Sermon Video: Living like Jesus in the everyday things - Romans 12:13-16

As disciples of Jesus, imitating him is a key aspect of our faith.  Here in Romans 12, the Apostle Paul offers 4 examples of behavior that help illustrate our obligation: (1) sharing/hospitality, (2) blessing those who persecute us, (3) having empathy, and (4) limiting pride to foster harmony.

Sermon Video: "hope does not put us to shame" - Romans 5:3-5

Suffering is an oft misunderstood topic.  Many religions and philosophies, including people within Christianity, get it wrong.  Suffering isn't necessary, for evil will ultimately be vanquished, and it can be opposed and lessened, nor does God cause it in the hopes of bending it to his will.  Suffering is, however, a reality in this present life, but so is hope.  Hope is not only possible but guaranteed if we trust in God, live righteously no matter what, and persevere by faith.

The theology of mandated/compulsory prayer in public schools is atrocious, its implementation would be worse.

Prayer is not a "to whom it may concern" letter.  Prayer is a conversation with God on the part of those who have a relationship with him, not a magic formula that if said by enough people will cause God rain down blessings on a land.

I write this knowing that a number of my brothers and sisters in Christ, whose motives I am not assuming or judging, will strongly disagree with this assessment of prayer in public schools.  This issue is, however, connected to numerous others respecting the separation of Church and State, the impact of politics and political tactics upon the Church, and our intended role as Christians first and Americans second.

Note: I put the word compulsory in the title alongside mandated because any practical application of mandating that prayer must be administered by public schools would naturally entail a compulsory element to force compliance upon the schools themselves (the most likely thing being the threat to withhold federal education funding) and the students (detentions, expulsions for those who refuse?).

Why is mandated/compulsory prayer in our public schools such a bad idea?

1. Prayer is already in public schools, each time a teacher or student chooses to pray.

Contrary to what you may have heard, prayer in schools (or anywhere else) has never been illegal.  How could it be?  Prayer is a conversation between yourself and God, one that nobody else is privy to, nor able to control.  In addition to the continued availability of private prayer, prayer that is student initiated and student led (See You At the Pole for example) has always been, and will remain perfectly legal.  {No, having a student lead a prayer over the loudspeaker while students are required to be quiet and listen is not the same thing}

2. We have no need to be led in prayer.

I'm not talking about corporate worship, when the people of God are gathered together and one person leads either a pre-written or spontaneous prayer, as that individual (pastor or otherwise) is acting as a spokesperson for us and focusing our group prayer in one direction; we are praying with him/her, they're not praying on our behalf; that's an important distinction.  With that caveat in place, it is absolutely clear in Scripture that because of the nature of the New Covenant, with Jesus serving as our mediator, that we can approach God directly in prayer.  We have direct access to the Father. 

Ephesians 3:12 New International Version

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Hebrews 4:16 New International Version

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Romans 8:14-15 New International Version

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

3. Rote, compelled, and thus insincere prayer (like worship) is not only not honoring to God, it actually offends and angers God.

What would mandated/compulsory prayer in public schools actually be?  Would it be sincere acts of worship?  How could it be for the millions of school children (and teachers) told to pray to a God in whom they do not believe, or told to pray in a way contrary to the dictates of their conscience?  How could these prayers possibly be genuine and from the heart?  What they would actually be is a repeated affront to God, as if God is compelled to bless our nation because we've required everyone to pray, as if God is beholden to us, and not the other way around.  God will not be manipulated, and God will not be mocked.

Jeremiah 7:9-11 New International Version

“‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

Hosea 6:6 New International Version

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Isaiah 1:11-15 New International Version

“The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
    in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
    Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
    I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

4. Requiring non-Christians to pray a Christian prayer hurts evangelism.

How does evangelism work?  What are the most effective methods for sharing the Good News that Jesus Christ has died for our sins and been raised from the dead for our justification?  An important question, and one studied and debated by those engaging in missions and evangelism both here in America and throughout the world.  The answer to that question is never: force people to read the Bible, pray, and attend church.  Why not?  Because it doesn't work.  Only God can make a planted seed grow, only the Holy Spirit can soften the hard heart of human rebellion.  The only thing that compulsory participation, in a religion that you don't believe in, consistently causes in those it is forced upon, is resentment and anger.  State mandated 'Christian' prayer demonstrates to Muslims, Hindus, or Atheists that we do not respect them as Americans, let alone as human beings, how exactly are we creating an opportunity for them to hear the Gospel?

