This sermon discusses lessons learned from last week's Bible readings and sermon series. It highlights the example of speaker Bobby Martz, who despite physical limitations from age and illness, remains passionate about ministry. The sermon encourages Christians not to let weaknesses prevent sharing their faith. It also discusses how God can use weaknesses, and shares the story of Pastor Yonggi Cho who trusted God would heal him in 10 years and grew his church enormously in that time.
Enjoying Good Health, 3 John 1-8, Adapted from a Steve Shepherd sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/enjoying-good-health-steve-shepherd-sermon-on-aging-150916.asp
Enjoying Good Health, 3 John 1-8, Adapted from a Steve Shepherd sermon http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/enjoying-good-health-steve-shepherd-sermon-on-aging-150916.asp
1. INTIMATE COMMUNICATION MARK 1:35-39
2. PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER Based on Luke 18:1-8
3. HELP! I CAN'T PRAY based on Rom. 8:26-7
4. EMPOWERING OUR ACTIVITIES WITH PRAYER Based on Eph. 6:10-1
5. THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Based on Phil. 1:3-6
6. THREE KEYS TO A BETTER PRAYER LIFE. Based on Col. 1:3
7. SPONTANEOUS PRAYER Based on I Thess. 5:12-28
8. PATRIOTIC IN PRAYER Based on I Tim. 2:1-
9. ASKING GOD based on James 1:5-8
10. CHRISTIAN CONFESSION Based on I John 1:8-9
11. SEEKING GOD'S FACE Based on II Chron. 7:11-22
12. THE PERPETUAL PREPARATION OF PRAYER Based on II Chron. 7:11-22
13. UNANSWERED PRAYER Based on Matt. 6:1-14
14. THE PLEASURE OF PRAYER Based on Psalm 84:8
I printed his as a booklet for our church. It is short and excellent. The author, Mark Copeland, has it on his website at http://executableoutlines.com/pdf/fa_so.pdf
I put it here so more people can find this great resource.
Someone very wise has said, “You don;t know what you believe until you have to.” Few things tell us more about ourselves or about what we believe about God than tough times.
Everyone has or will face tough times. This message of timeless biblical truths will refresh our minds and hearts no matter where we are in life, especially if we are in a storm so dark and confusing that we feel somewhat helpless to rescue ourselves. If that is you, relax. Our Heavenly Father is already working to make that situation turn out for your good in some mysterious but wonderful way. This is what this message is all about.
Beth starts off the message with a real illustration of how good God is from her life last week!
Here is the audio of this message that the slides go with:
http://www.john10-10.org/john10-10/Sermon_Audios/Entries/2015/5/31_TRUSTING_GOD_IN_TOUGH_TIMES.html
Few things are as fundamental to the abundant life Jesus came to give us than our continual commitment to being grateful in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 1:18 and Eph. 5:20 make it abundantly clear that God requires us to always gives thanks to Him no matter what happens because He has promised to make all things work together for good for us ( Rom. 8:28)!
Life outside of gratitude is a lie. Life outside of gratitude is poison to our soul. God will help us, but we must choose to give Him thanks as Job did in his great losses. We must allow God to be somewhat mysterious and trust Him no matter what evil befalls us. That is real faith.
Palm Sunday was a home-run for Jesus...but not the kind the cheering crowds were thinking about. Palm Sunday was the unveiling, the apocalypse of the real Jesus who now was about to finish what His Father started when He sent Him to earth...for us.
Click here to hear the audio of this message: http://www.john10-10.org/john10-10/Sermon_Audios/Entries/2015/3/29_The_First_Apocalypse_of_Jesus__Palm_Sunday.html
Fathers matter to God. The relationship of fathers and their kids really matters to God. What is a good father? This message has good things to say about all that and more.
In this teaching, we see how Jesus came to do two things: to die on the cross as our substitute win eternal life for us and secondly, to bring the Kingdom of God on earth so we can live lives that glorify God through our words and deeds empowered by the Holy Spirit. This message sets up the ones to come about how to live as Jesus lived--as a Son of the Kingdom on earth.
