Over the past four decades, Christianity has grown faster in China than anywhere else in the world. Daryl Ireland, a Boston University School of Theology research assistant professor of mission, estimates that the Christian community there has grown from 1 million to 100 million. What led to that explosion centuries after the first Christian missionaries arrived in China? That is a great question. And so much of this growth is unseen because to be seen as a Christian in China will expose you to ostracization at best, persecution on a consistent basis, often imprisonment, and possible death. Like what we discussed last week with the mustard seed, Jesus talks about small beginnings leading to great growth in His Church, even if it is hidden.

When you go through affliction, have you ever had the idea to rejoice because of it? It's certainly not the first thing that comes to my mind. So why would the Bible say to rejoice when we experience affliction? What could possibly be gained by such a thing? Tune in this week to hear a "different kind of good news" to find out why.

by Desiring God (www.desiringgod.com)

Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? The power and immensity on display is hard to describe. If that is hard to describe, how do we communicate the power and immensity of God? As you will find out today, I don't know exactly, but I am going to try to help all of us look at God in a way that has been lost by many in this generation.

Look at the picture. Goodness it took me about 10 minutes to find it. Have you heard the saying "Hidden in Plain Sight" before? The idiom "hidden in plain sight" means that something is not easily noticed or recognized, even though it is easily visible or apparent to everyone. It implies that the object or information is so commonly found that it remains unnoticed by most people. As we are following Jesus step-by-step, we see that He is telling parable after parable explaining to His audience what is happening and what is to come. Telling of things of old that people have heard and known for centuries, but for many people their understanding is clouded, even though it is staring them in the face. Why is that? That's what we are going to explore today with Jesus. Do you see it yet? Look closer! Not just with your eyes, but with your heart. For if you really are ready to listen and learn from Jesus, removing all of your biases and pre-conceived notions, then you will be able to see what is "Hidden in Plain Sight" and it will change your life forever.

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. -- Mark 4:33 – 34 I was trying to remember my favorite bedtime story growing up, but I couldn’t remember any. However, I do remember one of the favorite bedtime stories for the children the Lord blessed us with and that was Goodnight Moon. In this children's story there are images of cows, socks, colors, etc. and of course the moon. For the parent everything that they are reading is very basic, but for the young child some of what is being read and shown they may not know or understand. As a Dad I would read the book and receive a question from Jared, Jordan, or Chayil and explain it to them, in a way they could understand. Our Father in Heaven knows all things. No matter what question we may have. He will be able to answer our question in a way that we can understand just like I was able to explain to the children what was in “Good Night Moon." I want to emphasize today as we follow Jesus that “God Shall Explain His Stories to His Children.”

One of my great joys as a Dad is interacting with the children the Lord has blessed me with. And I know from Scripture that our Heavenly Father delights in His children. Scriptures such as: Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness.” Psalm 147:11, “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” ... remind us of this fact, but I never saw a scripture that specifically, explicitly said God is happy. Implicitly from verses like what I have written above and others it is logical that God is happy. However, I had never seen, or maybe I never noticed the word "happy" being attributed to God, in the way I have been happy with the children He has blessed me with. Not just pleased and not just joyful, but also happy. In the 21st century there is a difference. I must thank my wonderful wife for encouraging us to read a book together, which shook my world in a fantastic way this week. Caused me to change the sermon I was supposed to give, so I can share this new found happiness that has been revealed to me, which is ... We know our God is Holy, but guess what ... He is also Happy. Hope you can join us.

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it. -- Matthew 13:44 - 46 Around the year 2006, a Filipino fisherman made an amazing discovery in the sea off the coast of the Palawan Island, Philippines: a two-foot-long (26 inches to be exact) pearl inside a giant clam. He must not have realized its value since he took it home and hid it under his bed, keeping it as a good luck charm. Regretfully, his house burned down, but the pearl survived. It weighed almost 75 pounds and was worth about $100 Million USD in 2016. As we follow Jesus today, we will see him talking about a pearl, too. In this case, the person would not have mistaken that 75-lb pearl as a good luck charm; he would have known its value. However, what Jesus is showing us today is that what He has for us is not just worth $100 Million USD; it is “Worth Everything.”

Have you heard the saying, “All roads lead to heaven?” This saying means there isn’t just one way to get to heaven; it means that however you live can still get you into God’s kingdom. I don’t know if that is discussed much in Malawi, Pakistan, or Ghana, but it is popular here in the United States. Many influential people believe this. More on that later. But is that what Jesus said? If you have been with us for a while, you probably already know what Jesus has said about this. However, Our Lord is a little more explicit today, just in case we missed it previously. So He will take us fishing today and teach us that “Not All of the Fish Make it to Market.”

"Out with the old, in with the new" means to leave behind old things or ideas and embrace new ones. It's often used to signify a fresh start or change for the better. We remember examples where that is definitely true: * Cathode Ray Tube TV à Flat Screen * CDs to MP3s (when was the last time you used your CD player) People often jump straight to the new and discard the old. However, is that always the right move? Well ,Jesus will show us that when it comes to something Old and something New it is actually “In With the Old, In With the New.”

