Authentic Christianity
Authentic Christianity: Pursing Holiness
May 19, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
As I closed my message last week one of the comments I made was, “God has not called us to a life of HAPPINESS, but HOLINESS!” God has one goal for each of us who are saved (justified by faith) — conformity to the image of His Son, Jesus! (Rom. 8:29) Another way this can be stated is, “a transformation unto holiness!” (Eph. 1:4,“chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him!”) (Col. 1:22, “He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by death, in order to present you holy and blameless ... before Him.”) Unfortunately, most churches across America today are more interested in ministering to the “felt needs” of people than calling them to a life of holiness. They are more focused upon being “happy” than being “holy!”Let me be clear —
Authentic Christianity When Opinions differ (Part 2)
May 5, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Last week we began to look at living authentically when opinions differ. Believe me, opinions do differ even among believers! We all come from different cultures, different religious backgrounds, different personal experiences prior to our salvation, and ______. So, how do we live to the glory of God as a church body and before a watching world with our differences? We turn to God’s Word for answers! The apostle Paul, because he lived among people like us who had differences, gave us some great Godly advice in Romans 14, 15 and 1 Corinthians 8-10. Let’s go back to those passages as we continue our study.
Authentic Christianity When Opinions Differ
April 28, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Every church, because it is made up of people, is going to have people with opinions that differ. It is a fact of life! It is a reality that we cannot escape. Opinions differ for several reasons:a. Different cultural up-bringing.b. Different religious backgrounds.c. Different convictions and preferences.d. Different social experiences before http://salvation.such was true in the early churches! Two churches in particular (Rome and Corinth) had this problem because Paul addressed it in his letters to them. In Romans and 1 Corinthians Paul gave clear instructions on how to live authentically when opinions differ. This morning I invite you to the book of Romans to learn how to deal with this problem from the pen of the apostle Paul.
Authentic Christianity When Worry Knocks!
April 21, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Someone said, “Nothing in us so defiles and destroys the beauty of the glory of living as do emotions.” Such is true of worry! It can devastate and incapacitate a person. I know this from personal experience, and I’m sure many of you have too! As I survey this emotion in God’s Word I never, yes NEVER find it to be seen in a favorable light. Worry is something that must NOT be part of a believer’s life, and the good-news is that it does not have to be! Come with me this morning to see what God says about worry and how, as a Christian, we can have victory over it when it comes knocking.
Authentic Christianity When Misunderstood
April 14, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Misunderstandings — how many times has it happened to you? I doubt that there is anyone who has not been misunderstood. If it is of any comfort, we must real-ize that misunderstandings seem to be “Standard-Operating-Procedure” for God’s people. Search the Scriptures and you will find scores of people, godly people, who were terribly misunderstood! Wherever you have people, you have the po-tential for misunderstandings. Even though misunderstandings are inevitable, they must not be ignored! If they are not dealt with biblically, they will fester into greater problems. This morning come with me into the life of the apostle Paul to learn how he dealt with misunderstandings as an example for us.
Authentic Christianity in the Work Place! God Glorifying Work!
April 7, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Over the past few Sunday morning’s we have been looking at what genuine, authentic Christianity looks and acts like in real life! Some would call this “radical” Christianity, but, honestly, what we have been sharing is not “radical” it should be the “norm.” Now it is true when the Christian lifestyle that we have been describing is viewed against the backdrop of the lifestyle that we see in the world, it will be seen as “radical”, even though it really is the “norm”. Some believers will call it “legalistic”! It is sad that many “Christians” do not see a radical difference between the lifestyle of the world and the lifestyle that God calls His people to. Believe me there is a difference — and in that sense it is RADICAL! This morning our focus turns to the work place! How are we to live God glorifying lives in our work?
