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Ramblings from Retirement – Get Out There and Disciple Someone By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen July 17, 2021 I’m a big fan of the verses I’m going to share with you today but not in the Billy Graham-guilt trip kind of way where you’re left wondering if your Christianity is real. You know what I mean, because you don’t corner every living soul you meet with a black Bible in hand and demand to know if they are going to heaven or hell. Not that Billy Graham did this but I use this in jest. Some of the last words Jesus spoke to his crew before he ascended back to his heavenly abode were these words recorded by Matthew: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)” As a preacher...

One great man of God! - Matthew 11:1-19 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 24, 2019 Longfellow, the Poet, wrote that “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.” We who do not consider ourselves neither great nor that inspiring might ask ourselves, “What makes a great man?” Great men do not necessarily need to be remembered by the marketplace but rather can have such an impact on those around them that they are left better in life by knowing them. Greatness should not be measured in risks taken, accumulated wealth, or educational degrees; rather greatness is how a life impacts another to the extent it changes future generations. John the Baptist was such a man. Here in Matthew’s gospel we find John the Baptist, the last great prophet of God, while imprisoned more concerned about the spiritual health of his nation than his own personal comfort. John was chosen by God before he was even born to be the...

The cost of sacrifice! - Matthew 10:34-42 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 17, 2019 When I was a teenager taking on my first regular job opportunity my father knew it would require that I give up a lot of my morning free time during the summer. I sold Spudnuts, a doughnut made from potato flour, door-to-door. I had to get up before sunrise, head down to the bakery, and purchase my allotment of Spudnuts, balance them on my bicycle and then go door-to-door selling these warm delicious treats. I earned good money because I was willing to count the cost. Counting the cost of something does not come easy in our day and age where we have been told that we must have what we want when we want it and not wait for anything. The term comes from Luke’s gospel whereby Jesus tells his disciples that “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it” (Luke 14:28 MKJV). The wording used denotes the idea of not just the financ...

Believers will be ill-treated! - Matthew 10:16-25 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 3, 2019 In today’s politically correct climate individuals can feel threatened by anything, everything, and anyone. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, then you have a personal right to whine about it and make a spectacle of yourself concerning your hurt feelings. It makes one wonder what these same wilting Willies would do if they were truly persecuted. Jesus knew that his message was not and would not be popular with the established religious leadership. And in fact they would do anything to silence it and its messengers including lying, threatening, and imprisoning those who dared share it. Evil does not like to be exposed and the world was enshrouded in evil. I believe this is why there are those who are emboldened in our day and age to not just disagree with the gospel message but to personally persecute in any way possible anyone who dares to try and share it. Jesus knew believers would be persecuted; ...

Reaching out… -- Matthew 9:18-26 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 6, 2019 How would you respond to someone you did not know needing help that you knew you could easily give? Be careful how you respond because you may be challenged sooner than you think. Here in this passage we discover Jesus going about his ministry and he is asked to respond to one request and while doing so he is interrupted and must decided what to do next. Certainly we are not Jesus but as his disciples we may be asked to respond to situations that could challenge our faith, our integrity, or our character as a Christian. In the following passage we find Jesus responding to someone who is well established and with means and while doing so he is interrupted by a woman of little social value or influence. How he responds teaches us how we are to respond to others around us, let’s discover what happens when Jesus is in the act of reaching out… READ: Matthew 9:18-26 What if the person you were asked to help was a politician...

Follow me! -- Matthew 8:18-22 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 28, 2019 Who or what you follow says a lot about what you believe in life. I’ve always found it humorous when folks tell me that they go to a “nondenominational” church because there is no such thing. If you have a pastor who preaches and is your church’s leader you follow a specific “denomination” or theology whether you want to admit to it or not. Pastors are trained by someone and that someone was trained or trains in a particular denominational bent. When Jesus called his disciples he did not give them any false pretenses and in fact often went out of the way to teach them exactly who they followed and why. While some of the gospel writers do not necessarily focus on those who were outside of the inner circle of disciples they do touch on the fact that there were many who did indeed follow Jesus even if they were not part of the core group he specifically chose. And it is here that Matthew focuses us this morning as we ta...

The rule to end all rules! – Matthew 7:12-14 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 2, 2019 In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy they try to take back a special ring called the One Ring. It contained an inscription that read: “One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them!” There are times when we all wish that life was simpler and long for one simple rule to guide us. The Hebrews had enslaved their people by interpreting over 600 volumes expanding on the Ten Commandments of God! President Obama on his last day in office signed into law over 30,000 pages of new laws! Is it any wonder we long for one rule to end all rules! Jesus understood that his people and all people had been subjected to self-imposed rules that were heavy burdens for them to bear. He desired to simplify their lives. In this he gave all of us the rule to end all rules. Let’s discover what it means for us today… READ: Matthew 7:12-14 In continuing on in his te...

Go the distance! -- 2 Kings 13:4-6, 14-19, 24-25 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 21, 2018 During an elementary school track meet a young boy ran three of the laps in a race very fast and was out among the leaders. But on the last lap, instead of staying on the track and rounding the end to get to the finish line, he left the track, cut across the football field to the track on the other side, and then finished. Someone asked him why he cut across, he simply said, “I got tired.” Though he ran well, he did not finish well and was disqualified. He failed to go the distance. There is a definite need in America today for God’s people to serve the Lord with all one’s heart. Some of Northern Israel’s kings rendered admirable service to the Lord for a while, but in time their obedience was well rather incomplete. They sinned and did what they wanted rather than following the Lord. Their examples illustrate the importance of serving God with wholehearted consistency and persistence. Today we will t...

A mentor - 2 Kings 2:1-3; 7-14 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 9, 2018 When I began as a pastor, I heard that Sunday School was a way to reach, teach, win, and develop believers. I chose to adopt these concepts. Developing Christians requires personal mentoring as well as teaching. As a church we are to be alert for Christians who are growing spiritually and who give indications they would make excellent workers in the Lord’s kingdom and then mentor them for that task. In spite of our busy schedule, lack of confidence, or belief that only God or staff members can mentor another believer we are all called to mentor others in Christ. First Kings ends with the ascension of Ahaziah to the throne of Israel, and 2 Kings begins with Ahaziah already reigning as king. 1 and 2 Kings were originally one book. The approximate date for the starting point for 2 Kings is 853 BC. The first two chapters in 2 Kings record the last two acts of the prophet Elijah and the first three miracles of his successo...

Exhortation, encouragement, and prayer! - Philippians 4:1-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen August 26, 2018 How do others see your faith? How do those who witnessed to you or mentored you find your faith walk? Often time we can get so caught up in how the world sees us that we forget or begin to think it unimportant how fellow believers view us. In fact some try do hard to blend in with the world that their church, Christian fellowship, and their daily devotion to the Lord suffer. Here in this last chapter of his letter to the Philippian church Paul desired that they know exactly how he saw their faith. And so he end this letter with not just advice on how to be stronger and more devoted believers, he writes to exhort, encourage, and pray for them. In his words we can find spiritual truths that will help us this morning as well. Let’s take a fresh look at what Paul wrote… READ: Philippians 4:1-9 Lately I have been watching the Little League World Series. I enjoy the sheer joy, sometimes sadness, a...