Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far

and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we've first begun.

Lost Hymns

Breathing after Holiness

Isaac Watts

Ps. 119. 5, 29-37, 133

O that the Lord would guide my ways
To keep his statutes still!

O that my God would grant me grace

To know and do his will.

Order my footsteps by thy word,

And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

Make me to walk in thy commands;
’Tis a delightful road;
Nor let my head, or heart, or hands,
Offend against my God.

Can be sung to the tune of "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing".

Ministry127 and Graphics

I have mentioned Ministry127 here a few times, and they are a great resource to share. One of the things I like best about Lancaster, is that they freely share their online resources (a belief I share). They allow you to repost and use almost everything you find at Ministry127. If you are not familiar with it, it is a ministry of helps from Lancaster Baptist Church (West Coast Baptist College), with Pastor Paul Chappell.

An area of Ministry127.com I appreciate is their graphics work section. They provide these images for powerpoints, blogs, pictures for your church bulletin - really anywhere you want to use them. I have even used them as backgrounds for verses for my facebook page, and I have seen a number of tracts designed using them. To get right to the graphics, click here: ministry127.com/resources/slides. Here are some recent examples:

One nice feature, is that they also upload blank graphics, so you can customize with your own text.

Welcome!

Welcome to the newest blogger here at the blogroll: A Plain Path

This blog takes a verse every day, and includes an audio (nice music!) devotion. Check it out, it's a great resource and I am enjoying the daily devos personally as well.

Also, please note our email here has changed.

Why You Don’t Like Tim Tebow

Well okay, maybe not YOU, but there are a lot of those out in traditional and social media who love to do what ever they can to belittle and mock Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos. To be fair, there are those who are fans of Tim Tebow who go overboard the other way. But that discussion is for another post another day. As far as why he is so divisive, and what he does that causes such vitriol? While there may be many reasons behind this, here are the two major ones that I can come up with:

1. He is very outspoken about his faith, and that always rubs people the wrong way. The sad truth is that most of our society couldn’t publish fast enough and loud enough how great he has been in unexpectedly leading his team to victories if they knew that he was: getting drunk with his teammates afterwards, in a sexual relationship with some Hollywood scarlet, etc. How often does the media bemoan all the bad qualities of athletes, and yet when one comes along who is the opposite of MOST, he is mocked and belittled for it? But that is to be somewhat expected from non-Christians.
   • What surprises me most (and maybe it shouldn’t) are all the Christians who fall into this category. But maybe it has to do with the fact that we see someone who does what we know we should be doing but have always convinced ourselves that it is impossible – sharing our faith publically and at work. Tim Tebow is an ever present example to all Christians on how to practically fulfill the Great Commission in our own life, and that convicts us.
2. He is doing more with less. This one is a little more tricky to spot, but I really think many have a problem with Tebow because they perceive him as having “no talent,” and yet he is leading his team in surprising fashion. Maybe the source of their negativity is in a lack of their own accomplishments. Seeing someone who shouldn’t be doing what he is doing makes them feel guilty for not doing more with their life when they have more self-perceived “talents” in their own business field.

Now, most who like to criticize Tebow will never say it has to do with either of the two listed above. But most articles, commentaries, tweets, etc. point to one of these two reasons. And at the end of the day, isn’t that one of the big problems within our society: taking our own shortcomings out on others who succeed where we fail? It is the idea that if I can blow out someone else’s light, mine will burn brighter, which is just not true.

Instead of finding reason’s to tear someone down, how about we congratulate them and then examine our own life to see whether or not we are using our talents, gifts, abilities, and blessings as a testimony for God to the benefit and blessing of others?

Stop Doing and Start Growing: Grow in Grace

{My goal is publish every Monday my previous Sunday morning’s message (Yes, I realize that I am starting this on a Wednesday!). My primary goal is to be a benefit to those who were there and want to review something that was said. But if this can be a blessing to those who are not here, then great! I don’t type out full manuscripts before I preach. This is just an outline. I will work on getting ahold of the full audio version of each sermon and posting those, as well.}

 

Click Here For the Full Audio Version

 

SERIES: Stop Doing and Start Growing

TITLE: 01 – Grow in Grace
TEXT: 2 Peter 3:18
INTRO:
· What is the primary feeling felt by the majority of Christians today: Love…Joy…? Contentment…Peace…etc?
· For many, if not most, it is …GUILT.
· We have programmed ourselves that the more we do, the more God likes us: Attendance, Bible reading, offering, evangelism, etc.
· Therefore, we think the opposite is true – when we sin, God is so angry with us that He disowns us and there is no way we can return to Him…the church…etc.
· All of this is the result of faulty understanding of the Gospel and of Grace.

o Weak definition of Grace & the Gospel that leads us to believe grace only involves us when we sin.

· Our goal is to correct this mindset in 2012:

o AM – Fruit of the Spirit – not something we do, but something that flows.

o PM – The Gospel – for Christians!

· This morning, we need to start with the issue of Growing in Grace.
I. WHAT IS GRACE?
a. Grace – charis –
b. 5485. χάρις charis, khar´-ece; from 5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act; espec. the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):^[1]

i. So, Grace is not just something that God bestows upon us, but something God flows through us.

c. For many, grace is only something that involves either salvation or something we need when we sin. But grace is much more than that.

i. We are STRENGTHENED by grace – 2 Timothy 2:1–4 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

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