Midwest City Free Methodist Church: Recent Episodes
MWCFMC
Few people can say they "had it all." The writer of Ecclesiastes could. But looking back, he gives wisdom that only someone who had it all can provide. Spoiler alert: having everything this world offers can't fulfill you. You need something greater than that.
The height of wisdom literature, the preacher/teacher of Ecclesiastes is giving lessons learned from a long life. The first, which is really the theme of the book, is that none of the good things of life can provide the ultimate meaning we seek and need. Outside of that, it all comes to futility. It is a vain chasing after the wind.
Both in Hebrews 12 and in I Corithians 9 we are told that the life of a Christian is like a race. It's not a sprint but a marathon. We can't opt out; we are in this race. We have to stay focused. We should watch out for things that will trip us or distracts us or disqualify us. Our goal is the finish line where the prize awaits. We are in it to win it.
Jesus is usually pictured as a gentle lamb, or a suffering servant, which are true & biblical images. But this is incomplete. The resurrected Messiah is powerful & victorious, a conquering hero who has crushed the head of the enemy.
In Luke 4 Jesus begins with Scripture to proclaim his true identity, calling and purpose in the world. Some liked it, at least at first. But some, eventually many, hated it. Jesus had the courage to be obedient and speak the truth no matter the cost. This is a lesson for all who follow Him.
Sickness is a universal part of human life. We all die of our final illness. God is the all-powerful healer, as he reminded His people in Exodus 15.
Early in the Bible we learn something important about God. He sees everything. He hears our praise and pleas for help. He knows our needs, our sacrifices, and our sins. Nothing escapes His eye or ear.
Does the God of Peace also make war? Yes He does. It is one of the names often used of Him. He is the LORD of Hosts (as in, armies). The world is not a paradise. Evil is real and has to be fought. Christians have to fight in this war that is not against flesh & blood.
Righteousness is simply 'rightness.' It is the same word translated just or justice. It refers to lining up to the standard. In this world every line is crooked to some degree. God alone judges perfectly. The only time He interrupts justice is for the sake of mercy, which is the basis of our hope.
Psalm 95 calls God "Yahweh Osenu," the LORD our Maker. Creation is not only biblical, it is logical and intuitive. The sciences point increasingly toward this fundamental belief. God is the Creator of the universe.
From Abraham onward, Israel's God was recognized as "olam," meaning "everlasting." We know that our universe is not eternal. Time was created by God just like everything else. He is timeless.
In Exodus 3 Moses encountered God, who asked him to do something insane. Moses asked God a bold question: "Who shall I say sent me?" Instead of the more generic name for God, Moses got something distinct and profound: "I am who I am." He was told "Tell them the "I am" (Yahweh) sent you." In this message we explore the meaning of that unique name.
The Church's commission from Christ is to make disciples. Paul says in Colossians 1 that his life's work is to lead the church to teach people with all wisdom & make them mature believers. We are not just making coverts, we are building mature people in Christ.
In this message, Rev. Steve Smith shares the meaning behind a Hebrew word that is known universally around the world.
Paul says that the Church warns and teaches in all wisdom. He says in another place that we should admonish as a friend as opposed to ignoring like an enemy. Life is full of pitfalls. We need warnings and guardrails to avoid disasters.
In Numbers 35 we see that Israel had laws about murder, manslaughter & due process. To prevent hasty vengeance there was a city for refuge. If not guilty of murder, the accused, when the high priest ultimately died, could then go free. The gospel foreshadowing and application is plain to us.
We are told that no one has ever truly seen God as He is, in his fullness or glory. But the apostle tells us that the man Jesus is the image of God, the most visible picture of God ever shown to man.
A series of brief commentaries on social issues: "Things People Say." This one is on a common saying in the abortion debate: "If you oppose abortion, then don't have one."
It's too easy for Christians to think they can't be fully committed, obedient disciples and servants in the Kingdom because of particular circumstances in their lives. Daniel & his friends were young men in the worst possible circumstances, and they made no excuses. It's a lesson for everyone.
