All posts by Athol Barnes

Athol Barnes is the Senior Pastor at Grace Point Baptist church in Kansas City, Missouri. Born in South Africa, as a son of a pastor, Athol became a follower of Jesus at an early age. He studied and worked as a mechanical engineer for almost 14 years before being called into fulltime Christian mission work. Emigrating to the USA in 2000 with his wife Debbie, Athol has served as the Director of Project Management at Adventures in Missions between 2004 and 2009, and a Discipleship training school leader with Youth with a Mission and Call2all from 2009 till 2014. In 2014 Athol graduated with a MATS degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In the same year, Grace Point called Athol to be their Senior Pastor. Athol has a heart for missions and seeing the Great Commission fulfilled in our lifetime. He is passionate about seeing the church on mission, being and doing what Jesus called the church to do. Athol and Debbie were married in 1996 in South Africa and have two adopted Children, Christine and Joshua.
Sermons

Sermon, Sunday November 28 2021, Compassion part 2

click on the camera above to view the full sermon video

This past week we celebrated Thanksgiving. Since moving to the United States in 2000, Debbie and I have so much to be thankful for. In particular, our church in Atlanta, Roswell Street Baptist church, played a significant role in helping us as immigrants. The church responded as the body of Christ and showed compassion.  

Compassion is a pillar of the church but does not stand alone. There needs to be a strong connection between compassion and mission, between compassion and worship and between compassion and the Word. James chapter 2 explains to us that faith without works is dead, rather we show our faith in God through our works of good deeds. The compassion of the church must always bring glory to the name above all names, and only his name. Acts of compassion done for the glory of God are in themselves acts of worship.

Compassion without the foundation of the Word of God, lacks true empathy and the power to change lives. only the word of God, coupled with the revelation of the Holy Spirit, has the power to change lives. Compassion is essential in the church, not because it is what good people do to help one another, but because it is the way the church points people to Jesus.

Jesus displayed compassion for the people around him as he walked the earth. Jesus’ compassion was not simply a good trait that Jesus displayed, it was the very core he is.

If we are not careful, we can easily fall into the trap of seeing Jesus as the compassionate part of the Trinity, and God the Father as the stern and judgmental one who needs to be appeased. Yes, it is true that God is perfectly holy and that we are only able to be in a right relationship with Him because of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. But that is the righteous holiness of God the Father. What does the Bible teach us about His character and His nature?

We know that the Bible is the revelation of Jesus. I think sometimes that we need to be reminded that the revelation of Jesus is a revelation of God. Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus said in John 14:9, “…Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John’s Gospel begins, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

One of the passages in the Bible that is the greatest revelation of God the Father, is the encounter the God had with Moses and the Children of Israel on mount Sinai. In Exodus 34, Moses returns to the top of the mountain with new stone tablets after he smashed the previous ones in anger at the nation’s idolatry. In Exodus 34:6-7, God reveals himself in a way that is unlike anything else prior to the incarnation. Exodus 34:6, “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

This is not simply God telling Moses some information about Himself. In the previous chapter, Moses courageously asks God to show him His glory, to which God responds by displaying and declaring His goodness. When I think about the glory of God, I always think of his incredible power and majesty. But God reveals that His glory is in His goodness. The glory of God is in his compassion. The first words that God uses to describe himself are, “merciful and gracious…”

This is where we struggle to come to terms with the nature of the holiness of God. To be holy is to be set apart. The Hebrew word used for holy, means to be cut off, or separate from everything else. It means to be in a class of your own, distinct from anything that has ever existed or will ever exist.

Frequently in the Old Testament, we read that God was provoked to anger. The nation of Israel constantly provoked God to anger by their disobedience. God was provoked to anger, but here in Exodus 34, we read that God by nature is merciful and gracious, which is His character and nature. God is naturally compassionate but provoked to anger.

How about us? Depending on who you are, some of us are more prone to anger than others, but I don’t know anyone who struggles to get angry if the right set of circumstances presents themselves.

But how about compassion, love, and mercy? These attributes don’t come naturally to us, in our sinful nature. That is why the writer to the Hebrews says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” Hebrews 10:24. The writer encourages the readers to stir up, or provoke, love and good deeds in one another. We are sinful by nature, and we need to be provoked to be merciful.

How far we as beings created in the image of God have deviated from our original design because of the fall. When sin entered the world, our very core nature was disrupted and as a result we in turn view God through our own broken lenses. God is compassionate at His core.

The ultimate purpose of compassion is leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. True compassion is caring for someone’s eternal destination.

In Isaiah 58:6-8 God reveals that acts of compassion are true fasting, denying ourselves to focus on the will of God. Caring for the hurting, the poor, and the unlovely, with the purpose of showing and speaking the Gospel message to them. Notice the final line in verse 8, “…the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” What is the glory of God? It is his goodness on display. When we display the goodness of God, He is glorified.

The Gospel message is the ultimate display of compassion, John 3:16, “For God so loved…that He gave”. The ultimate purpose of compassion is leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. True compassion is caring for someone’s eternal destination.

Our strength and resources can at best provide some temporary relief to someone in need. However, our resources coupled with the power of the name of Jesus, will lead to life transformation and eternal salvation.

Sermons

Sermon Sunday November 21, 2010 – Compassion part 1

Click on the camera to view the full sermon video

Compassion is integral to the church. Caring for the lost, caring for the hurting, caring for those who are experiencing loss and trauma. Pain is a very real part of the world around us.

