Great Message by James MacDonald on the Purpose of Trials

http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch/passing-the-test/1

I love seeing how God’s sovereign and good plan works out in my life and in the lives of others.  This morning I decided that I was going to listen to an online message by Craig Groeshcel from Lifechurch.tv.  I went to the sight, clicked on the “Watch” button and chose a 2 part series entitled “Passing the Test”.  Little did I know that the series was being guest taught by James MacDonald from Harvest Bible Chapel.

And wow!  I so needed this message.  It was like God was speaking to me…Well…no…God was speaking to me through His servant James.  His treatment of James 1:1-5 was awesome.  Thank you James MacDonald!  Thank you God!  There isn’t a day that goes by that I just can’t get my arms around the idea that out of 7 billion people on the planet and growing, that God is speaking to me on such a personal and individual level.  If this were a tweet, the hash tag would be titled #mindblowing.

Every Pastor Who’s Ever Considered Leaving the Ministry Should Read This!

This post by James Emery White from his Church and Culture blog is awesome!  Don’t quit pastor!

Church and Culture.

Dads, Are You Taking Advantage of Your Greatest Advantage?

To look at the average dad we’re not a very impressive sight.  In many cases we’ve completely lost touch with the latest clothing  styles, opting to wear (for some unknown reason) white socks with our sandals and shorts at summer picnics.  The legs exposed underneath those shorts haven’t seen the light of day since last summer.  We’re losing the aging battle ungracefully.  You know what I’m talking about.  The hairline is receding.  The “six pack” has turned into a “keg”.  We can’t touch our toes (in some cases we can’t see our toes) anymore.  We’re still playing in pick-up basketball leagues trying to re-live the glory days, but we shouldn’t be.  And if all that isn’t enough, many of us have been reduced to driving a mini-van!  You know who you are.

But, you know something, dad?  Despite all that, the words of Solomon written over 3,000 years ago are more true than ever…”…”the glory of children are their fathers.” – Pr. 17:6b.   Every dad gets undeserved admiration from his kids the moment they enter this world.  They are hard wired to believe that we are bigger than life, that there is nothing that we can’t do.  They look for opportunities to brag on dad, like the three boys that were having a “whose got the best dad” conversation on the playground.  The
first boy said, “My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a poem and they pay him $50.”  The second boy said, “That’s nothing!  My dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a song and they pay him $100!”  The third boy smile confidently and proclaimed, “I’ve got you both beat.  My dad writes a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a sermon and it takes 8
guys to collect all the money!”

We don’t have to teach that to our kids.  And because of that, we start out life with an unbelievable advantage.  We can either build on that advantage or we can squander that advantage.  When we choose to build on that, our children will grow up in life with a strong and heavy ballast, steadied and strengthened to tackle life head on with all of it’s challenges. When we squander it, our
kids move into their lives with a great deficit.  And instead of being steadied and confident, their souls are weightless.  As a result,
they spend the rest of their lives trying to compensate for and overcome that deficit.

What about it, dad?  What are you doing with that God given advantage?  If you’re looking for some great advice on how to build on that advantage, consider the counsel of the greatest dad of all time, our heavenly Father.  It’s found in a single verse in the New Testament.  Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.” (The Message).

Ed Stetzer – Thursday is for Thinkers: Michael Kelley

I love this blogpost by Michael Kelley.  This comparison between Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts made me think of our church.  You won’t find a latte, but the coffee is great and you can’t beat the price…just like the gospel…there is nothing that tastes better and the price has been paid.

Ed Stetzer – Thursday is for Thinkers: Michael Kelley.

Does Everyone Go to Heaven?

This is the link to the message I preached, Does Everyone Go to Heaven?  This goes along with the post by Keven DeYoung.  There were many take aways from the weekend that I gave this message, but two stand out.  First, telling the straightforward, unvarnished truth about the future reality of Hell, physcally gave me a headache that day.  Second, I was encouraged by how many people who expressed a sincere and deep desire to hear and know the truth, no matter what it is.  One friend said, “I get spun all week in culture.  I don’t want to get spun at church.”  Jesus told us that the truth will set us free. 

This message centers around the truth that Jesus himself gives us about the reality of the future judgment that awaits those who do not repent.  And this truth is what makes the gospel such great news.

http://www.mclanechurch.org/media/Sermon02202011.mp3

Two Thoughts on the Rob Bell Brouhaha – Kevin DeYoung

A couple of weeks ago, as a part of our series entitled, “What is Heaven Like?”, I preached a message entitled, “Does Everyone Go to Heaven?”.  The focus of my message, of course, was to answer the question, specifically and primarily by using Jesus’ own words.  And the answer that Jesus provides in the gospel accounts alone is emphatically, “No.  Everyone does not go to Heaven.”

