Harmony Christian Church

By Harmony Christian ChurchSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Education Self-Improvement Philosophy

Harmony Christian Church episodes

November 16, 2021Week 2 – Reap & Sow
What you plant is what will grow, that's not rocket science - but it's an important principle to understand. Today, Kent and some friends challenge all of us to think about what it is that we are planting in our life. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .
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Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
PART I - The Introduction
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Jenni and I are TERRIBLE at gardening… Seriously… One time we grew corn that never got taller than 4 ft tall…
Another time we planted lettuce but didn’t know when we were supposed to pick it and it ended up getting out of control and turning into this crazy alien-looking plant.
I think we seriously may be the worst gardeners on the face of the planet…
But, can I tell you a secret?
We may be bad at gardening, but I’ve never planted corn and harvested cantaloupe
What I mean is this…
What we planted, is what grew.
Paul makes this biblical argument about the way you and I live that is similar to this idea, he says this…Galatians 6:7-10 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Whatever you sow is what you will reap
Get this - you have one life to invest - you can’t fool God, what you invest your life in is what you will get in return.
If you invest for selfish motives, from selfishness you will reap, if you invest to please God, you will reap eternal life…
PART 2 - The interview
Have interviewees come up on stage - Interview Reels, Andrews, Shiflets
read Matthew 6:19-21 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
will you guys welcome some of my friends up here?
Go ahead and introduce yourselves and how long you’ve been at Harmony
I’ve asked you all to be up here because I believe you guys embody this idea of sowing and reaping - storing up treasures in heaven. So, let me ask you some tough questions
When it comes to giving your time, talent, and treasure - why do you do it? I mean seriously. There are a LOT of things you could be doing with your money or time other than giving it away…
For you, where did the kind of
1 hr 10 min
November 09, 2021Week 1 – Work Hard, Be Generous
Our culture has bought into two lies when it comes to the way we work and how we handle our finances. This week, as we begin this series, Kent shares with us a third way that can revolutionize your world as you set your vision higher. You will not want to miss this message! When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .
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Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Going to work at the dealership, my boss Scott - owner, called me in and said, “Kent, we do all this work down in Haiti and I have a bunch of friends who have jets. I’m trying to decide if it’s wrong for us to buy a jet so we can more easily travel down to Haiti”
I stopped him and was like, “Scott, this is not the normal ‘Kent, I need help with my finances’ question…”
Ha. Most people I talk to don’t have ENOUGH money, Scott had too much money… But there was something important I want you to notice about Scott’s attitude
He wanted to please God with how he handled his resources. as a matter of factGenerosity was his basic operating system.-Scott organized fundraisers for Christian youth groups-he and his wife bought a house to house single homeless moms-even the job he gave me was not because he needed that position, but because he knew our heart for ministry and wanted to support us…
Actually, Scott is not alone in this kind of generosity.
I have never personally known a wealthy follower of Jesus who isn’t also incredibly generous.
It’s not that wealth makes the person generousWealth only amplifies what’s already in a person
The person who is generous with a little will also be generous with a little
The person who is greedy with a little will also be greedy with little
Wealth is an amplifier, not a determiner.
That’s why it’s so important to check your motives when it comes to how you think about your finances.
SCRIPTURE:
I want to take you to an unlikely place, where Paul talks for a moment about how he viewed his work and his resources.
Paul is traveling back to Jerusalem. He is coming through Asia Minor. He is doing some strange things like at one point he gets off the boat and tells his traveling partners he will walk the 50 miles or so and meet up with them at another spot (Troas to Assos). We don’t know why Paul wanted to walk, but I have a feeling it has to do with what he shares in Acts 20. I think Paul wanted some time to pray and think about what he was about to do. He was going to Jerusalem and will tell us he expects bad things to happen to him there. I think Paul wants to slow it down a little bit. When he gets back on the boat, he tells them to pass up Ephesus - where he had done ministry for nearly 2.5 years. He lands at a place called Miletus and he calls for the Ephesian Elders - these would be the leaders of the church - the pastors if you will. W
48 min
November 02, 2021Week 5 – What are Heaven & Hell Like
What happens to you when you die? Where do you go? What is heaven like? What is hell like? Are ghosts real? Do we become angels? This week, we look at these questions and more as we continue to talk about the afterlife. Today's sermon has a TON of notes, you can download a handy notes file here: http://harmonychurch.cc/uploads/10-31-21%20-%20sermon%20notes.pdf
When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .
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Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Did any of you grow up going to haunted houses? I went almost every year growing up. There was something about standing in line to get the tar scared out of you. To come face to face with some of your nightmares is incredibly scary.
Today, we are going to talk about the afterlife. Specifically, What happens to us when we die? Where do we go? What do we know about the afterlife?
The biggest thing I want you to know is that if you are in Christ, nothing we talk about today, should scare you:1 John 4:4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
At the end of the day, even if what we walk through today, some of it may feel like a horror house, for those of you who are in Christ - you are safe - because he who is in you is greater than the one in the world.
So, I want to give you some ground rules 1. I will point out where the bible is clear and specific 2. I will point out when the bible is not clear and leaves room for interpretation 3. I will tell you when something is my opinion
So, let’s jump into it: What happens to a Christian when they die?
-do you become a naked baby that’s interested in archery?
-are you singing on a cloud with a harp?
-do you become an angel?
Most Christians believe their eternal resting place will be in heaven (a spiritual reality) - but this is not what the scriptures say: Revelation 21:1 & 3 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Our final resting place will be a physical reality - similar to our current reality.
It will not be this dry boring place - when you read the descriptions of eternity - the things that we consider precious on earth are used as paving stones…
So, when is this new heaven and earth established? there will be a great war - armageddon-all the peoples of the earth will gather to war against God-and the battle is just over…After
57 min
October 26, 2021Week 4 – The Enemy (Part 2 – Warfare)
This is part 2 of our 2 part sermon on the enemy the Satan. This week, Kent dials in on how to tell if what you are experiencing in life is spiritual warfare or just some bad pizza you ate last night? . Tune in to grow in your thinking on this topic. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .
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Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: When Jenni and I were church planting years ago, I was really struggling. I didn’t know who to turn to, to talk about it all with. I finally took the advice I had given a lot of people and I went to see a Christian counselor. I sat down on his couch and when he came in I was like, “what am I supposed to do, tell you about my childhood or something?” He was like, let’s just talk, what’s brought you in today? I started talking to him and at the end, he paused and just asked me a question. He said,
Kent, what do you believe about spiritual warfare? If you are not familiar with that terminology, it’s the way a lot of Christians talk about the battle that goes on in the spiritual realm.
I was honest with him and said, “well, I believe it’s real, but I don’t act like it.”
That day, I left his office realizing I had been walking through a rainstorm in my life with my umbrella down.
It is not that everything you and I experience is spiritual warfare, but I believe more of it is than we realize.
so, today, I want to give you 3 quick tools to help you identify when you may be facing a spiritual engagement by the enemy.
1. What is the fruit in your life? God works in fruit that leads to life (conviction) - Satan works in fruit that leads to death (condemnation). ask yourself - is what is happening in my life causing me to feel condemnation? Like I’m a failure, I can never get this right, I’m a terrible person, how could God ever love me?
That’s NOT from God. They are the fruit of evil spirits.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Conviction will lead you toward Jesus as your salvation, Condemnation will lead you toward your failure and oppression
2. Truth or Lie? Satan’s primary tool in the life of humans is the power of lies and our decision to agree with those lies.
John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
ILLUSTRATION: Did you know every thought that enters your mind is not always worth trusting? One of the things you need to begin to do is actually assess
49 min
October 19, 2021Week 3 – The Enemy (Part 1 – Fiction or Reality)
"The devil made me do it!" Ever heard that before? What's the deal with the devil anyway - should we believe in him or not? What does the scripture say, if anything, and what role does he or can he play in our life? Tune in to part 1 of this two-part sermon about Satan, the enemy. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .
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Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: When I was a kid, I LOVED Halloween. I remember one year my mom bought me this red spandex suit with a black pitchfork and I dressed up as the devil.
I really looked more like a plump tomato than anything else.
But I thought it was funny because, to me, the devil seemed more like a cartoon character than anything real.
I think if we’re honest, that’s kind of how most of us think about the devil.
-We picture him on Sylvester the cat's shoulder along with an angel telling him not to eat a mouse.