Jesus entered the temple in Luke chapter 4 and began reading from the prophet Isaiah. As he finished, he declared that he was the fulfillment of this prophecy. Everything about this passage speaks to compassion. The call, and the heart of Jesus was deep compassion.

In Matthew 14 when Jesus had just been notified of John’s death, he separated from the crowds to be alone by boat. But the crowds followed his boat on foot along the shore and as soon as he landed, the crowds began to descend on his boat.

The more Jesus tried to get away, the more the crowds were drawn to him and particularly after the martyrdom of John, people were drawn to Jesus.

What does Jesus do? What would I do? If I were honest, I would get back in the boat and hope the wind was blowing in the other direction! But Jesus had compassion (Matthew 14:14). Matthew writes that Jesus was filled with compassion. It wasn’t simply an emotion that he showed once or twice, it was his character and nature to have compassion. Jesus was acting out of his true self.

We see the heart of Jesus for compassion in Matthew 2:2, Matthew 9:35-26, Matthew 15:32, Luke 7:13 and many more times recorded for us in the Gospels.

Compassion was not simply a good trait that Jesus displayed, it was his very core being. Yes, he was perfectly holy and had all authority, but he displayed his compassion most frequently.

It does not mean that Jesus overlooked sin and evil when he walked the earth. But he saw sin as the enemy and the people around him as fallen people who lived outside of their original design that he himself had given them. When Jesus saw fallen and broken people, his initial response was to be drawn to them and not repulsed by them, and he still does that today. Jesus hates sin, he died to destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8b).

Our sin causes us to suffer and when we suffer Jesus wants to see us holy and pure, set free from our sin. It is in the very moment of our sin that Jesus draws near to us to prevent us from enduring more pain and suffering.

The compassion of Jesus is on display when a sinner repents and yields to the power of the holy Spirit. When Jesus walked the earth and performed so many incredible miracles, he didn’t turn things upside down, he repaired what sin had broken.

Dane Ortlund puts it this way, “Jesus walked the earth rehumanizing the dehumanized and cleansing the unclean.”

The brokenness and sin of this world robs humanity of its original design, the purpose for which we have been created, to bring glory to God.

Jesus at his very core had compassion flowing from him like a fresh stream of water. Jesus completed his earthly mission and commissioned the church to be his body here on the earth. We are the body of Christ. We are his representatives, his ambassadors wherever he has placed us.

Do you realize that the presence of Jesus is closer to you now, as his follower, than he was to the people that he spoke with and touched two-thousand years ago? Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, Jesus embraces us by his spirit, and we are able to be comforted and comfort others. The church is called to be the heart of compassion in the earth.

But do we perfectly embody the compassion of Jesus?

Do we act appropriately when we see people in need? I know I don’t.

When we see someone in pain or in need, we are moved to compassion if the music is right or if the TV images are wrenching enough. And we might be moved to send some money or donate some canned goods. But the moment the images leave our screen, or we leave the meeting, our compassion begins to fade and we quickly forget those feelings of care and desire to help. We begin to reason our way out of the guilt we feel.

But every now and then there is a Holy Spirit tug on your heart to help someone. And as we follow those impulses of the Holy Spirit, we find out the strange interaction that takes place in the spirit, as we respond with compassion, we in turn are blessed. The reason we are blessed is that we are living out our designed purpose, to be the compassion of Jesus in the world. And the more we act like Christ, the more we will feel his joy and blessing on our lives.

In Matthew 9:36, we read that Jesus had compassion on the crowd and immediately he turns to his disciples and says, “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38). Jesus, moved by compassion, as he sees the multitudes of people who are destined for an eternity in hell, tells his disciples to pray that God would multiply the work force.

The prayer for workers must be fueled by a heart of compassion. Immediately following this challenge, Jesus calls his disciples in Matthew 10 and empowers them to heal the sick and set people free from demonic powers. Jesus encourages his disciples to pray for workers, and then he sends them out in response to that prayer.

And as we pray that prayer, we need to realize that we are part of the solution.

A prayer of compassion does not excuse us from acts of compassion.

Will you make the most of the opportunities for compassion that come your way this week?

Sermons

Sermon, Sunday November 14, 2021 – The Local Mission of the Church

click on the camera to view the full message

If you are a believer in Jesus, you are his representative in your workplace, neighborhood and community. The city in which we live is our mission field. The church has been strategically placed by Jesus to impact the community that surrounds it.  

Philip was a faithful apostle and missionary who had followed the command of Jesus and went to Samaria to proclaim the Gospel. As a result of his work, there was a powerful move of God and the region was receiving Christ Jesus as Lord.

But, right at the height of what seemed to be a very successful mission, an angel sent from God  re-directs Philip and sends him to the desert (Acts 8:26).

We can learn four things from this account in Acts chapter 8.

1: Philip obeyed immediately.

Philip was experiencing the joys of ministry success, the Holy Spirit was moving, they even called in the big-name preachers, Peter, and John (Acts 8:14).  It would be understandable that he would want to stay there, but that was not God’s plan for him. God directed him to go south to the desert.

Philip could have had a dozen excuses, but he obeyed without hesitation.  When the opportunity comes for us to share the Good News with our co-worker or neighbor, are we prepared to go without hesitation? God directed Philip to the right person at the right time.

2: Philip listened to the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:29).

This is fundamental Christianity. Being a child of God, we must wait on the Lord for direction; where to go and who to speak to. Who has the Holy Spirit prepared in advance for me to share the Gospel with?

