Spiritual Story

By being baptized we tell our stories as individual believers. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commanded His disciples to go throughout the world and to make more disciples. As a sign of their commitment the new disciples were to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Peter said in Acts 2:38 “Repent and be Baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...” Baptism is the ceremony that tells our spiritual story to the church community as we become part of it.There is a hymn called “Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me...”, the act of baptism announces that now we belong to Jesus and walk with Him and He also walks us.

Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:19-24, Treasure

Matthew 6:19-24


Matthew 6:19-21
Notice that Jesus said earthly treasures are destroyed by corrosions of nature (moth), time (rust), or human beings (thieves).
1) How are treasures on Earth vs.19 different than treasures in Heaven vs.20?
2) What are some treasures here on earth? (house, car, money, things, books)
3) What are some treasures in Heaven? (Salvation, family, ect.)
4) Did Jesus mean that owning possessions or planning for the future is wrong?
Why or Why not? (I think we have to have the right motives.)

TREASURE -VS- HEART
1. The heart signifies one's total allegiance.
2. Treasure signifies the things that are important to us.
Verse 21 links treasure and heart. They go together. Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Jesus could also have said it another way, “Where your heart is, there's where you will invest your treasures.” Our attitudes and actions determine our real values and priorities. Many people give lip service to treasures in heaven, but they give their lives to treasures on earth.
Biographers try to lay their hands on every possible source when they are doing research for writing a person's life. One of the most valuable sources is a person's canceled checks. Our canceled checks or credit cards show where our real treasures are, on earth or in heaven. This in turn shows one's true priorities and values, another way of describing where the person's heart is.
The central issue in verses 19-21, indeed throughout the Sermon on the Mount, is the heart. A person's whose heart is totally committed to God will reveal this by investing personal treasures in heaven.

Matthew 6:22-23
(Safety glasses with petroleum jelly on them)
“If your eyes are good, the whole body will be full of light.”

Jesus spoke of commitment to Him in terms of singleness of vision. He contrasted a blind person to a sighted person and physical vision to spiritual vision. Christians are to focus firmly on God. The person who attempts to divide his or her vision and focus on both God and worldly matters has no clear vision, orientation, or direction.

Matthew 6:24

Think about this to yourself.
“If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.”
Is there any area in your life that you need to place under Jesus' lordship?

Undivided Loyalty

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorities, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

1Kings 18:21
How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 9:62
No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.

1Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's Table and the table of demons

Summing up the Lesson

1. Absolute financial security is an illusion. Jesus warned that earthly treasures are subject to deterioration and loss. When we die, we leave all our material possessions behind.
2. We lay up treasures in heaven when we live by heaven's standards in the here and now. Treasures in heaven are the qualities and actions of disciples that reflect their total loyalty to God and His eternal kingdom.
3. People whose hearts are totally committed to God reveal this by investing their treasures in God's eternal kingdom. Our treasures reveal where our hearts are. Our hearts determine what our treasures are.
4. Single-hearted commitment to God provides a clear vision of reality as God sees it. Anything less than total commitment results in spiritual blindness or a blurred vision of reality.
5. Loyalty to God in incompatible with selfish, materialistic living. Many people think they can combine their religion with selfish materialism. Actually, selfish materialism becomes their true god and demands a fearful price.

Sermon on the Mount, Prayer

Prayer
Matthew 6:9-15

Does anyone remember the first time they were ever called on to pray?
Have you ever noticed the same prayers being prayed by different people? (Same words spoken, they prayed someone else's prayer.)

Matthew 6:5-15 contains some of Jesus' key teachings about prayer. He knew that He could equip His disciples to be ready for any situation if He could teach them to pray. In this passage, Jesus taught them how not to pray and how to pray. He taught them not to pray like hypocrites who spoke to an audience instead of to God. (vs. 5) They were to build their prayer life on personal communion with God in secret. (vs. 6) He also warned then not to pray like pagans who thought they must get the attention of their gods by repeating many words in prayer. (vs. 7) Jesus said that His followers knew that the purpose of their prayers was neither to inform God nor to persuade Him. He is or Father who knows and cares before we pray. (vs. 8)
Because God knows and cares, some people conclude that prayer really is not needed; however, Jesus disagreed. He used the truth in vs. 8 as a foundation for teaching His followers how to pray.