In life we are going to have storms: John 16:33 33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” It is a promise. The question is how do we respond to these storms in our lives. In fear or in faith? Today Jesus reminds us that we can have a Storm-Proof faith if we are always with Him.

Last week, we saw Jesus’s total command over nature while they were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a storm. We talked about how the disciples still were not at the point where they really saw Jesus as God—the One who is in total control of everything. Once He calmed the sea, they could proceed to the other side of the sea. As soon as they landed, a different sort of tempest ensued—not of the natural variety but of the supernatural. Here again, Jesus shows that “All Shall Bow.”

Have you ever tried to help someone, and they didn’t want your help? It was in their best interest, but they didn’t see it that way. And the more you tried to help, the more they wanted you to leave them alone. Can you imagine this happening to Jesus? Well, imagine no longer, as we will see people from the entire region coming out to our King begging Him to leave.

We left off last week with the entire town begging Jesus to leave. Crazy as that sounds, it is true. However, it turns out there is one lone sole who is begging Jesus as well, but this person is not begging Jesus to leave, but is begging Jesus, to follow.

We concluded last week’s message with Jesus saying this from Matthew 5 17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:17 – 19 We specifically see here, in Jesus’s own words, that the Hebrew Writings, the Old Testament, are precious and valuable. As I mentioned last week, we will talk more about this today. Since Jesus says the Old Testament is precious and valuable, we need to learn how to read the Law of the Old Testament to understand what it is saying to the people of the time of its writing and how that applies to Christians today.

"Home" I uploaded my first YouTube video about seven years ago. It was an excerpt from Angelique Kerber’s speech after she won the Australian Open. Since then I have uploaded videos I have done excerpts from other interviews, education, trainings, teachings, sermons, etc. Also, personal content of sermons I have done, quick thoughts, and educational videos on Algebra, Geometry, and Computer Science. So now I have uploaded over 300 videos and the one that is far and away the favorite with over 100K views is the ending scene from the Wizard of Oz. This is where Dorothy speaks glowingly of Home. Home resonates so strongly with us and for good reason. In all of us there is a longing for home. We are going to spend this Sunday morning talking about why “There is No Place Like Home.” Hope you will join us.

New York, New York I was born and grew up about 20 miles west of Manhattan. Since my Dad had tickets to the New York Jets football team and I was a New York Mets fan, I ended up in New York quite a bit growing up. Then I went to college at the State University of New York at Stony Brook which is about 60 miles east of Manhattan. It probably wasn't the case, but it seemed that everyone I knew at Stony Brook lived in either Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Manhattan. So I have been around many New Yorkers and the mindset of a New Yorker, I am not saying all New Yorkers, but I would say the majority I have met is a little different. Me being from New Jersey was almost like I was from another continent instead of the state right next door. For so many New Yorkers, New York is the universe and they are doing you a favor if they acknowledge where you live exists. They love New York and they love letting everyone else know that New York is the best. This mindset we are going to explore a little bit today along with the mindset that the follower of Christ shows to the world. Because do Christians show the world a "Resurrection State of Mind?" ============================ Worship Songs for the Week: tinyurl.com/aciw625

"A Fixer Upper" I have a very good friend who is excellent at flipping houses. He finds houses that are in disrepair and buys them at a low price and then fixes them up so they can be sold at reasonable prices that ordinary folks can afford. The picture above shows the before and after of a property. The challenge for many of us, myself included, is we are much closer to that before picture than the after picture. And not just ourselves, but people around us and even the environment we live in. The whole earth needs a makeover in the worst way, but we forget who has the power to make it happen. Today we are going to take the time to search through the Bible to see there is a carpenter who is The Ultimate Extreme Home 🏠 Makeover King!

"Our Neighborhood" Most of you watching or listening to me now have lived in more than one place. I have a question for you. In your life up to this point, where was your favorite place to live? The last time we talked about Heaven I used the analogy of Extreme Home Makeover. I want to carry on that theme for today. One of the most important things about looking for the right place to live is finding the right neighborhood. How the neighborhood looks, are there good schools, are there recreational activities nearby, etc. I know for me what really makes a great neighborhood are the neighbors. Are they easy to talk to? Do they care about you? Do they look out for the property you steward while you are away? So when you are thinking about the best neighborhood you have ever been in with the best neighbors, do we realize in heaven, God will be our neighbor. I know, hard to conceive, but that is what we are going to be talking about today. God Will Be Our Neighbor

You may have noticed the background image is a little bit different this morning. I re-watched Wakanda Forever this week and it reminded me of a point that we will be talking about today. The fictional country of Wakanda is a kingdom. In preparing for this message I found out there are around 43 monarchies in the world, but over 30 of them are ceremonial. This means the monarch doesn’t have any real power. However, twelve of the monarchies still gT absolute power to the monarch similar to what Queen Shuri of Wakanda has. This is the power where whatever the monarch decides is what shall be done. And she or he gives power to whomever they choose. For example, and this is a spoiler alert, so if you haven’t seen Wakanda Forever yet, please turn the sound down and make sure you cannot read lips. Queen Shuri at the end of the movie chose to give the power to rule the kingdom of Wakanda to another person. Where that person would be the monarch, that person would be royalty, that person will have the chance to rule. There is another royal person, the Greatest Monarch of all who has the ability to bestow royalty on whomever He pleases.

