Without a doubt, a mother has incredible influence on the life of any person. Today being the day when we traditionally honor Mothers by celebrating Mother’s Day, I thought it appropriate to take this Sunday and share a few thoughts about how important and influential a mother can be.
We continue our lessons on gardening in God’s Kingdom. So far we have discussed the need for location; soil preparation and last week we discussed how very important it is to sow Good Seed!
Today we are going to talk a bit about a rather frustrating experience in gardening, and that is the problem of weeds! As a young boy the problem of weeds nearly cancelled out all the joy of gardening for me!
You may think it strange, but when I grew there were no cell phones, no play station games, or even TV for much of the time. Life was pretty simple and quiet at times. When the seed catalogs came, I would grab one or two and sit in the chair by the hot wood stove and dream of spring and the planting season. Oh, how I loved to garden!
I learned how to use the tractor by the time I was 10 and was plowing on my own by the time I was 12. I loved the smell of fresh turned dirt and I treasured to plant the seeds! Then along came the weeds! Oh how I hated the weeds!
It seemed as if they came out of nowhere! As the garden began to grow, the weeds became a constant threat; if left alone they would certainly overrun the crops! So . . . every week, each of the kids; including me, had a number of rows in the garden to weed before we could go off and play! If the weeds were small, they were a bit easier to deal with, but if they got a little too big, when you pulled them out, the plant you were trying to protect came right up with it!
We have been looking over the first part of Matthew 13 which deals with the 4 kinds of soil. As Jesus continued talking that day, He also had something to say about the weed problem as it related to His kingdom.
Let’s listen in as Jesus continues . . .
Last week as we continued our discussion concerning God’s plan for sowing seed, we talked about the soil. We learned that proper soil will produce a wonderful crop. The truth we uncovered last week, concerning the preparation of the soil, is that it all starts with us . . . the church!
When the church recognizes their need for God, they will begin to worship Him by obeying His Word, and doing those things He has commanded that they should do!
God is a merciful and gracious God. He has within Himself an almost unlimited supply of grace and He seems to be very willing, even eager, to forgive and heal! He goes on to say . . .
. . . if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves 2 Chronicles 7:14
True revival always, always, always, begins here; with humility, and always begins with those who are called by His Name; the Christian! Revival never starts with the lost, but always starts with the Church! It is only when the church recognizes their need for the Holy Spirit and His cleansing power in their own lives that the lost, will begin to recognize their need for a Savior!
Today, we continue . . . let’s read the passage from Matthew together to refresh our hearts with the parable Jesus was sharing . . .
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Last week we began a series of messages to help us focus on the task of planting, and reaping a harvest in the Kingdom of God. Last week’s message was an overview of what our task is as co-workers in God’s field; we talked about . . .
Let’s read the passage from Matthew together to refresh our hearts with the parable Jesus was sharing . . .
When I was growing up; winter would sometimes seem to inch by. The drudgery of going down to the coal bin for one more bucket of coal; the spreading of the ashes out in the driveway, and the sidewalks that constantly needed shoveled, began to take its toll!
Long about mid February the fun of sled riding and ice skating in the bitter cold began to wear off and there was a longing for spring to come!
A familiar seed company called Burpees seemed to know this feeling was going around too; and at just the right time; about late February, the seed catalogs began to come in! My dad would sit for hours reading every description, looking at every page; thinking about the garden he would be planting in just a few months. Just looking at those bright colorful pages made you get excited about spring and the coming season of planting!
To read more click HERE!
Today we are celebrating the single most important day in the history of the universe; the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! Nothing has given more hope, nothing has caused more dissension, and created more controversy, than this single truth; that Jesus Christ was crucified, dead and buried, and God raised Him from the dead!
For nearly 2000 years, the story of the resurrection has been questioned, ridiculed, mocked and scorned. The Bible which contains the truth of this event, has been burned, banned, and for centuries, made unavailable to the common man. Even today in certain parts of the world, ownership of this Book and adherence to its directives can bring a death sentence.