3: Philip listened to the Ethiopian official (Acts 8:30).

As Philip ran alongside the chariot, he waited patiently and listened to what the man was reading.

The challenge that we often face is that we don’t listen to people and as a result we miss the mark in evangelism, because we aren’t paying attention to their personal situation and struggles.

Are you listening to the questions that people are asking?

4: Philip then asked a question (Acts 8:30).

Once Philip understood the situation, he was able to ask the penetrating question. One of the most important skills one needs to develop in life, is asking questions.

Questions not only show the person that we care about them, it also is a way to move the conversation towards eternal matters.

Probing questions unlock the heart. People will respond to questions and open their lives to you if you take the time to ask questions. Again, this is where listening to the Holy Spirit becomes so vital. He will give you the questions to ask, questions that will unlock the soul for the Gospel.

The question Philip asked opened the way for the man to hear the Gospel (Acts 8:31). The Ethiopian official was reading from Isaiah 53, the prophecy of the suffering servant, pointing to the ministry of Jesus. Verse 35 is the moment Philip had been waiting for; “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” Acts 8:35.

Isn’t this story a wonderful reminder of the amazing grace and goodness of God to reach out to the “one”. This man goes to Jerusalem to worship God, where the church is growing and thriving. Tragically he missed the greatest news of all of history.

But God pursued him, sending his best evangelist to run after him.

God still pursues the lost. And he is sending you and me to run after them.

Do you remember when God pursued you?

As Philip explained the prophecy to him, the Ethiopian began to understand the Gospel because the Spirit of God was opening his mind to God’s truth. It is not enough for the lost sinner to desire salvation; he must also understand God’s plan of salvation. It is the heart that understands the Word that eventually bears fruit, the heart that has been prepared by the Spirit of God (Romans 10:17).

The Ethiopian believed on Jesus Christ and was born again. So real was his experience that he insisted on stopping the caravan and be baptized immediately. He wanted everybody to know what the Lord had done for him. The Ethiopian was testifying to Philip and all of his travel companions. He was an important man, and you can be sure that his attendants were paying close attention. Baptism is a witness and a declaration. History tells us that the church in Ethiopia today finds its roots in this encounter.

The Gospel changes lives, the Gospel changes nations.

If you have become a follower of Jesus, you are called to be the light in the World. To shine the light of Jesus wherever God has placed you.

I have heard people say when asked about a person’s salvation, “Its none of my business”. If we are not concerned about a person’s relationship with Jesus, it means that we truly don’t believe the Gospel. We don’t believe that if you don’t know Jesus Christ as Lord, you will spend eternity separated from God in Hell. That is the tragic reality.

Sharing the Gospel is a discipline, it needs to be prioritized in our lives. Sadly, we are so focused on temporal things that we don’t prioritize the eternal things in life.

Just like Philip was sent to one person with the Good News. To whom is God sending you?

Begin today to pray for your one.

Begin listening to the Holy Spirit.

Begin listening to the person.

Begin asking questions.

Sermons

Sermon, Sunday November 7 2021 – The Global Mission of the Church

Click on the Camera to view the full message

The mission of the church is a foundational pillar of the church. Now this may sound obvious, but so many churches do not have missions and evangelism as one of their foundational pillars. For many churches, the mission of the church, the outward focus of the church, is lost in the mire of the programs of the church.

Jesus left the church with a mission, we call it the Great Commission, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Any church that focuses purely inward on fellowship and comfort of community, without looking beyond their four walls has already ceased to exist as a church. They may have many people coming to attend and enjoy the fellowship and worship music and programs, but by definition, they are not the church.

The global population today is almost eight billion and there are seventeen thousand four hundred and ten people groups as defined by missiologists. Of these people groups, there are seven thousand three hundred and ninety-eight that are defined as unreached.

An unreached or least-reached people is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance.

The original Joshua Project editorial committee selected the criteria less than or equal to 2% Evangelical Christians and less than or equal to 5% Professing Christians.

“We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a whole culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision.” – Robert Bellah, Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University,

At this moment in history, it is estimated that there are over 3 billion people who have never heard the Gospel message.

As Jesus was teaching on the mount of Olives in Matthew 24, his disciples asked him this question, “… Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3.

Over the next ten verses, Jesus lists a series of global events that he calls birth pangs, and this is not the answer to the question that the disciples asked. But then in verse 14, Jesus gives the disciples the answer to their question, “… This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14.

Before Jesus comes, the Gospel will be proclaimed to all the remaining seven thousand three hundred and ninety-eight-people groups. There is a lot of work to be done.

Acts 1:8 is the verse that every missionary knows well, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus is speaking to his disciples’ moments before he ascends into heaven. They were expecting him to establish his earthly kingdom, but Jesus takes their focus off the desire for the kingdom of heaven to come now and directs them to the work to be done. He tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will enable them to be witnesses or evangelists, to go in ever widening circles from Jerusalem all the way to the ends of the earth.

The proclamation of the Gospel must start at home, in the church, in our city, but then we are all to be part of taking the message further and further as the Holy Spirit gives power. This is the design and purpose for the church that Jesus instituted.

In Revelation 19, we read about the great celebration for the ages, the marriage supper of the Lamb. At this feast there will be people from every people group in the world. John saw this earlier in Revelation 7:9, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb”.

John saw people from every ethnic group, every people group in Heaven. This is encouraging for us, we can have absolute faith that the Great Commission will be completed.

