Fellowshipmtz

A Church Mourning & Weeping

James 4:9

James commands the church, "Be miserable and mourn and weep."  By and large, and for a variety of reasons (not the least of which is PRIDE), I think the church is largely uncomfortable with grief and sorrow.  As an example, I daresay our hymnals have many more songs devoted to joy and rejoicing than to sorrow and grieving!

Drawing Near to God

James 4:8 - "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!"

Back from vacation, I resume our church's "regular" teaching from James' epistle.  Very importantly, James' instruction is both an INVITATION and a PROMISE!

Sabbath Rest & the Church

Not exactly sure how long, but for roughly 10-15 years I have studied and considered the Bible's teaching on Sabbath (REST) and how it does and does not apply to Christians in the Church.  This brief update, recorded here as a "Call to Worship" offers a glimpse into my most recent conclusions.  (I wrote a brief two page article that I can make available upon request.)

When the Church is Threatened

Acts 4:23-31

The apostolic church experiences its first wave of persecution when Peter & John are arrested and strictly forbidden to speak about Jesus of Nazareth.  What is the Church to do? (then and now!)  John Davis (recent MDiv graduate from Southern Seminary in Louisville) teaches/preaches today.

When Good Christians Disagree

Acts 21:1-16

Believe it or not, sometimes good Christians disagree on God's will and intention.  From Acts 21, Joe Kunzeman (an Overseer at our church) contrasts Paul's determined intention to GO to Jerusalem with other believers (including prophets) urging Paul NOT to go to Jerusalem.  The dynamics of the text provide a basis for addressing our own different persuasions as believers.

Dr. Paul Kissling

1 John 5:1-5

Seminary Old Testament professor at Lincoln Christian University, Dr. Paul Kissling, teaches from the New Testament in this visit to our church.  New birth, love, and obedience are all discussed.

Resisting Temptation, Sin, the Devil

James 4:6-7

GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS:
The good news is that when Christians are tempted, GOD gives more grace (vs 6a); the "bad news" is "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  In other words, so long as I am bent on preserving my pride (my self-important reputation) I am disqualifying myself from receiving the benefits of God's grace to overcome trials, to withstand temptations.

Are People Generally Good? or Bad?

James 4:6-7

How the problem is diagnosed and understood will determine what solution is applied.  Our contemporary western culture overwhelmingly believes in the essential goodness of man -- as exemplified by Luke Bryan's song, "Most People Are Good" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liqktLC7xR0 ).  But G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) thinks otherwise (an audio excerpt from his book, ORTHODOXY, is embedded in the Sunday message.

Stop and Consider God's Wonders!

Job 37:14-24 with James 4:6

Today's message is entirely focused on our first observance of the Lord's Supper since pre-Covid restrictions.  From Elihu's final words to Job we see the truth of James, "But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"

Today's message includes an excerpt from C.s. Lewis's book MERE CHRISTIANITY on the sin of PRIDE.  Today's message also includes an excerpt from a message Bryan Stevenson shared in conjunction with Tim Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.  The full video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyBfOX5OHRQ

We're Back! Holy Spirit in the World and the Church

John 16:5-15 (among others)

Our church has not gathered INSIDE our sanctuary since March 16!  During this interim, we broke from our regular teaching series from JAMES in order to explore a number of other topics (that were not recorded).  On May 31 (Pentecost Sunday) we began a series of messages on the terrific importance and significance of the sending of the Holy Spirit.  Today's message represents the culmination of this series -- especially highlighting the Holy Spirit's activity and ministry in the Church.