MCC Podcast: Recent Episodes
Miamisburg Christian Church
This week we concluded our My Testimony series, where we were reminded that our stories matter.
This week Mike continued our My Testimony series where he reminded us that our story matters.
This week Mike started a brand new series called My Testimony, where he talked about why our stories matter.
This week Rich continued our Romans series, where he went through what God has to say through the apostle Paul about submission to authorities.
This week Eric continued our Romans series, where he walked us through how to renew our minds and think on the things of Jesus first and foremost!
This Sunday, Matt Missler walked us through Romans 11 as we continued our study in the book of Romans.
This week Eric continued our Romans series, where we learned how to practically share the Good News of who Jesus is and what he has done to those in our circle of influence.
This week Rich continued our Romans series, where we walked through Romans chapter 8 and explored the themes of no condemnation and no separation.
This week Matt Missler continued our Romans series, where we went through Romans chapter 7.
This week Mike continued our Romans series, where we looked at chapter 5 and talked about the perspective we have on pain and suffering.
This week Mike continued our Romans series, where we found out just what it is that God wants from us and what it looks like when we live it out.
This week Mike continued our Romans series. He talked about why we feel a pull to "follow the rules" and even confuse "being good enough to get into heaven" with the truth that Jesus has already paid for your way there.
This week Mike continued our Romans series, where he talked about a trade that Jesus warned us about. Mike talked to us about that trade and how to be wise about it.
This week Mike kicked off our new series on the book of Romans. This week we looked at the first 17 verses.
This week Eric concluded our Almost True series. Eric walked us through the tension between holiness and happiness, and what happens when we trade one for the other.
This week Mike continued our series, Almost True. We looked at how Jesus helped someone who had been and was being hurt by the people of her town.
This week Rich continued our series, Almost True. Rich had us take a look at a true understanding of how we are called to live as Christ followers and how that impacts our role as disciple makers!
This week Mike continued our Live your truth series, where he talked about living your truth.
For Easter Mike kicked off a series called Almost True. And this week we saw what Easter tells us is almost true about us.
This week Mike concluded our series, Jesus is the answer to, where he talked about hypocrites in the Church.
This week Mike continued our series Jesus is the Answer to, where he talked about how Jesus is the answer to tolerance and truth.
This week Mike kicked off a brand new series called Jesus is the Answer to. He started this series talking about how Jesus is the answer to... my marriage
This week Mike concluded our series, Living on Mission, where he talked about what it meant to be committed to the mission of Jesus.
This week Mike continued our series, Living on Mission, where he talked about being changed by Jesus.
This week Mike kicked off our brand new series Living on Mission, where he talked about following Jesus.
This week we had a guest speaker Matt Missler. Matt concluded our series Friends, where he talked about how we are called to be Friends with "Nones."
This week Eric continued our Friends series talking about how to have disciple making friendships.
This week Mike kicked off our brand new series Friends, where he talked about how friendship matters.
This week Rich finished off our series Run with the Horses, where he went through Jeremiah 35 and 38.
This week Eric continued our series Run with the Horses, where he went through Jeremiah 18.
This week Mike continued our series Run with the Horses, where he went through Jeremiah 7:1-11.
This week Mike continued our series Run with the Horses, where we went through Jeremiah 1:1-5.
This week Mike kicked off our brand new series Run with the Horses, where he went through Jeremiah 12:5.
This week Rich kicked off our new series called Prophecies of Jesus, where he went through Isaiah 53:4-6.
This week Mike continued our Immeasurably More series while we also celebrated everything God has provided for us and our church.
This week Mike reminded us of some verses we looked at back at the beginning of the year. We also got to hear from two amazing MCC families.
This week Mike continued our sermon series Immeasurably More and talked about commitment.
This week Mike Kicks off our immeasurably more series and talks about being a church that chases after vision.
This week Craft continues our series Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by talking through the importance of Sabbath.
This week Rich continues in our series on 1st Timothy by diving into 1st Timothy 4!
For more info about MCC head on over to BURG.CHURCH to get connected.
Thanks for joining us for our 1st Timothy series. This week Lead Pastor Mike Tuttle takes us through 1st Timothy chapter 3 as we look at how church leaders should act. ____________Check out our link tree for info on the church, events, and resources for your walk with Christ: burg.church
This Sunday Mike is on vacation, so I’ll (Eric) be continuing our 1st Timothy series by diving into 1st Timothy chapter 2.
Paul in his letter to Timothy is giving instructions to him on how to lead the people of Ephesus who have fallen victim to false teachings. One of the ways Paul guides Timothy is with instructions on how we should partake in worship.
This Sunday I’ll be diving into the role that each of us plays when it comes to gathering together and worshiping God. I can’t wait to share it with you.
Guest Earl Haubner's message focuses on understanding and embracing God's calling on your life. Through personal stories from missionary work, he highlights the sacrifices and challenges that can accompany answering one's calling. Reflecting on his journey in Brazil, Earl emphasizes the significance of joy in fulfilling God's will, despite the sacrifices. He underscores the impact of collective efforts, the transformative power of Jesus, and the positive change brought about through embracing and pursuing one's calling.
This week I get to conclude our Core Values series talking about our Core Value of Multiplication.
To prep you for this Sunday I’d like you to ask: What if…?
What if…
Jesus had such an impact on your life that you live out your faith
What if that changed your marriage
What if that changed your family
What if ….
I pray every day for my friend
I invite them, and receive multiple “no’s”
and then a yes
What if they end up giving their life to Jesus
What if they begin praying for who they know who doesn’t know Jesus
What if we helped 700 people begin their relationship with Jesus
What if we added a 3rd service because of that
What if we started a church in a nearby community that values what we value -
Journey
Biblical Truth
Community
Excellence
Generations
Multiplication
What if…
MCC Core Value of Multiplication says: We are participants in the advancing kingdom of God, so we hope to reflect the exponential nature of Godly growth in everything from the number of disciple-makers to godly leaders to healthy churches.
What if we ask God to do through us in someone else’s life what He did through someone else in yours?
Each week I’ve been reminding you WHY Core Values are important to us as individuals and to MCC collectively.I am the product of my values. Whatever I deem most valuable drives who I am and am becoming. The same is true of MCC collectively. MCC is the product of our values.For that reason I love what our Core Value of Journey reminds us of:Faith is a lifelong journey. We will meet people where they are, not where we wish they were, and will risk getting our hands messy to help them become a disciple of Jesus who makes disciples.None of us have our life all together. Each of us has had someone come alongside us to help us in our faith journey. And that person walked with us even when we didn’t get it right. Maybe it’s more fair to say, especially when we didn’t get it right.This week we will be reminded that through Jesus that faith is a lifelong journey. And He meets people where they are, not where He/they/we wish they were. (So we will too.) And because He will risk getting His hands messy to help them, we will follow His example so we can help people become a disciple of Jesus who walks beside others to help them become disciples. And not to belabor the point but it’s important we don’t forget: we are doing this just like someone did for us.
As we continue to look at MCC’s Core Values I want to remind you of why these are important.I am the product of my values.That means that who you are right now is determined by the things you have decided are important. You are a product of your values, of what you deem valuable.AND MCC is the product of our values.So we’d better be aware of what they are and if we are holding onto them. So far we’ve talked about our Core Values of Biblical Authority, Excellence, and Community.With all of the above information, it should be no surprise that this weekend I get to share our Core Value of Generations and why we value them.MCC’s Core Value of Generations says:We are passionate about equipping and unifying all generations around the mission of Jesus enabling us to learn and grow from one another with a greater emphasis on the next generation.Here’s the question that expresses why this is important:How do we honor where we’ve been AND give freedom to pursue new things and give new people a voice.I will walk us down that question this weekend.
When we think about our spiritual lives we often think about how personal our relationship with Jesus is. How we should independently be spending time in prayer, reading the word, and worship.
Yet, our relationship with Jesus is not just independent, but interdependent on others. To live the way of Jesus we need those who will rejoice, suffer, and endure this life with us.
This week Eric will be continuing our Core Values series looking at our Core Value of Community.
This week I get to continue our Core Values series. These are the values that sit at the core of who we are. They form a solid core of who we are, what we believe, and who we want to be going forward.MCC’s Core Values are those values we want to make sure we all have in common AND get passed down from generation to generation, that help reflect Jesus to others. What is it about us that helps others see Him?This Sunday we’re looking at our Core Value of Excellence: Excellence honors God and inspires people. MCC is not striving for perfection, but we do strive to bring our best to God in who we are and what we do. This value reflects how we want to approach everything we do. We’ll take a look at what that means, what the Bible says about it, and how we work to live that out.
When you hear the word “value,” what comes to mind?
A value can simply be what an item is worth. Interestingly, that can rise and fall depending on the situation. The value of a bottle of water might be 35 cents in the grocery store. You put it in a refrigerator at Speedway and suddenly the value shoots up to a dollar-fifty. Put that same bottle of water at Disney, slap a sticker with ears on it and…
The word itself suggests different meanings depending on the context.
Sometimes you hear people talk positively about things like a moral value or a family value or a Christian value like integrity, patience, purity, kindness, or encouragement.
Here’s why it’s important to talk about values; we all have them and what we decide is important in shaping who we become.
Think about it. Who you are right now is determined by:
- The things you have decided are important.
- The things you have allowed to take over your life.
- Those things that have moved to the top of your list - whether you intended for them to or not.
You are a product of your values, of what you deem valuable. And what is true of you and me individually, is true of us collectively as the church.
This week I get to kick off a series of messages that will talk about MCC’s Core Values, what the Bible says about them, and how they play out in real life.
We’ve been studying the life of King David and if we’ve learned anything about him so far, it’s that he was far from perfect, yet God was able to use him.
Now through relationships in his life we’ve looked at issues such as
-how to have a heart like God
-how to take on giants
-how to be a friend
-and how to affair proof your marriage.
Our last look at what we can learn from David covers chapters 13-18 of 2 Samuel. And rather than reading 6 chapters aloud, I’m going to try to summarize them and to tell you the story. I encourage you to read chapters 13-18 before Sunday (or at least afterwards). It’s quite a story of sex, murder, lies, and anguish. If it were a movie it would definitely be rated “R.”
This weekend, as we celebrate dads, we’re going to look at parenting through how he responded to a rebellious child. What we’ll see is no temper tantrum in the mall. This was no 3 day suspension from school. David’s son, Absolam, ignited a rebellion that led to battles, bloodshed, and death.
It will be a great lesson for all who have children in their lives, regardless of whose children they are.
What creature is most deadly to humans? Think about that for a moment. If you had one guess, what would it be? What creature has caused more deaths than any other? That is our one question quiz this weekend. I know you will be tempted to look up the answer, but I’m asking that you don’t. Come ready with your best, non-looked-up guess.
This weekend I get to share one of the top two stories that people associate with David. One of them we’ve already looked at: David and Goliath. The other is David and _____________. If you don’t know, I’ll fill that blank on Sunday.