Matthew 6:9
1) Why do you think Jesus used “Our Father”? Why did not He just use My Father? (God's family includes many children.)
2) “Our Father in Heaven”, What comfort do you have in knowing that you have a Heavenly Father?

Matthew 6:10
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
What is the difference in praying, “if it is your will,” and Your will be done”?
Matthew 26:39 (Jesus' request for God's will to be done)
Psalm 40:8
Psalm 143:10

Matthew6:11-13
Three points:
1. The sharing of bread (our)
2. The provision of our needs on a daily basis (daily)
3. The provision of basic life needs, not luxuries (bread)

Why do you think Jesus taught His disciples to ask for their needs to be met daily?
What similarity do you see between the request for daily bread in the Model prayer and God's provision of manna for the Israelites in the wilderness? (See Ex. 16:4) (The manna supplied was sufficient for the day)

Define debt.
Jesus used the word to describe sins. Debts also refer to obligations one has to another.
How can sins also be considered to another?
To whom are our obligations or sins owed?
Confession and forgiveness of sins are necessary to remove sins as barriers to fellowship with God. Jesus was not teaching in vs. 12 that we earn God's forgiveness by forgiving others. Forgiving and being forgiven go together.

Matthew 6:14-15
These verses provide a commentary on the last part of vs. 12.
Matthew 18:21-35
Persons who are forgiven will naturally want to extend forgiveness to others. Forgiving is not a good work that earns salvation. It is the evidence that the grace of God is at work in the forgiving person. Failing to forgive is evidence that the person has not experienced God's forgiveness.
Ask yourself this question. Is my life an example of forgiveness? Why or why not?

Summing up the lesson
1. After teaching His disciples how not to pray, Jesus used a Model Prayer to teach them how to pray. The prayers of disciples are not to be like those of hypocrites or pagans.
The model prayer is addressed to “our Father in heaven”. That God knows our needs and cares about us is a reason to pray, not reason not to pray.

2. The first three petitions focus on God and His glory. We are to pray that God will glorify His name, bring in His kingdom, and accomplish His will. Although at times God chooses to use His disciples to help achieve His purposes, the Model Prayer reminds us that this is His work and that our first action is to ask God to do it.

3. The last three petitions focus on human needs. We are to pray for daily bread, forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from Satan's temptations.

4. Being forgiven by God is inseparable from forgiving others. Forgiving others is not a condition for God's forgiveness, but a result of it.

My biking adventure along the I&M Canel

Years ago I bought a mountain bike and decided to start exercising and working out. One summer I biked around 400 miles around town and on bike trails. I always brought my camera along on my adventures. Below is my journey along the I&M Canal from Joliet to LaSalle. This adverture was only 120 miles, 60 miles down 60 miles back. I did this over 4 or 5 weekends.
I never had enough guts but I wanted to actually bike with all my gear and campout along the canal. I never could find anyone to go with me and I did not feel it was very safe to campout alone.
I think I am somewhere near Ottawa, IL in these pics.

The stairway to nowhere.

Above is Split Rock I think west of Uttica, they actually split the rock to make room for the canal, look closely see the railroad tunnel.

This barn is where they kept the mules that pulled the barges up and down the canal.

It is hard to believe they built this all by hand, even the canal was hand dug.

Above is Lock #11 and below is Lock #10

This is Lock #8 as well as the Locktenders house.

Above the Illinois River

This is along the canal between I55 and Rt.6

I love this shot, it seems like you just fade off in the distance.

I55

Gephard Woods State Park

Dresden Lock and Dam

Buffalo Roch State Park

Bridge in Morris crossing the canal.

5 mile bridge between Morris and Seneca.

This is another favorite picture, a stone wall along the path.

This is the aquaduct built over this creek. The canal flows over this creek in this aquaduct.

Sermon on the Mount, Worship

Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18
Worship

What is our Motive in Worship? Worship includes acts of religious devotion such as giving, praying, and fasting. Jesus condemned a theatrical righteousness exhibited by the religious leaders because their motive was self-worship, not the worship of God.

