Mother's Day:Inspiring selfless devotion
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I Desire Mercy Not Sacrifice
Experiencing the mercy of God in our lives
Ready & Faithful
Looking to Jesus for help now and hope in the future
Why Suffering?
Help your church understand God's plan in pain
“I believe that people who are watching television more than (reading) the Word of God are living in idolatry. God wants us to turn off our televisions and turn on the Word of God, to spend time watching His Word, that we will be washed in His Word and conformed into His image and likeness.” ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3
Tags: Bible, Television, Idols
Denomination: Methodist
I found this collection of funny prayers on-line: • Lord, I ask that you give me the superpower to eat as much pizza as I want without gaining any weight. It would truly be a miracle and make my life complete. Amen. • Lord, I ask that you make all the calories in donuts and ice cream disappear, ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:5
Tags: Holy Spirit, Food, Prayer, Flesh
I once saw a video of a pastor who had figures, covered with sheets, up in the front of the church. As he started to preach, they were uncovered and you could see monsters and scary characters related to Halloween. The preacher kept asking, “Should these be in the House of God?” The congregation ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:11-12
Tags: Holiness, Halloween, Hypocrite
I also believe we are at a unique time in history where most folks today would identify with these three descriptions: • “Living in darkness” • “Not a people” • “Without mercy” Have you noticed this in folks? They are desperately trying to fit in and be a part of some group. These groups seem ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10
Tags: Evangelism, Anxiety, Listen, Hoplessness
Let’s talk about following the speed limit. Why not? Maybe you don’t like being told what to do? That’s the definition of rebellion. Maybe you know better than everyone else. If so, those closest to you suffer the most! The starting point is safety. I have some family members that refuse to ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:15-16, Exodus 21:5-6
Tags: Submission, Rebellion, Speed Limit, Bond Servant
“Of the 27.6 million people trapped in forced labor, 17.3 million are exploited in the private economy, 6.3 million are in commercial sexual exploitation, and nearly 4 million are in forced labor imposed by state authorities” (Global ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:18-25
Tags: Slavery, Forced Labor
Most of the time, we have no control over the circumstances of our lives, so we react by way of rebellion and complaining. Let me share a little formula with you: E + R = O Event + Response = Outcome We have no control over the events – things just happen. We often try hard to control ...read more
Scripture: Romans 12:18
Tags: Peace, Response, Outcome, Event
One example of living for Christ in the midst of suffering is William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833). There is a wonderful movie about him that came out in 2006 – “Amazing Grace.” You can watch is for free on Youtube. The movie opens in the year 1797 with Wilberforce suffering and feeling very ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-25
Tags: Slavery, Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce, Abolition
A simple “check-in” to see where a person is in their prayer life: • For everybody – what are you praying for? Too often, we pray for the circumstances (E) to change when the Response is what needs to change so this is the right prayer – “Lord, change me.” James 4:3 • For everybody – do you ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7, James 4:3, James 5:16
Tags: Husband, Wife, Prayer
A married couple were having an argument that kept going longer and longer. The wife looked at her husband and said, “Tell me, Dear, do you want to win or do ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-7
Tags: Lose, Argument, Win
When we got married there were already 2 children. We each had a child from our first marriages. Those relationships ended and it was by God’s grace that we found each other. My wife and I decided we needed to be on the same page when it came to decisions about the kids. I had read about a ...read more
Tags: Husband, Wife, Submission
Preparing Your Personal Testimony - Sharing how you came to know God personally is one of the most powerful ways you can help friends grasp how much God loves us. If someone asked you to share today, would you find it challenging to explain how you came to believe in God, or what he means to ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15
Tags: Evangelism, Salvation, Testimony
We teach children the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When those children get out into the world, they learn a new rule – “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” We are taught to go on the offensive and keep a list of wrongs so we can fulfill ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-23, Matthew 7:12
Tags: Revenge, Golden Rule
Learn to listen to others with the goal of understanding – NOT JUDGEMENT! Just ask this question, “What’s the story behind that tattoo?” Then, just listen. Try to learn about that person you just met. Then, tell them thanks for sharing. Until you are ready to share your story of becoming a ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15, James 1:19
Tags: Judgment, Listen, Tattoo
Let me share from an email I got from the Navigators about their summer outreach with college students: “This past summer, the students had over 700 gospel conversations with strangers. From those discussions, 22 people gave their lives to Christ and were connected with local churches. For one ...read more
Tags: Evangelism, Scared, Outreach
I think that God expects us to respond (not react) when the world pushes back like Jesus responded to the folks who were unable to see what He was doing. It won’t make sense. Here’s an example of what Peter’s teaching would look like in his day: “Peter is telling the Christian merchant in ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15-16
Tags: Anger, Blessing Others
What is doctrine? “The word translated “doctrine” means “instruction, especially as it applies to lifestyle application.” In other words, doctrine is teaching imparted by an authoritative source. In the Bible, the word always refers to spiritually related fields of study. The Bible says of itself ...read more
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Timothy 4:16
Tags: Belief, Doctrine, Instruction
“Wesley adopted a traditional Christian distinction between types of suffering: natural, moral, and penal. People suffer because of disease and natural disaster; people suffer because other people harm them; and people suffer because they are punished for wrongdoing. (Natural Suffering) Wesley ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:17
Tags: Suffering, Moral, Natural, Penal
A few years ago, our congregation joined with many churches in the area praying for a 6-year-old boy with extremely aggressive form of brain cancer. Of course, we prayed for a full healing so that the boy could have a long life. He died within 6 months. His parents grew in their faith of a God ...read more
Scripture: Psalm 23:4, 1 Peter 3:17
Tags: Healing, Prayer, Suffering, Fallenness
Certain things don’t go together. Old examples: Military Intelligence – Partial Pregnancy – (and my fav) Short Sermon 😊 Today, think about pairing sweets and seafood. How would you like ...read more
Tags: Military, Partial, Intelligence, Pregnancy
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