This event in David’s life is not so far from the reality of people’s lives today. And from this event, we’ll see two general truths about temptation which apply to all of us and also three ways to affair-proof our marriages today.
We’ve walked through several events that occurred prior to David becoming King of Israel. We have been in 1 Samuel and this Sunday we jump to 2 Samuel 6.Last week David battled the giant Goliath. And Saul was still King of Israel. But since our verses last week, King Saul died in battle. And David has become King. There is a lot there and I want to encourage you to read 1 and 2 Samuel to get all of what God is up to.But this weekend we are in 2 Samuel 6 where David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. For context, the Ark represented God’s presence with the Israelites. When David took the throne he realized there was no Ark. It had been captured by their enemies, the Philistines, and had been gone for over 75 years. The place where God has said He would meet with the Israelites had been gone for a long time.This Sunday Josh and I will teach together about David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem and how that event highlights some important lessons for us about worship.
This weekend we’re going to look at a story that has become embedded in the culture and language of nations all around the world. It is so well known that it has become a way of describing any conflict in which there is a huge disparity between the combatants, whether describing athletes, companies or nations. The phrase, “It is a classic David versus Goliath match up,” creates a certain image.And our event from David’s life is the source of that picture. It is one of the best known and most loved stories in the Bible. It is the story of young David’s defeat of the giant named Goliath. It is in this battle that we will be reminded of a few gigantic lessons as well as how God equips us for the battles in our lives today.
This Sunday I’ll be preaching on friendship. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with people in our church this past year who feel like they struggle with friendships.
As we look at the friendship between David and Jonathan, we will seek to understand what a Godly friendship is supposed to look like and learn how to overcome some barriers to forming meaningful relationships.
Abraham Lincoln said, “The greatest lessons I ever learned were at my mother’s knees.” And more often than not, moms, we learn a lot just by watching you live your life.
This has been true of great leaders throughout history and perhaps none more evident that King David. This Sunday as we continue our look at his life we will be reminded that his life was full of decisions. Some of those decisions were great and helped develop a nation. Other decisions, not so much.
This week Rich will help us understand how, where someone came from, helps connect the dots on their behavior. King David started from a pretty lowly background. We will take a look at what he learned about being a shepherd, how that ties into the importance of moms, and how David’s shepherd qualities helped to shape a Kingdom.
This weekend we are going to begin a series of messages that will examine the life of King David. I don’t know about you, but David is my favorite Old Testament character.
Did you know that:
- More has been written about David than any other character in the Bible.
- He’s an Old Testament character, but he has 59 references to his life in the New Testament.
- The New Testament opens and closes mentioning his name.
- Jesus was born in the city of David, was called the root of David (and the seed of David), and was given the throne of David.
But perhaps the most impressive words about David are the words spoken by God about him in Acts 13:32: I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart…
David was a great man of faith. But what impresses me most about David is that he wasn’t perfect…by a long shot! As a matter of fact, if you’ve never read the story of David, you may be surprised at how much he’s like you and me.
Over the next several weeks we’re going to look at events in David’s life and see what principles we can learn from them about making good choices for our lives today. But this weekend, we are going to start at the beginning, when God chose David to be king over Israel. What we’ll discover is what God saw that made Him declare that David was a man after His own heart and how we can make our hearts like H.I.S. as well.
This will conclude our Ick series by talking about SEX. I sense you backing away already.
But we need to be clear on this—all of us need to be clear on this—because we live in a world that is saturated with sex. And our world is saying things right now that many of us NEVER imagined we would hear.
In her book, Guardians of Purity: Raising PG kids in an X-Rated World, Julie Hiramine says, “This world we live in is reaching into the hearts and minds of our children, shaping and molding them into a replica of its values, trends, and world-views.”
Let that sink in and then ask yourself this question: What is happening in the world in which we live? We’ll talk about that.
And let me offer this friendly warning: this message is geared for Junior High through adults. However, if you want your younger children to hear with you they may have some questions for you after.
I have appreciated your response to talking about issues that give almost all, although it may be fair to say ALL of us, the ick.
This week we’re talking about money. And I know the reason for the ick. In part of Jesus’ most famous sermon, He told us that there is a tug of war going on in our hearts involving our stuff. Jesus is recognizing a strategy that our enemy uses against us. I want to remind you that the devil knows he doesn’t have to get us to follow him - he just has to get us to stop following Jesus especially in this area of our life.
So we’ll look at that and how to kick the ick. By the way, it’s simple, it's just not easy.
And I’m looking forward to having my friend, Kent Fillinger, with us this weekend. Kent is with CFR who is one of our ministry partners. He also happens to have been a student when I was a Student Pastor. He will share briefly about how CFR is benefiting churches across the country.
This weekend we will continue our Ick series where we’re talking about those things in our lives where when someone brings them up, in our minds we go, “Ick.”
I don’t want to talk about that.
Stop talking about that.
So we thought we’d talk about that. You’re welcome. This weekend I will be addressing the ick of politics.
I realize that the only thing that might be more icky than politics, is talking about politics in church. And what I’m going to share this weekend, I actually shared 4 years ago.
And so you know, this message is not intended for you to change your political party or your political views. It’s intended to help us think about something MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than who lives in the White House for the next 4 years.
And don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that’s not important.
I’m not saying disengage from the privilege we have to vote.
I’m not saying your vote isn’t important.
Not at all.
And I will say this about voting, although this is not what I’ll be talking about this weekend. But It does seem obvious to say that your vote ought to reflect the principles of the Kingdom. As disciples of Jesus we are to reflect Kingdom values in all areas of our lives and should inform how we vote.
Jesus didn’t talk about voting because they didn’t get to vote. But what we see that Jesus didn’t say and did say IS intended to make all of us think about the way we respond to each other in such a volatile political climate. I’m looking forward to walking through this with you.
This Sunday we will be kicking off a new series called “Ick.” As our Teaching Team thought through this year and what topics we need to talk about that will most likely give many, or most, or at times all, people “the ick.” So for the next few weeks we’re going to talk about politics, money, and sex.
This Sunday we will begin by talking about “culture.” It will be interesting to see how you would define that word. However you define it, you certainly can’t escape it. The real question is who is doing the influencing? Does culture define social norms? How much power does culture have on public opinion, politics, even (and especially) the church?
Rich will walk us through a parable, as Jesus lays out a principle and a story in Acts to see that principle lived out!
The 2 biggest holidays of the year in the church are Christmas and Easter.Why is that? What is the draw?If you are a follower of Jesus these holidays celebrate where we get our identity. Christmas reminds us that God loves us so much that He sent His Son on a rescue mission to save us. And Easter reminds us that it cost Him His life. Both of them remind us of Who we belong to.Join us this week as we look at Philippians 2 to see how Easter is an annual reminder of the hope God gives you IF you will give yourself over to Him!
This Sunday I will be sharing about what happened on that first Palm Sunday (although they would not have called it that). The occasion was Passover Week, a time when thousands of Jews from all over Palestine made their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
This event was the remembrance of the story we read in the book of Exodus of the Jews leaving their slavery in Egypt for the promised land. And it was one of the Annual Feasts that all Jewish males were required to attend regardless of where they lived.
Now the usual population of Jerusalem was approximately 30,000 people. But each year at Passover, thousands of Jews would come to the city. The estimates of visitors range from 150,000 to 2-1/2 million.
And in the midst of this crowd Jesus rides into town on a donkey. And the surprise is, you may find yourself in that crowd. I’m looking forward to sharing that.
This week John wraps up his letter to the early church by addressing a question that they had in the first century that many people still do today.
How can I be sure I will go to heaven?
It’s important that we get this because it is vital to our spiritual emotional well being. Disciples of Jesus can be sure of their eternal life.
John is wrapping up his letter with this 1 John 5:13-15 (NIV): I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Just how secure is our salvation? This topic seems to cause a lot of anxiety, especially for those in the church. This Sunday Mike will talk about why it does and what John says about how we can be sure.
This Sunday as we look at 1 John 4, I am going to remind you of something I’ve said before: almost truth, isn’t. This week I get to share what John says about false teachers and the truth. And this will impact us and God - us and each other - and others and God. That’s a lot! Here’s why this is so important: if you don’t know what the truth is, almost truth sounds like it. It sounds like something Jesus would say.It sounds like something the church should be all about.It’s almost truth.But almost truth, isn’t. We need to know what God says.We need to know what the culture is teaching.You need to know what you and your children are learning from the shows you watch. All of us are being discipled. We need to be aware of who is discipling us and our family. It was a problem in the first century church. And today.
What is love, baby don’t hurt me.
Joking aside, love is one of those words our culture loves to throw around. We use it as a description of our enjoyment of a good cup of coffee, or how great a meal is. And at the same time use the phrase to describe our deep affection for a spouse, a friend, or a family member. To say the word “love” has been muddied in our world is an understatement.
So I’ll ask you again, What is love?
Well, John, the apostle of love, paints a picture of what true love is. Echoing the lifestyle of Jesus himself John shows us that true love is shown by our actions and honesty with one another.
This week Eric will unpack what that means for us as a body of believers who are called to love one another well.
Did you know that you can confess, repent, and be forgiven, all from the comfort of your own home? I found a sight called Absolution Online and you begin by selecting a category (some sins occur in more than one section):-10 Commandments-The 7 Deadly Sins-Internal Sins-Physical Sins-General SinsI also found an app called Sincerely - Off My Chest. It seems that people want to get things off their chest. So they publicly acknowledge things like: -I removed the book jackets from trashy novels so that I look more sophisticated.-I think I’m racist.-I’m the anonymous caller who told your boss that you’ve been stealing.One author said, “Like some of our readers, I’ve never personally asked God for His forgiveness, but recently I’ve come to realize that most of us, religious or not, seem to be indulging in some form of confession on a pretty regular basis.”Religious or not, we feel the need to get something off our chest. This week I’m looking forward to sharing what John says about sin as we look at 1 John 2.
This week I get to kick off our series on the book that we call 1 John. This book is actually a letter written by John. I don’t know if you know this, but Jesus nicknamed John and his brother James, two of the 12 apostles, the Sons of Thunder. You can find where Jesus gives them that nickname in Mark 3:17. It seems that it may relate to an incident when a town rejected Jesus and they wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy it. You can find that story in Luke 9:53-54. My guess is that you grew up with kids in your neighborhood or at your school who could have earned that nickname. My brother and I were called the “Most Destructive Kids On The Block” but that’s another story.I tell you that because when we get to this letter of John toward the end of the New Testament, John is now called The Apostle of Love. The Son of Thunder became the Apostle of Love. That’s what Jesus can do in your life.As we look at how John encourages us through what he wrote to the early church, you will see that he weaves threads of relationship, authenticity, love, and truth throughout his words.I’m looking forward to walking through this with you.