There is good news, globally there are an estimated 50,000 people who become Christ-followers every day. And there are 3,500 churches are being planted every week around the world.

There has also been a radical shift in the geography of the evangelical church, it is no longer a western church. For every one new Christ-follower in the US and Europe there are sixteen in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

While America has the resources to mobilize the most people, the majority of missionaries going to the hardest to reach nations, come from these rising missionary nations. These missionaries have incredible faith and are entering countries where they could lose their lives for proclaiming the Good News. The world of missions is changing, and God is at work to reach the least reached peoples of the world.  

Many ministries have used three simple words to focus the attention of believers on the task of the great commission; Pray – Give – Go.

Pray – You can join thousands in praying for the persecuted church by using the Open Doors app that can be found on www.opendoorsusa.org, or you can join a local prayer meeting or start one to begin praying for the unreached peoples.

Give – Give to the churches global mission offering or find an organization that is sending missionaries to the unreached and send them a gift.

Go – The nations are coming to our cities, right now there are thousands of people from closed countries who are emigrating to the United States, we as a church have an unprecedented opportunity to share the Gospel with people groups who have never heard the Gospel.

How will you respond to the Great Commission today?

Sermons

Sermon Sunday October 31, 2021 – The Word of God – Part 2

Click on the camera to watch the full message video

Hebrews 4:12-13

Do we value the power of the Word?

The Word of God has the power to transform lives. The Holy Spirit, who inspired the Bible, takes the words and empowers them to transform hearts and minds.

AW Tozer said: “The Bible was given to us not to satisfy our curiosity, but to sanctify our personality.

The writer to the Hebrews spends the first four chapters focusing on Jesus, highlighting the supremacy of Jesus, the Word of God (John 1:1).

He does this to focus our attention to the fact that when God speaks, whether through the inspired written word or through Jesus the living word, it is different to the words of man.

The theme of Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 is the rest promised to God’s people. The promise of eternal salvation and heaven. The author writes that this eternal rest is only found by faith in the Word of God. These verses are a warning, as the author points to the Children of Israel under the leadership of Moses, who didn’t pay close attention to the Word of God and lost their promised rest. He also points to Joshua who led the nation into the promised land, but only into a temporary rest, because they didn’t adhere to the Word of God.  That is why verse 11 says, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (See also Romans 10:17).

The point of Hebrews 4:12-13 is that God’s Word has come to man with such authority, that it cannot be disregarded.

Hebrews 4:12-13 highlights four attributes of the Bible:

1 The Bible is a powerful book – “For the word of God is living and active”, – Hebrews 4:12a

The Greek word for “living” used here is Zoe. It depicts more than just living. We get the word zoology from this word. It is animated life, meaning that the Bible is alive and life giving.

It is active. The Bible is not a historical book with dead promises. It is living and brings life to the heart of every believer.

The written word of God introduces us to the living word of God (See 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Word of God cannot be ignored, and it will impact people with power. Everyone who hears the word of God is forced to make a conscious decision to accept or reject the Word’s offer (See John 6:63).

Throughout History, whenever people have taken God’s word seriously, it has transformed people, cities and nations. Amazing things happen when we take God’s Word and apply it.

God’s word is not a textbook to be read, memorized, or studied in Bible school. The Word of God is something to be unleashed, it is a book of action and life. The Word of God energizes people and nations, speaking life into dead situations.  

The Word of God has the energy and the power of the Holy Spirit that activates it, and always accomplishes the purposes of God (See Isaiah 55:10-11).

2. The Bible is a piercing book – Hebrews 4:12b, “…sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,”

The Word of God cuts to the heart of sinners. It is used by the Holy Spirit and brings conviction.

The Word of God doesn’t rest passively on us. It either causes anger or joy, discomfort, or peace (see Acts 7:54). The Word of God is a litmus test of a person’s relationship with God.

Not only is the word of God a sharp word, but it also pierces and separates. The piercing word of God goes right through the outer shell of self-confidence and the façade that we put on in order to convince others that we have it all together.

The Bible addresses our intellect and our emotions, so both aspects of our person are penetrated by the piercing of God’s word. The Word of God is the scalpel that the Holy Spirit uses to cut out the cancer of sin in our lives.

The scalpel of the Word may be painful for the initial cut that exposes the cancer, but it is wielded by a surgeon who loves you more than you will ever know and is working to bring about your good and healthy growth.

3. The Bible is a probing book – Hebrews 4:12c, “…and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The Bible probes and analyzes the thoughts and intentions of the heart, judging and exposing our real intentions. The Bible has the ability to probe the inner recesses and bring light to the darkness of our inner being.

The outward life comes from the inner thoughts and desires, the outward manifestation of the inward problem. The solution is allowing the Holy Spirit to use the Word of God to sanctify our inner man.  

The Bible is deeply personal because the Author desires a personal relationship with us.

That pain you hide, the hidden yearning of your heart, the secret jealousy of covetous thought that you harbor, God knows them all and His word exposes them to bring us to health and peace.  

4. The Bible is personal – see Hebrews 4:13.

As you read the Bible and hear the voice of God speaking to you, you will find that the Bible is deeply personal.

The Bible is the only book where the author sits down with us when we open it and read it. Can you imagine that? As you are reading, the Holy Spirit is pointing out passages, leading us on a journey through verses.

In the searchlight of God’s Word, we are all naked and exposed, God knows our very thoughts.

Has the Bible transformed your Life?