19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Revelation 21:19-21 The Scripture for today is hard to get your mind’s eye to even imagine the picture. All those precious stones are on the foundations of the wall of New Jerusalem. There are twelve separate gates to the city, and each gate is one pearl. Not pearls in each gate, but the gate itself is a pearl. To help us understand the value of each of these “gate” pearls, let’s look at one of the biggest pearls in the world. One of the most famous pearls ever is “La Peregrina.” It is about the size of a pigeon egg, about 4 centimeters or 1.5 inches. This pearl was appraised at over $11 Million USD. Now if we go back a couple of verses, we see that the walls around New Jerusalem are 144 cubits high. That means the gate needs to be 144 cubits. Now that is a challenge because we don’t know how long a cubit is. Well, let me help us out there. A cubit is 18 inches. That means the pearl is taller than a 20-story building. It’s a gate, so it has to be wide enough for transportation to get through. At least a chariot. We know that exists because from earlier in the Heaven series, we saw Elijah was carried off into heaven by a chariot with horses. The Bible doesn’t say how many horses, but since it is plural, we know there had to be at least two. I researched that the width of a chariot for a single horse is a little over 4.5 feet, so with two horses, that would be 9 feet. So this pearl is over 20 stories high and 9 feet wide. I don’t want to bore you with the math, but just one of those pearls would be worth over 123 Billion USD. Yes, 123 Billion. And I haven’t even mentioned the see-through gold streets. Not golden, but gold. Amazing, Remarkable, Stupendous, and any other group of words you want to put together do not do justice to what we will see, touch, feel, hear, and smell when we are with the Lord in “Our Tomorrowland.”

We are going to start in a place that may seem a little unusual. That is ancient Greece and the Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle of Delphi is also known by Delphic oracle, Pythia, and Pytho. She is considered the most famous ancient oracle who was believed to deliver prophecies from the Greek god Apollo. One of the things the Oracle of Delphi did was force travelers to investigate themselves before asking any questions of the Gods. Because this, and nothing else, was considered the starting point for understanding the world. The sibyls were wise women who’d trained since childhood to reveal the message of the oracles. In their room, the following inscription was written: “I warn you, whoever you are, Oh! You who want to probe the “Arcana of Nature”, that if you do not find “within yourself” that which you are looking for, you shall not find it outside either! If you ignore the excellences of your own house, how do you pretend to find other excellences? Within you is hidden the treasure of treasures! “Know Thyself” and you will know the Universe and the Gods.” Aristotle also said: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Hmmmm… that sounds very familiar: Psalm 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Knowing who God says you are and who you will become is critical. Therefore this week, as we continue our study of Heaven, we will focus on Knowing Thyself, from the perspective of who we are now as Christians and who we are becoming.

First off, let me apologize to all of our email subscribers. I forgot to send out the Sunday Worship Service email last week. Please forgive me. Last week’s Heaven series message was “Know Thyself.” We covered topics on whether we would be capable of sinning, free will, male & female, and other topics. However, I ran out of time, and I wasn’t able to cover everything that I wanted to get to, so we will be doing Part 2 this morning. Today we are going to spend our time correcting a common misconception that we will not be ourselves when we get to Heaven. So in knowing thyself, we shall see from Scripture not only will we be ourselves, but better than we ever have been.

It was either 1985 or 1986 because I remember driving from Charlottesville, VA, through the winding roads of West Virginia in the pouring rain in the first car I had bought with the money I had earned—the Red Rabbit. If I could have had white knuckles, I would have because that was the toughest drive up to that point for me in my life. Twisting through those mountains on slick roads and seeing the drop-off that would happen if I skidded out of control was bad enough, but my heart was already at the lowest it had ever been because my beloved “Pop” had died. This was my Mom’s Dad, who is one of the kindest and nicest people I have ever met. I still remember to this day being such a brat when I was thirteen, and he was so kind and caring, and I was terrible to him. I still regret that memory to this day. This was my first loss of a loved one of someone very close to me. There had been a few other relatives who had died before Pop’s passing, but no one of his magnitude. The loss, the crestfallenness of losing someone you loved so much, is incalculable. Jesus understands pain and emptiness, and He has compassion for His people when they are walking through this type of valley. As we follow Jesus today, we shall see how “Christ has Compassion for the Crestfallen.”

"The Waiting is the Hardest Part" Oh baby, don't it feel like heaven right now? Don't it feel like something from a dream? Yeah, I've never known nothing quite like this Don't it feel like tonight might never be again? Baby, we know better than to try and pretend Honey, no one could've ever told me 'bout this I said yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah The waiting is the hardest part Every day you see one more card You take it on faith, you take it to the heart The waiting is the hardest part The first question of the day … “Who is that band?” Yes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I know, I know, you never know where I am going with a message. Honestly, when I am preparing, I don’t either many times, but in preparing this week, this song popped up earlier in the week, and I kind of brushed it off. Then it came back yesterday, and I thought a little more about it and then one more time, so I started preparing to use it, asking the Holy Spirit, “Am I really supposed to use this song,” well I am talking about it now, so I guess I got the go ahead. The song's title is “The Waiting is the Hardest Part,” and with Christmas, there are so many people, young and old, looking forward to Christmas Day. Did you ever think about how many people in the world are looking forward to Christmas? I did some research this week, and there are 160 countries that officially celebrate Christmas, and another 20 have Christmas celebrations. There are only 195 countries worldwide, so that is over 92%. Now, a question I have is this: are we waiting for Christmas for the right reason? I agree that waiting for something you want is hard, and if it takes a long time to come, it is really hard. But what is worse is waiting for something that you really want, and when it finally arrives, it is not as exciting or fulfilling as you had hoped. Today, we will talk about waiting, but waiting for something that will exceed our expectations, thoughts, and dreams … and so the waiting may be the hardest part, but “The Waiting is Worth It.”

