The Life Christian Church: Recent Episodes
TLCC
Pastor Terry A. Smith - When it comes to conflict with other people, we should want to be like David. Regardless of how the person in authority acts. We should obey God in every circumstance. Be blessed for obeying God and submitting when needed.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Like David & Goliath, go after the challenges and take down the giants in your life.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Acts 13 characterizes King David as a man after God’s own heart. It’s through the life of David that we can have confidence in knowing that God sees our true potential and values a genuine relationship with us because He calls us chosen.
Pastor Alex Soto - In life, we all face storms that bring fear, anxiety, and doubt, but we can find peace and calm through Jesus. By trusting in His presence, power, and invitation, we can navigate these challenging times with confidence and faith and remember that in every great storm of life, Jesus brings a great calm.
Pastor Phil Munsey - Through Jesus, we can now understand and call upon the Holy Spirit to work in us, our church, our families, and beyond. We can now live life free from fear and worry.
Pastor Sharon Smith - Scripture emphasizes Lydia’s characteristics as a strong worshiper, believer in God, and someone who loved deeply and wholly. As women, we are encouraged to emulate her characteristics, drawing inspiration from her strength and devotion to faith.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Though we may have the thorn of sin in our side, we can have hope in knowing that sin has been overcome through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s through a relationship with God that we are able to overcome and live a life of wholeness.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Through repentance, seeking forgiveness, and making amends, we can find healing and holiness with God's help and flourish in our relationships.
Pastor Ryan Moore - Becoming whole starts with self-awareness, rooted in understanding God's intimate knowledge of us as individuals so we can be open to God’s transformative work.
Pastor Dan Dean - Addiction often mirrors the battle against sin, underscoring our deep longing for a cure found only in God's hands. His desire is to grant us healing from our sin, offering us restoration and freedom through Jesus.
Pastor Dan Dean - Pastor Dan Dean led us in a worship service featuring both great Philips, Craig, and Dean classics and new, unreleased music.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Though we live in a world that may be consumed by darkness, we must be hopeful in awaiting the rise of the Son of God.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Though humanity is inherently broken and in need of help, we can desperately anticipate and have hope in the promise that Jesus has, is and will fix us.
Pastor Ben Stapley - God not only wants to bless our efforts at work but He also wants to bless others through our work.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - As followers of Christ, our faith empowers us to be forces for good in our workplaces, even in those that may be toxic or unhealthy.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - We experience the beauty and potential of work while living in the reality of a broken world.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - To engage in blessed work, we must consider the greater meaning and implications of our vocation, view excellent work as essential, and remember that God always helps us do His work.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Work is a primary setting for human flourishing, and God intentionally designed it that way so we can each play our roles in restoring the world to all God created it to be.
Pastor Christian Smith - Throughout history, many followers of Christ seem to have lost our sense of the goodness of the material creation, the world around us, but God created a good material world that we are called to care for and cultivate.
Pastor Christian Smith - When we shift our mindset and lifestyles to properly care for and steward our physical bodies, we will experience whole transformation in our lives that will lead us to not just flourish physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, as well.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Our flourishing is interconnected with those we surround ourselves with, so we must make a commitment to relationships with growing people who challenge us to be better than we are and who increase our self awareness.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - To flourish psychologically, we must explore the intersection of faith and mental health to help us foster emotional intelligence, cultivate positive thought patterns, and develop a mindset that leads to psychological abundance.
Pastor Ryan Moore - To spiritually flourish, we must consistently open our lives to God in order to experience personal and communal transformation.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - God wants to flourish us, so we may experience thriving well-being in every dimension of life.
Pastor Amanda Smith - The Spiritual Practices are a building block to what is called a Rule of Life, which is a schedule and a set of practices and relational rhythms that center our life around following Jesus. We all live by a rule of life, the question is -- do we know what that is and where it is directing our lives?
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Angels, eternal witnesses to God's miracles since the dawn of time, collaborate with Him to manifest His Kingdom on earth. Throughout history, they've conveyed divine messages to humanity. What insights can we glean from these interactions, and what messages might angels have for us today?
Pastor Terry A. Smith - God is passionately committed to His children, and He has an unwavering zeal that drives Him to intervene in our broken world.
Pastor Ben Stapley - The Son of God was sent as ransom for us. Beyond that, He calls those who have been freed to help free others.
Pastor Terry A. Smith with guests Russ Hammonds, Tiffany Fiore, Christian Smith, Lauren & Julian Rivera
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Though we, ourselves, are worship, we also do worship, as acts of worship flow from our very being.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Offering the entirety of who we are to God, every moment of our lives, is the essence of worship. Worship is first and fundamentally something we are.
Pastor Christian Smith - We must expand our definition of worship from just times of praise and worship to a true lifestyle of worship.
Pastor Ryan Moore - Our worship is an outward expression of our inward surrender to God, offering all of ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice.
Guest speaker, Pastor Kevin Gerald - There is nothing we can do that is in more sync with Jesus than loving and building His church.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - God loves a cheerful giver, and we should live our lives on the edge of our seat, eager to be generous.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - To learn to live with plenty, we must enjoy God’s gifts, and we must properly steward the resources we’ve been given.
Bob Doll, CFA, CIO of Crossmark Global Investments - Biblical and life principles to live proper lives of stewardship.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Though we do not currently live in the world God originally intended, we should continue to look at Eden as the ideal that became possible for us through the Gospel and as a picture of what God wants for all of us.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Our commitment to Jesus and the church is not a small thing in our lives, in the world.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Because God is holy, you can trust Him as Lord of your life. Because of His holiness, He can’t sin and He can’t sin against you.
Pastor Terry Smith - There’s a change that happens in our lives when we truly understand lordship.
Pastor Ryan Moore - Sometimes we will make mistakes through the journey to goodness, and there may be times when we slip up and fall back into bad habits. This is not a moment to give up, but rather to recommit and begin again. In The Bad Guys, we will explore questions like, "What does it look like to live a transformed life?" And, "How do you get to a place of transformation?"
Pastor Ben Stapley - Handling loss is a universal part of the human experience, but many haven't been taught and trained to handle it well. Through Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we'll explore a Biblical framework to process life's losses including the biggest one, the loss of a loved one.
