February 28, 2009

Faith and Doubt

Christian Book Summaries has posted a helpful summary of John Ortberg’s book called Faith and Doubt.

February 27, 2009

Not Acceptable?

One of my friends sent me an email that is filled with great insight so I decided to pass it along.  He didn’t want his name used because he doesn’t want any fame.

After reading this, check out the video I posted at the end—we’re planning to show this at the end of the services on Sunday.

—-

I travel quite a bit each week.  I am up to 1250 miles this week alone, all behind the wheel of my poor little Nissan.  While I CAN get up to 32 miles per gallon, I average somewhere in the neighborhood of 28/29 due to my yet-to-be-sanctified right foot.  Even at 32 miles per gallon, that is still a lot of trips to the petro station.
Coming home last night, I pulled up to a station to fill my tank, I swiped my credit card, and the reader said “Card Not Acceptable.”  I thought that was a strange way to word it, so I tried again, and still “Not Acceptable.”  Now, this card is my traveling companion, buying me hotel rooms, dinners, and yes, fuel all across this nation, but here in Litchfiend, IL it was not acceptable.  I reached into my pocket and pulled out my “not yet run completely by the government” Citibank card, and it was “Approved.”
For the next hour’s worth of driving, I contemplated the meaning of the words “Not Acceptable.”  It’s a statement of characteristic or quality.  This work is not acceptable.  This paint is not acceptable.  This excuse is not acceptable.  Rarely do we use it to describe something like a credit card, unless it’s a characteristic of the card itself.  Even if the magnetic stripe is worn off, we still don’t declare the card not acceptable, we use the phrase “Not readable.”  Not acceptable is more of a blanket statement.  Even if the card is in pristine condition, brand new, it would still be not acceptable.
Other gas stations might have a nicer way of stating that.  They might say “we don’t take that card.”  Or “that card is not accepted here.”  Yet whoever programmed these pumps used the term “not acceptable” versus “not accepted.”  This was really strange to me, and what occupied my mind for the next hour.  Yes, I am extremely lonely, and sometimes I literally don’t have anything to do.  But the statement of being accepted is a statement of policy or fact.  It’s not a view of the characteristic of the credit card, it’s a statement of the policy of the location.  We Accept or Do Not Accept a particular card.  It has nothing to do with the attributes of the card, it’s a simple matter of fact.
Consider the following two sentences:
I do not wear women’s clothes.
Wearing women’s clothes is unacceptable.
There is a difference.  I don’t wear women’s clothes because it’s not my thing.  I’m not into it.  The second sentence is more emphatic.  Wearing women’s clothes is apparently not something that should be done under any circumstances.  The first is a fact or a policy, the second is describing a characteristic.
Luckily, my thoughts turned to God, and His standard.  God declares that we are unacceptable.  We are.  All have fallen short of His standard.  We are all “Not Accepted” to Him.  In fact, Isaiah says that even our best works are like menstrual rags to Him.  Kind of like my poor little American Express Card, the best that I can be is unacceptable.
But there’s hope.  I am accepted.  Even though I am detestable, I am accepted.  I am still “Not Acceptable” on my own, but thanks to Jesus Christ, I am ACCEPTED.  God looks past my characteristics.  Since Christ is Acceptable, and I am in Him, I am Accepted.
Maybe this isn’t as cool as I thought, but I found hope in the form of a gas pump, which ultimately led me back to Christ.

February 27, 2009

Voyage to a Vision

At our semi-annual business meeting Tuesday night, the congregation approved a proposal for some auditorium upgrades. We also announced plans to install a baptistery!  I can’t wait to be able to have people get baptized during a Sunday morning service.

I also shared some vision points.  Here’s a summary.

Video: God of The City.

For greater things are yet to come and greater things are yet to be done in this county!