One of the challenges I definitely have is thinking that I am in control. I am the one who makes things happen. I am the one who has the knowledge. Staying with the Christmas theme, we look at someone from Bethlehem (and not who you think) with the correct perspective knowing it was never them. ===================================== Worship Music: http://tinyurl.com/aciw231231

Are You Really the One? Have you heard the term, "It looks darkest before the dawn?" Well, right now, it's looking pretty dark for John the Baptist. We see that John has been put in jail, so he is starting to question if Jesus really is who John said He was. Have you ever been there? You were sure about something, but then it didn't happen or worse, not only it didn't happen, but your life started going downhill and sometimes fast. Did you start wondering, did I hear correctly? Did I read that correctly in God's word? It sure does not look like that is happening for me. This is where John is right now, and we are going to talk about how if God actually said it, then He will Do it.

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes -- Matthew‬ ‭11:7-9‬ What do you go out to see? What do I go out to see? Do we think about it? Does it make a difference? Let's talk about that today. I hope you will be able to join us. -- Coach

‬Have you ever been in the midst of a lot of people, and all of them are talking at the same time? However, there is one voice that stands out. There is one voice that is clear, that is distinct, that has something special about it. You can't put your finger on it exactly, you just know that what that person is saying resonates with you in a way that no other voice in the room does. Today, as we continue following Jesus, we focus on the voice in the midst of everything going on at this time in Israel. This is the special voice that millions of people have been waiting to hear for a very long time. That voice was there in their time, but not everyone who heard the voice believed what he was saying. In a sense, that voice is still speaking to us today. Do you hear it? Do you believe it? Today, we hope to share with you and show you that “The Voice is Here.”

Who are some of the superstars of the Old Testament: * Abraham * David * Moses * Elijah If you had a Mount Rushmore (the mountain in the United States where the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt are carved in stone) for the Old Testament, those gentlemen might be on that mountain. So, what I will share with you today might be a little shocking to you. A follower of Christ who is as unknown as any person could possibly be is greater than Abraham, David, Moses, Elijah, Esther, Joshua, Miriam, Hezekiah, etc. Greater than anyone you can name from the Old Testament. I know. Sounds crazy. And the reason is so simple and so profound at the same time. “The Kingdom is Better” ============================================ Worship Music: http://tinyurl.com/aciw-wmotw

Did you know the Bible can be confusing sometimes? That’s where we are today, following Jesus step by step through His ministry. We have a verse, just one verse where it is not clear as to what is the correct meaning. Matthew 11:12 "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force." Sometimes, what Jesus is saying is not as clear as we would like and will require additional prayer, work, and study. I hope you can join us today as we “Breaking Through the Opposition.” ======================================================= Worship Music: http://tinyurl.com/aciw-240204 ---------------------------------------------------------------- I Here are the FREE resources for Bible study discussed in the message: * Bibles: https://www.biblegateway.com/ * Parallel Translations: https://www.biblestudytools.com/parallel-bible/ * Interlinear Bibles: https://www.biblehub.com/interlinear/ * Concordances: https://www.biblestudytools.com/concordances/ * Lexicons: https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/ * Dictionaries: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionaries/ * Commentaries: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/

"Sulfur From the Sky is Better?" ‬ As many of you know, I am a high school teacher, and one of the challenges we now must deal with is our students having earbuds in their ears all of the time listening to music or watching their latest TikTok fave. They are doing it while we teach, and then they get an attitude when you tell them to stop. They listen to them in the hallway, so they are oblivious to anything you say or do when you are trying to get their attention. This is a challenge because if they cannot hear you, something bad could be happening in the hallway where we are trying to protect them from it, and they will never hear us, and they could get hurt. As we continue following Jesus, he is talking to a large group of people who are like my students. They all have in their earbuds, listening to music so loud that they cannot hear anything else. They cannot even hear Jesus imploring them to listen to Him so they can save their own lives from destruction. I pray that the Lord uses me today so you do hear him because you don’t want to be one of those with earbuds in their ears who do not hear the Lord and will have it “Worse than those from Capernaum.” =============================== Sermon Notes: https://tinyurl.com/240324aciw

"Day of Hope" ‬ We want to be able to share the Hope of Christ with everyone the Lord puts in our path who is open to at least asking a question or listening, but many times we are not prepared to be able to provide answers besides saying “It’s in the Bible, so it’s true.” That is a very unsatisfactory answer for people who do not hold the Bible as credible. My heart is to help Christians be prepared to answer questions from the skeptical world and with today being the celebration of the resurrection there is no event greater that we need to be able to give answers to the world on. So today is an attempt to give you a tool to help on this topic. Please send us any questions that you may havewhile you are watching. We will do our best to answer them. When you engage with material you retain so much more of what you are hearing. He is Risen!