This blog post by Keven DeYoung coincides really well with my message because it provides an outstanding orthodox response to a teaching known as universalism, the belief that everyone gets into heaven at the end of the day.  Universalism stands in direct opposition to the orthodox position of eternal punishment, which is clearly taught in scripture and has been a core doctrine consistently taught by Catholics and Protestants alike for centuries.

Kevins post is in response to a video promo that Rob Bell did for a new book he has written entitled Love Wins.  No one has read the book yet, but based on the video that he produced, it seems that Bell is taking a universalist approach.  Read this post.  It is excellent.

Two Thoughts on the Rob Bell Brouhaha – Kevin DeYoung.

You’re Depraved…Admit It! It’s Wonderfully Freeing.

That message is as exciting to me as, “The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl!”  But according to scripture that’s reality.  I talked about this yesterday at Men’s Fraternity.  We refer to it as “The Heart Wound” and all 59 of us men had to do the hard work of admitting a truth that’s hard to handle…that we’re not fundamentally built to win in life.  We didn’t come into this world as fundamentally good at the core.  We came into this world with a fundamental bent to do life away from God’s leadership and authority.  We have a wound of nature that causes us to be like that annoying shopping cart at Wal-Mart that always wants to pull to the left or to the right instead of staying on a straight course.

Theologians refer to this as human depravity…the good ‘ol fashion sin nature and ever since Adam and Eve’s catastrophic fall in the Garden of Eden, we’ve been blaming everyone else for this problem except ourselves.  But until we come to terms with the reality of our sin, that we’re set up to fail in this life, we will never experience God’s awesome and incredibly good plan for our lives.  

The Apostle Paul in quoting the Psalmist wrote these words to the church at Rome in the first century:
^“10 It is written,  ”No one is right with God, no one at all. ¹¹ No one understands.  No one trusts in God. ¹² All of them have turned away.  They have all become worthless.  No one does anything good, no one at all.” (Romans 3:10-12)
When we develop the courage and honesty to face the truth about our condition…when we humbly face the reality of this wound, we set the stage for God to do spiritual heart surgery and release the healing power of His grace in our lives through Jesus Christ.  It was Jesus himself who said, “Blessed are the poor (blessed are those who admit the truth about the impoverished spiritual condition) for theirs is the Kingdom of God.”

Next week we’re going to talk about how this wound can specifically be healed through Jesus Christ…It requires nothing less than…being born again!  Sounds crazy right?  Stay tuned.

McLane Church Enews – Weekend Preview

Hey E-News Friends,
 
What happens when we die? Who has not asked that question before? This is one of the most basic and significant questions of life that relate to our existence. It’s a question that’s always alive in our sub-conscience and it’s one that every one of us asks at some level and at some point.
 
We’re going to tackle that question from a Biblical perspective this weekend in part two of our “What is Heaven Like?” series. How we answer this question will determine the whole trajectory of our eternal future. So, needless to say, getting the answer right is HUGE. That’s why, as Brian said last week, we’re really not interested in yet another person’s opinion on this one. We are only concerned with what God has to say about. His answer is the only one that we can ultimately trust and stand on with confidence. That’s why we’ll be turning to the pages of Scripture. If you have a Bible, make sure you bring it!
 
This is a big weekend. In addition to our series on heaven we will be hosting our next GroupLink. GroupLink is one of the primary ways that we connect people to GroupLife at our church. If you really want to engage with the full life and ministry of McLane Church, joining a small group is absolutely a vital and necessary part of that process. It’s in groups that we build deep and lasting friendships, receive care when we need it most and take our understanding and application of Biblical truth to the next level. And GroupLink is the event where we form brand new groups where all of that can happen.
 

On Sunday evening to kick off the second semester, we will be launching eight new groups including men’s, women’s, couples’ and mixed groups. If you are even considering this next step, you should come out and learn more. You can register online at mclanechurch.org or at church this weekend. The event runs from 5:30 – 8:00PM this Sunday evening at our Edinboro site and dinner and childcare will be provided. I know. I know. The Steelers play at 6:30. What are you worried about? TiVo it! You know they’re going to win anyway. I should know. I have very tight connections with Troy Polomalu.
 
Bill

Outstanding Message by Louie Giglio as You Start the 2011

Our Staff has begun a conversation about making goals for 2011 that last for more than 7 days because they are the kind of goals/resolutions that are born from extended time in prayer.  We’re seeking the kind of resolutions that are holy, prompted and engineered by God’s Spirit.

This message by Louie Giglio, the founder of the Passion movement and more recently the Passion City Church, is a must watch if you really want to move forward in 2011 with God’s leading and direction.

passioncitychurch | watch#20110116.

Pastor Steven Furtick – Stop the hop

This is an outstanding blog post that addresses the whole concept of church shopping…C’mon Church!

Pastor Steven Furtick – Stop the hop.