2013 Love Your Community

2013 Love Your Community

VP Biden has spoken and now I have clarity as to what to preach on Sunday.

Check out this interesting news story from D.C. today:

 

"WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) -- Vice President Joe Biden has a commandment for pastors, rabbis and nuns: He wants them to tell their flocks that enacting gun control is the moral thing to do. But another vote may have to wait until Congress wraps up work on an immigration overhaul.

Biden met for two-and-a-half hours Monday with more than a dozen leaders from various faith communities - Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh, to name a few. Both Biden and the faith leaders encouraged each other not to give up on what has been an arduous and thus far fruitless effort by Biden and President Barack Obama to pass new gun laws in the wake of December's schoolhouse shooting in Connecticut."

http://news.yahoo.com/biden-wants-pastors-rabbis-nuns-tell-flocks-enacting-183053162.html

Interesting to hear the federal government telling pastors

The Passion Week, Scripture, and YOU

Our challenge this week is to focus each day on a small part of John's account of the Passion week, bringing us through the death of Christ right into resurrection morning.

Use this reading schedule each day to draw closer to the Lord and worship everyday in light of our Savior and King. Feel free to share any thoughts or testimonies you may have in the comment section below. If you are reading this from the church website, here is the direct link to my blog to post comments there: http://fbcthinkoutloud.blogspot.com/

Let's unify and share together in our reading this week of John 18-20 

Here is the reading schedule for the week:

Sunday: 18:1-18

Monday 18:19-40

Tuesday 19:1-7

Wednesday 19:7-13

Thursday 19:14-22

Friday 19:23-30

Saturday: 19:31-42

Sunday: Chapter 20

May God help us: Get in the Word, and live the Word, and give the Word.

The Jesus Dare

SO we have been challenged this week at First Baptist, Albion to spend the week with Jesus. I trust that God does some awesome stuff in your mind, heart, and life this week. Here are the options we chose from to follow through with our lesson in John 5, will you complete this "Jesus Dare"?

Three options to choose from for The Dare:
Option #1 Set aside specific time with Him
Option #2 Do something out of the norm that He did; ask Him what you can do for Him
Option #3 Study Him this week: Choose to read one of His sermons, one of His prayers, one of His miracles, and Matthew 27 His death.

Here is what I sent to the friend who is holding me accountable this week, consider it as a path for you too.

One sermon –
Sermon                    John passage                Related passage
Bread of Heaven      6:26-58                        John 8:12-59
Light of the world     8:12-59                        John 6:26-58
The good shepherd   9:35-10:21                   Luke 15:1-10
Son of God              10:22-39                      Matthew 25:31-46
Upper room discourse 13:1-17:26                Matthew 26:26-35

One prayer –
        Matthew 6:9 – The Model prayer
        John 17 – The Lord’s prayer in the garden

One miracle –
       Not that many more mentioned in John – found that interesting
       John 9:1 The Blind Man
       Many others to choose from here.

Matthew 27

Let me know which ones we are going to study, looking forward to it. By the way – outside of Monday, I will be having a meeting with Jesus at 6am with coffee in hand. Check me on it though as we go through the week."

The corresponding message for this can be found at www.fbcalbion.com after Monday evening.

Deconstructing false gospel's: Part 2

So “Easy-believism” is not the only gospel abuse out there. Certainly some other deconstruction's need to take place concerning false gospels. Traditionally, the simple gospel and the individual’s faith response to it has not been good enough for many. They either feel the need to rewrite it, ignore it, or try to add to it – all dangerous patterns when it comes to knowing how God wants us to respond to His Son and His plan for us. The “adding to” Christ’s statement has been the most used – think about it, nearly every religion has some form of a merit-based salvation or promise of eternity. “Do this: and you will be ok, you will make it. And then if you do this you will really make it.” Certianly this is not what we find in scripture: so let’s consider the next false gospel and do some deconstruction -

• Meritorious salvation – The idea you do something that merits God loving you. Work hard enough and God will...

Deconstructing false gospel's: Part 1

Today as I was studying, I was reminded of all the confusion as to the expected response when someone begins to follow Jesus Christ. I am not saying that Jesus was confusing – in fact He was clear:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Since Jesus spoke those words early in his ministry, as recorded in Mark 1:15, many have tried to clarify those words and in the process, damaged this simple proclamation and brought confusion to the masses. We must be very cautious of ideologies

Surrender: What we miss when we don't?

I wonder what God is asking us to surrender to this year - or even just in this week. So many times we fear that if we surrender, God will rob us of the thrill and joy of life. I am convinced this is one of Satan's best lies, he prompts you to stay put by saying, "You will lose out if you give God control, be faithful in other ways, you don't have to yield everything over to him."

And there you have it, a great deception, that when followed, strips us of the exact thing we assume it will allow us to possess: JOY. Let's face it, possibly one of the most feared or ignored verses

What if your congregation got a report card?

It may reveal some interesting, and even frightful results; but can you imagine if each person in your local fellowship recieved a report card. Now this may hit a nerve

A pastor in Albion gets his report card: humbling

What if pastors were graded, I mean besides the grade attenders give in the critiques on the ride home or gathered around Sunday's dinner table. What if each pastor considered their strengths and weaknesses and made it a matter of prayer? What if church