Hypocrites- People who put on a false appearance of virtue or religion.

Synagogues- Local meeting places of the Jewish people during New Testament times. Synagogues were established any place there were as many as 10 Jewish men.

Matthew 6:1-4
1. What words come to you mind when you hear “righteousness”?
2. Why do you think Jesus wants our acts of giving to be seen in secret even to ourselves? (to prevent our gift from becoming a matter of inner pride.)
Jesus condemned the hypocrites motives for giving to the needy to make sure others knew what they were doing and secure a reward from God. Believers are to give their money for the right reasons, as an act of worship and to help others in need.
3. Do you think Jesus would want the same principles of giving to apply to all areas of giving?
4. What other things should Christians give in addition to money?
5. Why do you give your money, time, or talents to God?
6. What rewards do you receive?

Matthew 6:5-8
1. Does Jesus' warnings concerning prayer mean Christians should not pray in public? Why or Why not?

When Christians pray they are to shut out the distractions and disturbances of others, shut themselves in with God, and be thoughtful in their prayers. The motive for prayer is to seek God.

Matthew 6:16-18
1. What are some ways that people “advertise” their religious devotion today? In other words what are some selfish motives as they worship God? (Giving a gift to church asking that it be acknowledged in a worship service, Using “big words” when praying in public, Announcing publicly the intention to skip one meal a day and give the money to missions.)

Hypocrites advertised they were fasting. What was intended as a sign of humiliation became a sign of self-righteousness. Fasting, as a spiritual discipline, is not an occasion for self-display but for self-denial.

Summing up the Lesson
1. Followers of Jesus should not do religious acts to draw attention to themselves.
2. Those who make a display of their giving have received their reward in full.
3. Prayer should be offered to God, not made an occasion for seeking the praise of other people.
4. Fasting needs to be offered to God, not made into a display for the purpose of receiving human praise.

Make a mental note of “acts of righteousness” you may be tempted to do for selfish reasons. Ask God to help create in you a desire to worship Him for the right motives.
Read Psalm 139:1-4, 23-24

(The content of this bible study has been taken from different sources, if you would like a list I would be glad to email one to you)

Football and Living the Chirstian Life

I played football in High School over at Coal City. There a lot of memories I want to hold on to and remember like making the playoffs, two a day practice, summer camp, lifting weights, and Saturday morning film.
But there are three things that stick out in my mind the most and I apply them to my daily life, my Christian walk.
1. The pre-game talk
2. Half-time in the locker room
3. The team prayer before and after the game
The coaching staff made sure we were prepared physically in practice and in the weight room and also in pre-season conditioning. They made sure we had knowledge of the game by having us study the playbook, having us studying our opponents plays, and watching film of the game. But they also prepared us mentally by "psyching us up". This was done during the pre-game, at half-time and during team prayer. They got us excited and focused on the game.

When was the last time you "studied the playbook", the bible?
When was the last time you were "psyched up" about Jesus?
When was the last time you sat down and took the time to pray?

If you look in Matthew26:26-29. I think this would be Jesus’ pre-game talk with his disciples. Everything up until this point was pre-season conditioning. I can just picture Jesus telling His disciples to gather around and take a knee. As we approach this time of Communion with an attitude of prayer, we are taking a knee and remembering what Jesus did for us in the cross. How he gave His life for us so that we can be with Him in Heaven, by placing our faith in Him. I can see Jesus telling His disciples to gather around and take a knee and saying,"............."

Matthew26:26-29

26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." 30When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Treasure Map

One of my all time favorite stories growing up was Mark Twain's, Tom Sawyer and Huckerburry Finn. Or Robert Louis Stevenson's, Treasure Island. In each of those stories there is a treasure map leading to gold. Every child dreams of finding a treasure map and it leading to a burried treasure in their back yard. At least I did. In the bible there is a treasure map. It is found in the book of Romans. It leads to one of the greatest treasure's of all time, Eternal Life. Let's follow it and see where it leads.
In Romans 3:23 it says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Going further on the treasure map we find that in Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Like all good Treasure maps we might have to do a little searching. Turn back to Romans 5:8. “But God demonstrates His own love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And finally we get to the treasure, in Romans 10:9-10,13 ”That if you confess with your mouth, ”Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” And in verse 13 it says, ”Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Communion Meditation, "This Blood" by Carmen

