God's Temple Today

If you had time last week to study the passages I gave to you, you know there's a vast difference in the temples used to worship God. Solomon's temple was ornate, beautiful and closed to everyone except the priest. The priest had the responsibility of offering sacrifices and being a bridge between God's people and God himself. The temple was designed to be a dwelling place for God and therefore a completely holy dwelling.

However, 1 Peter 2 gives us a different picture of God's temple today. There are no walls, no gold coverings or ornate decorations. God's temple today is nice! We are his dwelling place on the earth! The temple is as
beautiful or as ugly as we make it. There is no separation between us and God. In our worship together as a church family we enter directly into the presence of our God. In our daily lives we carry with us the seal of the Holy Spirit as we serve God daily. We are the priest that represent God on this earth.

God's Holy Temple

When we examine the history of God's people, the temple becomes a very important figure of God's presence. We are the church living in the middle between the early followers of God and the future glory we will have in heaven. To get a more accurate picture of our relationship with God we need to examine His Temple. It is important to see how the Temple of God changes during the history of human existence.

There are three unique pictures of God's Temple presented in the Bible. First, there is the temple under the old covenant. Then there is the temple presented by the apostles in the New Testament. The final representation of the temple is in heaven as presented by John in Revelation.

God's Children Looking Forward To An Inheritance!

"For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's offspring heirs according to promise." Galatians 3:28, 29

There are powerful thoughts in this short passage of scriptures  that impact our lives for eternity.

1. Faith leads us directly to baptism and at that moment we put on Christ.
2. When we put on Christ we are all one as a part of His family.
3. As a part of His family we have the promise of an eternal inheritance.

Dads Are Important!

We have a number of great dads in this congregation. When I look around the congregation I see both fathers and mothers that love their children and are working hard to raise them in the Lord. I pray that this week you will take a moment to look at the instructions given in Deuteronomy Chapter 6.  Allow these thoughts to control the activities in your home.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all  your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Dean

 

 

Preparing For Battle

We should never take the battle with Satan lightly.  Every day we live; Satan wants our soul.  Every day there is a battle going on and we need to be prepared.  In Ephesians chapter 6 Paul gives us some suggestions about how to prepare.

1. Know the power of the enemy, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
2. Be completely prepared to face the enemy. "Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:10, 11
3. When you are armed and you understand the enemy, then you must pray continuously. "Praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18

After services today you will enter the battlefield; are you prepared?

Dean

 

 

When We Stand Before God

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'' Erma Bombeck

Bombeck has given us an interesting thought.  It appears to me that most of us don't realize how much God has given us.  Far too many of us consider ourselves one talent people when God has actually given us many talents.  It only takes a brief reading of Ephesians 3 to realize the incredible wisdom and power God has given to us.  His Holy Spirit indwells in us and works in us every single day of our lives.  The mysteries of His glory and strength are revealed to us through His Word.

Purity and Lasting Love! Ephesians 5

If you read the Waxahachie Daily Light you know there is a big debate going on in our community about sex education in our schools.  Should our students be taught abstinence before marriage?  Or should they be taught safe sex before marriage?  As we all know there are many teenage pregnancies in our society today.  Last year in the United States more babies were born outside of marriage than those born to married couples.  So the debate is what kind of education should our kids be given?  It is a debate that Christians need to take seriously.  Your children will be influenced by what they are taught in school.

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

Our goal for the next few weeks will be to give everyone in the congregation a greater understanding of this powerful letter written by Paul to the church at Ephesus.  The book inspires Christians not only to understand the blessings we have in Christ, but to realize how He has made us alive through His sacrifice on the cross.  It also gives us insight into the power of His Holy Spirit as well as direction for building up the church and keeping it unified.

Paul also gives us insight into the new life we have as Christians as well as the war that we are fighting with Satan.  In six (6) short chapters, the apostle enlightens us on many aspects of the Christian life.  Beginning this week and continuing through the summer months we are encouraging everyone to spend a great deal of time studying the book of Ephesians.  We will be doing the following things to enhance our study.

