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Grow In Preaching By Pastor Lee Hemen June 30, 2023 One of things that has always frustrated me as a Christian and a pastor is that far too many pastors think they do not have to mature in their preaching skills. They will pound their pulpits to try and get their listeners to mature in their faith practices of prayer, Bible reading, witnessing and biblical knowledge but never address their own shortcoming of truly stagnant preaching. I was shocked when I went to listen to a fellow pastor preach and his style was exactly the same as when he graduated from seminary some thirty years ago! There are few pastors who would desire their congregations to remain spiritually stunted for thirty years, yet find no problem with their own stunted growth in being able to preach the word of God that truly meets the needs of their listeners today. This should not happen. Pastors often preach on what Paul wrote Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not nee...

Ramblings from Retirement – Freedom! By Pastor Lee Hemen (Retired) March 22, 2021 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18 NIV) At what point do believers “submit themselves to the governing authorities”? Paul would write the Roman Christians, who were under severe persecution, that they were to honor God and that those “who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:2 NIV). However there does come a time when the Christian must follow the Lord and not man because man can do evil and ...

Ramblings from Retirement – Deacon’s Wives and Kids! By Lee Hemen, Retired Pastor March 19, 2021 I remember when I had been a believer for several years when my church came to me asking if I would be considered to be a Deacon. I was surprised and flattered. Having served as a Yokefellow (Deacon in training), as a Deacon, Ministry Leader for College and Discipleship, and finally serving as a pastor for 35 years I have seen a lot of men called to the ministry and to be Deacons. I have served on many selection committees over the years for Minister of Music, Deacons, Associate Pastor and Pastor. And as I was sitting here having my devotion I was reminded of what Paul wrote Timothy concerning men who were being considered for being a Deacon in the church. Paul would write, “Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be t...

The church is to remain strong! – Colossians 3:11-17 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 23, 2020 One of things that many senior adults do not do is to get enough exercise in order to maintain their muscle tone and bone density in order to remain healthy. While the number of senior adults living longer has grown, those who live active and strong lives have not. Keeping oneself strong later in life is extremely important and the same is true for a church. Paul wrote the church at Colossae between 60-62 AD while he was imprisoned in Rome the first time and one purpose was to correct the heresy that had sprung up in Colossae. This false teaching seemed to be the beginning of what later developed into Gnosticism. It contained specific characteristics. (1) It was Jewish stressing the need to observe Old Testament laws and ceremonies. (2) It was philosophical, laying emphasis on some special or deeper knowledge (gnōsis). (3) It involved the worship of angels. (4) It was exclusivistic whereby only ...

How we are to shepherd his flock! – 1 Peter 5:1-11 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 16, 2020 As look for a pastor to lead us it is vital that we find a man who can mentor and mature us as a church until Jesus returns. We live in a world where the church is dismissed, the gospel is seen as a truism, and Jesus as either a myth or at best a “good guy” who taught good stuff. Shepherding the church is tough task in today’s world and we need to look for a man who is up to the task. The title “elder” is used interchangeably for pastor in the New Testament and here in Peter’s letter we find him addressing the early church and its leadership. The church in Peter’s day faced troubling times due to Jewish leadership seeking to destroy the gospel and the Roman authorities who wanted to squash any dissent. The church stood out because its leadership and members were different because of their faith. Shepherding the flock properly was important let’s discover why… READ: 1 Peter 5:1-11 Michael Ray wrote ...

How to choose a man God uses! – 1 Timothy 3:1-7 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 2, 2020 What kind of pastor should a church chose? How is he supposed to act, what should his faith be like, and how should his faith be expressed? Some churches have to accept whoever is decided on by their denomination’s governing authority, some allow a select group to decide for them, while congregational churches like ours has the congregation prayerfully consider one candidate at a time to see if God is choosing one them. Paul wrote timothy his friend and disciple how he should as a young church leader help churches to decide who should be their pastor. Paul gives us good advice on how to chose a man God uses… READ: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 Jesus told his followers: “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27 NIV)” Therefore… I. We are to choose a man who lives differently than the world! (Vv. 1-3) Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his ...

