Sermon notes and other teachings
In this video, Pastor Pat takes a look at a passage from the Bible, Romans 12:1-2, that teaches us how we can change. Have you ever wanted to change? Have you ever wondered how to be closer to God? Have you ever wondered how you can not be conformed to this world when we are inundated with so many messages about cultural values that might not be good for us?
The solution, Pat says, is to think like a lepidoptera…
When I was seventeen years old, I drove my 1972 AMC Gremlin across the country to attend university. All of my earthly possessions could fit inside that car. Now, many years later, I would need a big moving truck to move all my stuff.
As we go through life, we accumulate possessions. Some of them are junk, but some are quite special.
If you are a Christian, what you have is more than your possessions – much more!
In this message, we take a look at a passage from the Bible that talks about what God has given us. It’s found in Romans 5:1-11.
I really hope this message encourages you and gets you excited about all that God has given you!
This year as a church we are reading through the New Testament. Read one chapter a day for five days a week. The extra two days you can use for going back over what you read and meditating on it, get caught up if you fell behind, or spend time in extended prayer. We also encourage you to use the S.O.A.P.S. method of Bible reading and marking.
For the week of May 8, here is the reading schedule:
Monday, May 8 – Matthew 23
Tuesday, May 9 – Matthew 24
Wednesday, May 10 – Matthew 25
Thursday, May 11 – Matthew 26
Friday, May 12 – Matthew 27
Download the complete plan here.
As Christians, we just finished celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ this past Easter weekend. Our message at Calvary Chapel came out of John 20 and focused on three encounters that Jesus had in his resurrected body. (The bible documents ten post-resurrection appearances of Jesus!)
Here’s those three appearances:
Check out the video of the full message and let me know what you think!
In this message, Pastor Pat shares from Hebrews 5:11-14 about two kinds of Christians. The first is an infant, a babe, someone who has grown very much spiritually speaking. The other kind of Christian is one who is mature, who has learned the word of God and is obeying it. Check out the video and let us know what you think!
We often call it a “testimony.” It’s defined as “evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something.”
I like to call it a “God Story.” It’s the story of how your life was changed by God. And it is a very powerful tool that God can use in your life to reach someone who is far from God. Every testimony, every God Story, has three parts. Here they are.
The beauty of a testimony is that it can be shared in as short as thirty seconds or as long as thirty or more minutes. Here’s a sample of a thirty second testimony:
Each of us should have a short version of our testimony that we are always ready to share. Be prepared! God can and will use you if you are available. People need to hear your story. Share it.
How’s your 2017 going? We are about three weeks in, with less than fifty to go.
One of the things that we are focusing on as a church is reading through the New Testament, one chapter a day. We started in Mark’s gospel, and will be finished with it soon. The message at each weekend service will be taken from the portion that we have read that particular week.
This has been a great thing for my family personally. Since we are all reading the same section of scripture, it prompts much conversation about God’s Word. Sometimes we all sit in the living room with our Bibles, and read the chapter together alternating verses. Other times, Janet or I will read it with one of the kids to help them with their devotions, or just to read God’s Word before bed. There are times where one of us might read it by ourselves in the morning, then read it again with the family in the evening.
I share all that with you to point out that we need to be intentional with reading God’s Word. This is one piece of the puzzle when it comes to discipleship. First and foremost, we are disciples of Jesus. He gave us His Word in order to tell us how to live.
Reading the Bible together as a church, I believe, is going to be a fantastic experience. I even spoke with another pastor in the area who heard me share about this and decided to do it with his flock!
It’s never too late to start! Make 2017 the year that you read through the New Testament.
Here’s the reading assigned for the first few weeks of January.
Lastly, you can share what you are reading or learning on social media using the hashtag, #NTin2017.
I don’t know what you think of Christianity, or church, or Jesus. I lot of people today hate the church but love Jesus. I get that.
Unfortunately, many so-called Christians speak with loud voices and they don’t say very loving or even helpful things.
No matter who you are or what you think, I wanted to share an idea that I had. 2017 is just around the corner.
Let’s read the New Testament in 2017?
The New Testament is the part of the Bible that begins with the birth of Jesus. It talks about his life and the initial impact of his life, including his coming back in the future.
It would take you about five minutes a day, five days a week, to read the New Testament in a year..
I’m going to be doing it, and I want you to join me. You don’t have to be a Christian, you don’t have to be a church person, you don’t even have to tell anybody you’re doing it.
But when it comes to God and spiritual issues, doesn’t it make sense to go to the source? When it has to do with Jesus, shouldn’t we read the book that talks about Him?
If you want to do this, I set up a page where you can download the reading plan that I’ll be using. You can also do this plan using the YouVersion Bible apps. I’ll post the links for that. I’m also going to post some helpful hints to get the most out of your reading.
Let me know if you are going to accept this invitation, this challenge to read the NT in 2017. And lets invite others. How many people do you think we could see read the New Testament that have never, ever read any Scripture? Share this with your friends, let them know if you’re going to be doing it.
Five minutes a day, five days a week. You are going to learn a lot about the God that made you and loves you.
The summer Olympics took place this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My family spent a bit of time watching online. We saw some gymnastics, a couple volleyball games, and a few rounds of diving. We were especially impressed with synchronized diving. A perfect dive, requiring hours and hours of practice, can be described in many ways, but perhaps the one word the captures it best is “grace”. The definition of grace is “simple elegance or refinement of movement.” It’s the word for an outstanding figure skating performance or even an incredible, leaping, stretching, one-handed reception by an airborne wide receiver.
But there is a more beautiful grace. It’s definition number two: “the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” Have you experienced that grace?
Paul ends his letter to the Philippians with these words, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Grace is freely given. It came through Jesus Christ. It demonstrates God’s love. It motivates God’s heart. It’s how we are loved by Him, it is how we are saved, but it is also how we grow and learn and experience His presence. Grace is never-ending. It’s why we are forgiven. It’s why we are going to heaven.
Grace is the best word in the English language. This week, at Saturday Night Church, we will be doing a deep dive into God’s grace as we wrap our study of the book of Philippians.