1. INTIMATE COMMUNICATION MARK 1:35-39
2. PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER Based on Luke 18:1-8
3. HELP! I CAN'T PRAY based on Rom. 8:26-7
4. EMPOWERING OUR ACTIVITIES WITH PRAYER Based on Eph. 6:10-1
5. THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Based on Phil. 1:3-6
6. THREE KEYS TO A BETTER PRAYER LIFE. Based on Col. 1:3
7. SPONTANEOUS PRAYER Based on I Thess. 5:12-28
8. PATRIOTIC IN PRAYER Based on I Tim. 2:1-
9. ASKING GOD based on James 1:5-8
10. CHRISTIAN CONFESSION Based on I John 1:8-9
11. SEEKING GOD'S FACE Based on II Chron. 7:11-22
12. THE PERPETUAL PREPARATION OF PRAYER Based on II Chron. 7:11-22
13. UNANSWERED PRAYER Based on Matt. 6:1-14
14. THE PLEASURE OF PRAYER Based on Psalm 84:8
I printed his as a booklet for our church. It is short and excellent. The author, Mark Copeland, has it on his website at http://executableoutlines.com/pdf/fa_so.pdf
I put it here so more people can find this great resource.
Someone very wise has said, “You don;t know what you believe until you have to.” Few things tell us more about ourselves or about what we believe about God than tough times.
Everyone has or will face tough times. This message of timeless biblical truths will refresh our minds and hearts no matter where we are in life, especially if we are in a storm so dark and confusing that we feel somewhat helpless to rescue ourselves. If that is you, relax. Our Heavenly Father is already working to make that situation turn out for your good in some mysterious but wonderful way. This is what this message is all about.
Beth starts off the message with a real illustration of how good God is from her life last week!
Here is the audio of this message that the slides go with:
http://www.john10-10.org/john10-10/Sermon_Audios/Entries/2015/5/31_TRUSTING_GOD_IN_TOUGH_TIMES.html
Few things are as fundamental to the abundant life Jesus came to give us than our continual commitment to being grateful in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 1:18 and Eph. 5:20 make it abundantly clear that God requires us to always gives thanks to Him no matter what happens because He has promised to make all things work together for good for us ( Rom. 8:28)!
Life outside of gratitude is a lie. Life outside of gratitude is poison to our soul. God will help us, but we must choose to give Him thanks as Job did in his great losses. We must allow God to be somewhat mysterious and trust Him no matter what evil befalls us. That is real faith.
Palm Sunday was a home-run for Jesus...but not the kind the cheering crowds were thinking about. Palm Sunday was the unveiling, the apocalypse of the real Jesus who now was about to finish what His Father started when He sent Him to earth...for us.
Click here to hear the audio of this message: http://www.john10-10.org/john10-10/Sermon_Audios/Entries/2015/3/29_The_First_Apocalypse_of_Jesus__Palm_Sunday.html
Fathers matter to God. The relationship of fathers and their kids really matters to God. What is a good father? This message has good things to say about all that and more.
In this teaching, we see how Jesus came to do two things: to die on the cross as our substitute win eternal life for us and secondly, to bring the Kingdom of God on earth so we can live lives that glorify God through our words and deeds empowered by the Holy Spirit. This message sets up the ones to come about how to live as Jesus lived--as a Son of the Kingdom on earth.
Good overview of several key principles for making a marriage a satisfying and productive experience for both spouses. while many things here work for people of any faith, being in love with the God of the Bible greatly intensifies the power of these principles.
Here is a video of this message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GijGjKdwSM
Jesus is God: The Biblical Proof (Tagalog) (Si Hesus ay Diyos: Ang Patunay sa...Abundant Life Fellowship
This is the booklet formatted version that can be downloaded and printed and stapled together as a small booklet.
This is the Tagalog version of this small but powerful booklet found in several languages here: http://jesus-is-god-proof.com
There is also the 8.5 x 11 page version. See the webpage above for all versions.
Many thanks to the many dear Filipino translators and friends who made this version possible!
Why was Calvary not enough? What if Jesus did not rise from the dead? What would that mean? Why was the physical resurrection of Jesus so necessary to prove something?
The answer may surprise you.
The Apostle Paul gives orders to his disciple and church leader, Timothy, to protect his flock from misuse of the Old Testament. This message covers the first chapter of 1 Timothy and explains some of the the proper and improper ways to use the OT in New Testament times.
The audio recording of this message is at http://www.john10-10.org/john10-10/Sermon_Audios/Entries/2015/5/17_Entry_1.html
Here is the slide how (minus the videos) about the six events happening this Spring for the Hampton Roads community. Three events are specifically focused on helping the Church respond the growing crises in America by repenting before God for the sins of the Church in America. If we do not heed the "Emergency Procedures" of 2 Chron. 7:13-14 now, we do so to our own peril as a nation. God wants to pour out His Spirit on His Church again as He did in 2 Chron. 7:1-3 but first He wants us to follow His Emergency Procedures now that our nation and His Church has fallen into so much sin.
