Philippians 3:7-16
Synopsis: I don’t want to wait until I stand, as all of us will, before the Great Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ and THEN realize God’s purposes for my life. I want to know now what God’s goals are for me and how to achieve them. It is never too late to begin this as long as I have breath.
John 15:18 – 16:11
Synopsis: In the 1800s evangelists traveled throughout the prairie towns of America and saw whole communities come to Jesus Christ in a single night. I asked God whether I could live long enough to see a whole town or city transform to Jesus Christ. I haven’t gotten a definite “yes,” but I’ve seen amazing things.
Luke 5:1-11 and John 21:15-19
Synopsis: The word “brainwashed” came to mind when I thought of discipleship, until years ago I read a book called “The Cost of Discipleship” written by a Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany who refused to go along with most of his fellow pastors in following Hitler and turning a blind eye to justice. He was tortured and eventually killed in a concentration camp. Now, the word “brainwashed” comes to mind when I think of today’s society that has lost touch with righteousness and holiness, and doesn’t stand for much outside of ourselves.
Mark 9:33-35, 38-41; 10:35-45
Synopsis: “I can skip this Sunday because I’m not a leader. Never have been. Never will be.” But the act of skipping church is itself an act of leadership that affects others. Since every person has leadership roles, we might as well polish them up.
Sermon Series: “New Beginnings”.
Luke 7:1-10
Synopsis: Did our church really make faith the #2 priority to focus on this year? Isn’t faith for weaklings to fall back on when they can’t do something themselves? Yet the greatest faith Jesus ever encountered was that of a Roman military officer who understood the power of authority. Hmmmm.
John 15:1-8, 17:20-23
Synopsis: For many Christians, prayer is more of a guilt trip than an exciting adventure with God. Yet our church has made prayer the number one priority to focus on this year. Can we actually get really good at this?