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Archive for the ‘Church ministry’ Category

Ascension Sunday-May 21

21 May

The seventh Sunday of Eastertide is Ascension Sunday when we celebrate Christ’s return to heaven. When Christ finished giving His disciples their assignment, He ascended into heaven, leaving them to carry on the work until He returns (Acts1:7-11). Many think that Jesus gave the command to make disciples just to the original twelve disciples. However, Jesus makes it clear in the parable of the talents (Math. 25:14-30) that He is talking about all who serve Him. He does not say the master gave his possessions to the head steward or to some of his servants, He says the master gave his possessions to his servants. Apparently, he distributed his possessions among all of them. Jesus was leaving His disciples and entrusted them to carry on His work. He has given everyone talents to help build His kingdom. Some have many talents, some have very few. One day those who are in Christ will stand before Him to give an account of how we used the talents He gave us. How we use those talents will determine our eventual reward. If we use those talents abundantly, He will reward us abundantly but if we squander them, we will receive little or no reward when He returns.

 

 

Sixth Sunday of Eastertide -May 14

10 May

Of All Nations -Jesus told His disciples to make disciples of all nations. We often try to determine if this person or that person, or this group or that group, is worthy of becoming a disciple. In the early days of our country, many southern churches tried to say Blacks weren’t worthy of being disciples. Many did not allow them to hear Christian teaching. Some allowed them to sit in the slave gallery where they could hear but not participate. It was hoped that by hearing Christian teachings, they would be content to be slaves and not rebel. Jesus didn’t have any such illusions. He expected His disciples to make disciples of all nations. It is important to send missionaries into lands where they have never heard the Gospel, but their goal should be to train their converts to become disciples who would carry on the work among their family and friends, because people will listen to their family and friends before they will listen to a stranger from a foreign land. The same goes in America. People will listen to their family and friends before they will listen to a preacher. All Christians should be reaching their family and friends and the church should be training them to do so.

 

Book Promo-A Servant’s Heart-part A-video

03 May

Available from LULU Press in paperback and E-book.

 

Fifth Sunday of Eastertide-May 7

03 May

Making Disciples- Christ called on His disciples to make disciples of all nations. He did not say to train disciples to oversee the churches. Therefore, He implied that all followers should become disciples and it was the responsibility of His current disciples to do it. A disciple is not just someone who believes what the master believes. A disciple is one who becomes like the master. A disciple should therefore be teaching and ministering like Jesus did. Yet few churches today train their members to become teachers and soul winners. In fact, many churches are becoming soft on teaching the Bible truths and many members are hard put to explain what they believe. It is impossible to teach others what you don’t know.

 

 

Book promo-In The World Not of It

28 Apr

Available in E-book from BookBub at   https://www.bookbub.com/books/in-the-world-but-not-of-it-serving-christ-in-the-modern-world-god-s-principles-for-living-by-robert-barr

Available from Outskirts Press in paperback and E-book,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth Sunday of Eastertide-April 30

28 Apr

Preach the Gospel  Christ commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel. The Gospel means good news. The good news is that Christ died for our sins and set us free from the power of sin and darkness. Most pastors speak to their congregations in church, but there is rarely a clear presentation of the Gospel. Few member’s lives are affected by it and those around the church never hear it. Many people are desperately seeking answers to the problems around them. The church has the answers, yet it is silent. It neither proclaims the truth nor demonstrates it through the lives of its members. The church must clearly proclaim the Gospel to its members and teach them how to demonstrate what it means to be a believer in their daily lives. The church also needs to teach them to engage those around them and explain to them the basis for what they believe.

 

 

Third Sunday of Eastertide-April 23

19 Apr

 Go into all the World – Many churches today have withdrawn into themselves and wait for visitors to come to them. In fact, many churches do not even acknowledge visitors let alone try to get to know them. Yet Jesus was emphatic that we should go out. In fact, in the parable of the feast, He emphasizes that we should go out and compel them to come. In Acts, He proclaims that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem (our town), in Judea (our country), Samaria (the people we don’t like), and throughout the whole world. Evangelism starts in our town among our neighbors. Many churches act like their neighbors are Christians and don’t need the Gospel, yet many of our neighbors and those we work with and go to school with have never heard the Gospel.

 

Sermon-Winning the Lost-video

12 Apr

 

Second Sunday of Eastertide-April 16

12 Apr

Before Christ ascended to heaven, He gave His disciples two commands.  He told His disciples to (A) go into all the world and preach the Gospel, and (B) to make disciples of all the world. He had come to earth and showed us how to live and had selected twelve to train. He later sent them out to see how they would do with what He had taught them. He later sent out seventy more, but the Bible never said he called seventy. I believe that they were ones His disciples had called and were training under Jesus’ supervision so they would learn to train others. When He was ready to ascend, He commanded His disciples to carry on the work that He had started. As each disciple was trained to live a Christ-like life, they would then be trained to train others. As each one would train others, it would create an ever-expanding group until everyone had heard the Gospel and all who responded would enter the kingdom. Unfortunately, many churches have become so busy with their many programs, that they have forgotten their primary assignment. Eastertide is a time when we are reminded of our primary assignment.

 

 

Seventh Sunday of Epiphany-Feb 19

15 Feb

 Building Community– When My wife and I first moved into a trailer park, trailers were still small and very mobile. Few people got to know their neighbors because they were basically bedroom communities where people slept, but they worked and shopped elsewhere. Similar conditions existed in many of the cheaper apartment complexes. In addition, people were very mobile. It was easy to hook up a trailer and move it somewhere else, or move out of an apartment, so your neighbors didn’t stay very long. Many of the families had problems with alcoholism and drug abuse, spouse and child abuse, and crime. Very few had any church connection. I began visiting the families there and in nearby apartments to minister to any needs and start Bible studies for those who were interested. Most of those who lived in houses in stable neighborhoods owned their homes and knew many of their neighbors. Stable neighborhoods were much safer. People did not move frequently and home ownership was preferred over renting. Trailers and apartments were for the people who were mobile or those not able to afford to purchase. Since then, people have become very mobile and that includes many who own their own homes. It is not unusual for someone to sell a house and purchase a new one in their new location when they move to another area. In addition, there has been a big shift from owning to renting. In many places, more people live in trailers, apartments, and rental homes than in homes that they own. People are far less likely to live long-term in the same place. As a result, the people are far less likely to get to know each other so the same problems that prevailed in trailer parks and apartment buildings, have moved into more settled communities. In addition, businesses have moved away from residential areas so even stable neighborhoods have become bedroom communities. Christian families can become a catalyst for restoring a sense of community in their neighborhoods as they get to know their neighbors and help them get to know each other.