Mother's Day 2014

It's a great day to recognize and honor our mothers. It is almost impossible to realize all the time, effort and love a Christian mother puts into the lives of her children. Her influence is immeasurable. As we honor our mothers, it's also a good time to look at the challenge that is faced by today's mothers and fathers.

The young children in this church will grow up in a world far different from anything we've ever seen. The changes in technology, transportation, communication, medicine and every aspect of life are immeasurable. Our children will see things that we cannot even imagine.

A Truly Remarkable Day!

Could it be that Jesus Christ was really raised from the dead? That question has been debated for over 2000 years now.  Over that time those who do not believe in Christ have never been able to come up with a convincing argument that even comes close to proving that He was not raised from the dead.  On the other hand as Christians we have many convincing arguments which clearly prove that our Savior was raised from the dead.

1. Jesus had foretold of His resurrection.  Mark 9:9, 10
2. The Old Testament had prophesied of His resurrection. Psalm 16:10
3. The tomb was empty and the death garments folded.
4. Over 500 people saw Him alive after his death on the cross.
5. The lives of the apostles were radically changed and they in turn changed the world.
6. Lives are still being changed by the powerful message of Jesus Christ.

Sometime this weekend text a friend with this simple message.  "He was raised from the grave! He is alive!" and invite the to come to worship with us Sunday morning.

Dean

 

 

The Closing Prayer

The Last Supper is over. Jesus has finished washing the apostles' feet. He has encouraged them by explaining that their hearts do not need to be troubled. He will show them the way to heaven where a home is prepared for them. He has encouraged them to stay close to Him. If they abide in Him He will be like a vine that provides nourishment to them each day. He has promised them the Holy Spirit to lead them during the dark days ahead and to lead them to all truth. He has warned them about falling away and let them know that if they stay faithful their joy will be complete. He has assured them that He will overcome the world.

Don't

Whatever you do in this life, don't ever leave Christ!

"I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away."
John 16:1

It was a critical time for the apostles, Jesus was preparing them for His death. The next three days would be the hardest of their lives. Everything they believed in Him and everything they thought they had learned in the last three years would suddenly fall apart. Their King was to be crucified.

The sadness, the sense of failure, the loss of direction in their lives, would be overwhelming. Jesus prepares them with powerful words of assurance.

Abiding In Christ

"I am the vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."                  
                                                              John 15:1, 2

In our worship today we are taking a closer look at what it means to abide in Christ. During our worship service this morning and this evening I would encourage you to consider the following questions.

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled!

In the first line of the 14th chapter of John he gives us an indication of the teaching that would follow. Jesus is preparing His apostles for His death on the cross. The conversation takes place during the last Passover meal when Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper. However, John's account does not go into detail about the Lord's Supper but rather explains Jesus' teaching during that meal. He gives His apostles a number of reasons why they should have peace during this incredibly difficult time.

He begins by assuring them that He will prepare for them a place in heaven. No matter what happens on this earth Christians can be confident that Christ has prepared a place for us to rest from our struggles.....John 14:2

The Powerful Church of Christ

"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but my Father in Heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Matthew 16:17, 18

There are two things we must never forget about the Lord's church; first we must never forget who the enemy is and how powerful he is. Our real enemy is Satan who wants our souls and he is constantly on the attack. Paul explains in Ephesians chapter six that there is a great war going on and it's taking place in realms that we cannot understand., Therefore, we must depend on Christ and the power of His body to keep us safe.

Short Powerful Parables

MATTHEW 13

Three quick parables about the kingdom of God are given in the middle of Matthew 13. In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus explains that the kingdom is designed to grow. God gives his people the ability to reach out and touch the lost. The kingdom should always be growing larger and larger.

In the parable of the yeast, our Lord explains that we must be a part of society in a way that influences it. Today it seems society has more of an impact on Christianity than Christianity does on society. If we are to really be like Christ and the kingdom is to grow we must constantly be influencing others for Christ.