This is an overview of some of the main points of what is being called a "hyper-grace" theology. It powerful truths that are out of balance with other parts of scripture. Hyper-grace theology can help people in some ways by emphasizing the incredible love and grace of God. Hyper-grace theology can also confuse and damage people because it seems to ignore the clear commands of the Bible to avoid sin, confess sins and "work out their salvation in fear and trembling" motivated and empowered by the love and grace of God.
Pray that the teachers of hyper-grace theology will find a biblically balanced way to help people encounter the most gracious, kind, generous, loving, compassionate Person the universe who also holds us accountable for how we live and will discipline us in love as a wise Father to bring us back to safety within godly living.
God's first command to the first humans corresponds to the main mission of Jesus on earth: be fruitful and multiply. Eve did that by be becoming the first mother. God bless mothers!
Jesus did that by opening the gates of heaven through faith in Him that His disciples were supposed to offer to all humanity so God could fill heaven with more of His children Jesus died for!
On this Mother's Day, we celebrate hose who gave us physical birth and we remember our sacred calling as disciples of Jesus to help others find their second birth in Jesus!
The video of this message is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS44ZFMGH-M&feature=youtu.be
Prayer & Fasting is a hidden secret biblical weapon to intensify our communication & intimacy with God. If you want to throw gas on the prayers that burn within you, try fasting with prayer.
Believing Prayer - The Holy Spirit Acts Powerfully Through ItSelf-employed
Believing Prayer - We Christians need to show a WORLD IN GREAT NEED that God is meeting OUR needs, working in OUR lives in a supernatural way, and doing "impossible" things on a regular basis in OUR lives. It is only then that a world in such desperate need will start to let OUR God become THEIR GOD! #whogodisblog http://who-god-is.com/believing-prayer-the-holy-spirit-acts-powerfully-through-it
Pastor Paul McCart goes into great detail the importance of attending church beyond just showing up. Through humor and pastoral experience, you'll find this extremely helpful in your walk of faith.
Journey of Faith Series with Pastor HumanSister Lara
We present Pastor Human from Pakistan as she shares the importance of faith and a personal testimony how her daughter was supernaturally healed, against all odds from doctor reports, and now lives as a normal child. This book is for the beginner of the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and the advanced so that you will learn to activate your faith. We pray it is a blessing to you, today! You can listen to Pastor Human preach as you read along.
BIBL 360Application Assignment Example NameDateSecti.docxjasoninnes20
BIBL 360
Application Assignment Example
Name:
Date:
Section:
1 Corinthians 15:1–11 - Application Assignment Question
Chapter 10 Question
Instructions: Using the instructions in this chapter as a guide, develop application principles from 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 based on your work in the previous chapters.
1. Identify the Universal Truth:
What universal truth is God communicating in this passage?
In verses 3-4, the universal truth is explained in the Gospel that Paul preached: “that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (NKJV). In 2 Corinthians 5:15, Paul said that Christ died “for all”, and John the Baptist announced “Behold! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus became the substitutionary atonement for all mankind, as an offering to a holy God Who cannot tolerate sin (Eph 5:2). He freed us from the curse of the Law (OT Mosaic Law), by becoming the curse Himself (Gal 3:13). This is the message that Paul was communicating in this passage.
2. Identify Specific Points of Application:
How do I apply this universal truth to the 4 relationships of life?
Your answer here must begin with 1 of the items listed under the various relationships addressed in this chapter.
A. Relationship with GOD
A(n) truth to rest in.
Explain:
Salvation is a gift that is given to us, not as a reward. Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God” (Eph 2:8). It is this gift that Paul is referring to in vv 10-11, which enables him to preach the Gospel, in spite of his persecution of the church in the past. God can and will use us, even with our sinful history, as long as we repent and turn to Christ as the penalty for our sins. Like Paul, I need to rely on God’s grace daily, for Him to enable me to share the Gospel with others. I may not have the same past as Paul, or as others before they came to Christ, but I do have my own issues and insecurities, and the devil often uses them to dissuade me from sharing Christ with others. In my devotions, the Holy Spirit has been reminding me of Jesus’ words in John 15, “He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”. James remind us of the Old Testament proverb by saying, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; Prov 3:34).
