"Throughout Holy Scripture, it is clear to us that we have been commissioned by Christ to go forth into the world as his ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20). As we do this, we are to proclaim the Gospel wherever we go, endeavoring to raise up disciples as we ourselves follow after Christ who is with us “to the end of the age” (Matt 28:19,20)."
Read More"...So it seems that God will most definitely accomplish this in the culmination of all things. So why do we need to be involved then? This reminds me of the story of William Carey. He was a lay Baptist pastor in 18th century England who went on to become known as the “Father of Modern Missions”. It was believed by most in the Church at that time that the Great Commission was only a command to the apostles and that those in other “heathen” nations were of no concern to them."
Read More"The term community has become a buzzword in our culture. Millennials are said to desire it, employers seek to build it, sociologists bemoan its demise, and churches have rediscovered its value. But as with most buzzwords: when you hear it often enough it gets lost in the noise..."
Read MoreGod chose us and then the message we received from God was Jesus. In Jesus the Messiah we received from God our Father heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. He accepted us through Jesus and forgave us for all the wrong we have done and will ever still do. Through Jesus we have forgiveness and peace with God our Father and are put together with others in Christ’s body, the Church. And what are we the Church doing? Singing, singing, singing songs that teach and warn leaving us very grateful to God our Father through Jesus our Messiah.
Read More"...it is essential that we face the call in Christ to train ourselves for godliness and recommit ourselves to the spiritual disciplines that help to produce in us this godliness that is of value in every way. There is a long list of spiritual disciplines that many find valuable for the production of godliness in their lives but there are 3 specifically that as pastor at Mercy Hill church I would like to see us commit ourselves to in 2017..."
Read MoreIf I were to believe social media or popular culture, 2016 is a year to wipe from our collective memory.
Celebrity deaths. Politics. Terrorism. Civil wars. Cyberattacks. And so much more. It has spawned all sorts of viral memes and metaphors from the silly to the dead serious. But in the echo chamber that has become popular culture, I have noticed one thing that is distinctly missing.
Hope.
Read MoreIf you were at service this last Sunday you were made aware of the tragic deaths in a house fire of our dear friends Steve and Patti Gray, the pastors of International Christian Fellowship in Padova, Italy. Many of you know of our special relationship with this church and these co-laborers in Christ as a result of our annual missions trips to minister to the church but many of you do not know the profound role this church and these ministers played in the formation of Mercy Hill Church.
Read MoreIn 2010, my husband Brian and I felt called to become foster parents. A year later we were blessed with the adoption of our son. A few years later we believed we were called again to become the adoptive resource for a little girl, but in the end it didn't work out. Since then, we now have grown to feel we would not be able to foster or adopt again, although we are open to whatever God has planned.
This is the story of how God revealed Himself to me through the children at Living Hope International.
Read MoreHebrews 10:19-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another in love and good works not neglecting to meet together. That is quite an encouragement for the church. It is easy to see church as something you go to but here the author of Hebrews points us to a path that is not simply about attending a service but about engaging in a way that is intimate. Encourage one another, stir up in love with good works, these are not admonitions that are fulfilled at a distance or by simply attending a service.
Read MoreWhy go on a short term mission trip? Can a week of ministry in a foreign land really do that much good? Wouldn’t it easier, better, and far more efficient to simply send the money invested in all the travel to the people being ministered to? Who really benefits?
Those are good questions, questions that I once asked.
I’ve been on six short term mission trips – three to Rwanda and three to Italy – and through experience I have found the following answers.
So often, when we think of worship, mistakenly our mind goes to the moments of musical worship on Sunday morning where we, His Church, sing together before we hear from God’s Word. However, worship is so much bigger. It is the response, the offering, given to God by those who have “tasted and seen” that He is good.
Read MoreChrist used many farmer analogies and parables in his teachings. Let's face it; farming was a very common and popular occupation in his time. However, as I dig deeper into His parables of the harvest, I couldn’t help imagining being the real farmer in this reading. Just thinking of a field full and plentiful of wheat ready to be picked and not having enough workers to pick the crop. What would I do? Would I panic as I seek for laborers to help me pick the harvest? Would I be disappointed? Is that what Jesus did?
Read MoreAs we have been going through the series Death of Me, exploring the call of dying to self as it relates to the me-centric culture in which our churches are being formed, it’s appropriate that we will pause on August 28th to celebrate with members of our church as they follow Christ in baptism. I say it’s appropriate because baptism has always been meant to be a declaration to all that I am embracing the death of me. That we are saying not simply that we are following Christ by that we are dying to self. That we are no longer serving selfish wants and desires but being given over completely to Jesus.
Read MoreIn Matthew 25:31-46 as Jesus was in the last week of his earthly life before the crucifixion, he speaks of His 2nd coming and how he will judge all peoples. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (vv. 31-32).
Jesus goes on to explain that he will put the sheep on his right and they will go onto eternal life and the goats on his left and they will go on to eternal punishment. What is the criterion used to determine whether a person will be judged a “sheep” or a “goat”?
Read MoreWe need to recognize that spiritual war is won in the thousands of daily battles against temptations, laziness, our priorities and reactions.
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