Pastor Ryan Moore - It is so easy to lose sight of who we really are. When we allow our value to be defined by our gifts and abilities, it is a dangerous situation. Through Encanto, we will explore Biblical truths that will help us define our value based on God's grace and not on unbalanced expectations of others or our society.
Pastor Ben Stapley - All of us desire to find blue skies over the rainbow. Through The Wizard of Oz, we'll learn that we don't have to wait until later to experience the fulfillment God offers us; we can experience it now.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - When we are growing and content, placing our hope in God, and living without pride, our ambitions can be sanctified.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - When we pray from the depths of who we are, we can turn despair to hope.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - If we don’t work on the good things in our lives in a way that reflects a deep trust in God, then the work we are doing is being done in vain and will ultimately not result in true success.
Pastor Ryan Moore - Do you ever feel like the world is against you? Do you ever feel like God is against you? If you belong to Christ, the “good news” of the bible is that God is FOR you!
Pastor Terry A. Smith - To elevate our lives with God, we must make the decisions to go to church, praise God no matter the circumstances, develop good and Godly judgment aligned with His Word, and pray for the peace and prosperity of the church.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - In all seasons of life, we must continue to “look up” to the one who is always watching, always protecting, always helping.
Pastor Alex Soto - Learn to bravely step into what God is calling you to, no matter how awkward or intimidating it may be.
Pastor Phil Munsey - Through Pentecost, Jesus wants to pass on His power and mission to humanity. We must because to not neglect the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Dr. Milton Eng - How the Old Testament witnessed the resurrection of Jesus before it even happened.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - When you witness the resurrection, it changes your life. Enjoy to our Easter message for 2023.
Pastor Ryan Moore - We all have our own habits and routines, and this Sunday, we'll learn how to create habits that cultivate our spiritual growth! Join us as Pastor Ryan Moore leads us through spiritual habits that will help us know God better and find rest for our souls.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Cultivate a growth mindset to become more like the person God says you are.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Lent has been practiced for the near entirety of Christian history, as the early church developed the practice as a method by which we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this season, we are encouraged to times of prayer, fasting, self-examination, penitence, and most of all to focus on Christ and how much we need His grace in order to live the life He dreams for us. We are called to renew our commitments and our faith as we continually acknowledge our need of God's transforming presence within us. Over these next 40 days, we enter into repentant preparation for the celebration of Christ and the coming of His kingdom.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Learn to grow into the person God says you are and how to identify yourself as He identifies you.
Willie Alfonso - When we encounter the love of God, everything changes, and we are never the same. We welcome Pastor Willie Alfonso, former Chaplain of the Brooklyn Nets, NY Yankees, Staten Island Yankees, and current Chaplain of Alliance University Athletic Program, to share this encouraging message.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - God pours out showers of blessings even while we're still in the wilderness, and we can learn how to keep the showers of blessing falling. We can be confident that no matter where we are, we are in a place of blessing.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - When you are blessed, you have the ability — and responsibility — to bless others.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - Blessing is inextricably connected to purpose. When you discover your God-given purpose and live it out, God blesses you.
Pastor Terry A. Smith - We all find ourselves “lost” at some point in our lives, but sometimes we don’t even know that we’re lost until we are found.
Many Christians desire, more than anything, to overcome spiritual weakness and have a prayer life that changes their life. In Colossians Paul gives us key principles on how to develop a powerful prayer life.
Pastor Christian Smith - Wall-E will take us to the distant future, where a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind. Through Wall-E, we'll explore our human responsibility for caring for the earth and our relationship with the world around us.
Pastor Alex Soto - Jesus’ mission is to set captives free, and we are created to follow in his footsteps.
Pastor Ben Stapley - We explore how to experience and express emotions in a healthy and holy manner.
Pastor Ryan Moore - Inside Out follows the story of young Riley who is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco. Her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school. This movie will teach us the importance of pursuing emotional health and provide some practical teachings for doing so.
Pastor Ben Stapley - Everyone is invited into the kingdom of God. Everyone is warmly welcomed into His family.
Pastor Dan Dean - We are sheep in need of a shepherd, and Jesus is our GOOD shepherd who provides for us, protects us, and keeps His promises to us.
Pastor Dan Dean - We can often confine Jesus’ miracles and healings to the Bible and Biblical times, but Jesus still heals today through three different means: naturally, medically, and supernaturally.
Pastor Dan Dean - People define Jesus as a great moral teacher, a young rebel leader, etc. The reality is that the Bible defines Jesus as Jesus the Christ, who came to earth as our prophet, priest, and king.
Pastor Dan Dean - Jesus is not just some distant ethereal being floating on the clouds. He IS human, and because of this, He understands us.
Pastor Ryan Moore - We are created for community by a communal God. And the only way to live into God’s eternal purpose for the church is to be intentional in gathering as a community and sharing life together.
Pastor Ryan Moore
Devotional Plan for: Week of August 23 - August 27 Each week of the series will be focused on the story of a legendary disciple throughout Christian history and how that person modeled the adventure of discipleship.
Luke 10:38-42 (NIV): "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But all the preparations that had to be made distracted Martha. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha', the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Monday, August 23rd So, Martha was a busy body and Mary was a saint. That's the typical reading of this passage, right? Sometimes we're too busy to focus on the right things. Well, this is certainly a big point found in this passage, but the depth of the situation is illuminated by an understanding of the context in first century Judaism.
First of all, sitting at one's feet was not simply meant she was physically sitting at his feet, but it represented her relationship to Jesus: that she was being taught and discipled by Christ. Second of all, she was a woman, and a woman being a part of the crew of guys that were taught by a male teacher was socially unacceptable.
So, when Martha is calling out Mary to Jesus, she's not just saying, "Hey, I need help working!" There's a subtext of, "Mary, we're supposed to be making the preparations, not sitting at the feet of Jesus. That's not our role." This is a shocking social moment in history, and passages like this are why the western, Christianized world has made so much progress in women's rights, versus other parts of the world.
When we see it with this full context, we get a bigger picture of the magnitude of this moment, along with some new learnings: (1) yes, don't be so busy; (2) all of us are called to sit at the feet of Jesus, whether you think you are or not; and (3) God loves all.
This week, we're going to focus on this passage of Scripture for all 5 days, so we can dig in and really identify how we can sit at the feet of Jesus.
Reflection Question(s): Have you ever thought that you didn't deserve to sit at the feet of Jesus? How does this passage help to encourage you?