B. Relationship with myself:
A(n) attitudeto guard against.
Explain:
I am an introvert, and I often prefer to do things by myself and on my own. Sometimes I can have the attitude that I do not need anyone else. Vulnerability makes me quite uncomfortable. I need to guard against this attitude because Christians were made for community. I need to guard against my individualism so I can be unified with other believers.
C. Relationship with OTHERS
A(n) witness to share.
Explain:
In several of these verses, starting with v.1, we are ...
Loving relationships are built on loving two-way communication. True Christianity is just such a relationship--one that grows stronger and deeper through honest, open communication. Jesus is just waiting to speak to you.
The type of man that can represent God
-Zac Poonen
INDEX
1. Principles of Serving God
2. God Needs Men
3. Some Important Truths That I have Learnt
CFC, Christian Fellowship Church, Christian Fellowship Center, Christian Fellowship Centre
Darwin said, "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”
Darwin, C. (1872) Origin of Species, 6th ed. (1988), New York University Press, New York, p. 154.
180 years later, his theory has broken down according to his own criteria! There is ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE TRANSITIONAL FOSSIL BETWEEN KINDS OF ANIMALS. DARWIN'S THEORY IS WRONG!
And his ideas have promoted racism and white supremacy more than any other single person worldwide for the past 150 years! Darwin needs to be Dethroned in our scientific and educational systems.
No one has influenced the entire world with "scientific" support for atheism, eugenics, racism and white supremacy more than Charles Darwin! It's time to dethrone him in science and in education.
Besides, his main ideas on evolution have been proven false: Absolutely no fossils to support gradual evolution between kinds of animals and molecular biology and DNA code science conclusively prove that random chance mutations could never have produced the massive complexity of life we now know exists even in one cell. Please challenge his ideas in your scientific and educational commmuities.
Here is a talk I gave on this recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QRM7mxCVFI&t=706s
I can send you the original as a Powerpoint or Keynote if you ask in the comments.
In fact, it seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? An oxymoron: Our loving God sees the death of His beloved children as a blessing. I hope I can explain this scriptural truth well enough to convince you that God has good reasons to see our deaths as a good and precious thing.
I can tell you from personal experience and from the Bible that God is the most wonderful, tender-hearted, and kind Father anyone could imagine.
Experiencing the love of God as your Father is the birthright of every born-again Christian!
It will change your life as it has changed mine!
“They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.” Neh. 9:2
Why: The Mosaic Covenant!
“But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—… I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.” Leviticus 26: 40-42
This message is a prophetic word the Lord has given me. Test it.
Jerusalem represents the American Church— all the followers of Jesus
The broken walls of Jerusalem represent the broken moral and spiritual foundations of the Church— broken by many sins in the Church
Through those broken walls, forces of darkness have infiltrated and corrupted the people of God
The book of Nehemiah is a metaphor for how God is rebuilding our spiritual walls and cleansing God’s people in America
God restored Jerusalem in preparation for the coming of Jesus about 450 years later
God is restoring us now in preparation for a huge national and international revival
Video of this message starts at 52:43 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEEWhJFNP54
More info on Freemasonry at http://www.dear-mr-mason.com/Main.html
3:32 / 13:36 Unforgiveness: One of the most Dangerous Sins a Christiain Can ...Abundant Life Fellowship
The sternest, most dramatic warnings against sin by Jesus are in Matthew 6 & 18. It is the sins of unforgiveness!
Protect yourself and your loved ones from this toxic sin!
Learn about the dangers of unforgiveness now. The world is turning against Christians more and more. Be prepared to be offended. Be ready to forgive and to return good for evil. We must! Jesus demands it. It's for our protection. Unforgiveness is a great danger.
Here's why followers of Jesus can have a confidence that is strong, consistent and holy no matter what happens to them in this life.
Video of the slides and a short video illustration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoxEVilDXfU
A message most Christians will not hear often. Some will never hear this in a church today. But persecution is coming to America—ready or not! Jesus promises us persecution. the Bible is full of examples and teaching on our call to suffer as followers of God.
Every person is made for heaven. Heaven is the home of every follower of Jesus. We are aliens here on earth. Jesus came to bring us home to heaven. What is heaven like? What can we expect there? These and other questions are addressed in this message. Live for heaven, Christian! You are headed home to heaven someday, maybe sooner than you think.
