This is an interview of Mark Batterson who pastors in Washington D.C. He has some excellent thoughts on politics and the church.
Click on the Title or cut and paste this link
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/003/15.44.html
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Great Summary poem of the Book of Revelation
"The Lord Himself" - Annie Johnson Flint
It is not for a sign we are watching -
For wonders above and below,
The pouring out of vials of judgment,
The sounding of trumpets of woe;
It is not for a Day that we are looking,
Not even the time yet to be
When the earth shall be filled with God's glory
As the waters cover the sea;
It is not for a King we are longing
To make the world-kingdom his own;
It is not for a Judge who shall summon
The nations of earth to his throne.
Not for these, though we know they are coming,
For they are but adjuncts of him,
before whom all splendor grows dim.
We wait for the Lord, our Beloved,
Our Comforter, Master, and Friend,
The substance of all that we hope for,
Beginning of faith, and its end;
We watch for our Savior and Bridegroom,
Who loved us and made us his own;
For him we are looking and longing;
For Jesus, and Jesus alone.
A Moment in Time
For the past 13 months we have been studying the book of Revelation at our Wednesday Night Bible Study. It has been life changing. Tonight it comes to an end and I am very sad about that. It has become so much a part of my life that it is like closing a chapter on a dear friendship. What I have learned I will carry with me the rest of my life and ministry. I hope that those I tried to teach are as blessed as I am having studying this great and too often misunderstood book of the Bible. Thank you to all of the scholars who have studied for years to prepare and write the commentaries I have used. I especially want to thank Darrell Johnson for his book Discipleship on the Edge. He helped me see the book of Revelation as more than just a what is going to happen next book and to see it as the Revealing of Jesus Christ. He says, any interpretation that does not lead us to the feet of Jesus is simply off the mark.
I pray I stayed on point.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Statement On Revivals
This link is a great article written by Dr. George O. Wood our A/G General Superintendent.
Click the title or cut and paste this link
http://ag.org/top/General_Superintendent/Statement_on_Revival.cfm
Click the title or cut and paste this link
http://ag.org/top/General_Superintendent/Statement_on_Revival.cfm
Thursday, July 10, 2008
VBS
My favorite part of VBS is not just the children but watching the fun the adults have as they serve. In fact, standing back and watching I wasn't sure who enjoyed it more! Great job everyone.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Sermons on this blog
All sermons posted on this blog are unedited. They are strictly cut and pasted from my sermon notes. Therefore, they are not always in complete sentences. What comes out of the my mouth during the sermon is often different than what is on the page.
These notes are given as a guide to the message with the scripture verses I used.
They are for your viewing and reviewing and not to be passed around in any way.
Most of the posted sermons are preached at one church, Malaga Assembly of God and are hopefully timely to that congregation.
These notes are given as a guide to the message with the scripture verses I used.
They are for your viewing and reviewing and not to be passed around in any way.
Most of the posted sermons are preached at one church, Malaga Assembly of God and are hopefully timely to that congregation.
Doctrine - A Sure Foundation - Part I - God is
God Is -
I wrote in the messenger for this month my first memory of the word doctrine. It was in Sunday School and I thought “oh how boring.”
But what I have come to realize is that doctrine – teaching – specifically the teachings of God through His Word – are essential to life. We will act on what we believe. Therefore what we believe matters. Secondly, we live in a day where there are all sorts of crazy teachings all around us. If we don’t know what we believe we become very vulnerable to false teaching. Which can lead us away from Jesus.
One of the problems we face in churches today is that people don’t know what they believe.
That is one of the ways societal beliefs creep into the belief system of the Christian.
The Israelites never became Atheists
They just believed you could worship and Yahweh and other gods at the same time.
An article in USA Today from the end of June states, Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies – like strict doctrine – behind.