"Too Smart to See" ‬This is a photo of Richard Dawkins signing one of his books. In preparing for this sermon, Richard Dawkins came to my mind because he was in the news this week for a comment he made about Islam and Christianity. I don’t want to get sidetracked, but Richard Dawkins is one of the most famous atheists in the world. His book “The God Delusion” has sold over three million copies since its release in 2006. In the book, Dawkins argues that belief in God or gods is a delusion akin to other mistaken beliefs. He presents scientific evidence and philosophical arguments to support his case. This week also got me thinking about the statistics on high school students who, when they graduate from high school, say they are Christian, but after they finish college, they have moved away from Christianity. The data from Lifeway Research from 2017 indicates that 66% of high schoolers stopped attending church regularly for at least a year after turning 18. Actually, this number is better than the 70% number from 2007. What about higher education leads people to turn their back on God? We know that the Bible says knowledge is actually good: Psalm 18:15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. So, what is happening here? Well, guess what? Jesus has a little bit to say about that today as we continue following Him in His earthly ministry chronologically. Where He will make the point this week that we can have “Knowledge With No Understanding.”

Husbands can really relate to this. Actually, if you have ever been a child with parents or guardians you can relate to this too, but especially husbands. So, husbands, have you ever tried to do something for your wife? I mean you were really trying your best to please her with something. You thought you had done everything. You went through your checklist and double-checked your memory banks of what you remembered her telling you in the past. So you know you are good; however, when she returns, your whole world is turned upside down. You were wrong. This same scenario works for children thinking they have done what their parents wanted them to do, but they missed it somehow. It may be something they have told us about many times, but somehow, our brains process it differently. I know you husbands definitely know what I mean. We are going back a little bit and looking at Joseph. He was a husband, and we are going to see that he was wrong about something, but what he did was actually correct. I know that sounds weird or counter-intuitive, but I hope you join us today as we talk about “We Were Wrong, but Also Correct.” ================================================================= Worship Music for the Week: bit.ly/240414wotw

"The Master of Sound" What you see here is a soundboard. A really big soundboard. The soundboard is the supreme lord of all sound. When music is being created by artists or for a soundtrack of a movie or for anything sound related the soundboard is king and in full control of all sound. The singer can sing as loud as they want or the trumpeter can blow as hard on her trumpet as she wishes, but if the person in control of the soundboard turns the knob that controls their sound off, what they do will not be heard, no matter how hard they try. The master of the soundboard is the master of sound. Today as we follow Jesus, He makes a claim of not just being the master of sound, but the master of all. Is that true? And if so what difference does that make in the lives of His followers? Well, we hope you can join us today as we dig in to see if Jesus is the Master of All.

The golden anniversary of a married couple is their 50-year anniversary. Have you ever been to a 50th anniversary of a couple that is obviously still in love? And not just in love; there is something special about their relationship. They finish each other's sentences when you listen to them talk inside a group. They anticipate the topic the other person wants to talk about. How they talk is similar. Their voices may differ, but the tone and the cadence seem similar. I'm telling you that if you look at the photos that will be there from when they got married and follow the photos over their lives, you would swear that they now look more alike. It is a special and beautiful bond that points us to the supernatural and beyond-understanding bond that God the Father and God the Son have. As we follow Jesus, we stay in Matthew 11:27 for another week as we explore this bond that has been from eternity past and will continue forever into an eternity future. It is a relationship and a bond where "They Know Each Other Like Themselves." ================================================================= Worship Music of the Week: https://tinyurl.com/20240428aciw

"No Tryouts?" All of us have at one time or another, tried out for a team, auditioned to be a part of a performing arts group, or applied for a job. In all of these situations and others similar to them, we had to show that we could perform at a level for us to be accepted into the team, group, or organization. This is what we are used to. We bring this sort of thinking to the idea of becoming a Christian. We have to meet certain performance requirements to become a Christian. However, as we journey with Jesus, we discover that his acceptance criteria are unlike anything we've encountered in the world. He is the one who decides who joins Their team, and His standards are unique. For there are "No Tryouts for Team Jesus." ======================================================= Worship Music for the Week: https://tinyurl.com/20220717aciw

"Farming" A city boy like me does not know a lot about farming. I know you need rain, sunshine, and good dirt and that is the extent of my knowledge. So, if I saw the picture that you are seeing now back when I was growing up, and for those of you who are on audio, we are showing a picture of two oxen and there is some wooden thing on top of the necks of both of the oxen. And that is what I would have called it, a wooden thing. However, it has a name. It is called a yoke. In our following of Jesus (Matthew 11:28 – 30), our Lord talks about a yoke today. It is the difference between His yoke and the yoke of men. And there is a huge difference. For with men, the yoke is a burden but with Jesus, it will become our joy. =================================================== Worship Music for Today: https://tinyurl.com/20240512aciw