The word "God" is used about 4500 times in the Bible. In 99.9% of the time, God refers to the Father. Read these scriptures where the word 'Father' is substituted for 'God' and get a better appreciation for the loving, gentle, Father Every Christian has through faith in Jesus.
Jesus was sent by the Father to bring us back to Him. God wants a close, "Abba" daddy relationship with us like He had with Adam and Eve in the garden. They walked together int he cool of the day—as a close family of a Father and His children.
God wants all of His children to have that kind of relationship with Him. That's why He sent Jesus!
We were created to become children of God, joint-heirs of Jesus who will rule and reign with Him in heaven. Salvation through Jesus is all of that! Get to know Jesus! Glory God no with your lives and prepare yourselves to rule with Jesus forever in heaven!! Don't waste your life just living for earthly things. Prepare for eternity by loving, enjoying and obeying Jesus NOW!
Video of this message slides here: https://youtu.be/UBfoya4FR44
This is a message of comfort. God has BIG plans for all Christians when they get to heaven. He will glorify us in ways we cannot imagine. Look at the biblical proof that God has always planned to do this for all His adopted children who come to Him through faith in Jesus!
Go here to see my comments about how this teaching differs from Mormon false teachings about God and heaven. https://www.alf.church/called-to-be-glorified/
So why do I feel that this message about being adopted by God is so foundational to the normal Christian life?
Because Jesus came to bring us back to the Father. Jesus came to show us the Father. If you’re a Christian and you don’t know the Father, you’re missing one of the main reasons that Jesus came to earth. His death on the cross was just the means to enable us to know the Father and be the adopted as his children.
Video of this message at https://tinyurl.com/yar3t5j4
The Bible and experience confirms that our personalities, values, identity and conscience are largely formed by the family that raised us. We get "spiritual DNA" from our parents and ancestors that can be good and bad. Sin patterns, dysfunctional relationship patterns and coping mechanisms run in families. This is an intro to a huge and important topic that probably should be a series. This is a topic that can open up thinking and family discussions that could help heal and protect your family. This is not a topic most churches talk about but one they need to address due to the increases of sin and dysfunction in American families today.
This is just a short message on the necessity of hearing God's voice for every Christian. God speaks to His children for the same reasons we parents speak to our children: to know who we are, Whose we are and how to live well.
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
Homily: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday 2024.docxJames Knipper
Countless volumes have been written trying to explain the mystery of three persons in one true God, leaving us to resort to metaphors such as the three-leaf clover to try to comprehend the Divinity. Many of us grew up with the quintessential pyramidal Trinity structure of God at the top and Son and Spirit in opposite corners. But what if we looked at this ‘mystery’ from a different perspective? What if we shifted our language of God as a being towards the concept of God as love? What if we focused more on the relationship within the Trinity versus the persons of the Trinity? What if stopped looking at God as a noun…and instead considered God as a verb? Check it out…
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way
SBs – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
1. 9-20-15 sermon
1
What have we learned from the Bible in
the last week.
First, want to thank everyone who participated in last weeks marathon
of services. As I warned you before hand, our speaker is not the most
gifted speaker that you have ever heard but if you got to know him. he is
one of the most godly and seasoned ministers that I have met a long
time.
His age of 75 plus his recent recovery from a near fatal brain
aneurysm gives him special challenges at this point in his life.
If you asked him, he would be quick to admit that he is not the same
man he was 10 years ago or maybe even five years ago but his heart for
the Lord, His passion for ministry and his dogged commitment to
serving the body of Christ worldwide has not diminished.
I hope we all learn from his example.
Many Christians have multiple excuses for not sharing Jesus with
others very often. Many Christians seem easily discouraged from being
witnesses for Jesus if they believe they have some sort of emotional,
physical or spiritual handicap.
I have talked to countless Christians who say that they cannot share
Jesus or the Bible with others because they are not strong enough, Not
bold enough, Not smart enough, or not educated enough.
2. 9-20-15 sermon
2
I hope that we are all encouraged by the example of Bobby Martz
last weekend. Despite his obvious physical handicaps due to age and
illness, Bobby prayed and fasted for weeks for those meetings, he
preached four times that weekend and traveled four hours here to be
with us.
I hope I am as fervent for the Lord as Bobby is when I am 75
years old. The doctors said that he would not survive the brain
aneurysm or if he did he would be “a vegetable”. I think Bobby is much
more fruitful even in his current condition then many Christians are
under the best of circumstances.
