Sermon Video: Pastor Powell and Pastor Phillips, The Harvest is Plentiful - Matthew 9:37-38

To commemorate the reopening of our building's original worship space (now known as Clark Hall) after the collapse of the ceiling two years ago, we decided to worship alongside Redeemer Anglican Church, a congregation which has been sharing our space for the past two years.  Pastor Eric and I thus divided up the passage in Matthew, I preached first on 9:37 and he followed after with 9:38.

What does it mean when Jesus tells his disciples that the harvest is plentiful?  Why doesn't it seem that way to us?  Also, why are the workers too few, and what does God tell us to do in response to this challenge?

Sermon Video: Work together for the truth - 3 John 1-8

Continuing the themes from 2 John, the Apostle commends a leader from a church that he is connected with named Gaius for his devotion to the hospitality that was necessary in the 1st century Church to support the traveling missionaries and teachers of the first generation Church.  In doing so, John calls attention to the need for building relationships between churches, for each church to assist the Missions effort, and for churches to work together for the common goal of supporting the truth (i.e. the Gospel).  With that in mind, this message considers, and encourages, the partnerships that 1st Baptist has with denominational entities (ABCUSA, International Missions, ABCOPAD), national/regional ministries (The Gideons, Youth For Christ, Child Evangelism Fellowship), county-wide organizations (Venango County Christian Ministerium, Mustard Seed Missions, Emmaus Haven, ABC Life Center), and finally local Franklin efforts (the Central Help Fund, Shepherd's Green Food Pantry, Franklin Ministerium {cross-walk, Good Friday Service, 4th of July service}).  By participating in, and actively supporting, these efforts, the people of 1st Baptist can multiply their effort, increasing the impact of our congregation for the work of the Kingdom of God.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Humbling ourselves for the sake of the Gospel - 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Are we responsible for presenting the Gospel to the Lost in ways that mesh with their cultural and intellectual/emotional state?  The Apostle Paul thought so.  He was willing to humble himself to reach as many of the Lost as possible.  Figuring out how to do this may be difficult in practice, but the principle is firmly grounded, we ought to be "all things to all people so that by all possible means I (we) might save some."

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: How Much do we care about the Gospel? 1 Corinthians 9:1-18

Beginning with the remarkable story of Adoniram and Ann Judson who served in the 19th century as missionaries to Burma, this message utilizes the Apostle Paul's willingness to forego compensation as a minister of the Gospel, while at the same time advocating for the command to the Church that those who serve the Gospel be supported, to look at how we (as both a local church and an American Baptist Church) are doing in following this command.  After a look at my own experience of the ordeal of being a "free agent" trying to find full-time ministry, the message concludes with a call for each Christian to do more than support those serving as pastors and missionaries, as we all must be willing to sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

What Every Christian Should Know About: Church History

Church History
In this 3 part series, Pastor Powell seeks to highlight some of the most important ideas, people, and movements within the universal Church during its two-thousand year history.  

To view the PowerPoint used by Pastor Powell during the presentation, click on the link below:

Church History PowerPoint

In part 1, the Early Church, the Early heresies regarding the person of Jesus, the Ecumenical Councils, and St. Augustine are the focus.

Church History, Part 1 of 3

In part 2, Monasticism, the power struggle between popes and emperors/kings, the Great Schism, and the Crusades are discussed.

Church History, Part 2 of 3

In part 3, The Reformation, the Thirty Years War, the Modern Missions Movement, and the status of the Church in the World Today are discussed.

Church History, Part 3 of 3

The downside of being a part of an "independently minded" church/denomination

If you haven't noticed already, I consider myself to be a student of history.  I would like to think that through incessant reading, on often esoteric subjects, I have a decent understanding of not only where I am in the world today (and along with me, my church, and our denomination), as well as where I/we stand in the flow of history.  That being said, I could write at length about the positive aspects of being a part of a congregation-governed local church and of a loosely affiliated denomination that is not run from the top-down.  However, few things in life come without a cost or trade-off.  The local nature of our church, and the looseness of our affiliation as American Baptists does come with a negative aspect as well.  One of the primary negatives is that a local church can sink on its own without the denomination noticing right away, or if they do, without them having the resources/directive to step in and save it.  {Note: The American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware, ABCOPAD, our region within the American Baptist Churches of the United States, has only 5 full time staff covering that large geographic region and 301 churches; a very small number compared to other denominations}  In addition to a lower level of direction/support from above, which is not an indictment of our regional staff, they're amazing, local American Baptist (and various other independent churches, baptist or otherwise) also have difficulty when it comes to supporting future ministers and missionaries in regards to their education, training, and placement.