God chooses! -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 19, 2020 It can be disconcerting when things we are used to in our life change. Moving, going to a new school, marriage, divorce, a birth, and or a death can all have consequences that can throw us for a loop in life. Most of us do not have obsessive compulsive disorder and do not require everything remain the same and we can accept change but change can still bring about circumstances we do not like. Samuel was God’s chosen prophet and God had just gotten through telling Samuel that Saul, Israel’s mentally and spiritually unstable king, would not be king anymore. In fact God was now asking Samuel to announce to his nation, that mentally-ill king, and an unsuspecting family that God was choosing another king entirely! Needless to say he was not overjoyed at the prospect. In this case change could be life-threatening. In the process we discover God had chosen who would be his messenger and who would be the future king of Israe...

How God uses those who are willing! -- Judges 7:1-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 12, 2020 We all want God to do mighty things just like those described in the Scriptures but there are few of us that truly want God to do those mighty things through us! When the rubber meets the road in our spiritual walk with God the rubber often turns to gravel. The pavement comes up to meet us in the face, so-to-speak. But it is here where we discover the power and strength of God when we are willing to be used of God! And how he chooses to use us depends on how willing we are! Gideon, that “Mighty Warrior” of God not only had to learn this lesson for himself but he had to try and teach it to an entire nation! As we begin the process of looking for our future pastor we must be willing to go where God leads us. It can be a scary prospect but it is also a rewarding one as well. Here in Judges we discover how God uses those who are willing… READ: Judges 7:1-9 Letting go and allowing God to work in one’s l...

Honoring God’s servants! -- 1 Timothy 5:17-25 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 21, 2018 Recently the news has had several truly horrendous examples of pastors gone bad both of which either had or are pastoring mega churches. One had sexual relations with underage girls and the other deliberately misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars of church money and was caught smuggling hundreds of illegal pounds of marijuana in his car. These examples are by no means how the vast majority of pastors humbly serve in their ministries but these ungodly few leave a bad influence and taste with those inside and outside the church. Part of the problem is when too much power is given to an individual who is supposed to be a servant of the Lord and not a sovereign. Paul understood that how a pastor follows through in his ministry reflects on the entire body of Christ. The same is true in how the body of Christ honors their pastors. While respect is earned, honor is to be given to those who serve. For wha...

An overseer! -- 1Timothy 3:1-7 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 7, 2017 When we think of leadership in our day and age we sometimes do not have a very good opinion or view of it and it is only natural considering what we see in politics, in entertainment, in business, or in sports. In fact there are religious leaders that have left a sour taste in our mouths as well. But should leadership get such a bad rap from us? Paul would say, “No.” Continuing his instructions to Timothy on how a church should act Paul relates who should be considered as leaders. He knew the entire world would be looking at the early church. Christians would need to be above any criticism. In other words they had to be like Jesus if they proclaimed the gospel message of Jesus to the world. Let’s see what Paul said about being an overseer… READ: 1Timothy 3:1-7 The word overseer is not used much in our day and age and when it is used we have a tendency to think it means a slave driver or task master, nothing cou...

Bear one another's burdens! - Galatians 6:1-6 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 18, 2016 I don't know about you but as I get older I have discovered that there are certain things I simply cannot do that I could do even four years ago. Age will do that to you. Of course as one grows older you realize you are more responsible for yourself more than you used to be when you were younger. Things like exercise, eating habits, and taking care of your overall health is one's personal responsibility. I have also discovered that I as I have matured in Christ that while there are certain things I can no longer do there are other things I should be doing on a regular basis! A lot of today's believers never mature in their relationship with Jesus simply because they have no spiritual Christian history. In the past our society had a Christian influence that permeated every aspect of one's life whether one went to church or not. Today this is simply not true. Many are being taug...

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...