Violently they grabbed His arms as they tightly strapped each wrist.With the hellish looks that a strong armed soldier whip clenched in his fist. Laced with chips of bone they beat Him hard from His shoulders to His feet. It sliced right through His olive skin just like razors through a sheet. Countless times the blood splattered as each inhuman lash was given. Several times His knees gave way as His flesh just hung like ribbons. Then surprisingly He turned His head though the words He used were few. The soldier's face turned pale when He said, “This blood is for you”. Uncaringly they tossed a garment across His weakened form. And His blood pressure fell deathly low as the crowds began to swarm. They forced Him to carry His cross uphill as His face they punched and smacked. As the splinters from the crisscrossed beam dug deep into His back. Through lack of sleep and dehydration His tongue began to swell. Weakened by His loss of blood this Prophet Teacher fell. When He did some blood splattered on a man named Simon's shoe. And as He bent to wipe it off the Prophet said, “This blood is for you”.
Then they pounded a spike through the bones in His wrist, bursting arteries and veins. As they dropped the cross in the hole they dug, His body convulsed with pain. Through an agony and torment that never a soul shall find. He tilts His face toward heaven with full control of his mind. With more love than any human heard before that time or since. He made a statement that to this day makes the strongest skeptic wince. He cried, “Father God forgive them for they do not know what they do.” And as He gave His live for those lost in sin, He was saying , “This blood is for you.”
As we observe the Lord's Supper let's remember what happened on the cross. Jesus died for our sins so that we could spend eternity with Him. All we have to do is ask Him into our heart and to forgive us our sins then we can spend eternity with Him. Let's pray.
Mark 14-22-25
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.
"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them.
"I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."

Sermon on the Mount, Integrity and Difficult People

Matthew 5:27-37

Integrity
Brainstorm synonyms for integrity
honesty, honor, morality, wholeness, soundness, completeness, goodness
Definition: Integrity is being true to God, others and yourself.

Matthew 5:27-37

What is God's attitude toward marriage? What is yours? (vs. 31-32)
How dedicated are you/we to Christ and the standards He sets? (vs. 29)
How many careless words do you say a day?
How many promises do you make and forget to keep?
(I'll pray for you or I'll call you soon.)
Who can trust your word? (vs. 33-37)

Jesus was pointing out the lack of integrity in the Pharisee's oaths.
Honesty in speech is necessary for ongoing relationships. How are relationships affected by a lack of honesty in speech? (Truth is lost)
(Write on board)
How do we use, abuse, or confuse other people?

Summing up the Lesson
1. Adultery undermines the one flesh union of husband and wife. It is a deadly and serious sin that is condemned in the Old Testament and by Jesus.

2. Staring at another person for the purpose of lust is adultery in the heart. Jesus extended the application of the 7th Commandment to include lustful looks. Such lust in the heart is so dangerous that people should take whatever drastic steps are necessary to avoid it.

3. The integrity of marriage as a permanent one-flesh union must be maintained. The Pharisees wanted to debate grounds for divorce, but Jesus stressed God's original intention for marriage.

4. Jesus warned against trying to use divorce to cloak one's selfishness or immorality. Lax standards of divorce were sometimes used as supposed justification for such sinful purposes.

5. The integrity of speech and character are maintained when a person's word is completely trustworthy. Jesus' disciples should be people of their word.

6. Oath's are sometimes used to try to hide dishonesty behind impressive words. Oaths should not be necessary for disciples.

Difficult People
Matthew 5:38-48

Think of a recent personal experience of dealing with a difficult person. What are some ways to deal with someone who is difficult?

We as Christians are to reflect God's character in our lives even in difficult situations.

Matthew 5:38-42
In these verses Jesus wanted us to show Christian Love not revenge.
What are some possible situations in which we encounter a demanding person at work? Home? Ect.
What are some possible situations in which people might have difficulty giving or loaning to others?

