12.31.2017

Your Walk With God

When Pastor Chuck asked me about preaching this Sunday, I
I knew what I wanted to preach.

A message that I have been passionate about repeating at WCBC.
A message that I believe will be helpful for RFMC going into 2018.
Below are notes from the sermon and 
some additional resources that I didn't share.
HERE is the audio of the message.

The passage is Hebrews 10:19 - 31.

The questions are
Why SHOULDN'T you go to church?
What ISN'T the church?
Who IS the church?
Why SHOULD you go to church?



Why SHOULDN'T you go to church?

Not to look good for others.
Not to win favor with God.



What ISN'T the church?

Church is not a physical location.
Church is not a program or service time.

Who IS the church?

A Biblical definition of the church taken from the book of Ephesians is...


People who gather together in submission to Jesus Christ as Lord.  

(Ephesians 1:22-23)
People who were dead in sins being made alive in Christ 
(Ephesians 2:1-6)
People who were far from God, without hope and 
now in Christ Jesus have been brought near by the blood of Christ 
(Ephesians 2:11-13)
People who have been saved by Jesus Christ 
(Ephesians 5:25-32)

Why SHOULD you go to church?


We meet together as followers of Christ to remind each other of

what we have in Jesus Christ
and
who we are without Jesus Christ.



Disciple-making is rigged. from Emmanuel Baptist Church on Vimeo.




REVIEW

Why SHOULDN’T you go to church?
For selfish reasons

What ISN'T the church?
Programs or a Building

Who IS the church?
Those who have been saved by grace and are submitted to Jesus Christ.

Why SHOULD you go to church?

To glorify God
To help others glorify God

From the Gospel Primer 
"The more I comprehend the full scope of the Gospel, the more I value the church for which Christ died, the more I value the role that I play in the lives of my fellow-Christians and the more I appreciate the role that they must be allowed to play in my life."

Books referred to 




12.29.2017

Post - Advent Devotional: Revelation and Christmas!

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There are no more Advent devotionals but this week's Fighter, Revelations 5:12-13, is a great post Christmas, Advent passage.

Advent involves not only looking to the coming of Christmas but also the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not come to stay in manger.
Jesus did not come to stay on a cross
Jesus did not come to stay in the grave.
JESUS CAME TO REIGN!

I recently saw a post by Russell Moore entitled "Apocalypse at Christmastime" that has some great thoughts on Advent and the book of Revelation. 
The baby Jesus still exists in the American Christian subculture as a kind of non-threatening mascot for the holiday season.  The only problem with this is that the Bible doesn't present the baby Jesus as warm or sentimental at all. 
We must remember that our love for family and friends and Christmas includes our responsibility to plead with them to be found in Christ before the great and terrible day of the Lord.
As we go into a new year let us look forward to Jesus' second coming in prayerful, hopeful expectation.

12.24.2017

The Baby Jesus / The Son of God Appeared - December 24

The first reading is for family with children.
The second reading is from  Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God 



The Baby Jesus: Jesus is Born!



Do you remember what Advent means? It means coming–the coming of Jesus. This Advent season we have been celebrating when Jesus, God’s own Son, was born into our world as a little baby in Bethlehem. We have been looking at the story of Jesus’ birth–how God made the good world, how we have all gone astray like sheep, how we needed a Good Shepherd to come and bring us back to God. We have learned how the angel came to Mary, and told her that God would give her a special baby by the Holy Spirit. We know that Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem and had to stay in a stable. And Jesus was born! When Jesus came the first time, not many people knew who he was, that he was God’s great king who had come to save us from our sins and bring us peace with God. This is the good news of great joy that the angels sang to the shepherds. When Jesus comes again, everyone in the whole world will know. He will come with a loud trumpet and with many angels. We are waiting for him to come.
Dear God, we all want to thank you again for sending your Son Jesus to be born into our world and save us from our sins. You are so good and so merciful to us, O God! Please help us to be ready for when Jesus comes again. Amen. 

Bible Readings: 1 John 4:7-12; Revelation 22:12-17




Another Advent Reading Plan is Good News of Great Joy 
by John Piper

You can watch an introduction video and/or download the whole book at www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy




You can also get the daily reading at www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-son-of-god-appeared

12.23.2017

Family Pictures and Life are More than they appear!!

Today I posted what I believe is a beautiful family photo.


We have also been receiving beautiful family photos from friends,
which we really appreciate.

We also know that the one beautiful Christmas picture was probably
one of many pictures taken. 
And some of those "other" pictures would not make a nice Christmas card. 

These pictures are not even tha bad.

During 2017, we have been reminded that while life is filled with beautiful snapshots,
it also filled with the not so great moments.  

