Edwin Bliss once said, “The pursuit of excellence is gratifying and healthy. The pursuit of perfection is frustrating, neurotic, and a terrible waste of time.” Interestingly Jesus taught the same principle 2ooo years ago when he visited Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. These sisters from A.D 30 are the basis for my sermon today. They have three important lessons for you and me living in the 21st century.
The US Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide on June 26th, 2016 triggered mixed responses from Christian Communities not only across the country but the global church. When I read the various responses on the web the thought that crossed my mind was, “What will I do if this happened in my country, Sri Lanka?” I prayed about and the Holy Spirit implanted five thoughts in my heart. I want to share those thoughts with you today. (Scripture quotations are taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org)
This Father’s Day I want us to consider the life of Joseph. Although we meet many noteworthy fathers in the Bible, only Joseph was given the privilege of being the father to the only child the Bible calls holy. Scriptures don’t talk about Joseph much. But I noted three characteristics that convinced me Joseph was a “Father after God’s own heart.” Join me tonight to find out these characteristics and how we can become fathers worthy of being called the same.
In the ancient world the word “calling” was of great significance. In those days the word was used to refer to the act of being summoned by the King. Likewise, God also has called or summoned us to his presence. In fact, the Greek word for church (ekklésia) means called out from the world and to God. In today’s message, we will look at three areas in the call of God, from another famous passage. It’s none other than the Angelic visit to Mary. (We have a sermon on Joseph Jesus’ Guardian Father also. See it here.)
Spiritual Maturity is often a misunderstood and misinterpreted doctrine in the Church. I am not an expert on this either but want to share a few thoughts with you. In this post, we will learn what spiritual maturity is not, what is spiritual maturity, as well as the nine biblical signs of a spiritually mature person. It is my hope these thoughts will help you to mature spiritually and be fruitful for Christ.
So many books have been written, sermons have been preached and studies have been conducted on the doctrine of Christian suffering and persecution of believers. Yet nobody knows it better than those who have actually tasted it.
I am fully aware that I have preached to you from the Parable of the Sower before but wanted to share the same today for a very good reason. As your Pastor, I am responsible for your personal spiritual growth. You know, sometimes we get complacent in our Christian walk which hinders our spiritual growth. When that happens I have to stir your nest and remind you to start moving forward again. So, I am going to stir your nest tonight. Now, as I told you the last time I preached from this passage, Jesus spoke about four different groups of people that are in the Church.
St. Valentine’s is a day on which the church talks a lot about God’s love for man. This Valentine’s however I want to talk about how we are supposed to love God and others. Here in the passage, I have chosen to preach from today a Lawyer (not an ordinary Jew) who intended to find fault with Jesus’ teachings asks him a question. It’s not a foolish question at all, because the Jews quite commonly drew distinctions among the laws of Scripture – great and small, light and heavy. Jesus’ answer was unexpected yet biblical and logical. What does this commandment mean?
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