- We picture him as an invention of man to explain evil
But did you know that’s not how the scripture describes the devil or his other name, Satan - both words mean the same thing - the devil was the Latinized version of the Greek word diabolos - which meant accuser which is what Satan means.
The term Satan actually means “adversary” or “accuser” - think “prosecutor.”
Satan at times in the OT is used as a verb - someone is acting as a Satan. At other times it’s used as a noun - they are the Satan-but in the OT it isn’t entirely clear if Satan is doing any wrong or if he’s just fulfilling his duty as a prosecutor.
I did a deep dive into the history of Satan and found that there is more than I have time to cover.
What we do know is it is the New Testament and other extra-biblical documents that equate Satan as The Adversary of God. He is not painted as some cartoon character, but a real, true threat to those who chose to follow Jesus.
ILLUSTRATION: It reminds me of back in June there was this goofball Youtuber named Logan Paul who took on boxing Floyd Mayweather (50-0 pro boxing record - 12 world titles in 5 weight classes). Logan Paul’s resume was that he had fought and lost one match and that he had 20 million Social media subscribers. He seemed like a cartoon character until he got in the ring. He didn’t beat Mayweather, but he stayed with him and I’m not sure I’d want to put on the gloves with him…
Here’s the deal, I’m a critic at heart. I struggle through lots of these things going, “Really?” So, if I could, I want to give you the most convincing reason I have for believing that this evil, spiritual being exists.
Here is the most convincing argument, to me, about why you should believe in Satan
Because Jesus acted and operated as though Satan was a real spiritual entity who sought to oppose the work of God.
For me, if you have predicted and then actually lived out dying and bringing yourself back from the dead, then I am willing to t
48 min
October 12, 2021Week 2 – Not Magic
Prayer is something most of us are comfortable with, but few of us have a really great grasp on it. Tune in today to hear Pastor Robby share some super important insights on prayer and how very different and powerful it can be when we treat it as more than magic. (There are 2 video clips that Robby used that could not be uploaded. You can find the links in the sermon notes)
When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .
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Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
Not Magic Robert Frisone / General The Physics of the Spiritual / Prayer / Matthew 26:36–46
Many people have the wrong idea about prayer, treating it like it’s magic. The idea is if I say the right words in the right way then I’ll get what I want. Prayer is so much more and so much deeper. Jesus shows us the power of prayer in his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. As we look at this story we will realize that prayer isn’t so much about my will being done in heaven, but heaven’s will being done in my heart.
[Intro] (FAS) - Raining Candy
We’re currently in our series all about the physics of the spiritual realm and how it works. He claims he’s out of town, but I know the real reason why Kent has asked me to cover today's sermon is that he didn’t want to cover today’s topic himself. Today is all about prayer and part of me wishes it wasn’t because prayer is hard to talk about. I mean, how would you explain what prayer is to someone? I’ve even gotten it wrong before! I was a children’s pastor at the time working part-time at my very first paid ministry job out of college. I was teaching in Sunday school at the time and the lesson was on prayer. I told the kids that we were going to pray and explained that when we pray we can ask God for anything and God is big and strong enough to answer our prayers. There is no prayer too big for God. I even said, “You could even ask God for it to rain candy, and He’s powerful enough to make it happen.” No sooner did those words leave my lips than I saw the lead pastor’s 8-year-old son’s eyes shoot wide open like saucers and I knew I had just said something I’m going to regret. So I did what any young pastor would do if they had just misspoken and imparted terrible broken doctrine onto an impressionable child, I ignored it and hoped he’d forget. That day he, of course, asked me to pray that it would rain candy, so I did. And I prayed for it the next Sunday, and the next, and the next. He did not forget. Every single Sunday for months, he always asked me to pray that it would rain candy. When it came to prayer requests it was praying for dead animals, kids always want to pray for dogs and cats that passed away before they were born, friends who are sick, and for it to rain candy. Of course, not so much as a tic-tac fell from the sky all those months and my pastor’s son clearly had noticed. This broug
26 min
October 05, 2021Week 1: There is a Way Things Work
Most of us are intrigued when we hear a scary story, but most of us also struggle to really believe in the spiritual. What if there is more going on that most of us know. Tune in this week as Kent explains this new series. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .-------------------
Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Years ago I was staying in this old farmhouse, built in 1900, in an upstairs room in the peak part of the house. Someone at some point had built a little storage space in the smaller section of the peak where it meets the floor. I’m talking to the person who owned the house and they start telling me how years ago, they had been outside doing something and looked up in the window of that room and saw a little girl standing in the window waving at them. THERE WAS NO ONE HOME EXCEPT FOR THEM!