We deleted the worst ones right away.
This year has been filled with so many blessings
making new friends in Grand Rapids, MI
temporary housing with long-time friends, the Billings, and new friends, the Wilterinks,
a temporary rental house
beginning a new ministry with many exciting opportunities.

This year has also been filled with many challenges also
leaving long-time friends in Toledo, OH
temporary housing that has been great but also a challenge
(probably more of a challenge for those we were staying with),
not having a home yet
leaving a ministry we had been part of for a long time.

God has been teaching me so many different things 
about life, leadership, and ministry this year.

God has used specific songs, great individuals, and his Word to help us 
know what this year and every year is about - His Glory!

Thank you to those who have been such an encouragement to us.
Please continue to pray for us with a lot of different transitions going on.

The Empty Manger / God’s Indescribable Gift - December 23

The first reading is for family with children.
The second reading is from  Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God 


The (Empty) Manger: Jesus the Servant King



When you go to sleep tonight, where will you sleep? You sleep in a bed. The Bible tells us that, after Jesus was born, Mary wrapped him in cloths and lay him down to sleep. But remember how there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn? There wasn’t a bed or a crib to lay him in! The baby Jesus was tucked in to a manger. A manger is a wooden box used to hold food for animals to eat. It probably wasn’t very soft or even very clean. Maybe Mary filled it with hay to make it softer for the tiny, new baby. This is a very surprising way for a great king to be born. And it is very strange that when God chose to send his own Son into the world he had him enter a stable and sleep in an animal’s food box. The humble way that Jesus was born was the same way that he would live his whole life. Jesus came as a king, but as a king who serves his people. The world had never seen a king like this.
Dear Jesus, it is amazing to us that when you came from God into our world, you were born into a stable and slept in a manger instead of a king’s bed. We thank you for coming as our servant king. Amen.
Bible Readings: Mark 10:42-45; John 13:3-17








Another Advent Reading Plan is Good News of Great Joy 
by John Piper

You can watch an introduction video and/or download the whole book at www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy




You can also get the daily reading at www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-s-indescribable-gift

12.22.2017

Gift #2 / That You May Believe - December 22

The first reading is for family with children.
The second reading is from  Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God 



Gifts #2: Why Do We Give Gifts at Christmas?

Do you remember what the wise men brought when they came to see Jesus? They brought him gifts! They did this because Jesus was God’s great king. Did you know that we give gifts on Christmas? Part of our celebration of Jesus’ birth is that we give Christmas presents to each other. We give presents because it is the time when we remember the greatest gift ever given. Do you know what it was? It was Jesus. God gave us Jesus, his only Son! Jesus was born into our world back in Bethlehem and he lived a life on earth and died to save us from our sins. Because of Jesus we can have peace with God! That is the biggest and best gift we could ever have. That is good news of great joy for all people. When we give gifts this Christmas, let’s remember that Jesus is the greatest gift, given to us.
Dear God, thank you for giving us your own Son, Jesus. He is the best gift ever given. Help us to remember him when we give presents on Christmas. Amen.
Bible Readings: Isaiah 55:1-9; Romans 5:12-1


Another Advent Reading Plan is Good News of Great Joy 
by John Piper

You can watch an introduction video and/or download the whole book at www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy




You can also get the daily reading at www.desiringgod.org/articles/that-you-may-believe

12.21.2017

Learning Nothing Except


Psalm 103:120-22

This Week's Fighter Verses are 1 Corinthians 2:1, 2 and during this week's Wednesday night study we took some time looking at the context and content of this passage.

First Corinthians 1 lists different factions within the church (v. 12) and different groups the world views as wise (v. 20).  Chapter one ends with this very important quote "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."  
This introductory chapter reminds us to preach the foolish gospel to weak people and not get caught up in names, personalities or the wisdom of this world.  

Then comes the Fighter Verses, 1 Corinthians 2:1-2:
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  
Paul wanted the Corinthians to first and foremost know that Jesus Christ is mighty to save.  
He was not concerned with his own popularity.
The following James Denney quote contains the same main point.  "No man can give at once the impressions that he himself is clever, and that Jesus Christ is mighty to save."


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Each week www.fighterverses.com has at least one, usually more than one, devotional related to that week's Fighter Verse.

The None But Christ and Him Crucified devotional contains the following quote:
We are saved from sin, through grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, according to the word of God alone
In this sentence, which is taken from the 5 Solas of the Reformation, we see that our salvation and our life is about God alone.

The other devotional from this week, How to Know Nothing, Except the Good News, says
"The good news of who Jesus is and what he does to save sinners like us, carries much more meaning than merely how to get saved, or how we got saved.  It also shows how we should live everyday and how we look at everything in the world."
The truth of these Fighter Verses should impact our lives in so many different ways.
In our evangelism, we should be more concerned with a truthful presentation of the Gospel and not with the end results or an eloquent presentation.
In our daily walk, we should be more concerned with pleasing and depending upon God rather than ourselves and other people.
In our prayers, we should focus more on God's glory and God's will and not our desires and personal comfort.