Learning What To Love

It's exciting to see all of the young families and young singles that are a part of our Brown Street family. There were 49 people in one of our young adult classes this last week; also a herd of  young kids in our Children's worship. I don't know if you'd call kids a herd or not, but there sure was a lot of them and they were all excited.

In Mark chapter 10 Jesus tells the story of the rich young man who was raised in a good family. It is obvious that he was raised in a good family because he had kept The Commandments not to murder, steal, commit adultery or to bear false witness; he honored his mother and his father. However, as Jesus questioned him more, He found out that the young man lacked one thing.

Under Attack!

All over America the traditional view of marriage is under attack.  More and more babies are being born outside of marriage.  Our society is rapidly accepting the incorrect view that homosexuality is a sanctioned form of marriage and more and more traditional families are being broken up by divorce.

The real question is what was Jesus' view of marriage?  In  Matthew chapter 19 and Luke chapter 10 we get a good view of what our Savior believed about marriage.  Today we will be looking at what marriage really is.  Then we will take a look at the intimate nature of the marriage relationship.  We will also examine the permanency of marriage.

How Great Is God's Desire To Save Us?

In Luke chapter 15 Jesus gives us three powerful stories that demonstrate God's desire to save His people.  First, there is a man with a hundred sheep who loses one and when he finds it Jesus says, "He calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'"

Next, our Lord tells the story of a woman who has lost one of her ten silver coins and when she finds the one she's lost, once again He says, "She calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I found my lost coin.'"

Who Is The Greatest?

 

 

Mohammed Ali said he was the greatest, but now he's just an old man who can hardly speak.  Beethoven may have been the greatest of all time as a composer of music, however he's long since passed from this life.  Michael Jordan has staked his claim on being the greatest basketball player ever, but he's too old to play now.

Maybe the greatest of all times could be one of the powerful leaders of a nation.  Alexander the Great conquered the world but the Grecian Empire no longer exists.  The great Caesars were considered the most powerful men in the world but the Roman Empire no longer exists.  So who really is the greatest? 

In Mark 9 the apostles were arguing because apparently each of them wanted to be the greatest in the kingdom of Christ.  They were embarrassed when Jesus asked them what they were arguing about and I'm sure very surprised by his response. 

"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."  Mark 9:35

I'll see you Sunday morning,

Dean

 

 

Surprise Someone This Week!

The disciples were surprised we might even say shocked when they returned to the well and saw Jesus talking to a woman from Samaria.  After all, the Samaritans were a hated race of people and no respectable Rabbi would ever stoop low enough to talk to a Samaritan woman especially not in a public place like a well.  Their thoughts raced, why was He talking to her, what did He want from her?

The answer to the question is quite simple.  He didn't want anything from her except a drink of water.  His real reason for talking with her was His desire to give her eternal life.  If you knew this woman you would probably be surprised also.  She was obviously not the prime example of a person ready to be converted.  She had been married six times and now was living in an immoral relationship.  Not only did the good faithful Jews not want to associate with a Samaritan, but no respectable person would spend time in public with such a disgraceful woman.  And yet with compassion and love, the son of God reached out to a lost soul.  John Chapter 4 records the story of a woman surprised by the love and compassion of Jesus.  By the end of the chapter she is running to tell the people the exciting news of the Messiah. 
    
Why don't you surprise someone this week by talking to a person who really needs Jesus Christ? Find someone who may not be the ideal candidate for conversion.  Find someone who is desperately in need of salvation and tell them the good news of our Savior.
                                                                                     See you Sunday,
                                                                                     Dean

 

 

2014 Sharing A Common Love

The words of song number 705, A Common Love, provides us with a great guideline for the way we should conduct ourselves during this New Year.  The song is based on John 13:34, 35 "as I have loved you, you must love one another."   The song expresses six distinct ideas on how we build a common love for each other and for the Lord.

"A common love for each other, a common gift to the Savior, a common bond holding us to the Lord; a common strength when we're weary, a common hope for tomorrow, a common joy in the truth of God's Word."