Slavery has been the rule and not the exception on every continent in every age. The Christian message, seen in Paul's words to Philemon, formed the basis for a movement that freed untold numbers of slaves around the world.
The brief letter to Philemon is to a man on behalf of his runaway slave, who has become his brother in Christ. For context and understanding, we look at slavery's meaning and practice throughout the ages.
Society judges people outwardly, praising physical attributes and abilities. Some assess moral worth on the basis of gender, skin color, or other things. But the Bible is clear throughout: God is concerned with the INNER man, the true heart and character of each person.
From the very beginning Satan is depicted as a false accuser. The N.T. Greek word for "devil" is "diabolos," which means slanderer. When people slander each other, as is so common in our world, they are being Satanic.
Israel was blessed as a result of sacrificial faithfulness to Yahweh. But they grew decadent - fat, entitled, forgetful of their past. This can happen to any nation - victims of their own God-given prosperity.
The judgment is harsh for Israel when she forgets her past & the blessings of her roots and heritage. To throw away such a gift to run after worthless things is an act of abominable foolishness. Each person, family and nation should read these sobering words of warning.
500 years ago Martin Luther got a rare opportunity to speak before the emperor. In Acts 26 Paul got "permission to speak" to two powerful men. What did they say and what can we learn from it?
Paul prepared in Acts 25 to stand before two powerful rulers of his time. 500 yrs ago Martin Luther stood alone before the Holy Roman Emperor. Would you be ready and able if called upon in your time and place?
Every Christian is meant to be a wise, mature reader of the Word AND of the World. We should be like the sons of Issachar, who "understood the times."
Jesus did not look like a threat to take the throne in Jerusalem, on a donkey, basically homeless, and peasants with palms all around. But he was set to achieve a vastly greater overthrow and victory than anyone there realized.
In his last days on earth, Jesus was determined to go into the belly of the beast: Jerusalem. He told his disciples their going "was to fulfill" what had been written long before. It was all coming to pass.
Jesus had to overcome the usual temptations of a man, including fear, in order to fulfill the ultimate and sacrificial purpose of his life on earth. It is a lesson in courage and perfect obedience.
According to Paul, the believers in Christ actively seek to persuade people. But, the apostle writes, our motive is not like the usual ones. We are compelled by Christ's love and the firm conviction of His Truth. Our message is the Gospel and our method the Word of God and the words of our own mouths.
The fourth principle in the series involves the crossing of all cultural barriers. The Church is global and trans-cultural. American Christians are so immersed in our own culture, we have to beware our own ethnocentric assumptions.
If justification is God declaring us righteous - salvation by faith - then sanctification is the process by which God makes us more righteous. This is what it means to be "saints" - holy ones, set apart.
The principle of righteous and fair treatment is thoroughly biblical. The prophets brought the word of YHWH, demanding a just society, especially regarding "the least of these," as Jesus called them. The Church continues that message today.
Those who shepherd the Free Methodist churches have introduced five principles they call "The Free Methodist Way," This is the first in a series on each of those. The first to be covered is "God-given revelation," in which we look at how God communicates, past and present, especially through the Word, or as Paul describes puts it, "the writings ... able to make you wise for salvation."
The Bible speaks of tribes, tongues & nations, NOT races. As fixated as our culture has become on "race," it is neither a Biblical nor biological category of objective meaning or significance.
Foundational to a the Bible's understanding of mankind and race is what Paul told the Athenian philosophers: that God created every nation of people from "one blood," that he appointed their times & places, that he meant for them to seek and find Him.
In this session, we take a good look at a very widely used text that is an introduction to "Critical Social Justice Studies" to examine its contents.
The Marxist philosophical roots of Critical Theory got a major makeover in the form of a very recent concept called "Intersectionality," which focuses on identity markers. It has shaped the movement profoundly.
