“Daily Kingdom Living” Text: Luke 12:22-40; I Kings 3:5-14 Pastor Jon continues to look at the parable of the farmer, and how the message of stewardship applies to windfalls. Jesus calls his “little flock” to sell their possessions and give to the poor. By doing so, they reflect the generous heart of God, and demonstrate…
“Hungry?” Text: Psalm 107:1-9; Luke 12:13-21; Matthew 5:6; Matthew 6:25-34 What was the matter with the farmer and his abundant crop? Was he greedy? lazy? foolish? Or perhaps, he was simply given a blessing, and failed to thank God for the blessing and ask what he should do with the blessing. This week, Pastor Jon…
“Praying the Lord’s Prayer” Skit: http://www.dramatix.org/Walk/lords_prayer.htmlTexts: Luke 11:1-13; Matthew 6:9-13 Pastor Jon issues a challenge to carefully pray through the Lord’s Prayer twice a day for the next week, before presenting our list of “prayer requests” to the Father. By carefully exploring each line of the prayer, we are better able to understand how we…
“Sweet Hour of Prayer” Text: Luke 10:38-42 Pastor Jon explores the relationship between “Being” and “Doing” by looking at the narrative of Mary and Martha. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha worried herself in the kitchen. Scripture doesn’t teach that we should never be people of action, but that our activity should…
“Calling Down Fire” Text: Psalm 16; II Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62 Ever been angry? Really angry? Ever dismissed someone entirely because they didn’t do what you wanted, or think the way you think? Ever treated someone like they weren’t worth the oxygen that they breathe? Listen to what happens in Luke…
“Grow Up” Text: Psalm 5:1-8; I Kings 21:1-21a; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36-8:3 What is your motivation for good behavior? Do you behave in order to obtain rewards? Do you avoid evil in order to avoid punishment? Or, like the woman in our Gospel lesson, do you choose to do good as a response to God’s…
“A New Lease on Life” Texts: Psalm 146:5-10; I Kings 17:8-24; Galatians 1:11-24 ; Luke 7:11-17 Pastor Jon poses a series of questions designed to help us consider how we live our lives. Like the widow’s son in Zarephath, and the widow’s son in Nain, and like Saul (the persecutor of the Church), we have…
“Singleminded Faith” Text: I Kings 18:20-39; James 1:2-8, 22-27; Luke 7:1-10; Romans 7:19 Even when we know what we ought to do…even when we want to do what we ought to do, we often find ourselves doing exactly the opposite. We want to surrender control to God, but we find ourselves often trying to take…
“Surrendering Control” Texts: Acts 2:1-21 Learn what rollercoasters, helium balloons, and Pentecost all have in common! Pastor Jon brings a very special Pentecost message, encouraging us to give up control, so that the Holy Spirit can have control.
“Just Walk Across the Room #4: Grander Vision Living” Texts: John 20:30-31; John 21:1-19 The Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene concludes their four-week Evangelism Training campaign based upon Bill Hybels’ book Just Walk Across the Room. By looking at the end of the Gospel of John, Pastor Jon helps us consider ways that we…