- Christian Smith - Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday, August 24th As we approach today's text I suspect Martha was fine with Mary sitting with Jesus at first. We are told that while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, Martha was in the kitchen working. Perhaps Martha would have liked to have been able to sit at the feet of Jesus too. However, she had rolls to bake, potatoes to mash, and a table to set. There was much to do. As she worked in the kitchen she began to feel overwhelmed and underappreciated. She started to feel upset that Mary did not recognize that she wanted help.
We have all, at one time or another, been where Martha was so we don't have any trouble imagining what was going on. You can imagine Martha thinking "Here I am in the kitchen slaving away over a meal these people will eat in just a matter of minutes and everyone else is out there having a good time with Jesus. Don't they understand how much work is involved?"
The problem with Martha is not that she is busy serving and providing hospitality. Certainly, Jesus commends this kind of service, notably in the parable of the Good Samaritan that immediately precedes the story of Mary and Martha. The problem with Martha is not her serving, but rather that she is worried and distracted.
Martha's distraction and worry leave no room for the most important aspect of hospitality — gracious attention to the guest. In fact, she breaks all the rules of hospitality by trying to embarrass her s
Pastor Christian Smith
Devotional Plan for: Week of August 16 - August 20 Monday - Read John 8:31-38 John 8:31-34 NIV: "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father."
It seems that many if not most people define freedom as independence: freedom from constraints. Freedom to choose to do whatever we want. As long as we don't hurt anyone, we should be free to live our lives however we please. This is the modern concept of freedom.
But the kind of freedom Jesus is speaking of in this passage is a far greater and far deeper kind of freedom than most of us might think of when we hear that word. It's something greater than the civil and political freedoms we enjoy. He speaks of the greatest kind of freedom of all a freedom that everyone desperately needs; one that transcends all other temporal circumstances of freedom that we might experience, and that gives the greatest possible meaning and value to them.
So, in our passage this morning, when Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free", He's talking about Himself. He's talking about the greatest experience of freedom anyone can have, and He is telling us that this freedom comes through hearing Him and knowing Him.
True freedom—at the deepest level—comes only through a relationship with Him who is the Truth.
So how do we experience this Freedom? We must abide or take hold of the teachings of scripture which is God's word.
What does it mean to "abide" in His word? It means to acknowledge the authority of His word, to 'remain' in it and 'live' in it; to continually meditate on it, to obey it, and to let it guide our way of thinking and living. And do you see what He goes on to say about that? He says that if you do this—if you abide in His word faithfully as a regular pattern of life—you are His disciples 'indeed'. You're the real deal.
We are creatures who are designed to live in accordance with the thoughts and words of our Creator—that is, in conformity to truth. And until we get back into the truth—and abide in the truth—we're not free.
And so, the more we obey our Lord, the more we walk in accordance with truth, the greater our freedom. That's the path to true freedom—to believe on Jesus and to walk in accordance with His true word. If you want to be truly free, then enter into a relationship with Him by faith, and be faithful to abide in Him.
Reflection Question(s): What do I need to ask of God in order to grow in light of this?
- Ryan Moore - Pastor of Care
Tuesday - Read Matthew 28:16-20 Matthew 28:16-20 NIV: "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Let's get illustrative here.
Say you are a private in the army. Now, let's say some random person comes and gives you an order. Will you obey? Probably not. However, say this person is an officer who ranks higher t
Pastor Terry A. Smith
Devotional Plan for: Week of August 2 - August 6 Monday - Read 1 Timothy 4:6-10 1 Timothy 4:6-10 NIV: "If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, 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. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe."
What are you trying to transform?
Social media is rife with inspiring "before and after" posts. Someone posts a mirror selfie and a subsequent transformation over the span of months or a year. They've lost X amount of pounds, gained X amount of muscle. Have you ever been inspired by one of these? I (Christian) sure have. You watch the montage videos of someone starting overweight and struggling through workouts, to a quick cut of their chiseled physique later on.
All of us want to experience physical health and transformation in some way. Maybe we're already in good shape, but we most often want to be better in some sort of way. A lot of the goals in our culture are around body image or health. January 1st rolls around and our diet (recently destroyed by Christmas) is at the forefront of our minds, or a workout routine becomes our new goal.
These are good things, completely admirable things, full stop. A question, though: How do you think of the spiritual transformation?
There's a wonderful novel by Oscar Wilde called The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian, the main character of the story, is a famed attractive young man who lives a hedonistic lifestyle. A local painter paints his beauty, and Dorian makes a trade-off so that the picture will age instead of him. Dorian ends up realizing his peculiar wish has come true: he grows no wrinkles or sag, but the painting (which is now hidden for no one to see except him) reflects who he is, not only externally in age, but in his sin. The painting represents his character, while his physical self maintains its pristine externals.
If you were to look in a mirror that showed who you are on the inside, what would that mirror show? Would it be pretty? Where would you see some disfiguration?
If that's what you saw, would you want to start a plan to experience extreme self-transformation?
This is a bit of what we get in our scripture passage today. Paul is teaching the church to stay away from poor teachings and actions that diminish one's spiritual fit-ness. We labor and strive towards godliness, because it matters both for this life and the next, whereas physical fitness is good for this life, but not necessarily the next.
The most significant sort of workout you can plan is a spiritual workout. The most important transformation you can attempt is a transformation towards godliness. What will you look like 1 month from now? 6 months from now? 1 year from now? Not what will your body look like, but you, your whole self. Make a plan and make some gains.
Reflection Question(s): Do you believe that true self-transformation can happen in Christ? Assess what you "look like" right now. What are areas of your life that you need to target so you can experience transformation in them?
- Christian Smith - Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read 1 Timothy 4:11-16 1 Timothy 4:11-16 NIV: "Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given
Michael Jr.
Devotional Plan for: Week of July 26 - July 30 Monday - Read Psalm 16:8-11 Psalm 16:8-11 NIV: "I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
A psychologist recently posed that the only difference between Brett Favre (the famous former quarterback from the Green Bay Packers) and Tom Brady (winningest quarterback in history) is their heart rate. When you track someone's levels of performance next to their heart rate, increased heart rates correlate with less success, and vice-versa. So, because Brett Favre is just as physically gifted as Tom Brady (if not more), and very intelligent, perhaps it was that his body was experiencing a manifest nervousness through its heart rate, and he was naturally unable to perform at as high of a level, whereas a Brady is uniquely gifted in stressful game-moments because of a potentially lower heart rate.
