Reddicks Grove Baptist

Will God call me to something I hate, to someplace I hate, to a group of people I can't stand, or to a job that brings me no joy? Do you know the purpose for which God saved you? Do you know where you fit in God's strategy for your church? Questions that Christians don't ask because they don't think there is a knowable answer.

Ben Franklin is credited with saying, "The only two things certain in life, death and taxes." Was he right? When you ask people if they are saved and going to heaven, some are honest enough to say, "I hope so." Christianity is not a hope so religion. It is not an end-of-life wager, a crutch for the weak-minded, or a non-intellectual explanation for the unknowable.

Unless you have lived a very charmed and protected existence, you have experienced betrayal. Inflicted by somebody you were supposed to be able to trust. Oh, the deep hurt that emerges from these incidents. Particularly when that person is a family member or a church member who stabs you in the back. Hopefully, when this occurred, you found depth in your faith and obedience in your heart. These experiences make or break you.

From the Bible, we learn that Joseph was from a dysfunctional family. Yes, this family had Jacob as its father, and it was a home full of contempt and jealousy.

It is considerate to serve those who serve you. It is admirable to forgive someone for an unintentional offense. But it takes authentic love to serve those who don't serve but look to be served. It takes Christ-like love to forgive those you know will betray and abandon you when you need them most. Join us Sunday morning when Jesus' ministry to His disciples gets personal...

How comfortable are you with the language that God is wrathful about the matter of sin? Modern preaching errs when it presents only a God of miracles, blessings, and deliverance. Most Sunday morning sermons do not qualify as warnings. The fear of God takes a lot of explanation for the modern congregation. Pastors wanting to remain popular and relevant, edit the need for repentance right out of their content. This Sunday morning, the full dynamic of the revelation of God's wrath that must be satisified. Hallejuah, there is opportunity to be covered by grace but that requires repentance.

Barna Research a few years ago reported from their research that 1 in 3 church attenders state that they have never experienced the presence of God in a worship service. Get this, of those saying they had experienced an encounter with God, one-half of those say it is rare... once in the last year. If ever revival in the church was needed, now is the time.

Do you have more Pharisee in you than Jesus? A preacher once got a note before he stood to preach. The note said, "I have proof that you had an adulterous affair 30 years ago, before we leave here today, I am going to tell the congregation." Did he scuttle his notes that Sunday for a message on grace? Did he opt to give a message that dealt with both truth and grace?

The eagle does not fight the snake on the ground. It picks it up into the sky and changes the battleground. In the sky, the snake has no stamina, no power, and no balance. It is useless, weak, and vulnerable unlike on the ground where it is powerful, wise, and deadly. Take your fight to the devil by praying, and when you are in that spiritual realm God takes over the battle.

You may have noticed that some Christians don't believe that they have been to church unless it was an emotional experience for them. Still, others seek only a lecture, an educational experience from the pulpit. Lastly, some extroverted church attendees need physical involvement. They can't stay in their seat nor keep their hands on their lap. And each group thinks the other two groups are not really doing worship the right way. Is worship style a preference or a Biblical prescription? This Sunday's sermon is sure to make you examine your expectations and consider what God expects from you.

Interpreting God's will can be confusing, and illogical, with abrupt changes of direction, mysterious at times, and a succession of opening and closing doors. I have never known God to reveal steps 1, 2, and 3 and guaranteeing success with each step. For me personally, it has only been the next step is... Apostle Paul had a dream one night that interrupted his well-intentioned and well-thought-out plans. That is the purpose of the biographies in the Scriptures. We get a bird's eye view of why God puts us in certain situations that seem like detours but serve a greater purpose in the grand scheme of things.