The article goes on to give some startling statistics
• 78% of people believe in absolute standards of right and wrong
o Only 29% rely on their religion to delineate these standards
o 52% turn to practical experience
• 74% say “there is a heaven, where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded”
o This is the exact opposite to Christianity
o We are miserable, rotten, stinking sinners, enemies of God
o Christ died on the cross to forgive us of our rotten, stinking sins
o We are not good – God is – then he makes us righteous and holy when we accept what Christ has done on the cross
• 70% including a majority of all major Christian groups say, “many religions can lead to eternal life
o We belief the opposite
o There is only one way to God
o That is through Jesus Christ
o That is why He died a sinners, suffering death on the cross because there was no other way
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
I want to show you a clip from one of the most famous and influential people in the world.
You might be startled by this but I wanted you to see it yourself.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬______________________________________________________________________________
Today I am starting a series on Doctrine – A Sure Foundation
In the next several weeks we will walk you through the major doctrines of Christianity
1. God is – we believe in God
2. God Speaks – we believe in the Bible
3. Man Sins – We believe we are not good apart from Christ
4. God Saves – Jesus is the Only Savior and acceptance of his finished work on the cross is the only way to be right with God
5. God Sends – He established the church to be His hands in this world.
6. God Fills – God the Holy Spirit fills us
7. God Returns – Jesus is coming back
We begin with – God is
God is – we believe in God’s eternal existence
He has no beginning and no end.
In the beginning – God -
• Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible doesn’t seek to prove there is a God. It just states it emphatically.
But there are some thoughts that taken in totality show there is a God.
1. God is - He is the First Cause of everything – everything has a cause, all events are dependant on some cause, if you push the causes back far enough you will eventually get to the first cause, God is the first cause
2. God is - He is the Designer of creation - the detail, intricacy and design points to a designer
3. What is made that doesn’t have a designer
4. God is – He is the Law giver – there is a universal sense of right and wrong throughout cultures
We believe - There is a God
Then we ask, what is God like?
He has Divine Attributes
God is Infinite – no limitations – not limited by space or boundaries
God is Eternal – no beginning and no end – he is not bound by time
God is Unchanging – there is no need to change – he doesn’t lack or make mistakes
God is All- Knowing – Omniscience – He knows everything
God is All – Powerful – Omnipotent – He can do anything
God is Everywhere – Omnipresent - we cannot flee from His presence – We cannot be in a circumstance where he is not there
God is Holy – without imperfection of any kind
God is Just – He does what is right
God is Good – He treats us with kindness, “He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people” – God is not against you He is for you.
God is Sovereign – He is in charge of His creation – no one rules Him is the ruler of all
God is Transcendent – He is above Creation because He created
• Pantheism – there is only one reality – Creation – the universe is all there is. The universe is God
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life
Christianity – there are two realities – Creator – Creation
The Creator is above creation
He is greater than creation
God is Immanent – He is involved with His creation
The opposite of this is Deism
God created and then left everything alone - The disinterested clockmaker who got the universe started and then went away to let it run itself
• Acts 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
• Acts 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
This is the essence of Christianity
When Jesus was born – God pierced Creation and was physically born
Although he is transcendent – he condescended to rescue us from our sin
He condescended so far as to die as a sinner on the cross. The humiliation of Christ.
Phil 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Phil 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Phil 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Phil 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Phil 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Phil 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God is –
God is Worthy to be praised
God is worth living for
God is worth dying for
God is
Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Eph 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
Eph 1:20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
Eph 1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
Eph 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
This eternal – invisible – all powerful God wants to be known.
Therefore He speaks – Come back next week. – God Speaks
I wrote in the messenger for this month my first memory of the word doctrine. It was in Sunday School and I thought “oh how boring.”
But what I have come to realize is that doctrine – teaching – specifically the teachings of God through His Word – are essential to life. We will act on what we believe. Therefore what we believe matters. Secondly, we live in a day where there are all sorts of crazy teachings all around us. If we don’t know what we believe we become very vulnerable to false teaching. Which can lead us away from Jesus.
