Sermons from July 2020

The ongoing controversy over accommodating Muslim women wearing various head coverings is more debate over religious statements than demonstrating true spirituality. As many Islamic scholars have pointed out, veils are optional and those who choose to wear them do so as a witness of their faith and modesty. Of course, this symbol merely witnesses these things but doesn’t actually prove them. The fact that the wearing of veils and coverings in western society draws attention and causes debate actually defeats…

I’m on a one-man crusade against the movie industry. Here’s why. The rating system will give a movie an R rating for graphic violence, sex, or repeated use of the dreaded “F” word, but relegates the profaning of the Lord’s name to a benign PG13 slot. It seems that blasphemy against God is less pervasive to a young viewer than common vulgarity or simulated sex. What’s even more insulting is that it is always Jesus’ name that they choose to…

The first question people ask when they find out that I’m a minister is the name of the church that I preach for and then, without fail, follow up with the query, “How big is your congregation?” It seems as if there is something about the size of the congregation I serve that somehow gives them insight into who I am and probably my abilities as a minister. When it comes to judging the value of any congregation of the…

Enough cowering! Enough hiding out and social distancing from getting things done because of the virus! Paul said that there would be “in season” and “out of season” times for preaching the gospel (II Timothy 4:2) and for growing the kingdom. He did not mean that sometimes we work and serve, and at other times we should stop because it is inconvenient or dangerous. I believe he was exhorting the church to stay busy even when it was inconvenient and/or…

Ever wonder why God wants us to obey Him? What exactly does God receive from our faithfulness and obedience? We say that we want to please God and do so by avoiding sin or making a sacrifice in our service to others but how does our improved morality or increased service advantage God? He doesn’t need anything nor does our goodness add any advantage to Him—He’s above it all anyways. I believe the answer to this question lies in His…

Sometimes when we listen to the news and they talk about the number of people there are in the world and the magnitude of the problems, we feel rather insignificant. It seems that corporations and governments are getting bigger and more powerful and we, the solitary citizens are becoming weaker and less influential all the time. There was a small article I picked up that reminded me of the importance of one person, the difference that one person can make.…