Share the Story

How do we connect people with Jesus?

The lesson is from Acts 2:1-41.  The power of the Holy Spirit moving on lives impels and empowers disciples to tell the story of Jesus Christ.

"Peter raised his voice and addressed the crowd."  (v.14)

The power of the story can change lives.

We as Christians are responsible for sharing the story of salvation through Jesus Christ.
 I need to tell the story-- my story.  When my story and God's story come together there is power to draw people to God.

 In many ways the Church has separated itself from the world we are called to love.
 For example, the Church has created a language of its own, a language which the world does not understand.
So that we might reach people for Jesus, God will enable us to speak the language of the culture.  We must be relevant to the culture we are attempting to reach.


The Church should do its best to break down barriers.

"Then Peter standing with the eleven--" (v14)
Each and every disciple was making disciples.

 Disciples make disciples.  It is what disciples do.

Are you making disciples?

Pastor Johnnie Blair

Sunday morning

There. I said it.

It is increasingly clearer each day that Mr. Trump is not only running against Hillary and the democrat party, but he is also up against the "press."  Virtually all news outlets are slanting everything in favor of his opposition.  Worse, for him, many in his own party are in opposition to the man.

What are his chances?  Probably better than you think.

And he, as is the case for his opponent, is unsuited to the job he seeks.

Waiting

Snippets from today's message.  The Scripture lesson is Acts 1:4-11 in which Jesus gives final instructions to the Apostles immediately prior to His ascension.

Key phrase:  Wait for the promise of the Father.  (v.4)

In waiting we confront the enemy.  "We have met the enemy and he is us."
    Waiting can be painful. Waiting is a direct attack on selfishness and pride. 
In God's plan there is no room for you.  You must be full of the Holy Spirit.

   Waiting must be prayerful.  
When you can't control a situation your best bet is to pray.

    Waiting should be purposeful.
Waiting is learning to rely on God.

Waiting doesn't mean "do nothing."

Waiting is not an ending but the beginning of something new.

Waiting is painful because we are no longer in control.

Waiting is what we do.

Bible examples, some who waited on the Lord.

Noah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Elisha, the Israelites, Jesus, the disciples, Paul.

"  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31

Pastor Johnnie Blair
Sunday morning

 

Thickheaded

Google the title word and click on 'images.'  The Donald's picture will come up (along with many other images).  Scroll down a bit farther and Hillary appears, too.   fwiw

The Love of God

Fittingly the hymn the worship leader picked for this morning was "The Love of God."  This is a beautiful song and one I like to sing.

"The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell."

Sermon notes

Did you ever embarrass your parents?
How many times do we embarrass God?
How much do we fail?
How much does God love us?

John 3:16  God is head-over-heels in love with us; so much so that He gave his only begotton Son to die for our atonement.

What kind of people does God love?
We were the lowest of the low.  God worked out a plan of salvation.  We were born in sin; Jesus died to save us from our sin.

John 3:1  The children of God
God loved us so much that He adopted us.  We are His children!

Jeremiah 31:5  God loves us with an eternal love.

Romans 8:35 Nothing can separate us from God's love.

When we begin to be conformed to the image of Christ we begin to look, act, and think like Him.

God does not want us to remain in sin.
He wants us to be better than we are.
Make the decision to live for Him.  God loves you! 

Pastor Joe Deckard

Sunday morning

Anointed to a Purpose

Today's lesson is from Exodus 31.  

Background
      In chapters 25-30 we see God reaffirming His covenant with Moses then He gives detailed instructions for the building of the Tabernacle.

The Tabernacle is to be completely portable.  This indicates that God's presence will always be with the people; He will go with them.

Now Moses was a "big picture" guy so certainly he would have been overwhelmed at the detail the Lord gave him.

God's vision overwhelmed Moses and His vision should always overwhelm us.

When Moses was overwhelmed God said, "I have chosen Bezalel and others to take care of the details."

Bezalel was given the Spirit of the Lord, an anointing to do the works God had directed of Moses.

Leadership capacity is not tied to your title but to your perspective.
God wants to use you.
God's mission should challenge you.  If you feel charged with a mission that does not challenge, perhaps it is not of God.
When you have the Holy Spirit on your life there is no holding you back.

Moses was God's anointed leader but God called Bezalel out of the shadows.  Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit he used his God-given skills and abilities to direct the construction of the Tabernacle.

