Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Truth Project
Hello again! The mid-week Bible study called "New Community" is alive and well! The East Campus has been growing since last August and the West Campus started in January. Join us right now as we study the Book of Romans on Wed. 7 pm at West or Thursday 7 pm at East.
I am very excited about our new series called "The Truth Project". This is a 12 week DVD series on Biblical Worldview by Focus on the Family and it is awesome!! This series exposes all the "lies of the world" that Satan uses to deceive many and to get believers off track in following Christ. Please join us for the kick-off right after Easter on April 7th at West and April 8th at East. Bring your Bible and a notebook! Be ready to participate in the informal discussion following the DVD.
Remember, we are commanded to "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." Colossians 2:8 pastor Bill
Thursday, July 23, 2009
New Mid-Week Service
This is brand new and exciting! Starting Thursday AUGUST 27th HRCC will introduce a new service called NEW COMMUNITY. It will be from 7pm to 8pm and include worship,prayer, and discipleship training. This will include Ray and myself teaching deeper in the word to equip you to serve God more effectively. But hold on now! You will be participating too! You will be seated at a table with 5 other people who will discuss the opening segment with you. You get to ask questions! You get to share your thoughts! You will have to think and study the problem passage or issue in question! You will be challenged! You must be prepared to work! This is not for those who prefer "easy listening". Bring your Bible, pen, and a notebook and we will see you then! pastor Bill
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Recent Message
Hello dear friends! I hope you are enjoying your summer and thanking God for every little bit of joy He brings our way. These are a few thoughts from my recent message called "Three Essentials of Discipleship". Part of following Jesus Christ means ABIDING in Him so that we will bear fruit for God. John 15:1-5 The sinful parts of our lives cannot bear fruit and require His discipline. If we respond by turning from our sin God will cleanse us and place us in fellowship with Christ ( The Vine ) so we can bear fruit. He will never throw us away! Never! But He will burn up the sinful parts of our life.
When we bear fruit He will PRUNE us. What is that? Pruning is not about sin at all! Pruning is about removing "GOOD" things so that we focus on the "BEST" things and bear MORE FRUIT!! For those who serving in various ministries this can mean that God will prune even service to Him when it means we are burning out and lack time to sit quietly at His feet and be refreshed in His presence. Pruning is not discipline but it might hurt us unless we understand God's motive and release Him to prune as much as He desires. Pruning is all about producing more fruit!
Another ESSENTIAL in following Jesus is RENEWING OUR MIND. Romans 12:2 Before we trusted Christ our mind was programmed by an Enemy to do sinful things. But Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to REPROGRAM us! Every time the Spirit shows us a scripture we must apply and we obey it we are RENEWING our mind. But God desires that we have fully RENEWED minds so we can understand His will in ALL things. We call this having a BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. Only one out of five believers has a FULLY RENEWED MIND. This means that Jesus wants us to understand MORE than Who He is and what He has done for us. He will show us His thoughts on every area of life and society so we can impact our world for Him! This includes being "LIGHT" ( the Gospel ) and "SALT" ( preserving our society by moral influence). America is suffering because so few of us have renewed our minds. Our Founders had renewed minds. The principles they used to establish America came directly from God's Word! How many of us understand this? We have elected wicked and vile people to rule over us! PROVERBS 29:2 If we do not know what we stand for we will fall for any vain philosophy. Please RENEW your mind fully and take a stand for RIGHTEOUSNESS!! PROVERBS 14:34 pastor Bill
When we bear fruit He will PRUNE us. What is that? Pruning is not about sin at all! Pruning is about removing "GOOD" things so that we focus on the "BEST" things and bear MORE FRUIT!! For those who serving in various ministries this can mean that God will prune even service to Him when it means we are burning out and lack time to sit quietly at His feet and be refreshed in His presence. Pruning is not discipline but it might hurt us unless we understand God's motive and release Him to prune as much as He desires. Pruning is all about producing more fruit!