In spite of that, the Bible is still the best selling Book of all time! Yes, the story of the resurrection is a remarkable one; let’s read it:
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This is the beginning of what has commonly been called; Holy Week! Today is the Day in which Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a small donkey; the crowds laying Palm branches and spreading their coats as He went along, shouting Hosanna! By Friday they would be shouting Crucify, Crucify, and Jesus would die on the Cross. Next Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead . . . no wonder it has been called Holy Week! Let’s read the account of Jesus riding into Jerusalem as penned by Matthew . . .
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When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
In just a few weeks we are going to be celebrating Easter; the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! This amazing person who came to live among men, who walked and talked with us; who identified Himself with sinful humanity; is now alive forevermore. Something about the Risen Christ is different now; something about Him seems to have changed . . .
In the Book of Revelation, where we read the opening verse, we encounter John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” arguably, the closest friend that Jesus had on earth. John has been exiled to the tiny island of Patmos; while there, Jesus the Risen Christ reveals Himself to John! Now, when John sees the Risen Christ, he falls on his face as though dead! John sees Christ in all His glory, and what He sees causes him to crumple to the ground as a dead man. John, who was arguably the closest disciple to Jesus, is now face down on the ground before the amazing Risen Christ
What happens next amazes me; Jesus the Risen Christ, reaches out His right hand and touches John and says; “do not be afraid.” In that moment, John realized that he was still; “the one whom Jesus loved.” What an incredible realization for John. Amazing grace!
As we move forward today, let’s remember what we will call the first “beatitude” of the Book of Revelation, do you remember it was?
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
To be truly “blessed,” the truths that we uncover, must be heard, and “taken to heart.” You have heard me say many times that head knowledge is good, but only heart knowledge will “save” you! We also understand that all Scripture is discerned, “spiritually.” The unspiritual man or woman will see my lips moving, but all they will hear is blah, blah, blah!
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Today we are going to be wrapping up our discussion on relationships. When we started this discussion we began with LORD-Ship and we will end this series with LORD-Ship; because all relationships, in the context of our Christian experience, will stand or fall, only if we get LORD-Ship right.
Last week, we talked about partnership in the context of marriage; today Jesus asks us a question concerning our “marriage” relationship with Him. It is the same question that Jesus asked Peter on time as they shared a breakfast beside the water. . . “Do you love me?”
Indeed, Jesus asks this very question of all who claim to “know” Him. He asks this question of you too!
Love is proved by actions, not words! It is easy to say; “I love you,” but true love is proved by what you do, not by what you say.
In any marriage, there has to be tangible proof of the love you say you have.
To read more click HERE
A few weeks ago we began our series on relationships by talking about Lord-SHIP. We learned that to call Jesus Lord; is to place Him in charge of our life. We also learned that the, deep down, heart-impacting truth, that Jesus is Lord; your Lord, comes via revelation from God the Father and is not something that can be worked up on your own. Many people understand that Jesus is Lord; but we addressed the question; “Is He YOUR Lord?”
Having established the relationship whereby Jesus is your Lord, we moved onto the next in this series and that is Disciple-SHIP. We discovered that in order to be a disciple of Jesus, we need to spend time with Him; becoming more like Him and in so doing, we discovered three hallmarks of a disciple. Stop gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature; become agents of hope, and never give up; we must overcome!
We talked about Friend-SHIP and what a true friend is; we learned that friendship is earned, not given and that true friendship loves unconditionally, is trustworthy and loyal.
We also discussed the importance of Fellow-SHIP and last week we explored the term Workman-SHIP; we are being fashioned into something; God Himself is shaping our lives, creating us to become beautiful, useful beings in His kingdom.
Today we are going to look at Partner-SHIP; in the context of marriage as defined in the Bible. The first two chapters of the Book of Genesis describe the amazing creative hand of God. He drew the boundary lines for water and sky, caused sea, land and sky, to be host to an amazing array of living creatures; animals of every imaginable kind; the intricacies of which, man is still trying to understand!
As amazing as all this was, nothing would compare to what He was about to do; His crowning creation; mankind! God Himself was about to create something that had His indelible mark upon it, something that would reflect His glory, His majesty, His image!
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
A few weeks ago we began our series on relationships by talking about what Lord-SHIP means. We learned that to call Jesus Lord; is to place Him in charge of our life. We also learned that the deep down, heart-impacting truth, that Jesus is Lord; your Lord, comes via revelation from God the Father and is not something that can be worked up. Many people understand that Jesus is Lord; but we addressed the question; “Is He YOUR Lord?”
