Sermon/Sermon series ideas

Just was thinkg about some sermon/ sermon series ideas to start off our young adult ministry here they are:

-1st week> this is actually the one i'm least sure on, but thinking a gospel passage that talks about Jesus calling his first disciples, to introduce people to who Jesus is and to show that people didn't accept Jesus as God/a savior when they first starting following him. They eventuall found that out, but not right awa

-Luke 15 - the prodigal son, such a great story to show God's love for those who have gone astray and how much He loves them and favors them in some senses over those who have not gone astray

-Matthew 15 > a great passage talking about how obeying God and scriptures should be valued higher than the simple traditions of church. We need to remembe this today. So relevant

-Sermon on the mount and the conclusion with the parable of the two foundations/ builders
talking about actually putting the sermon on the mount into practice, how Jesus intended it

Then thinking about going into a sermon series about Jesus views on different things
Jesus on:
- religion/christianity
-who he is
-the poor
-ethics
-salvation
-following him
- heaven/hell
-the kingdom of God
-the Holy Spirit

Just some ideas, but really feeling God has placed them in my heart.

Grace and Peace,

Good to be home

Never really thought I'd be back home in the area hanging out with old friends when I was in college. But God has lead me back to the area for ministry at this time. And it has been really cool to connect again with old friends who I havent seen in a while. Its funny who God works things out sometimes.

a "God thing"

A couple weeks ago I had no idea really what I was going to be doing when I graduated. Me and some friends were talking about planting a church and all and I was all for that. But that didn't exactly develop all that well. So then I really had no idea what I was gonna do. Everyone else was off getting youth pastor positions or other open positions in a church. And I didn't wanna do something I didn't wanna just be a part of a church that is just existing, I have some things I wanna see changed in churches. So there I stood having no where to go upon graduation. But no I am starting a young adult ministry at my church, I am creating sermon series already, meeting with a campus pastor at a local college about connecting with different churches in the area and laying down denominational issues and partnering for the caused of Christ. I have no idea how these all came to be really, all I know is that this a "God thing" as Pastor Gerry Stoltzfoos would say. And he is really just bringing this all together for his glory and his purposes, I am just a vessel to bring about what He is doing. Its easy to forget that it is God doing it all and bringing it all together. We can get exciting about what is going on, but we must not forget that it is God bringing about His plans and purposes, it is nothing that we are doing in or of ourselves. I am definately exciting about what God is doing with this ministry and in this area with college aged students. Its something really big, I can feel it. God wants to reach people in this greater Philadelphia area who may have given up on the church and may have issues with all the stuff that goes on in a church, but wants to bring them back and unite around the person of Jesus. God let your will be done here, let me never forget that it is you bringing about your purposes. "Let him who boasts, boast in Christ alone"

Balance and Love

We need to be aware and open to all of God's truth in the Bible. In different denominations and movements we can get so wrapped up in certain truths and preach them so much, that we are in some sense putting down other denominations or movements. We so this in the liberal vs. conservative Christians. Rob Bell vs. Mark Driscoll. Emerging Church vs. Reformed movement.





They all focus on truths within the Bible. But we get so wrapped up in having conversations within our own groups that we forget to conversate with the other movements and groups that can focus on other issues. But the truth of the matter is they are all God's truths and we are all family and followers of Christ Jesus. So why the need for denominations or movements today, we do we need to seperate and and form little groups within Christianity that makes us so closed minded to other movements. We tend to only preach out of certain books of the Bible as well tha contain the truths that we like to emphasis. The pentecostal circles have Acts and 1 Cor. as their books that they often preach out of . The reformed movement overuses Romans and Galatians. The liberal and emergent movement emphasis some of the O.T prophets and O.T in their empahsis on social justice.



But we need to preach out of all of the books of the Bible and we need to be about all of the issues that different movements are about today. I love the reformed movement and their leaders >John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Matt Chanlder, and the Acts 29 network. But they can be so exlusive at times. Only listening to people within their own movement. And often bashing on some of the liberals like Rob Bell and Brian Mclaren.