Isaiah 1:17 Jesus was not condoning exploitation. Jesus was using very strong examples to teach the disciples to resist wanting to get even, and ignoring the needs of others.
How does the biblical concept of stewardship relate to vs. 42?
We live in a world of unlimited needs, but we have limited resources. We learn to make decisions about the best use of our limited resources to meet the greatest needs.

Matthew 5:43-48
“Love your neighbor” is from Leviticus 19:18. “Hate your enemy” is not found in the Old Testament. People who hated their enemies were trying to justify their own evil practices.
1. How can we overcome evil with good? (by loving and praying for our enemies)
2. What is the meaning of the word perfect? (wholeness, maturity)
3. Why does Jesus expect His disciples to be perfect? (Jesus' standards reflect the character of God)
4. What happens when Christians fail to be perfect? (God deals with us as a merciful and loving father)
5. What should Christians do when they have failed t be perfect? (Confess our failure, accept God's forgiveness, and press on.)

My Story

Everybody has a story. This is my story. It's not very exciting, maybe a little boring, but it is still my story. It all started when I was in Kindergarten or 1st grade. My mom told me we are going to church in our neighborhood called Faith Baptist Church. I don't remember a whole lot about that church other than the preacher yelled a lot and pointed his finger in his sermons. I do remember the first day we went, I wore a three piece suit with a gold pocket watch on a chain in the front pocket of my suit vest. After Sunday School I came home and told my mom I had to learn a bible verse. I still remember it, Psalm 37:5 "Commit thy way unto the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass". I don't remember why we quit going there but for some reason we stopped going for a while.

Now I am in 5th grade and we start going again to another Baptist church in Coal City. This one is a very small Southern Baptist Church in the town I grew up in. I think there were like 30 people in the service. In 7th grade I got involved in a program for boys called Royal Ambassadors. (I wrote a paper about this program in an earlier post.) Through this program I asked Jesus to be my savior and was baptized. I attend that one faithfully until I was a Junior. I meet a girl at this church and asked her out, she said yes and we went out twice. I could not see the writing on the wall, she was not interested in me. She liked another guy in the youth group and dumped me for him. Yes it broke my heart but it was this experience that turned my heart on fire for God. I really did not feel welcome in this youth group, so I started going to an Assembly of God church down the road. WOW what a difference in worship style, I could actually clap my hands, raise my arms, and shout to the LORD and not feel out of place. I could relate to the kids in the group, I am still friends to this day with the youth group leader and his family.

However I was torn between the two churches. I went with my mom to the Baptist church on Sunday mornings and this Assembly of God church on Sunday nights as well as on Tuesday night for youth group. My first youth group outing with this new church was at Gephard Woods State Park in Morris, IL. We all had a small stick and during the invitation we could get up and throw our stick in the fire to take a stand for God. I was the first to get up that night. I rededicated my life back to God, August 1, 1989. That park in Morris holds a special place in my heart. It was during this time I really was challenged to read my bible. And then it happened, "Would you like to be filled with the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues?" I remember going forward and asking God to fill me with the Holy Ghost. What I did for the next month or so before I left that church was repeat what I heard other people speaking in tongues saying. I was a clanging symbol. I praise God I am now part of a church where it is practiced but is kept in it's proper place, not in your face to where you feel pressured. I am not saying speaking in tongues is fake, in my own opinion there is a proper time to do it. If God were to ever wish to give me this gift I welcome it. Right now I have a hard time handling my own tongue. The pastor I have now told me a story of a lady who got saved because someone spoke in tongues in a meeting. She knew no English only German. The person who spoke in tongues spoke the plan of salvation in perfect German.

What I had a problem with at this church is when someone told me if a Christian did not speak in tongues then they did not have the Holy Spirit. What ever happened to 1 Corinthians 13? What about the Fruit of the Spirit?

About this time my two friends from high school invited me to their church's (First Baptist Wilmington, IL) Wednesday night Bible study/youth group. I loved it. So now I went to my mom's church on Sunday mornings and my friend's church on Sunday night and Wednesday night. I fit like a glove there. Everybody welcomed me and I felt like I was home, I was. I finally joined August 5, 1990 and started going there full time just before I started my senior year of high school. I had my first girlfriend there, we dated only for a short time but we got back together a few more times. I'll get to that later. Life at this church was pretty much normal, I went to a youth event called Youth Encounter, first as a youth then as a chaperon. We went on Ski Trips and winter retreats in Michigan at a farm called Maplecrest Farm. I served as an usher, money counter, trustee, I ran a video ministry where we video taped the Sunday services, I even taught a Young Adult Sunday School Class.