I attended my first AA meeting last night.  People introduced themselves and said, “I’m Joe and I’m an alcoholic.” (I’m just making up the name Joe).  As soon as Joe said this, the whole room answered back loudly: “Hi, Joe!”  This went on for about 10 minutes and each time the person who spoke stated his or her name and then added that they are an alcoholic.  And then, the whole room would answer back loudly and warmly. 

When I was introduced as their speaker, I paused, looked at each one in the eye and said, “My name is Brian…and I’m a sinner.”  They responded, “Hi, Brian.”  I then told them I could have been an alcoholic.

I didn’t expect to get choked up but I did.  I told them how much I respect each one of them for attending AA every week.

When I was done speaking I asked them if they had anything that they’d like a pastor to know and if there’s anything they want to say to “church-people.”

• Be careful about judging
• Our perception of alcoholics keep the hurting away
• Please send people to AA
• If we can no longer meet where we are, we’d want to come to PBC!

Two people came to PBC on February 1st and heard Steve Salvator talk about how God has broken his bondage to drugs.  It was a result of our emphasis that morning that I received this invitation to speak.

Friends, we need to see our community like Christ does.  In Luke 19:41-42, we read that, “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace…”

Plenty of problems – flood, prison, layoffs, school district…

Not to mention brokenness, loneliness, despair, economic distress, substance abuse, hurting homes, family fractures, etc.

In Esther 4:14, Mordecai made this appeal to Esther: “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”  Friends, I firmly believe that God has positioned PBC in Livingston County for “such a time as this.”

We’ve been asking for some time, “Lord, what is your vision for PBC?”  To me the best way to understand vision is to see what Jesus sees and respond like He responds.  Lord, what do you have for us at such a time as this?

Let me remind you of our mission statement: Pontiac Bible Church exists to connect people to Jesus [BTW, our next big connecting event is Easter Sunday at PTHS] and to equip them to become growing and faithful followers.” [We’ve scheduled a Ministry Fair on March 29th as a way to help in the equipping process by matching people with a ministry that corresponds with their spiritual gifts].

Process

Here’s the process we’ve gone through as leaders in seeking God’s vision for PBC.

1.  The Reveal Survey showed us some areas that we needed to address

2.  Elders have been working on this for about six months.

3.  The Elders then had a joint meeting with deacons in November 08.  Two main ideas:

• Disciple-making process is disjointed – no clear pathway
• Seems to take a “disaster” to connect us to community

Here are some questions we asked:

• How do we close the circle of losing people out the back door?
• How do we attract more guests?
• How do we “keep” more guests?
• Are we prepared to change or do we feel comfortable leaving things where they are?
• What will it take to get there?  If we don’t make changes we’ll stay the same.
• Are we willing to make tough calls?
• Are we satisfied?  [No]

Here are the items that popped to the top:

• We must connect with people outside our church and assimilate people inside
• Establish a discipleship pathway
• Help people encounter God in corporate worship
• Family Focus must drive what we’re doing
• Bathe everything in prayer

In December and January, Pastor Dick and Pastor Jeff helped lay the groundwork for what’s coming next.

In his message called, “Realign,” Pastor Dick preached through some core values and then distributed a survey to help us see what it is that we value both as a church and individually.  I’d like to just point out a few insights that show some areas of needed improvement:

Bible – While we believe that the Bible is taught at PBC, most of us struggle to spend time in, and apply the Word of God to our lives.
Spiritual Growth – While we offer opportunities for spiritual growth, most individuals responded by saying that they’re not growing like they want to be.

Other areas where we need some help include understanding and utilizing our spiritual gifts, prayer and evangelism. 

In his message called, “Under Construction,” Pastor Jeff reminded us that we’re all in process, and that Jesus Christ will finish His work in our lives.  But we need to be participating in growth steps right now.  He also helped lay the groundwork for some other things that need to be under construction (more about that later).