One of the problems we face in churches today is that people don’t know what they believe.
That is one of the ways societal beliefs creep into the belief system of the Christian.
The Israelites never became Atheists
They just believed you could worship and Yahweh and other gods at the same time.
An article in USA Today from the end of June states, Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies – like strict doctrine – behind.
The article goes on to give some startling statistics
• 78% of people believe in absolute standards of right and wrong
o Only 29% rely on their religion to delineate these standards
o 52% turn to practical experience
• 74% say “there is a heaven, where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded”
o This is the exact opposite to Christianity
o We are miserable, rotten, stinking sinners, enemies of God
o Christ died on the cross to forgive us of our rotten, stinking sins
o We are not good – God is – then he makes us righteous and holy when we accept what Christ has done on the cross
• 70% including a majority of all major Christian groups say, “many religions can lead to eternal life
o We belief the opposite
o There is only one way to God
o That is through Jesus Christ
o That is why He died a sinners, suffering death on the cross because there was no other way
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
I want to show you a clip from one of the most famous and influential people in the world.
You might be startled by this but I wanted you to see it yourself.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬______________________________________________________________________________
Today I am starting a series on Doctrine – A Sure Foundation
In the next several weeks we will walk you through the major doctrines of Christianity
1. God is – we believe in God
2. God Speaks – we believe in the Bible
3. Man Sins – We believe we are not good apart from Christ
4. God Saves – Jesus is the Only Savior and acceptance of his finished work on the cross is the only way to be right with God
5. God Sends – He established the church to be His hands in this world.
6. God Fills – God the Holy Spirit fills us
7. God Returns – Jesus is coming back
We begin with – God is
God is – we believe in God’s eternal existence
He has no beginning and no end.
In the beginning – God -
• Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible doesn’t seek to prove there is a God. It just states it emphatically.
But there are some thoughts that taken in totality show there is a God.
1. God is - He is the First Cause of everything – everything has a cause, all events are dependant on some cause, if you push the causes back far enough you will eventually get to the first cause, God is the first cause
2. God is - He is the Designer of creation - the detail, intricacy and design points to a designer
3. What is made that doesn’t have a designer
4. God is – He is the Law giver – there is a universal sense of right and wrong throughout cultures
We believe - There is a God
Then we ask, what is God like?
He has Divine Attributes
God is Infinite – no limitations – not limited by space or boundaries
God is Eternal – no beginning and no end – he is not bound by time
God is Unchanging – there is no need to change – he doesn’t lack or make mistakes
God is All- Knowing – Omniscience – He knows everything
God is All – Powerful – Omnipotent – He can do anything
God is Everywhere – Omnipresent - we cannot flee from His presence – We cannot be in a circumstance where he is not there
God is Holy – without imperfection of any kind
God is Just – He does what is right
God is Good – He treats us with kindness, “He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people” – God is not against you He is for you.
God is Sovereign – He is in charge of His creation – no one rules Him is the ruler of all
God is Transcendent – He is above Creation because He created
• Pantheism – there is only one reality – Creation – the universe is all there is. The universe is God
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life
Christianity – there are two realities – Creator – Creation
The Creator is above creation
He is greater than creation
God is Immanent – He is involved with His creation
The opposite of this is Deism
God created and then left everything alone - The disinterested clockmaker who got the universe started and then went away to let it run itself
• Acts 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
• Acts 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
This is the essence of Christianity
When Jesus was born – God pierced Creation and was physically born
Although he is transcendent – he condescended to rescue us from our sin
He condescended so far as to die as a sinner on the cross. The humiliation of Christ.
Phil 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Phil 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Phil 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Phil 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Phil 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Phil 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God is –
God is Worthy to be praised
God is worth living for
God is worth dying for
God is
Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Eph 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
Eph 1:20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
Eph 1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
Eph 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
This eternal – invisible – all powerful God wants to be known.
Therefore He speaks – Come back next week. – God Speaks
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