1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.
When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to
pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" 'Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins
against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of
you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me
three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on
a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
7"Then the one inside answers, Don't
bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I
can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you,
though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet
because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son
asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or
if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If
you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
him!"
Last Updated ( Sunday, 25 July 2010 14:11 )
July 4 2010
THE ATHENIAN QUESTION
Mark Hunter
Acts
17: 16 - 34
16While Paul was waiting
for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was
full of idols. 17So he
reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as
well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be
there. 18A group of
Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them
asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems
to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was
preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19Then they took him and
brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May
we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20You are bringing some strange
ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21(All the Athenians and the
foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking
about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the
Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very
religious. 23For as I
walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even
found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you
worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
24"The God who made the world
and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live
in temples built by hands. 25And
he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he
himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every
nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he
determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should
live. 27God did this so
that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our
being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
29"Therefore since we are
God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold
or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked
such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he
will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has
given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
32When they heard about the
resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We
want to hear you again on this subject." 33At that, Paul left the Council. 34A few men became followers of
Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus,
also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 July 2010 23:06 )
The First Missionaries
Part Sixteen of a series
THE
CHURCH UNLEASHED:
THE
STORY OF THE EARLY CHURCH
Richard Jackson
Acts 11:19-30
19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in
connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch,
telling the message only to Jews. 20Some of them, however, men from
Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling
them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord's hand was with
them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22News of this
reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to
Antioch. 23When
he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged
them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24He was
a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people
were brought to the Lord.
25Then Barnabas
went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought
him to
Antioch.
So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great
numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at
Antioch.
27During this time some prophets came down from
Jerusalem to
Antioch.28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit
predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This
happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29The disciples, each
according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in
Judea. 30This they did, sending their gift to
the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
HELP
ME TO BELIEVE:
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS ON FAITH
Part One July 5 2009 - What is Faith?
Part Two July 12 2009 - How can I get Faith?
Part Three July 19 2009 - How can I grow my Faith?
Part Four July 26 2009 - What do I do when my Faith gets weak?
Part Five August 2 2009 - What does it mean to live by Faith?
April 12 2009
The Resurrection Story
Richard Jackson
Scripture reading from John 20
March 29 2009
THE MAN WHO AMAZED JESUS
Richard Jackson
Scripture reading from Luke 7: 1 - 10
The Faith of the Centurion
1WhenJesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered
Capernaum. 2Therea centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about todie. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jewsto him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came toJesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you dothis, 5because he loves our nation and has built oursynagogue." 6So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when thecenturion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for Ido not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I didnot even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servantwill be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, withsoldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,'and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9WhenJesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him,he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in
Israel." 10Thenthe men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Last Updated ( Monday, 06 April 2009 00:35 )
April 5 2009
THE PATH THROUGH HOLYWEEK (Part 2)
Richard Jackson
Scripture reading from Matthew 21: 1 - 17
The Triumphal Entry
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage onthe Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2sayingto them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find adonkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him thatthe Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." 4Thistook place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, yourking comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "[a]
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placedtheir cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8Avery large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branchesfrom the trees and spread them on the road. 9Thecrowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna[b]to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[c]
"Hosanna[d]in the highest!"
10When Jesus entered
Jerusalem,the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" 11Thecrowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from
Nazarethin
Galilee."
Jesus at the
Temple
12Jesus entered the templearea and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned thetables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13"It is written," he said to them," 'My house will be called a house of prayer,'[e]but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'[f]"
14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and hehealed them. 15But when the chief priestsand the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the childrenshouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they wereindignant.
16"Do you hear what thesechildren are saying?" they asked him.
"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,
" 'From the lips of children and infants you haveordained praise'[g]?"
17And he left them and went out ofthe city to
Bethany,where he spent the night.
March 22 2009
Finding yourmission
Gary and Laura Selig with guest Jeff Carter viainternet
Scripture reading from Romans 10: 5-15
5Moses describes in thisway the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these thingswill live by them."[a]6But the righteousness that isby faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'[b]" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or'Who will descend into the deep?'[c]" (that is, to bring Christ up from thedead). 8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is inyour mouth and in your heart,"[d] that is, the word of faith we areproclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus isLord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, youwill be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and arejustified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11Asthe Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[e]12For there is no differencebetween Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all whocall on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lordwill be saved."[f]
14How,then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can theybelieve in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear withoutsomeone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they aresent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bringgood news!"
Acts 1:8
8But you willreceive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnessesin
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the endsof the earth."
January18 2009
HOW TO KILL A NEW CHRISTIAN
Sermon by RichardJackson
Scripture reading from Romans 14: 1 - 12
The Weak and the Strong
1Accepthim whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2Oneman's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak,eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on himwho does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the manwho does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else'sservant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lordis able to make him stand.
5Oneman considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every dayalike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards oneday as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for hegives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanksto God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himselfalone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So,whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9Forthis very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lordof both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Orwhy do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God'sjudgment seat. 11It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "[a] 12So then, each of us will give an accountof himself to God.
October 26 2008
A Real Good Thing.
Series:How What You Believe Makes a Difference in the Real World
Sermon by
Colin Cook
Scripture reading from Ephesians 2: 1 - 10
Made Alive in Christ
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