Your Christian growth is directly linked to your time spent with Jesus, allowing his Word to search your heart.

Sermons

Sermon, Sunday October 24, 2021 – The Word of God part 1

Click on the camera to view the full message video

2 Timothy 3:10-17

The Bible is the foundation and authority for our Christian lives and for discipleship. Without the bible, discipleship is merely giving advice. True discipleship is based on the Word of God. The only resource for consistent life transformation.  

Paul wrote two brief letters to Timothy a young man he had trained for ministry. Second Timothy dates during Paul’s second imprisonment in Rome, just months before his execution. Paul gives his final encouragement to Timothy and reminds him of the power of the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16).

Paul says, “all scripture is God breathed…” we believe that this means that the whole bible, all 66 books and multiple authors written over 1500 years, is fully inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Despite the multiple authors and duration of writing, the Bible does not contradict itself. The authors all present different perspectives, but they all proclaim the same one true God, and the same way of salvation: Jesus Christ.

The Bible is the revelation of Jesus Christ. The Psalms and the prophetic books constantly point to the coming Messiah and his suffering for our salvation. The four Gospels record the life of Jesus and the rest of the New Testament speaks about the ongoing work of Jesus through the church, and the Revelation of his second coming.

2 Timothy 3:16 reads, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

  • The Word is profitable; for teaching correctly, giving clear doctrine
  • The word is used for reproof, which means conviction of sin. It is a bright light that exposes our very hearts and intentions.
  • The word of God is good for correction, for setting things right.
  • The Word is used for training in righteousness, that is discipleship.

Verse 17 continues, “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”.

It enables the child of God to become a man or woman of God, matured in the things of the Lord. The word, “complete” does not mean perfect, but rather, prepared for the work that lies before us.

The Bible transforms the child of God into a mature person in Christ. The better we know the Bible, the better we are able to live and work for God.  I will always encourage people to begin the day getting equipped by taking up the Bible.

The purpose of Bible study is not just to understand doctrines or to be able to defend the faith, as important as these things are. The ultimate purpose is the equipping of the believers who read it. It is the Word of God that equips God’s people to do the work of God.

The Bible is our authority that we turn to when we face difficult decisions in life.

The Bible addresses the real issues of our lives, for example, the Bible speaks frequently into the area of our finances. Giving to the poor (Matthew 25:37-40). God takes caring for the poor seriously. Giving to the local church (Malachi 3:10). We have such a distorted view of tithing and giving to the church. We feel we have to give, out of guilt and need, but the truth is that the Lord promised to bless the giver. The Bible addresses every aspect of our finances, taxes, inheritance, investing and more.

The Bible teaches us how to resist temptation. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he went to the wilderness and fasted for forty days in preparation for his ministry. At the end of that time, Satan came and tempted him three times as we read in Matthew 4. Each time Jesus used the authority of Scripture to rebuke Satan. We need to know this weapon and use it against the enemy of our souls.

The Bible addresses every area of our relationships, from parenting to work relationships.

The Bible addresses how we treat widows and orphans (James 1:27).

The Bible addresses our career choices and what we do with the years we have been given.

The Bible addresses our physical health and care for our bodies.

The Bible also addresses the big questions that the world wrestles with: abortion, immigration and refugees, poverty, same sex marriage, transgenderism, caring for the environment and more.

The Bible says that we are to be praying for our government, our president, vice president and all our governing authorities. That means to pray for their blessing and salvation. Praying for God to bless and guide our leaders, even if we didn’t vote for them! Listen to what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Do we desire all people to be saved?

The Bible is our ultimate authority, meaning that if the government makes laws that are opposed to the word of God, we hold fast to the word of God. But to discern whether the government is ruling incorrectly, we need to know the Word of God. We must never be led by the opinions and the thoughts of someone we watched on the internet. We must not allow anything that opposes God’s Word to dictate our actions or control our thinking.

We have been given the Word of God, written by our Heavenly Father who knows us better than we know ourselves, and who knows every moment and situation of our lives. Yet we turn to people who are not invested in us at all and ask their opinion for our life decisions.

Many Christians are struggling today because they don’t know the Word of God. My simple goal as a pastor is to get people to feed on the Word of God. Study and meditate on the Word. Let God’s Spirit speak to you as you read.

The Bible is no ordinary collection of pages and ink.

It is supernatural in its authoring,

it is supernatural in its reading, and

it is supernatural in its application.

Let us be known as people of the Word, who know and apply the Word of God to all situations in our lives.

Sermons

Sermon, Sunday October 17, 2021 – A Cloud of Witnesses

Click on the Camera to view the full message video

Hebrews 12:1-2

How would you answer the question, “The objective of my life is…”

This church, the family, and the mission we are part of exists today for the glory of God because of the hard work and the sacrifice of so many who have gone before us.

The Christian life is described as a race in the Bible, and when you receive Jesus Christ as Lord, the starting gun goes off.

Unfortunately, many people say yes to the offer of salvation but never get into the race. The Greek word for race is where we get the English word agony. Sometimes the Christian life is agonizing, and it requires determination, self-discipline, and perseverance.

The Apostle Paul frequently challenged us to run with determination and to continue pressing on towards the goal, keeping going when everything in you is crying out for respite.

It is pointless to enter a race if you have no intention of winning, or at least having a goal to finish in a certain time, a purpose for running the race. Yet, so many people begin the Christian race and then are content to sit back and wait until the Lord calls them home. We are saved for so much more than simply a ticket to heaven. The goal and motivation of every believer is to bring glory to God by representing Jesus on the earth.