I won't bother to go through the details of my own decade-long journey from college graduate to part-time youth pastor, to part-time teacher, to part-time pastor and part-time teacher, to full-time pastor; that sentence alone should convey that it wasn't a smooth journey.  As a baptist pastor raised in an independent church (Galilee Baptist in Saranac, MI does not belong to a denomination), I was entirely on my own regarding my call to the ministry, and having received a top-notch education at Cornerstone University, I was on my own trying to find work as a minister.  My experience may be worse than most, but only I would imagine in a difference of degree, not a difference of kind.  Being independent meant that I could take any job that appealed to me, which is great, but it also meant that I had to find and land that job on my own (not so great).  The path I've walked, and my wife Nicole along with me, has taught us powerful lessons in patience and humility, but it has not been an easy one, and hardly seems like the ideal scenario for someone called by God to minister to his people.

Going through a similar experience to my own, in some ways, are the newest missionaries supported by First Baptist of Franklin, Brian and Lynette Smith, of International Ministries (aka American Baptist Foreign Missions Society), who are currently crisscrossing the country raising support by visiting dozens of churches for their upcoming work in Haiti partnering with Haitian Baptist Convention.  In a less independent denomination, the Smiths would not be nearly as "on their own" regarding finding the financial support they need to go to Haiti as missionaries, nor would they be trying in the future to communicate with supporters from dozens of churches spread across the country in order to maintain that support.

Are there blessings associated with a great amount of freedom/independence as a minister/missionary/local church?  There are, but they like so much else in life, come at a cost.  I don't know who I would be as a man, a husband, and a minister had I not spent so much time "in the wilderness" awaiting the chance to put my call to the ministry more fully into action.  I know that part of my usefulness now stems from my experiences then, but I also know that it isn't wise for the Church to make things harder on those who are willing to serve, a difficult road to serving God full-time is a pressure that may usefully mold some, but crack others.

So, what is my response to all this?  I have no intention of leading my church away from ABCUSA, it is our heritage and our home, and our personality as a church has been shaped by our place within ABCOPAD.  Overall, I do believe that the positives of being a locally governed church outweigh the negatives, but it is necessary that we recognize the negatives (for all church/denominational structures have them) and do what we can to minimize their impact.  That being said, when someone from my congregation expresses an interest in the ministry, as a pastor or a missionary, you can be sure that I will be taking an active role in helping him/her find the path that the Lord is calling them to follow, they will have, at the least, my help in finding the way forward.

If you just finished reading this post, and are now thinking to yourself, "I'm glad my church/denomination doesn't have any negative trade-offs from its leadership structure", you missed the boat; time to step back and look objectively.

Once again, rushing to judgment leads to error.

It should be obvious to Christians that being quick to judge another Christian, especially one you don't know personally, especially one who you only have an incomplete picture of, is both foolhardy and dangerous, and an avenue leading to sin.  While the phrase, "Judge not, lest ye be judged" is ingrained in our minds, we are at the same time bombarded with snap judgments and half-truths (if that) from the constant stream of information flowing our way, much of it politically motivated, through both the news media and social media.  The desire to get a story out fast, and the ease of sharing or re-tweeting something, especially something that confirms our own viewpoint or something salacious, can turn a small story into an avalanche that leaves fact-checking and a balanced view in the dust.

In recent months, a handful of people with an online/media presence have hammered away at an apologist that I often listen to (though don't agree with on everything, of course) named James White.  I first came across James White in college when his book, The King James Only Controversy was required reading for my Biblical Criticism class, that book would later form the nucleus of my History of the Bible lectures.

Those critical of James White in relation to a two-part dialogue he participated in with a Muslim Imam, have filled the airwaves/internet with a vast amount of partial truths, innuendo, name calling, and outright lies (easily refutable ones).  Why would they be able to get away with such character assassination?  Because God's people have allowed themselves to become lazy.  They've been spoon fed opinions in the political realm, leaning one way or the other, and have long since grown accustomed to accepting what they hear as the truth without verifying it.  I know that while watching the news, or reading an article online, it isn't possible to verify everything that you see, but when the issue involves accusations of "heresy", "cowardice", and claiming that a Christian is in league with mysterious Islamic forces that are trying to take over the world, one would think that you and I would be willing to at least dig enough to see whether such startling accusations have a basis in the truth.