We went into a building program because we were outgrowing our current building. We owned 22 acres at the edge of town. So we built a church building. It is sad to say that building is empty today. I can blame the leadership, we had a pastor who wasn't much of a pastor in the end. The deacons did not do much either. I don't want to go into all the details, I believe God forgives and we do not need to bring up the past. We did not even observe the Lord's Supper for over a year, we just forgot isn't that sad. The whole point is we as a church took out eyes off the cross and put them on that building. We were so focused on outreach and that building we forgot about the in-reach. People stopped fellowshiping with each other. People who were once friends were now enemies. As soon as church was over in 15 minutes the building was empty. I saw the writing on the wall the girl I was seeing on again off again broke up with me her senior year in college, my church I loved was falling apart so I left. I was there 7 years. The church eventually split and they lost both buildings to the bond company. Praise God they got back together under a different name and were able to buy one of the buildings back. Last I talked to them they had 60 baptisms in 1 year.

I went back to that small Baptist church I grew up in and found it much the same as I left it before except they had a lot more people. It was a small church who was experiencing growing pains. I worked my way into being a Sunday School teacher to college age young adults. I was put in the kitchen, the worst place for a class. The highlight of my time there was when I took a group of high school girls up to the ski trip cabin in Michigan. Yes it was out of their comfort zone, yes they complained but not in front of me. On Sunday morning we had out own worship service. One of the Junior High girls sang a song for the special music. The background music tape messed up, she just kept on singing.

I was feeling God lead me away from this church once again. Needless to say the pastor was a little disappointed in my decision to leave and with my new church selection. I would like to point out nobody asked my mom where I was at after I left, except for the few people she was closest to. One Sunday morning nobody showed up for Sunday School class so I had had enough and filled out whatever paperwork I had to fill out for attendance and got in my truck and left for First Christian Church in Morris, IL. It is now May 1999

I loved it there. They accepted me with open arms. I became involved on the softball team. One week after I joined I got hit in the face with the ball and ended up ripping the straps off the stretcher before they put me in the ambulance. Proud to say it took them all to hold me down. (I have vertigo and get dizzy when I lay on my back.) I ended up with 6 stitches in my chin. I got involved in a Sunday School Class, with people my own age which I have not had in a long time. I loved the sermons every Sunday morning.

Before I joined a friend gave me a bag full of sermon tapes, a years worth. I listened to them all in two weeks. A few elders saw some potential in me so they asked if I would be interested in taking a leadership class the pastor was teaching. I eventually taught a Sunday School class for young adults and did the Communion Meditations twice a year a month at a time. I also served as an usher and took pictures of all the new members. I felt a need to go back to college and take some bible classes. So I enrolled at Lincoln Christian College and took Life of Christ 1,&2, Basic Christian Beliefs (I have a paper posted on this blog from that class), and Intro to Bible. The church started offering bible study classes on Sunday night. At this time I was not teaching a Sunday School class, God closed that door a year or two before and he opened this one. I asked one of the pastors if I could teach a Bible study class on the Life of Christ using video clips as discussion starters. After explaining it in more detail he said I could. So I was able to teach this class in 2004-05. I loved it, I think we had 12 to 15 people in the class.

Again God closed another door in June of 2005 and I left. I meet a lady a few years before at a friends christian bookstore in Morris when they were closing the store and retiring. We started dating about a year or so after first meeting. Things were getting serious so I moved an hour and a half north to Sycamore, IL to be closer to her. I started going to her church, Crosswind Community Church of Genoa, IL. I eventually joined and we got married on February 25th 2006.

At Crosswind Community Church I am involved in a men's group called M.A.S.T. (Men Acknowledging Struggles Together). I am not really involved in a "job in the church" like I have been in the past. My job right now is to be a better husband to my wife.