As a reward for faithful living the Bible says that there are five crowns that we can attain as a reward in heaven.  (See https://youtu.be/gHSW9P6zxDU )

Here is a good question to ask yourself: when you die, who at your memorial service will be a better person because you lived?

Hebrews 12:1 begins, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

We are all motivated by encouragement, it is human nature. I don’t believe that there are galleries in heaven where people are watching us. We are not trying to impress people who have gone before us, but rather we are living for an audience of One, to bring honor and glory to God our Father. The word, “witnesses” refers to the fact that they are witnesses to God’s faithfulness, but examples to us.

Hebrews 12:1 continues, “…let us also lay aside every weight…” One of the greatest challenges a runner faces is unnecessary weight. We struggle because we are carrying things we are never intended to carry. Every one of us has a calling on our lives, but if we say no to God because there is some comfort, person, or possession that we cannot let go of in order to obey God, that thing is a weight. Many times, these things are not sinful, but if God tells us to let it go, and we don’t, then it becomes a sin. What are you carrying that is hindering you in the race that God has for you?

Hebrews 12:1 continues, “…and sin which clings so closely…” The Greek word used here for cling or entangle means to control tightly, speaking of a sin that controls us. This is even more dangerous than unnecessary weight, as it is the sin that we entertain and don’t put to death. It causes pain. Identify the sin, acknowledge it before God, lay it aside and crucify it. It may be pride, fear of man, lust, love of money, or a desire to be recognized. Whatever it is, you know where Satan loves to entrap you and prevent you from running the race that God has for you.

The writer continues, “…and let us run with endurance that is set before us.” To endure is to bear up under pressure. Long distance races are all about endurance. How do we learn or grow in endurance? In the training arena of life’s trials. The Christian life is a life of endurance and challenges.

Verse 2 goes on, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” In running, as in most sports, it is extremely important where you focus your eyes. Some Christians are so pre-occupied with themselves and what they are doing for the Lord, or what other people are thinking about them, that they are not focused on Jesus is calling them to do. We are to live Spirit filled lives, and as we do that we will focus on Jesus. If our focus is on Jesus, we will see everything in the world around us in the right perspective.

Jesus is the one who picks us up when we cannot go any more. Jesus is the one running alongside us in the race (see Matthew 11:28-30). Running the Christian race requires endurance, perseverance, but with Jesus as our focus, he makes it so much easier.

This weekend we have remembered and celebrated the lives of those who ran their race for the glory of God while at our church and have set amazing examples for us. But now, we must run our race, everyone of us has a finite amount of time this side of eternity. And there are two ways we can use time; we can spend it, or we can invest it.

We spend time when we use it for frivolous things, on our pleasure and on our own temporal goals.

We invest our time living for the glory of God, living a life with eternity in mind, so that others will be drawn to Jesus.

How are you running the race for the glory of God?

How are you bringing glory to God in your finances, time, possessions and relationships?

Charles Stanley challenges us to answer three simple questions:

  1. The objective of my life is…
  2. The weight that I am holding on to is…
  3. The sin that so easily clings to me is…

Sermons

Sermon, Sunday October 3, 2021 – Worship

Click on the camera for the full message video

What if everything you treasured was suddenly taken away, what or who would you miss the most? Would you agree that what you value determines how you make most decisions?

The definition of worship is ascribing value to something. When we worship God, we are saying that we value Him above everything else (Romans 12:1). We are to present all that we are and all that we have to God. This is the worship God requires of us. Worship is way more than singing songs.

500 years ago, John Calvin stated that the human heart is an idol factory. Isn’t it true that even saved people have a tendency towards idolatry as we value other things above God?

When we do not value God, we value other things, football, cars, careers, houses, celebrities, relationships and many other things. When we give these things greater value than God, we worship them, and we suffer the consequences of giving our affections to temporary things.

In Romans 1:18, Paul writes that the wrath of God is being revealed against those who have chosen to ignore Him and pursue sin. This is not some future event; it is a present reality. In fact, we can see all around us in the state of the world that God is punishing sin. God is pouring out His wrath on people, who do not acknowledge Him as God. But in our weak understanding of the holiness of God, we protest and say, “that is unfair”.

Romans 1:19-20 explains that no-one has an excuse for not acknowledging God, as He constantly reveals Himself through the general revelation of creation (Psalm 19:1). Every person who has ever lived, knows that there is a God, and has an awareness of his majesty and transcendence.

The problem is that we live in a fallen world, and we are given to Satan’s lies over the truth. Idolatry is worshipping other things, replacing the truth with a counterfeit. Mankind is prone to distort the truth of God, reshaping Him into our own image.

Our post-modern world has created a god of our own preferences. We are a nation and a world of people who in essence worship ourselves rather than the one true God. This is the root of humanism. In order to ignore God, there needs to be suppression of the truth (Romans 1:18). A determined and intentional holding down of the truth for mankind to live in sin. Whenever we willfully sin, we have to suppress the Holy Spirit’s voice in our lives.

Mankind is guilty of suppressing the truth today so that they can live their lives without the demands of an all-holy God, and the result is suffering and destruction.

Calvin used the analogy of a blindfold when saying, “mankind chooses to put on a blindfold and then we stumble around cursing the darkness.”