5. A one-size-fits all prayer to God(s) that tries to please everybody, is the most likely outcome.

The last thing I want is a politician or a government employee writing the prayers that our children are required to listen to, and/or recite.  A prayer not directed at God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is not a Christian prayer.  What kind of prayer would we be talking about?  It would have to be one mandated/written by the Federal government at the Department of Education, and thus one designed to please Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Mormons, Agnostics, Atheists, and thus equally offensive to all and pleasing to nobody.  I absolutely believe in intra-faith prayer, Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians can and should pray together.  I absolutely do NOT believe in inter-faith prayer, for how can we pray together when we don't agree upon who we're praying to?

6. Focus on prayer in schools is thinking like an American 1st, a Christian 2nd.

This may be hard for some to accept, but as a Christian my citizenship is in Heaven.  That I am an American, while being an honor and a blessing for which I give thanks and a responsibility that carries with it civic duties that I take very seriously, is still in the end, only incidental compared to knowing that my soul has been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb.  As such, I must always consider what is right in God's eyes, what is beneficial to the Church and its mission to share the Gospel, before considering what I think is right for America.  Often the two are compatible, but there is a divergence more often than many of us are willing to admit.  For example: It may benefit (at least in the short-term) America to 'win' at the expense of another nation economically or militarily, but those who live in that land are human beings just like me, created in the image of God, and thus either fellow followers of Jesus Christ, or those in need of the Gospel.  Either way, as a Christian I look at the world, and my nation's place within it, differently when I consider myself a Christian 1st and an American 2nd.  We call this a Christian Worldview, and it is something more Christians need to embrace.  Trying to revitalize Christendom, through official governmental pronouncements and symbols like prayer in schools, is a nation centric-view, not a Christ-centered view.

7. Societies with compulsory Christian behavior were NOT more Christian in their outcomes.

History teaches us, clearly, that requiring Christian behavior like baptisms, church attendance, and public confessions doesn't create the thoroughly Christian society that the outward appearance projects.  This is not a question of public morality, and has nothing to do with marriage, abortion, or other topics where Christian morality is in conflict with a secular viewpoint.  Morality is a different issue that requires a different theological basis.  We have already seen from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea (which Jesus quotes) that insincere public acts of worship have the opposite affect of what is intended by those who do them or require them.  This is born out by the clear cut examples of Spain following the Reconquista in which the Inquisition utilized threats and torture to force Muslims and Jews to convert to Christianity, and the more recent example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Germany, where nearly everyone was a 'Christian', having been baptized at birth, supporting the Church through taxes, and in his words so fooled by "cheap grace" that their unredeemed hearts still enthralled to sin readily swallowed the godless hatred of the Nazis.  Where did the Holocaust occur?  In the heart of 'Christian' Europe, with the help of millions of people who would have claimed that they were Christians.  Are more examples needed?  Calvin's Geneva, where the Church literally ran the town, was not sustainable (and burned heretics at the stake), nor was the Pilgrim's isolated community (Witch Trails being the most well known flaw).  As we have seen time and time again with the Amish, compelled behavior leads to rebellion, even among those who do believe.

8. Our ancestors in the faith died as martyrs to governments that tried to compel them to not worship, or to worship against their conscience; how can we do that to anyone else?

As a Baptist, this is the final nail in the coffin regarding mandated/compulsory prayer in public schools.  The Roman Empire persecuted Christians because they would not worship the Emperor, murdering untold numbers of them, often in purposefully cruel ways.  During the Reformation, and especially during the horrors of the Thirty Years War, Catholics, Lutherans, and Reformed Christians all were willing to persecute the Anabaptists who insistence upon believer baptism (the idea that the Church is not everyone in town, only those who demonstrate genuine faith) offended all sides equally.  Many of them were drowned in rivers, by those claiming to be 'good Christians' in mockery of their embrace of immersion baptism.  Sadly, years later when the Puritans came to America and finally had power over their own society, they immediately began persecuting anyone showing signs of dissent.  The United States of America was a bold social experiment in that at the time it was one of the few nations in the history of the world to not have an official state religion.  More than that, religious tolerance was enshrined in the Bill of Rights, protecting the Church from the State, and the State from the Church.
I find it ironic that many of the same voices crying out for a ban on Sharia Law in the United States (where it is not even a remote possibility with the Muslim population at 1%), and who, correctly, decry the oppression faced by our brothers and sisters in Christ in Muslim countries and in Communist China, will then turn around and call for the shoe to be on the other foot here in America.  The degree of compulsion may not be the same, nor the penalties for stepping out of line, but the idea of mandating religious behavior is.  What is morally wrong in other countries ought to be morally wrong here as well. 