Why? It all has to do with our decisions: Bobby has made a
decision not to let his weaknesses stop him from helping others in any
way he can!
Bobby has made a decision to trust God for the strength and grace to
help others grow in the Lord. He knows he is limited but God is not
limited by his weaknesses.
It’s a set of decisions we all have to make if we want to maximize
our lives for God.
Will we choose to believe that God can use us even if we seem to be
too young or too old? Will we choose to believe that no matter what
mistakes we have made in the past, God wants to use us and will use
us if we just make ourselves available and trust him for the outcomes
of whatever we do?
3. 9-20-15 sermon
3
You know, I take great comfort at a Christian and As a pastor in
knowing that God PREFERS to use the weak and foolish things of the
world for his purposes.
I am delighted to know that God will get more honor and credit for
whatever I do because of my weaknesses. I am grateful to remember
that whatever good I do in my life it has more to do with Gods plans
and grace then with my efforts and abilities. I hope that you feel the
same about your life.
If you feel weak, if you feel inadequate, if you feel that you are not
worthy to serve the Lord in any significant way, then you are exactly the
kind of person God wants to use. Your weakness attracts the presence
and the power of God. He loves to use humble people to do great
things so they and others will know they did not do it by their own
strength.
He's looking for cracked pots that allow the light of God’s Presence
to shine out of those cracks in the pot—to paraphrase that well-known
scripture.
What did we learn from the Scriptures this past week?
As most of you know, I've asked the church to read the entire Bible in
one year using the reading plan that was handed out a few weeks ago.
Each month you will receive the reading plan for that month. Next
Sunday, you will receive the reading plan for October.
4. 9-20-15 sermon
4
I am personally enjoying this spiritual discipline very much. I
hope that you are too. I feel stronger, more confident in my faith, more
committed to God’s plans for my life and more assured that no matter
what happens to me, to my family, to this church or to this world, that
God is in loving control and that He will take care of those who belong
to Him.
Let’s remember, we never know when life is going to become so
difficult that we cannot do routine normal things like read the Bible for
30 minutes everyday.
The nourishment we are giving our souls now through this spiritual
exercise could will make a significant difference in the days and weeks
to come.
I encourage all of us to take advantage of this opportunity which I
think is being directed by the Holy Spirit to nourish, to strengthen, to
correct, to guide and to prepare us for promotion to greater levels of
responsibility and authority in the Kingdom of God!
So this week we have read from Luke 12 to 15 and from Genesis 21
to 27 and from Psalm 14 to Psalm 20. Here are some of my thoughts on
these passages that I hope will encourage you and strengthen you for the
days ahead;
1. Reading the Bible in large chunks like this always remind me to
take the long view––the view from the shores of heaven. When
we do not read the Bible much, it is easier to be very distracted by
the details of the moment.
5. 9-20-15 sermon
5
⁃ Its easy to think politicians will fix our problems.
⁃ It’s easy to think that our circumstances are the most important
thing inner lives.
⁃ It’s easy to forget the hidden, mysterious but all -powerful way
God works to bless and protect His people.
⁃ For most people, Life is full of challenges, full of
questions we cannot answer, full of disappointments
and full of things that could easily take our eyes off of
God.
⁃
⁃ In Genesis, God promised Abraham and Sarah a son
who would begin their family lineage.
⁃ But Sarah was barren.
⁃ It took many years before Isaac was born.
⁃ They made the mistake of trying to have a son to one of Sarah's
maidens name Hagar. But that did not work well.
⁃ Years later, when Abraham was 100 years old, God gave them
Isaac as his first son born of Sarah—the son God would bless
to build a nation from.
⁃ Then , God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son he loved.
But God protected Isaac at the last minute.
So, Abraham and Sarah could early have become discouraged
or nervous by the way God fulfilled His promise to give them a son and
a heritage. 10 years of waiting perhaps. Why is God so slow to do
what He said?
Pastor Yonggi Cho was probably asking himself that question
6. 9-20-15 sermon
6
around 1980 when the doctors told him that he was about to die
from tuberculosis. They told him if he did not quit preaching to his
church in Korea that he would die from that disease. They told him he
was too weak to continue on his pastor. Pastor Cho prayed and asked the
Lord what was the Lord’s perspective on his sickness.
