Faith is a Gift

For those who heard my message today from 2 Peter 1:1-11 you noticed I said faith was a “gift” we choose to receive. 2 Peter 1:1, “To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.” It’s right there in the text- we “receive…

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Receive Faith & Make Every Effort

From the creation of mankind it is important that we know who we are and live the kind of life God designed us to live.   2 PETER 1:1-11 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith…

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7 Things I Wish Pastors Would Stop Doing

As a fellow pastor with almost 20 years of experience I believe I have a unique role to guard the integrity of the ministry and make sure the broader Body of Christ is protected. Paul said that disciples should “…no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there…

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In Him: The Finale

This is our 70th and final message in a 19th month sermon series! Let us enjoy the entire book of Ephesians in one sitting and hear what the people would have heard when they listened to it being read each week in their house churches. Notice how many times the concept of “In Him” is…

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First Love

  The most important thing we can remember in life is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37-40). If we ever stop loving Jesus- it’s not because we have less love to give, but it is because we are giving our love to something else. May we all keep…

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Truthful & Kind

Do you think a person can be both truthful and kind? Both are godly attributes and are commanded by God. However, often times we as Christians are told they cannot exist together.   A few examples:   Can I as a Christian ever say these biblically true phrases and still be considered kind by non-Christians?…

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Faithful Servants

After the word disciple, the most popular name used to describe Christians in the Bible is, “servant.” Sadly, today most Christians act as customers rather than servants. They look for churches where they can do they least and get the most. However, Jesus commanded us to be servants of all, and to live a life…

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Got a Problem with Evil?

Well, without a God-given conscience you could never know the difference between good or evil—- you’d think like an animal thinks about good and evil—- which is “never.” Ever see a bear eat its young?   However, for those who have enough common sense to know you’re not an animal and you know the difference…

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A Army of Mice or Servant Leaders?

After almost 20 years of full-time pastoring (started at 22) and church planting- both in the U.S. and overseas—- I am never surprised by how fast a church can grow with little to no discipleship. It’s like raising up an army of mice.   However, what does surprise me is how many pastors keep doing…

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