Kids and teachers pray in school every day that the school is in session, when they choose to.  God is not asking us to pretend that America is a Christian nation through insincere public acts, but to transform our families, churches, and communities through deep commitments to righteous living and sustained efforts at evangelism.  What will propel the Church in America forward is not policies foisted upon an unwilling or indifferent public, but sincere worship, servant's hearts, and morally upright living on the part of God's people.  If you want to transform America, start with the Church.

The Church's responsibility: evangelism and transforming discipleship

One of the numerous misconceptions about the Church, coming from both those outside of it and those within, is that the Church is a place where those who are already righteous (upright morally) come together.  This is not a new issue, the Early Church struggled with the question of whether or not the Church was intended to be a place for only saints to gather, or a place where both saints and sinners (i.e. those already redeemed/saved and those who had not yet committed themselves to Christ) together sought the kingdom of God.  Following the persecution instituted by Emperor Diocletian (AD 303-305, during which 1/2 of all those martyred prior to Constantine were killed); those who had resisted and risked their lives rejected as unworthy of being a part of the Church those who had capitulated in order to save themselves.  The courageous 'confessors' chose their own bishop, Donatus Magnus (see: Donatism), believing that only a bishop could forgive such a grave sin as 'lapsing' in the face of persecution, and that only a faultless clergy could administer valid sacraments.  In the end, the North African Church was split in two, never to heal, despite the attempts of two councils, the use of Constantine's soldiers to try to force a reunion, and even the power of St. Augustine's persuasion arguing that the Church was not supposed to consist of only of those who are already pure, but of those who long to be pure.
The Church was intended, by its founder Jesus, to be a place where both evangelism and discipleship take place concurrently side by side.  As a Church it is our responsibility to both share the Gospel with those who do not yet believe, and to help those who have committed themselves to following Jesus in their transformation process from someone dominated by sin to someone overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit.  Thus a healthy church will contain both those who are, hopefully, being called by the Spirit of God to accept the Gospel, and those who are being led by the Spirit of God to more and more closely adhere to the example and teachings of Jesus.  If a local church, or a denomination, fails to attempt/accomplish either task, the results will be grim.  A church without new converts is a church whose days are numbered, it may be a great place of fellowship, and excel at making disciples of those already there, but when they grow old and die, what then?  Likewise, a church that excels in "winning souls" through evangelism, but fails/neglects to disciple these converts, will result in a people of shallow faith where immorality is tolerated and the fruit of the Spirit in short supply.
It isn't easy for a local church, especially a small church with a bi-vocational pastor, or perhaps with a jack-of-all-trades solo pastor, to hit home runs in both evangelism and discipleship.  In my experience, most of them are better at discipleship than evangelism, better working with the people they already have than the people outside their doors.  Conversely, one of the criticisms of mega-churches is that due to their size it is easier for the numerous converts (certainly a good thing) to slip through the cracks, even with a large staff and small-group programs.  All churches have strengths and weaknesses, specialties and deficiencies in their ministries, but all are equally called by God to both bring lost sinners home and work to transform those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb into practitioners of righteousness.  We must share the Gospel, we must welcome outsiders and seek them out, and we must take the moral obligations of our people seriously, striving against both sins of commission and omission.  The challenge is immense, the kind of thing that keeps pastors up at night, the obstacles are plentiful and diverse, but the task once it is being accomplished it certainly worth whatever we put into it, and more.  Imagine a local church where new people are coming to Christ on a regular basis, where both those who have recently come to Christ and those who have journeyed with him for decades are encouraged and aided toward ever increasing Christ-likeness through righteous living and acts of service to others.  Nearly every pastor wants that for his congregation, books and workshops on how to achieve it are legion, the Spirit that makes it possible is willing.  Let us pray that we may be worthy of this high calling, my church and myself included.