Paul lists the results of idolatry in Romans 1:21-22. Mankind knows that there is a creator but has chosen not to thank or acknowledge Him. The result is a futility of thinking, an aimless existence running after temporary pleasures, leading to a foolish heart. You don’t have to look further than the evening news to see the truth of verse 22, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools”.

In contrast to this, true worship that honors and values God above all else leads to a heart filled with thanksgiving. Worshipping God gives us purpose for life as our hearts are softened to the perfect will of God for our lives.

The reality is that there is a very short step from idolatry towards immorality. If man has become his own god, then he determines what is good and he lives to please his own desires. Sadly, even in our church family, we don’t value God enough to gather and worship Him. The moment something else comes along that is more pressing, a sports game, homework, or the comfort of the pillow or the couch, we value that more than we value God. We prefer other things; we worship other things.

It is time that the church gets serious about where our allegiance lies as individuals and as the church. This is not a season for comfortable Christianity. We are in a war and the enemy wants to prevent us from gathering and encouraging one another.

In verse 24 onwards we see the results of living a life of idol worship. Three times we read, “God gave them up,” in verses 24, 26 and 28. Mankind has decided to ignore God and in turn God steps back and allows man to walk into sin and error.

This is one of the clearest passages in scripture that speaks to the sin of homosexuality. It seems that homosexuality and the rise of the LGBT movement seems to be more prevalent than ever before. Who would have thought that we would have a month of the year given over to the celebration of sin? However as we look back and see that over the last fifty years, the post-modern world has rejected God, and God has given the world over to sin.

In verse 28 we see that mankind’s abandonment to sin leads to a debased or a depraved mind.  Paul lists twenty-one specific sinful behaviors, all of which are commonplace in our communities. We tend to focus on the “bad” sins of murder and the like, but what about the sins of gossip, slander, and envy for example? Sadly, these are all prevalent in the church because we are not worshipping God as we ought to. We can never worship God in Spirit and in truth and gossip at the same time.

We don’t grasp the importance and the power of a worshipping church, and we don’t fully understand worship. Worship is not simply singing songs. There are many people who come to church every week but never worship.

When we realize that we are in a war and that the only way to win the battle is by true worship by truly giving honor to God, we will begin to worship. And worship always wins (see 2 Chronicles 20).

What are you struggling with today? Try valuing God above all things. Worship God.

Sermons

Sermon Sunday September 26, 2021 The Lord’s Supper

Click on the camera to view the full message

Communion, The Lord’s Supper, one of the two ordinances that Jesus left for the church to do until he comes again. But we easily miss the gravity of the ordinance in the tradition and the routine.

In Luke 22:15, we read that Jesus earnestly desired to eat the Passover meal with his disciples before his suffering. As Jesus knew what lay ahead, he longed for this final time of fellowship and teaching with his disciples and friends.

We easily miss the importance of sharing a meal in our rushed culture of microwave dinners and busy schedules. But Jesus knew the importance of eating with people, and it was even used as an accusation by the religious leaders (Mark 2:16).  

But this meal was different, it was the most important meal he had ever shared with people. And it must not be overlooked that Jesus chose the Passover to be the last meal he ate before his crucifixion. Can you imagine, Jesus eating the sacrificed lamb with his disciples, knowing that this would be the last Passover that they would need to celebrate. Jesus was establishing the New Covenant. As Jesus eats the bread and drinks the cup, he knows that they will eternally be symbols of what he is about to suffer in the next few hours.

Luke 22:7-13 is all about preparation. Jesus sent Peter and John to go and prepare the meal. It is interesting to note that the two chosen for this important task were to be significant leaders of the church. Leaders who were willing to serve their brothers and sisters. When God gives you an assignment, never think that it is insignificant.

Jesus directed them to an upper room in a house that had been chosen before the foundations of the world. There was never an unplanned moment in the life of Jesus.

The disciples took time to prepare for the meal, and the question for us is how do we prepare to partake of the Lord’s supper? We celebrate communion once a month and we can easily slip into the routine and lose the significance of what we are doing.

In 1 Corinthians 11:29 Paul writes, “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

Discerning the body is not simply referring to the symbol of the bread and its significance. If you read the verses leading up to verse 29, Paul is reprimanding the church in Corinth because there are people who had been feasting when they got together and ignoring the poor and the hungry in their midst. The Lord’s Supper had become a form of segregation between the haves and the have nots. They were creating division, hurting relationships, acting selfishly, and self-righteously.

When Paul refers to discerning the body, I believe it means to discern the health of our relationships. How are we relating to one another as the body of Christ? Are we ignoring division and broken relationships? Verse 28 tells us to examine ourselves, allowing the Holy Spirit to bring conviction leading us to repentance and reconciliation. We need to ask ourselves, whether my relationships in the church, reflect the character of our lord and savior whom we represent (Matthew 5:23-24).

As the Passover meal progressed, the disciples reclined familiarly and began enjoying the evening together. But then Jesus began saying things that caused the atmosphere in the room to shift. Verse 15 ends with, “before I suffer” and then in verse 16 he says, “For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Jesus is saying that on God’s calendar, there would be no more need for the prophetic picture of the Passover, it is being fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus points to the next feast, one that we are still waiting for. The marriage supper of the lamb that we see in Revelation 19. What a feast that will be.

Jesus goes on to institute what we know as the Lord’s supper in the following verses. There are two elements in the memorial celebration, and both are significant.

First Jesus took the bread and broke it saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” Luke 22:19. The Bread broken symbolizes the body of Jesus that was beaten and broken by the Roman soldiers.

