GRANT THROWING A TRICK AT H-TOWN 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Why Gather Together For Worship?
Gathering For Worship On the Lord's Day
We need to practice both private and public worship. Both are important! However, we are told in the Word to gather for public worship; the Bible also teaches us not to forsake this group. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24 - 25).
When we gather with other Christians for worship we tell the world we are believers and that these people are our brother and sisters in Christ. What a great way to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. The flipside is also true -- by forsaking the gathering you are denying Jesus and telling those who are gathered that they are not very important to you. More than this, you dishonor the Lord who died and was raised again to save you from an empty life.
Jesus, by His words and life taught the importance of meeting with God’s people for worship. Jesus, before His three years of earthly ministry, met each week in the synagogue to worship. Luke 4:16 reads, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” Jesus attended and participated in weekly worship gatherings.
He continues to meet with us as we as we gather for worship celebrations. The Lord’s presence is with us in a special way when we gather together to celebrate His goodness to us. Jesus said “that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19 - 20). As we meet for worship we are doing eternal business. As we pray we effect the spiritual and physical world around us! Time spent worshipping is time invested in eternity!
Thomas, who we call Doubting Thomas, is an illustration of a disciple who decided to stay home instead of meeting with God’s people for worship and missed seeing the risen Lord. The next week Thomas made it a point to be present and see for himself. Sure enough, the Lord appeared again and knew that Thomas had missed the last meeting.
Imaging if a friend of yours was to be honored at a gathering. This person helped you many, many times and never asked for anything in return. On the night of the big event you yawned lazily and thought to yourself, “I’m kind of tired tonight. I think I’ll just skip my friend’s big night.” How would your friend feel if he knew you could have attended but chose to stay home? When we meet for worship celebrations, our purpose is to lift up the name of Jesus and honor Him. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to praise Him!
Worship is a daily decision. You say in your heart, “Today, Jesus, I’m putting you first. I’ll honor and esteem You above anyone or anything.” May the Lord give us the grace to do what we know to be right and the courage to publicly acknowledge Him.
Don't miss out on the blessing the Lord has for you by skipping gathering with your friends for worship this week!
See you by and by,
Parish
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Thoughts On Worship
In Nehemiah 8 verse 6 the Bible tells us that “Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.”
Worship is always active, never passive. Worship always calls for a response. You may try to straddle the fence; but you can’t find a fence. You either move toward Jesus or away.
Worship above all else, is the central activity of the church. Everything rises out of worship. Worship is the source of spiritual renewal and revival for God‘s people. While worship is not for lost people (only the redeemed may worship), worship drives the engine of evangelism and missions!
Worship abides forever. Missions, education, benevolence and whatnot, ends with the coming of Christ in glory. Worship, on the other hand, is the chief industry of heaven.
There is a dichotomy in worship:
1. Worship is in spirit and in truth;
2. Worship is public and private;
3. Worship is metaphysical and physical;
4. Worship occurs corporately or singly.
All this is said to say, we need to pay close attention to how and Who we worship. "Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." Deuteronomy 6:13-15
Worship is not a sentimental feeling of nostalgia; rather, it is an engagement of one’s total being with the triune God.
William Temple (1881–1944), though I do not ascribe to some of his theology, described worship well: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
Worship is always active, never passive. Worship always calls for a response. You may try to straddle the fence; but you can’t find a fence. You either move toward Jesus or away.
Worship above all else, is the central activity of the church. Everything rises out of worship. Worship is the source of spiritual renewal and revival for God‘s people. While worship is not for lost people (only the redeemed may worship), worship drives the engine of evangelism and missions!
Worship abides forever. Missions, education, benevolence and whatnot, ends with the coming of Christ in glory. Worship, on the other hand, is the chief industry of heaven.
There is a dichotomy in worship:
1. Worship is in spirit and in truth;
2. Worship is public and private;
3. Worship is metaphysical and physical;
4. Worship occurs corporately or singly.
All this is said to say, we need to pay close attention to how and Who we worship. "Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." Deuteronomy 6:13-15
Worship is not a sentimental feeling of nostalgia; rather, it is an engagement of one’s total being with the triune God.
William Temple (1881–1944), though I do not ascribe to some of his theology, described worship well: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
Monday, February 13, 2012
The First Valentine
The first valentine was a man not a message. One version of the story tells us that Saint Valentine was a young pagan priest in Rome during the reign of Claudius II. Despite his devotion to idolatry, Valentine was horrified by the persecution Rome unleashed on the Christians. Secretly, he assisted the embattled believers. He was caught and imprisoned. Converted to Christianity while in prison, he was clubbed to death on February 14, 269.