Do you ever prepare to enter into a conflict or a difficult conversation, and your heart starts beating quickly? Do you ever read social media posts and it feels like your blood is boiling? Do you ever face a hard day or week of work, and a heart-changing amount of frustration or nervousness manifests?
Our hearts, at a physical level, but even more so at a biblical metaphorical level (as the center of our being), both dictates, and conversely reacts to, our surroundings. In difficult circumstances, we can begin to experience holistic heart-racing that distinctively marks and describes our lives. This was the very reality of David from our Psalm today. David was constantly under attack and pressure from those trying to thwart the will of God through Israel. And David could have experienced understandable heart palpitations, just as we can during the drama of our lives.
But, a constant state of heart-stress is not how God created us. With God at our right hand, we are not shaken, so our heart is glad, our bodies rest secure. Why is this? Because the whole plan is in God's hands, and he is empowering us within that plan.
Whatever you may work through in you, let your heart be glad, because God is at our right hand, constantly saving us from the things of the world.
Reflection Question(s): What is your heart not glad about, and how can putting your trust in God help alleviate that?
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read Psalm 32:6-11 Psalm 32: 6-11 NIV: "Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!"
The story is told of a wagon train crossing the prairie, which came over a hill and was terrified to see a prairie fire racing in their direction. It seemed as if they would be engulfed by the flames. But the leader quickly rode to the rear of the caravan and lit the dry grass behind them on fire. The same winds blowing the flames toward them fanned this fire away from them. Within minutes they all moved to the burned-off area. As the heat and smoke became more intense, a little girl cried out, "Are you sure we're safe?" "Oh, yes," said the wagon master, "we're safe because we're s
Pastor Terry A. Smith Devotional Plan for: Week of July 19 - July 23 Monday - Read I Timothy 2:1-4 I Timothy 2:1-4 NIV: "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
As we continue our series on The Pathway at TLCC, which is a curated growth plan to help us live the life God dreams for us, we look at how Paul discipled his mentee, Timothy, so he could grow into who God intended him to be. Fittingly, Paul begins this week's writing with an emphasis on prayer, which corresponds with our focus on "Grow in your life with God" from this past Sunday.
The "Spiritual Disciplines", or routines that posture us to connect with God, are essential to understanding who God is and growing closer to him. In Paul's writing to Timothy, we get a glimpse into his recommendation for prayer, arguably the most key discipline. Here, he emphasizes continually praying for those who are in leadership over us, particularly in socio-political positions of leadership, as how they treat us significantly impacts our lives. Though Paul is living quite an extraordinary life with tons of twists and turns, many of which involve risking his life, we can see he is praying for peace and quiet.
We must realize that first-century rulers were excruciatingly immoral leaders, for the most part. First-century ethics were vastly different from ours. If you think we have bad leadership in our current American context, you can't begin to imagine the incomprehensible practices of first-century leaders. In fact, Tom Holland, an agnostic historian, was reading about first-century Rome and realized how absolutely barbarian it was compared to our contemporary world. And he realized that Christianity virtually single-handedly caused that ethical shift.
All of this goes to show that Paul was praying for leaders that were unimaginably worse that the current leaders we have. However, he asked for us to have thanksgiving for them and to intercede on their behalf. The structures and authorities that we have around us, though broken, do play an important part in how God made the world. As we pray for them, we pray for things to get better. And, it creates an atmosphere where we can practice our faith in safety. As our world becomes more hostile to Christianity, we should say similar prayers for our leaders so we can live in peace and quiet.
Paul doesn't only pray for them out of a desire for peace for himself and other Christians, but for the leaders to know the truth themselves. God desire for everyone to be saved. Sometimes, we may look at people and assume they're past saving, or maybe they don't deserve to be saved. Paul continues to pray for all people because God wishes to draw all people to himself.
Our prayer times should not just be focused on our own lives, but also on the world around us. This week, consider praying for your "enemy" by interceding for them.
Reflection Question(s): Who is one person you normally wouldn't pray for but would like to pray for this week?
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read I Timothy 2:5-7 I Timothy 2:5-7 NIV: "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles."
Today we will continue to look at how Paul mentored, led, instructed, and encouraged Timothy. In these verses, Paul is making an argument for the command set down in verses 1-3, (discussed in yesterday's devotional) that we ought to pray for all of our authorities.
Pastor Terry A. Smith Devotional Plan for: Week of July 12 - July 16 Monday - Read I Timothy 1:12-14 I Timothy 1:12-14 NIV: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."
Where do we start in our journey with Christ?
In our next series at TLCC, we're focusing on how we can follow a path to live the life God dreams for us. All of us aspire to live meaningful, abundant lives, and we believe the only way to live that life is through living out the dreams God has for us. Though all of us are seeking that end goal, how do we get there?
If we pictured out the arch of our lives on a graph, we would all wish it to be on a diagonal line moving up and to the right. The reality, as all of us too painfully know, is that our lives look more like looping lines, full of periods where it turns downwards and backwards and up and... all over the place. This causes us to ask: what is a path forward to God's dreams for my life? How do I move up and to the right? This is the question we'll be asking throughout this series.
First, we must talk about where we start on our journey, the beginning of the path forward. In our devotional this week, we're looking at Paul as he disciples his mentee Timothy. He starts by talking about his own journey with God, which was infamously tumultuous. Paul, an ardent and zealous follower of the God of Israel, didn't get the whole Jesus thing once he came along. In fact, he was murdering Christians because he thought they were perverting the plan of God. But, eventually, God shows himself to Paul, and he realizes he was wrong: Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, the climax of the plan of God.
Paul, by his own words, was an absolutely wicked man! Murdering God-followers in the name of God. How abhorrent! We must, as our initial reaction naturally leads us, to condemn Paul and those who do things (even today) like him. Christians are still killed all around the world, more than any religious group. We condemn those actions. God is a God of justice, and his righteous anger agitates at such doings. But (and a big but, at that) while we both condemn the absolute evil perpetuated in the world and commit justice against it, we must also realize... we are also broken, evil people. The wickedness (such a yucky word!) of Paul is also in us. It's in me (your author, Christian Smith). We, too, start our journeys rejecting God, and live much of our journeys still yet rejecting God. This unglamorous and nearly unpalatable reality is the start of our "graph" of our path with God.