To his delight, the Lord said that he would He would heal Cho— but
that it would take 10 years. You can imagine the mixed emotions that
response from the Lord evoked in very sick pastor. Cho’s church of 2000
depended upon him for spiritual leadership each week. He knew that he
had to do most of the preaching and discipling of the church or the
church would suffer. No one else could fill his shoes in the pulpit then.
So what did he do?
Cho did what no other Korean pastor had ever done until then. He
called his deacon men together and asked them to lead small groups so
that they can do most of the discipling of the people so that Cho would
just have to preach one sermon on Sundays. The men were very
sympathetic but they told their pastor that they could not lead the small
groups since they all were very busy holding down jobs and providing
for their families.
What Cho did next was even more astounding. What he did next was
probably shocking and a little scandalous to the Korean church leaders
around him. Cho gathered his women members together and asked the
women if they would lead the small groups of church members and
disciple the congregation in those weekly small groups.
The women initially said they could not do it because they believed that
the Bible did not give them any spiritual authority to do that and that
women in Korea had so little value evening the church that no one
7. 9-20-15 sermon
7
would pay attention to them. Cho told them then he would give them a
special hat to wear to signify if they were under his leadership and
authority. He also said that they would just be teaching from the sermon
notes that he prepared each week so that their teaching was really his
teaching. Based on that arrangement, the women agreed to lead to small
groups.
For the next 10 years, Cho was not sure he would be able to finish his
sermons each Sunday. His sapped him of most of his energy.
Sometimes he would have to be held up by two deacons in the pulpit
in order to finish the message.
But in 10 years —just as the Lord said— he was healed. Much more
importantly, is church membership exploded from 2000 people to about
100,000 people. The small groups and fervent prayer were the key to
church growth.
These were small groups led by women—something unheard of in
Korea up until that time. Cho would never have done allowed women to
do that if he have not been sick. The Lord used Cho’s weakness to
develop a church growth strategy that no one in Korea would have ever
considered. Today Cho’s church is the largest church in the world with
about 750,000 members.
I know this story is true because I heard it from Cho himself around
1982 at a conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was before he was
famous and he spoke to me one-on-one for about 10 minutes and told me
this story. It's a story I will never forget. I hope you never forget it either.
Cho could have easily become bitter. Cho could have easily given up.
8. 9-20-15 sermon
8
Cho could have complained that God was taking too long to heal him
and that God was not fair when so many other people got healed quickly
— even in his own church.
But Cho, like Abraham and Sarah, trusted God to keep his word. Cho
took the long view of his circumstances—the view from heaven. Cho
trusted the Scriptures that declare that in our weakness God’s power is
perfected (2 Cor. 12:9). Cho was even willing to risk his reputation and
allow women to do what women had never done in a Korean church.
⁃ So, as I read about the multiple challenges Abraham, Sarah,
Jacob and Rebekah had in Genesis this week, I am
encouraged to give God time to prove himself true to His
word and not judge eHis mysterious ways to bless me and
others.
⁃ I prayed for my mother’s salvation for over 40 years but
she did not fully accept the Lord until she was on her
deathbed and I prayed with her over the phone from
another state. I'm wanted my mom to know the Lord
much sooner than that. I wanted to be with her face to
face when she accepted Jesus.
⁃ I could have believed that after she went into the
hospital and into a coma that God was not
going to save her. But He did. After I led her in
the sinners prayer, all the machines she was
hooked up to begin to indicate that she was
responding to what I was saying to her.
⁃ Whenever God answers our prayers, He is
never late––not from the perspective of
9. 9-20-15 sermon
9
heaven. We can always trust God to do what
He said He would do no matter what the
circumstances look like.
2. One more point:
⁃ The New Testament says that angels are used by God to serve the
children of God. Jesus said that children have angels that see
the face of God every day. So, the Bible is very clear that
God uses angels to help us.
⁃ But why?
⁃ Why does God use angels when He could do it much better
by Himself?
⁃ Why does God use a creature called an angel when he
is the Almighty God who can do all things?
⁃ Why does God use angels to help Christians if God
Almighty lives inside of our bodies in the Holy
Spirit?
⁃ I ask God about this recently and this is what I think
He told me:
⁃ He said that it's all about partnership. I think
I heard Him say that love always wants to
share. He said, “ Of course I could do
everything by Myself but My desire to love
My creatures is so intense that I could not
be satisfied unless I involved them in
doing what I do.
⁃ He could not be satisfied unless He shared his
power and authority to help others with
those who belong to him. He says that “love
10. 9-20-15 sermon
10
loves to share and He is love.”
