Church is about so much more than the sermon, and yet so often God uses the power of a speaker and a compelling message to nourish us spiritually. While there is much that can be said about the relationships, the opportunities to serve, the power of worship, and that fact that church is not just a building or what we do on Sunday, this article reminds us that we seek a spiritual “daily bread” not a memorable sermon:

Why go to Church?

A Church-goer wrote a letter to the editor of a  newspaper and complained that it made no sense  to go to church every Sunday.  “I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.  But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them at all.  So, I think I’m wasting my time by listening and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving these sermons.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to  the Editor” column, much to the delight of the  editor.  It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:  “I’ve  been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.   But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed  to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”

Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

A Jewish Rabbi told me recently that is major shock regarding Christianity came from the fact that we did not react strongly enough to the persecution our fellow believers were experiencing overseas. And it is true–most people have no idea the suffering that other Christians endure today, in other parts of the world. We are hated, despised, falsely accused, attacked, and brutally murdered on a regular basis. This week, a terrible story finally grew large enough to make the news headlines, but these stories are daily occurrences.  Before you dive into the headlines that hit the news, consider looking at www.voiceofthemartyrs.com and learning more about the difficulty that faith in Jesus Christ brings to the lives of millions of people.

Say a prayer for Nigeria when you read this post, its genocide for the Christians in Nigeria right now, they are brutally murdering our brothers and sisters. 50 people were burned after taking refuge at the pastor’s home. Read the full details of the story here…

My final sermon at Dallas Theological Seminary was from the text of unfulfilled prophecy. I’ve always found the second half of Isaiah 19 to be shocking, even difficult to understand. It comes after such a long series of judgements against different nations, and adds a crazy positive to an otherwise negative section of the book. However, after some study, I came to realize that the gloomy parts of Isaiah’s prophecy about Egypt led them to the crazy high at the end of it.

Here’s my understanding of what the prophecy is teaching us. And as always, I have placed links after the video for anyone who wishes to utilize my manuscript or outlines.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDbJdkWTbZU[/youtube]

Click here for audio only.

Documents to Download:

Sermon Outlines – Exegesis and Expositional – Word Doc – PDF File

Sermon Manuscript – Word Doc – PDF File

Read the rest of this entry »

I have been intrigued by the importance that Judaism places on the Shema–the centrality of Loving God with all that we are. So I took time to study the text as it appears in the Old and New Testament. However, it didn’t take long for me to find myself drawn to the phrase that is placed alongside it in the New Testament: “love your neighbor as yourself.” While Deuteronomy 6 is powerfully presented in the Scriptures, Leviticus 19 is not. Yet is seems to be a key verse that everyone knows in Jesus’ day. It’s my hope that you will find yourself challenged in the same way that I was as you explore the command to love your neighbor as yourself.

As always, I am sharing my work here for your benefit. There’s no need to give me credit for the material, take it and allow God to use it in your work however you see fit.

Download the Sermon Manuscript here: Word Document       PDF

Download the Sermon Research and Outlines Here: Word Document         PDF

Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve got to love it when some lost soul comes back to the light from darkness, abandoning the shameless pursuit of the forbidden fruit of the technological world (why did Steve Jobs choose that logo again?") and returning to the technology that the rest of the world depends upon for its daily business. But I digress… let me allow you to read it from the convert’s perspective. Here’s the opinion of an 11 year Mac user, who admits that Windows is releasing some amazing products.

“…the experience is incredible, unlike any operating system I’ve ever used. It’s the perfect hybrid of old and new. While Apple attempts slowly to merge its mobile operating system into the desktop with new iPhone-like features, Microsoft made a bold move and jumped ahead to the future where most computing takes place on touch-friendly smartphones and tablets. It’s enough to make an Apple fan like me drool.”

from Steve Kovach, Business Insider

Read the full article here.