Throughout this whole ordeal, the video of the dialogue in question has been available online, easily accessible to any willing to watch before reaching a conclusion about it.  Unfortunately, many of those who have been critical have too much invested (politically, emotionally, financially) in an apocalyptic narrative that is threatened by peaceful dialogue with Muslims.  For some, a clash of civilizations, WWIII style, is a desired outcome.  They see this as a pre-cursor to the 2nd Coming of Christ, and/or are looking at this issue through Nationalist eyes and not through Gospel ones.  Do some within Islam want worldwide Jihad and death to all the infidels?  Of course, many of them have joined terrorist groups to further their vision of utopia.  Does their desire make such a global fight to the death inevitable?  Not at all.  The Cold War ended without WWIII erupting, that was a far more grave situation against an enemy far better equipped to wage war, yet it never fully erupted into all out war.  One should then ask, why are so many people in Europe and America so heavily invested in seeing the current level of conflict become a global war?  Why do they want the dream of the terrorists, global war, to come true?

For the sake of the Church, and the sake of the Gospel, we cannot afford, as Christians, to close our hearts and minds to the need of the Muslim people to hear and receive faith in Jesus Christ.  If we choose to write off a billion people as beyond the reach of the Gospel, great will be our shame, and severe our judgment before Almighty God.  If we choose to abandon them, for any reason, we will have failed as the people who have been called by God to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

We won't reach Muslims with the Good News by lumping them all into one group as terrorists.  We won't reach Muslims by shouting from street corners, posting insulting videos, or insisting that any conversation include condemnation of Muhammad.  That avenue offers no hope of success, only the self-righteousness of condemning those who are already lost (as if have been told to do so by God).  How will the Muslims of the world be reached for Christ?  Through patience, understanding, friendships, honesty, and kindness.  If you're not interested in being a part of such a loving approach, your problem isn't with James White or the countless missionaries at work for the Kingdom in Muslim countries today, your problem is with the Gospel.

For the sake of the truth, and to show at least a modicum of interest in it.  Read the article below published by ChristianNews.net  If you still think White is a "dupe" or Judas, dig further, or perhaps look in the mirror and ask yourself why you won't want Muslims to hear about Jesus.

Apologist James White Draws Concerns After Holding, Defending Interfaith ‘Dialogue’ at Church With Muslim Imam

FYI, one of the issues being condemned is the use of a church building for this event.  The Church in the NT is not a building, it is a people.  It is not the place which is sacred, but the people who meet there who make it so by having been saved by God's grace.  To use such a building to further the spread of the Gospel is a use that brings glory to God, not shame.

{Update 11/21  The James White that I used to listen to while working no longer has the same ministry.  In the past 3-4 years he has followed Eric Metaxas down the road of political 'sky is falling' conspiracy theory laden hysteria.  I no longer recommend listening to his messages with the exception of the older material related to textual criticism}

Sermon Video: The Shepherds go to Bethlehem - Luke 2:15-18

The first missionaries of the Gospel were the shepherds visited by the angels who first came to see the promised child for themselves and then went and shared that Good News with many.  The shepherds did not know how this child would save his people, but because they trusted God they were filled with joy and shared their wonder with others.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The Disciples Sent Out to Preach, Luke 9:1-9

As Jesus continues to be overwhelmed by large crowds in need of his healing and teaching, the twelve disciples are now ready to be sent out to multiply his effort by healing and preaching in his name.  As they prepare to go, Jesus instructs them not to pack anything for the journey, but instead to rely upon the kindness of their fellow Jews when they stop at each village.  This missions strategy on the part of Jesus is an example of a narrative portion of Scripture that requires us to decide whether or not it is supposed to be a guide for us to think/do/act in similar situations or if it simply the basis of a principle that we can draw out from the text without following the pattern exactly.  In other words, when the Church sends out missionaries, should they be prepared and supported by the sending church, or should they rely upon God to supply their needs?  At first glance, the answer of relying upon God appears to be a great example of living by faith, why wouldn’t we want missionaries to live by faith?  In reality, it is a lazy answer that would allow churches to skip their obligation to support missions, and it would put an extra burden on the missionaries who instead of focusing on the Gospel must scramble to survive month to month.  This same critique would apply to anyone who works for the Church, from pastors on down to janitors, it doesn’t make any of them more holy if their church purposefully keeps them in poverty to “increase their faith”.