Let me tell you 3 things I know about your decision to follow Jesus, without knowing your story. You had already heard the message, probably. It wasn’t like someone came to you in your 20’s or 30’s and said to you, “Jesus died on the cross for your sins” and you responded, “What? He did what? Are you kidding me?” There are a few, but for most of us the message wasn’t new. And it wasn’t simply the message. It WAS the message, but it WAS ALSO the messenger. There was something about THAT person combined with the message combined with your current circumstances.You. Whether you see it or not. Whether you are ready to accept it or not, you have been and will continue to be perfectly positioned by God, because of who you are and the experiences you’ve had, to be the person God wants to use in someone else’s life to help them follow Him.In our Journey series we have been reminded that disciples of Jesus are following and being changed by Jesus. This week I get to remind us what it means to be committed to the mission of Jesus.
This weekend we will be looking at one of the very things that has perhaps caused people to struggle with church; they have seen too many whose lives often don’t match their words. Did you know that last year we helped 53 people make their commitment to Jesus through their baptism? Which is great. But we all know that making that initial commitment to Jesus is not the finish line. It’s actually closer to the starting point of our faith journey.And when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus, there is a decision we make once, about making Jesus Lord of our life. Now to be sure, we need to recommit to that daily, to remind ourselves and Jesus of Who He is in our lives. And that calls for an initial change of our lives - that is what Rich hit last week.But there is another change that happens for the REST of our lives. It is a spiritual growth that is designed to continue as long as we breathe. Just like we expect to grow physically, we expect to grow spiritually. Does that make sense? The problem that many outside the church have with people who go to church isn’t that they make their commitment to Jesus through their baptism. The problem is that too many stop there. This week, Mike will be speaking about how our faith journey includes “being changed by Jesus.”
We kick off a new series this week called Journey and week 1 is all about being a follower of Jesus.
This Sunday, in our Holiday Field Guide series where we are looking at how to survive the holidays, we will be looking at how to survive disillusionment. This is a significant issue for many of us at MCC and in our culture, especially around the holidays. Sometimes we get so caught up in the lights, gifts, and even the pace of Christmas that we don’t notice that there are others who, quite frankly, are a little disillusioned about faith because of those things. This week Mike will take us back into the passage we looked at last Sunday to guide us through why Joseph dealt with being disillusioned and what he did about it. And what we can do about it ourselves, as well as help others, today.
It may be fair to say that most of us have never been lost in the woods….but picture it: you’re lost, you have no supplies - no food, no water, no shelter. What would you do first? Where do you begin? How do you figure out what is safe? Sounds like you need a field guide!A field guide is basically a manual for identifying natural objects, flora, or fauna in nature. It can provide survival tips and tactics, and show you what is safe to eat, what you can use for shelter, navigation, etc. This series will be a field guide for us - to show us how to navigate the holidays. We’ll look at how to navigate relationships, our emotions, our thoughts, our choices, and our faith so that we stay on course and don’t end up “lost” in the busyness of this time of year. This kind of field guide will help us keep Jesus at the center of this Christmas season.This week Josh will be talking about family. Navigating the terrain of family relationships during the holidays can be treacherous - we’ll be looking at 3 character battles you’ll want to seek God’s help to fight (and win) to successfully navigate this Christmas season! We’ll be looking for direction from Matthew 1- the story of the journey Joseph and Mary took together to be used by God to bring about the birth of Jesus.
I think when most people think of generosity, they think of a specific act. Somebody had an unexpected expense. They can’t afford to get it fixed. Somebody hears the news and swoops in to save the day. The bill is paid and life is back to normal because someone wrote a check!Is that generosity? I’d like to think that, yes, that was generous. But does that one act paint the picture of what God says generosity is through His Word? I would submit that a single act of generosity can be displayed without a real heart change.You see, that is what God is up to. As He shapes our hearts to reflect His character, He is trading us a “heart of stone” for “a heart of flesh” Ez 36:26.This week Rich will walk us through a look at the things we should see in the life of a disciple that is being changed by Jesus. Paul talks plainly about them as he concludes the first letter to the Corinthians.
The church in Corinth was like other churches in the first century in that they met at night and had a tradition of gathering for a church fellowship supper prior to their worship service. Apparently their pitch-in dinners provided not only an occasion for fellowship but gave the wealthy a chance to share their abundance with the poor. That might have been the best meal some of the slaves and unemployed members would have all week.Then, after the meal, they had a worship service and served communion. But over the course of time, as often happens, what was intended for good deteriorated into irreverence. The rich got tired of waiting for the late-arriving slaves who worked until sunset, so they just ate early leaving only the scraps for the poor.Others got to bickering among themselves over who really ran the church and they split up into separate cliques that always ate together. Some drank so much wine at the fellowship meal that they got drunk. When the worship time came they were so inebriated that the Lord’s Supper was meaningless.And while we don’t tend to have those problems, there is potential for a problem today. Perhaps you’ve experienced it: Communion can become just another thing we do without really thinking about why we do it or why it’s so important.This week Mike will be sharing how Paul reminds us why, how we take communion, is important to God.
As we prepare for this weekend, I want to remind you that Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, which he started, about problems that they are experiencing that are causing divisions in the church. One of the divisive issues concerned spiritual gifts.This Sunday, I am going to completely encircle what Eric was talking about last week. He gave the central message when it comes to spiritual gifts, the heart of the message if you will. When it comes to gifts and/or worship, the heart of the message is the heart of the believer. Love must sit at the center of ALL we do. I want to pause for a moment to reflect on applying what Eric said this past Sunday. As I write this, Issue 1 has passed in Ohio. That breaks my heart and I believe breaks God’s heart as well. As we respond to this with people in conversation, or on social media, we must do so in a way that does not sound like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). Our goal is to help people see Jesus in us so they will be drawn to Him. It doesn’t mean we don’t speak truth, but we do it in a way that reflects His grace. Have the first conversation with people in such a way that you can have a second conversation with them.This week we will see that the church in Corinth is confused about spiritual gifts. They are using spiritual gifts to make much of themselves. They even see spiritual gifts as a litmus test of spiritual maturity or even spiritual power and it has created rivalries that are tearing the church apart. Look above to be reminded of what we are calling this series. It still happens today. This Sunday I’m looking forward to sharing what Paul was saying and how it plays out here at MCC.
Have you ever noticed that there are just some people who give you their opinion and have no concern about how others feel about it? Or maybe you know someone who is spot on with their beliefs, but how they communicate it isn’t the most kind? Perhaps you know someone who is faithful in volunteering, but they are doing so for the wrong reasons. This week Eric will remind us that our primary motivator as disciples of Jesus should be love that comes from the outpouring of us receiving the generous love of God. And as love motivates us we become reflections of Jesus to a world in desperate need of him.
The roles of men and women are possibly as misunderstood today then any point in history. Instead of searching for what is socially acceptable or agreed upon by the majority, let’s take a look at what God was doing by design. Genesis 1:27 says, “In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” This week Rich will remind us that as Image Bearers, it’s clear that we are to reflect something, or better said, Someone. God knows us too well to leave our roles undefined. He is clear in scripture. The problem is our execution. We will take a look at the ways God calls us to live this out in our divinely unique roles.
I’ve made a big deal out of the fact that Corinth was the home of the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. And that had a HUGE influence on the morals of the city.
But I’ve also mentioned that it was a port city, so they had access to trade and tourism and became a place where different lines of thought and philosophy flowed through; all kinds of ideas from around the world about different gods to worship and how to live your life. As you can imagine their culture was filled with temptation. Just like ours.
This week we will be reminded of some “hard to hear” truths about temptation and some promises that God makes to His children about when temptation comes your way.
If someone is looking for a church, what should they be looking for?If you have ever moved into a new city and you’re looking for a church, maybe you’ve asked that question. What is that set of criteria?I’m wondering how many of us have even pulled out a piece of paper and written down a set of criteria that you’re looking for. That allows you to not be driven by feelings, but by a well thought out answer.For others, perhaps you’ve gone with how you’ve felt. Maybe you were encouraged, challenged, or were yelled at.Some of us have never asked this question. We’re going to have Paul help us answer that question this weekend. And in all fairness to the text, it’s not the question he’s answering, but it’s in his answer to the Corinthians question that we’ll find the answer to ours.
When you hear the word freedom what do you think about?
Soldiers?
America?
The right to do whatever you please?
Freedom is one of those words we love because it largely benefits us. But what happens when our freedom becomes a stumbling block for others? How can we set aside our freedom so that others might grow?
This week Eric will help us uncover what it means to set aside our freedom so we can experience what true freedom in Christ brings.
Last week Paul addressed how sex in the Corinthian culture was influencing the church (rather than the church influencing the culture). This week Paul addresses sex inside marriage. What he is talking about in chapter 7 answers one of the questions they have written to him.And it may surprise you, but God actually has a lot to say about the subject of sex. Now it shouldn’t surprise us because God thought it up, and He thought it was a good idea. This is an area where most of us agree with God.The problem is, God’s voice on this subject is often distorted if it’s listened to at all. We are inundated with images and messages about sex all the time in our culture. And we’re not sure we want to hear about it at church, but again, God has a great deal of wisdom to give us. We’ll see that this weekend.
I hope you have been enjoying our walk through the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. One of the advantages of sitting in a book like 1 Corinthians is that you get more of a feel for the background of the people and why they are doing what they are doing. We also get to be reminded that what was true for/about them is true for/about us. I had a guy come up to me in Kroger one time and say - “Hey, you’re that preacher at the church aren’t you? You are darn funny!” Except he didn’t say darn. I didn’t quite know what to do. So I said, “Thanks.” Is it ok for me to admit that I love that? I don’t want to be a part of a church that is full of sanitized, mature believers; nor the opposite, a lot of immaturity. There needs to be some growth and maturity going on, and Paul recognized this. I think at times you and I need to be reminded of it as well, that growth is a process. Sometimes we need to grow up. And sometimes we need to grow young.We’re all in process, regardless of where we are with Jesus, but at the same time we shouldn’t excuse away prolonged immaturity. They were relatively new Christians trying to figure out not only how to follow Christ, but also how to be a church. That’s a very difficult thing and so they were struggling. They were wrestling with some of their former ways of thinking. Paul is trying to correct that. One of the areas they were confused about was sex. So we’re going to talk about that this week and next week. I’ve made a big deal out of the Temple to Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love, being in Corinth. In chapters 5 through 7 Paul talks to us, through what he writes to them (and again, keep in mind they are new to church) and in these chapters his primary focus is sexual immorality. This past Sunday, in chapter 5, we saw one of the issues that was tied to it. The next 2 weeks we will see that sin connected to sex was not just one person’s problem.And I will remind you that what was true of their culture is true of ours.This week I’m looking forward to walking through what Paul said about what is happening in our culture. I’ve asked Mark Graham to join me as we look at the impact porn has in our homes and what it has to do with sex trafficking.
