Scripture for February 27th: Acts 2:42-47

Sermon Title: The Church You Have Always Longed For - works at being a caring church.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

This week we will begin a new sermon series entitled, "The Church You Have Always Longed For." During this sermon series, we will discuss the traits of a church that is fully committed to the Lord and each other, or in other words, a church that we would all like to be part of. This week we will look at how a church should care for others, particularly for each other. The Scripture above speaks about the early church and their willingness to care for the needs of others within the congregation. Their love for God compelled them to be interested in the lives of their fellow believers and caused them to help when needed. That same love for God should be reflected in the lives of every believer today, and if it was, the needs of congregation members would never go unmet. On Sunday, I will break down this passage to demonstrate that in order for a church to become a caring family of faith it must grow together in faith, take care of each other's needs and live life together. I hope to see you then!

Scripture for February 13th: John 10:10

Sermon Title: One Life to Live - Living a No-Regrets Life

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Rev. Kerry Shook, author of the book, One Life to Live, writes the following about this verse:

"Jesus said my purpose is to give you life, to give you a zest for living, to give you an enthusiasm for your life, to fill you with passion. He says I want you to be a passionate person. Doctors today are always trying to come up with new medicines so that we can add years to our lives, so we can live longer. Jesus said I have come, not to add years to your life, but to add life to your years. I want you to live a passionate life so you will have no regrets."

This coming Sunday we will conclude a series of messages that I have been preaching through entitled, "One Month to Live." We have asked the question, "What would we do if we had only one month to live?" and tried to answer it during the previous five Sunday sermons. On Sunday we will ask that question and consider how our church would change. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for February 6th: I Corinthians 3:12-14

Sermon Title: One Month to Live - Leave Boldly

"If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be reavealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has build survives, he will receive his reward."

Rev. Kerry Shook, author of the book, One Month to Live, writes the following:

"When my kids were little I used to enjoy watching them build sand castles on the beach. I mean, they would work so hard for hours, and Chris and I would always have to be lathering them up with sunscreen on their back to keep them from getting burned and they would build tunnels and bridges and high walls. But it didn't matter how high they would build the walls and it didn't matter how hard they would work, because the next morning after the tide had rolled in, we would always walk out to the beach to find that all their hard work from the day before had been completely washed away.

I want you to know the reality is, it may feel like every day at the end of the day everything you do down here on this earth gets washed away, but what's really happening is you're building a legacy for all eternity. Everything you do on this earth that gets washed away gets built up in eternity because you're building a lasting legacy."

What is the legacy that you and I are building? Is it something lasting, that will impact ourselves and others for all eternity? This coming Sunday I will speak about how to build and leave a legacy that counts. Hope to see you then.