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Celebrating Our Independence! – Luke 4:15-30 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 29, 2008 AM What does independence mean? For some it is the ability to do what you want, when you want to do it. For others it means the ability to vote, to peacefully protest or assemble. Still others see it as a means to be able to speak your mind openly and honestly about any issue or the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. And there are those that see it as a means to worship as one desires without the government telling you where to go to church, what to believe, or by taxing you to support a state-run church. No matter how we view independence it could not have been possible without one man, and that is the man Jesus. Why would I say that? When we as Americans celebrate our independence we are celebrating our nation’s decision to free itself from the tyranny of a king and to have a government that was of the people, by the people, and for the people. This is why the Declaration of Independence states, “We...

The Church, Part Four – 1 Timothy 5:17-22 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 22, 2008 AM I have to be honest with you because it is difficult for me, as a pastor, to share with you exactly what Paul was trying to teach Timothy. Why? Because I do not want you to think I am saying our church does not treat me well as your pastor. I believe our church does a fine job. However, not every church does such a good job in making sure their pastor is cared for, and this is a disgrace. Sometimes, churches are run by the pastor and the congregation has no idea what the pastor earns or how he is paid. This too is ungodly and is not taught in Scripture. For the church to be the church, it is supposed to hire and care for its pastor, and if that pastor strays biblically, the church is supposed to discipline him as well. We spent some time talking about what the qualifications are for a pastor, but now Paul delves into some areas that some would rather ignore. However to be the church that God has established ...

What Love Means to a Real Man - 1 John 4:19 by Pastor Lee Hemen June 15, 2008 AM In a world where love has been reduced to rutting and acting like mere animals, we have lost sight of what this word truly means. Oh, I have heard the myriad of sermons that discuss ad nausea the different Greek words for “love” in the Bible and in Greek culture, but let’s not go there. Let’s instead talk about what this word is supposed to mean right here, right now, in the verse of Scripture we are studying today. John wrote earlier that sometimes a believer looks forward with apprehension to the judgment seat of Christ, because God’s love has not reached its fullness yet. The word “perfect” that John uses is the idea of “completeness” as he expressed it in 1John 2:5 and 1John 4:12. He writes that the matured experience of God’s love (loving one another) is incompatible with any fear and expels fear from the heart of the believer. John’s use of the word “fear” has to do with punishment and is literally, ...

The Church, Part Three – 1 Timothy 5:8-15 by Pastor Lee Hemen June 8, 2008 AM When is the church, the church? No, this is not a trick question nor the beginning to a joke about the church. Rather, it is a straight-forward question in regards to what the church truly is supposed to be. Contrary to popular opinion, we do not find the church in the New Testament involved in inviting the unsaved into its midst. Surprised? In fact, quite the opposite is true. The Christian was not to have anything to do with the non-Christian activities that could lead them astray. Instead the church was to go into the world, but never attract the world into the church! Paul addresses these very issues. The church today has become something of a mere shadow of its former self theologically, spiritually, and vibrantly. Why? I believe it is because it does not do the hard stuff anymore. We have relegated church to being a Sunday morning spiritual moment. Now, that is not to say that churches do not have great...