Vision Areas

1.  Protracted Prayer.  When it comes to vision, the very first thing we believe is that we must be committed to prayer.  I’ve asked someone to provide leadership in this area and am waiting to hear back.  No matter how hard we work or what we put down on paper, unless we are doing what God wants, empowered by His Spirit, we will fail.  I’m reminded of two verses.

Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” 

2.  Family Focus.  Our community is in desperate need of help in their home lives.  Did you know that half of our families have children under 18 at home?  Plus we have a ton of grandparents. We want to do a better job of equipping parents to be the spiritual champions in their homes. Parents want to be part of the process but have indicated that they are often left out. We want to move from a “church-centered, home-supported” paradigm to a “home-centered, church-supported” model as we not only include parents but mobilize them to be the primary teachers in the home.  Here’s how we want to do this.

• Providing support —crisis counseling, recovery, financial teaching (budgeting), Divorce Care
• Meeting physical needs – Biloxi (5 times) led to GTLC.  Other ministries include Caring Closet, Livingston County Food Pantry, Mercy Fund and Love in Action (Steve Folwell’s ministry)
• Training – Women’s Ministry and Men’s Ministry – last breakfast on how husbands can do a better job in the home.  May 16th focus will be on Fathers and Sons.  Lynette Duncan’s class for moms, seminars, films like Fireproof.  One reason we promoted the movie Fireproof so much is that it addresses a marriage in crisis and provides hope for those who feel like giving up.

3.  Assimilation and Outreach.

Reveal Survey: 27% attend PBC because they were invited or recommended by a friend.  Did you know that unless a guest receives 5 to 10 “touches” when they come, they’ll likely not come back?

Here are some highlights – thanks to Lloyd Troyer for all his work!

• Guest parking
• Parking lot teams
• Better system for getting names of our guests
• Provide people to take guests to nursery, children’s classes, auditorium, etc.
• Put together a “First Impression” team that will follow-up with our guests during the week.

We must shift from a “member culture” to a “missionary culture,” from an internal focus to external.  That’s one reason we’re doing the 60/60 experiment – we all need to reach out and meet a new person every day.  With as many guests that we’ve been having on Sunday mornings, you could meet several new people by just looking putting out your hand and introducing yourself. 

Studies indicate that when a church does not have an intentional strategy for assimilation, 91% of visitors will not return.

Studies also reveal that all churches think they’re friendly to guests but upon a closer look, churches are friendly to those who been attending for 15 years or more, not to new people.  When you see a guest on Sunday, could you break away from your comfortable conversations and give a greeting?  We never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Related to outreach, we will continue to reach out both locally and globally.

4.  Development of Disciples.  Great Commission challenges us to make disciples.  That’s our mandate.

From Reveal Survey,
• Spiritual behaviors drive spiritual growth more than anything else
• Of those spiritually stalled, only 5% study their Bible on a daily basis

Pastor Dick and Ken have developed a two-year repeating discipleship plan with classes to be offered Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.  Small groups will also offer these studies for a well-rounded program for life-change.  Topics include: Marriage, Parenting, Understanding God, Conflict Resolution, Understanding the Bible, Prayer, Evangelism, Spiritual Gifts, Money Matters, Fruit of the Spirit, Understanding and Practicing Worship at Church and Home, etc.

Note: In order for this to work effectively, we’re going to have to view Sunday mornings as a 9 to noon commitment, not just as the time for the Sunday service that we’re accustomed to attending.  Let me give a shout-out to Jeremy Leacock and Ken Marley for teaching our two IMPACT classes.  Many of you are already here for three hours as you attend an IMPACT class or serve our children one hour and attend the service the other.  Thanks!  We recognize that it will be a challenge to change what many others are not currently doing, that’s why we want to offer classes on Wednesday nights and to incorporate the topics into our Small Group studies.

5.  Music Ministry. Pastor Jeff is now taking a more active leadership role in the music and corporate worship area of our church.  In order for this to happen, he’s in the process of realigning his responsibilities – he’s already shifted his day off to Monday to accommodate Thursday night rehearsals.  I’m excited about the creative energy that Jeff will bring as we continue to equip our people to live out a life of worship.  He will be involved in shepherding, service planning, recruiting new contributors and building teams throughout the music ministry.