This week Paul will talk about judging others. So let me ask 3 questions:
Do you like to be judged?
Have you ever judged someone?
Is it ever appropriate to judge another person?
Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” That’s from Matthew 7 in case you want to look that up because there is more to that teaching.
Our culture is constantly saying we shouldn’t judge.
But did you know that Jesus also said - “Be sure to do what the Pharisees teach, but don’t follow their example because they don’t do what they teach.”
That sounds kind of judgmental.
If you are wondering about this, this weekend I get to share what Paul writes as he lays out for us the principle in chapter 5 that Jesus demonstrated for us in His life for us about judging others.
This Sunday Eric will continue our conversation around unity as we dive into 1st Corinthians chapter 3.
As Paul addresses the “who do you follow argument?” happening in Corinth, he reminds the church that he, Apollos, and Cephas all belong to the church.
And that the church belongs to Jesus,
and Jesus belongs to God.
So exo facto all things are God’s.
The leaders of the church, the ministry volunteers, the church goer who sits in the back and leaves first thing, all belong to God.
I hope you’ll join us this week as we learn what it means to have a right view of others, ourselves, and everyone in the Church belonging to God.
We have seen in the last 2 weeks that this very young church is in an urban setting and there are a bunch of new disciples of Jesus.
The whole Christianity thing had just been invented.
With a bunch of new people come a bunch of new opinions and new ideas and perhaps some soapboxes. People could show up and they had their ideas and their opinions and there is some division in the church. What the church needs now is some mature leaders to hear both sides of the stories, make a decision, and keep going.
Stay on mission.
Stay focused.
Instead they are arguing about their leaders.
And because division can destroy a church, Paul addresses unity for 1/4 of this letter.
This week I get to help us see how Paul shows them, and us, what leaders should look like, how we should view ourselves, and how the church should see leadership.
Last week we looked back 100 years to see what life was like here in the U.S. This week we’ll see a few predictions that people made in 1923 that they thought would be true about life today. While some of them are not accurate (at least at the moment), some are hauntingly similar to everything happening in the world right now. What’s true in the world, is true in the church. The more some things change, the more others do not.
This weekend we’ll see an issue they had in the church in Corinth in the first century which could tear the church apart, is still an issue in the church in the 21st century, and still has the ability to tear the church apart. It can tear MCC apart. This week we’ll see what Paul has to say about unity in the church. And in the process we’ll see what unity is, and what it is not.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This week we will begin to walk through the letter Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth to find out that it’s not just true of the US one hundred years ago, but the church 2000 years ago. We will also see what we can learn from them about how to respond to people and issues in our culture today.
This Sunday I get to conclude our Ekklesia series by jumping straight to the last verse in the book. For the last few weeks we’ve been following how God used Paul.
Paul, who helped start at least 10 new churches in his life.
Paul, who wrote 13 of the of 27 books in the New Testament.
Paul, who influenced people whose names appear on books in the New Testament, people like Mark, Luke, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and others whose names you may recognize: Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, and Aquila and Priscilla.
In the big picture, in the grand scheme of things, when we consider the eternality of God's Kingdom and the work that is done in His Name, in terms of lives that are affected not merely for a lifetime but for all time, it seems fair to say that Paul “lived on mission.”
Why was that? And is it possible that what made Paul's ministry so successful and to leave a legacy of so many touched and changed lives for the sake of Jesus, is it possible that those things can be true of you and me and even what God is doing through us here at MCC as well?
By now, you should be seeing some obvious characteristics of the early Church. Acts doesn’t paint a rosy picture of first century Christians. We see personality clashes and differences of opinion regarding strategy. The missteps of God’s people trying to be a part of Kingdom building.
This week Rich will guide us through chapter 18 where we see the fruit of Christian’s loving God, loving people and living on mission. Did you think we came up with that on our own?!?
Take a few minutes to read through chapter 18. Familiarize yourself with the people in the story. Dig around in the background and even look at what they go on to do.
Your investment in the lives of your neighbors is a wonderful part of God’s redemptive plan. That’s what it means to Live On Mission!
For this weekend, to get you thinking about what we’ll be seeing that God chose to reveal about Himself through His church then (and His church now), fill in this blank:
Outside of the Spirit of God, one of the most powerful tools the early church had was __________.
How would you answer that?
Miracles?
People sharing their faith?
Good deeds?
There are a lot of ways to fill in that blank. This weekend may surprise you as we will be in Acts 16 with Paul and Silas, in prison, singing.
This week we see another HUGE moment in Acts. The first 12 chapters focus on the work of the Apostle Peter and the church in Jerusalem. But beginning in chapter 13 that focus shifts to the Apostle Paul and the church in Antioch. So this week we will see what God is saying to us about being a witness for Him.
This Sunday is special as we turn a corner with an event in the life of the early church. What we talked about last week, the conversion of Saul (later known as the Apostle Paul) was a major event for the early church, this week is about to be a bombshell.
And if this is your first time reading through Acts, you probably won’t pick up on this.
And maybe if you’ve read this book many times, it’s possible you still did not pick up the significance.
Today we read about a man named Cornelius who became a disciple of Jesus. And he was a Gentile. The FIRST Gentile convert to the church. And I know we’ve talked about this, but a Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew. So for all of you who are gentiles like me, this is a pivotal moment for us.
This week, we will continue our study of Acts and early church disciple making. This series has been so fascinating to examine and I am really excited to hear what Mike will share with us about Paul!
Kingdom work. It’s a call for us all. Not just a pastor, not just a select few, but for all who call on Jesus as lord and savior. This week Eric will be diving into Acts chapter 6 and 7 as we learn from an early disciple of Jesus, Stephen, and discover what it looks like for us to proclaim the Gospel and step into Kingdom Work.
The 1st Century Church was a remarkable thing to observe! There are so many things that we can see that marked a pretty discernible difference from then to now. Words like passion, commitment, and sacrifice are prominent in my mind.
This Sunday we will be studying Acts 4 together. Please read through it a time or two before Sunday. That chapter's stand out word to me is Courage. We will talk through why. See you then!
We are taking several weeks to look at the church and what the Bible tells us happened when the church started and how that plays out today.
Last week I shared that the word that we translate “church” is the Greek word “ekklesia” which means, “the people called to assemble for a specific purpose.” The church, in Jesus’ mind, was never merely a location, it’s always been people who come together for a specific purpose.
At MCC we say that we come together to be equipped to Love God, Love People, and Live on Mission.
God was about to build a kingdom without borders, and He would call it the church. The Book of Acts is a history of the church written by Luke. And when we want to understand what God intended the church to be, this is where we look.
And last week we looked at the church being born and taking its first breath, the first message of the church, 3000 people being baptized. And we were off and running.
This week we will see what happened immediately after.
If you missed last week, we have begun a series of messages where we will walk through the book of Acts. We’re calling it Ekklesia.
The Ekklesia means a people called to assemble for a specific purpose. It’s understanding that God gathers us (like on Sundays) so He can send the church into the world, as opposed to the church being a building where we open the doors and expect the world to come to us.
I love that Acts 17:6 (KJV) tells us that the church bought into the idea so much that it had the reputation of turning the world upside down! So for the next several weeks we are looking at words that describe the kind of church that God sends to turn the world upside down.
And last week we saw the beginning of the birth of the church. And Jesus told His disciples to wait for the gift His Father would send. (Acts 1:4). That gift they were waiting on was the Holy Spirit.
And in our verses this week, the Holy Spirit shows up! And we see how He sends His Holy Spirit to us today.
This week Craft sits down with Mike and Rich as they talk through the Essentials For Salvation
The church has not always existed. I’m not talking about MCC. Did you know that 50 people met in May of 1954 to start MCC? I’m talking about THE church.
If you go back to the beginning of the Bible in Genesis, the church is not there. But in all fairness, nothing else is either, except God.
The church is nowhere in the Old Testament.
The church is nowhere in the gospels.
It isn’t until Jesus has gone back to heaven that the church shows up.
And the church turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6 ESV).
We are looking at how God did and does turn the world upside down through the church. We will be settling into the book of Acts, the story of the beginning of the church, to see how God wants to turn our world upside down through us. This week we will begin at the birth of the church in Acts 1.
This week Craft sits down to talk with Mike and Rich about the context of Luke and Acts and how to understand the biblical context!
