Sermons By Date - July 2012

Belonging to a Church like That!

07/29/2012

The experience and dynamics of the first community of Christians included a hunger for teaching, hospitality, life together, prayer and koinonia… Realities that we can and should experience today!

Stand firm in the Lord

07/15/2012

A virtue that inspires each of us as human persons is persistence. When we read stories of persons who refuse to give up in the face of difficult circumstances, we feel motivated to do the same. This week we unpack a little gem of a verse that is, in the flow of Paul's writing, a summary statement: "That's how you do it!" What is Paul referring to?

Stand firm in the Lord

07/15/2012

We all leave a legacy.  The issue is what kind of legacy we leave. In the text Paul expresses his love/affection for his readers.  Growing out of that close relationship he urges them to stand firm.  He wants his legacy to be one in which those he cared about were faithful to Jesus throughout all their lives.

Citizens of Heaven

07/08/2012

If you live carelessly (live for the here and now’), you will find yourself on a path to destruction. But if you follow Paul’s example you will find yourself on a different path. By choosing your mentors wisely and heeding the cautionary tales, you become a citizen of heaven. If you are a citizen, you enjoy the privileges associated with that status.

Citizens of Heaven

07/08/2012

The Christian life is a marathon.  At times the race seems so long we wonder if we can go on.  Paul is cheering his readers/us on toward perseverance by reminding them/us of our calling as citizens in heaven, the ultimate hope that citizenship provides, and the amazing Savior that provides all of this for us.  

Be like Me… Not like Them

07/01/2012

Sometimes we find ourselves running on empty.  The resources of our lives dry up and we experience spiritual sink holes.  Paul is calling his readers/us to faithfulness and maturity.  One of the resources that props us up over the long haul are the people who surround us.  Paul urges us to make wise decisions regarding the main influences in our lives.  He calls us to surround ourselves with G