Notice that Jesus invites them into participation. He gave it to them, they had to reach out and take it. We too are invited to participate. The invitation to salvation is there, we need to reach out in faith and as we do that we individually say, “I am taking the benefits of Christs body for myself”. Furthermore, bread is nourishment, we are strengthened as we participate in the body of Christ. Feeding on his spiritual body nourishes our souls. The single loaf of bread is a picture of the unity that we have as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:17).

Then we come to the cup, we read in Luke 22:20, “And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

The cup is the symbol of the blood of Jesus. In our sterile 21st century mindset, blood is not that meaningful. In fact, many people are sickened by the sight of blood and don’t like to talk about blood. But God instructed Moses to sprinkle the blood of the lamb on the book of the law and the people as He instituted the covenant with the Children of Israel.  We read in Hebrews 9:22, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Blood is a symbol of life.

The poured-out blood of Jesus established the new covenant. The covenant that we live under in the church age. That is why Jesus said in verse 20, “…This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

As we participate in Communion, let us remember that we are celebrating our salvation and declaring the Gospel.

Sermons

Sermon Sunday September 5, 2021 – Hearing God’s Voice

click on the camera to view the full message video

The sad truth about Christian discipleship today is that we teach people about God, but we don’t teach people to experience God.

As followers of Jesus, we are invited into a relationship, having our daily steps ordered by the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 37:23).

I often hear from people who wish they could hear from God regarding His will for their lives.

The incredible news is that God does still speak to His children, and Jesus made this clear in John 10.

The sheepfold of the first century was usually an enclosure made of rocks, and the shepherd would guard the flock at night by lying across the opening. It was not unusual for several flocks to be sheltered together in the same fold. In the morning, the shepherds would come, call their sheep, and assemble their own flocks. This is what Jesus was referring to in John 10:3-4.

Jesus calls himself two different things in this passage, firstly he is the door (John 10:9). He is the Door of salvation for all who put their faith in him.
Then Jesus declares himself to be the Good Shepherd and in verse 11 he says, “the Good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”. Those hearing these words must have struggled to understand what he was saying. Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for our sins so that we could have a relationship with God the Father.

We miss the point when we get so focused on the plan of salvation as a means to get out of hell and into heaven. There is so much more. We are invited into a relationship with Jesus, in verse 10 he says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

In verse 16 Jesus speaks to the Gentiles who were outside of the Jewish “fold”. He uses the key phrase, “they will listen to my voice.” Are you listening to the voice of The Good Shepherd?

Prayer is not a monologue where you recite all your needs to God, and He responds like a vending machine. It is a two-way fellowship, where we speak to God, and He speaks to us.

Henry Blackaby wrote, “what God says to you in prayer, is far more important than what you say to Him. After all, God already knows what you are going to tell Him.”

How does God speak to us?

1. Primarily God speaks to us through His word, the Bible.
The bible is the starting point in our pursuit of a personal relationship with God because it is His special revelation of Jesus to mankind (2 Timothy 3:16). However, for us to hear and respond to the God breathed Word, we need to open it and meditate on it.
Having said that, God is not limited to speaking to us through the Bible. God can speak in any way that He knows will get our attention.

2. God speaks through other Christians. God will use other godly people in our lives to speak to us, and we all need mentors and encouragers who will pray for us and then speak the truth in love. God will speak to us through the Holy Spirit, as fellow believers use their spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-9).   

3. God will speak through Circumstances. In Genesis 50 Joseph saw how God used the seemingly impossible circumstances and redeem them to his glory. Be aware of God leading through circumstances.

4. God speaks audibly. In 1 Kings 19:11-12 God spoke to Elijah. The voice of God was a gentle whisper, and he knew that God was speaking to him.  God also speaks to us in that still small voice, the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
It is so important to be quiet before the Lord and to listen for His voice.

This is where the value of a journal comes in. When you sit down with your Bible each day, come with an expectation that He is going to speak to you. Sometimes through the words on the page, sometimes through the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, and as that happens, write down your dialogue with God. Write out your prayers and write down what you hear from the Lord. I am always encouraged as I look back at my journals from years gone by and see how the Lord was speaking and directing me.

5. God still speaks in dreams.  The life of Daniel was one filled with dreams and interpretation. Today we are hearing stories of thousands of Muslims who are encountering Jesus in dreams and are being converted.

There is no doubt that God speaks today, but we must be careful to test every word. To test to discern if God is speaking, use these five simple tests.

1. Does it Exalt Christ?(John 16:13-14) If what you think you heard does not exalt Christ but exalts something or someone else instead, you can be certain that the leading is not from God.

2. Is it Scriptural? (Proverbs 30:5-6) God will never contradict His Word. If the person presenting the word to you takes the Bible out of context, you can reject it. Always go back to God’s primary revelation, His Word the Bible.

3. Do Other Christians Confirm it?(1 Corinthians 14:29) If you feel that God is speaking to you on a certain issue, but you are not sure. Take it to wise people in the church who can guide you and join in prayer with you.

4. Does it Produce Good Fruit?(John 15:5) Compare what you hear with the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. God’s word will always produce the fruit of the Spirit.  

5. Does God Bring it to Pass?  (Isaiah 55:10-11) If it never comes to pass, you can be sure God was not in it.

It is essential that you learn to test the word, whether it is something you read or something someone tells you. God is not intimidated by our questions, but He does expect our obedience when His word is confirmed.

The most important part of your day is the time spent waiting on the Lord.