I have learned a few things in my Christian walk and being apart of different churches.
1. If you ever find the "perfect church", don't join it you might mess it up.
2. Embrace your church heritage, be proud of it.
3. Do one job in the church and give 100% at that one job. Don't do anymore jobs because you can't give a full 100% at those jobs and manage a family too. One or the other suffers.
4. Don't look down on another Christian because they don't go to the same kind of church you do, or that, that church down the road believes a little differently than your church.
5. We all should have one thing in common and that is Jesus. Isn't that enough.

Communion Meditation, Are you Hungry? (Part 1)

Feeding the four thousand
Matthew 15:29-38
I like to place myself in the story line in the bible. In other words, how would I feel if I were one of the disciples, or one of the people who came to see Jesus. What if I were at the front of the line, how about the last in line? Now I place myself as an onlooker wondering what all that fuss is about over in the field. Now read Matthew 15:29-38 and then place yourself in the story and then you walk up to Jesus and he asks you these questions.
Are you hungry? Did you get enough? Would you like some more? Are you full?
I think Jesus is asking us these same questions.

As we observe the Lord's Supper ask yourself these questions again. Are you hungry? Did you get enough? Would you like some more? There is plenty of God's saving Grace to go around. Are you full? Are you being filled?

Mark 14:22-25

22While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."
23Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.
24"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them.
25"I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."

Sermon on the Mount, Handling Anger

Handling Anger Matthew 5:21-26

What causes you to become angry?
Is is ever appropriate for Christians to become angry?
How do you deal with anger?
(Eph. 4:26-27)

At times Jesus became angry. (Matthew 21:12-13) The question is not whether we will experience anger, but what causes us to become angry and how will we handle our anger.
Todays lesson is to find a biblical answer to the question, As a Christian, how can I handle anger in appropriate ways?

Matthew 5:21-22
Jesus agreed with the Sixth Commandment “Do not murder”, but He disagreed with those who restricted the application to the crime of murder. The amazing thing about Jesus' responce in vs. 22 was that He forced everyone to look behind the Sixth Commandment at the inward sins that sometimes lead to murder. Jesus agreed that murder is a crime that deserves punishment, but He also taught that anger can be a sin that deserves punishment.
Remember not all anger is sinfull. Look at Jesus clearing the temple courts in anger. Jesus was warning about lasting hostility toward someone. Have you ever wanted to get even with someome?
The word “Raca” is a word that we do not use today. Most scholars would agree that it it a term of abuse that insulted a persons intelligence. So an English parallel would be “Nitwit”, “Blockhead”, “Numskull”, and “Bonehead”.

Ephesians 4:31-32

Some verses to think about.
Proverbs 15:1
Proverbs 29:11
Proverbs 29:22
Proverbs 30:33
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Ephesians 4:26
Ephesians 4:31
James 1:19-20


Matthew 5:23-24
Look at the words “first” and “then” in vs. 24.
What do these words indicate about taking the initiative to be reconciled? (seeking reconciliation is to be a priority among Christians)
1 John 4:20
What is the real test of our love for God? (how we treat people)
What is the key to treating people with love? (a right relationship with God)
How important are good relationships in God's church?

Matthew 5:25-26
What happened to people in Jesus' day when they could not pay a debt? (They were kept in jail until it was paid.)


Proverbs 25:8-10
What additional counsel is offered in theis passage? (Respect confidentiality)
To what extent is this a potential problem in relationships?
What is the best glue for mending broken relationships?
We must not risk standing before God without having right relationships with others. We need to mend broken relationships now.


Summing up the lesson.

We all have had fits of anger at one time or another. We all have been mad and or angry with someone else as well. The one verse that would sum up the whole lesson would be found in Ephesians 4:26 “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”

Pray for broken relationships to be mended, relationships with God to be strengthed, and occasians of anger to be resolved as Jesus taught.

Sermon on the Mount, Salt and Light

Sermon on the Mount
Lesson #2
Salt and Light Matthew 5:13-20

Intro: The Chris Gross Scholarship Fund
Following the tragic bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, Chris Gross, a 26 year-old single adult from Santa Clara, California, decided to make a difference in the situation. He was concerned about the children who had lost one or both of their parents in the blast. He wondered who would fund their education in the coming years. A financial analyst by vocation, Chris decided to set up a college scholarship fund for the children and pledged to give an amount equal to one years salary. Chris's company matched his donation. Then Chris challenged other people and companies to contribute to the scholarship fund. The fund has grown considerably, and Chris has truly made a difference in a tragic situation.