Before his death, he often wrote to family and friends and assured them of his love for them. According to one version, the imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with the jailor's young daughter who visited Valentine during his incarceration. Tradition says that he would thrust his arm out his cell window and pick heart shaped violets with which he wrote “Remember your Valentine” or "From your Valentine" (the expression we use today). He sent the letters by homing pigeons. Before his death, he shortened the message to simply “I love you.”
Somewhere among the shattered pieces of ancient history the truth lay hidden, but we know for certain that our Father has a Valentine’s Day message for all the world. It reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son that who so ever believeth Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He has written the card, not with crushed violets, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Have you accepted God’s invitation to come to Christ? No person -- family or friend -- ever loved you like Jesus! Trust Him as Lord and Savior today! He died for you and came out of the grave alive! He loves you.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Before his death, he often wrote to family and friends and assured them of his love for them. According to one version, the imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with the jailor's young daughter who visited Valentine during his incarceration. Tradition says that he would thrust his arm out his cell window and pick heart shaped violets with which he wrote “Remember your Valentine” or "From your Valentine" (the expression we use today). He sent the letters by homing pigeons. Before his death, he shortened the message to simply “I love you.”
Somewhere among the shattered pieces of ancient history the truth lay hidden, but we know for certain that our Father has a Valentine’s Day message for all the world. It reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son that who so ever believeth Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He has written the card, not with crushed violets, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Have you accepted God’s invitation to come to Christ? No person -- family or friend -- ever loved you like Jesus! Trust Him as Lord and Savior today! He died for you and came out of the grave alive! He loves you.
Happy Valentine's Day.
A Tribute
A Benedictory Sermon
Delivered by Parish Hartley
February 12, 2012
Jeanne Ann and I met Jill and her family in March 2005 as the Father prepared us to leave the comforts of the pastorate for the unknowns of the mission field. As part of our visioning and finalizing our move we visited in Helena. While here we stayed with Jill and Rick and enjoyed their hospitality. Subsequently, we learned that Jeanne Ann and Jill were double half cousins twice removed on their fathers’ sides or some such thing as that. Whatever their earthly relation, which I cannot with certainty unravel, I know they are sisters on their heavenly Father’s side and are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ!
The name Jill, according to some, comes from Latin and means “sweetheart” or “youthful.”
I begin by mentioning her sweetheart in the person of Rick. The two are inseparable. I have on occasion called them Jick and Rill. It even sort of has a ring to it. If Rick would stand up and say a few words about Jill, I am assured that his speech would be replete with praise for Jill’s great qualities as a wife, mother, business woman, and so on. The Bible tells us, “He that finds a wife finds an good thing and obtains favor with the Lord.” No doubt, Rick is a blessed man.
She also has some sweethearts in her two cuties, Morgan and Cole. You can look at these two well-behaved young people and tell the kind of parents from which they spring. The mother stands as the backbone of the family and the molder and shaper of the children. The dad plays an important role, but the mother holds a special place by our heavenly Father’s design. Some unknown sage wrote:
The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests.
Jill’s skill in this area need not be defended; her record sits beside her here tonight.
Also, she possess a sweet heart. By this I mean, she has a God-given disposition that people recognize as being gentle and kind. Some of these qualities go back to her DNA which her parents bequeathed to her. Another part of it goes beyond mere genetics. Indeed, she is a Godly woman who fears the Lord and desires to walk with Him. In Ezekiel 36:26 we read, “I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” The Bible teaches that a person’s heart is by nature like a stone; but our Father, through his matchless grace, removes the stony heart and gives the believing sinner a heart of flesh. This experience turns sour hearts to sweet and cold hearts to warm by the Holy Spirit’s power. Jill demonstrates this transformation through her walk with Christ and work for Christ.
Jill reminds me of the Old Testament character Ruth the Moabitess. Ruth means “friendship” in Hebrew and Jill’s friendship means so much to us! Clinging to Naomi and Naomi’s God, Ruth said, “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16). Yahweh blessed Ruth because she posited her faith and trust in the Living God of Israel. As a result, generations up to this present hour experience a salvific blessing; the name Ruth prominently appears in the genealogy of our Savior. May our Father be pleased to bless Jill, her family, and her progeny because she dared to stand with us in this great ongoing adventure of faith.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Delivered by Parish Hartley
February 12, 2012
Jeanne Ann and I met Jill and her family in March 2005 as the Father prepared us to leave the comforts of the pastorate for the unknowns of the mission field. As part of our visioning and finalizing our move we visited in Helena. While here we stayed with Jill and Rick and enjoyed their hospitality. Subsequently, we learned that Jeanne Ann and Jill were double half cousins twice removed on their fathers’ sides or some such thing as that. Whatever their earthly relation, which I cannot with certainty unravel, I know they are sisters on their heavenly Father’s side and are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ!
The name Jill, according to some, comes from Latin and means “sweetheart” or “youthful.”