Sermon Video: Paul defends his conduct before Felix - Acts 24

Having safely arrived in Caesarea, the Apostle Paul now faces an attempt by the High Priest Ananias to persuade the Roman provincial governor Felix that he ought to be put to death for being a "troublemaker" who stirs up riots.  In his defense, Paul points to a lack of witnesses to this supposed quarrelsome conduct, and asserts that, "I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."  For us, the example of Paul is important.  As Christians, we may face persecution because of the Truth that we proclaim in the Gospel, but we must not be liable to charges of being troublemakers.  Let the message be rejected if it must, we cannot allow the fault to lie with the messengers, there is no excuse for Christians who character and conduct is destructive not constructive.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The Lord's Will Be Done - Acts 21:1-14

As Paul finally approaches his destination of Jerusalem, both those traveling with him and those fellow disciples of Christ whom he meets at each stop, urge Paul to abort his trip and not go to Jerusalem.  Despite these significant warnings, one from a known prophet of the Lord, Paul insists that he must continue onward.  Paul had already accepted that his life was in danger, and that the cost of his discipleship might be imprisonment, or even death.  It was not that Paul didn't care about the risks, he simply considered his mission for the Kingdom of God to be of surpassing importance, even surpassing his own life.  And what was that mission?  To meld together the Jewish and Gentile Christians into one Church by bringing the famine relief offering from the Gentile churches to Jerusalem in person.  In the end, Paul's hope was a forlorn one, the Jewish revolt was only a few years away and Jerusalem itself would soon be destroyed by the Romans, but to Paul it was a cause worth dying for, if need be, for like his Savior, Paul lived by the rule, "the Lord's will be done."

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: You are God's Temple - 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

What value do the people of God have in the sight of God?  In addition to our value as those created in his image, an inherent value we share with all of humanity, the people of God are also valued as the metaphorical temple of God.  From the creation of the Tabernacle until the Temple of Solomon was destroyed in 586 B.C., the glory of God dwelt above the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies.  The prophet Ezekiel saw that glory leave the temple prior to its destruction, but it did not return when the temple was rebuilt by Ezra, instead, God sent his Spirit to dwell within his people after Pentecost.  The glory of God began to dwell within his people instead of within a physical temple.
The implications of this blessing include a heightened sense of the purpose of God's people as his servants, and an increase in the seriousness of any who might harm or even destroy this temple of God by attacking individual Christians and/or the Church.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Hezekiah's Revival, Part 4 (of 4) - 2 Chronicles 32

The final chapter in the Chronicles' recounting of the reign of Hezekiah takes place after the reform and revival movement he helped bring about has finished its work.  The timing suggests two conclusions: #1 God thwarted the evil purposes of Sennacherib until his people had finished their repentance and had renewed their relationship with him.  #2 Doing the right thing didn't make Hezekiah and the people immune to tribulation, instead, it enabled them to stand firm when tribulation came (In keeping with the lesson of Job).
How did Hezekiah and the people respond to this challenge to the very existence of their nation?  They first took all the preparations that were in their power to accomplish, then they declared their trust that God would do what only God can do, and lastly when Sennacherib mocked the power of God, they responded with prayer to the Almighty.
How did God respond?  He delivered his people, in fulfillment of his Word and by way of demonstrating his love and compassion for them.  In the end, Hezekiah and the people of Judah persevered, maintaining their allegiance to God in a time of peril.  Overall, Hezekiah demonstrates what can be accomplished by a devout person of God through hard work, prayer, and faith.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The Patience of the Prophets, the Perseverance of Job - James 5:10-11

Suffering and difficulties of every sort are inevitable in this world.  We will all go through them, and those who live by faith will also potentially face persecution because of it.  What then is the response that God requires of his people?  To explain our obligation in the face of suffering, James illustrates the two character qualities we need to develop and employ, patience and perseverance, through the actions of the prophets and Job.  The prophets were given their occupation by God, to be his messengers and speak his words to his people, but were not generally rewarded for being honored by God in this way.  Instead, the prophets were mistreated including imprisonment, beatings, and martyrdom.  And yet they employed patience to continue, for decades, to fulfill their obligation to God's people, preaching his message no matter the cost.  This then is our example.  We too must have patience, responding to persecution by continuing in the fruit of the Spirit, not responding to hate with hate, but with love.
Some will endure greater difficulties than others, few will be able to stand alongside Job.  Job lost everything: wealth, family, and health, but steadfastly refused to blame God for his loss.  He persevered, despite the insistence of his friends that his troubles were his own fault, and maintained his character through the worst of times.  And so must we, whatever comes our way we must persevere, holding fast to our faith and maintaining our commitment to righteous living in every circumstance.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

