Welcoming the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:20)

It's been a busy week preparing for our "Christmas in the Real World" program this Sunday, so I've been late posting the sermon.
Living by the Spirit everyday as God's church ought to be the "norm" in Christian life, but sadly, we--both as individuals and as local churches--often operate in the dark by our own power.
How can we learn to hear and obey the Spirit?  It begins with believing that God still speaks...

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Let the Fire Burn (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

I think most people would like a close relationship with God.  It's just that they are not sure how to get there or even if they are really invited.  Most of us who would say we have a relationship with God are not really sure how to hear when he speaks to us.

The missing element here is to understand God's gift of the Holy Spirit.  The reason Jesus came, died, rose, and ascended was to reconcile us to God and to give us this relationship we can enjoy through the Spirit.  How do we take hold of this gift?  Paul writes, "Don't put out the Spirit's fire" (or "Do not quench the Spirit.")  This week, we talked about three "fires" to protect if we want the Spirit burning brightly in our lives.

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Everyday 'Thank You' (1 Thesssalonians 5:18)

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Sometimes we find ourselves in evil circumstances, circumstances that are wrought by our own sin or the sin of others. Sometimes we are in the midst of joyous circumstances that are beautiful reflections of God's desire for you and His blessing. In the midst of either, it is God's will for us to give thanks. This week we looked at why a heart that is grateful is foundational to our lives in Christ.



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Thanksgiving Proclamations Through the Years

George Washington, 1789

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

(rest of the proclamation and Abraham Lincoln's famous 1863 proclamation after the jump)

A Conversational Life (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

"Pray continually." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

If you have a relationship with God, you probably have a sense that you should pray more than you do. The Bible says (in the verse we are looking at this week) "Pray without ceasing." What does that mean? How is it even possible? We know we can't go... around muttering under our breath to God all day and it's hard to understand or know whether we've reached mystical concepts like "practicing the presence of God" or not. This week, we tried to delve into what the Bible means when it tells us to live a life of prayer by looking at the language of this verse and comparing it to the context of the rest of Scripture.

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In this sermon, I challenged everyone to add a prayer discipline this week.  Here is a plan for prayer that I came across this week that you could use to guide your prayers to a biblical focus.

Indestructible Joy (1 Thess. 5:16)

"Be joyful always." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16

There's always a reason to worry.  There's always a reason to mourn.  There's always a reason to get down on yourself and view yourself as a failure.  There's always much to do and deadly serious things to work on and consider.  It's no wonder that Christians have been described as "kind people in a bad mood."  But God's people are told to "Rejoice always."  Is that even possible?  This week we looked at two biblical reasons why we can believe in "indestructible joy."

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Laboring Together (1 Th. 5:12-14)

 

"Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14

 

Is our church going to exist as something that happens at times we can mark on a calendar or are we going to live as God’s people, covenanted together to live out our calling here in Stephens, Arkansas?

This week began our "Everyday Church" (based on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24) with a look at verses 12-14, which teach us how we are to treat one another as we labor together every day for the Lord's purpose.

 

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Holy Desires

What do others have that you want?

 

That question seems to form the basis for any sort of ambition, goal-setting, or purchase that you make. The American way of life sort of runs on that very question. Yet a simplified version of the last

of God's Ten Commandments could be, "Do NOT want what others have." How can this be?

We finish our holiness series with the 10th Commandment, which shows us that God intends to complete His work of holiness in us all the way inward to our hearts and desires.

  

 

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Who Is God?

It's one of the most basic questions of life: "Who is God?"

God has given us His answer:

"The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished..."  (Exodus 34:6-7)

This God who described Himself to Moses on the mountain revealed Himself ultimately in Jesus Christ.  Who Is God?  Whether you look in the Old Testament or New Testament, you find the same answer.

http://suffronpreachingproject.podbean.com/mf/web/rhwfh2/WhoIsGod.mp3

Sanctified by Truth

We all know that God doesn't want us to be liars, but "walking in the light" is as much about being honest with yourself as being honest with others.  And most importantly, being sanctified by truth means walking with the One who is the Truth...

“Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world,
I also have sent them into the world.  I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

—John 17:17-19 (HCSB)

 

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Holy Stewardship

"Thou shalt not steal" seems like a pretty easy commandment to follow (unless you're a thief).  But the Ten Commandments all point to deeper issues of God's lordship over our lives.  What statement is God making with this command?  What does it take to keep from breaking this command in our hearts?  These are the questions we looked at this past Sunday.

