It is so easy for us to be unkind and ungracious. Ephesians 4:29-32 shows us that we grieve the Holy Spirit first by rotten speech (v. 29) and second by rotten attitudes (v. 31). But these two things are not separate. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We must stop making the Holy Spirit weep because of our unkind words and inner ugliness. Cry out to God for his help. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and see the uncleanness within. Pray for a fresh vision of Jesus dying for you.
Text: Ephesians 4:29-32The Holy Spirit brings us continually into a deeper, more profound experience of who God is. He brings more of God to us as we bring more of us to him.
Text: John 3:8In early March I preached on “Are You Prepared to Suffer for Christ?” from I Peter 3:13-17. After the final […]
Text: 1 Peter 5:1-4For the past few months I’ve been preaching a series of sermons from I Peter. We’re taking a break from […]
Text: Acts 20:35If this be the day before the end of the world, let it be a day in which we say, “Not less for Jesus, but more.”
Text: 1 Peter 4:7-11How do you know which religion has the truth? Find the one whose founder rose from the dead.
Text: Acts 2:24-32“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do […]
Text: 1 Peter 3:8-12Throughout history, God has grown and moved his church as his people scattered to diverse locations geographically. This pattern has not changed and believers are still called to grow and expand as a church today, whether we move across national boundaries, ethnic and cultural boundaries, or do church planting in our immediate communities. Beginning with the first generation of believers in the book of Acts, we hear of Phillip, who was emboldened and changed by the power of God as he moved out in obedience to spread the Gospel. Despite severe persecution, great joy descended on those who received the truth that came with power. In this present age, we have the account of the phenomenal growth of the church in China. In 1949 all Christian missionaries were evicted leaving less than one million indigenous believers behind. They faced relentless bloodbaths and eradication. Yet the church grew in the midst of that persecution when determined believers scattered and went underground. The challenge to believers today remains the same—to be willing to be moved out of our personal comfort zones, to walk in faith, to make personal sacrifices, and most importantly, to trust God for our personal well-being and needs.
Text: Acts 8:4-8God uses catastrophe and disasters to scatter the church so that His word can be spread to all parts of the world. We can become comfortable and content in our lives, but God in His sovergn nature does things we are not used to.
Text: Acts 8:1-4What would it cost Jesus to be the Savior of the world? He paid for our sins with the price of his own blood. Jesus is just one week old, and already he enters into the pain of human existence.
Text: Luke 2:21