We learned that if we get Lord-SHIP right, then everything else we talk about in this series will fall right into place. If we pretend to get this; if we just nod our head and give mental assent that Jesus is Lord, then everything else we talk about will be of little value. We must be able to say quickly and unequivocally that Jesus is MY LORD!
Having established the relationship whereby Jesus is your Lord, we moved onto the next in this series and that is Disciple-SHIP. We discovered that in order to be a disciple of Jesus, we need to spend time with Him; becoming more like Him and in doing so, we discovered three hallmarks of a disciple. Stop gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature; become agents of hope, and never give up; we must overcome!
We talked about friendship and what a true friend is; we learned that friendship is earned, not given and that true friendship loves unconditionally, is trustworthy and loyal.
Last week we learned about the importance of fellowship and today we explore the term “workmanship.”
The word “workmanship” as used in the opening passage of Ephesians 2:10 means:
poiēma poy’-ay-mah a product, that is, fabric, something that is made
So according to this definition, we are being fashioned into something; God Himself is shaping our lives, creating us to become beautiful, useful beings in His kingdom . . . but why would He do this?
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ Luke 7:34
A few weeks ago we began our series on relationships by talking about what Lord-SHIP means. We learned that to call Jesus Lord; is to place Him in charge of our life. We also learned that the deep down, heart-impacting truth, that Jesus is Lord; your Lord, comes via revelation from God the Father and is not something that can be worked up. Many people understand that Jesus is Lord; but we addressed the question; “Is He YOUR Lord?”
If we get Lord-SHIP right, then everything else we talk about in this series will fall right into place. If we pretend to get this; if we just nod our head and give mental assent that Jesus is Lord, then everything else we talk about will be of little value. We must be able to say quickly and unequivocally that Jesus is MY LORD!
Having established the relationship whereby Jesus is your Lord, we moved onto the next in this series and that is Disciple-SHIP. We discovered that in order to be a disciple of Jesus, we need to spend time with Him. We took several moments to see how the Bible is put together and then we discussed three hallmarks of a disciple.
Stop gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature; become agents of hope, and never give up; we must overcome!
Today we continue our journey by discovering what Friendship is. In our opening Scripture we see that Jesus was known to be a friend of sinners; so what exactly constitutes friendship; from a biblical standpoint, that is.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
Last week we began our series on relationships by talking about what Lord-SHIP means. We learned that to call Jesus Lord; is to place Him in charge of our life. The deep down, heart-impacting truth that Jesus is Lord; your Lord, comes via revelation from God the Father and is not something that can be worked up. Many people understand that Jesus is Lord; but we addressed the question; “Is He YOUR Lord?”
As I mentioned last week; if we get Lord-SHIP, then everything else we talk about in this series will fall right into place. If we pretend to get this; if we just nod our head and give mental assent that Jesus is Lord, then everything else we talk about will be of little value. We must be able to say quickly and unequivocally that Jesus is MY LORD!
Having established the relationship whereby Jesus is your Lord, we can now move onto the next in this series and that is Disciple-SHIP.
Today we are going to kicking off a new series entitled “Relation-SHIPS.” Over the next 8 weeks we will be talking about various relationships we all have, which will include Discipleship, Friendship, Fellowship, Companionship, Partnership, and more!
We are going to be exploring these relationships from a Biblical perspective. The first in this series has to do with Lordship. Everything else in our Christian experience hinges on this one; if we can get this right, then everything else will begin to fall into place. So . . . let’s get started!
In chapter 8 of the Book of Mark, we read of several remarkable stories, followed by a declaration by Peter. Let’s take a look at what happened . . .
Today is the last message in a series that began on the 1st of the month. We RE-SOLVED to; Seek God First in all things, we RE-SOLVED to stay on the path and we learned what to do if we get sidetracked. We also RE-SOLVED to Love One Another, and to Serve One Another.
Today we are RE-SOLVING to Reach Another. You and I have believed in the greatest message ever told; and we have the greatest privilege; indeed obligation, to share it!
When it came to the Gospel (which literally means “Good News”) Jesus was very specific; He did not mince words at all. He said in John 14:6; “I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me.”