Then they were like, “welp, hope you have a good night sleeping up there…” Ha. They had pushed the bed up against this opening in the wall and I’m telling you, all night, I laid there thinking some creepy little girl was going to reach out and pull me into that little storage room…
Ha! What do you do with stories like that?
I know plenty of people who say they don’t believe in ghosts, but you get them around a campfire and start telling ghost stories and I guarantee you, when they walk back to their car - they are moving faster and keeping an eye out for anything creepy.
I’m doing this series, The Physics of the Spiritual because most people either err on two sides of the spiritual
They don’t believe any of it
What they believe in is more like magic than reality
Because here’s the deal, if there is a spiritual reality - then it has a type of physics to it.
What I mean is this
In order for God to have temporal beings or beings that occupy space, whether physical or spiritual, there has to be laws and principles that govern that space. Speeds by which things travel, friction which can be generated. So, just as there are laws that govern what we can and cannot do in the physical, there have to be laws like this to the spiritual.
For instance, most of us, when we pray just magically expect God to answer it Himself - and sometimes He does, but God always chooses to work in community.
This means he uses, people, angels, events, and more to answer prayers at times. And people, angels, events necessarily have a speed that they work at. -so there are times when God is answering a prayer and we can’t understand because we don’t have an adequate understanding of how the spiritual works
A quick for instanceDaniel Chapter 10Daniel has been praying and fasting for 3 weeks. When finally he has a vision with an angel speaking to him, listen to what the angel says - it’s instructive
36 min
September 28, 2021Week 4 – The Greatest of the One Another’s
We can all struggle at times, this week Kent shares one of his struggles and how God can help us all find a different way forward by loosening our hold on the things of this world. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give . -------------------
Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Do you guys remember a few weeks ago I wasn’t feeling very well on a Sunday? I went home that day and was sitting around feeling like I should do something… I had promised Jenni I would install this faucet we had from our old house and this water filter under the sink…
I wasn’t feeling great, but I decided to do it anyway, because, you know, I’m dumb. I shoving myself under the sink. Have you ever seen one of those people who puts their body in a small little box? That’s what it was like, I’m all contorted trying to fit my big body in this little space, arms up against my face, barely able to reach… I get everything removed and start to install it and then I realize, I don’t have everything I need to finish the install. By this point, I feel miserable, but I can’t leave it unfinished. I get in the car and head to Lowes. I spend about 2 hours looking through all the plumbing adapters to find about half of what I need… I watched all these guys doing the parts look dance. You’ve seen it, right? they stand there for a minute, take a step forward, bend down to grab apart, then before actually grabbing it, they stop back, cross their arms, look again for another minute, then go for the next part…
I get in the car and drive home, start installing it and realize I forgot to get a water line to make it work…
So, again, feeling miserable I go back to Lowes and buy what I need…
Now, if you’ve ever worked on a project like this, especially when you feel terrible, you know I’m leaving something out of all this narrative…
I’m leaving out how much of a jerk I was in the middle of that whole thing.
Somehow I ended up blaming Jenni for me choosing to do this project.-I was mad at HER that I had to go get parts-when I didn’t get the right parts and had to go back, guess who I took it out on…-Jenni
I’m not proud at all to tell you this - actually, I’m confessing it to you because I need to be held accountable
Talk about feeling like a hypocrite - I had preached that day “ask my wife if I live this stuff out…”
Thankfully I had also preached on forgiveness and my wife is better than me…
but literally, after taking an hour or two to find parts, she called me to see if I was doing ok, cause she knew I wasn’t feeling well and I gave her anger violent silence…-some of you explode in anger. I get mad and silent (probably cause I don’t want to say things that I’ll regret - or should I say too many things)
For me, this is what life by the flesh (my heart without interference from God) looks like-I am full of selfishness-I perceive myself to always be in the right and am offended easily-I am willing to give and sacrifice but only if I get to take as much as I give-I get jealous-I beco
44 min
September 21, 2021Week 3 – Serve One Another
Serving is one of the key differentiators in Christianity, tune in this week to learn just how different it is...When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .
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Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Up until we had 3 kids they used to have a name for me, “One Trip Wagner” because I made it my ambition in life to carry all the groceries we bought into the house in one trip. It was like a piece of artwork the way you have to choose your bags in the right order to get everything in one load. I was working at my home church in Garden City at the time as a youth pastor and I was bringing in a cooler loaded with groceries as well as having my arms loaded with bags. I was “One Trip Wagering” it. I got in the door, but as I walked, I knew something was not right. I was having to suck in my gut to keep my hold everything up and as I sucked in my gut, but my pants that had been fairly tight, started to slip. Little by little they slipped. I started walking with my legs spread out as I had just gotten off a horse, but I was in a predicament, there was nowhere to set any of this down so I plodded on. I got into the kitchen and with a last mighty lift, I thrust all of the groceries up onto the counter and simultaneously sucked in my gut so much that my pants just dropped off of me around my ankles. Ha, it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Thankfully, no one else was nearby me to see it. It was one of those embarrassing humiliating moments.
Can we just talk about embarrassing moments for a second? They are the worst, aren’t they? Your face flushes, you seem to catch on fire. They are something we will do just about anything to avoid. Think about your last big embarrassing moment-my guess is that it still stings to think about it-we laugh, but usually, if we are pressed enough the very same feelings of embarrassment and humiliation can come running right back to your heart and mind in seconds.
I want to look at one of the most humiliating moments of Jesus' life-what He is about to do, on the surface doesn’t seem Genius but embarrassing.
Check it out, open to John 13-Now this event is not happening on a Sunday, it’s actually happening on Thursday night over 2,000 years ago-Jesus has sat down to eat with His buddies
And John and eye witness of the event describes it this way...
John 13:3-5 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Oh my, again, it’s hard for us to even imagine how out of place this is, how humiliating of a job this is that Jesus is doing...ILLUSTRATION: In high school, I worked at JC Penney, my job was to break down boxes and put pricing
38 min
September 14, 2021Week 2 – With One Another
This week we explore Hebrews 10:24-25 and talk about the difference between consumers and contributors when it comes to the church. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .-------------------
Sermon Notes Slide Key:
Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION: How many of you love to shop?
Oh man, I hate to shop… Jenni knows how long she has to shop based on the level of my complaining.
I’m at a 1 when I’m acting friendly but have a fake smile on my face. I'm at a 5 when I start to complain that my knees or feet hurt and lord help me if I ever have to get to a 10 - cause I’m faking a heart attack baby!
Ha, I really don’t like to shop very much…But one thing I hate more than anything is when I’m shopping or pay for a service and don’t get what I paid for…
There is nothing that irks me more. I skip right past 10…I’m nice still, but OH MAN! I’m not happy
And that’s how it should be, right? Because we all know, the customer is always right
This is how the world of transactional experiences work. I pay for a good or service you deliver
I am a consumer and you are the provider
But what happens when you take something that is by its nature relational - not transactional and try to apply the same logic to it?
When transactions take the place of relationship, disfunction is soon to follow
Imagine a husband and wife acting transactionally - which happens ALL the time! What ends up happening in a marriage like that is everyone has their little transaction books and they are constantly keeping track of what debts are owed them and what all they have put into the relationship.
If your relationship is transactional, “I did X, why haven’t you done Y” you are heading towards disfunction. The difference is transactional experiences are based on a consumer mentalityRelational experiences are based on a contributor mentality
Consumers put in and take out - they need things to be equitableContributors are concerned primarily with what they can add
Here’s the problem for most of us, when we think about the church - we view it primarily through the lens of a consumer
It’s been designed that way for years.-in the late 90’s-mid 2000s there was a movement for churches to be “attractional”-meaning we intentionally do things to make ourselves cooler so people will come to our church
It hyper-focused us on being consumers even more
Think about the words we use to describe trying to find a church b Church Shopping
Most people when they are looking for a church are looking for one that fits them, they like the music, like the preacher, don’t get too offended, aren’t asked to be too involved, etc.
But I think it’s important sometimes in life and stop yourself and ask“Is this how it’s supposed to be?”
Listen to what the author of Hebrews calls the church to…Hebrews 10:24-2524 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, a
40 min

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