Another ESSENTIAL in following Jesus is RENEWING OUR MIND. Romans 12:2 Before we trusted Christ our mind was programmed by an Enemy to do sinful things. But Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to REPROGRAM us! Every time the Spirit shows us a scripture we must apply and we obey it we are RENEWING our mind. But God desires that we have fully RENEWED minds so we can understand His will in ALL things. We call this having a BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. Only one out of five believers has a FULLY RENEWED MIND. This means that Jesus wants us to understand MORE than Who He is and what He has done for us. He will show us His thoughts on every area of life and society so we can impact our world for Him! This includes being "LIGHT" ( the Gospel ) and "SALT" ( preserving our society by moral influence). America is suffering because so few of us have renewed our minds. Our Founders had renewed minds. The principles they used to establish America came directly from God's Word! How many of us understand this? We have elected wicked and vile people to rule over us! PROVERBS 29:2 If we do not know what we stand for we will fall for any vain philosophy. Please RENEW your mind fully and take a stand for RIGHTEOUSNESS!! PROVERBS 14:34 pastor Bill
Friday, January 30, 2009
Small Groups
We have some new groups starting soon! This is great news! Please contact me at 704 245-3755 if you want to find a new group. Calling all men! The next Men's Breakfast is Feb. 7th from 8-9:30 a.m. Please come and enjoy good food and fellowship and a teaching on "The 7 Most Important Facts About Jesus' Second Coming". pastor Bill
Friday, December 5, 2008
Christmas Prayer
My prayer for you is that you experience God's goodness, grace, and glory this season. I believe that these gifts are always available but sometimes we need to see them through eyes of faith. But how do we "see" them? We must grow spiritually to have spiritual sight. I Cor.2:10-14 Is there a "gift" you would like from your Father in heaven? Ask anything according to His will and He will grant it! Matt.7:7 By faith look under the tree (the Cross) and see if there isn't a gift with your name on it! Rev.3:10-12 Merry Christmas, pastor Bill
Friday, November 7, 2008
Basic Theology
This will be the last segment of this series. I would like to invite those interested to call me @ 704 245-3755 for help with Bible questions or interest in a new small group study called "Starting Point". Future Prophecy has so many differing views. How do we Know what is True? Dispensational Theology can be helpful since it is a comprehensive way of viewing the entire Bible. A dispensation is a distinct period of time in which God tests mans obedience. Man always Fails! Then God gives a new test with new promises. In their "innocent" state Adam and Eve failed so God promised a Redeemer and allowed mankind to be tested by "Human Conscience". But mankind did what was right in their own eyes. God saves Noah and then tested man through "Human Government". Next came a period of "Promise" to Abraham and then the "Law" of Moses. Now we are in the dispensation of "Grace". Salvation has always been by grace but now we have freedom in Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The final period of testing before eternity begins is the "Kingdom" of Christ on earth for 1000 years. The distinctive of this theology are two-fold: 1. Consistent normal, literal, grammatical rule of interpretation. 2. Keeping the Church and Israel distinct in God's plan for each.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Small Group Options
If you would like to be in a new small group with others who have recently made a decision to follow Christ please call me at 704 245-3755. This group will allow you to meet new friends, study the Bible at a slow easy pace, and ask all the questions you have! Please call me for the details about "Starting Point". If you have a heart for people and enjoy engaging people in meaningful discussions God might be calling you to lead a small group. Even if you are in a small group but know you are not ready to lead one please call me about meeting together to learn how. This would be informal mentoring at your own pace with myself and one or two others at most. Call me! 704 245-3755 Also if you know a friend or family member struggling with substance abuse or relationship problems like codependency tell them about our Celebrate Recovery small group on tues. 7 pm at the church. All are welcome whether they attend church or not. pastor Bill
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Basic Theology
Last week we discussed the distinction the Church (Body of Christ) and Israel (The Nation). God gave the Law of Moses to Israel but grace and truth come through Jesus Christ.John 1:17 The Covenant of the Law was conditional upon Israel keeping those laws. But the New Covenant is unconditional! Unconditional promises depend not on our ability but on God's faithfulness.Hebrews 6:13-20 So the Law ended at the cross! Jesus mentioned the New Covenant before He died on the cross. Matt.26:26-28 And He promised to send the Holy Spirit who would be our Teacher under the New Covenant. Acts 1:8 The New Covenant is also called "the Law of Christ" Galatians 6:2. But what about the Ten Commandments? Good question! Jesus included 9 of them in the New Covenant by re-stating them in the epistles. The Sabbath was not re-commanded for a good reason. All believers are the "temple of the Holy Spirit" I Cor.6:19 and therefore we continually offer worship in our heart 24/7. So the "New" Covenant does include some things from the "Old" Covenant but only what is clearly stated in the epistles of the New Testament. We are taught not to judge a weaker brother who does not understand our freedom in Christ. Romans 14 But we are commanded to obey the Spirit so that we produce the fruit of the Spirit which is superior to the Law! Galatians 5:16-25 Be free in Him! Gal.5:1 yet serve one another and thus fulfill the Law of Christ.Gal.6:2 pastor Bill
