daddy4ms

Introduction : How confident are you?   Confidence is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as, “trust or reliance, feeling of assurance” It is usually easy to spot a person who is confident by what they say or do.   We can place confidence in ourselves, in others, or in things. On your notes page, I have listed several things we can place our confidence in.   Take about 30 seconds to circle those you place confidence in: self, spouse, friend, parent, child, job, school, sports, marriage, parenting, faithfulness, achievements, education, economy, politics. In our passage today, we learn about what Paul’s confidence was in. We will discuss three “look” phrases in the message today.    Look up (vs. 1a) ·          Finally, rejoice in the Lord. Paul begins Chapter 3 repeating one of his main themes: joy.   Remember our joy is not based on circumstances, but instead on who God is. Paul’s confidence was “...

This past week, I have been discussing with several people via Twitter justification and sanctification. I have always understood justification as something that Jesus did for me. Sanctification, on the other hand, seemed to be about what I do. One of the verses that was shared was from Galatians 3.  Here is that Scripture: 2  Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by [ a ] the flesh? 4  Did you suffer [ b ] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5  Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6  just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:2-6 ESV) We know we are saved by grace through faith not through the law.  The Law clearly exposes our need for a Savior. And t...

Have any of you ever had a sin in your life that keeps reappearing?  Have you tried and tried to resist it?  We know we have been forgiven because of Christ's death on the cross.  We know there is a battle between being led by the Spirit or by the flesh.  But how can we experience victory over our reoccurring sins? I was praying about a particular sin in my life this week that continues to be a struggle for me.  God led me to a particular Scripture while I was praying.  It is Romans 7:14-25.  I will include it here for your convenience. 14  We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in...

On Sunday, June 24th, I delivered a message entitled, "Guess Who?" based on Ephesians 1:1-14.  Here are some notes from that message: ·          Greetings-In verse 1, Paul addresses them as “saints in Ephesus”.  As I read these words, I wondered if this was a special greeting for a really good church.  As I studied, I discovered that Paul begins his letters to 6 out of 7 churches this same way in Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians.  If Paul was writing to us today, he would begin our letter “to the saints at Hesston MB.”  In Christ, you are a saint! You are: ·          Vs. 3-Blessed with every spiritual blessing o    Spiritual blessings are contrasted with blessings of OT which were based on following the Law.  These blessings are freely ours because of what Christ has done not what we have done.  So, what Christ has is ours. · ...

As you know, I am reading Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian.  It is a great book on the gospel.  For those of you struggling with sin (that's all of us, right?) and legalism, I encourage you to buy the book.  Ponder these quotes from Chapter 7 entitled, "Fully Exposed": "In Christless Christianity, Michael Horton identifies "the regular diet in many churches across America today: Do more, try harder . . . The focus still seems to be on us and our activity rather than on God and his work in Jesus Christ." "In the Gospel -Driven Life, Michael Horton helps open our eyes to all that "in Christ" means: Paul does not say, "Be like Jesus." He says, You are like Jesus" . . .  It's easy for us to rely on the gospel for forgiveness and justification but then look elsewhere for our renewal and sanctification. However, Paul says that it's all there: "in Christ."Only after saying this does Paul then issu...

Well, VBS is now officially over! Wow-what a week. We had an energetic group of about 5o 3rd/4 th graders for the week. They really got into our offering challenge and raised approximately $450 for Haiti Lifeline Ministries. They were very excited to come and visit Paul & Brutus tonight. All four groups cheered when Brutus announced he had accepted Christ. Way to go Jennifer Kroeker as director of VBS ! I am proud to be part of a community that works together to do VBS . Thanks for working together, Hesston . It is also great to see no home baseball games during VBS week. Thank you recreation department! Now, it's time to recover until January when the VBS process begins again!

Tonight was an exciting night at VBS . It is the night when Brutus starts to ask questions about Jesus. Our point was God's Love Saves Us. No matter what we have done-Jesus will forgive us. But we have to admit that we are sinners-every single one of us. None of us are perfect and therefore we are guilty and need to be saved. That is where Jesus comes in. He saves us from our sins. I wonder how Paul and Brutus' conversation will go. We will see tomorrow night. It is hard to believe that VBS is over tomorrow. I am praying for those who do not know Jesus personally. I hope they will make the choice to follow Him. Thank you Jesus that you paid the price and have done it all. We just have to accept that free gift.

My part of Day 3 of VBS has ended. I am sitting in my office eating ice cream (snack for the night) as I write. Tonight, Brutus fell asleep and allowed Paul to talk more freely with the 3rd/4 th graders. Our point was God's Love is Always With Us. The visual was the chain around our ankles that keeps Paul connected to Brutus. Brutus is starting to soften a little. I wonder if he considering becoming a Christian. We are over halfway through the week. I was really impressed with all of the kids tonight. They really listened very well. I hope they are learning a lot and I am praying that those who are Christians would choose to follow Christ.

Tonight at VBS , the 3rd and 4 th graders are starting to realize that being a Christian in Rome can get you into trouble. Paul shared his story of how God changed him on the road to Damascus. He tried to help Brutus understand that when we become Christians we have to change. Therefore, our point for tonight was God's Love Changes Us. Tonight, several brought money for our offering competition for Haiti Lifeline Ministry. We hope to show a video about this ministry either Wed. or Thurs. night.

Day 1 of Hesston's Community VBS has come to an end. Hesston MB is in charge of 3rd and 4 th graders this year. I have the privilege of being Paul under house arrest as part of our VBS Theme: Paul and the Underground Church. After sharing about Jesus with the family groups, they travel to an underground church as well as visit Extollo (music) and the marketplace (drama and crafts). Today's point was: God's Love is a Gift. Check back for tomorrow's point! It is amazing how many volunteers it takes to pull off VBS each year. Thanks to all of the volunteers that are making this year possible!

Today, I preached on the topic of "Prayer Power" based on Philippians 1: 3-11. Paul is writing this letter to the church in Philippi from prison. This section is Paul's prayer for the church there. As I have written many times before, I strongly believe in the power of prayer and Paul does too as shown by this prayer and many others he prays for the churches. This message also served another purpose. Today, was the first Sunday without our lead pastor, Steve Toews . As I began to pray about this transition, I felt strongly that we needed to clearly communicate our dedication to prayer by starting with this message from the very beginning. The more I prayed, the more I sensed God wanting me to preach this first Sunday and to stress the importance of prayer during this time. After the message, the congregation broke into small groups to pray through a bulletin insert that I put together. My hope is that the congregation will use this insert to pray through over th...

Right now, I am taking a break from my church's VBS . Our theme is "Paul and the Underground Church." Our church as been transformed into Rome with a marketplace, Paul under house arrest, and an underground church. I have the privilege of being Paul and I am chained to Brutus, my guard. I am sharing stories about what it is like to be a Jesus follower in Rome. I have explained that I am under house arrest because of telling others about Jesus. I have also shared with the children that believers can be physically hurt or put in prison because of their faith in Jesus. This VBS , reminds me of all of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world that live like this every day. We take our faith for granted in so many ways. We are fortunate that we can pray, read the Bible and worship without fear or persecution. It reminds me to pray for missionaries throughout the world sharing God's love and His Word with others with the real possibility of being beat...