Preaching

4-7-2014              Acts 2:22-28

S.            22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:  26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

O.           Peter declares Jesus to be risen from the dead. He also reminds the Jews of what King David had spoken concerning Christ and how Jesus had fulfilled all that David said.

A.           Peter’s preaching was not easy to hear; he spoke of wickedness, he spoke of crime, he spoke of failure, he spoke of ignorance and he made all these statements, indicting his audience. I must preach the truth, not as man wants to hear it, but as God declares it.  I must use the Bible as my guide when preaching. Sin must be exposed and choices revealed. Peter spoke a clear, plain and straightforward message, and so shall I.

P.            Father God; teach me to preach your message in a clear, plain and straightforward manner. Teach me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: Only truth can set men free from sin. Amen.   

Peter's First Sermon

4-6-2014              Acts 2:12-21

S.            12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

O.           Peter begins his first sermon; defending his brethren against wrong accusations, declaring Joel’s prophesy to be fulfilled and describing the “end of days”. Peter also opens the way to God to “whosoever” through Jesus, The Christ.

A.           Applying these scriptures will require a lifelong effort. I am one of the “whosoever” and very thankful for that. I am filled with the Holy Ghost (1968) and thankful for that. I must be living evidence of these two gifts in a lost and dying world. There is an “end of days” coming and I must be ready, prepare others to be ready, while never breaking fellowship with God.

P.            Father; you fill me with joy, peace and love: I am grateful. Speak to the world through me. I surrender all that I am to you. Amen.           

The Grave

3-26-2014           Matthew 27:55-61

S.            55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. 57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

O.           Important women are witness to the death of Jesus. His body is placed in the tomb of a friend and follower then closed with a great stone.

A.           What was it like to witness this horrible execution? How did these disciples face their loss? Their world was turned inside out in less than one day. The healing, teaching, caring, loving leader of their faith was dead and buried. Shock, fear and un-belief must have overwhelmed them all. They gathered with each other to face an extremely uncertain future. I must keep my faith strong in terrible times of testing. I must assemble with other believers for their help and support.

P.            Father; I will never face the tests and trials that those first disciples went through because that work was finished on the cross. In my time of testing, please, send me brothers and sisters that will support, lead and love me through to victory. Bless the workers in your field with strength and courage. Send me to hurting souls….I know pain……and I know you. Amen.        

SOAP >> Matthew 27:38-44

S.         Matthew 27:38-44   38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. 39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast  same in his teeth.

O.        As Jesus hung on the cross he was ask to show another miracle, “come down, they said and we will believe in you”. They were asking for proof of his deity. If he is God, he can stop the suffering and pain, change the course of events, and satisfy human demands and questions.

A.         People never change! Weak, sinful, self-satisfying people demanding “proof” from God are still erecting boundaries and limitations to define God. I hear: “God would never do...” or, “Why did God let this happen?" These ideas limit our relationship with God, close our mind to the true nature of God and are not born of faith. The cross was ugly, cruel and merciless and demanding but it provided the necessary payment for sin… my sin.

P.         Father; I accept your gift and even though I don’t understand how you could love me that much I will hold to the promise of salvation. Thank you God!

SOAP >> Matthew 27:32-36

S.         Matthew 27:32-36   32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. 33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there;

O.        This is a shortened record of the crucifixion of Jesus, not many details. Matthew was not a detail oriented writer. Jesus carried the cross as far as he could before Simon was called upon. Jesus was on the cross for a long time before they offered him vinegar. Watching him was necessary to complete their assignment.

A.        Once again I am reminded of all that Jesus suffered, for me and my salvation. I should have died on that cross. I was filled with sin. I was guilty. Out of a heart of love Jesus took my place to set me free!

P.         Dear Father above; how can mere words alone express my gratitude, my joy, my amazement and my appreciation? They Can’t! So I will commit to you my life… use me as you will… I surrender my all to you. Amen.  

My youngest daughter and her husband.

SOAP >> Matthew 27:27-31

S.         Matthew 27: 27-31  27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

O.       The mockery and torture of Jesus is carried out by the Roman soldiers.

A.        This scripture breaks my heart because I know that this was done to redeem my soul. A guiltless savior gave his life to save a sinner... me.

P.         Father; help me to always this scripture… all that Jesus did for me... and every sinner that repents. Amen. 

My oldest grandson and I at his NHS induction.

Who am I today?

Should I change who I am to fit the occasion or should I remain steadfast where I am. I see and hear many folks as they struggle through this question. Here inside the church we kick the idea around every Sunday. The church has been wearing a very unfair label for centuries. You know the one I refer to; Hypocrite!  I am sure that there are hypocritical tendencies in us all and that from time to time we let them out. I prefer to use other words and ideas to deal with this continuing battle.

The most difficult development in one's life is discovering who you are. Are you friendly or mean, happy or sad, open or closed, good or bad. This list could go on forever. Trouble is, life never stops putting us into situations that require us to "live out" who we are, to speak or act in an acceptable manner. The old adage "when in Rome" seems to be the current norm.

I get into trouble because I deal with many different groups of folks on a regular basis. Each group expects me to agree with them and participate in their activities. This is where I start looking into myself and deciding "who I am". I struggle through the options and check off the consequences of my choices and "take a stand," however, I am so limited in my knowledge and experience I often take the wrong position.

Then it happens! Slap! On goes the label and another hypocrite is crowned.

 I don't like this word. I see many Christians stop trying to live for God because of this word and how it is used. How many times are we allowed to fail (sin), repent and start anew. I don't think that God has a finite number attached to this idea. Oh if I could be like God in this area of my being. If I could find it within myself to give folks as many chances as they need and keep on loving them and NEVER stick on some label. Better still, if I could give myself room to learn and grow... forgive myself, restart and become a better Christian.

"CHRISTIAN" is not a label, or idea, or heritage. Christian is a being, being in CHRIST and him being in you. When I look into the mirror I don't see enough of Christ. There is this guy; working, thinking, planing about himself. Self-centered, egotistical (in a hansom sort of way), confused and stubborn. Yet it is this guy that God sent his son to die on a cross for. I spend too much time and effort in the quest to answer the question "who am I". The secret is found in discovering who Jesus is, changing our focus from us to him, relying on his knowledge and experience to face the challenges of life.    

Me and my putty car.