Friday, September 26, 2008
Basic Theology
The Holy Spirit baptizes every new believer into the Body of Christ. I Cor.12:13 So now let us examine the doctrine of the Church as the Body of Christ. Did the Church exist before Pentecost? No, it did not! Jesus said, "I will build My Church" in Matt.16:18. The Church could not exist before Jesus came into the world since He is the Head of the Body. Ephesians 1:22 Also, until Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost there would be no functioning spiritual gifts in the Body. Ephesians 4:7-12 The Church is distinct from Israel in that now both Jews and Gentiles who trust the Messiah, Jesus Christ, are a "NEW MAN" Eph.2:13-15 and unsaved Jews are still related to Israel which God has temporarily "HARDENED" until He is finished building His Church. Romans 11:25 Presently, individual Jewish people may trust Messiah and be saved the same way we are. Romans 10 What other evidence of this distinction do we have? Paul makes this distinction in his letter to the Corinthians. "Give no offense either to the Jews, or to the Gentiles, or to the church of God." I Cor.10:32 Why is this so important? Because the Church is under a new set of commands than believers were in the Old Testament! We are under the New Covenant, also called the Law of Christ (Gal. 6:2) while Israel was under the Law of Moses.When did Moses end? At the cross! Galatians 3, Romans 10:4 More about what this means next time. pastor Bill
Friday, September 19, 2008
Basic Theology
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is vital to sound doctrine. The Holy Spirit is God, one of the divine persons, along with the Father and the Son. See Acts 5:3-4 Jesus said that He would send the Spirit at Pentecost and He would teach us and be with us forever. John 14:16-17; John 16:13-15 All believers since Pentecost are permanently indwelt by the Spirit. We are baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ at salvation. I Cor.12:13 There is no "second blessing" that we are to expect. All believers have been given at least one spiritual gift but not all have the same one. I Cor.12:30 We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 This means the same thing as being "controlled" by the Spirit, "walking" in the Spirit, or simply "obeying" the Spirit. See Galatians 5:16-25 There are some gifts that were given during the days of the Apostles that are no longer operational today. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the apostles and prophets were the "foundation" of the church. The purpose of these gifts were to authenticate the Gospel message before the N.T. scriptures were written. Now that the Gospel has been established and we have a complete Bible these gifts are no longer needed just as a builder does not need to lay a foundation on the 21 st floor of a building. We have all the spiritual gifts Christ desires us to have to build each other up. Appreciate your gift but remember to evaluate your spiritual growth by the "FRUIT" of the Spirit and not by giftedness! See Galatians 5:22-23 pastor Bill
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Basic Theology
We have discussed two of the three important doctrines which do not conform to human logic: The Trinity and the Dual Nature of Christ (that He has both a human and a Divine nature). We called these "paradoxes" because they seem to be contradictory yet the Bible teaches them. The third is the doctrine of Election and Human Free Will. Divine Election teaches that God has chosen certain individuals to salvation and predestined them to be conformed to the character of His Son Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:4-5; Romans 8:29-30 However, we are also responsible to receive the gift of salvation by faith. Romans 10:9-10 We must accept both as true and live with the tension since as I said before, this is illogical. We must not assume that because God elected some to be saved that He elected the rest to be lost. God has not "elected" anyone to be lost! They choose that fate on their own and they are responsible before God because He provided for everyone! John 3:16 The other error is to say that we play no role at all. Faith may be a gift but it does not precede regeneration by the Holy Spirit. If you played no role in Salvation then Ephesians 2:8-9 would read: "By election are you saved through doing nothing" but it says: "By grace are you saved through faith" and we must come by faith before we can even know about election. Both are true! Live with it! pastor Bill
Friday, September 12, 2008
Basic Theology
Why is our security in Christ a big deal? Because Jesus is calling us to take big risks in following Him! He wants us to know that we belong to Him and can never be condemned so that we can serve Him without any fear. So what is there for us who leave everything to follow Him? Great reward! Read Matt.19: 27-30 and I Cor.3:10-15 and consider all the passages that mention "crowns" for the faithful disciple. Remember that Heaven or Eternal Life is a free gift not a reward! John 5:24, Ephesians 2:8-9 All believers go to heaven but not all believers will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" The word "crown" in Greek is Stephanos which can also mean wreath. Just as the winners of Roman chariot races came up to receive a laural wreath from the Emperor we will stand at the Bema (a raised platform) seat of Christ (II Cor.5:10) and receive crowns which are earned rewards for faithful service. Please look at the five different Crowns you may receive in these passages: "Joy" I Thess.2:19; "Righteousness: II Timothy 4:8; "Life" James 1:12; "Glory" I Peter 5:4; "Imperishable" I Cor.9:25. Only Christ will wear the Royal Crown (Diadem) but you can wear these crowns (Stephanos) and when we receive them we will cast them at the feet of Jesus and worship Him! Its all about Him, trusting and serving Him! Revelation 4:10-11; Revelation 5:12-14 Wow! Casting Crowns is Biblical! pastor, Bill
