2008-06-29-Gods-Redemptive-Plan-for-Today
By bobklund | June 29, 2008
There are so much info and studying that can be done on the topic of sharing your faith. But the bottom line is we need to all just start looking for opportunities to lead people closer to Jesus, right now….today, wherever we are. The best way to start a life dedicated to sharing the gospel is to look for opportunities to tell others about what Jesus has done in your life. It really is that simple to get started! And when the questions start coming, answer them the best you can. If you receive a question to which you do not know the answer, just respond by saying something like, “That’s a great question! I’m not sure about the answer but let me do some digging and I’ll get back to you!” Then go ask an elder, pastor, or search out the answer yourself!
Remember, you do not have to know ALL the answers. The man who was demon-possessed did not know theology or doctrine. He was not trained in how to “present” the gospel. God simply told him to go and tell others what God has done in his life. We are called to do the same.
There is so much that could be said about participating in God’s Redemptive Plan for today and sharing one’s faith….advice, ideas, stories…the list goes on and on. So why not post a comment! I would love to get a great discussion going through your comments on this week’s sermon!
By the way, we had a little technical difficulties in the recording and had to switch mics, so there are a few seconds of silence in the middle of this podcast so please be patient! Thanks and I REALLY look forward to your comments!
2008-06-29-Gods-Redemptive-Plan-for-Today
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2008-06-22-Gods-Single-Redemptive-Plan-of-Salvation
By bobklund | June 22, 2008
This week our worship leader, David Lambert, brought a message about God’s singular redemptive plan of salvation. It should motivate and encourage us to be directly involved in this plan through sharing our faith. For that is, as Christians, our privilege and our sacred responsibility. After listening, please take a moment and post a comment. We’d love to hear what you thought!
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2008-06-08-New-Vitality-The-Second-Time-Around-(Acts-15-16)
By bobklund | June 12, 2008
Isn’t it interesting that the “Macedonian man” (Acts 16:9) turns our to be a woman: Lydia (16:14-15)? Christianity was never anti-women as many have thought. Here is an instance where we can clearly see that Christianity is not. Your thoughts?
2008-06-08-New-Vitality-The-Second-Time-Around-(Acts-15-and-16)
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2008-06-01-Saved-By-Grace-and-Grace-Alone-(Acts-15)
By bobklund | June 6, 2008
The first church council as recorded in Acts 15 stressed that we are saved by God’s grace and His grace alone. As I noted in the message this has implications for us. And one such implication is that someone else does not have to become like “me” in order to be saved. While your response to that is probably “of course that is true,” we often don’t practice that. It is good to frequently check to see if we are subtly adding something to the gospel, something like “you have to worship as I do to be saved.” Do you add something to the gospel of grace?
2008-06-01-Saved-By-Grace-and-Grace-Alone-(Acts-15)
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2008-05-25-Liberty-And-Justice-For-All-(Galatians)
By bobklund | May 28, 2008
Salvation is by God’s grace through faith. It is faith and faith alone in Christ alone that brings the great salvation God has for us. The Book of Galatians makes this so clear. But how we humans love to add something to obtain that salvation. I want to mention one item that we have a tendency to add and invite you to interact with me about it. I think we often think and convey the idea, but probably don’t explicitly state, that in order to be saved “you must become like us.” We might “know” that is not true, and yet we really desire others to whom we present the Gospel to be like us - to worship like us, to think like we do, to join our denomination, to even have the same political positions we do, and certainly to have the same exact doctrine that we do (including postmodern Christians who claim no or minimal dogmatic doctrine). But faith alone in Christ alone means exactly that. Let’s watch out that we don’t implicitly suggest that you have to be like us to be saved.
