"It is an honor to be dishonored for the faith; it is a grace to be disgraced (Acts 5:41)."
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Friday, July 01, 2011
July 3, 2011 at Dakota
Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. (Luke 6:46-48)
The first long weekend of summer is upon us bringing beautiful warm weather, Canada Day celebrations, CFL Football, BBQ’s and family gatherings. I hope for many of you the weekend will also include the Sunday morning gathering of the saints at Dakota Community Church.
I am so excited about the “Summer on the High Seas” Sermon series that kicks off this Sunday!
Jesus told us that we should build our lives on a solid foundation of rock by digging deep, getting to know His Word and putting that knowledge into practice. Included in this instruction is an ominous warning revealing its importance - eventually our construction will be tested by torrential storm waters!
Please join me over the next four Sundays as we examine the lives of some famous Bible characters who found themselves in the middle of torrential storms on the high seas; each of them for different reasons. Our goal is to learn how we wind up in the midst of life’s storms - and how to survive them!
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Saturday, June 25, 2011
Love Winnipeg
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. (Romans 12:4-6)
I hope you will be able to join me this Sunday at DCC for part two of our Love Winnipeg pulpit exchange for 2011. This year we welcome Pastor Terry Goertzen of Sterling Mennonite Fellowship on Dakota.
In preparing for this exchange Pastor Terry and I decided that - since the idea behind the event is to build unity and promote understanding between the Christian Churches in Winnipeg - we would take turns sharing what we see as the special aspects of our respective “flavors” of the faith.
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of sharing a little bit of what the Pentecostal Holiness Church is like with the good folks at Sterling and I was so very blessed by their warm reception. After the service I had the pleasure of meeting many of them as they hung around to talk, to ask questions, and to thank me for my ministry. I know that I can count on you to bless Pastor Terry in the same way as he visits and shares with us this Sunday!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
May 29, 2011 at DCC
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
What is Grace?
Is grace God saying that He is going to help us to be holy so that He doesn’t have to punish us?
Is grace God empowering us to live holy lives that enable Him to save us?
Is grace God lowering His standards so that we can sin without worrying about judgment?
Is grace “the power God gives you to do what pleases Him, the provision He supplies you to carry out His will”?
Is grace unmerited favor, a gift rather than a wage?
Where does grace come from?
Who is the originator of salvation by grace through faith and what does the recipient of grace bring to the equation?
What motivates legalistic leaders to add requirements to the gospel’s justification by grace through faith alone?
What does grace do?
Grace Transforms!
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Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Rejecting Grace for D.I.Y. Justification
Jesus Christ erased all our sins and shouldered all our sorrows. Already now we have a solid relationship with our heavenly Father; there’s no need to fret about it. That relationship doesn’t depend on our love for Him, but on His love for us. It hinges on the Gospel of God, not the Law of God…Again, the Old Adam betrays us. Our sinful nature would much rather hear Law than Gospel. The sinful nature is a seasoned do-it-yourselfer. We’d rather know what we should do, yet God insists on telling us who we are. The best way to tell you what to do as a Christian is to tell you who you are in Christ. The sinful nature likes to think it can earn (and keep) God’s favor. Our Old Adam prefers to base security with God the Father on His Law rather than His Gospel.
(Dr. Harold Senkbeil in "Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness")
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(Dr. Harold Senkbeil in "Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness")
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May 22, 2011 at DCC
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We have been saved by grace and specifically “not by works” so that no one can boast and I have to tell you that there are few things that can get my blood boiling like seeing people I love lured into taking up the unbearably heavy burden of salvation by human effort under the guise of “fearing God”. This week I listened to a supposedly Christian Pastor BOASTING that he had confidence on the day of judgment because he had been “doing right” over the course of his life. - Wow! - don’t walk; run to the nearest exit if this is what is being preached in your church.
Come expecting a hot time this week as I am fired up about covering some immensely important Christian fundamentals:
Does God expect perfection from us, and if not then how good is good enough; and who decides that standard?
Are we free to “redefine” what perfection is?
Are there going to be Christians going to hell?
How do believers become more Christ like and is it possible to just coast along on the coat-tails of grace?
Will Christians face judgment for their sins on the “Day of Wrath”? If not - why not?
What is grace, where does it come from, and what does it do in the life of one who receives it?
See you Sunday!
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
Some Thoughts On Prayer by Margaret Swan
We read books on prayer to help us grow as Christians and to learn from others, and so we should.* But the simplest form of prayer is to remember that God is our Father and we can go to Him as children, bringing ourselves and our concerns, knowing that He hears.
As long as we live we shall never exhaust the possibilities of prayer, it is, after all, communion between the human and the Divine. Communication is two-way. It would be a strange telephone conversation if only one person talked. Yet that is often how our prayer times are – we do all the talking.
Robert C. Savage says prayer is “practising the presence of Jesus” (echoes of Brother Lawrence). So I imagined Jesus standing right in front of me. What would I say to Him if I could actually see Him – what would I ask? Then I realized I would not want to talk at all but just listen. Like Mary I would want to drink in His every word. Wouldn’t you? Then after a while I might ask, “What do You want for so and so?” rather than asking that He give certain blessings to that person. The things that the Lord would bring to mind would probably not be material at all but some of His spiritual gifts of inner peace and assurance. Or perhaps He would want that person to be bolder in taking a stand for Him or to step out into a new sphere of service.
Psalm 46:10 NIV says, “Be still and know that I am God” and Jesus warns against “babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (or “much speaking” KJV). He reminds us in the same passage (Matthew 6:7, 8) “...your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
Perhaps when we come before the Lord to pray we ought to be silent, realize the God of glory is there with us and wait for Him to speak. Perhaps I should remember to be quieter in my Quiet Times.
*Books on Prayer:
Approaching God by Steve Brown
Talking With My Father by Ray C Stedman
Pocket Prayers by Robert C Savage
Can You Hear Me? By Brad Jersak
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Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Bible Study
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