The peril of fear mongering among Christians

In a recent interview with Time magazine, the president of Faith and Action, Rob Schenck, a noted anti-abortion activist, spoke of the danger posed by fear mongering when it is used by conservative politicians and pastors, he said this: "Within our conservative ranks, there seems to be an almost rampant fear mongering that's used as a device to build audiences and readership.  And I think it's contrary to the optimism of the Gospel."  It doesn't take much searching to find a self-proclaimed conservative or evangelical politicians whose primary rhetorical tool is utilizing fear.  The same holds true, sadly, for several prominent conservative and/or evangelical pastors, and many less prominent ones.  Many congregations are given a steady dose of fear from the pulpit, fear of the government, fear of persecution, fear of the future.
There are two major problems with this use of fear, first that it doesn't represent reality, as Schenck went on to say, "Christians, especially evangelicals, often fear persecution by government.  And that does occur in other places.  So we project it here."  I've heard many a well-meaning Christians, and perhaps some not of noble purpose, speaking as if America is one small step away from being Nazi Germany, as if the government were compiling lists of Churches to raid and shut down, as if storm troopers will soon be in the streets.  There are things that require legitimate concern about our culture, our government, and our future as a Church and a nation, but when such fantastic claims are made, when the spectre of persecution is raised to frighten those who don't know better, not only are the real issues buried by fear and obscured, the far too real and deadly persecution of Christians around the world is trivialized by American whining and paranoia.
The second problem inherent in the fear mongering is that it is used primarily by those interested in your vote or your money.  The motive behind the appeal to fear is almost always a dark one, the response that it breeds in people is far more likely to be hatred than love.  It is contrary to the Gospel.  In the first century, the Church faced far more difficult circumstances, Paul was beaten and left for dead, unjustly jailed, and ultimately put to death, but he did not give in to fear, nor did he spread it, he responded with hope.
As I have said many times before, and will continue to say as often as need be, the Church is not a castle under siege, a timid force hiding behind a moat; the Church of Jesus Christ is an army, conquering in his name, by his power, a force that the gates of hell will not prevail against.  Why, oh why, do we let ourselves be led by men (and women) whose pessimism and appeal to fear is leading the Church from proclaiming the Gospel proudly to hiding in fear, fear of a persecution that isn't even real.
Lastly, Schenck's interview ended with a sentiment that deserves an amen from anyone who believes in the necessity of the Gospel as the sole path to salvation for humanity, "the deepest of moral, ethical and spiritual questions can't be answered by a political party."  Nor, I might add, by a politician or pastor looking for votes, book sales, or donations.

Sermon Video: How do we react to trouble? - Acts 16:16-40

How Christians react to trouble matters a great deal.  It matters because we all will endure hardship at some point, whether through our own poor choices, the malice of others, or accidents for which no one is to blame.  Trouble will come to people of faith as it comes to everyone else.  Being a believer in Jesus Christ does not exempt any of us from physical, financial, or emotional turmoil; anybody who preaches otherwise is ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture on this subject.  How we respond to it also matters because the Lost are watching.  Those who don’t have a relationship with God through Jesus are watching to see if what we have is as valuable as we claim.  If our reaction to trouble is no better than their reaction would be, would difference is our faith making?  This isn’t about holding grief or sorrow in and pretending they don’t exist, that’s not the solution at all, but rather about having perspective and persevering through the difficult times because of the hope that we have in God.

            On the second missionary journey, Paul and Silas faced trouble in the form of any angry mob whose racists charge against them as troublemakers resulted in a severe (and illegal for they were both Roman citizens) flogging and jail term.  The pain and humiliation of that beating was very real, as was the clear injustice of the violation of their rights.  How did Paul and Silas respond?  With prayer and singing that very night in the jail cell.  I can understand the prayer; we all lean on prayer more when times are tough, but the singing?  How can you sing when your back is a bloody mess, at the hands of those who hate people like you, while you were trying to do the work of God?  Such a response can only be an act of grace, from God, to his people through the power of the Holy Spirit.

