Today I conclude my full-time preaching assignment with the Main and Oklahoma Church. A couple of days to conclude the month, and my full-time ministry assignment will also end. I have ended ministry assignments before–and always begun another one. My ministry now counts 40 years of full-time ministry, six churches (one with two tenures), two …
Category Archives: Sermons
It’s Sunday Again: God is Present
The words are easy to say, often difficult to believe. Our gracious God has brought us to this point in time through whatever difficulties and challenges, mistakes and problems we may have experienced–even those we inadvertently brought upon ourselves. He has promised his presence as he walks beside us into the future. Who are we …
It’s Sunday Again: God’s Plan
Perhaps nothing matters more to the success and spiritual vitality of God’s people than understanding God’s purpose and plan correctly. As a church, we can go through a lot of motions that seek to please, worship, and adore God, but if we fail to connect with his eternal purpose, we fail to participate in and …
It’s Sunday Again: Amazing
Amazing! No other word says it better! John Newton wrote about “Amazing Grace.” Mark wrote about an amazing man–amazing works and amazing words. Amazing stories! Who is this amazing man? Who is this “Jesus”? Mark leaves no doubt about his answer: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” With power …
Its Sunday Again: The Fullness of Christ
Today I will preach at the Iglesia de Cristo Kennedy (a church in Colonia Kennedy in Tegucigalpa). This church has a great story to tell–moving from meeting in a school to its own building, now with the building remodeled. The church exhibits enthusiasm and a bright future. The church must never forget its identity. The …
It’s Sunday Again: True Wisdom
Today I am preaching from Matthew 6:19-24. This small text from the wisdom of the Sermon on the Mount provides guidance for life–and is about more than our money. This is a text about life. In preaching and in life, few tasks are more difficult than discerning what matters, what is important, and to what …
I Am Resolved….
God has an incredibly big plan for our world. We can only know that plan by the revelation of God. We will not learn that plan through natural revelation–by looking at the world. We may conclude that God exists by natural revelation, but to understand the details of God’s plan for his creation requires supernatural …
Reconciliation: How Can I Change?
Today’s study and sermon is challenging, life-changing. We do not read the Bible expecting to change. We read and re-read and see the same things. We reinforce what we know, and fail to grow. Paul’s great text about reconciliation is 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. What do you see? Newness is possible, but is not humanly generated …
Evangelism: by God’s Power
We have made evangelism hard, not natural. Sharing good news should be one of the easiest, most natural things in the world. We have made it artificial and difficult. We have developed programs that seek “converts” and have depended more on human wisdom and power than on God’s wisdom and power. While we accept Bible …
It’s Sunday Again: God’s Plan will Work!
God’s plan is that the world might be saved by the gospel (1 Cor. 15:2). That summary statement includes many aspects of God’s work in our world and our acceptance and involvement according to God’s purpose. Based on our current approach to church, I fear that the modern church has by and large lost confidence …