Asbury Church

Can suffering make us stronger?

Yes. (But there’s a catch).

What about when the difficulty is too much for us? What about when the hard road we’re asked to walk is no longer a doable hard, but a destructive hard?

Well, says Paul in Romans 5:5, even in those times we can be stubbornly hopeful "because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

To put it another way: "I Knew That i Knew That I Knew That I Knew"

The narrative for the early church, is not much different than what we are facing even today in the 21st Century Church!

The struggle of those within the fold of God who act and behave as though they are self-righteous, almost as though they are entitled to the righteousness of God. As well as those who would like to be a part of the fold but feel unworthy and are stuck in constant striving to obtain the Lord’s righteousness.

The question is: Will we receive God's promise, or will we miss out on the righteousness He has for us today?

Repentance isn’t a four-letter Word. In fact, it’s one of the sweetest words in the world, because repentance means there is still an opportunity to start over. In the second chapter of his Letter to the Romans, Paul turns his attention to the way that God’s people fail to live by their own standards. Let it not be true of us. God is being kind in giving us an opportunity to repent. Let’s not miss it.

The gospel has power to save. When Paul begins his great letter to the Romans, you might say that this is his thesis statement: “the gospel is the power of God to save” (Romans 1:16).

Here’s the question, then: save from what? What does the gospel save us from?

Paul’s answer: ourselves, and our darkened hearts and futile thoughts. The gospel saves us from the way that leads to death.

In week #2 of our Romans series, let’s talk about it.

In week #1 of our Romans series, we’re looking at Paul’s famous thesis statement in Romans 1:16-17 in which he says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for all who believe….”

Here’s my question? Why does he need to qualify it? What are the reasons that Paul (and we) might be ashamed of the gospel?

Over summer vacation, I saw a lot of beautiful New England churches, and most of them are basically empty on a Sunday morning.

Of course, empty churches are not unique to New England.

Why? What has happened in America? Why are so many people leaving the faith? Why are we failing to reach new people?

Well, the simple answer is that we have forgotten to do the one thing Jesus told us to do: make disciples.

After all, even the leopard can’t beat the porcupine when it does the one thing it was born to do.

Do you want to know God’s will for your life, not just on the big questions and decisions, but even in the every day?

The Apostle Paul says that the way to know God’s will is to have your mindset transformed.

Here’s how to do that.

This summer I’ve been thinking a lot about Asbury’s future and looking around at churches that seem to have lost their way. How can we stay on the path the Lord has for us?

To get some clarity on this question, I interviewed a special guest at all our services, the Rev. Dr. Kevin Watson—director of Asbury Theological Seminary’s Tulsa site, hosted on our church campus—who just published the definitive history of the Methodist movement in America. The book details how the Methodist church lost its way and explains how we ended up at this point. By learning how we got here, at Asbury we can work to make sure we move forward in the right direction.

The scarlet thread throughout Kevin’s book? The necessity for courage.

“Be strong and courageous.”

Good words for all of us.

In the month of August, I’m sharing thoughts and ideas I’ve been working on over summer vacation. In Week 1, here is a vision for Asbury, summed up in one word.

Preacher: Andrew Forrest

Scripture: Psalm 126

James instructs Christian to pray for the sick, anoint them with oil, and pray for them to be healed. Does God answer prayer for healing? Should Christian pray for diving healing today?

Preacher: Kevin Watson

Scripture: James 5:13-16

Date: Sunday, July 28, 2024 [11:00 AM service]