This Sunday Mike will conclude our Future/Past series. Last week I got to honor and encourage our graduates, and not just them but all of us, about the future and the traps that can catch us and negatively impact our future.This week Mike will help us look back. Just as important as it is to look forward, it’s equally important to have moments where we look back. We’ll see why.And we’ll look back as individuals, as disciples, and as a nation.____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
This week, as we celebrate our graduates, we kick off our new series, Future/Past, where we will be looking at what God has for each of our futures as well as why it’s important to remember our past.There are a few times each year where it naturally makes sense to look ahead to the future:January when a new year begins, May when students are graduating, and August when students head back to school and the regular rhythm of life returns after living the summer rhythm of life. However, whenever we get into a conversation around our future each one of us has a few different traps that we can fall into. However as we will find in scripture God has a way for us to escape each of these traps or avoid them all together. ____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
You’ve probably heard this before but Abraham Lincoln said, “The greatest lessons I’ve learned were at my mother’s knees.” Perhaps you too. But we also want to acknowledge something about this Sunday right out of the shoot. Mother’s Day is not an easy day for everyone. For some because you agree with Abraham Lincoln, your mom was great, but she is gone. Maybe this is your first Mother’s Day without her or maybe it’s been many, but it just hurts, especially on the day set aside to honor moms.Or maybe your mom was not loving, or worse, and today is a very difficult day.Or maybe you’ve tried to be a mom, and can’t. I am so sorry.I want you to know that our hearts are with you.But for those who have or had moms who loved you well, for those of you who ARE moms who reflect well the smile of God to your families, we want to honor you this Sunday. So we will conclude our He Gets Us series with a message about children. ____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
This Sunday we will be taking a look at a red hot topic: Justice. Notice I didn’t say social justice? There’s a huge difference between the two. We live in a time that cultural pundits change the meaning of words/phrases. If you don’t define the terms, we could be misled or even worse, you could confuse the people that you are asking God to help you influence.What is God expecting us to do? How can we show love AND tell the truth at the same time. It is not only possible, it’s our job as Christ followers! We will look at the OT book of Micah and the teaching of Jesus in the NT Gospels.____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
We seem to be living in an Age of Outrage.Everybody seems mad, and it’s not getting any better.It feels like we’re living in the Divided States of America.And in America these days, Christians are often seen as part of the problem rather than part of the solution. If we aren’t careful, we can get sucked into the mayhem, and we’re just one more angry voice. Is it possible to say that sometimes there are moments when our anger gets the best of us?James reminds us (James 1:20), “Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”Actually, more often than not, it produces the opposite. Our anger very quickly can turn to hatred. And no one wants to be accused of that.Let me ask, what is your emotional response to: “Jesus loves the people we hate?”Jesus walked our earth at a time when hatred was alive and well, so He Gets Us. The real question is, how do we respond in such a way that others see Him living in us? How do we respond, in an age of outrage, in such a way that it helps others get Him?____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
If I asked you to name 3 of your friends, who would come to mind? By the way, Mike is going to ask you that question this weekend.And then he’s going to ask you, “Why do like them? Similar hobbies? Same interests? Personalities? Good sense of humor? Easy going?” Maybe you’ve just always been friends.You know how he asks questions to set up the question he really wants you to think about? That’s what he’s doing here. He really wants you to think through this: “Why do they like you?”What is it that people see in you that they like?Even more: What is it that Jesus sees when He looks at you?This weekend we are going to be reminded that Jesus invites everyone through the story of Matthew.____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
This weekend we are taking what we started last week and turning a bit of a corner with it. Last week we were talking about how we can be Just Like Jesus. This week we’re going to begin a look at how Jesus was just like us.And what that means.And why it's important.And what difference it makes to our culture to hear that He Gets Us. Can this help our culture, which doesn’t know much about Jesus, and who doesn’t have a positive view of the church? How do we let people know Who He is and why they should turn and follow Him? We follow His lead.This Sunday we’ll begin with a question Jesus asked His disciples about Who He is.And this Sunday we will ordain Meghan Fritsch into ministry during our 11:00 service. Meghan has been with us since September of 2017 serving as our Director of Nursery and Preschool Programming. As part time staff she has always gone above and beyond to serve our children, their families, and our volunteers. It is a great honor to get to set her aside for ministry.____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
This week we turn a corner in our Just Like series because as we celebrate Easter, we will see how we are Just Like Jesus. Or, at least, how we’re supposed to be just like Jesus. Part of what we will look at this weekend is 1 John 4:17 which says, “In this world we are like Jesus.” What does that mean?The corner we will turn is we will spend several weeks working this out in our He Gets Us series that starts April 16. Perhaps you have seen He Gets Us on a commercial during the Super Bowl or in the ads or on a billboard or on a race car.This week one journey hands right off to another.Our Bible reading plan for next week is called Jesus Revealed Pt. 13 - No Greater Love. This plan will walk you back through what happened in the upper room leading to the cross, but each day will have with it something for you to do. It will ask you to lean into what we will be reminded of this weekend: Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
When I graduated from college, I was invited back to my home church in Columbus to serve as the Student Pastor. I would actually be the first full-time Student Pastor Norton (now Eastpointe. There is a whole story about the old and new name of my home church. I was actually part of the team who led the church in changing it. But that’s for another time. Or not).I served as the Student Pastor for 13 years and then I was able to serve as the Lead Pastor for 7 years before coming to MCC. I’m telling you that because I learned first hand what Jesus meant when He said (Luke 6:4) that “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” Jesus was talking about the familiarity people felt with Him kept them from recognizing Who He is. I had a similar issue.Part of what makes it difficult is that I was serving as a pastor among people who knew me from birth. And I don’t just mean the folks who served in the nursery at our church, although there were people who had literally changed my diaper. I also mean those with whom I grew up and went to school. They saw the side of me away from the church. And many refused to believe I was the Tuttle brother who was in ministry.In a word, I had a past.How could God use someone like me?Maybe you’ve wondered the same thing. This weekend we’ll be looking at Rahab. If you don’t know her story yet, you will. And you might ask the same about her. By the way, you might be surprised to read her name and where you read it in the New Testament. (Matthew 1:5) What you won’t be surprised by is how you are Just Like Rahab.____________Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
This week we are continuing our series called Just Like where we’re looking at characters in the Bible to see how we are just like them. This weekend, our Student Pastor Eric will be walking us through the story of Joshua.
Just like Joshua, we have a choice to be bold in our faith and trust in God or to walk away scared. That tension is where a majority of us live. Scared of the battled ahead, wondering if God will do what He says. This Sunday we are diving into the story of Joshua and Jericho and learning how if we choose to be bold in our trust of the Lord, He will be faithful to us.
____________
Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/
Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
This week we are beginning a new series called Just Like and we’re going to be looking at characters in the Bible to see how we are just like them.
That what is true of them is true of us as well.
And that can be encouraging. Or we’ll at least see what we’re up against.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be looking at how we are Just Like
Rahab
Joshua
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo
Judas
This weekend we are going to see how we are Just Like Cain. In case you don’t know who he is, his story is in Genesis 4. What we’ll see is not only how we are like him every day, but what choices we need to make so our story ends up in a different spot than his.
____________
Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/
Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten on marriage? (Men, be careful how you answer that. A joke may be on the tip of your tongue but it is most likely best to leave it there.)
I wonder how many of us would say it was a book they have read. According to Cosmopolitan, the best book to read is The Five Love Languages. If you’ve never read that, you should. If you’re not married, you still should. It helps with all relationships in your life. Including understanding how God has wired you.
I had a friend, who was an elder in my home church, sit me down just days before my wedding with some really good words of wisdom.
Maybe you’ve received advice that you have found helpful from a podcast or retreat experience. There are a lot of places to get helpful insights, and quite frankly, if you are or plan to be married, you should continue to get all the help you can for as long as you can.
Peter told the men in the early church, (1 Peter 3:7): “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way…” That means that we spend the rest of our lives working to understand our wives. Seems like good advice for wives as well. It’s possible that men are not as easily understood as our culture would entertain us to think (please catch what I’m saying there).
We want to be one of those places where you can find help for:
Good marriages that you want to be great
Hurting marriages that you want to have healed
What to know before you get married (or married again)
And I hope it’s obvious that we will go straight to the Bible for what God has said.
This week we have a panel of MCCers who will share what they have learned from God and how they have applied it and what happened (or not and what happened) in their home.
____________
Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/
Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/
This week Eric and I will be team-teaching what the Bible says about dating. You might be surprised.
And we have intentionally timed our Real series about relationships for February because, whether you love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day makes almost everyone think about romance. I wonder if you realize how big of a deal the day we just celebrated is. It is a day recognized around the world that celebrates love. While February 14 marks a day of candy, flowers, greeting cards, and romantic dinners around the United States, other parts of the world have their own unique ways to celebrate.
In the United Kingdom anonymous valentines are sent to romantic interests because it is believed that signing their name to the card is considered bad luck.
In Wales, rather than celebrate love on February 14, residents celebrate St. Dwynwen’s Day on January 25. St. Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers and men traditionally gift women with hand-carved wooden spoons.
In Japan women make the first move on Valentine’s Day. They give men gifts instead of the other way around, a popular gift being honmei-choco, a homemade chocolate. Men return the gesture on March 14, when men give women white chocolate and other white gifts as a sign of their affection.
Finland and Estonia celebrate Friend’s Day on February 14, a day for honoring both friends and significant others. Cards and gifts are still given out and can be for anyone from a best friend to a neighbor. February 14 is also a popular day to get engaged in both countries. Additionally, Estonia has an interesting tradition for single people - they can take a ride on the Love Bus in hopes of meeting someone special. Anyone else hearing the background song for the show? Sorry.
You may be in a romantic relationship (or one that used to be and you wish was again).
You may wish you were dating someone.
You may wonder what God has to say about the relationship you’re in.
You may wonder how what God says compares/contrasts to what our culture says.
This Sunday we will begin that conversation.
This Sunday I will be talking about friendship in general and how to be a good friend (which also tells you what to look for in those you call “friend”).
And you already know why this is important. Friendship is good for our soul. Friends can make the ordinary, extraordinarily fun. And good friends ease our pain and lighten our heavy load.
But not only are friends good for the soul, they’re good for the body as well.
Friends help us:
ward off depression
boost our immune system
lower our cholesterol decrease
the odds of coronary disease
and keep stress hormones in check.
According to Harvard Health, dozens of studies have shown that people who have social support from family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer.
Conversely, a relative lack of social ties is associated with depression, later-life cognitive decline, as well as increased mortality.
One study, which examined data from more than 309,000 people, found that the lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50%.
No wonder God says so much about how to do relationships. And as if to make the point, this goes all the way back to the beginning.
This week we conclude our Streaks series by being reminded, because I think we all know this, that we are not meant to do our faith journey alone.
We are born to belong.
We are created for community.
And whether we admit it to ourselves or not, we spend our whole lives trying to fit in, get in, and stay in. It almost doesn’t even matter what “in” is; we just want to belong somewhere.
Romans 12:5 (NIV) reminds us that in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
In a healthy-functioning community of disciples of Jesus we are deeply connected to one another, and when something happens, good or bad, the instinctive response is to rally around one another.
We will also be reminded that community is not only how we impact each other, but how we impact the world.
This week, Jason Beaver continues our series Streaks by focusing on the habit of Generosity. Jason walks us through the importance of making generosity a regular habit and how it will push to a deeper level of faith when we commit to a plan of regular generosity.
This Sunday we look at a conversation Jesus had that speaks about a 3rd streak we need to be shooting for that is the biggest catalyst for those who are younger disciples. By the way, I don’t mean your age or how long you’ve been following. As a matter of fact, you may have been following Jesus for years or decades and still be a young disciple. And if this habit is not part of your walk, you will stay there.
This streak comes up in a conversation that started with a question: “Who is my neighbor?” And we find out that being a good neighbor (read that disciple of Jesus) is really just about opening your eyes to the simple things you can do to help someone in need.
Streaks are something that you want to do (or not do) intentionally and consistently because it gets you somewhere you want to go. They are not something someone or something can do for you. You actually have to do it. It’s not something that can be set on autopilot. It requires action on your part.
Last week we began with the disciplines that surround scripture. By far, the number one catalyst for growth in your faith, regardless of how long you have been following Jesus, is how you engage the Bible.
This week it’s about prayer.
A friend once said to me, “A church cannot grow beyond the prayers of its people.” Do you believe that?
This week we look at why praying is one of the streaks that a disciple of Jesus must have, what we need to make sure our prayers include, and how to make it a daily streak.
This weekend we will begin a series called Streaks. The idea for this series is that there are habits or disciplines that, as disciples of Jesus, we need to develop that will have their greatest impact on our lives if we do them consistently and often.
Daily is what we should be shooting for.
Hence - streaks.
During this series we’re going to look at what God uses in our lives so that we are being changed by Jesus.
This Sunday we are beginning with the disciplines that surround scripture. By far, the number one catalyst for growth in your faith - regardless of how long you have been following Jesus - is how you engage the Bible.
Paul wrote to Timothy, (2 Timothy 2:15 NIV),” Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
This weekend we will see how we can make this streak a reality in our life.
As we start our year I want to remind you that when we say disciple at MCC we mean someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus.
So this Sunday I want to talk about chairs.
Have you ever played musical chairs? Probably when you were younger, maybe at a birthday party? Everyone is in a circle and there is one less chair then there are people and someone plays music and when it stops you find a chair. When I was a Student Pastor, we played full contact musical chairs with our high school students. That just removes the pretense of being polite. That was fun.