I was astounded by the answer at first and then it made sense to me why
Jesus did not finish what he began on earth but instead entrusted the
completion of the Great Commission to 12 ordinary men.
And it made much more sense to me why God would promise to give
Christians a share in the inheritance of Jesus. It made more sense to
me why in first Corinthian 6:3 the Bible says that we will judge the
world and judge angels.
It made more sense to me why the Bible says we will rule and reign
with Jesus in eternity 2 Tim:2:12; Revelation 20:4).
It's all because God is love and love longs to share whatever it has
with those it loves. Just as a father let his little son help him fix the
toaster or lawnmower. The father could fix them faster without the son’s
assistance, but he chooses to partner with the fumbling but beloved
son. It’s all about sharing what you have with those you love.
And so while I was driving to New York City on Monday to pick up
Michelle and move her back home, I had some precious quiet moments
with the Lord as Beth tried to sleep in the passenger seat of Dad’s
pickup. It was then that I had one of the clearest conversations I've
had with the Lord in a long time. It only lasted for a few minutes but
what I sensed from the Lord was deeply satisfying to me and to Beth
when told her later about it.
So here is how part of the conversation went: I asked the Lord
something about what He was doing right now and the thought came to
me that God uses angels to bless his children.
11. 9-20-15 sermon
11
So I asked him— maybe for the first time in my life— if He was using
an angel to help us in someway now. I felt a very clear impression that
there was an angel on the hood of dad’s truck with his arms
outstretched forward and a sword in his hand.
That image seemed almost too good to be true so I asked the Lord if that
was really what was happening. I asked Him why the angel wasn't on the
roof of the car instead of being on the hood.
The sense that I got was that the angel was clearing the path for us from
any demonic interference that might try to come against us as we were
speeding our way north. Demons know who are followers of Jesus and
sometimes they will try to afflict our cars or our own persons so that we
are hindered or discouraged in some way. It made sense to me.
Now what I just said about the angel on the hood of the truck may not
be true but it is what I think the Lord said to me as I tried to talk to Him
about how he was taking care of us at that moment.
I personally think it was true. It is not something I would've made up
on purpose out of my imagination. I have no felt need to believe in
angelic helpers around me. I am so content just to know that God is my
Heavenly Father and I am his son forever.
Even if no angel is ever assigned to help me, I am totally content with
the love I already get from my relationship with God. So, I do not need
to believe in angelic helpers but I am willing to accept that truth since it
fits scripture.
12. 9-20-15 sermon
12
A couple of days later, I read the passage in Genesis 24 about the angel
helping the servant of Abraham to find a wife for Isaac. I realized
again that God uses angels to assist his servants, probably including me
— and that most of the time I am totally unaware how God is loving
me to the service of angelic beings.
If that is true for me it's also true for you. Invisible, powerful, wise
angels are being sent by our Heavenly Father to serve us, to protect us,
to bless us.
God does not want us to focus on angels. God just wants us to know
He loves us even in very practical ways like finding the right wife and
navigating eight hours of highway to bring a daughter home safely—and
He will sometimes even send angel to make sure we get what we need.
Partnership with God
God also wants us to know just as He uses angels to partner with Him,
God also longs to partner with us —very own children:
1. To bring his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
2. He longs to partner with us in our prayers so that we agree with
his prayers for the salvation of many.
3. He longs to partner with us in doing the good works that he has
prepared for us to do while we are here on earth.
4. He longs to partner with us to prepare us to rule and reign with
his Son, the King of Heaven and we as the Bride of the King.
Conclusion
13. 9-20-15 sermon
13
There are many other things that I could talk about as a result of reading
this week scriptures. I am sure that you could come up with an even
different list of things that God a showing you as you read the Scriptures
each day.
We are so blessed to have the Bible to read.
We are so blessed that we can read! Most of the poor Christian women
in India I met years ago could not even read.
We are so bless to be able to read the biblical description of reality
from God's perspective so that we can live our lives in harmony with
God here on here on earth..and forever in heaven!
We are so blessed. If you get nothing else from the Bible—know that!
Pray: Trust in the Lord, His ways not our ways. Ben 50:20, Romans
8:28, our weakness and His power, thank Him for partnership in
Kingdom on earth and in heaven. For grace to keep seeing our lives fro
the perspective of heaven—the long view—the right view—the view
that leads to life abundant now and life eternal later.