Friday, September 5, 2008
Basic Theology
The fact that we are secure in Christ and cannot lose salvation does not mean we have a free pass to sin. Romans 6 makes that plain. The practical benefit to believers is that we can climb higher in our journey of spiritual growth without fear of falling , much like a climber who is secured by a safety rope. Yes, we all sin as believers. John explains that we have immediate cleansing through the blood of Christ if we confess our sins. I John 1:7-9 But what about deliberate serious sin and no confession of it? If we cannot lose salvation then what can we lose? God will gently discipline us when we stray but He will allow severe loss if we persist to the point of rebellion! Was Jonah saved? Of course he was! But look at what God allowed to happen! When we rebel against the known will of God we lose fellowship with God, fellowship with other believers, and a sense of inner peace. We also lose opportunities to serve Christ and the future rewards He promises. We can even lose assurance of our salvation. True believers might "feel" lost because they are "grieving the Spirit of God". Finally God may take us home early! Yes! That is what is called the "sin unto death". I John 5:16-17; I Cor.11:30 where "sleep" means death! So let me ask you, "Don't we have a good reason to press on to maturity? Hebrews 6:1 We have both strong encouragement and strong warning to "live out our salvation" in fear and trembling. We are bought with a price! We are not our own! God saved us for a purpose and that is to glorify Him! I Cor.6:19 For those who insist that we can lose salvation I would ask, "What can you possibly accomplish for God by your own merits?" John 15:5 But through Christ we can do all things! Phil.4:13 Next time we will discuss "Rewards". Even though every thing good we do is by His power and grace God promises rewards for those who love Him! Hebrews 11:6 See you next time! Bill
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Basic Theology
Last week we talked about "imputed righteousness" which is one of the results of trusting Christ as Savior. What this means is that in Christ we have a new standing before God which is total righteousness. God's own righteousness is credited to our account! Have you ever checked your bank account when you have an automatic draft from your employer? Like magic your full paycheck has been credited to your account! Have you checked your spiritual account lately? According to Romans 4:1-5 and 4:22, 5:17-19 all believers have God's own righteousness credited to their accounts. This is the only way we can have fellowship with God and the only basis by which anyone goes to heaven! And of course this is all made possible by Jesus who shed His blood in our place. Now we must establish the doctrine of "security" which flows naturally out of the firm foundation of trusting Christ. Those that believe that a true believer can lose salvation cite passages that speak about obedience in discipleship and not about salvation at all. While there are numerous scriptures that teach security the central passage is Romans 8:29-39 where Paul lists 4 reasons why a born again believer can never lose salvation. The first is found in v.30 which says that ALL who are justified (saved), will also be glorified! The second is found in v.32 in which Paul argues that because God already gave His best, His Son, He will certainly complete all His promises. The third reason is that Christ Himself defends us against any and every charge against us! v.33-34 along with Hebrews 7:25 and I John 2:1 make this a solid case.Finally the love of God will never let us, His dear children, go! Read those final verses v.35-39 which list every thing including our own selves. God's love is so strong that nothing in all creation can ever separate us from Him. Since all of these promises depend on God's faithfulness we are absolutely secure in Him.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Basic Theology
Last week we shared about the meaning of the Atonement (Jesus' death). Because Jesus died as our Substitute we have a completed salvation. Jesus said, "It is finished." John 19:30 Also check out the phrase "Once for all" in Hebrews 7:27, 9:26, 10:10. The result for the believer is called Justification which means God declares us to be righteous. This is the same as a guilty sinner standing before God and hearing, "Not Guilty by reason that My Son took you punishment!" But there is more! The means of Justification is that God adds His own righteousness to us. We exchanged our rags for His righteousness. (Isaiah 64:6- II Corinthians 5:21) Whenever you see the phrase "in Christ" it means that we are prefect before God because of our new position. Now we are called to live out that life of Christ as we obey God with help from the Holy Spirit.But we must never boast because it is "...by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God,and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption..." Hallelujah! It is His life working in us!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Basic Theology