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Ed Stetzer: The State of the Church in America (Hint: It's Not Dying)

I've said it for at least a decade: it's becoming culturally harder to be a Christian, so we will see fewer and fewer nominal Christians. This is a great article that cuts through panic and propaganda and reveals the truth to be that this is just what is happening in in America. 

Ultimately, in my opinion, this is good for the vibrancy of the church... and the number of true believers is even likely to grow.

Ed Stetzer: The State of the Church in America (Hint: It's Not Dying)

Proclamation of a National Fast Day - August 12, 1861

PROCLAMATION OF A NATIONAL FAST DAY - August 12, 1861

"Whereas a joint committee of both Houses of Congress has waited on the President of the United States, and requested him to 'recommend a day of public humiliation, prayer and fasting, to be observed by the people of the United States with religious solemnities, and the offering of fervant supplications to Almighty God'...

"It is fitting and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to his chastisements; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervancy and contrition, for the pardon of their past offences...

"When our own beloved Country, once, by the blessing of God, united, prosperous and happy, is now afflicted with faction and civil war; it is particularly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him, and to pray for His mercy. ...

"Therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do appoint the last Thursday in September next as a day of humiliation, prayer and fasting for all the people of the nation."

The Influence of Prayer on Evangelism

This week's challenge was to take on the task of prayer when it comes to evangelism. We need God to empower us to win the world for Christ, and we need God's heart and perspective in order to be persistent in our efforts. Both of these things only come through prayer.

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Guest Blog Post

Here is a link to a blog post by my friend Richard Foster, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Camden.  His post really gets into much of what we have been talking about the last three weeks as we discussed sexuality, God's plan for marriage, and our responsibility to live as holy people in a profane world.

(It's unusually long for a blog post, so read it when you have some time).

Richard Foster: "Why So Much Confusion About Marriage?"

Holy Matrimony

Weddings are big business these days, from bridal expos to dozens of cable reality shows, but marriage is not as celebrated. But God's plan for marriage is still a wonderful gift. This week we looked at why, if we obey God's plan, God will always fulfill his purpose in our marriages.

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Sacred Sex

There's no place area in our culture where God's standards and society's standards and practices are farther apart than in the realm of sexuality.  So why go against the flow?  Why is God so strict about sex anyway?  We try to answer those questions this week.

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Here is the video we showed when you hear the music in the podcast...

Holy Temple

Have you ever heard that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?  A lot of times, that idea is used to promote being healthy, but that's like saying that the most important thing to care for Solomon's temple was to keep it clean.  Important - yes - but not the primary concern.  So what is the temple for?  And what does it mean that WE are God's temple?  (It goes beyond our bodies...)

**We've had some issues the last couple of weeks with getting everything recorded and posted, but back on the horse!

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Becoming Holy: Worship

One of the greatest things that happened during our revival is that we truly worshiped together as a church. As we returned to our "Holiness" series, we take a break from the Ten Commandments for a couple of weeks to look at how God makes us holy. One way is that He calls us together to worship Him. So how do we come and truly worship God each time we gather?

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Life Is Holy, Part 2

Today was about what it means that "life is holy" at a societal level. This truth speaks to so many different areas: abortion, human trafficking, slavery, pornography, the environment, treatment of animals, embryonic stem cell research, war, poverty, euthanasia, adoption, and even more. It was a lot for one message, but I hope God speaks to you as you listen!

 

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Life Is Holy, Part 1

Holy people don't murder (Exodus 20:13). That's easy, right? Got that one covered? In Jesus' commentary on the 6th Commandment (Matthew 5:21-26), He tells us that it is not enough just to avoid physically harming others. In order to be holy, to be godly, to be perfected in the image of our Father, we must let Him renovate our hearts and extend grace and forgiveness even to those who anger and hurt us. Because that's what He did for us!

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Video of the testimony video from the message after the jump (audio is on the podcast)

New "Kobuk Konnection" Page

For pictures and videos from the mission trip and the latest news from Kobuk, check out the Kobuk Konnection page from the tab above.

Holy Priesthood

God has initiated every believer into his priesthood.  Normally, we think of that idea ("the priesthood of the believer") in terms of our privileges.  But when Peter wrote that we were a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5), he was referring to the responsibilities of the Old Testament priesthood.  Looking back at the Old Testament, what can we learn what it means to be God's holy priesthood in this world?  On to Leviticus!