            As Paul and Silas prayed and sang, the rest of the prisoners were listening.  When an earthquake opened the doors of the prison, they didn’t run; they had heard something worth sticking around for.  When the jailer saw the doors he was going to kill himself out of shame, but the reaction of Paul and Silas to suffering had kept the inmates at the jail and thus saved the jailer’s life.  When he fell trembling before them his question was clear, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  Why did he ask such a question?  Because Paul and Silas had demonstrated by their reaction to trouble that they knew the answer.  That very evening this man and his whole family became believers and were baptized.  How we respond to trouble matters.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video 

Sermon Video: "worthy of the gospel of Christ" Philippians 1:27-30

What would your life look like if you lived one that was "worthy of the gospel of Christ"?  How can we, as believers, live up to God's expectations?  The answer begins simply with an imitation of Christ; be like him.
What will stop us from living as we should?  Most people might assume that persecution, like the imprisonment faced by Paul, would be our chief foe, but in reality, it is prosperity that is leading to empty churches in Europe and America.  The poor haven't walked away from God, they know they need him, and the rich have never been likely believers, but the middle class were once devoted to God until the lure of becoming like the rich swallowed up our time for God (and our families).
We need to return to full devotion to God, and we need to be prepared for persecution if it comes.  Being on fire for God often will result in troubles coming our way, but Paul reminds us that to suffer for the sake of the Gospel is truly a blessing and a sign from God.

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

Sermon Video - "You are blessed" - Luke 6:20-23

In his customary unexpected wisdom, Jesus explains the reality that those who are poor, hungry, or sorrowful will be blessed in the Kingdom of God, and that those who follow him will be hated, mocked, and persecuted yet likewise receive the blessing of God. How can any such misfortune be considered a blessing? The answer lies in the tendency of those who have a "good" life in this world to feel no need to seek God in faith while those who have a "bad" life in this world cling to God as their only hope. In the end, it is living by faith that matters; if being poor, or being mocked as a Christian, helps us to live that life of faith we are better off than if we were rich and honored in this world, but lost in the next.


Jesus also offers the promise of a heavenly reward and the comfort that those who are treated poorly because they belong to God are not the first to suffer for this reason, nor must they suffer alone.   To watch the video, click on the link below: Sermon Video

Is being a Christian hard?

At our Bible study today we were talking about I Peter 4:17-19 which lent itself to the question: Is it hard to be a Christian?  The answer is a bit of a paradox until you understand it.  On the one hand, it is exceedingly easy to BECOME a Christian.  It is after all, a free gift of God given by grace.  Jesus accomplished all the work that was necessary on the cross and confirmed his victory over sin through the empty grave.  For us to accept what God has already done for us requires a simple act of faith; it's easier than a lot of people assume.  On the other hand, it is exceedingly difficult to BE a Christian.  It is after all, a calling to live a holy and righteous life in which our example to imitate is Christ.  If that wasn't difficult enough, we also can expect to face persecution precisely because we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, as well as the refining "fire" of God's will that helps us to become more useful Christians.  God is indeed looking for servants who can do his will, not fans to sit in the stands and cheer him on.
Is it hard to be a Christian?  Yes, yes it is, the more so when you take your faith seriously.
Is it hard to become a Christian?  No, no it isn't, all you need to do is accept God's gift of grace.

Sermon Video: Fighting Against God - Acts 5:33-42

As the apostles are once again brought before the Sanhedrin, it appears as if the jealousy and anger directed at Peter and the apostles may lead to bloodshed.  At this crucial moment, Gamaliel, a respected Pharisee, stands and speaks on behalf of the apostles.  He reasons with the Sanhedrin that they should do nothing to the apostles because if their enterprise is a human one it will fail on its own.  If, however, it is from God, it will succeed no matter what they do.  In the end, the apostles are flogged and then freed; after which they rejoice at having been counted worthy of suffering for the Name.  How would you or I respond to persecution?  Would we be worthy?  The only way to know is to begin to live for Jesus now, to take up our cross daily and follow him.

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