A teacher noticed one of her teachers struggling with her arithmetic assignment. Recognizing the girl was shy and probably wouldn’t ask for help, the teacher went to her and asked if she could help.  After receiving the help, the girl thanked the teacher.  The teacher replied by saying, “That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”  The girl thought about that for a moment and then asked, “What’s the other reason?”

Friends, we are here to connect people to Jesus and equip them to be growing and faithful followers.  And we do all that we do to the glory of God.  There is no other reason we’re here!

Conclusion

I wonder what God has for PBC in the next 40 years?  I visited with Tony Shubert today and he wanted me to pass along his love and best wishes.  Since Tony has been very involved in PBC I asked him for his advice for the next 40 years.  He said, “I don’t think we have 40 years because Jesus is coming soon…I know I don’t have 40 years left!”  If that’s true, and I believe it is, then we have a lot of work to do, don’t we? 

February 25, 2009

FAQS From Pastor Ray

Ray Pritchard is now taking your questions on a newly designed section of the Keep Believing Website called FAQS.  Check out his answers and post your own.

February 25, 2009

My Name Is Brian…And I’m a Sinner

I attended my first AA meeting Monday night.  I was impressed with many things, but mostly by the sense of community among the people.  I was struck by how everyone before talking, introduced themselves by saying, “Hi, I’m (their name) and I’m an alcoholic.”  As soon as this introduction was made, everyone else welcomed the person in a loud voice by saying, “Hi (and then their name).”

After being introduced as their speaker for the night, I said, “Hi, I’m Brian and I’m a sinner.”  To which they responded, “Hi, Brian!”

If you know of anyone in need of some help and support due to alcohol or drug abuse, I highly recommend AA.  For more information, see here.

February 23, 2009

Rockin’ Robin

Moody Bible Institute’s Alumni website has posted an article I wrote called “Rockin’ Robin.”

I wonder if he’ll come back again this year…I guess it’s too early to tell.  It sure seems like Spring will never come this year, doesn’t it?

February 23, 2009

Fireproof

Pastor Jeff has some good words about the impact of Fireproof.  Be sure to watch the video he posted.

February 23, 2009

Affirming Adoption

Teacher Debbie Moon’s first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.

A little girl said, “I know all about adoption, I was adopted.”

“What does it mean to be adopted?”, asked another child

“It means.” said the girl, “that you grew in your mommy’s heart instead of her tummy!”

[forwarded by Will Penner]

February 22, 2009

The Word on Wordle

Wordle is a fun tool for generating “word clouds” from text. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.  Check out the sermon called Breaking Our Addictions on Wordle.

Here’s today’s sermon called How God Restores.

Special thanks to our webservant, Brian Sullan, for making this happen.

February 21, 2009

A Pre-Teen Speaks About the Preborn

This speech by a 12-year-old from Canada is incredible.  It’s worth watching.

Note: I had this video up for a day or so and found out today that it is no longer available.  I found it someplace else so I’m re-posting it here.

         

February 21, 2009

Piper on God’s Purposes

In a sermon earlier this month called, What is the Recession For? John Piper lists some of God’s purposes behind this global problem.

• He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
• He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
• He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
• He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it.  This is how he guards his glory.
• He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

Thanks to Don Grimes for sending me this link.

February 20, 2009

Corrected Bible Reading Plan

Someone pointed out that the Bible Reading Plan we’ve distributed at church and on the website is incomplete and confusing.  Sorry about that.

Here’s the corrected version.

By the way, you don’t have to wait until January 1st to begin this plan—you can start at anytime.

Happy reading!

