Mark 2: Great friends and and an all powerful presence

I have always loved this passage. The power on display, but more than that, the priority Jesus places on forgiveness of sin and eternal Benefits than physical healing and temporary gain. Oh and Jesus the mind reader too.

Sometimes we overlook the faith and friendship of the 4

5x5x5 - Get started today!

Started the 5x5x5 plan today and enjoyed reading Mark 1. Its not too late to join in - 1 Chapter/5 minutes/ 5 days a week/ 5 ways to go deeper.

This reading plan is from Discipleship Journal and currently is under construction on the web at www.discipleshipjournal.com
It should be up again soon. You could also pick up a printed version on Sunday at church

The app for your mobile devices can be downloaded from You Version:
https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/232-discipleship-journals-5x5x5-reading-plan

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...