But (and, yet, a bigger but than the previous one!) is that God is offering us grace in our ignorance. Every single one of us has experienced ignorance and unbelief in the great God, but he still is reaching out to us and calling us towards him. What undeserved favor! All of us, whether we accept him or not, are receiving a call from God that our ears must become attuned to, so we can follow his path.
No matter where you are, no matter how ignorant or unbelieving or broken you may feel (and, in fact, be), are still being called to the magnificent and loving Creator. We must, however, not forget our humble beginnings, like a person who becomes rich and forgets his old friends. All of us come from a place of brokenness, yet favor lies ahead.
Reflection Question(s): What moments in your life reflect your ignorance and unbelief? How has God's grace impacted you and brought you forward in living the life God dreamed for you?
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read I Timothy 1:15-17 1 Timothy 1:15-17 NIV: "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus ca
Pastor Ryan Moore
Devotional Plan for: Week of July 5 - July 9 Monday - Read Galatians 2:19-20 Galatians 2:19-20 NIV: "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
When we think of freedom, we often think of having the ability to do whatever we want to do. We can make our own choices with our own selves in whatever way we wish. But what if that weren't freedom, but actual bondage?
In our passage today, Paul is writing to a church in Galatia and informing them about "the law". Now, this does not translate to "rules"; it specifically refers to the Old Testament law, and how now that Jesus has come and fulfilled the law, we aren't under the old law anymore. Sometimes, when we read passages like this, we think Paul is writing against "rules" or having to do things. We think this is about our new freedom to do whatever we wish. But, that's not at all what he's saying. Freedom doesn't come from the Old Testament law not existing anymore: freedom comes when we die to ourselves.
Freedom is not about endless optionality. The reality is, when we're the ones making all of our own decisions, then we are bound to our own broken and fallen decisions. If we're aware of anything in life, it's of our own brokenness. Instead of asking for the freedom to do whatever we want, we should ask to be free from ourselves. We want to die to ourselves, so that we can be alive in something, or someone, else: Jesus. No longer, as Paul says, do we live, for we have died but now Christ lives in us.
We all experience moments in our lives where we're trapped. Sometimes, we can look around at our circumstances and blame them. Perhaps we should first look at ourselves and wonder if our approach or our perspective is what's actually trapping us, and that if we die to our brokenness and take Christ's perspective, perhaps we'll experience true freedom.
True freedom comes when we let go of ourselves, and take on Christ.
Reflection Question(s): What's something that you would like freedom from? How are you asking God to free you from yourself regarding that issue?
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read Galatians 3:27-4:7 Galatians 3:27-4:7 NIV: "...for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."
Captivity, incarceration, imprisonment, custody, detention, bondage, confinement are just a few of the words that come up when you ask Google to search, "what is the opposite of freedom?" Freedom and its antithesis are exactly what Paul is talking about in today's scripture reading.
In chapter 3, Paul argues that God's promise to Abraham precedes and takes priority over the law. The law served its purpose, functioning with the authority to restrain sin, yet lacking the power to liberate us from sin. The law served as our disciplinarian until Christ came. But now in Chris
Christian Smith Devotional Plan for: Week of June 28 - July 4 Monday - Read Acts 12:25-13:3 Acts 12:25-13:3 NIV: " When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off."
Saul (also known as Paul) and Barnabas are freshly coming back from doing missions. They've been traveling all around the Mediterranean sharing the Gospel in extremely tough spots. The news of Jesus is fresh and changing the world all around them, causing extreme positive disruption. Their work has been grueling and hard.
They get back to Antioch and spend time with gifted followers of Christ who, it appears, receive word from God that Paul and Barnabas are to be sent off once again. They have been specially set apart for this task, gifted by the Spirit to do all they need.
This short story can tell us so much about what it means to be a follower of God. At TLCC, we're talking about being "sent", or how God has called each of us to "go somewhere". The early Christians were marked by their readiness to go and sacrifice all for the call Jesus had on their lives. They would abandon self-interest in the interest of the Gospel. Today, the call on our lives is no different. We live in the same era as the first century Christians, who are constantly seeking to hear the voice of God and follow its leading.
Two points from today's reading:
In order to hear the voice of God, they (1) prayed and fasted, (2) worshipped the Lord, and (3) surrounded themselves with other gifted believers. Likely, the prayer part of the above list comes as an obvious way to hear the voice of God in order to see where we're sent. But fasting, active worshipping, and doing all of this in the context of community may be put to the side in our contemporary context. As a pastor (Christian) I've heard countless people say what they believe "God is telling them". Which is great! But, when you think you hear the voice of God, you always need to bring it into new contexts to make sure it really is his voice: fast, worship, and bring it to other mature Christians who can assess the voice. After they get back from a missionary journey, they get called back out to another one. Again, this work was life threatening and grueling. We may be scared off by the call of God in our lives, because what if he's going to take us somewhere too difficult for us? Be confident: God called Paul to the task specially set apart for him; meaning, he knew what Paul could handle if he was connected to Christ through his Spirit. You, too, are being called to something adventurous. Just remember that whatever God is calling you to, he has equipped you to face.
Reflection Question(s): Have you spent time praying, fasting, worshipping, and talking to mature believers about what God has called you to? Make a plan to set time aside to do this in the near future.
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read Acts 13:4-12 Acts 13:4-12 NIV: "The two of them [Barnabus and Saul], sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcere
Pastor Isaac Friedel
Devotional Plan for: Week of June 21 - June 27
Monday - Read 1 John 1
1 John 1 NIV: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."
What does it mean when someone says you're the real deal? If you describe something or someone as the real deal, you mean that they are a genuine, high-quality example of something.
This line between real and fake is blurred in our society. We view television and read touching stories and later find out that the stories were complete fabrications. We are used to politicians making us promises to get our votes, only to forget those promises once they get into office.
We are so used to seeing realistic dramas on television that we often find ourselves forgetting that what we are watching is just pretend. People stand up and make passionate arguments and we simply accept that what they are saying is actually true.
So, in 1 John 1:1-4 we see four realities about Jesus and our fellowship with him.