            Jesus also includes in his instructions a warning for villages that reject the Gospel message and tells his disciples to “shake the dust off your feet” when leaving such a town as a symbol of leaving their unbelief behind and not taking it with you.  The rejection of God, by people who already know who his is, has always been a very serious thing, a risk never worth taking. 

Lastly, Luke tells us that Herod is even interested in meeting Jesus after hearing all about him.  The Gospels don’t record a meeting between Herod and Jesus until the day of the crucifixion when Jesus is brought to Herod.  Instead of finding out who Jesus is, however, Herod at that point insists upon a miracle and mocks Jesus when he doesn’t oblige.  After living a life a sin against God, Herod spits in the face of his savior when he meets him; turning your back on God is a dangerous thing, even when he gives you another undeserved chance, you may not accept it.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
 Sermon Video

Sermon Video: Who is on the Lord's side? - Acts 12:19b-13:12

Is it better in life to pick a side, win or lose, or stay on the fence?  There are a lot of people who think that they can sit on the fence with God, that they don't have to make a choice.  The truth is, they already have, each of us is either a child of God, forgiven and living according to his Word, or we are not.
In Acts, Luke tells us two men who opposed God and lost, three men who followed God's lead in service, and one man who was willing to listen when God's message came to him.  Herod Agrippa had long opposed the work of God and lived a life of false piety as part of his quest of personal gain.  When the people of Tyre and Sidon tried flattery in their negotiations with him by saying, "This is the voice of a god, not a man", his doom was sealed because Herod accepted their praise and gave no glory to God.  Immediately, Herod was struck down in pain and died five days later.  It was not just that moment that caused Herod's demise, but a life lived apart from God that was confirmed in that supreme moment that cost him his life.
Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit calls Barnabas and Paul to leave Antioch and begin the first missionary journey, with them goes Barnabas' cousin, John Mark.  These three obey God, drop everything, and serve.  When they arrive in Cyprus they are called to explain their message by the Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus.  Sergius, an aristocrat, actually listens to Paul's message about Jesus and believes.  Sergius' mind is open to God's call despite the best efforts of a local Jewish man named Elymas ("sorcerer") whom Paul condemns for his continued actions against the will of God.  Elymas is already spiritually blind, Paul conveys to him God's judgment of physical blindness as well.
Each of these men in Luke's narrative was clearly either on the Lord's side, or not.  Herod and Elymas had walked down a path that led toward destruction for a long time before God's verdict came against them.  Likewise, Barnabas, Paul, and John Mark were already serving God in Antioch before the call to serve him more came to them.  Lastly is Sergius, a man who had been oblivious to his need for Christ until the moment Paul told him the truth, but that was a situation he quickly remedied when he believed.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Lost in the translation

Nicole and I attended an information/fundraising banquet for Wycliffe Associates, the Bible translation missions agency whose goal is to have started translating the Bible in the remaining 2,000 languages that don't have any portion of Scripture translated into them by the year 2025.  First Baptist Church supports a Wycliffe Missions team, Dave and Joyce Briley, who have been working for almost 30 years in Papau to first learn, and then translate the Bible into, the language of the local people.  The extraordinary men and women who do this work are a rare breed, deserving of honor, that now thankfully are being assisted by technology to do the work faster than ever.  What once took a team a whole lifetime to accomplish, can now be done much faster.  The goal of having the Bible available in every language on Earth is indeed viable.
At the banquet, Jack Popjes, a translator who along with his wife spent about 30 years in the Amazon bringing God's Word to an isolated Indian tribe, spoke about the biggest hurdle he faced in the actual translation process (apart from other factors like health, governmental interference, isolation, etc.).  The people of the Amazon have no sheep.  The Bible contains a lot of sheep related metaphors that need to somehow be rendered understandable to the people.  When it came to translating in Matthew 9:36 Jesus' comment that the people of Israel were "like sheep without a shepherd", Jack was able to use a concept that they did understand, "like chicks without their mother hen".  The purpose of the metaphor remains the same, the Indians who knew about chickens but not sheep understood; problem solved.  However, when it came to John the Baptist's exclamation in John 1:29, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" Jack was stumped.  There didn't seem to be any local example that could explain the metaphor of God taking our punishment for us.  This problem persisted for ten years, other parts of the Bible were translated, the work continued, but this key concept of understanding WHY Jesus died remained beyond the grasp of the translation process.  Eventually, in God's providence, Jack returned to the tribe after a long absence (due to the government of Brazil) only to arrive in the middle of a cultural ceremony in which trouble making youths were being punished by a tribal elder.  In this ceremony, Jack witnessed for the first time, teen girls stepping forward to take the punishment for a boy with whom they had a special friend relationship.  Jack, his wife, his kids, all had these "friend" relationships in the tribal society, it was a something he was well aware of, but for the first time the connection between the Lamb of God and the tribal friend who can take your place struck Jack like thunder.  When he substituted this word for "Lamb of God" and told them the proclamation of John the Baptist, the whole tribe suddenly understood the Gospel in a whole new light.  God is good, he looks after his servants.

