Lake Gibson United Methodist Church, Lakeland, Florida

Jesus satisfied God’s requirements for reconciliation, but each person must receive the terms of reconciliation: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Once our relationship with God has been restored, we are called into his service: “[God] reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.…We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:18, 20). God has commissioned each of us to share with others his message of love and peace.

To move people toward a reconciled relationship with God may seem a daunting task, especially in our postmodern culture that exalts moral relativism and disdains absolute truth. But as Paul told the Corinthians, we must open wide our hearts, allowing God’s compelling love to flow through us to others (2 Corinthians 5:14, 6:11).

Taken from the 2021-08-10 Left Overs of Lake Gibson United Methodist Church

God provided manna and fowl to the Israeltes in preparation for entering the promised land.  He still provides for use thru our belief in the trinity (God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit).  Taken from the sermon of 2021-08-01.

Did you get the fact the Jesus came to us rather than us having to go to him?  We are to go forth and give to others the mind of Christ Jesus.  Keep the words of Jesus in your mind.  The word, prayer, fellowship, and witnessing go together to keep us focused.  One way is to ask "How might I pray for you today!".  Taken from the 2021-07-25 worship service.  

If our calling is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, one of the most important things we can ask of another is "How can I pray for you today?".  An introduction to Christianity by expressing the love of Jesus Christ to our fellow humans.  Taken from the 2021-07-25 worship service.

We are born again into the Kingdom of God.  Our salvation is the beginning - not the end.  Once saved, we need to learn to follow closer in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.  Our discipleship helps us to grow.  John Wesley might have referred to this as sanctification.

An obedient Christian in action would have these four characteristics;

1.  They would be in the Word - reading their bibles to better understand.

2.  They would seek understanding through prayer.

3.  They would seek a community through fellowship, growing within the community.

4.  They would witness to the love of Jesus Christ for all his flock.

These thoughts are taken from the 2021-07-18 worship service as food for further thought.

2021-07-18 Worship Service - 

Thoughts on the 2021-07-11 Worship Service.  Sin always begs to be tolerated.  It always asks to be accepted.  It will demand to be celebrated?  Is this valid?  Also, if you start a church, you may or may not get disciples.  But, if you make disciples, you will always get THE CHURCH.  Think about it!

 2021-07-11 Worship Service.  Whose comfort are we concerned about? How do we offer others a view of His Kingdom?

This Independence Day, remember that our nation was formed on Christian principles.  Did not Jesus' teachings mean anything if we separate our behavior from the way we are governed?  How do we insure that our faith is replicated in the way we govern our nation?  Reinforcing the Independence Day message from 2021-07-04.

Our nation was built on Christian principles.  Early writers made this crystal clear.  Listen to some of their writings.  Let us remember this as we go about our daily lives with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at our side.  Taken from the 2021-07-04 worship service