For more about the Fighter Verses go to www.drodgersjr.com/p/fighter-verses.html

Gift 1# / The Birth of the Ancient of Days - December 21

The first reading is for family with children.
The second reading is from  Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God 




Gifts #1: The Wise Men Bring Gifts to Jesus the King



When the wise men followed the star to find God’s great king, they didn’t come with empty hands. They brought some very costly gifts with them to give to the baby. When the wise men came in the house where Jesus was and worshipped him, they laid these precious gifts at his feet. They gave him gifts because they knew that Jesus was God’s great king and they wanted to show him honor. What do you think the gifts were? The Bible says that the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold was the most valuable and beautiful metal they had. Frankincense and myrrh came from special trees and were burned to make sweet-smelling incense. They were both used in the temple in Jerusalem. What would you want to give to Jesus?
Dear Jesus, you are worthy of all honor and glory! Help us to honor you–not only with what we give, but in how we live. Amen. 

Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 29:10-18; Matthew 26:6-13


Another Advent Reading Plan is Good News of Great Joy 
by John Piper

You can watch an introduction video and/or download the whole book at www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy




12.20.2017

chapter 7 Holiness Assurance



Welcome to the 7th week of reading the book Holiness.
This week's chapter is Assurance.

This book has provided some great challenges for my personal life and my ministry.
If you are or have already read the book 
I would love to hear about some of your insights.

For general info about the reading schedule go to 

Here are the questions for this sixth chapter.

GENERAL (Questions for each chapter)
1.  What is a quote or two from Chapter 7 that stood out to you?

2.  What was something this chapter said about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?

3. What was something this chapter said about man?

4.  What was something this chapter said about how a Christian is to live?  
Think general and specific applications.

SPECIFIC (Questions specific to this chapter)

5.
  What are Ryle’s three answers “to all who dislike the doctrine of assurance, as bordering on presumption?”

FINAL QUESTION


6.  What is the most significant thing that you learned from this chapter?


For more specific questions on this chapter through chapter 10 

Additional Resources:
Tim Challies wrote about this chapter at

The Camel / The Birth of the Ancient of Days - December 20

The first reading is for family with children.
The second reading is from  Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God 



The Camel: The Wise Men Come to Jesus




When they saw the special star that God put in the sky to announce the birth of his Son, the wise men began a long journey to find him. They traveled for a very long time until they came to Herod, the king of Israel. They asked Herod where to find Jesus. Do you remember that God had promised long ago that Jesus would be born in the city of Bethlehem? Herod learned this and he told the wise men. But Herod was a bad man. He didn’t want the baby Jesus to grow up and be God’s great king. So he asked the wise men to come back and tell him where Jesus was. He said he wanted to worship Jesus, but he didn’t. He wanted to get rid of Jesus. On the way to Bethlehem, the star rose for the wise men and led them to the house where Jesus and his parents were. When they saw the star again, they were so happy! They came into the house and saw the young Jesus, and they knew who he was. They worshipped him. But they didn’t go back and tell King Herod, because God was protecting his Son Jesus.
Dear God, we praise you because you are in control of the stars in the sky and all of the people on the earth. We are so thankful that you had a great plan for Jesus to come. We pray that many people from many places would come to find Jesus. Amen. 

Bible Readings: Isaiah 60:1-14; Matthew 2:13-23



Another Advent Reading Plan is Good News of Great Joy 
by John Piper

You can watch an introduction video and/or download the whole book at www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy


You can also get the daily reading at www.desiringgod.org/articles/christmas-solidarity--2

12.19.2017

The Third Wise Man / Christmas Is for Freedom - December 19

The first reading is for family with children.
The second reading is from  Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God 



The Third Wise Man: The Whole World Needs to Hear About Jesus




Do you remember when we looked at the magi, or wise men? The wise men served foreign kings in faraway lands. Some of them studied the stars and they saw the great star that God put in the sky when Jesus was born. They knew that this star meant that a great king was born. They set off on a long journey to find him. The wise men remind us that the baby Jesus would become a great king who would rule over the whole world. Jesus came not only for the people of Israel but for everyone. God wants everyone in the world to know that Jesus is his Son and that he was born to bring salvation. Jesus’ birth is the good news that everyone needs to hear.
Dear God, we thank you that Jesus came for everyone. Please help us to share this good news all around us. Amen. 


Bible Readings: Psalm 67; Revelation 7:9-12




Another Advent Reading Plan is Good News of Great Joy 
by John Piper

You can watch an introduction video and/or download the whole book at www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy




You can also get the daily reading at www.desiringgod.org/articles/christmas-is-for-freedom