Sermon Video: When we can't meet together - Hebrews 10:24-25

In this time of national pandemic quarantine, it is a powerful reminder to us of the immeasurable value of being a part of the fellowship of a local church. As a local church, it is our obligation to "spur one another on towards love and good deeds". We build each other up, we mentor and disciple each other, inspiring our fellow Christian to live as Jesus lived by doing so ourselves. It is an amazing asset that some are in the habit of neglecting, of treating as an inconvenience, or at least a choice when other more interesting ones are not there. We cannot afford this bad habit as a Church. When the church is doing something, we need to be a part of it, as much as we are able.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Christ will reign - 1 Corinthians 15:23-28

How does it all end? The Apostle Paul offers an interesting analysis of the End Times by approaching it through the lens of authority/power. When Christ returns, and begins the final unfolding of God's will, it will be a tumultuous time indeed, but one in which the authority, power, and dominion of the Son of God (achieved by the Father, and given back to the Father by the Son) will become unchallenged and unquestioned, with even Death itself falling victim to the glorious reign of Jesus Christ.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Partisan goggles & COVID-19, a dangerous combination

It is always potential dangerous when we look at the world through partisan tinted glasses that obscure reality.  That this is the way that many people view the world is not news, nor is this a new phenomenon, but one present throughout human history.  The danger of doing this was demonstrated in a letter to the Editor published in the April 1st edition of The Derrick/News-Herald (our local newspaper, which I've read every day since moving here in 2012) by an Oil City man named William Strong.  In the letter, Mr. Strong contends falsely that the "chances of not contracting COVID-19 stands at 99.95%" and a few sentences later invents a more stringent statistic, "The chances of a person getting this flu is .01 of 1%, infinitesimally small."  Set aside for the moment the fact that the number of confirmed cases divided by the total population does not equal a person's 'chance' of getting a particular illness, because this is not a random event but one dependent upon how much contact each person has with the virus itself, which cannot be the same for each of us.  For example, the "chance" of being hit by lightning in a given year may be x, but x will increase dramatically if you play golf in a thunderstorm.  Consequently, we're not talking about "chance" in a purely mathematical sense {Chance is the occurrence of events in the absence of any obvious intention or cause...} because the decisions that each person make will radically affect not only their own outcome but potentially that of many others.  Setting that nerdy thought aside, the math employed by Mr. Strong only works (".01 of 1%") if the TOTAL number of cases in America had stopped at 30,000.  Unfortunately for the math in Strong's argument, as of 4/1/20, the cases of confirmed COVID-19 in America stood at 163,539, or .049% already {close to his first assertion of 99.95% but...} and rising rapidly.  {UPDATE: 186,101 as of 4/2/20}  We are not at the end of this pandemic, not even at its climax.  In other words, the statistics used in the argument were outdated by the time they were published, and will only become more so as this pandemic progresses.
It isn't the statistical laxity that drew my attention to William Strong's letter, but the conclusions that his partisan goggles drew from his faulty mathematics.  The last 2/3 of the letter (please read for yourself below) are an attack upon those who are the political opponents of the politician/party that he supports.  The entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic, from its coverage in the media to the responses of various governors are viewed through a purely political lens resulting in a viewpoint unconnected with reality which declares that a global pandemic (that he believes to be over-hyped due to bad mathematics) is being used by tyrannical forces to destroy the President.  If this were true, countries around the world would be in on the plot, as would most of the world's corporations and billionaires who are all acting as if COVID-19 were a real public health threat.  I would imagine that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans believe some variation of what Mr. Strong has written to our local newspaper.  Whether or not you think that the government has done too much, or too little, too soon or too late, is not the issue.  Those are legitimate discussions that, if based in reality, have the potential to help us navigate not only this crisis but future ones as well.  The true problem, and in this case real life danger, is that those who believe, as Mr. Strong does, that this pandemic is a purely political issue, not a medical/public health one, will purposefully downplay and ignore any cautionary restrictions, resulting in a broader spread of this virus than otherwise would occur.  It is illegal to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater and everyone knows it, but it is morally irresponsible to yell, "Ignore the fire, it is a hoax!" when we can all see the smoke.

Letter to the Editor from The Derrick/News-Herald published on 4/1/20

Sermon Video: In Christ all will be made alive - 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

The fear of death is common to all of humanity, and in the present COVID-19 crisis, it is being felt keenly by millions. But death is not the natural state of humanity, it is an aberration, one that God has provided the solution to. Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact we can place our hope for life beyond death in Jesus. Those who are in Christ, that is, those who have repented of their sins and chosen to live by faith in this world according to God's Word, have not only received a promise of full live in the world to come, but a more abundant life here and now as well. This is the blessing that God offers to all who believe.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

A COVID-19 inspired opportunity: History of the Bible seminar through ABCOPAD - online and free

April 7th, 14th, and 21st
7:00-9:00 PM

I've taught my seminar on the History of the Bible several times in person, at my own church and at 4 other area churches, but now (in part because of the need to offer ways to connect remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic) there will be an opportunity for many others to virtually attend this seminar online via ABCOPAD and Zoom. 

Here is a description of the seminar:
The history of the copying, preservation, and translation of the Bible will be given in a three-part seminar taught by Pastor Randy Powell of First Baptist of Franklin. This seminar will include helpful visual aids that will assist in the telling of the amazing history of God’s Word, beginning with the original manuscripts in Hebrew and Greek, and ending with the modern English translations that we read today. When we understand the history of how an accurate rendering of the original words of the authors of the Bible have been preserved for two millennia, our faith in its trustworthiness will only increase. The seminar will include an opportunity for Q&A, is free and open to the public with no reservation required; it will be a benefit both to novices and to those who only need a refresher, including pastors.

To take advantage of this opportunity, follow the link below to ABCOPAD's website (American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware) which contains the link to Zoom {It is very easy to join a zoom meeting, even tech novices can handle it, here is the link to the Zoom help center to answer any questions}.  If you have any questions, please call me at the church office prior to the first class (814-432-8061).

History of the Bible information through ABCOPAD

As an alternative, if the day/time of the seminar doesn't work for your schedule, or you'd simply like to take the material at your own pace, I do have a high quality recording (thank you 1st Baptist of Linesville) of this same material made a few years ago that you can watch via Youtube.

History of the Bible page on this blog