February 20, 2009

Favorite Sites for Preaching Resources

Here are my favorite websites in terms of offering free sermons and other resources for pastors.  These sites have high functionability, look nice, and are great tools for advancing the kingdom of Christ.

Pontiac Bible Church
Keep Believing Ministries (Ray Pritchard)
Desiring God (John Piper)
Grace to You (John MacArthur)

Did I mention free?

February 19, 2009

Holy Humor

I once heard of a pastor who was offering a series of children’s sermons on the symbols of the church. On one Sunday the pastor was speaking about vestments and asked the question, “Why do you think I wear this collar?” To this question came the response, “Because it kills fleas and ticks for up to 5 months.”

A woman by the name of Gladys Dunne was visiting a church for the first time. After the service, as the congregation was exchanging greetings, she extended her hand to a parishoner and said, “Hi, I’m Gladys Dunn.” The parishoner says, “I’m glad he’s done, too!” Submitted by Bud Brooks, Pastor, Stamping Ground Christian Church, Stamping Ground, KY.

The pastor was greeting folks at the door after the service. A woman said, “Pastor, that was a very good sermon.” The pastor says, “Oh, I have to give the credit to the Holy Spirit.” “It wasn’t THAT good!” she says.

One beautiful Sunday morning, a pastor announced to his congregation:  “My good people,  I have here in my hands three sermons…a $1000 sermon that lasts five minutes, a $500 sermon that lasts fifteen minutes, and a $100 sermon that lasts a full hour. “Now, we’ll take the collection and see which one I’ll deliver.

Three ministers were discussing the problem of bats in the attic at church and how difficult they were to get rid of. The first minister said that his congregation had tried “smoking them out”, but they still came back. Another had tried poisoning them, but enough survived to repopulate the attic. The third minister shared his solution: “I just baptized and confirmed them all, and they NEVER came back!”

What does it mean when the preacher takes off his watch and lays it on top of the pulpit before his sermon? Usually nothing.

Preacher with bandaid on his chin; “I’m sorry about this bandaid. I cut my chin this morning when I was thinking about my sermon”  Voice from the congregation: “Next time why not think about your chin and cut the sermon?”

A little boy pulls on the preacher’s hand to get his attention. Then says, “I’m going to give you money when I grow up.” The preacher says, “Thank you very much but why do you want to give me money when you grow up?” The little boy replies, “My dad says that you are the “poorest” preacher we have ever had.”

Taken from Sermon Humor.  There’s a lot more here if you want to have some more laughs at my expense.

February 18, 2009

In or Out?

Ray Pritchard has written a provocative post called Will Allen Iverson Go To Heaven?

Check it out.

February 17, 2009

No Regrets

PBC missionary Rebecca Cox sent this video that reminds us that we all can do more in helping people connect to Jesus.  The clip is from Schindler’s List.

Have you prayed for a missionary today?  Why not stop right now and pray for Rebecca Cox as she ministers in Spain.

February 17, 2009

Marriage Matters

As we get ready to show Fireproof this Saturday night at 6:30, I thought I’d pass along a link to a PBC sermon series called Marriage Matters.  Topics addressed include: Single and Satisfied, What to Look For in a Mate, Forgiving and Forgetting, and a Primer on Parenting.

I just received this illustration and got a kick out of it…

One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?”

The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. “I can’t, Dear,” she said, “I have to sleep with your daddy.”

A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: “The big sissy.”

February 16, 2009

Community Forum

Pastor Dick and Rich Maeir will be the guests on WJEZ’s Community Forum this morning at 9:05 to talk about the Fireproof movie.  You can listen online or on your radio at 98.9.

February 15, 2009

1,000 Questions

If you’ve ever wondered why there is so much injustice in the world and you’re courageous enough to say that you’re available to do something about it by taking the gospel to the lost, check out this video that we will show at the end of our services today.  As Isaiah said, “Here am I, Lord. Send me.”