So, why do I tell this story that I heard from Jack?  One reason would be to encourage you to support the work of Bible translators, another would be to remind Christians here in America that even if we are all speaking English to each other, that there are people we interact with for whom our Bible-speak might as well be a foreign language.  If you've never been to Church before, the lingo we use on Sunday morning will be as incomprehensible as the techno-babble about computers, cars, or finances that so often befuddle those who don't understand it.  How is someone who doesn't even know who Jesus is, or what he did, supposed to know what we mean we we talk about justification?  The list of theological words that are difficult to grasp is long: propitiation, consubstantiation, transubstantiation, sanctification, providence, etc.  Not to mention the terms we use in ways that seem odd to those who don't understand them, like born-again and saved.  What can we do about it?  An easy enough answer is for pastors to teach and preach in a way that is mindful of those who may not understand the deep theological point you might want to make.  We need to be willing to return to the basics on a regular basis and we need to be unafraid to slow down and explain things.  What we really need is humility.  We know all we know about God because he reveled it to us.  We didn't climb a mountain to discover God, he came down from Heaven to pull us up out of the depths.  Jesus spoke about sheep, fishing, and farming to his audience because it was what they understood; we need to do the same.  "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", what an amazing and wonderful truth, let's make sure we share it in a way that everyone can understand.

Open My Eyes, That I May See

The words of this hymn by Clara Scott popped into my head just now as I pondered what lessons might be gleaned from the work this past week of the teen missions team from the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio here in Franklin in conjunction with Mustard Seed Missions.  St. John's Episcopal hosted twenty-three teens and six adults who gave a week's worth of hard work in hot and muggy conditions to help people they didn't know.  These teens came here to Franklin because their youth leaders could see value in the experience of being involved as teens with helping the poor and less fortunate.  It was not only useful work for us here, but an educational experience for each of these teens the affects of which will hopefully linger and influence them for years to come.  I know that at least some of this transformative power is at work because several of the teens are repeat volunteers, and I heard expressed by the end of the week a desire on the part of many to return and help out again next year.

So, what are the lessons to be learned?  The first lesson is that poverty isn't limited to third world countries.  Poverty in America certainly pales in comparison to the outright starvation and disease in many places in our world, but when one lifts the cover and pokes into the corners here in our own backyard it is shocking to those who have not witnessed it how much need is right here with us.  The many causes of poverty, from disability to divorce, from pestilence to poor choices and beyond, are not limited to any corner of the globe. 

The second lesson then is that poverty looks like us too.  As Americans, we perhaps can be lulled into a soft sort of racism that begins to view poverty as a problem for "those" people.  What the teens discovered while working on getting the Hope House renovated, (a new homeless shelter being opened here in Franklin where previously there was none) is that many of those who will end up using this temporary housing will be teens not much different than themselves.  That many of these teens have been blessed with stable upbringings would be the primary difference between themselves and the young man that was waiting outside the building on their last work day because he had heard that a shelter was available.  This young man was 18 and could have just as easily been a part of our work crew rather than a person in need of a shelter.  We tend to picture homelessness as old guys with dirty beards and a drinking problem; those on the front lines of trying to help those amongst us in desperate need know that there is no stereotypical homeless person; that tragedy comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

The last lesson is that making a difference isn't as far away as it feels.  The tragedy unfolding on the evening news or the latest live feed on the Internet, which is taking place on the other side of the world can give us a sense of inevitable helplessness.  What can I do about such a big problem so far away?  If I don't have any more money to give to an aid agency, what can I do?  Twenty-three teens learned this week that a short car ride from home can be the mission field.  That their effort, even without formal training, can make a difference.  Now that they've returned home, they'll look at the world with new eyes, eyes that see need where once it was overlooked, and eyes that see opportunity where once there was apathy.

"Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me....Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!"  Imagine if the whole Church opened its eyes, what would we see?

Sermon Video: "defending and confirming the gospel" Philippians 1:7

As the opening to Paul's letter to the church in Philippi continues, he tells the church that his feelings of joy regarding their success is the proper response.  Paul feels not only the pride of seeing a church he founded doing well, but also the sense of partnership that comes from knowing that he and they share in the same grace of God.  All those who participate in the body of Christ through faith share in the same brotherhood, whether they be part of a local church body or missionaries on a foreign field like Paul.  It is this equal partnership that provides the support and vitality that both churches and mission efforts require to survive long-term.  For Paul it didn't matter if his message was received with the joy of the people of Philippi, or the violence that he found on many occasions, the mission was paramount, people needed to hear the message of the Gospel.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "Woman, why are you crying?" - John 20:1-15

In the Easter resurrection appearance of the Gospel of John, the focus is upon the emotional state of the three participants.  Mary Magdalene is filled with anguish upon learning that the stone has been rolled away and fearing that Jesus' body has been stolen by those who would desecrate it.  She runs to tell Peter and John who both come to see the empty tomb for themselves, ponder the mystery of the burial cloths left behind, and leave believing that Jesus is alive but confused as to how and why this has happened.
As Mary remains behind, still in anguish over the apparently stolen body of Jesus, she first sees two angels, and then Jesus himself whom Mary mistakes for a moment as the gardener.  Jesus asks Mary, "Woman, why are you crying?"  When she doesn't recognize him, he simply says, "Mary" to which she responds with recognition, "Rabboni" (Teacher).  At once the cloud of sorrow is lifted off of Mary and replaced by extreme joy.  Jesus gives her the important task, and high honor, of being the first Christian missionary to spread the Good News that Jesus is alive.  As she runs to tell the disciples, the words of Jesus that he will soon be returning to his Father are a sobering thought amidst the joy that the worldwide task of preaching the Gospel will be the task of this small band of disciples; this is just the beginning.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "The wonders of God in our own tongue!" - Acts 2:1-12

The advent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was accompanied by the miracle which allowed the disciples to speak in the languages of the multitudes in Jerusalem.  With this eye-opener, the Holy Spirit begins the age of Church missionary activity and shows us an example to live by: give the Gospel to the people in a way that they can understand.  Beginning with William Tyndale and continuining on today with the work of Wycliffe and Gideons, the Bible is being given to the people so that they too can hear the wonders of God in their own tongue.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: Hard to say Goodbye - Acts 1:6-11

Mothers know how hard it is to say goodbye; they raise their children knowing that in each stage of life they have to let go a little more.  After 40 days with his disciples following his resurrection, Jesus knew it was time to say goodbye.  Before he left, Jesus gave his followers a monumental task: to preach the Gospel to the whole world.  It would not be an easy task, it would not be a short task, but it would bring glory to God.  In the end, Jesus does intend to restore the kingdom of Israel and rule as its king, but not before all the world has been blessed through him.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: The Reluctant Prophet, part 1 - Jonah 1-2

It can be easy to think of Jonah as the fool who tried to run away from God.  The truth is that Jonah was asked to go to the last place on Earth he, or any Jewish prophet, would have wanted to go.  God asked him to go to the capital of his nation's enemy and bring them a message of judgment (with the implied chance of repentance).  Jonah's flight is similar to the many ways in which we ignore God's Word and commands, of the human capacity to think that consequences won't apply to us.  For Jonah, it took a huge storm and a giant fish to get him to listen to God, what will it take to open up your ears to God's voice?

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Jon and Elise Chadwick, Missionaries to Peru

Jon and Elise Chadwick are missionaries with Kids Alive! in Lima Peru where they work with short-term missions trip teams to show the love of Christ to the impoverished families of Lima. I've known Jon since the days when he was the kid brother of two of my best friends. Now he's all grown up and married (with young Lilia just added to the family) to Elise. The two of them are doing good work in Lima with Kids Alive! At First Baptist Church of Palo we financially support their ministry and have them in our prayers regularly. Check our their blog to find out what they've been up to lately.. http://thechadwickchronicles.com