Tag: church

A Christian Church In Action or Just Church Inaction?

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

Disclaimer: This sermon is going to come off a bit angry.

It is and I Am…

We had a historic freeze in Texas. The entire state was under a winter storm warning because of a large cloud formation dropping ice everywhere. Power went out in most of the state and water pipes were bursting everywhere. A state that never sees that sort of thing just isn’t prepared for such an event.

With that record cold came a record number of people without heat or water. The cities and counties scurried around to open warming centers. The Red Cross and a few other entities were at various places to assist, but there was just too many people who needed warmth, water, and food. I didn’t see an end to the people needing a warm place to be.

However, what I did see was a number of Christian churches with lights and power, but their doors were closed. Christians with the capability to keep potentially hundreds of people warm and out of the elements, but they were sealed up tight.

We were all under hard times, taking care of ourselves and our families as best as we could. And to be fair, maybe a few of the church goers were indeed helping out at soup kitchens or wherever, but what about the church leadership? The pastors and elders?

IT CUT ME TO MY HEART to see so many churches just in our area alone that had lights and power, but doors that were locked to people in need. You can preach Jesus all day long, but if you refuse to do all you can for those in need, then your words mean nothing. Those words are clanging cymbals according to the Bible in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, because your words show absolutely nothing of love. Those supposed “Christians” are only Christian in title, not in action.

You are saved by Jesus through faith in Him. But then, because of that faith, you should show fruits of that faith. The Bible says in James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” There has to be something to show for the Holy Spirit living in your heart, otherwise how is being a Christian different from being anything else, pagan or other?

In short, if you believe in Jesus Christ, you should also take His words seriously when He says to help those in need and to serve others. If you call yourself a Christian, taking care of those in need is not optional.

It makes us feel good to hear about saints in this world like the late Mother Theresa that have done so much good for thousands of people. My question is, what are YOU doing? What exactly is the Christian church doing right now to help the physically poor and the spiritually poor? How about the widows and orphans and everyone in need?

Are you acting out the Jesus Christ in your heart or are you trying to smuggle Him into Heaven without anyone seeing?

If you hear the words, “Someone should really do something”, that someone is you! Yes, God can produce miracles out of nothing, but that’s not how He works. He wants His children to be His hands and feet, taking the love of Jesus Christ to all of those perishing in this world so that they may live forever and have a blessed and abundant life right now.

This is not to give you a warm and fuzzy feeling and it’s not to make people see how good of a person you are. It’s all about God and His glory. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. I stress the part about “your good works.”

What are you doing?

You and I are to make God’s love alive and touch all people, not just those in our own denomination or neighborhood. Jesus said to go into ALL the world and be His witnesses. We have to preach the Good News that God loves all people, but if we can’t even open our doors and hearts to those suffering in the cold, then we need to get our priorities straight.

God first, everyone else second, and you last!

If being a Christian to you means dressing up and “playing Christian” on Sundays, then keep the doors shut. You are completely disrespecting our Heavenly Father and doing nothing in response to His love. Maybe because it’s just so inconvenient to our modern lives or maybe because nobody told us about the real Jesus Christ, only the fluffy happy Jesus who wants you rich and comfortable.

That’s not Jesus. Jesus died on a cross for our sins. We are now to die to ourselves and live for Him. No more of what we want, but what God’s children need. If that sounds a bit harsh, then tough.

Mount the cross, Christian! As the Master goes, so goes the servant. Jesus cared for the poor and healed the sick. He showed love, true Godly love. So what are YOU and your church doing?

As the scriptures say, zeal for my Father’s house has consumed me. May it consume you too.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

On This Rock I Stand

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

“And I say also to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18

In the Bible, Peter was one of the closest disciples of Jesus Christ. Whenever Jesus would go somewhere to pray or to reveal something special to just a select few, Peter was right there at the top of the list. And when Jesus left His earthly ministry, Peter was the head of the newly established church. Granted, Peter had his failings just as all people do, but the difference was that he kept pushing through them and came out better because of them.

Peter didn’t start out as being called Peter. His name was originally Simon, which actually means ‘hearer or listener’. Peter listened to Jesus and took His teaching to heart. Even when Jesus said that He was going to be offered up and die, Peter rebuked Him saying, “Not so Lord,” even though Christ had a larger plan that needed enacted. By all rights and accounts, Peter loved Jesus. He staked everything on Him. When Jesus asked His disciples if they would leave Him, it was Peter who said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life.”