In our third session we see the huge influence of Marxist scholars in areas like sociology and psychology, specifically in what is called the "Frankfurt School." These writers, and some postmodern writers, gave shape to Critical Theory as we now see it in popular best-selling books.
Our Second Session: The main ideas of Critical Theory find their origin and godfather in Karl Marx. We have to understand his influence and impact in the 20th Cent. in order to see why CT goes so very wrong.
This is the introductory session of our Wed. night class on this subject. Behind the very popular movement for social justice is a framework called "Critical Theory" that has been taught in universities for many years. It has roots in Marxist thought and post-modern philosophy (and sociology). Today it is embraced by popular movements of protest. This study examines it from a biblical point of view.
Not only is race not a category of biblical concern, it is a shallow basis for identity. The Gospel breaks down the enmity and hostility between people groups. It is the hope for reconciliation between all men.
The Psalms sit squarely in the center of the Biblical text. They form a long book that is the most read and certainly most sung of all Scripture. Jesus quoted the Psalms above all other books. The language of the Psalms still fills everyday speech. It is powerful, personal and deeply lyrical theology meant to be sung, remembered and lived by. This is an introduction.
The 3rd in the 3-part series, this message focuses on reasons for the numbers of abortions today, specifically "eugenics," which has led to unfathomable death rates for Down's babies and others. Also the obvious reason nobody wants to admit - mere convenience and lifestyle freedom.
In the second of this 3-part sanctity of life emphasis, we ask first why so many do not see the issue from a pro-life point of view. Then we introduce the four main reasons why abortions take place in the world today, and spend some time on the first one: sex-selective abortions.
The first of a 3-part examination of the abortion issue in our day, including defining it & looking at the reasons it has become such a major topic of debate.
Advent is the season of joyful expectation. Culturally we recognize Christmas as including a lot of joy-related words: merry, jolly, cheerful, etc. Christians wonder if joy is distinct from happiness. Is that a biblical view? This message explains that it isn't as simple as many Christian books & sermons make it out.
The question "What is man?" is asked in Scripture & a thousand other places. The answer makes all the difference in the world. The Biblical response is that all human beings are made in the "image of God" - the well-known Latin is "imago Dei." This and this alone forms the only true and adequate basis for human dignity, worth, and rights.
Evil is not just a word for things we decide we don't like. Evil is real. It is undeniable. It is personal and powerful. Its existence points us to what is Good, and to God, who is the ultimate source of Good & our only hope for victory over evil.
Everyone perceives good and evil. But why? What is the source or origin of these notions? These are central to a Christian's view of reality. This message looks closely at what we mean by "good," and how a biblical understanding is the lens through which to understand its true meaning.
We believe that all things were created by God, and everything in creation continues to reveal this to us. Contemporary scientific findings only make the case stronger, as when we look a the delicate physics of the universe, as well as something like DNA. It screams out to us that God is the Maker of heaven & earth.
We believe in creation rather than a blind, unplanned process. The world is awe-inspiring, but how did it get here? What caused all things to exist, and in such spectacular ways? God is the Maker of all things. The majestic things people feel inclined to worship are pointing to the One who is worthy of it.
Given the non-establishment clause of the 1st Amendment, a belief (or assumption) has increasingly arisen that secularism was intended to be the official state view on religion and society. That assumption is patently false. Our fourth class session on Church & State explains why.
The Apostles Creed begins with belief in God the Father Almighty. It is the foremost watershed belief. More consequences for your worldview follow from this than any other belief. God reveals Himself as having the unique attributes that make Him maximally and ultimately great in every possible respect. There is no other like Him.
In our third session we turn to the common debate over whether America is a "Christian nation." The question is too vague to answer without some groundwork being done first. We look at how we can say either "yes" or "no" depending upon what is meant by the question.
People believe things. Christians do so decidedly. We have creeds. Our beliefs form a full theology, a comprehensive worldview rooted in revelation. This introduction to a new series explains the dire need for the Church to understand her own worldview in a culture that has forgotten it, even while still haunted by a few distant memories of it.