2008-05-25-Liberty-And-Justice-For-All-(Galatians)
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2008-05-18-Humble-Perseverance-(Acts-14)
By bobklund | May 21, 2008
Today’s passage, in particular, Acts 14:6 led Sir William Ramsay to believe in the reliability of Scripture. Ramsay was a classical scholar who set out for Asia Minor (what is now Turkey) because he was studying the Book of Acts. In his research he investigated the boundary line between the ancient Roman territories of Pisidia and Lycaonia. An ancient boundary marker was between the cities of Lystra and Derbe whereas the account recorded in Acts 14:6 has both of these cities in Lycaonia. Luke, the author of Acts, differed from the apparent evidence and therefore Ramsay assumed the Luke was wrong. When Ramsay got to Lystra and Derbe, he found the ancient boundary stone between the two cities suggesting that they had been in different provinces. But he also discovered that the stone had been moved. Ramsay found out that Lystra and Derbe were in the same province, the province of Lycaonia between the years A.D. 37 and 72, but not before or after those dates. Lystra and Derbe were in the same province in the years which Paul visited them as Luke accurately reports.
Ramsay developed a new confidence in the accuracy of God’s Word. And we today can have that same confidence in God’s inspired, inerrant Word!
2008-05-18-Humble-Perseverance-(Acts 14)
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2008-05-11-Portrait-of-Divine-Grace-(Philemon)
By bobklund | May 18, 2008
David Lambert, our worship leader, brought this week’s message from the Book of Philemon. When we think of Philemon I doubt if many of us think about a “Portrait of Divine Grace.” But David showed us that divine grace is exactly what this book is about. But the point David drove home is not as much about us receiving divine grace, as it is for those of us who have received divine grace to demonstrate such grace to others. Thank you David for not only a good explanation of the Book of Philemon, but also an exhortation to practice divine grace in our own lives.
2008-05-11-Portrait-of-Divine-Grace-(Philemon)
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2008-05-04-Proclaiming-Christ-(Acts-13)
By bobklund | May 6, 2008
Let me make one additional comment. After Paul and Barnabas preached in Pisidian Antioch, the Jews rejected them inciting and stirring up the people against them. As they left the city we read, “So after they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, they went to Iconium.” (Acts 13:51) This reminds us what our Lord commanded His disciples in Matthew 10:14,
And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or that town.
This was a symbolic act. As we read in Acts 13:51 this was done “in protest against them.” They shook off the dirt from their feet so that they would not take any of the Jews’ dirt of rejection along with them.
There’s a lesson for us. We must shake off any dirt of rejection from our feet that might come on us from interacting with others about the Gospel. Don’t let those who reject Christ have any influence on you.
2008-05-04-Proclaiming-Christ-(Acts-13)
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2008-04-20-If-God-is-Sovereign-Why-Pray-(Acts-12)
By bobklund | April 30, 2008
Some additional thoughts to the end of Acts 12. We are much more like Herod than we like to admit. Pride kept him from giving God the glory for his position, his power, actually everything he had attained. Many times we want to take the credit for what we have in this life, whether it be some position, or power, or financial gain, or family. But God is the One who is sovereign and everything we have is from Him. We are to give Him the glory for everything He has given to us. And, of course, the ultimate gift He has given to us is salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So let’s get glorifying the Lord continually for all things.
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2008-04-13-Christians-First-At-Antioch-(Acts-11)
By bobklund | April 15, 2008
In this passage we see the Church universal at work. What is the universal Church? It is comprised of all believers in Jesus Christ everywhere, wherever they are, whether in heaven or on earth. The Church is the body of Christ which is composed of many members (individual Christians) and yet functions together as one unit (see Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12). We should not forget that we are various members of one body, the body of Christ. The universal Church is ethnically neutral. We read in Gal. 3:28,
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female - for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
We should not forget that. As we noted last week that since God shows no favoritism, neither should we.
The purpose of the universal Church is to give God glory (doxological). Ephesians 3:21 tells us,
to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Are we glorifying the Lord in all we do as the Church?
Let me hear some of your thoughts on the universal Church!
2008-04-13-Christians-First-At-Antioch-(Acts-11)
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