"I'm Not That Bad" Angelique and I just finished watching “Schindler’s List” again. It is hard for me to believe that the movie is over 30 years old now. If you have not seen it, it is a great movie. I don’t want to give too much away if you haven’t seen it, so this is a little of a spoiler alert. Oskar Schindler was more of a playboy than a businessman. He wanted to make a lot of money so he could have a good time. On his way to making a lot of money during World War II, he did an amazing thing in Kraków, Poland. He saved over eleven hundred Jews from the gas chambers. In 1933, there were almost 3 million Jews living in Poland. There are currently around 4,500 Jews living in Poland. The number of Schindler Jews currently living, these are the survivors Oskar Schindler saved, and their descendants is over 6,000 people. Think about those numbers. Can you imagine the love those Jews have for Oskar Schindler? Even though they know he is a playboy, and he has many faults, can you imagine what they would be willing to do for him? Their love for him to this day is great. Because they understand what they were saved from. When you truly understand the depth of the awfulness you have been saved from, your love for the person grows astronomically. Do we understand the depth of the awfulness all of us put ourselves into? I don’t think we do. I know I don’t act like I should in this area. Furthermore, I know it in my head, but not my heart. Today, as we continue following Jesus, our Lord gives us a picture of someone, who because she truly sees her sin for what it is, she is able to abundantly show her love to the Lord. ===================================== Worship Music for the Week: https://tinyurl.com/20220724aciw

"It Can't Be That Bad" Last week, we discussed how we must know our sins to truly show our love. At the end of last week’s message, I believe the Lord put on my heart that one way we can help ourselves really know the depth and breadth of how awful our sins are is to understand the place where we will go if we are not in Christ. That place is Hell. Regretfully, multitudes of churches in the post-Christian era in the United States and many developed countries skip over the clear doctrine of Hell. Pastors and teachers act as if no one in the Bible ever mentioned Hell. The unbelievable truth is that the person in the Bible who talked about Hell the most was Jesus! So today, we will make it clear to anyone who has ears to hear that Jesus Knows that Hell is Real, Do You?

More Than They Think A couple of weeks ago, we were introduced to a woman who had many sins, but she knew that because of Jesus, she was changed. She was changed in such a way that her gratitude had no bounds. This led her to crash a fancy party where Jesus was. She washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with expensive oils. The important people there believed that Jesus couldn’t be a prophet. If he were a prophet he would know that the woman was one of the worst sinners. And a true prophet would never let “that sort of person” touch him. But as we shall find out today, that Jesus is much “More than a Prophet.”

"The Five Letter Word" A couple of weeks ago, at the end of a sermon, it hit me that I believe many of us don't appreciate what Jesus did for us enough because we really don't understand what He saved us from. That is why the next week, I did a message on that four-letter word—hell. Similarly, I believe the developed world, which sees itself as more sophisticated and advanced, has deemed this five-letter word passe and for the uneducated, but we will see today that Jesus didn't think so. Jesus Knows that Demons are Real, Too

"Not for the Feint of Heart" Last week, Dr. John MacArthur discussed two of the three categories of demons: those in permanent chains and those temporarily chained until they are released to battle against Jesus. However, there was the third category of demons we didn't get to discuss last week. That is the category of demons that Dr. MacArthur is going to talk about today. These are the demons that are here right now on the earth, and we, as Christians, must be Prepared to Battle them!

"No! A Square Peg fits a Round Hole" Have you ever been in a discussion with someone, that no matter what you say to them, they will not believe you? You use logic. You bring them verified documentation. You show them videos of the event. You bring witnesses to corroborate what you are stating. The witnesses you bring are even members of their own family and they still will not believe you. And their reasons for not believing you are as ludicrous as them saying a square peg fits in a round hole. As we follow Jesus today, we will see Jesus perform another miracle, and we will see the Pharisees using "Square Peg" logic to refute what Jesus has done and is doing. We need to remember that we are going to experience what we see Jesus experiencing today; many people will just "Refuse to Believe."

It's NOT a Competition When I used to watch sports a lot. I would watch almost anything. One of the sports that I didn't watch often, but I did watch was the world's strongest man. These men are amazing. Lifting weights that are the size of two American Football players who play on the line (for those of you not familiar with American football, each of those type of players weighs over 300 pounds). Crazy stuff like pulling a bus with their teeth. Strength beyond my understanding. Now today we are going to be talking about a very strong being where many people act as if this strong being is in competition with this man that we know. But folks we need to know, that despite what the current circumstances may look like "This is NEVER a Competition."

"You Have to Pick a Side" We are following Jesus chronologically through the Bible, and if you have been with us for the last month or so, you know that there is a war going on between Jesus and Satan. Now, when we think of war, there are not only two sides but there are often three. There is a country or countries on one side battling against a country or countries on the other side. However, there is a country in Europe that is always neutral. Do you know the name of that country? It is Switzerland. Switzerland isn't the only country in the world that chooses not to take a side in times of war, but they are the oldest and best known. Here is a brief history of how the Swiss became neutral (from the History Channel): The Napoleonic Wars were a turning point in Switzerland’s history, sealing its place as a neutral nation. Despite being invaded by France in 1798 and later made a satellite of Napoleon Bonaparte’s empire, Switzerland's determination to remain neutral was unwavering. After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, the major European powers recognized the value of a neutral Switzerland as a buffer zone between France and Austria, contributing to stability in the region. This was affirmed during the 1815 Congress of Vienna, where a declaration was signed, affirming Switzerland’s “perpetual neutrality” within the international community. Switzerland and other countries like Austria, Ireland, and Costa Rica are often praised for their commitment to neutrality. However, in our journey of following Jesus, we must understand that there are no neutral territories, for there are no 'Switzerlands' in Christianity.