February 14, 2009

Sunday Service Outtakes

I’m not going to have time tomorrow to make the following point but its worth passing along instead of just hitting the “delete” button.  Yes, I really do try to keep the sermons short…I know that’s hard to believe.

—-

Most of us have countless Bibles in our homes and we have multiple opportunities to grow in our understanding of the Bible through our sermons, Sunday morning classes, Bible Studies, and in small groups.  In addition, there are around 500 full-text sermons on our website that can also be listened to online or even through iTunes.  There are Christian radio stations, TV ministries, and countless free sermon podcasts. 

Have you ever wondered what would happen if suddenly there were no opportunities to hear God’s Word?  Would some of us not even notice, much less care?  Listen to these words in Amos 8:11-12: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land - not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.’”

We were also going to show this moving video but were not sure the sound quality would work in the auditorium.  It’s worth watching.  When you’re finished, ponder Micah 6:8: “And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” 

February 13, 2009

Learning How To Love

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I went back and read this sermon and realized that I have a lot to learn about love. 

February 12, 2009

Poll Numbers for Darwin

I was surprised to learn in a Darwin birthday poll that less than 4 out of 10 Americans believe in the theory of evolution. 

Voices in our culture make it seem like everyone believes in evolution.  Not true.

For more information about how the Bible trumps Darwinism, read what Ray Pritchard has to say.

February 11, 2009

60/60 Score

After messing with my watch and cell phone and not being able to figure out how to set a “chime” to go off every hour, I figured out a way to make my computer and iPAQ “ding” on the hour.  It just “dinged” a few minutes ago.  I can’t wait to see how God is going to use this in my life.

Have you figured out how to be reminded of God during the day?

P.S.  I really messed up my watch.  The time is now wrong and I don’t know how to fix it.  On top of that, an alarm goes off at 9:22 p.m. every day and I don’t know how to turn it off.  Maybe I’ll just get a new watch.

February 11, 2009

Love Laughs

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are some lines about love from kids.

WHAT IS FALLING IN LOVE LIKE?

“Like an avalanche where you have to run for your life.”
Roger, 9

“If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too long.”
Leo,  7

WHAT ROLE DOES GOOD LOOKS PLAY IN LOVE?

“If you want to be loved by somebody who isn’t already in your family, it doesn’t hurt to be beautiful.”
Jeanne, 8

“It isn’t always just how you look. Look at me. I’m handsome like anything and I haven’t got anybody to marry me yet.”
Gary, 7

“Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time.”
Christine, 9

HOW DOES A PERSON DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY??

“You flip a nickel, and heads means you stay with him and tails means you try the next one.”
Kelly, 9

“My mother says to look for a man who is kind….That’s what I’ll do…I’ll find somebody who’s kinda tall and handsome.”
Carolyn, 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE??

“On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.”
Martin, 10

February 09, 2009

60/60 Experiment

We’re launching a journey today that we’re calling 60/60.  It’s really pretty simple and you can do it even if you don’t attend PBC.  Here’s how it works.

1.  Using the chime on your watch or phone, have it go off every hour as a reminder that God is with you throughout the day.  When you hear it say something like this: “God, thanks for being with me.  What do you have for me right now?  What do you want me to do?”

2.  Work at meeting one new person every day for 60 days.  This will be easy for some and more difficult for others.  When you’re out and about, look for someone you’ve never met and say something like this: “I don’t believe we’ve met.  My name is…” 

One person in our small group went out and bought a new watch yesterday so she could set it to go off every hour.  She asked for someone to help her set it and we had only one volunteer who worked on it feverishly.  I think she finally got it set.  That’s actualy the hard part of this experiment for me—I tried to set my watch last night and couldn’t figure it out.  When all else fails, ask your children…they’ll know how to do it.

Let me know what God teaches you through this. 

February 07, 2009

Cry Out To Jesus

We’re going to end Sunday’s service with a video based on the song, “Cry Out To Jesus” by Third Day.  While this version is not the one we’ll be showing, it’s worth watching.  Our topic tomorrow is “Hope For The Hopeless.”