I try to take truths from all the movements out there today. But im just so tired of seeing so much division today within the body of Christ. John 13:35 says you will know that they are my disciples by their love for one another. Do we have this today? We get so passionate about some issues that we put down what others are passionate about. And we have no love for one another



We need to have balance in our views today and hold one movement as right or better thatn the others. WE need to be open to all of them and learn from each. I am tired of denominations and moveemtns that just divide Christians today.



Keywords: balance> balance in our views on things, taking the whole Bible into account
love > loving fellow believers, so that unbelievers will see our love for one another and know we are Jesus disciples. not quarelling and causing divisions among us, so that unbelievers may be turned off to our message.

Showing rather then telling

Emodying Christianity and being God's people literally living to represent Him is kinda a new popular thing to emphasis in Christians circles. The come and see the gospel lived out in my life, as opposed to the listen to the story and respond gospel.



There are many reasons for this becoming popular today. One reason I would say is becuase it is biblical and logical and also effective. Another reason would probably be the culture today and that is what people respond to is actions. And also people dont wanna listen to people or they dont see actually living out what they are talking about, we want authenticity. And I am very passionate about embodying the gospel and living it out, truly loving people as I would love myself, blessing those who persecute me, giving to those who steal from me. Praying for terrorists of foreign countries who want to kill us.



But embodying the gospel and living it out is very difficult. This may be why it is so popular today b/c want a challenge theyre tired of the gospel that just gets people to heaven and thats it, they want more than that. They want a radical Christianity that people want today. There bored with the Christianity that says be holy and set apart, put yourself on a high horse above everyone else and live that why for ur life and then you get to go to heaven. People want to embody the gospel that they believe in that has changed the world. We are understand Jesus for who he really was and how he loved. We want a radically challengin Christianity of being able to embody it and actually love people truly and change the this world that we live in.

And we talk about it a lot today becuase it is definately relevant and all these a forementioned things are true. But this is very difficult to do. To truly live your life loving others and God and embodying Christianity is very difficult I have been coming to realize. I have been struggling with this lately how I want to do all this things, but they are honestly just really difficult. My sinful nature totally fights against it and so does everything in this world. So I want to stop talking about it and just be about it. Easier said than done I know. But we need to act. The time is now. Lord help me. It is not me who can do any of this, but you in me Lord

why are we so passionate about some things?

I have come to notice lately that the things that we are often so passionate about, value highly or are strongly against are often things that we struggle with ourselves. This is often the same case for things that annoy us about people are often the same things that we do ourselves. I don't know why we do this, maybe becuase it is a lot easier to hate and point out the things that bother us in other people, rather than dealing with it in ourselves, becuase we love ourselvs too much and have too much pride. I know theres probably pyschological reasons behing this and all. But I think we need to be aware of this so when we go on rants about things that we are passionate about, that we first check ourselves first and try to live it out ourselves.



This is one thing I struggle with. I can be very passionate about getting people to understand that Christianity needs to be lived out and embodied, not just preached. But this is often one thing I struggle with doing myself. Its a lot harder to be passionate about something and be able to back it up with your lifestyle then just being passionate about something. This is one thing I have been feeling very convicted about lately. And I hope I can change it.



But I think there is something to be said to understand what we are passionate about being related to things we struggle with ourselves. And also I think that the things we are passionate about have alot to do wit the way we were raised or what we have been taught. And then when we get older we realize that what we have been taught is often only one side to the story, so we go to the other extreme and are totally for the other side of the issue.



You can probably tell what a preacher is struggling with by what he is always preaching about or emphasizing within their sermons. I have realized this about myself lately too. We need to be aware of why we are so passionate about some things and must learn to check ourselves first in these areas. And we also need to be balanced about things and learn why we are so passionate about some things.