Not only did Peter believe in Jesus, but Jesus believed in Peter as well. Even though Peter in a moment of weakness denied that he knew Jesus 3 different times, Jesus knew that Peter was the right person to continue His earthly ministry. A little before Christ was taken up to Heaven, Jesus kept asking Peter if he loved Him. More than that, Jesus made sure that Peter would continue Christ’s work to take care of His people. Jesus asked Peter 3 times, “Do you love me?” And each time that Peter affirmed his love, Jesus would tell him to ‘feed His sheep or lambs’, meaning to take care of His people. Jesus knew that Peter could do it, but He really wanted Peter to know that Peter could do it. Three times a denial conquered by three times a confirmation.

One last thing about Simon Peter. Simon was the earthly name that his parents gave him. Peter was the Heavenly name that Jesus gave him. Simon means listener and Peter means rock. In order for you to be firm in your service of the Lord, you first need to listen to Jesus. Once you stand upon God’s solid foundation, you will never be lost again.

God’s blessings to you.
DH

GPS – God’s Positioning System

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13

If you were to die tonight, where would you go? I ask that question to a lot of people and get a lot of different responses. Many people, even good Christians, don’t have a definite belief that they would get into Heaven. Some of the responses are that they ‘hope they would go to Heaven’ or that they aren’t really sure because of the life they’ve led.

Let me set the record straight, God created you and He loves you very much. He is not willing to see any of His children go down the wrong path and get lost. His love for you is perfect, just as He is perfect. That being said, perfect love also means allowing the person a chance to choose for themselves. Love is a gift and a gift that is forced is no gift at all.

–A few points:

• God knows you are going to have trials and you will make mistakes. That’s OK. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

• Those mistakes have consequences, but God loves you and doesn’t want you to loose what He has for you. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

–But the greatest part to His love for you is:

• “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

What those scriptures mean is that God is kind. He’s not waiting ‘up there’ with a paddle, just watching to see you screw up. He already knows you will screw up, but He loves you. The key is to repent, which means to change your mind. Repent, turn away from your sins, and believe in what Jesus did for you on that cross. That’s it. You are already accepted by the Creator, all you need to do is accept Him in return.

Call upon Jesus and you will know the way home!

God’s blessings to you.

DH

Diplomatic Immunity

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:20

A little while ago, I read where an ambassador from another country committed a crime here in the states, but since he was an official diplomat, he was let go due to what is known as diplomatic immunity. It was a relatively minor crime, but something that if you or I did, we would have been prosecuted for. Just because he has been given special credentials, he is allowed special privileges. That being said, if he was to abuse that privilege, his immunity would be revoked and he would no longer be allowed to represent his country.

When we accept Jesus, we are made into what the scripture calls an ambassador of Christ. It’s a right term, since we are ordered by Jesus to represent Him in an official way. In Mathew 28, Christ says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” That is called His “Great Commission” and it is not a thing to be taken lightly.

Just think of it, the God Almighty and creator of the universe is appointing each of his children to spread the gospel and lead people to Jesus. It doesn’t say just friends or family or even people of our same race and color, He says, “all nations.” I hear that and I need to step back from myself for a moment, thinking about who am I to deserve Christ to not only suffer and die for me, but to also have the honor of being an ambassador for Him to all people. Honestly, like the old song goes, you are nobody until somebody loves you. I’m not anyone important in and of myself, but I am a real somebody as soon as God places His credentials upon me. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

We are children of the Most High God and, therefore, we are royalty. We are sent forth from Heaven as ambassadors into strange foreign lands. We are to conduct ourselves in way worthy of our Lord. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that he shaved twice daily, because he was representing Christ in everything he did and did not want others to see Jesus in poor appearances. That’s showing a great attitude for life. If you are not doing or saying certain things in front of certain people, you probably shouldn’t be doing or saying those things at all. Put your best foot forward, so to speak. Keep the mindset that you may be the Christian that makes the difference in somebody’s life. You may be what leads someone to Jesus or you may be what drives someone away from Him.

The best part of being an ambassador is that we have that diplomatic immunity through the blood of Jesus Christ. We live in a sinful world and we are products of it. Our actions aren’t always what they should be. That’s why we need Jesus and His grace to forgive our sins. If you mess up, come to Jesus and admit it, then move on knowing that you already have been forgiven. Don’t abuse that grace though. If you love somebody and know that person loves you as well, you don’t want to fail them. Jesus loves you and is with you always.

Remember that not only are you forgiven for your shortcomings, but that is also what you can put forth to someone who doesn’t know Christ. They, too, can be forgiven and have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. As an ambassador of Jesus, that is what you bring to the empty table of a non-Christian. You represent the King of King and Lord of Lords. Your country is one not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens.

God’s blessings to you.

DH