Sermon Leftovers

This is just a list I put together a couple years ago. We could probably have an interesting discussion about some of the things on the list. 1. Weekly Sunday morning gatherings. 2. Weekly offerings @ said gatherings. 3. Voting. 4. Congregational Singing. 5. Exegetical preaching to a gathering of believers with spiritual transformation in mind. 6. Committees. 7. Youth Ministry. 8. Choirs. 9. Deacon Boards. 10. Buildings owned by the church body and dedicated to church usage. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE GATHERINGS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH, YOU WILL FIND: Prayer People Reporting About Ministry Group Discussions Prayer Discipline Reading Letters From Other Believers Did I Mention Prayer? File this in the "for what it's worth" box. You can decide if you want to do anything further with it!

Have you ever had one of those days when your mind just raced from one thing to another, and you gradually became more and more overwhelmed with all the different (and likely difficult) issues you were facing in life? Maybe you’ve experienced the sleeplessness that ensues when your mind becomes full of the cares of the day. What do you think Jesus would say to you if you told him about your stress, and your anxiety? What would he tell you to do? Living a life centered on Jesus means I must invite Him into my stress. Especially on the days I’m overwhelmed, I must find the time and make the effort to turn my focus away from my own issues and toward His agenda for my life. Whatever “important” things have grabbed my attention, they pale in comparison to what Jesus says is important. If I can learn to share his focus, I’ll quickly find my life to be far less stressful and far more purposeful. Read and Contemplate 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. "And I, when I came to you, brothers,

Perhaps I am the only person who struggles with this, but i tend to think this is a pretty common issue: I like it when people say nice things about me. It makes me feel good about myself, and it makes me think that maybe I am doing something well. Sometimes people tell me I'm a good soccer coach. Sometimes they tell me I'm a good preacher. Sometimes people tell me I made a nice golf shot. Some people have told me I'm a fast runner. Once someone said I had above average intelligence. These things make me happy. I don't even realize that sometimes these people aren't telling me things for my own good. They may not even believe them, but they know I will. They're saying nice things about me because they have an agenda, or because they want something from me. A few years ago I was reflecting on my week and realized that on three separate occasions, I had been paid compliments by people that initially made me feel very good about myself... then i started w

Not really. No list here. That would be unkind. However, everyone hates a hypocrite. Perhaps "hate" is a strong word, but the point is that very few people want to be friends with someone who acts hypocritically. Hypocrisy can be simply defined as "pretending to be what one is not." How many of us fit that definition sometimes? Think about this question for a moment, "which is worse: someone who pretends to be religious at church or someone who pretends to be worldly in the world?" Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good pleasing and perfect will." Conforming means to change outwardly, or to change the shape but not the properties of something. A Christian who conforms to the pattern of the world is someone who is living in the world and whose lifestyle looks exactly like the lifestyle