The Reality of Jesus Humanity: Look at all of the verbs John uses to prove the reality of Jesus' humanity from his own personal experience as one of Jesus' best friends and students. He's not talking about someone he has simply studied or read about, he's talking about someone he knew personally. He talks about Jesus as someone he has HEARD and SEEN and OBSERVED and TOUCHED. To dispel any notion that Jesus' appearing was imagined or partial in any way, John speaks graphically of the sensory confirmation that he personally witnessed. The Reality of Jesus Divinity: Why did John call Jesus the Word? Jesus reveals to us the mind and heart of God. Jesus is the living means of communication between us and God. He is God's Word to us. John was very intentional about identifying Jesus because if a man is wrong about Jesus, he is wrong about God. Jesus is the final and complete revelation of God and we must understand this or else the rest of our theology is incorrect. We Have Real Fellowship with God: In verse 3 John explains why he is declaring this great truth of Jesus' identity to his audience: "so that you may have fellowship (along with us, and indeed our fellowship is) with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." Why is John writing this letter? So, people can come to have a personal relationship with Jesus and so they can have healthy, unified relationships with one another, based on a correct understanding of Jesus. We have Real Fellowship in Community: Also important to John was his desire (and God's desire) for these churches to understand that right thinking about Jesus leads to right living within community. Remember, John is writing to a community where there is considerable disunity. In this diverse community, the Christians were trying to discern what was essential for Christian identity.
It's not far-fetc
Pastor Terry A. Smith
Devotional Plan for: Week of June 14 - June 20
Monday - Read Acts 2:37-41
Acts 2:37-41 NIV: "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."
A frequent question posed to Christians from those who don't yet follow Christianity is, "How do I get saved?" By this, people frequently mean, "How do I go to heaven?" The typical Christian answer is, "Put your faith in Jesus."
This week, we're going to look at a few different stories of the first people who became followers of Jesus. This gives us incredible insight, because it shows us how the Apostles preached and how the first believers followed. Meaning, there's a sense in which these stories are normative, or help us to understand how we both share the Gospel and receive the Gospel.
In today's story, we see Peter preaching to what ends up being the first ever converts to Christianity (outside of the Apostles). He gives a long message to them (in the verses prior), spanning the story of Israel and how we have come to Jesus, and why the hearers should give over their lives to Jesus. As we see, his message cuts to the heart of those who are listening, and they ask, "What should we do?" This should be the response of our sharing our faith: the truth is so compelling that people want to know what they're supposed to do about it!
Now, in our contemporary day, someone may say, "Put your faith in Jesus." But, what does this mean to people today? Most often, this means, "I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead." That's not what Peter asks them to do though, nor what that New Testament asks them to do. "Faith" is not some intellectual ascent to facts, saying, "God exists." As James says, "Even the demons believe and shudder." To be in a covenant relationship with God is absolutely not to believe in his existence, but to give over your existence. "Belief", "faith", in Scripture is similar to "trust", "loyal obedience", "allegiance", "faithfulness". When we act out faith, we act out those synonyms.
See what Peter says, which is more reflective of this approach to how we respond to the message of the Gospel. He tells them to repent, which means to turn the other way from their sins, to be baptized, and to receive the Spirit. He tells them they are a part of a corrupt generation, and because they're part of the corrupt generation, they have to turn away from it and join a new generation (the family of God) and receive a new Spirit, that of God's.
Is our generation corrupt? Stop and think about that, if you will, for a second. There's a common phrase called "chronological snobbery". This, essentially, means that those who are further along in time look back on those in the past and think they're so much better than them. "People in the medieval times were so brutish and uneducated", "people in 19th century America were so ignorant", "people in the 1950's were so unloving". Some of our statements about previous generations may be true, but remember that in 100 years, we'll be people in the past that future generations are labeling as something negative. Thus, we have to be careful not to have "chronological snobbery", thinking that because we're further in time, we are so much better. My (Christian Smith) opinion is that people in our day think very highly of themselves. But the reality is that all generations experience corruption, and perhaps ours is m
Pastor Terry A. Smith
Devotional Plan for: Week of June 7 - June 13
Monday - Read Matthew 4:18-22
Matthew 4:18-22 NIV: "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
Jesus, newly Spirit-empowered in order to begin his ministry, walks along the Sea of Galilee, and new followers begin to flock to his leadership. This appears to be a bit of an unusual scene: who randomly, quickly, "drops their nets", or gives up their entire profession, in order to follow an unproven Rabbi (teacher).
Traveling Rabbi's teaching of God in new ways wasn't an unusual scene in first century Judaism. Groups of people would follow a teacher and begin to live out their teachings. These followers, who were under a teacher or philosopher, were called "disciples".
From this text, though, we see something unusual about Jesus' disciples: they immediately left their entire lives to follow him. Surely, the text only captures part of their conversations. However, its brevity indicates how quickly they saw something uniquely special, irresistible, in the person of Jesus. He wasn't anything special to look and he didn't come with some great, noticeable power (in terms of worldly power). But something about him created a yearning to give up all.
Though Jesus called a select few to be those in his immediate circle, Jesus was calling all people he encountered to, in a sense, "drop their nets" and follow him. This didn't mean everyone had to give up their profession, but everyone had to drop some kind of net, some kind of previous life, in order to follow a new way of life – discipleship to Christ, the savior.
Today, Jesus is still "walking around" calling people to be his disciples, sitting at his feet and learning the true way of life in the Kingdom of God. The church, now, is the hands and feet of Jesus. The church is the physical, living embodiment of Jesus, as we now have his Spirit within us. Jesus is no longer now walking with a group of 12 disciples, but is walking with his Spirit all around the world, offering discipleship to all who wish to follow.
What boat do you need to leave behind? What nets do you need to leave behind as you receive the calling to be a disciple?
Reflection Question(s): Reflect on which "nets" or "boats" you need to leave behind in your life to follow Jesus.
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read Luke 5:1-11
Luke 5:1-11 NIV: "One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So, they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were
Youth Pastor Joao Pires
Devotional Plan for: Week of May 31 - June 6
Monday - Read Nehemiah 1: 1-11
Nehemiah 1: 1-11 NIV: "The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: "Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." I was cupbearer to the king."
This week, we focus on the book of Nehemiah, which recounts an incredible story of a Jewish man attempting to restore Israel to its intended glory before God. This book is autobiographical, considered historically accurate by secular and believing scholars, and was written about 500 years before Christ.