February 06, 2009

Diving Deep

As I’ve been preparing for Sunday’s sermon from Ezekiel, I came across some cool insights from chapter 47 that won’t make the sermon cut because of time constraints.  Instead of just cutting it out, I decided to post it here in the hopes that you will find it to be helpful.

When we come to the last section of Ezekiel, we read about plans associated with the rebuilding of the Temple.  It had been 14 long years since the Temple had been trampled and the people were no doubt dismayed and discouraged.  In chapter 47, Ezekiel gives some precise details about the coming restoration of the temple.  He sees the glory of God returning to the Holy of Holies and a river underneath God’s throne sweeping through the temple, growing in intensity and in depth. 

The question really is this: “How deep do you want to go?”

1.  Ankle-deep water.  Look at verse 3: “He led me through water that was ankle-deep.”  Some of us are just splashing around in little puddles instead of going deep with God.  It’s OK to start in the shallow spiritual waters but it’s not OK to stay there. 

2.  Knee-deep water.  Look at verse 4: “Led me through water that was knee-deep.”  Are you willing to go deeper with God?  This will only happen as you dig deep into His Word through Bible reading and study.  Part of our discipleship plan is to offer more classes on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. 

3.  Waist-deep water.  We see this description in verse 4: “Led me through water that was waist-deep.”  When you’re in this far, there’s less of you out of the water as you strive to submit to Him daily.

4.  Swimming in the Spirit.  Notice verse 5: “…but now it was a river I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in…”  This is a picture of the believer who is totally submitted, in over his head and carried along by the current of God’s Spirit.  It’s OK to be over our heads, when God is in control.

How deep do you want to go?

February 05, 2009

Billy Sunday Still Lives

Watch this young guy preach a Billy Sunday sermon.  I love the emphasis on the blood of Jesus.

February 05, 2009

Where Have I Heard This Before?

TWELVE REASONS WHY I STOPPED ATTENDING SPORTS EVENTS

~ Every time I went, they asked me for money.

~ The people with whom I had to sit by didn’t seem very friendly.

~ The seats were too hard and not comfortable at all.

~ The coach never came to call on me.

~ The referee made a decision with which I could not agree.

~ I was sitting with some hypocrites—they came only to see what others were wearing.

~ Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home.

~ The band played some numbers that I had never heard before.

~ The games are scheduled when I want to do other things.

~ My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.

~ Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyhow.

~ I don’t want to take my children, because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.

Source: Mikey’s Funnies

February 04, 2009

Before You Marry

Jim Martin offers some good questions to ponder before deciding to get married.

1.  Don’t marry him thinking that he is going to change.
2.  Do you love the home you grew up in? Don’t marry someone with values completely different from your parents and then expect the same results.
3.  Before you marry, consider what kind of father or mother he will be.  Yes, listen to his ideas and thoughts about rearing children.
4.  Beware when he wants to hide a part of his life from some of the people whose relationship he values.
5.  What are his or her friends like?
6.  Does she bring you down or build you up?
7.  What does your family think about this girl or this guy?
8.  Know that marriage is a good thing.
9.  Be careful about marrying your project.
10. Marry a person who shares the passion of your heart.

See Before You Marry for the complete article.

Here’s a sermon I preached awhile ago called What to Look For in a Mate.

If you’re not married right now, or if your marriage needs a tune-up, or its going down in flames, be sure to attend the showing of Fireproof at PBC on Saturday, February 21st at 6:30 p.m. (for dessert) with the movie starting at 7:00 p.m.  Admission is free and we will have childcare for children up through the age of 4.

Don’t Leave Your Partner Behind.

February 03, 2009

Stand in the Gap

Geoff Trembley has developed some incredible study notes for the Men’s Breakfasts.  They can be donwnloaded here. 

The next breakfast is Februray 14th at 7:30 a.m.

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