"Which Tree is It?" I will never be mistaken for an outdoorsy person. Well, unless you equate being on a golf course with hunting, fishing, or hiking. Well, maybe it can kind of be hiking. And on a golf course I do see some of the pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms that Jesus will be discussing today. For those of you who don't know, those are different classifications of trees. The pictures above show two trees that, to the untrained eye—and my eye is definitely untrained—look very similar. But they are actually quite different. One produces fruit that people love to make into jams and jellies, while the other is a big favorite for silkworms to eat. Not quite the same. That is why Jesus shows us today that we cannot just look at what a tree (or a person) looks like. We must also analyze and note the fruit they actually produce.

"Alakazam! or Presto Chango! or Abracadabra!" For those of you who are watching us live or on-demand, we are showing you a picture that looks like people going up to see Mickey and Minnie at supposedly the most magical place on the earth, Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Well, it’s not that, but a place that has shown over the years to be even more powerful. The reason we are talking about this place today is that in our chronological following of Jesus, we see the scribes and Pharisees demanding a miracle from Him to prove to them that He is who He says He is. Their hearts and Jesus’s response are one of the areas we will focus on today. Are we like those Pharisees and scribes from 2000 years ago? "Where We Demand a Miracle”

"Your Family is What is Most Important?" Have you ever heard the saying “Blood is thicker than water?” The first known use of the phrase is from the 12th century. German philosophers used it to mean that family is more important than anything. We see that here in America and I am assuming in other areas of the world as well, when people say: * That’s your blood man, you have to take care of him * She’s blood. She’s family. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her * I know they messed up, but blood is thicker than water. Now the question before us today with this phrase is if this is what God wants? If we look at the Old and New Testaments, we see verses that bear that out. Here are a couple: 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. – 1 Timothy 5:8 However, if you have been with us for any time you know we cannot look at just one verse to understand what God is telling us. We need to look at verses in context and the Bible as a whole to get a proper understanding. I am excited to follow Jesus with you today as He provides the clarity we need to understand that “HIS Blood is Thicker Than Everything.”

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? We discussed the Gift of Tongues last week because many people have been taught differently about it. When preparing for this week's sermon, I thought I was going to continue our following of Jesus, but my thoughts went to another topic where people have been challenged: the Law and Faith. Where do these critical components of our Christian faith intersect? What is primary and which is secondary? Or are they both primary? Does what is written in the New Testament essentially nullify the Law? Again we have many new people from a number of different countries, so I was getting to do another topical message that hopefully will provide clarity on the subject of "The Intersection Between Faith and the Law."

I am not sure what is the cultural ethos of other countries, but what is taught a lot in the United States is to be independent. To be able to do everything you can by yourself, without any help. So when we find out that to accomplish something, we have absolutely nothing to do with it, we do not like it. Well in our following of Jesus we have come to such a situation where we shall see that unless God gives us a gift we will not be able to accomplish understanding who He is.

"This is Some Hard Dirt" Have you ever been on a dirt path or road that feels just as hard as an asphalt or cement road. I know I think I have definitely fallen down on such a road and it seemed like it hurt my knee just as badly if not worse. As we continue to stay with Jesus as He is going through the parable about the farmer, the seed, and the soils, we are going to talk about each soil one at a time and today's soil is as hard as a rock. This analogy used by Jesus explains why a group of people receive His teaching the way that they do. It is because their hearts are as "Hard as Pavement."

"Finally, It's My Time" Have you ever been super excited to do something that you thought would be great? I know I have. One of my most looked forward to experiences in life was when my Dad would give me the opportunity to cut the grass. Ever since I was in the single digits, I have watched my Dad cut the grass and asked him when I could do it. He would say I wasn't old enough, but my day came when I was thirteen. It was wonderful! Maybe even better than I imagined, and the next week was just as good. However, as the weeks went on, something happened. I was slowly losing my enthusiasm for mowing the lawn each week. So much so that by the time I was 14, I was petitioning my Dad to let my sister start cutting the grass even though she was only 11 (they say females mature faster than guys by three years, so she really was 14). So what happened to have this dramatic shift from pure joy to dislike in less than a year? Well, that is what we are going to talk about: how this grass-cutting adventure mirrors what we will be studying from Jesus today. Because "Did I Really Want to Mow the Lawn?", is similar to "Do We REALLY Want to be a Christian?"

"Farming is Hard Work" If you have been following us for the past few weeks you know we have been discussing Jesus’s parable of the soils and we have finally reached the last soil. The first three soils were not good. They represented people who didn’t know Jesus even though they looked like they did. How do we recognize people who Jesus would refer to as “Good Soil?” How do we self-evaluate ourselves who claim to be Christians to know we are that “Good Soil” that Jesus is talking about? That is what we will discuss today as we finish the Parable of the Soils.