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Fathers Day Message: Holy at Home

(With VBS going strong, I missed posting the Fathers Day sermon thus far... Better late than never!)

Christians are known in the public face for being big on family. But studies show that the casual church-goer typically lives out their family lives no different from the rest of the society around them. As we studied the 5th Commandment this Fathers Day, we saw how God made family foundational to a prosperous people and how God's people are called to be distinct in how they raise their families to honor God and those He placed in authority.

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Holy Labor

NBC News: How the Smartphone Killed the 3-Day Weekend

God uses the Sabbath day to teach His people about work and trust. In our world, technology causes the demands of work (and everything else) to follow us everywhere, if we allow it. God's gift of the Sabbath has never been more relevant.
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Holy Reverence

What does it mean to "take the Lord's name in vain"? And why is it so bad that God used one of His Ten Commandments on it? Does what we say really matter that much? Why? These questions and more answered in this week's message.

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Wholly Other: What Do I Know of Holy?

We ran into technical difficulties with last Sunday's sermon, causing it not to be recorded.  Here is the video we made to introduce the sermon.

"Buckets of Love" for Tornado Victims

 Liberty Baptist Association is asking us to help promote and collect "buckets of love" to send to tornado- stricken Oklahoma. People will need to purchase a 5 gallon bucket with a lid on it and fill it with the items listed.

 We will collect through Sunday and will ask the churches to bring the donated items to the following drop sites:

· FBC El Dorado (parking lot across from First Financial Bank);

· Central Baptist Church, Magnolia;

· Grace Baptist Church, Camden;

· Maple Avenue Baptist Church, Smackover.

 

Drop off times at the truck in El Dorado will be as follows:

· Thursday and Friday, May 23 & 24: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

· Saturday and Sunday, May 25 & 26: 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

· It will be best for individuals to leave donations at your church and the church can deliver them together on Sunday afternoon. 

Volunteers are needed to help us load at these times, with several volunteers available on Sunday afternoon.   

 

The items will need to be loaded on a tractor-trailer rig at FBC, El Dorado no later than 8:00 a.m. Monday morning. We will then go through Magnolia and load the items there, then go through Texarkana to deliver the items to Oklahoma.

These are the items that need to be placed in the buckets:

·  (1)     5 gallon bucket with lid

· (12)   16 oz bottles of water

· (2)     Flashlights with D size batteries

· (4)     Hand/shop towels

· (3)     Pairs of cotton work gloves

· (2)     Toilet paper rolls sealed in gallon Ziploc bags

· Other items you may wish to include and have room to put in the bucket, ie: snack bars, snack crackers, personal note from you assuring your prayers.

Monetary donations may be made as well. You can write a check to your church or to Liberty Baptist Association and indicate on it for: Oklahoma tornado relief. All funds will go directly to relief efforts and none to administrative costs.

Motherhood Is Holy

Call Her Blessed from seekfirstmedia on GodTube.

 

Jesus calls his disciples to a holy life. That means we should anticipate that God's perspective of this world is going to be very different from the popular view, and we should adopt the truth that God reveals. This week we look at a provocative Scripture (1 Timothy 2:15) to try to understand how God has designated motherhood as a holy thing and what that means for us as God's people.

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The Holy One of Israel (The First Commandment)

God established His people by rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and leading them to another land.  At Mount Sinai, He gave a personal introduction and let them know what it meant to be a holy people belonging to a holy God.  The baseline of all other truths is that God is singular.  He deserves our worship because He is the only God.  This week we look into what it means to live in the truth of the First Commandment.
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Holy, Holy, Holy

There are many unspeakable and utterly indescribable mysteries in God. God is too far beyond us to really remain anything but a mystery. Yet we can know Him through the truths He has revealed in creation, in His Word, and through Jesus an...d the Holy Spirit within us.

Many of these mysteries have been named: Trinity... God's omniscience... omnipresence... omnipotence... His unchanging nature... But just because we have named it does not mean we have grasped it. And just because we cannot explain or understand something about God does not mean it isn't true.

We have put God in the box of our own pat answers and tidy theology so much that we have lost our wonder. We want to grasp God, because to understand Him is to be able to predict (or even control) Him. But instead of trying to grasp God, we are meant to worship Him. And academic study does not bring us to an encounter with the Living God or His promises. Worshiping Him in His undiminished glory and holiness does.

