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A Pastor’s Prayer - Philippians 1:9-11 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 22, 2009 AM What is prayer for you? Is it a way to gain the attention of God? A means to gripe about your latest ache or pain? Perhaps a means of simple meditation or conversation with the Lord? In the letters of Paul we discover that Paul prayed a lot. He prayed for the churches he helped establish, he prayed for those he had won to Christ, he prayed for the leadership of the church in Jerusalem, and he prayed for the lost to come to Christ as well. But one of the things Paul mentions specifically and generally over and over is that he prayed that his fellow Christians would grow in their knowledge of God. He prayed this way because at his core, Paul was a pastor and he had a pastor’s heart. As we look in the passage this morning from Philippians we discover a pastor’s prayer that is both beautiful and grand in its insight and gives us a look inside of pastor Paul’s heart for those he discipled. It is a wonderful exam...

A Pastor’s Prayer - Philippians 1:9-11 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 22, 2009 AM What is prayer for you? Is it a way to gain the attention of God? A means to gripe about your latest ache or pain? Perhaps a means of simple meditation or conversation with the Lord? In the letters of Paul we discover that Paul prayed a lot. He prayed for the churches he helped establish, he prayed for those he had won to Christ, he prayed for the leadership of the church in Jerusalem, and he prayed for the lost to come to Christ as well. But one of the things Paul mentions specifically and generally over and over is that he prayed that his fellow Christians would grow in their knowledge of God. He prayed this way because at his core, Paul was a pastor and he had a pastor’s heart. As we look in the passage this morning from Philippians we discover a pastor’s prayer that is both beautiful and grand in its insight and gives us a look inside of pastor Paul’s heart for those he discipled. It is ...

I Thank My God! - Philippians 1:1-8 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 15, 2009 AM I have attended many memorial services for folks over the years where people stand and share about how they were thankful for the person they came to remember and how that person had impacted their life with their presence. As I have sat in these services over the years I have often begin to wonder how many who have come could boldly stand and publicly declare their thanks for the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives? Could they stand and thank those who were dynamic witnesses for the Lord? What many in these crowds do not understand fully is the reality of the graciousness of God in their lives whether they believe in His Son or not. Paul understood this. He knew where he had come from and he knew what God had done in his life because of Jesus. He could confidently write or stand in the front of strangers and boldly declare, “I thank my God!” Can you? On his second missionary travels Paul came through Philippi an...

The Passover Made New -- Luke 22:1-23 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 8, 2009 AM There are several terms for the last meal Jesus shared with His followers. Some call it “Communion,” others “the Eucharist,” “the Lord’s Supper” or “the Last Supper.” Each carries with it a perception of what this meal was supposed to mean and what it is supposed to relate to those believers who observe it. The pathos of the meal and what occurs strikes a chord with anyone who happens to understand what is taking place, the characters involved, and the setting. As we look at this meal what Jesus shared, not only with His followers then but with all of us who claim Him as Savior and Lord, we can be renewed in our faith, in its significance for our lives, and what it means. Luke introduces his section concerning the meal by telling us: “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for the...

The Perseverance of God’s People -- James 1:2-12 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 1, 2009 AM Why is it we like to hear bad news? Now you may say, “Pastor, I like to hear good news,” but if this were really the case then why does the news media focus on the bad news so much? Study after study has shown that folks like to hear about bad news. You know, the “gloom, despair, and agony on me” kind of news! In fact this is why people will slow down and gawk at accidents. And how many times have you shared that you were going into the hospital for something minor and folks always have to share with you how so-and-so “went in with the same thing and got their leg cut off instead!” Ladies, who are pregnant for the first time have to suffer through the horror stories of other women’s lengthy labor pains and discomfort. Why? We like to hear and share bad news. I think this is why we also like to grouse about our own aches, pains, and sufferings so much in life to the Lord as well. We are fallen creat...