I’m going to guess that most of us continue to play this even as adults, we just may not recognize it as the game. But we stand up, We move from this chair to that one, We stake our claim. We want to be the last one sitting in the winning chair because we all know that where you end up sitting in life is a big deal.
So as we sit on the edge of a new year, I want us to stop and think about where you are currently sitting when it comes to life and your relationship with God. Because, and I want to make sure you get this, where you end up sitting in life is a big deal.
We will remind ourselves what Jesus has brought into our lives and still offers to people today, a message of hope.
This year we will have 3 Christmas Eve services:
December 23 at 7:00pm
December 24 at 5:30pm and 7:00pm
I’d like to ask a favor. When you determine the service you intend to be part of, please RSVP.
There are 3 ways you can do that:
-
our website on the Christmas tab
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a link on our Facebook page
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The sign-ups tab on our Church Center app
We’re asking MCCers to do this so we can anticipate how many will be in the room for each service. This also allows us to plan well for children in our nursery and preschool classrooms which will be available for all 3 services. We know that we have people from the community who will not know to do this so we want to make sure we have plenty of room for everyone. We can and will be ready to expand seating as needed. Thank you for your help in being prepared for that.
This Sunday Rich will continue our Ugly Christmas Sweater series talking about “the blues.” Christmas can be a time seasoned with disappointment. Perhaps you have heard me say that Christmas is the Great Exaggerator. Whatever you are feeling the rest of the year - at Christmas time - the volume gets turned up.
This year we are approaching the Christmas season through a series that we’re calling Ugly Christmas Sweaters. Now, while ugly Christmas sweaters are funny, we know that Christmas brings with it, for many people, an ugly side of life. We try to bury it with colored lights and music and Christmas specials and Hallmark movies that begin in October, but people, maybe your friends, maybe you, deal with:
Busyness
Depression
Loneliness
And Jesus didn’t come to gloss over the ugly parts of life, He came to light them up with His Kingdom and help us through. So we’re going to be taking the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas to talk about what it looks like and what Jesus has to say about helping people through the ugly parts of Christmas.
This Sunday we will be starting with Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth.
Family gatherings are always stressful. Each time we gather together we are bringing in both our expectations and our brokenness. But what if our family gatherings could look different. This week we will look at scripture to see how putting Jesus at the center of our families can actually change the way we view our gatherings and how we treat each other.
Next Thursday is Thanksgiving and many of us will be getting together with family at some point. AND because the next day is Black Friday and the following Monday is Cyber Monday, we thought it was good for us to be reminded of what Paul reminded the early church. This is the official beginning of the holiday season that will take us through New Year’s Day.
This week as we begin our series, Family Feels, I want to remind us all that children are awesome. Our responsibility to them as parents (and all of us who have children within our sphere of influence) is awesome too.
Christian psychologist Gary Smalley co-wrote a book with John Trent entitled, “The Blessing.” They wrote: “ While we may say out loud that we don't care what other people think about us, on the inside we all yearn for intimacy and affection. This yearning is especially true in our relationship with our parents. Gaining or missing out on parental approval has a tremendous effect on us, even if it has been years since we have had any regular contact with them. In fact, what happens in our relationship with our parents can greatly affect all our present and future relationships."
And we all have this in common. We long for the love and praise of our parents; what Smalley and Trent call “The Blessing.” Sunday I get to share about the incredible opportunity we have, here at MCC, to bless the children in our lives.
This weekend we are going to conclude our Life Is Hard, God Is Good series by looking at the last 3 chapters of Job’s story. As a reminder, last week we looked at chapters 3-37 which contains the conversation that Job’s 3 friends had with Job, mostly accusing him of doing something wrong that prompted God to punish him so heinously. It also contained Job defending himself and complaining about how God treated him.
As the book ends, God speaks. And in what God says, we will be reminded of three principles that we need when we face difficult times in our lives as well. And none of these may fly well in our culture today.
There is an organization from Europe known as BLTC Research. The company was founded in 1995 in order to promote what they call “paradise-engineering.” One of their stated goals is to deliver “genetically pre-programmed well-being.” According to their scientists - using our “super-minds” and genetic engineering - mankind can abolish both physical and mental pain altogether. They plan to create super-health and usher in a cruelty-free world. No suffering.
Now that’s an interesting world-view, but you know as well as I do, it’s absolutely ridiculous. We saw last week that we live in a fallen world and that bad things happen to good people. In fact, both God’s Word and human experience demonstrate that human suffering helps us mature and that the experience of suffering forces us to lean more heavily upon God.
Last week we read the story of Job that so many people are familiar with. This week we will see what we can learn from the conversation between Job and his friends who came to “comfort him.”
Job lived 4500 years ago. And the book of Job was probably the first book in the Bible. He predated Moses who wrote the first 5 books of the Bible.
Q: Why, you may ask, am I telling you that?
A: The first divinely inspired book written deals with humanity’s age-long mystery; why do good people suffer? Some things never change.
There comes a time in every life, just like in Job’s, when you will wonder the same thing. It’s as if all hell has broken loose. Suddenly. Unexpectedly.
It happens to all of us. No one is exempt. One way or another, tragedy strikes every life. And then the doubts begin. The questions:
Why is this happening to me?
What have I done to deserve this?
God, what’s wrong with me?
God, don’t You still love me?
I want to warn you now:
There will be lessons in this series you won’t want to hear. We will likely read verses that will raise more questions than they answer. Some painful memories may come rising to the surface as we look at Job’s life.
But it’s my hope that God will speak to you through His Word so you can be equipped for when very difficult times come your way.
This week we begin his story.
If you’re one of the 115 million Americans who heads to work in a vehicle on a daily basis, odds are there are few things that frustrate you more than getting stuck at a red light. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the perfect amount of time for a light to remain red is between 60 and 90 seconds. That means that, ideally, an urban driver would spend an average of 75 seconds waiting at each red light.
According to AAA, the average American spends 17,600 minutes driving each year. That’s 3,520 minutes, or 58.6 hours, spent waiting at red lights every 365 days.
But it’s not just waiting in line that challenges our patience, challenging situations and frustrating people, test our patience as well. Sometimes even the best of friends can test each others’ patience.
Patience can be an Achilles’ heel, depending on how it affects the example we are leaving of our faith and how being a disciple of Jesus plays out in real life in real time.
And this Sunday, as we conclude our Achilles’ series, we’ll see what James says about helping us with that.
Conflict is a universal experience with all people.
It doesn't matter how well you get along, it doesn't matter how much you love each other, it doesn't matter how mature a Christian you are, there is still going to be some conflict in your life.
In fact, in any relationship with another person, no two people are going to see eye to eye on every issue. The more time you spend together, the more opportunities you'll have to disagree.
However, that doesn't mean we can't live our lives in peace and harmony either. Conflict is inevitable, but it doesn't have to be fatal. This week we’ll be looking at what James says about two of the most common roots of conflict in our lives, and how we can avoid allowing that to be an Achilles’ heel in our faith.
Dr. Louann Brizendine is a neuropsychiatrist and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. She wrote the books, “The Female Brain” in 2006 and “The Male Brain” in 2010. She states that, “A woman uses about 20,000 words per day while a man uses about 7,000.”
Now there is a lot that could be said with that type of statistic. But I won’t say any of them.
But I will remind you that Proverbs 18:20 (Good News Version) says, “You have to live with the consequences of everything you say.”
Have you ever noticed that some of us are born with a silver foot in our mouth?
We have this natural ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Nothing is opened more wrongly at the wrong time than our mouths.
James talks more about the tongue than any author in the New Testament. Every chapter in his book says something about managing your mouth. This Sunday, I will be sharing 2 reasons that James reminds us of why our mouth can be an Achilles’ heel, and what we can do to make sure it’s not.
We continue our series through the book of James which we’re calling Achilles because, regardless of how mature we are in our faith, we all have at least one, Achilles’ heel (weakness). Maybe more than one.
I’m going to bet that most of us think that what James talks about next, that we have totally under control. This is not a problem for us. And big picture, maybe it’s not a problem here at MCC. Maybe. But I wonder if you will discover what I did as I prepared for this message, at times I do struggle with this. This week we see how favoritism was an Achilles’ heel in the early church and can be in our lives as well.
On any given weekend, I think it would be fair to say that, some of us who gather for worship come looking for answers and you know God’s Word has those answers. I would think it is equally fair to say that the majority of us are here because, at some point, God’s Word did change our lives. And we were determined to give ourselves to Him. And, there will be some in worship, online or in the room who have not made a commitment to Jesus through their baptism who are still trying to figure the Book out. For those who have had God’s Word change you life, let me ask you this, does it still? Does the Word of God still change your life? Because the Bible can become an Achilles’ heel in our lives. How is that even possible?
Achilles; Do you know who he was?
Do you know what he was famous for?
There is no evidence that Achilles was a real person, but he was the central character of Homer’s Iliad. You’ll understand why I want to make that disclaimer in a moment.
Achilles was one of the greatest warriors and heroes in Greek Mythology. He was considered a hero because he was the most successful soldier in the Greek army during the Trojan War.
But to be clear, Achilles was a literary character, not a literal character. I make that clear because, as the story goes, after Achilles was born, his mother wanted to protect him from harm. She held him by the heel and dipped him into the river Styx. In Greek Mythology, the river Styx was located in the Underworld and had special powers. Achilles became invulnerable everywhere but at his heel, where his mother held him. Which is also where he was hit by an arrow and subsequently died.
So the term 'Achilles' heel' refers to a weakness or vulnerable point in someone.
Even someone very strong.
So what we’re going to talk about over the next six weeks are areas of our lives that can be an Achilles’ heel for those of us who are disciples of Jesus.
We believe we should be a church of disciple-makers, who look for opportunities to restore the world around them in service, and who pray every day for clarity, insight, and strength as we trust that God is in control and we are doing the best we can to follow Him well. But, what does that look like as the church gathers each week? What does that look like when we serve in ministry areas? How do we protect from organizational drift and stay focused on our mission? It will take work. It will take putting some things together. It will take all of us committing together to this fundamental work that Jesus calls us to; discipleship.
June 27, 2022, offered a vivid reminder that Americans believe in prayer. On that Monday, the Supreme Court’s decision in Joseph Kennedy v. Bremerton School District supported the former assistant football coach’s right to pray in public.
For seven years, Kennedy took a knee on the football field after games, and as Washington Post reporter Robert Barnes stated, “From the stands, it might have looked like nothing more than someone tying a shoe.” The Supreme Court documents identified it as “30 seconds of personal prayer at the conclusion of a football game.”
Barnes noted of the court brief: “The school district decided it had a problem in the 2015 season, when an opposing coach told Bremerton’s principal that he ‘thought it was pretty cool how [the District] would allow’ Kennedy’s religious activity.” Fearing repercussions for what an opposing coach called “pretty cool,” the Washington high school suspended Kennedy and then later placed him on administrative leave.
