Church Of The Lost Sheep

"You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path." Psalm 143:10 ( A Psalm of David) In the previous messages, we spoke about four things: Listen, Speak, Action and Reaction. In the last message we also spoke on abundant living. Now we will move on to Teaching these. Usual MO One day, when Jesus was doing His usual thing -- teaching to those willing to listen to Him, at the temple courts, some people and the religious leaders of the day interrupted Him and presented Him with someone who they presumably caught commiting adultery. Not Unusual It was not unusual for those wanting to find fault with Jesus to stalk Him and to bring Him issues and questions because they wanted to lay a trap for Him. But as usual, Jesus was one step ahead of them. The night before, He went to a quiet place to be alone, to pray and spend a quiet moment with His Abba Father, away from the distractions and the worries of this world -- Hi...

"Make sure that no one ever pays back one wrong with another wrong. Instead, always try to do what is good for each other and everyone else." 1 Thessalonians 5:15 In our previous message, we ended with something like this: only through the Spirit of God will we win the world over to Christ -- not by our own strength and not through our own skill. Good Works Of course we do good works but it is fueled by God's love, God's grace, God's Word, God's Spirit and us staying connected with our Father in heaven. Yes the Jesus way. In the three previous messages we have talked about listening, speaking and action. Now we will move into reaction. We live in a fallen world. Many are lost. Many are hurting. There is so much suffering and some are just about ready to give up or snap and snap at one another. And they do, but we can't really blame them. Now our natural tendencies, instincts and reflexes are geared towards an equal and opposite reaction. But...

Called to Be Holy "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13 In our previous message, we ended with the words of Francis of Assisi: "preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” In the two previous messages, we have talked about listening and speaking. Now we will move into the next phase -- action. Grace The sons of Zebedee, the brothers James and John, were among the first followers of Jesus. They wrote about their faith being supported by action. By all means yes, but it does not mean that their actions were what led to their holiness. In the contrary it was the opposite --their 'holiness' or their 'righteousness' led them to their acts of holiness. They weren't nicknamed Sons of Thunder for nothing. Without God's righteousness they weren't much use in God's Kingdom at a...

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1 In our previous message, we ended with something like this: As much as we can, the Lord wants us to live at peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We could do this with the love our God has so graciously lavished us -- the same love we would extend to one another. Love Yes, like the song says all we need is love. We really do not need all the knowledge, all the skill, all the mastery of words and eloquent speech and flowery language. But we do need to master one language -- the language of real love. Not our own selfish love, but rather the selfless love that Jesus gifted us with. How to do it? First, we need to receive that love, keeping it in our hearts. And always mindful that it is a free gift offered by our Father in heaven, nothing we did to earn or deserve it. But like any gift, we can decide...

Use Good Sense "If you keep being stubborn     after many warnings,     you will suddenly discover     you have gone too far." Proverb 29:1 (CEV) In the New Testament bible, we often see this admonition: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Meaning, if you can hear, you should listen and pay attention. For one, the Lord might be telling us something important. We shouldn't miss it. Message This message could be from a verse that we have read, or heard someone say. It could be from a situation that has happened to us and is teaching us a life lesson. It could be a word spoken to us by someone we know or even from a complete stranger. Or it could be a saying, a word of advice or a proverb. Listen We have two ears with which to listen with. And we only have one mouth to speak with. This is why the bible tells everyone to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Wisdom The Word also ...