I begin by mentioning her sweetheart in the person of Rick. The two are inseparable. I have on occasion called them Jick and Rill. It even sort of has a ring to it. If Rick would stand up and say a few words about Jill, I am assured that his speech would be replete with praise for Jill’s great qualities as a wife, mother, business woman, and so on. The Bible tells us, “He that finds a wife finds an good thing and obtains favor with the Lord.” No doubt, Rick is a blessed man.
She also has some sweethearts in her two cuties, Morgan and Cole. You can look at these two well-behaved young people and tell the kind of parents from which they spring. The mother stands as the backbone of the family and the molder and shaper of the children. The dad plays an important role, but the mother holds a special place by our heavenly Father’s design. Some unknown sage wrote:
The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests.
Jill’s skill in this area need not be defended; her record sits beside her here tonight.
Also, she possess a sweet heart. By this I mean, she has a God-given disposition that people recognize as being gentle and kind. Some of these qualities go back to her DNA which her parents bequeathed to her. Another part of it goes beyond mere genetics. Indeed, she is a Godly woman who fears the Lord and desires to walk with Him. In Ezekiel 36:26 we read, “I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” The Bible teaches that a person’s heart is by nature like a stone; but our Father, through his matchless grace, removes the stony heart and gives the believing sinner a heart of flesh. This experience turns sour hearts to sweet and cold hearts to warm by the Holy Spirit’s power. Jill demonstrates this transformation through her walk with Christ and work for Christ.
Jill reminds me of the Old Testament character Ruth the Moabitess. Ruth means “friendship” in Hebrew and Jill’s friendship means so much to us! Clinging to Naomi and Naomi’s God, Ruth said, “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16). Yahweh blessed Ruth because she posited her faith and trust in the Living God of Israel. As a result, generations up to this present hour experience a salvific blessing; the name Ruth prominently appears in the genealogy of our Savior. May our Father be pleased to bless Jill, her family, and her progeny because she dared to stand with us in this great ongoing adventure of faith.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
“Ships” For New Believers: Relationship, Discipleship, Lordship, Worship,
Of course we are not studying the kinds of ships that sail through blue waters or soar through endless skies. No, we are talking about the basic teachings of Christianity. This is “Christianity 101” if you please. Here is a quick list of what we’ll study.
Relationship
Being saved means beginning a relationship with your Father in heaven who loves you enough to give His Son for your sins on the cross and to raise Him up again. Salvation is the exchange of your sinful existence for Jesus’ perfect righteousness.
Discipleship
In obedience to God's Word, we are dedicated to making disciples. The word "disciple" means learner -- a disciple is one who studies and accepts the teachings of Christ. You only believe what you do.
Lordship
Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all! This is true whether we admit or not. To follow Jesus means to acknowledge daily Jesus as Lord. This means He is the boss and controller of my life.
Worship
Worship is not an event; it is a daily determination -- “Today I will worship Jesus alone.” Worship is the adoration of God and praise of God. Whether in a group of alone, we were created to worship.
Fellowship
The Greek word “koinonia” from which we get the word fellowship means sharing something in common. To fellowship with other Christians means to share in common the gospel and our experience of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. It means to share life in Christ together.
Stewardship
Stewardship means we have been given certain gifts which we are to use for God’s glory. All of us are called upon to use of God-given gifts of time, talent, and treasure to advance God’s kingdom and bless His church.
Are you up for the challenge to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? With the Bible in hand and the Holy Spirit to guide you, you can do it to the glory of God!
Let’s Grow, Glow, and Go for the Lord Jesus Christ!
Relationship
Being saved means beginning a relationship with your Father in heaven who loves you enough to give His Son for your sins on the cross and to raise Him up again. Salvation is the exchange of your sinful existence for Jesus’ perfect righteousness.
Discipleship
In obedience to God's Word, we are dedicated to making disciples. The word "disciple" means learner -- a disciple is one who studies and accepts the teachings of Christ. You only believe what you do.
Lordship
Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all! This is true whether we admit or not. To follow Jesus means to acknowledge daily Jesus as Lord. This means He is the boss and controller of my life.
Worship
Worship is not an event; it is a daily determination -- “Today I will worship Jesus alone.” Worship is the adoration of God and praise of God. Whether in a group of alone, we were created to worship.
Fellowship
The Greek word “koinonia” from which we get the word fellowship means sharing something in common. To fellowship with other Christians means to share in common the gospel and our experience of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. It means to share life in Christ together.
Stewardship
Stewardship means we have been given certain gifts which we are to use for God’s glory. All of us are called upon to use of God-given gifts of time, talent, and treasure to advance God’s kingdom and bless His church.
Are you up for the challenge to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? With the Bible in hand and the Holy Spirit to guide you, you can do it to the glory of God!
Let’s Grow, Glow, and Go for the Lord Jesus Christ!
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