The challenge weaved its way through the Judicial System for seven years, culminating in the Supreme Court’s verdict. The documentation cited Abraham Lincoln for his opinion about faith in public service: “I would be the most foolish person on this footstool earth if I believed for one moment that I could perform the duties assigned to me without the help of One Who is wiser than all.”
I know we all applaud the decision. But do we practice the behavior that causes a stir in our culture? This week we’ll see why that is important to growing us up to be more like Jesus AND how that will affect MCC.
Paul would write this to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:7b-8) - train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Look at that: Physical training is of some value. We all know that. Lifting weights, cardio, yoga, martial arts training, running, swimming, etc…all of those have benefits for our body. Taking a walk is better than just sitting and watching TV Surprisingly, you don’t get in better shape watching ESPN all day. Although if you did, we would most likely have some pretty healthy people around here.
Paul says the same thing is true of our faith. In other words, with our faith, there is Some Assembly Required. But it's important because it holds promise for both the present life and the life to come.
What we’re going to talk about for the next few weeks, let me just say that there are 3 words that strike fear in some people’s lives. If you had to guess what those 3 little words are, what would you say?
Some of us, when we read those 3 words, we just…sit back and stare at them. We sweat just a little.
When you buy a grill at the hardware store, those words are right there.
You buy a crib for your baby, those words are staring at you when it arrives.
Those 3 little words are: SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
It’s interesting to me that there are other people who do not have that fear at all. When it comes to cars, my friend Tim, takes them all the way down to nothing and brings them back up. It’s pretty cool.
Usually we lean one way or the other.
But most of life is Some Assembly Required.
So is our faith.It doesn’t just happen to you, you don’t just sit in church once a week and bingo bango bongo you’re a growing follower of Jesus.
I want to be real clear, this is not about earning you salvation. Rather, for those who have already given their lives to Jesus, what we’re going to talk about over the next 4 weeks are habits that help us become more like Him.
“Therefore, go,” Jesus said. We’ve all heard the verse that closes Matthew, yet too often, the nature of that commandment is lost on us. There is a depth and a historical resonance to what Jesus is telling us to do. He is telling us to make disciples. Disciples that obey. Obedience to his last command means that, by definition, we aren’t genuine disciples until we’ve made a disciple that obeys everything he’s commanded. Our best marker for making a disciple is when the person we are discipling makes a disciple. The goal of the advancing Kingdom of God doesn’t stop with a pursuit of personal holiness (though that’s part of it) it continues to a commission of others into a lifelong mission to make disciples of Jesus. It’s much more than personal betterment, it extends to global restoration.
We get to participate in what God is doing. But it's uncomfortable and it means releasing those you’ve let into your life through discipleship to go and connect with and disciple others. I can’t wait to be together Sunday and talk more about this last and vital component of disciple-making; releasing intentionally.
This week we had a guest speaker, Justin Gravitt, who joined us and talked about how Jesus taught relationally.
Justin is the Director of Innovation and Advancement with Navigator Church Ministries. In his role, he helps churches all over the area grow and develop disciple-making cultures.
This week he spoke about how Jesus' disciples.
The disciples of Jesus left everything and followed. Matthew 4:19-20 makes it look so easy for them. They heard Jesus’ invitation they immediately left their old life behind.
But, what did he do to transform them from ordinary and unschooled into those who walk on water faith?
In Luke 19 we find the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who Jesus goes out of his way to step into the story of and as a result Zacchaeus walks away from the encounter changed and begins to follow the way of Jesus. Zacchaeus story doesn’t change if Jesus doesn’t step in. This is true of the people around us as well. Like Mike talked about last week we are called to be disciple makers and part of that calling means stepping into others stories. That why this week we are asking the questions; What would it look like if we lived in such a way where everyone got a seat at the table? And what if I invited the people, who don’t look, act or think like me into the story of who Jesus is?
In our culture there are several words used to describe who we are:
MCCers
The Church
Christians
Jesus Followers
The Bible word for those who followed Jesus, is disciple.
And we are going to take the next several weeks to flesh out what that means to us today and why at MCC, we are using a word that seems foreign to our culture but has great meaning for how we are to live our lives.
One of the passages of scripture that we may find hard to want to say out loud is what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV): Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
We should all be able to say it.
But what does it mean?
In real life, how do we do that?
Last week we looked at what the pace of Jesus teaches us about how His example should shine through ours. This week we’ll look at the priority of Jesus as we encounter someone who was described as “a woman we might never have remembered had she not crossed the path of the One we could never forget.” And that description gives you a glimpse into Jesus’ priority and we’ll talk about what it looks like for His priority to be our priority as well.
For the last few weeks, we have been looking at what I believe we as a culture have a hard time doing appropriately. We've been in a series we’re calling Play AND Purpose and it seems to me that we either lean too much into one or the other. Either we can't remember the last time we were not fully absorbed in a work week or we can't remember the last time we forgot about work.
We can’t remember the last time we gave ourselves to something greater than ourselves or we can’t remember the last time we were just silly. We can't remember the last time we were productive or not trying to be productive.
Play AND Purpose.
Two weeks ago Adam walked us through “AND.” Last week Eric walked us through Purpose as we celebrated our graduates. If you missed either of those you can catch them here.
This Sunday I want to walk with you through Play. Come prepared to have fun. Seriously, we’re going to have to have a good time.
Continuing in our Play And Purpose series, Student Pastor Eric Craft talks about how a life of purpose is centered in Jesus.
This morning we are beginning a series called Play and Purpose.
We wanted to take a few weeks to look at these because we’re closing in on summer and I hope you will take some time to play. And next week is graduate Sunday and we want to talk about purpose and the importance of that. As our students transition out of high school and onto the next phase of their lives - purpose is what will guide them through a lot of decisions that will impact - not just today but tomorrow.
So Play and Purpose.
But today is not about Play - that’s in 2 weeks. but neither is today about Purpose - that’s next week. What does that leave us?
Today is about AND.
I know you are well aware that our world is divided. It actually has always been divided, but that division now seems to be wider, more obvious, and more filled with hatred.
However, as we prepared, we also determined that just as important as the stand we take is how we do it.
Peter said (1 Peter 3:15-16): 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
To be clear, we are called to always be ready to answer everyone who asks us about our hope, and we’ll talk about that. But I want to make sure you catch what Peter says next:
But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
And sometimes it’s not too difficult to pull that off. But how do you deal with the unexpected, especially when the unexpected is unpleasant? How do you deal with situations when the heat is turned up quickly, and you seem to be standing in the middle of the fire?
This weekend we’ll see how we can do that.
“If I ran the world everything would be better.” Have you ever thought that?
For most of us, it's a joke, but there is a kernel of truth there. This small belief that if everyone saw like you did the world would make sense and be better. The problem is it explains away a lot of shortcomings that we all have. The reality is we judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. We know what we meant to do and so we hold ourselves in the highest regard, while for others all we see is a part of what they’ve done and we think we can diagnose how to make their life better in an instant.
That’s why Jesus made it very clear that before we ever start to believe that we can impose our will on the world, our lives better have gone under an intense process of restoration and alignment with God’s will. As we do that, we might just find more and more how much we have to change in our lives and leave it to God to be in control of the rest.
This weekend we are beginning a new series called Take A Stand. Originally the idea for this series was to take a few issues that are current with our culture where, as followers of Jesus, at a minimum, we should know where we stand and why we stand there.
But we’re not just going to tell you what we think or feel, we’re going to show you what God has said through the Bible. I hope you’ll join us for those.
But as we talked about this, it’s important for us to know where we take a stand, but equally important (maybe more) is HOW we take a stand.
This Sunday I’ll be talking about what we stand on when we take a stand.
Celebrating Easter is all about Jesus’ death and burial and resurrection. And we celebrate this weekend with egg hunts and baskets and family gatherings and coming to church together or coming together in your home to be part of this there. But this weekend is HUGE because at the cross we find forgiveness for our sins. That is why we follow Jesus right up to the cross. But we’ll also be reminded that there is something else we are called to as we follow Jesus away from the cross.
I hope you will bring your family and friends this weekend so you can be reminded of why what we celebrate this weekend is so important.
I still remember sitting in my office with someone who wanted to talk about beginning their relationship with Jesus. They wanted to be baptized. We talked about that. And as we were finishing, she looked at me and had this troubled look in her eyes. She said, “What happens after I’m baptized? I mean, what if I sin?”
I asked, “What do you mean?”
She said, “The Bible says that when we give our lives to Jesus that all of our sins are forgiven, right? I said, yea. We had just looked at this verse, (Acts 2:38 NIV), Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…
Psalm 103:12 says, “He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west.”
She said. “My slate is wiped clean, right?”
“Right.”
“So what happens if I sin after I’m baptized?”
You know what she’s asking: I wonder if you’ve wondered this.
What happens when I sin?
Am I finished?
Does God not love me anymore?
Does that question bother you?
If that has bothered you, let me tell you what I told her. I said, “Oh, it’s not IF you sin, it’s WHEN you sin. You will.” If you’ve wondered the same thing, or had a friend ask you about this, our one-word prayer this week, Oops, will help you.
It has been a difficult two years, pandemic, social unrest, geopolitical crisis. As these things continue to pop up we can be tempted to wonder, “when will things get back to normal?” we can follow up with another tough question; God, why?
In seasons of great uncertainty, it’s really hard to get to peace, and a lack of peace sends you searching for reasoning. Uncertainty or anxiety can become a downward spiral because you don’t want to feel that way, and you start to feel like there’s something wrong with you and then you worry about that, and quickly peace that was just in your grasp seems like a distant memory from a person you used to be.
Look pandemic and geopolitical crisis aside, it can be any inciting incident that makes anxieties rise. We all just went through a season where collectively our “normal” was crushed, and we are coming slowly into a new normal, but every day there is the chance that our lives will be flipped upside down. In those times, after the phone call, the meeting, the diagnosis, the accident we can find ourselves going to God with what is a fair question, “Why?”
This Sunday, our one-word prayer is exactly that question we’ve uttered hundreds of times before, and we will look at what God is up to in the midst of our most chaotic seasons.
Have you ever asked God for something or for someone?
A teenager who is having her 5th open heart surgery?
A young mom whose husband left her?
A young man fighting cancer?
Your dad when he is fighting for his life?
A young couple who want a child but don’t seem to be able to get or others who can seem to sustain pregnancy.
Maybe none of those are prayers you’ve prayed, but they are all prayers I have asked God, “Please.” “Please”, that You will hear us God and “Please” that You will attend to my needs and the needs of others. And let me add this, none of those were one off prayers. There were times I was literally on my knees and prayed the same thing for days, weeks, months. Have you been there?
Notice the nearness of the words “please” and “plead.” What do “Please” prayers teach us about ourselves and about God?