Nehemiah was a cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes, was a high-ranking official position where one would, essentially, pour the drinks of the king. Now, this may not seem very high-ranking. But, as you've likely seen in some medieval movie, drinks were somehow prone to be poisoned in the ancient times. Someone like Nehemiah would ensure the safety of the drink, sometimes by way of tasting the drink before it reached the King.
Though Nehemiah was doing quite well in his job away from Israel, he heard of Israel's tragic failures, as they were not following God and the requisite destruction of the city and its walls made news, eventually reaching Nehemiah. Nehemiah felt inspired to return to Jerusalem as a way to be a part of its renewal, which took a long time and much hard work. We can learn from Nehemiah and Israel's story of how we can return from "destruction", or perhaps return from times where we feel we've gone astray from God (be that a year, a month, a day, an hour). Here are a few tips:
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Acknowledge the Grandeur of God When we come to God in our own brokenness, sometimes we can come to him immediately "asking" for things. That's fine. God wants us to ask him for things. But periodically we can think of ourselves as being "too big", meaning we overestimate our self-importance. In order to be humble before the great God, we need to stop and think about how Great he truly is. By entering prayer and first saying, "great and awesome God", we position ourselves as important but small creatures in this world, humbling ourselves, and asking from that place of humility.
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Repent It's hard to acknowledge when you've done something wrong. And if you think you easily acknowledge when you do wrong things, it p
Phil Munsey
Devotional Plan for: Week of May 24 - May 30 This past Sunday at TLCC we celebrated Pentecost Sunday, the Jewish festival that was occurring when the Holy Spirit came and filled the followers of Jesus. Our devotions this week focus on Luke's account of this day in the first 2 chapters in Acts.
Monday - Read Acts 2:1-4
Acts 2:1-4 NIV: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."
This week, we prepare for, and celebrate, the crucial and exhilarating day of Pentecost. When you think about the "Christian calendar", you mostly think of Christmas, Easter, maybe Good Friday. But when those are those are the only days of Christian history that we focus on, we miss other key moments in Christian history that shape our lives today.
The day of Pentecost, without a doubt, was one of the most essential events in all of history, particularly in the lives of those who believe in Jesus as the Christ. Often, when we think of what Jesus came to do, we think he came to this world and died and so we're all saved from our sins. This is true, but it's only part of the truth. The more full truth is that Jesus came, defeated the evil powers and sin and death through his crucifixion and resurrection, and he ascended into heaven and now sends his Spirit to us so that we can have the same power he had. Pentecost is the telling of the end of that story: Jesus has given us his Spirit, and the Scripture we read today is the first experience of people receiving his Spirit in this new, post-resurrection world.
Let's address some major questions about this, though. First, what does it mean to receive the Spirit of God? Though this can't all be explained fully in that we have limitations in our knowledge, somehow as spiritual beings we're able to be indwelt by that very Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. In the same way God was present spacio-temporally in the Temple in the Old Testament, so too, God is uniquely and fully present in us. But it appears there are also different ways in which this happens. A lot of people believe we receive the Spirit first when we accept Christ as Savior, but there are also special "fillings" of the Spirit subsequent to the initial indwelling of the Spirit within us. Sometimes, when we first receive the Spirit of God or when he uniquely moves within us after we've already received him, crazy spiritual things happen. In our text today, they spoke in a foreign tongue that they did not know. Sometimes, special miracles of healing, prediction of the future, or special knowledge can happen. God is doing something special that only his Holy Spirit can do.
Again, this all may sound pretty weird. But, if we believe there's more than just this physical material world, and that a God exists, then it makes sense that some weird-seeming things could occur in our world. Sometimes, we're just too afraid to ask for it or confront it. But what if God wanted to give you a special experience with the Holy Spirit? What if he just wants you to ask him for this special experience? If you believe in Christ as Savior, you already have his Spirit. Now maybe ask him to do something unique in your life.
Reflection Question(s): Have you ever asked for the Holy Spirit to unusually work through you?
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read Acts 2:5-13
Acts 2:5-13 NIV: "Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are
Pastor Terry A. Smith
Devotional Plan for: Week of May 17 - May 23 This past Sunday at TLCC we celebrated Ascension Sunday, which celebrates when Jesus ascended to heaven. Traditionally, it is celebrated as a feast and it is one of the ecumenical feasts of Christian churches, along with the celebrations of the Passion, Easter, and Pentecost. Our devotions this week focus on the passages in Luke and Acts that account for the time between Jesus's resurrection and his ascension.
Monday - Read Acts 1:1-3
Acts 1:1-3 NIV: "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."
As we study the story of the first century church our goal is not simply to learn about our ancestors in the faith. Our goal is to find the power and simplicity of the gospel. We want to find what they had.
The book of Acts was written by Luke. Acts is actually the shortened name of the book. It is actually called the Acts of the Apostles, or the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Some have suggested the book could have been titled "The Continuing Acts of Jesus Christ". Luke was a physician by trade and was known as a careful historian. The details he records in this book have been verified by history and archaeology. He was a companion of the apostle Paul on a couple of his missionary journeys.
What does the Book of Acts proclaim?
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Acts tells us how the Christian movement came into beginning. Acts has been called a transitional book because it serves as a bridge between the gospels and the epistles. It is the historical link that joins the life of Christ with the growth of the Christian church. As such it answers the question many first-century observers would have asked: "Where did this new movement come from?" Luke doesn't tell us everything we might like to know, but he includes every essential detail from the earliest days of the Christian movement. This is apologetics at its best showing the readers the Christian faith is firmly rooted in the facts of history.
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Acts shows us how the church is to respond when living in a predominately pagan culture. First, with a bold witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, we are speak up and not be silent. Second, with visible love for each other. It was said of the early Christians, "Behold, how they love one another." These two things—bold witness and visible love—have been the hallmark of the church in every age of persecution and hostility. They still hold true today.
3.. Acts teaches us about the worldwide mission of the Christian church. What started in Jerusalem will one day reach to the farthest corners of the globe. That was Jesus' plan from the beginning. He always intended that his followers would take his message and go in every direction with the good news.
Finally in Acts 1:3 Luke says that Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God. As his followers we are to do the same. Our primary goal is not to change the moral focus of our country. Our primary goal is not to build great organizations or to eliminate the pain and suffering in the world. Our primary goal is not to build a greater America. Our primary goal is to tell the world about Jesus. Our job is to tell the world about God's love, forgiveness, and the new life that can be ours through Christ. This message crosses national, political, ethnic, racial, economic, and gender boundaries.