Last week we ended a brief discussion of the Trinity and the Deity of Christ. Before we discuss Salvation itself let's consider the meaning of the death of Christ. There are several "theories" of what the Atonement means. However, their is only one that is supported by scripture. Jesus died in our place as our Substitute taking the full punishment for our sins that we justly deserved. Biblical support includes: Mark 10:45 Says that Jesus died as a ransom "for" the many. The Greek word "ANTI" always means "in place of" or "instead of". The sacrifice of Isaac in Gen. 22 depicts Substitution as well as the Law of Moses in Leviticus 16. The apostle Paul's theology is in complete harmony as found in Romans 5 and II Cor.5:21. Liberal mainline churches weaken this truth by attributing "moral example" instead of Substitution as the meaning of the Atonement. This does not mean people need to understand theology before they can trust Christ for salvation but the motivation to present the Gospel with conviction is certainly compromised if a preacher rejects Substitutionary Atonement. The Roman Catholic view makes the R.C. Church itself the mediator of salvation through graces received from their sacraments. The Bible tells us plainly that Jesus Himself is the only Mediator between God and man. I Timothy 2:5. So before we even discuss the Gospel of Salvation we must understand the important root meaning of why Jesus put Himself in our place and poured out His life so that we might be forgiven and become the Righteousness of God in Him! II Cor.5:21
Friday, August 15, 2008
Basic Theology
Now that you have learned about Worldviews let's look at some of basic theology that forms a Biblical Worldview. Last time we touched briefly on the Triune nature of God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible and Christ Himself taught this important truth. All cults like J.W.'s and Mormons deny the deity of Christ and therefore the Trinity is denied as well. Any group which denies or distorts the Trinity is a cult, period! This would include all "word-faith" teachers like T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen and the Oneness Pentecostal groups. Remember cults fool true believers who are untaught but their doctrines are false. Much can be said about the importance of this doctrine but here are some key scriptures for you: Matt.28:19; Matt.3:16-17; II Cor.13:14 all contain the Three divine Persons. The deity of the Holy Spirit is found in Acts 5:3-4 and the Deity of Christ is found in numerous texts but note these: Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3-8; I John 5:20; Titus 2:13 and check out what Jesus said in John 8:24 and compare it to Isaiah 43:10-11. Whenever Jesus says, "I Am", He is claiming to be Jehovah God!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Basic Theology
Before we start a new topic I would like to give you a reading list for further study on Worldviews. "Seven Men That Rule the World From the Grave" by David Breese, "Slouching Towards Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline" by Robert Bork, "Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution, and Religion" David Barton, "Mind Siege" Tim LaHaye, "Kingdoms in Conflict" Charles Colson, "What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?" D.James Kennedy, "Understanding the Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our Day and the Search for Truth" David Noebel, "Inside American Education: The Decline, the Deception, the Dogmas" Thomas Sowell. If you will read even three of these books you will have a real grasp of what is really going on in our society. Remember, only 9% of Christians have a Biblical Worldview! Now lets begin a survey of basic theology. Please e-mail any questions or comments so I can address them. For today I wish only to make a brief statement about the Trinity. This vital truth is biblical and clearly taught yet misunderstood. The reason for that is because it is a Paradox! Most of but not all doctrines in the Bible conform to human logic. A Paradox is an apparent contradiction yet true. There are no human illustrations that really do justice to explaining the Triune nature of God. However I will give you one Hebrew word that can help. The word can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4 which reads: "Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" The Hebrew word for "one" is "echad". It happens to be the PLURAL form and refers to a complex oneness or UNITY! For instance, if you wanted to say "one" grape in Hebrew you would use "yachid". But if you wanted to say "one" cluster of grapes you would use ECHAD! So the very verse which traditional Jews use to proclaim the "ONE" true God really means that God is way more than we can comprehend! And that is exactly why the Eternal God, Jesus Christ, humbled Himself and became a man so that we could understand the nature of God. JOHN 1:18 PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Worldviews
Having a Biblical Worldview is our only defense against the lies we encounter every day in our humanistic society. Every time you watch T.V. read the newspaper or go to the movies you are bombarded with vain philosophy and fallacies designed to lure you away from your devotion to Christ. If you are interested in a deeper study of these issues please let us know so we can offer a HR Institute class this fall. How would you answer this student's comment? "The truth is, there are no absolute truths. I mean; even God doesn't work that way." Would you respond as Pilate, "What is Truth?" or would you quote Jesus, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..." ??
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