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How to Be Bold In Witnessing! -- 2 Timothy 1:4-18 July 27, 2008 AM By Pastor Lee Hemen In our day and age there are those who think that Christianity needs to not only change the way it conveys its message but that it should change its message as well. Both are heresy and unbiblical. They have become ashamed of the gospel message. What needs to occur in a society that has become aggressive toward the gospel is for the church and its members to be bold in their witnessing. There is a false doctrine that runs rampant in today’s evangelical churches, namely, that we should lure unsuspecting people into Christian worship in order for them to experience Jesus. However, this is not what Jesus taught nor what the early church was encouraged to do. Christians are to be bold in their witnessing. Paul wrote his second Letter to Timothy as his personal situation worsened. He had apparently already attended a preliminary hearing (2 Tim. 4:16-18) and some had deserted him (1:15), and others had gon...

How to Use What We Earn Wisely! -- 1 Timothy 6:3-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 20, 2008 AM “A penny saved is a penny earned.” “A fool and his money are soon parted.” “The buck stops here.” “Money talks.” “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” (Proverbs 13:11) “With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.” (Proverbs 8:18) These are all bits of wisdom that use money in them in some form. Why are these snippets remembered by so many in our society but others not so much? I believe it is because we have placed an improper role for wealth. How about these: “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6) “For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” (Proverbs 2:10) Or that “Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse.” (Proverbs 2:12) These too should be important to us, but few remember them as well. Why...

The Church, Part Five – 1 Timothy 5:23-25 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 13, 2008 AM Recently, on one of the web blogs, someone asked what people thought about Christians drinking alcohol. After reading comment after comment that tried to make all kinds of excuses as to why some thought it was perfectly okay to drink as a believer but not get drunk, most failed to address the real issue: If you have to make excuses as to why you should be able to partake in something of the world, as a believer in Christ, then what does that tell you about it? This is exactly what Paul is trying to convey to Timothy. Evidently Timothy had made some mediocre choices as a young pastor and he needed to rethink his Christian witness before he continued in his ministry. Timothy, like all Christians do, needed to realize that Christ comes first in life, not making excuses as to why you as a Christian should be able to join in the world’s activities. It is Paul’s continued instruction on how the church should be t...

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...

The Church, Part Two – 1 Timothy 5:7 by Pastor Lee Hemen June 1, 2008 AM For many in our day and age “church” has become a place where people sit on Sunday mornings, to “worship God.” But how can a person worship the Lord if they are not a believer nor a member? Church is to be more than a place to hear a good “talk”, listen to Christian music, to get away from the kids, to sit back, relax, and to feel, well… you know… kind of “churchy”! Not only it this unbiblical, it is leading many away from what Jesus’ church is supposed be. The church, as defined by Jesus and the New Testament, takes its name from the word "ekklesia." It means an explicit group of individuals that are called out by Him to do a specific task. It is Jesus’ “body,” made up of His people who are called out to do His work and will. It is a sacred and holy thing, His ekklesia. Jesus taught the importance of His church: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) He...

What It Means to Be A Good Soldier – Matthew 8:5-13 by Pastor Lee Hemen May 25, 2008 AM According to the historian Stephen E. Ambrose, General Douglas MacArthur was a good officer and a fine soldier that did not ask his men to do anything he was not willing to do himself. However, he was also known as a prima donna and often referred to himself in the first person. Meanwhile, Dwight Eisenhower was a quiet, confident officer that got things done and was willing to make the tough decisions and stick to them. Sometimes, to the point of irritating those around him. He followed orders and expected others to do the same, including someone like a General Patton or Montgomery where both had to be reigned in from time to time. In April 1951, MacArthur's habitual disregard of his superiors, especially President Truman, got him relieved him of command. When he came back to the United Sates he brazenly addressed Congress and made his famous quote that recalled: “Old soldiers never die; they ju...

The Church, Part One -- 1 Timothy 5:1-6 by Pastor Lee Hemen May 18, 2008 AM What should the ekklesia, the Body of Christ, His church be doing in the world? Some think that it is to get as many people through its front doors as possible. This seems like a good idea, if you are Wal-Mart, but that is not the New Testament concept of the church. The idea of the local church changed dramatically in the early 1900s in America. It went from small intimate family groups of individuals evangelizing and discipling the lost, to a big box concept of the mass weekend revivals every Sunday morning. The Billy Sunday-Dwight L. Moody concept of Sunday morning worship! However, if we take a biblical look at Scripture, we discover that the Apostles nor Jesus did not teach this! Contrary to some opinions the multiple feeding of the multitudes and Pentecost are not examples for the local ekklesia. What then is the church supposed to be? We find Paul exhorting Timothy, a new pastor who was kind of timid in ...