God has a calling for you because He has a purpose for you.
Perhaps God brought His Spirit upon you for a specific purpose.

Bezalel was a good steward, a manager, and he had a strong work ethic.
Upon completion of his task, Moses examined the work and saw that it had been done perfectly as God had commanded.
Moses blessed him.

You have something that only you have to be used in the Kingdom.  Do it and God will bless you.
God wants you to do something so far beyond yourself that you will have to rely completely on Him.  God wants to do His work through you.

=The gifts and abilities you see as useless God sees as priceless.= 

When God gives you a task He will provide you with the talent to tackle it.
Whatever He calls you to do, He will equip you to do it.

It will scare the daylights out of you so that you will rely on Him.

 

Pastor Johnnie Blair

 Sunday morning

Sermon in The Park

 (Today's service was in the pavilion at Tipton City Park)

The past several weeks we have looked at some of the lesser-known heroes of the Bible.  Today's hero is mentioned, though briefly, in all four gospels.

There are three categories of Christians.

Have you ever tried to be something you are not?

First category: Counterfeit Christians.  There are too many fake Christians.

Second category:  Closet Christians.  Today we see a closet Christian in the Bible.  This was Joseph of Arimithea.  This Joseph was a secret disciple.  He was a prominent leader among the people.  He came to be a believer in Jesus, but he feared the religious leaders.

Being a good person does not mean one has a relationship with Christ.

Joseph, the closet follower of Jesus, was changed when he saw Christ crucified.  He now became a member of the

Third category:  Bold Christians.

Though Jesus was crucified as a criminal, Joseph recognized that he should be honored with a proper burial.  He went to the authorities, claimed the body, and boldly prepared it for burial and entombed it in honor.

Joseph went bold as a believer.  That is what the world needs.

Being a closet Christian is dangerous.  People need to see the bold believer.

How many times have you missed an opportunity to be bold for Jesus?

If you live boldly for Jesus it will radically change not only your life, but the lives of those around you!

People are seeking hope.  We cannot serve our God out of fear.

Romans 3:23   Bad news, good news.
²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:8  
⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23  
²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 10:8 

 ⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

"God knows you are a sinner but He sent His Son anyway!"

What is keeping you from being "all in" for God?

(Following the message, eight people were baptized, thus "going bold" for Jesus!) 

Pastor Johnnie Blair

Sunday noon

Not a Joke

When does the  air-conditioning unit fail?

On the eve of the hottest day of the year.


Knock, knock.
Who's there?
BRS Mechanical!

Back up and running by 3:00 p.m.  Thank you, BRS.

I Believe in the Healing Power of Jesus

Because I have seen it.
Because I have experienced it.
I believe the healing power of Jesus is available to us today.

The scripture lesson is from John 5:1-15 in which Jesus walking by the pool beside which are waiting the afflicted for the troubling of the waters so that someone might be healed.  There Jesus saw a man, crippled, doubtless dirty, unable to get into the pool unaided, yet for thirty-eight years he was shunned, stepped over or stepped around.  But Jesus saw him and asked of him, "Do you want to be well?"

The man, shunned and ignored, a social outcast, possibly embittered, had for years hoped for healing, yet he was still hoping.   Jesus said, "Pick up your mat and walk."

Jesus speaks possibility into impossible situations.

 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26

Jesus sees you.  God does not see us or define us by our affliction, our disease, our addiction.  He knows the you you are designed to be.  He knows your name.  He does not step over you, he sees you.

Jesus knows your struggles, your pain.  He wants to take your story and merge it with His. 

Your identity is defined in Him.

We are paralyzed by fear, by regrets, by bad habits.  Jesus can save us in the midst of the paralysis.

He says, "Get up!"

At the conclusion of the outline card, Pastor asked me to write a prayer of how I need Jesus to help me.

Dear Jesus, I need you to rule in my life that I might reflect You according to your perfect will.

Love,

Bob

Pastor Johnnie Blair

Sunday morning

Definition of a Miracle:

When God's story comes in contact with a human story and something changes.

Keep a civil tongue in your head.

We often give grace to idiots simply by keeping our mouths shut and moving on with our life.  This is as it should be, for our judgmental "idiots" may be totally off-base; we've no idea what they have been through today.  And how often might we be in need of the same grace when viewed by others?

If you've nothing nice to say, say nothing. 

To follow this advice could contribute greatly to civility in our land.