Tag Archives: sanctification

How can I live the Christian Life?

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“It’s all grace” – Brennan Manning

True Christians have a number of things in common: an awareness of their own sin, an understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice, a choice of trust that Jesus’ death pays for their sin, and a heart that’s turned away from sinful pursuits.

Clipboard01There’s something else we have in common: A realization that we cannot live the Christian life. If you don’t realize that you cannot live the Christian life, you’re closing your eyes to reality. But don’t give up.

This podcast, presented by me at Curwensville Alliance on August 10, 2014, addresses the difficulty and explains how the gospel brings the answer. It’s all grace, you know.

If you’re interested in the sermon notes, contact me.

~Steve

 

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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes….

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At our church, we’ve just passed the one year marker of a change — a change to Today’s Worship. As I was speaking through Ephesians, I noted that the words Paul said to the saints in Ephesus were applicable to our church, Curwensville Alliance.

One of the Worship Team members, Rusty, agreed to paraphrase Paul’s words. They follow.

Dear Curwensville Alliance Church family,

Ever since I heard about your church’s leap of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love for all your fellow saints, I have not stopped giving thanks and praying for your continued success.

Constantly, I ask God to give you the wisdom to find the best way to praise and know Him better.

I have also prayed that everyone’s heart may be enlightened to know God’s place for them, the impact it will have on other’s understanding of His grace, and his amazing love and strength that flows through all of His people.

Let God’s strength surge through the church as it did for Christ who saved the world by his death and resurrection in order that His praises may continue to be sung today as well as the future.

God put all of us where we are to help His church grow so that the whole world will know, love and praise Him.

Congratulations on your efforts and may the Lord continue to shine His love on all of you.

Always in love,

Paul

God’s done amazing things at Curwensville Alliance. This podcast, taken from the early, traditional service, speaks of his work in today’s Church. If you’re interested to hear the kinds of changes God loves, take a listen.

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The Baby Jesus — all-grown-up…

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In a sermon from Matthew 10, Skye Jethani warns us against looking at the Bethlehem manger and thinking only about this innocent, helpless, sweet baby, tender and mild, laying down his sweet head.  He is no such thing.  Jesus said in that text that he did not come to bring peace but a sword.

He did not come to give us the warm fuzzies, but to demand our allegiance. He came to die on the cross to pay for our sins. He came to draw you to himself so you could be forgiven. He demands that we give him first place in our lives and worship nothing else — be it family or ourselves.

One of the greatest thinkers of the past century, C. S. Lewis, said it well in his book, Mere Christianity.

Christ says: Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want you. I’ve not come to torment your natural self but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth or crown it or stop it but have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires that you think are innocent as well as the ones you think are wicked, the whole outfit. And I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself. My own will shall become yours.

The all-grown-up Jesus wants your all.  You can’t negotiate with him.  You can’t bargain with him. He doesn’t offer a full-serving for some, and lunch-sized portions for the rest.

He has come to dethrone everything that we might illegitimatly place at the center of our lives.  This message speaks of this all-grown-up Jesus in greater detail.

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