The Business of the Church
Acts 2:42-47
It is that time of year when churches are hustling, planning, and preparing for the new semester, the kick-off of the Fall activities. As we make those plans, it is vitally important for us as a church to know “who” we are, for us to know God’s purpose for this particular church. Many churches today [...]
Fellowship
Acts 4
With the passage of time things change. Change is inevitable. Some of those changes are good. I’m thrilled that those who attend church on Sunday morning are now parking their cars instead of tying their horses to a hitching post out in front of the church, aren’t you? I’m also glad that we’ve evolved from [...]
Called To Serve
Acts 6:1-6
One Sunday morning the pastor was trying to move his congregation from being spectators to becoming participants in the ministry of the Kingdom. He had prayed all week that the Lord would open the eyes of all of those who called the church home. The pastor knew that he had been given a word from [...]
You Just Never Know!
Acts 8:26-40
Two weeks from today we are going to have Friend Day here at Britton Christian Church. For the past ten years or so we have always had Friend Day on the Sunday that we set our clocks back one hour. We do this because church growth gurus tell us that on time change Sunday there [...]
God’s Plan Is Bigger Than Me
Acts 10
Last Sunday we were visiting the Tri-Cities area of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Korazin on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This week we are going to travel down to the Mediterranean Sea to a city called Caesarea. Caesarea is an ancient city that really began to take shape after the Persians had [...]
Empowered By Prayer!
Acts 4
The Church is gasping for air. She is losing her power as her life slowly ebbs away. The ICU unit is filled to overflowing with scores of churches whose glory days were a generation ago, but who today are surviving only on a ventilator of determination to see another Sunday. Because of her lack of [...]
Surprised By Prayer!
Acts 12:1-19
The popularity of prayer has skyrocketed in recent months. Prayer, talking about prayer, writing about prayer, exploring patterns of prayers and the like have become more prevalent than Tiger Woods’ fans at a golf tournament. Prayer has truly come to the forefront of our society today as more and more people are talking about seeking [...]
It Ain’t Always So!
Acts 10
He walked into the room to receive the coveted award for community involvement. He had worked in neighborhoods across the city and God had blessed his efforts. He compassionately reached out to the marginalized and those that had been written off by the vast majority of the community. He quoted Scriptures like they were part [...]
Good News For Hard Times!
Acts 9:32-43
Hard times are nothing new. Hard times, times of trials and tribulations, seem to be as constant as the sunrise. You can watch the news on any given day and hear of the hard times of those around our country. You can read the morning paper and learn of the trials of those in our [...]
Then!
Acts 9:31
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born in 1834. Charles’ father was a minister, so Charles was influenced by the Word of God from an early age. Charles was a bright boy. Even as a young boy in Essex he had been an avid reader, he read Pilgrim’s Progress when he was only six years old – [...]
THE SAINTS OF GOD: Suspicious or Supportive?
Acts 9:19-32
I do not know anyone who does not want to succeed. Deep in our hearts some of us may feel like we have lost or that we have no chance of winning, but feeling like we are fumbling around in the dark is quite different from wanting to be a desperate failure. I have no [...]
It’s A Long Hard Road.
Acts 9:9-19
There is a very real and dangerous misconception which has been circulating for some time among church folk. I don’t know when, or how, it all began but it’s present toll upon the individual lives of the followers of Jesus is mounting. The deadly idea which has been circulating is that Jesus will make everything [...]
Are You Paying Attention?
Acts 9:1-9
A young man was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, about 120 miles southwest of modern-day Berlin. His parents, Hans and Margaretha, were both domestic workers. Shortly after the birth of their son, the family moved to Mansfield where his father found work in the copper mines. Hans was a very driven man [...]
What Do You Hear?
Acts 8:26-40
I am concerned about the Church this morning. The Church in America. I am concerned that the Church has lost her heart for the broken and lost. I am concerned that she has lost her passion for the voice of God. I am concerned that she has turned from faith to fascination. I am concerned [...]
The Real Deal!
Acts 8:9-25
Rusty was a friend of mine growing up in Duncan, Oklahoma. Rusty was a piece of art. A great guy. A good friend. Hard to figure out. On a regular basis he would undergo a metamorphosis of mammoth proportions. The continual transformations of Rusty were not unlike Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, the many faces [...]
The Good-For-Nothing, No Account Gospel
Acts 8:1-25
“I’ll tell you what. That good-for-nothing, no account son-in-law of mine will never amount to a hill of beans. Why, he is so lazy I don’t see how he ever gets anything done. I will never understand what my daughter sees in him…lays around on the couch watching football, eating chips like they were going [...]
Denial, Deception, or Devotion?
Acts 7:1-60
It was a Sunday like any other Sunday. Friends arrived early to find a seat in the crowded sanctuary. Visitors wandered in with a look of uncertainty on their faces not really sure about where they were to go or what they were to do. The service began and everyone settled in for an hour [...]
What Makes A Great Church?
Acts 2:42-47
A powerful new movie has hit the video store shelves in the past couple of weeks. In the movie, Dangerous Minds, an unsuspecting, recently divorced woman in need of a job goes to an inner-city school to try and land an interview. In a matter of minutes she finds herself hired to teach in the [...]