Have you ever been sick on a hot summer day? Surely you have and you were miserable…. Well, that might be an exaggeration, because in fact there were likely many things that made it bearable. There are people today in truly horrible situations and circumstances that really are miserable. I pray never to experience this kind of misery, but I know Jesus understood that kind of misery. He suffered greatly going to the cross and enduring the onslaught of our sin.
I don’t particularly like thinking about misery. Because I find it so unpleasant let’s change the subject. Let’s talk about comfort, a nice warm bed on a cold winter night piled high with blankets and a comforter. Oh that sounds good even in the middle of the day. Here’s another good one, sitting in the living room of my parents home eating a piece (or two) of apple pie, with some chocolate chip cookies and a cup of hot tea or coffee with my family all around telling stories and laughing about stuff we did back when.
Now that all sounds good, but at some point you have to get out of bed and leave your parents home. Out in the real world there are times of pain, struggle and suffering where we may not be able to get to those comfort places. Life is not like this all the time for most people, but what will we do when struggle comes or when we find our selves in shear, utter, misery?
In Philippians 4:4-9 the Apostle Paul gives us very clear direction and though your life may not be miserable today, I suggest you listen so you have something to fall back on or at least to share with a miserable friend. Moving From Misery To The Peace of God
So how important is forgiveness? Do I really need to deal with this issue? Does God really require that I be reconciled to my friend? Why can’t I just shoot them and be done? Okay these are not real questions I’ve been asked, but I’m sure we’ve all thought some of these things. In our series on Matthew 18 we’ve seen what God expects of us in regard to conflict resolution.
In the message “The Unmerciful“, we hear Jesus tell the story of what has been called the Unmerciful Servant. Jesus tells this story to illustrate how God views those who have received his mercy and yet withhold it from others. Trust me you don’t want to be the unmerciful. Instead you want to be the one who offers reconciliation and restoration to all just as Jesus did for you. Please take some time to listen.
No matter who you are, there will be a time in life where someone is offended by you or you are offended by someone else. This will happen, unless of course you’re alone on a deserted island with no volleyball. The reality in life is that conflict does arise in relationships.
As A pastor I’ve noticed that life transformation is a great thing, but when people get mad, hurt, or offended they are most likely to revert to old life patterns. Rather than looking for God’s direction for resolving the conflict, they either withdraw and avoid, or go hunting and attack. Of course neither of those responses are very productive and often they severely set people back in their spiritual growth. What they need to learn early on is that God has a different way of doing things.
In Matthew 18 Jesus lays out a picture of how we are to deal with these issues. He starts out with a discussion of humility which leads into Matthew 18:15-20 where he gives us a pattern for conflict resolution. Considering that we are all in one family, it make sense that God our Father would give us some direction as to how we should relate to our siblings.
If you’re thinking there has to be a better way to resolve your relationship conflicts or your wanting some encouragement to do what you already know you need to do, please join us and listen to Relationship Restoration in Conflict.
The 4th of July is a day we in America think about independence and freedom. We talk about throwing off the oppressor in a way that is analogous to our salvation in Christ. Interesting that our freedom and independence was not a rejection of leadership, but rather to pursue a better form of leadership. When we leave sin behind, we do it because we have accepted a great leader.
As we continue the Series on Matthew 18 we consider verses Matthew 18:10-14. There Jesus tells us how he rejoices when he finds his lost sheep, the one who has returned from sin and now will follow God. If you thought God just wants to crush you, think again and listen to this message, A Shepherd to Lead Us.
How does God evaluate greatness? Consider the question for a moment. Is it even possible for God to use that adjective to describe another being? I don’t think so. God himself is great. Nothing compares to him. How can anything else be great in comparison? We however want to be great. We want to be acknowledged for our achievements and we usually want the position, power and benefits that go with it.
When the disciples asked Jesus who would be great in God’s kingdom they exposed their total lack of divine perspective. Jesus probably blew their mind when he called a child over to stand in their circle and said, “if you don’t become like one of these you won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” He was telling them they need to be humble and open to his instruction and molding. Their question shows that they thought they knew the plan, but Jesus showed them they hadn’t yet understood. We can be like the disciples and think we know what’s going on, but God wants to show us something totally unexpected.
It doesn’t take much to inspire kids. The promise of a little whipped topping and Jello poured over someone else’s head is enough to ignite passion to accomplish great things. With that in mind we raised $444.35 for BGMC (Boys & Girls Missionary Crusade) by promising to cover our upfront MC in slime. We really should have done more slime, but here it is in all it’s glory. The Slime Clip
The clip below is just a smaller short version. Check out the link above for the full version.
Now we’ve added a few pictures to look at while you wait for the video to get ready.
We had a great team this year. As has been stated elsewhere I’m sure the kids benefited and grew, but so did the leaders and we had a lot of fun as well. Thank you High Seas Expedition VBS Team 2010.
Here’s a recap of the fun we had today at VBS. Ask your kids about the bible point. Look up and read the bible story. Help your child remember the bible verse. Some links are provided below and of course watch the slide show. If you don’t see your kids today, they’ll be there one day this week. Pre-schoolers will be on tomorrow. Don’t forget to click the Icon above to share us with your friends and family on Facebook.
Our Bible Point: God’s Word is for everyone
Bible Story is: The community of believers share. (Acts 2:42-47)
Bible Verse: “Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created.” (Psalm 119:90)
Check us out on our main site www.WhatcomNewLifeAssembly.org, check out our latest sermon podcasts below or our latest audio uploads in one of the folders listed in the right column on the main page of this archive site.
Here’s a recap of the fun we had today at VBS. Ask your kids about the bible point. Look up and read the bible story. Help your child remember the bible verse. Some links are provided below and of course watch the slide show. If you don’t see your kids today, they’ll be there one day this week. Pre-schoolers will be on tomorrow. Don’t forget to click the Icon above to share us with your friends and family on Facebook.
Our Bible Point: God’s Word is life-changing
Bible Story is: Peter & John teach about Jesus. (Acts 3:1-4:12)
Bible Verse: “Give me life through your word.” (Psalm 119:37)
Check us out on our main site www.WhatcomNewLifeAssembly.org, check out our latest sermon podcasts below or our latest audio uploads in one of the folders listed in the right column on the main page of this archive site.
Here’s a recap of the fun we had today at VBS. Ask your kids about the bible point. Look up and read the bible story. Help your child remember the bible verse. Some links are provided below and of course watch the slide show. If you don’t see your kids today, they’ll be there one day this week. Don’t forget to click the icon to share us with your family and friends on Facebook.
Our Bible Point: God’s Word is Surprising
Bible Story is: Paul survives a bite by a poisonous snake. (Acts 28:1-10)
Bible Verse: “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” (Psalm 119:18)
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