Imagine the scene. Jesus surrounded by His disciples with the crowd looking over their shoulders. Jesus had already shocked His hearers with the Beatitudes. Then He delivered another shock. He looked at His small group of followers and said that they were the hope of the world. The words He used were the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Remember that Jesus was talking to four fishermen, a tax collector, and other everyday people. Yet Jesus said that they would be the preserving quality in a corrupt world and would shed the light of salvation and truth into a dark world. No one was probably more surprised that Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew, and the others.
Modern disciples are equally shocked by this audacious statement, especially when we realize that in our own corrupting world, Jesus declares us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Many despair that no one can make much of a difference in our world. Certainly we don't expect to make much of a difference ourselves.
Jesus delivered another shock in vs. 20. Jesus said that people are not really His disciples unless their righteousness surpasses that of the pharisees and the teachers of the law. These religious leaders were the people of Jesus' day who seemed to most seriously God's demand for righteous living. If anyone was truly righteous, surely they were; yet Jesus said that true righteousness exceedes that of the these righteous and devout people.
This would be like saying to us that we could not be Jesus' disciples unless our righteousness surpasses that of preachers and Bible teachers. We might well ask, as the disciples did on another occasion, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25)

Matthew 5:13-16
What happens when you get salt in a wound?
When is it proper for Christians to act as irritants? (when taking a stand against sin)
In order for salt to work it must come in contact with an object. Likewise we as Christians need to be in contact with non-christians in order to be effective and make a difference.
Salt is an inexpensive product in America. Most people can afford to buy it. However Christians may pay a high price for acting as “salt”. We cannot afford to loose our saltiness! Jesus does not ask us to become what we are not. He calls us to be what we already are.

A little history:
Salt was much more valuable in Jesus' day than it is today. In ancient Greece, slaves could be bought with salt. Roman soldiers sometimes were paid with salt. The Latin word for “salt” is salarina, from which we get our word salary. The old saying, “A man is not worth his salt” originally meant that a man has not earned his wages.

Uses of salt:
1. Acts as a preservative
2. Flavors our food
3. Irritates an open wound
Uses of light:
1. Expels the darkness
2. Reveals that which is hidden
3. Radiates warmth
4. Burns when focused sharply

Look at vs. 16
How do we reflect light?
Story of dear in headlights at night/ reflectors on mailbox.
We are to reflect the light of the world in our lives. Our good works are for God's glory not ours.
In what ways do Christians hide their light?
Matthew 5:17-19
Old Testament laws had been added to and misapplied by the Jewish religious leaders for so long that they were confusing to many people. Jesus wanted people to learn a new and better way of understanding and obeying God's originial laws.

I. Ceremonial Law
Leviticus 1:1-4
Leviticus 2:1-2
Explain why and how Christ became the fulfillment of the law.
(the Sacrifice without blemish)

II. Civil Law
Deuteronomy 24:6-15
Explain how Jesus fulfilled the meaning of this law in His life and teachings. (Ex. Deut. 24:8-9 - the law for leprosy; Jesus healed some lepers, Luke 17:11-14)

III. Moral Law
Exodus 20:1-17
Match the New Testament verses with one of the 10 Commandments.
Matthew 4:10
Matthew 5:22
Matthew 5:28
Matthew 5:34
Matthew 5:40
Matthew 10:37
Matthew 12:36
Mark 2:27-28
Luke 12:15
Luke 16:13




Matthew 5:20
What was characteristic of the righteousness of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law? (They followed the letter of the Law, but their hearts were unchanged.)
What kind of righteousness does Jesus demand? (a righteousness based on love and obedience to God)
How is the surpassing righteousness obtained? (A relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.)

I am like salt when I __________________________.
I am a becon of light when I ____________________.
WITH GOD'S HELP I WILL BE SALT AND LIGHT!
_____________________ _____________
(name) (date)

(The content of this bible study was taken from various sources. If you want a list email me and I would be glad to send it to you.)