Pastor Prince

Average Americans are sure they're going to heaven.  They're just not sure about you!   A recent study showed that 88% of people in our country are sure of their salvation.  However, when asked what percentage of people are going to heaven, they gave a much lower number.  Anywhere from 64% to 15%!   The apostle Paul took up this subject in Romans 2:1ff.  In Romans 1, he showed how sinful the world had become.  He said God's wrath was being poured out on those who willfully rebelled against God.  I'm sure his readers nodded their heads soberly and said "amen" as Paul talked about the wickedness and perversion common in the world.  They thought he wasn't talking about them! But then Paul slapped them on the head.  He said they had no excuse because at whatever point they condemned others they condemned themselves because they were guilty of the same sins!    Christ followers in Rome were certain that when Chr...

This week, we celebrated Ash Wednesday.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.  Lent is the 40-day season before Easter, the greatest day on the church calendar.  It's a time of prayerful preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. In our church during Lent, we're going to focus on the book of Romans.  That's because Romans answers the question: Why did Jesus come to the world to die for our sins and rise from the dead?  It's a great guide to preparing for Easter! Romans 1:16-17 is the theme of the book.  Paul says the gospel is the power of God for salvation.  The word "gospel" is the English translation of a Greek word that means "proclaim good news."  The good news is that the Messiah has come, died on the cross for our sins, and risen from the dead.  Whoever puts his or her faith in him will receive eternal life. The word Paul used for "power" is dunamis , the root for our word "dynamite."  Of...

  The great theologian Emil Brunner once said, "The church exists by mission as a fire exists by burning."  He meant that a sense of mission and calling gives life and meaning to the people of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus made it plain to his followers that they had a mission.  He told Peter he would build his church out of people like him, and that church would overcome the gates of death itself!  He sent his followers out two by two on a preaching tour.  After his resurrection, but before his ascension to heaven, he told them they were to go and make disciples of all nations. This disciple-making mission was to take place in the context of churches.  While individuals went out and shared the good news, they always did it in connection with a church or group of churches.   Early Christ followers took up this mission and transformed the ancient world.  But once Christianity become predominant, mission work weakened and nearly died...

The New Testament teaches that every Christ follower should be a minister (see 1 Cor. 12:1ff).  It also teaches that God empowers us by the Holy Spirit to minister in his name. In addition to all this, the New Testament shows that God designed the local church to be the context in which ministry takes place.  All the ministry of the early church took place through local congregations. In 2 Cor. 1:3-7, the apostle Paul describes the help and strength for ministry we share in the local church.  He praised the God of all comfort who comforts us in our trials.  His help flows into our hearts and then overflows to the people around us.  We comfort others with the comfort God has given us.   In the church, we experience vital connections to each other.  We're a community of shared suffering and joy.  We minister to others in Christ's name, while at the same time receiving their ministry.   The point of the church's internal min...

One of the worst feelings in the world is to want to quit because we feel whatever we're doing is too difficult.  There's nothing more difficult than following Christ.  So it shouldn't be surprising that sometimes you want to give up! Thankfully, God gave us a group to encourage us: the church! Hebrews 3:13 calls us to "encourage each other daily."  The Greek word for "courage" means to call out to someone.  When you encourage someone, you call out to them in love, giving them hope and confidence. Later, in Hebrews 10:25, the writer encouraged Christ followers to be faithful in meeting together, because their fellow Christ followers encouraged them to be faithful. One of the reasons God gave us the church was to encourage us.  Our fellow church members cheer for us, giving us heart and hope.   Acts 2:42-47 provides a snapshot of life in the early church.  It says Christ followers devoted themselves to various activities, among ...

Why church?  More precisely, why should you belong to a church?  That's a good question in a time in which many people are finding few reasons to do so! One of the most important reasons why you should belong to a church is that you grow best as a Christ follower when you do!   Before we explore why that is, we need to distinguish between attending a church and belonging to one.  When you just attend a church, you take on the role of spectator.  You observe and maybe even take part in worship.  But you're not engaged with the church. When you belong to a church, you enter into covenant with a group of Christ followers.  You become engaged with them in fulfilling your mission to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus. The accumulated wisdom of church history is that we grow in our following of the Lord Jesus by practicing spiritual disciplines.  Among the most important of them is belonging to a church. Why?  One of the mos...

John Mark could be the Forrest Gump of the New Testament!  Not because of his intelligence or athletic ability.  But because of all the famous people he rubbed shoulders with!  You may not have ever noticed him, but he's there and has a remarkable story! He first appears in Acts 12:12.  He's identified as being present in the home of his mother Mary when the church gathered there to pray for Simon Peter when he was in prison.   Then he's noted in Acts 13:5 as being with Paul and Barnabas in Cyprus as they began their missionary journey.  He didn't stay with them long.  Acts 13:13 says he left them to return home to Jerusalem.  It doesn't seem like a big deal at the time.  But Acts 15:38 says he deserted them. Paul and Barnabas continued their journey, eventually returning to Antioch.  After a time, Paul proposed that they go back to all the cities they visited on their first trip and see how the churches were doing. ...