21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” -- Mark 4:21-23 "Penetrating the Darkness" For those of you listening to me on audio only, we are showing a small clay lamp used during the time of Jesus. This lamp will be filled with olive oil, then a wick will be added to the oil and lit. This lamp would give light to the single living area of the home. When you look at this lamp, it looks so small, how can that give enough light to a living area so you can see? I have a question for you. Have you ever been in a room that was pitch black? I mean it was so dark, you put your hand right in front of your face and you couldn’t see it. I have. And we brought in a little lighter. One of the small ones that people use to light a cigarette. We lit the lighter and we were amazed at how that little light gave us the ability to see so much. Today as we follow Jesus of Nazareth he talks about this type of lamp and “The Purpose of the Light.”

There is an old commercial that used to play in the United States about a brokerage company called EF Hutton. As soon as that name was mentioned, everyone stopped and listened intently to whoever was speaking about EF Hutton, even children. As a brokerage company, EF Hutton advised people who wanted to make money from investments. So, supposedly, EF Hutton was so good at helping anyone make money that you needed to stop whatever you were doing and listen to them. If a company or someone is really good at helping people make money, people would stop all that they were doing and listen carefully to them. But what if there was someone who spoke about things that were way more valuable than money, way more valuable than gold, or diamonds, or anything you could ever have on this earth? Wouldn’t that be someone we would stop whatever we are doing and have the desire to listen to everything they would ever have to say? Well, that person exists, and His name is Jesus. Today, I want to share with you why you should “Love listening to the Lord.”

My first formal job growing up was as a census taker. When I look back on that job, it was unique in that the only thing you had to do was share the information with the person, and no matter how they reacted, I was successful. If they answered all the questions, I would get paid. I got paid if I went to their door and they slammed it in my face. If I opened the gate to their yard to go to their front door and then got chased by their dog and had to hop the fence, I got paid. My job was to share the information, but the results were not my responsibility. This remembrance helped me this week as I was studying the latest parable from Jesus, where I need to remember, “Just Share the Information.”

I want to start off by giving you a little bit of what has happened and is happening in the Muslim country of Sudan, which similar to Pakistan is over 90% Muslim: The gospel spread through these many years of upheaval. Although the conflicts created terrible suffering, they made the Church more mature. The wars scattered Christian refugees throughout the country, so even through suffering the good news spread. Churches formed in places and among peoples that previously had no Christians! Praise God that this growth occurs across many denominations. Pray for them to find unity through Christ. The Islamic government bombed churches and other Christian buildings in the South, and specifically targeted Christian areas for attack. But many believers kept their faith, and even took the gospel to other ethnic groups during these hard times! Why has real growth occurred in the midst of devastation and upheaval? Kind of crazy right. The church in Western Europe is disappearing even though there wasn’t persecution. There are still some countries where there is a religion recognized by the country, but the amount of Christians is still decreasing every year. Look at Spain. The country still allows a percentage of the personal income tax of the people to go to the Catholic Church, but from 2013 to 2023 the amount of people who consider themselves Catholic has dropped from 73% to 53%. And even less, only about 27% meet with the church on a consistent basis. What’s the problem? Because believe it or not “Opposition Produces Growth.”

Have you ever played musical chairs? I found it a fun game when I was young, and I would probably find it fun now, but I would probably pull a muscle or wrench my knee now. There was an urgency in the game where you had to find that open chair or you were out of the game and you didn’t want to be out of the game. I believe so many people in this world are playing a deadly type of musical chairs. Where they are going through life with the music playing thinking that when the music stops they believe there always will be a chair for them. Because they are playing a musical chairs game where they see a chair for everyone. As we will learn from Jesus today, “You Need to Be in the Chair While the Music is Playing.”

There was a game show in the United States called “To Tell the Truth.” There were 3 different people and they all said they were the same person. One person was telling the truth and the other two were imposters. The contestant in the game show had to figure out, who was actually telling the truth. So we are going to play a slightly different variation of this game. The photo in this email shows two stalks of what is supposedly wheat, but only one of them is truly a stalk of wheat. Do you know which is which? … I know I wouldn’t have known for sure except for preparing for this message and studying the different weeds that look like wheat. So all of you who chose the stalk on the right, are incorrect. That is called Wall Barley and the stalk on the left is Wheat. They look very similar and they are fully grown. Imagine how similar or almost identical they must look when they are still growing. Jesus’s latest parable reminds us that not just for stalks of grain, but for people, “Looks Can Be Deceiving.”

"Heaven Session 6" Do you have any words that are like your favorite words to say or look at? I know it’s kind of weird, but one of the words I like to say and even think about is ‘ethereal’. Yes, ethereal. Say a few times. It’s kind of cool. Now look at its definition: 1. Extremely light or delicate. 2. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly. 3. Spiritual or otherworldly. 4. Of or relating to ether. Right? You have to admit. It’s growing on you. As it says in definition #2, heaven is thought of as ethereal. It’s there, but not quite there. It’s real but kind of … you know the right word to say … ethereal. And as we mentioned last week the heaven we are talking about now is the current heaven, not the new heaven and new earth heaven. So is that heaven, like ether, otherworldly, kind of there, but untouchable, or can we actually ‘touch heaven?’