Taming the Beast in Our Body (Part 2)
March 17, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Last week we began to look at the “beast” in our body? We discovered that it is “a 2oz slab of mucus membrane that surrounds a rather complex array of muscles and nerves, allowing us to chew, swallow, and articulate words so we can communicate.” Or as someone else said it is an “Uncontrolled little red rebel that lives in a red cave guarded by two rows of white soldiers.”Yes, it is the TONGUE! We considered the most lengthily discourse on the tongue in scripture, James 3:1-12 and discovered six (6) things:1. It is the basis of a stricter judgment for teachers of the Word.2. It is a gauge of maturity in a Christian’s life.3. It is small, but extremely powerful.4. It is necessary, but can be devastating.5. It is vital, but untamed by others.6. It is useful, but http://hypocritical.this morning we continue to focus upon this “beast” by looking at two passages that get our attention regarding our speech.
Taming the Beast in our Body
March 10, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
The "Beast" in our body! What is it? You might be surpised, but I'm sure you willl not be shocked to know. It s one of the smallest muscles in the body, but in many ways the most powerful. It is like a sword cutting, scaring, marring, and yes destroying. It can be the most useful or the most devastating. Guessed what it is? It is "a 2oz slab of mucus membrane that surrounds acomplex array of muscles and nerves, allowing us to chew, swallow, and articulate words so we can communicate." Someone else said it is an "Uncontrolled little red rebel that lives in a red cave guarded by two rows of white soldiers."
Doing the Right, When You've been Wronged!
February 24, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
This is the fifth message in our Authentic Christianity series. In the first message we defined our terms, in the second message we talked about our Power Source - the Holy Spirit, in our third message we focused on Genuine AGAPE, and today mpve on to dealing with hurtful people. undoubtedly one of the most difficult things to do as a Christian is to act godly when some one has hurt you deeply. The hurt may come through another believer or and unbeliever, in either case you have been maligned in some way and it has dealt you a horrible blow. In my 40+ years of being a pastor I have experienced such hurt many times, but I confess I stand in the company of many who have experienced itin a much greater degree then I have. For example: Moses, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Stephen, Paul and of course our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Let's be honest, we all have people who have hurt us! AS A Chirstian it is to be expected! Jesus said it would happen (John !5:18-20), but, how are we to live authentically when it does happen? The apostle Paul addresses that in ur text: Romans 12:14-21
Genuine Agape
February 17, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
This is the third message in our Authentic Christianity series. In the first message we defined our terms, in the second message we talked about our Power Source: The Holy Spirit. Our Principle: The Christian life is a supernatural life that can only be lived by supernatural means! Up to this point our messages have not focused upon specifics, but to-day we begin to look at specific aspects of the Christian life to show authenticity in how we are to live. Let’s start with AGAPE! (Love).
The Power Source
February 10, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
In the First message of this series, I defined the words "authentic'' and "Christianity" and gave a definition of what an Authentic Christian is. Here is our definition: " An Authentic Christian is a person who has reconized that they are a sinnner in desperate need of forgiveness for sin, and by faith has received the truth that Jesus died and rose from the grave for their sin, has repented of their sin and has embraced Christ's lordship over they're life, and desires to walk in obedience to Him." Becoming a Christian is a supernatural work of God that requires a supernatural empowerment to live as a Christian.
Dangerous Liberty
February 3, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Dangerous liberty? I thought freedom was supposed to be a good thing? It Certainly is! But, if it is abused it can certainly trip us up if we are not careful. Paul puts it this way in verse 12, "let anyone who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall." In other words, don't be too confident, or prideful to think that the blessings associated with your newfound liberty in Christ can't be lost.
What Does this Mean?
January 27, 2013 • Pastor Ron Finch
Today we begin a new series of messages. It will be a short topical series entitled "Authenic Christianity". But, before we get into the heart of these messages it is vitally important that we all understand what we mean by Authenis Christianity! The best way to accomplish that is to define our terms. So, in this beginning message of this new series let me be clear what is meant by authenic and Christianity (Christian)