As we have said repeatedly, we live in a crazy culture today. When it comes to religion and topics such as spirituality, we are taught to be tolerant and accepting of other views; you could say we live in a culture that promotes pluralism in things religious. By that, I mean we are taught that all religion ultimately ends up with God; according to Jesus, this is not true; He was not very tolerant, when it came to salvation.
Heading into the New Year we are “Re-Solving” to be more focused on what matters most to God. The first item we have re-solved to do, is to Seek God in all things. We believe that Jesus is saying to us; Seek Me first, seek My Kingdom, My righteousness; and all the stuff of life, the things you really need, will be given to you as well.
We talked about what to do when faced with a decision to make if we found ourselves at a Crossroads and need to make a decision. We learned that if we used the 4-fold grid of Scripture, tradition, experience and reason, as presented by John Wesley, we will be able to make an informed; scripturally based decision on what path to follow.
Last week we talked about love and what it meant. We talked about Agape love, the kind of love that keeps on giving. We also learned that this kind of love is a gift from God and we are to receive it, and then give it away.
Today we are going to focus on being a servant; the opening Scripture from Galatians helps to point the way.
As we head into the New Year we are “Re-Solving” to be more focused on what matters most to God. The first item we have re-solved to do is to Seek God in all things. We believe that Jesus is saying to us; Seek Me first, seek the Kingdom of God, seek My righteousness; and all the stuff of life, the things you really need, will be given to you as well.
Last week, recognizing the perilous culture we live in, and the propensity of even the best among us to get sidetracked; we talked about how one finds their way when faced with a crossroad. We all have encountered situations in life where we were distracted and left standing with a decision to make.
We learned that if we used the 4-fold grid presented by John Wesley, we will be able to make an informed, scripturally based decision on what path to follow; those four were; Scripture, tradition, experience and reason.
The journey last week ended with an invitation to receive a new heart; one that is just like Jesus’ heart. I hope your heart transplant surgery went well and you have recuperated nicely; because without a new heart, what we talk about today will be impossible to accomplish!
We began the New Year with a challenge to Seek God First in all things. Recognizing the materialistic culture we live in, we discussed our propensity to clamor after “things” more than after God. We came to the conclusion that essentially, Jesus is saying to us; Seek Me first, seek the kingdom of God, seek My righteousness; and all the stuff of life, the things you really need, will be given to you as well.
The inverse is true too; do not seek the Kingdom of God, do not seek God’s Righteousness, then all these things will never be enough! You will spend your entire life trying to obtain worthless idols that do not speak, that cannot give wisdom, and in the end they will only bring you pain and ultimately destruction.
Today in our Re-Solve series, we shift gears just a bit and we are going to talk about Crossroads and choosing the right path.
To read more CLICK HERE!
It is hard to believe that another year has gone by already! This year we will begin our 12th year of ministry at the Cameron County Christian Center.
Whenever we approach a New Year, I often will spend some time reflecting, remembering, and then, quite often, I will make some resolutions.
How many of you have ever made a brash New Year’s resolution? Were you able to follow through? Too many times we make snap commitments, and act out of emotion, only to fail a few short weeks down the road.
Rather than make snap New Year’s resolutions, I want to try a different approach this year. The term that I want to use is resolve rather than resolution. Both of these words have very similar meanings, but I like the word resolve better.
re·solve [ri-zolv] to come to a definite or earnest decision about something
re·solve comes from the Latin word resolvere “it means to loosen, to undo. The noun meaning “determination” is first recorded 1592.
To have a sense of resolve is to become “un-binded” if you will and to be free once again to reset your course.
A few weeks ago I shared from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, and the wonderful announcement that “Unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given.” During the time of Isaiah, the nation of Israel was in trouble, and the people were truly walking in a very dark time; hopeless, and despair, and according to the Bible; the people were walking in great darkness, and living in the shadow of death.
Indeed, many years have passed since then, yet people today still walk in darkness and live in the shadow of death. Hopelessness abounds in our world too, and the desperate promise given to the people of Isaiah, is needed for us, as much as it was for them.
On this Christmas morning, let’s read Isaiah 9:2-7 again, to refresh our memories. . .