 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness

 

Psalm 29:2

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Holier Than...?

"He that sees the beauty of holiness... sees the greatest and most important thing in the world" - Jonathan Edwards

"Happiness, not holiness, is the chief pursuit of most people today, including many professed Christians. They want Jesus t...o solve their problems and carry their burdens, but they don’t want Him to control their lives and change their character. It doesn’t disturb them that eight times in the Bible, God said to His people, ‘Be holy, for I am holy,’ and He means it" - Warren Wiersbe

"If I had my choice of all the blessings I can conceive of, I would choose perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus, or, in one word, holiness" - Charles Spurgeon

In our effort to avoid being “holier-than-thou”, we’re not holier than anyone. The life of holiness is life as God's treasured possession, living at peace in His care. We are desperate for this life, and the world is desperate for God's holy people to show the way to the Holy One who is worthy of their worship.

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Questions for Jesus: What Shall I Do, Lord?

When Paul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was confronted with the reality that the current purpose of his life was in direct opposition to the truth.  It's a terrifying thing to know that you're talking to the Lord and still have to ask, "Who are you?"  Paul's next question was "What shall I do?"  Jesus' answer and Paul's obedience shows us how to start and finish the calling God puts on our lives.

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The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

On Sunday evenings, we will be going through a study of the "attributes of God."  Most of the material for this study (and a good deal from the next sermon series on holiness) will be taken from the book Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer.  The book is available for free online in PDF form at this link.

I highly recommend this book.

Questions for Jesus: How Can We Know the Way? (John 14:1-6)

Jesus was about to be betrayed and crucified.  Before these events, he spent some time at their last meal comforting his disciples.  These words of comfort have been used at funerals for centuries since that night. He told them about his Father's house, the place he would prepare, and that they knew they way.

We cannot imagine leaving this world and going into the presence of God.  Especially in an era of human history where science is seen by our education system as the only valid way to find reliable truth, the idea of life beyond the grave is seen as a comforting tale for those who grieve, nothing more.  Science can say nothing about it, because it cannot be experienced by the living.  We can't imagine it.  We don't really know the place.  So how can we know the way to get there?  That was the disciples' question, voiced by Thomas, and it is asked just as urgently by people right now.

Jesus answers that the disciples know the way because the Way is Jesus.  He answers with himself, just as he has answered every other question that we have studied.  When we study this answer, we can see all the teachings of Jesus (especially in the book of John) come together to one definitive truth: Jesus himself is the answer, and there is no other.  Whether we are talking about in this life or the next, we cannot know the destination but we can know Jesus, who is the Way.

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Easter Sunday: The Sign of Jonah

We had a great day at church this morning. The Easter message is posted below: Are you waiting to be totally convinced about Jesus before you trust him with anything? Jesus has a warning for skeptics and "religious" (yet disobedient) people alike: God has nothing more to prove to you. When Jesus rose from the dead, it was the sign that proved for all people for all time that everything He claimed and said about Himself is true.

Jesus is alive and He is Lord. Believe it!

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It's Friday... But Sunday is Coming!

Community Good Friday Service

There is a community Good Friday service tomorrow at 11 a.m. at New Seminary Church on Ouachita 1 (follow the race route down Frog Shack, go past the turnaround point, and keep driving until you see it... it is past New Zion Hill Baptist). Lineup of ministers include our pastor, Stephen Suffron, as well as Cedric Walters, Daryl Hope, Shad Porchia, Ralph Porchia, Kurbe Newsome, Carl Todd, and host pastor Roy Smith. http://goo.gl/maps/I1jKa

Questions for Jesus: Why This Waste?

Is worship simply doing things for God or is it something else?  In a story from the last week of Jesus' life before his crucifixion, a woman spent the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars for a few moments' worship.  Everyone said it was a waste (why not give to the poor?!), but Jesus called it beautiful.  It seems to be a role reversal: people defending the poor and Jesus commending extravagance.  Why?  It has to do with what worship really is.  Listen and study this story with us:

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Questions for Jesus: Don't You Care?

Life can be overwhelming-- whether it is the pressures from the world or all the good things we are trying to do for our family and for God, we often feel like we're sinking. How do we know Jesus is with us, that He cares, and that He will come through? That's the question for this week as we look at two stories of when someone cried out to Jesus "Don't you care?"
 