Over the last few weeks we have been talking about One Word Prayers that, my guess is, we’ve all prayed at least one of these. And maybe it wasn’t a literal one word prayer, but it might have been.
This Sunday we are going to look at: Yes. And many of us at MCC have prayed this prayer. So what does it look like to say Yes to Jesus? Again, many of us here have done that. But there are some who, for a variety of reasons, have not. And maybe some are wondering, how do I say Yes to Jesus? This week we will see how to pray this prayer, what it means, and what happens when we do.
There will be a time in your life if it hasn’t happened already when you will need help. Thankfully, we have a father in heaven who loves to write stories of redemption. It is the fact that all of us will need help that we should also look for ways to serve those around us, because when we participate in God’s kingdom of restoration it becomes stronger and everyone is served better.
Charles Spurgeon says this, “It is ours, not to speculate, but to perform acts of mercy and love, according to the tenor of the gospel. Let us then be less inquisitive and more practical, less for cracking doctrinal nuts, and more for bringing forth the bread of life to the starving multitudes.”
We see the person begging for cash at an intersection and we wonder what they did in their life to end them up there. Or we end up so calloused by stories of scam artists that we don’t even notice the person begging.
We all have blinders thrown onto us by expectations, calendars, fears, and doubts, but God is in the business of giving sight to the blind.
Charles Spurgeon also says this, “Whenever you see a man in sorrow and trouble, the way to look at it is, not to blame him and inquire how he came there, but to say, ‘Here is an opening for God’s almighty love. Here is an occasion for the display of the grace and goodness of the Lord.’”
This week we are going to look at the one-word prayer, “Help” and see how we can change the way we look at life to bring more help to the world around us.
Thanks almost seems like the easiest of prayers. It rolls off our tongues.
It is what we say to someone who holds the door for us - even if we never look up from checking our texts on our phones.
It is what we say to the grocery clerk absent-mindedly after we have purchased our groceries that were a bit more than we had budgeted.
It is what we say to Fedex delivery.
We even say thank you when the officer has given us our ticket - at least that’s what I hear - and which I think is the oddest thing.
Remember, when your kids would receive a little gift? - “What do you say?” You are looking for… thank you…! We are being intentional about molding gratitude into a child's life.
Remember how sweet your mom could say that? That sweet little question had some very pointed intentions. If there was no response… that sweet thing is over. As a kid you learn really fast this is not really a question. She’s giving you a second chance to do the right thing.
Giving thanks to God is much more than obligatory manners. Thanking God may be as simple as a quick thanks, but it has the potential to be so much more.
Anne Lamott says it this way - “Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior. It almost always makes you willing to be of service, which is where the joy resides. It means that you are willing to stop being such a jerk. When you are aware of all that has been given to you, in your lifetime and the past few days, it is hard not to be humbled, and pleased to give back.”
Today we are going to look at a word that God considers a 4-letter word. The problem is, not many people, even Christians, seem to view it the same way.
According to HireRight's 2017 employment screening benchmark report, 85% of employers caught applicants fibbing on their résumés or applications, up from just 66% five years ago.
A new study co-authored by a UW-La Crosse faculty member shows that most people average fewer than 2 lies a day. Lying comprised 7% of total communication and almost 90% of all lies were little white lies.
Here’s our question: “Do grown-ups sometimes need to lie?”
Occasionally the phrase "four-letter word" is humorously used to describe common words composed of four letters. Typical examples include the word work, implying that work can be unpleasant, or the game of golf, jokingly referred to as a four-letter word when a player's pastime becomes an exercise in frustration. Charlotte Observer journalist Doug Robarchek noted in 1993 how many politicians have names with four letters, "Ever notice how many U.S. politicians have names that are also four-letter words? Ford, Dole, Duke, Bush, Gore ... and how many make us think of four-letter words?"
In a dictionary, you might read that four Letter Words are words written with 4 letters that are considered profane or coarse. The “four-letter” claim refers to the fact that many (but not all) English “swear words” are incidentally four-character monosyllables. The term was used in this sense as early as 1886 in the United States. So we took the idea and applied it to words that - as followers of Jesus - we might find as offensive as a 4 letter word. This week that word is Love. How in the world is love a word that Jesus' followers might find offensive?
The answer is found in what Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-48. You might read ahead to see what He said. And this week we’ll see what it means to you and me.
We all learned growing up that 4 Letter Words are words you’re not supposed to say. In preparing for this weekend I actually searched for the phrase “4 Letter Words” online. I read, “Four Letter Words are words written with 4 letters which are considered profane or coarse.” I’m hoping certain words are not popping into your head now.
So we took the idea and applied it to words that, as followers of Jesus, we might find as offensive as a 4 letter word. This week we start with “Wait.”
I was reading an article about “Things I Hate” and the list included:
- People who tell you that you look tired
- Pistachios that don't open
- People who don't know what they want to order after spending 20 minutes waiting in line
- Clowns
- The one sock
- When the people walking in front of you are so. Slow.
- People who ask questions during movies
- When the person you're talking to has something in his teeth
- When the person you're talking to doesn't tell you that you have something in your teeth
- When your computer says you have Wi-Fi, but your browser says there's no Internet connection
My guess is that everybody’s list would include “waiting.” For almost anything. And yet, waiting has always been part of our story. It’s almost as if God is using it to teach us something. This Sunday we’ll be reminded of what that something is.”
This month we have been looking at What If… In other words, What if those who call themselves followers of Jesus actually did what Jesus did? What would happen? How would our lives be different? How would our marriages or families be different? What difference would it make in our neighborhoods? How would MCC be different? How would our community be different?
What if we make disciples who make disciples?
What if we actually served like Jesus?
And this Sunday, what if we prayed?
What if we prayed as “If the Church of Jesus Christ is ever to march forward victoriously, she must march forward on her knees.”
What is something that someone has done to serve you that has impacted your life?
I remember serving as a counselor at a high school week of camp and we reenacted the stages of the cross which includes scenes from the night before Jesus was crucified. The scene where I portrayed Jesus was where He washed the disciples’ feet. I wasn’t sure how they would respond. I wasn’t sure how I would respond. But as I moved from student to student to wash their feet, most were nervous. But as I spoke the words of Jesus to them while I washed their feet, a change began to occur. And not just in them. Serving changes not just those being served, but those serving.
Steve Sjogren said, “God's love must be communicated from person to person, not just from page to person…Deeds of love allow us to sneak into the hearts of those we serve.” This week we are going to be looking at how to live that out in real life.
We are asking the question, “What if?”
What if we discipled?
What if we served?
What if we prayed?
If we did those things we believe that our church, and the world around us. Specifically, the places that we have influence could be transformed. We are looking ahead to the not yet shaped future and thinking about what we can do today to transform that image in all the ways that we have control.
We know that we don’t have complete control over the future, but we also know that we aren’t completely victims to an unwritten future that will fall on us. That to some degree if we make the right choices, and lean in on the right things, we can move in the right direction. Of course, we will have to react to surprises, of course, things that can’t be predicted will happen, but how we react and respond will be directed by our resolve to trust God and go together in what might be tough and at times uncomfortable direction.
Our definition of a disciple comes out of Matthew 4:19. If you missed last week's message go back and listen to that one first. Our student Pastor Eric Craft did a great job with the background on the story as well as helping us come face to face with the decision of whether we will choose to follow Jesus. In that verse, Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will…”
That leaves us hanging. If we choose to follow, what will Jesus do? That's what we talk about in this message.
I remember sitting next to my best friend one evening and saying “ I think I should go kayaking.” And him seizing that opportunity, knowing that moments, where I do outdoorsy things, don’t come often immediately pulled out his phone and rented kayaks. And so that weekend he and I went out to Ceasers Creek and began to kayak and for the first ten minutes, I was fine, until I tipped the kayak over. And then I was fine again until about ten minutes later I topped the kayak again. And while I hated tipping over the kayak I was glad I went. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and forced to deal with something new and because of that, I grew. As we start the new year we are going to be taking a look at the story of Peter when Jesus calls him out of the boat to go and be a fisher of men. Peter could have stayed in his boat, lived his life, and played it safe. But it was when he stepped out of the boat and stepped into what God was calling him to his life began to change. The same is for you and me. When we step out and step into what God is doing and allow him to change our lives he will begin to do things through us and in us that we can’t even imagine.
Our most powerful influence is with those that are closest to us. Each of us has children in our sphere of influence that is looking at our faith to see if it makes a difference. Whether it’s your own children, niece or nephew, grandchild, children of close friends, the next generation is looking to us to see what faith looks like no matter the situation. We see in the story of Timothy a faith that was passed to him generation over generation by his grandmother and mother. And that faith that helped him become the man of God that was needed for that moment in history. We too deposit into the next generation faith that will help them become world changers.
Speaker: Mike Tuttle
Series: Women who Changed the World
The idea that we can come together to fight the battles that we couldn't fight on our own.
God is with you through the peaks and the darkest valleys . Familes change and when the do or don't God is with you.
This week we answer some of the questions that you have about Faith and Doubt. These are not complete answers, but are the beginning point to a larger conversation.
The second of the spiritual disciplines is spending time with otheers. They can help us grow spiritually.
One of the four disciplines that help are spiritual growth is Time with God. This includes reading the Bibile and prayer.
By being one in Christ, we are better able to reflect him to others and was a being a unified body of believers.
Here are some tips about how to slow down your busy schedule at we go through the month of December..
The week we learned that we are all sons or daughters of the King and that we don't have to do anything to have that title. Jesus died because He loved us so much and now we can be called the children of God.
We may look ridiculous to non Chrisitans when we are serving God and being a living sacifice.
Jesus says, "Your work is to empty yourself, My work is to fill you up."
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Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm
The demons shuddered in the presence of Jesus. He is powerful enough to help you through whatever you are going through.
Jesus calls us to follow him on uncertain ground to do what seems impossible. Don’t let fear stop you.
What does Jesus' interaction with a Mother in Matthew 15 show us about what it means to be a mom in the Kingdom of God?
Where do you turn when you're staring at the bottom of an empty beer wondering if you'll become the person you never wanted to be? Jesus. It's not too late, it's never too far.
It's not too late and you're never to far. Even when we make decisions that end up in failure, God has grace for us.
There's no shortage of options when it comes to philosophies of life, or god's to worship. So, given the choices, what makes Jesus the best choice?
Sometimes the path to greatness isn't a giant leap, but thousands of tiny steps in the right direction. Jesus isn't asking us to move mountains, he's asking us to show up consistently with the Gospel.
What if they are strange? What if they think I am a weirdo? What if things get messy? All of these concerns are very real, and sometimes produce in us a paralyzing fear that keeps us from loving our neighbors. But, fear shouldn't stop us, and we have to press on, our neighborhoods need us to live like Jesus.
The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor. Do we take this seriously enough? This week we kick off a series called Come Together where we wonder together; what would happen if we walked across the street with the Gospel?