Reflection Question(s): How can you be a better witness for Jesus at work, school, or in the community?
- Ryan Moore – Pastor of Care
Tuesday - Read Acts 1:4-8
Acts 1:4-8 NIV: "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gif
Sharon Smith, Maria Bellamy, Brittany Nicholson, Allison Quillin, Amanda Smith
Devotional Plan for: Week of May 10 - May 16 The Gospel of John and Frederick Dale Bruner's The Gospel of John: A Commentary, were the primary resources used by our Pastoral Team this week.
Monday - Read John 20:1 – 20:18
John 20:1 – 20:18 FDB: "Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, while it was still dark outside, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and sees the stone taken away from (the front of) the tomb. So she runs and comes to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and she says to them, 'They've taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they've put him!' So Peter and the other disciple set out and were making their way to the tomb. The two of them were running together, and the other disciple outran Peter, running faster, and got to the tomb first. And stooping down and looking in, he sees the grave wrappings resting there, but he did not go in. Then Peter arrives too (following the other disciple), and went right inside the tomb; he sees the linen wrappings resting there and, in addition, the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not resting with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. So then the other disciple (who had gotten to the tomb first) went in; and he looked — and he believed. You see, they were not yet acquainted with the Scripture that said he had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their places again.
But Mary stayed right there, just outside the tomb, crying and crying. Then as she was crying, she stooped down and looked inside the tomb herself, and she sees two angelic figures sitting there, dressed in white, at the head and at the foot of the space where Jesus' body had been placed. And they say to her, 'Woman, why are you crying?' She says to them, 'They've taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they've put him.' "When she said this, she turned around again, and now she is looking right at Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it is Jesus. Jesus says to her, 'Woman, why are you crying? For whom are you looking?' She, thinking he is the gardener, says to him, 'Sir, if you have taken him away, please tell me where you have put him so that I can come and get him.' Jesus says to her, 'Mariam!' She turned around and says to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbouni!' (which means 'My Teacher!'). Jesus says to her, 'Please do not keep holding on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But do this: Go tell my brothers, "I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God!"' Mary Magdalene comes, and announces to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord!' and that he had told her these things."
How long do you hold onto faith in dark times? Christians are often spurned as "unreasonable" people, blindly believing that which they have no evidence for. Oftentimes, Christians come by this reputation deservingly; we act as if we believe in Jesus despite the fact that there is no evidence.
Mary Magdalene, in this passage, displays unbelievable Christian faith, but it wasn't unreasonable. She had come to believe Jesus of Nazareth was a special man, tasked by God to be the Messiah, savior of the world. She not only heard compelling teachings and unfathomable wisdom, but also saw his authority over the world through healing many people or having insight into someone's life without having met them before. Mary saw evidence that Jesus was Messiah, and so she put her trust, or faith, in him.
But, he dies. Men had come before Jesus and claimed to be Messiah, so perhaps he was one of them. Mary, though, had seen too much. She saw the undeniable God-given power of Jesus, and so she hangs on to some sort of hope. Notice that Jesus is absolutely and definitively dead, buried in a tomb, yet she arrives at the tomb early in the morning three days after his death. What must have been going through her head? Sh
Pastor Terry A. Smith
Devotional Plan for: Week of May 3 - May 9
The Gospel of John and Frederick Dale Bruner's The Gospel of John: A Commentary, were the primary resources used by our Pastoral Team this week.
Monday - Read John 19:16b – 19:22
John 19:16b – 19:22 FDB: "So they took Jesus on, and carrying the Cross by himself he went out to the space called Skull Place, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha, where they crucified him, and two others with him — one here, one there, and Jesus in the middle. "Then Pilate had a sign written and placed over the Cross; this is what stands written there: 'Jesus the Nazorean, The King of the Jews.' Many of the Jewish people read this sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. And the sign was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. The Senior Pastors of the Jewish people were urging Pilate, 'Please don't write "The King of the Jews" but write "This character said, 'I am the King of the Jews.'" 'Pilate replied, 'What I have written, I have written.'"
Jesus, the King of the Jews.
We aren't quite sure why Pilate decided to write this above the head of the crucified Jesus. Essentially, he writes his name, his address, and his profession. But was "King of the Jews" an implicit admission of Jesus' rulership? Did Jesus convince Pilate there was something more happening than a simple crucifixion of a normal man? Or, the more likely option, was Pilate mocking the Jewish people who he was frustrated with saying, in a sarcastic tone, "Here, take your King"? The joke was, sadly enough, on Pilate and the Jewish surveyors. Whereas they thought they were giving up a rowdy dissident, they were actually giving up the true man of the sign – the King.
The joke, sometimes, is actually on us. We, whether we know it or not, can sometimes "mock" Jesus and his power. When we stand before God and doubt his power and authority, we're functionally writing a sign above his and sarcastically saying, "God of healing", "God of miracles", "God of life", "God of freedom". When we turn away from the promises God has given us in Scripture, we're believing God doesn't actually hold his title of all powerful and loving creator. But, in fact, when you're looking for life but don't believe God can give it to you, you're diminishing who he truly is.
God is unchanging and eternal. Whether we think we see him working in the ways that he has promised us, we must know he always is. God is going into the "Skull Place", our personal Golgotha, and just like he made the place of death the exact place of cosmic renewal, so he is going into your own Skull Place and wanting to renew it.
Jesus is King, and he sits on the throne with the Father, sending the Holy Spirit so that you can have the power of God within you. Whatever the sign that you put above God says, know that he is unchanging and eternal in his character, and sometimes proves us wrong.
Reflection Question(s): What are characteristics of God that you doubt? What would it look like for you to trust that God is who he says he is?
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read John 19:23 – 19:27
John 19:23 – 19:27 FDB: "So when Jesus had been crucified, the soldiers took Jesus' clothes and divided them four ways, one item for each soldier — and then there was just the tunic left over. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top through the whole. So they said to each other, "Let's not tear this thing; let's throw dice for it to see who gets it." So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my one piece of clothing they cast lots". So the soldiers did exactly that. Meanwhile, standing there beside the Cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he says to his mother, "Woman, look, your son!" The