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St. Patrick's "Breastplate"

St Patrick’s Breastplate
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgment Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., traveling by land]
Christ in the poop. [i.e., traveling by water]

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

hat-tip to Jason Craig

Arkansas Gets an "F" for Protecting Children from Trafficking

One of the least talked-about but most damaging problems in America (and the world) right now is the trafficking of people (usually women and children) for sexual purposes.  These children and women are moved from place to place against their will and used to sell sex, to no profit of their own.  They are modern-day slaves.  Many organizations are waking up to this enormous problem.

Last week, I challenged our church to take time to love our neighbors, redefining "neighbor" to anyone that God shows you has a need.  Today, I was asked via an email campaign by The Defenders movement to write our governor to encourage him to "raise the grade" in our state when it comes to laws that protect children.  I went to this site: http://raiseyourgrade.org to take action.

I was alarmed to find out that Arkansas gets a failing "F" grade for their anti-trafficking laws!  Arkansas is the only Southern state right now with an 'F' grade.  There is much to be done in Arkansas.  This problem is not just something that happens in the slums of Bangkok or something.  These things happen right in our towns in South Arkansas.

I encourage you to go to the website to learn more about this problem and to take action for yourself.  It is a good opportunity to put God's Word from last week's sermon into action!

Questions for Jesus: Where Can You Get This 'Living Water'?

Unlike Matthew and Luke, which are rich with Jesus' sermons and parables, the Gospel of John focuses on Jesus teaching in the context of conversations.  On Sunday mornings, we have looked at his conversations with crowds in chapters 6 and 8, and one Wednesday night we looked at Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in chapter 3.  Today's question comes from chapter 4, when Jesus has a somewhat unlikely encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Samaria.

In Luke 19:44, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, because they have brought judgment on themselves "because [they] did not recognize the time of God's coming to [them]."

The woman begins by seeing and interacting with Jesus as any other Jewish man, but as Jesus reveals his true identity to her in a way that she can grasp, her eyes are open to who is really visiting with her there at the well.

Questions for Jesus: Who Is My Neighbor?

The greatest command is the command to love God and people. God loves every person. We are commanded to love, as well, but our love is limited. What does God expect in our love for others, and what can we do to open our heart to love people as God loves?

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Questions for Jesus: Why Break Tradition? (Mark 7:1-23)

Religious traditions are our ways of living out and passing on our faith, but over time, many religious traditions lose their original usefulness and become burdensome and even hinder our obedience to God's commands.  Jesus taight his disciples not to concern themselves with some religious traditions of their day.  It was appalling to the religious leaders at the time, and we might ask the same questions: Why not keep doing things the way we've always done them?  Why break tradition?

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A Prayer

Dear Lord, we acknowledge that our commitment to You is so shallow.  We say we love you, but our actions betray us.

Open our eyes so that we see time and eternity and You see them.  Forgive us for forgetting we are only strangers and pilgrims on earth.

How foolish we are, O Lord, to store up treasures on this earth and fight to save our lives and preserve them, when You tell us we will lose our lives if we try to do that.

We ask You, dear Lord, to forgive us and help us to walk in Your footsteps--forsaking all, denying ourselves, carrying our crosses daily and loving You supremely so Your causes might be furthered in this dark and dying world.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Taken from The Road to Reality by K.P. Yohannan, founder and international director of Gospel for Asia

Questions for Jesus: Who Are You? (John 8:12-59)

Last week we talked about the work of belief -- how it takes effort and diligence to turn our eyes away from the temporary things of this world to truly realize and embrace the truth of Christ.  Through the question brought to Jesus in this week's story ("Who are you?"), we encounter the challenge of belief: When Jesus confronts us with who he really is, how will we respond?

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Questions for Jesus: Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?

There's no Wednesday night Bible study this week, because our Bible Drill team is having their local drill in the sanctuary today in order to qualify for regionals, and all our Bible Study folks (including me) are judges.

So here is a short* thought on one of the most famous questions that Jesus answered...

Mark 12:13-17

¹³ Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. ¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” ¹⁶ They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.

"Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?  Should we pay or shouldn't we?"

I think this question has added relevance in modern times when many Bible-believing Christians also identify strongly with conservative "Tea-Party" politics, but I will get to that later...

Questions for Jesus: What Is the Work God Requires?

Jesus told the people that the "work" God requries is to believe. That sounds easy enough, right? Then why did this teaching end with almost everyone walking away? This Sunday we talked about how belief is work, why it takes work to believe, and why many people would rather just walk away.

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