Sermons from Paul Washer

SUNDAY MORNING PREGAME

It has been too too long since we've updated.

I wanted to let you guys know of something we've been doing on Sunday mornings. Recently we started our Sunday Morning Pregame. Sunday mornings at 9AM we are gathering together to discuss the sermon. That's right- we meet to talk about what we are going to hear about. What better way to be prepared than to hear the sermon ahead of time!

This month we've been going through the book of Mark. Currently we are in Mark 1. Last week we had a great discussion about Jesus' first demon encounter in the synagogue.

Please join us as we continue this exciting new opportunity.

WE'RE BAAAAAAACK

It certainly has been a while since we have posted something new on the blog here. We have returned and we are back in action as we have many things to look forward to in the days ahead.

TONIGHT-

We Kick off our fall season beginning tonight! Our theme this fall is

"Practicing Congruency: What you say is who you are"

SHOCK (6-8th grade) starts up again back in Elementary #2! Our study will be "the Bible tells me so". We will be looking through truth from the Bible in order to build foundations that last.

CONNECTION (9th-12th grade) will wrestle with truth- what it is and what the Scripture says it is.

THIS THURSDAY (TOMORROW- SEPT. 10) FROM 6-7PM

we will be holding a prayer walk at MTHS. Every 2nd Thursday of the month students will have the privilege of joining there parents and other peers on a prayer walk at a different school each month. What's a prayer walk? Well...you walk...and you pray...at the same time! Prayer is a significant part of the Christian's life and if we want to see change in our hearts, in our schools, and in the people around us than God has to be the One at work- the way to get Him involved is to invite Him and that is our purpose for the Power Hour every 2nd Thursday. This is also a great opportunity to see the faith of adults and students in action.

Some photos from Connection's Christmas Eve

Some decorations.

Marshmallow ferries danced over their heads

Classic photo of Dave.

A little Marshbagging

Coming up...

Wednesday August 5th- Shock will be enjoying some mini-golf at Harbor Light Golf in Wildwood, NJ. The time this night will be changed from 6-8pm to 4-6pm.

Sunday August 9th- Connection will be holding its first ever Banana Party. More details to come. Admission will be One Banana and you must wear yellow. 6:30-8:30PM @ The BanAnnex

Some topics to come in August:

Repentance

Sin

God's Glory

Holly Jolly Summer Christmas

Connection had a holly jolly Christmas this July. Sunday we enjoyed building Frosty the Marshman (we used marshmallows because sadly there was no snow to be found in the area), played Christmas Carol Charades, had a lovely rendition of Partridge in a pair tree and so much more.

The Christmas spirit was truly evident this July. Too often we can miss the importance of Christmas when it's surrounded by all of the Holiday hooplah. It was awesome for us to take the time to celebrate God's interaction with mankind at a not-so-normal time of the year.

Our lesson centered on faith and the fact that it is by faith that we are justified. Faith is not something to be based off of emotions or the crowds but it is something that should be based on the proven trustworthiness of God which can be found in the scriptures.

We then had an amazing prayer time to close in which we lifted our lives and the lives of others to the Lord.

Heads Up

American Christianity which has sadly crept into the Christianity of churches is one that is very man-centered and selfish. This is nothing new which is why Jesus warns believers and people against who they listen to in Matthew 7:15. False prophets are not always easy to recognize for they are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing- they have the appearance of being faithful churchgoers and studiers of the Word but they are far from the truth. One of my frustrations with Christian retreats most recently has been the drive for Pastors and speakers to wish to be exciting rather than truthful. The truth isn’t always going to guarantee the best crowd response which is why many retreat speakers make Christianity and Salvation out to be more like six flags than the narrow road that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7.

Creating a me-centered gospel is simply more comfortable. Just think of the last time you’ve heard the Gospel presented. How many times was the word “you” used? God loves you. God wants you. Jesus died for you. God wants to be your friend…etc. You get the picture. We build the person up so much that they think they’re doing God a favor by “being saved”. God is presented as desperate for friends and we approach others like mothers who push their kids to befriend the not-so-popular kid, “Just give God a chance. He really loves you and wants to be your friend.” This is the all-mighty, powerful, holy God we are talking about; The One who holds the universe and our very existence in His hands. The way we present the gospel leaves those aspects out. It also makes salvation more like recruitment; instead of “being saved” people are “being recruited” to befriend a very false God and be involved in a very false Christianity.

Salvation should lead to a realization of our desperate need for God. There is no part of the gospel experience that should leave you feeling good about yourself. The truth is that we have been born completely wicked and in sin. There is absolutely no way for us to gain salvation on our own. Every act is an act of God’s sovereign grace. To put the final decision in man’s hands is to take ultimate authority away from God.

Matthew 7:13-29 describes two roads, two trees, and two house foundations. Jesus tells us that we have two choices there is only ONE right choice though. You can either walk the narrow road or the broad road. You can either be a good tree or a bad tree. You can build your house on the rock or on sand. Jesus tells us that very few walk the narrow road which is completely true as evidenced in today’s “Christian” society. Many people are convinced that as long as you’ve said the prayer at one point in your life than you’re saved and good to go. Yes, profession is a part of the salvation experience but I’m here today to say that merely saying a prayer is not evidence of your salvation. That would be like saying that conversion is like a flu-shot, “I got the shot now I’m good to go. I don’t need to worry about the way I live from here on out.” Genuine conversion is an experience that leads to transformation and as I said before a realization of your desperate need for God. To say the prayer is enough goes along with the me-centered gospel which gives man the authority to claim whether he/she has salvation or not.

Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My father who is in heaven will enter" (Matt. 7:21). Ultimately it is up to God. How do you know then if you are saved? “You will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:20). So often we find rest in simply saying a prayer at one point or calling ourselves Christians when we live lives completely against God and His word. When there is a genuine encounter with the Lord there will be fruit in your life and evidence from that encounter. It doesn’t matter if you know who Jesus is, what matters is if He knows you (1 John 2:4-5).

Christmas in July!

Yestarday could not have been any hotter-

but that didn't keep us from celebrating Christmas!

Yes, Christmas.

Shock had its first ever Christmas in July celebration. Christmas music filled the air, the halls were decked, and we participated in some out of the ordinary Christmas games.

We also ended the night with popsicles, which is something that is a little out of the ordinary for a Christmas celebration- but it's July!

We certainly are looking forward to Connection's celebration on Sunday.

Christmas is coming early this year...

Shock Pool Party!

Shock had their first party of the summer and it was a splash!

We met at the Pattison's house for some food, pool, fun, and also some time in God's Word. It was great to see everyone there that showed up- and if you weren't there- well then you missed out.

Julian Price was the first to venture in the pool and everyone followed in after his lead. There was volleyball, some kickball, and even a game involving a sweatshirt exchange inside the pool. The Pattison's also provided hot dogs and desert for everyone to enjoy.

Our topic for this week in Connection and Shock was Praise- it was also good to discuss a little about praise and what it means to live lives dedicated to praise to the Lord.