New Series!

Parable of the Ten Minas

Watch the video on Luke 19 Parable of the Ten Minas here.

Read the Parable here.

July 15 2007 Sermon

Check out the sermon video here.

Read the parable in Luke 18:9-14 here.

Be a missionary TODAY!–7/20/07

For years the church has been preaching that you don’t have to go overseas to enter the mission field. The mission field is just outside our door, in our neighborhoods, at our schools. More and more people find the church irrelevant to their daily lives or out of touch with the world today. And because of that, the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ is missed by adults and children throughout our neighborhoods. Some estimates say that there will be more Christians in the third world than in Europe and the U.S. combined by 2012. Some estimate that it has already happened. So what can you do? How can we become a missionary in our own neighborhoods? Our places of work? Our schools and our play?

First, invite others to come. Over 80% of people who attend church today say that they came to a church because they were invited. I recently had a converstion with one member of our church who came for that very reason–a neighbor who attended invited them to come to the VBS program with their children. Now they are becoming members of the church.

But secondly, welcome those who come through the doors. Some studies suggest a person will decide if they are coming back to a church within 5-8 minutes of their pulling into the parking lot. Long before the music starts and the pastor preaches, people are looking for genuine community. They ask themselves, “Is this a place I can see myself coming to again?” Because we belong, we have friends that we long to chat with and welcome when we come to worship. Take 5 minutes to say hello to someone you don’t recognize. Welcome them and introduce yourself. Now I know the greatest fear is that you might be welcoming someone who has attended the church for longer than you! It’s okay. Don’t welcome them as someone new. Welcome them as someone you don’t recognize. “Hi, I don’t think I know you, my name is………” Then after introducing yourself, you can always ask, “Are you new here, or have you been coming a while?” No matter how many services a church has, if you have more than about 60 people attending, you may not know everyone there.

With those two simple steps, you can become a missionary right in your own backyard. Imagine… if half of Orion Township has no church affiliation or a place of worship, there are over 15,000 people who do not pause to worship God with a church community. If we include Oxford, there are another 8,000. That’s 23,000 people. That sounds like a mission field to me!

Pastor Bill <

July 1: Lazarus Sermon

Click here to view the sermon on Lazarus from July 1, 2007.

Read the parable of Lazarus here.

Who is your Lazarus?–Sermon from 7/1/07

Last Sunday we shared a message based on the parable from Luke 16:19-31, “The Rich Man and Lazarus.”  (You can view this sermon on line at the church web page under “Sermons.”)  During the sermon I challenged those present to close their eyes (risky business for a pastor during a sermon) and to envision someone who could be the Lazarus at their own gate.  Who is the person in need among us? There are many who are poor and in need of food and housing, but who might the person be that is in spiritual need?  Who needs someone to listen to them as they pour out their hearts about a struggling marriage or the uncertainty of raising children or the fear of failing health?  Who is it that we walk by daily that needs to hear about Jesus and the unconditional love God has for us all?  Who has God put in our path or at our door that is virtually invisible to us?

I then charged each person to begin praying for the person God has laid upon their heart.  Not just thinking about that person, but truly praying for them and whatever need they have.  Then I also asked for each person to ask God to show a way that he/she might be able to reach out to this person.  This isn’t just a charge for this week until the next sermon comes along. This is how we can live out our faith one person at a time. 

If you are reading this blog and were not a part of the worship service on July 1, then I challenge you also to consider–who is the Lazarus at your door?  Who has God set in your path that needs you to be the hands and feet of Jesus for them?  Begin right now in praying how God can reach that person, and pray for how God can use you to reach them.

Peace,
Pastor Bill  <><

June 24 Sermon

June 24, 2007: The Shrewd Manager
Luke 16: 1-15 (read the parable here)

June 17 Sermon

June 17, 2007: The Lost Son
Luke 15:11-32 (read the parable here)