This post is for members and attenders at New Hope. Each month I offer Entrance to New Hope which is for people wanting to join New Hope. This class is mandatory even for transfer members so it is always well attended. However, we offer three other classes onece a quarter on Sabbath afternoon and these are not well attended. In fact, we haven not offered them in almost six months because we get no takers. These classes are 1. Grwoing your devotional life, 2. Discovering your spiritual gifts, 3. Witnessing effectively for Jesus. One would think that people would be beating down the doors to grow in these areas but that is not so.
What are we doing wrong? How can we change things? How do we get people to take these very important classes?
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Newman Interview
Check out the interview that was conducted by Dr. Julius Nam, asst. professor of religion at Loma Linda University on myself. http://www.progressiveadventism.com/
Movies you like
Last night Phyllis and I went to see the movie Freedom Writers. What an inspiring film of a young teacher wanting to make a difference in her kid's lives. Everyone should see this movie. I am planning a series on a week night which centers around inspirational movies about people who came out of great adversity and made a difference in their life or someone elses. Homeless to Harvard; October Sky; Johnny Lingo, are just three that come to mind.
What recommendations do you have for a series like this? I would show the film and then enter into a discussion afterwards about its relevance and the viewers could do differently to make adifference. I was just reading about Mr Holland's Opus but I have never seen that film. Please give me your suggestions.
What recommendations do you have for a series like this? I would show the film and then enter into a discussion afterwards about its relevance and the viewers could do differently to make adifference. I was just reading about Mr Holland's Opus but I have never seen that film. Please give me your suggestions.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Young Adult Service
Our second worship service at 12:15 pm is composed largely of young adults. There has been some discussion about making it more young adult friendly, such as edgier music, sermons topics more diretly related to young adults, video taping the service, streaming video the service. And so on. I need to hear from the young adults. What do you think? And more important how many of you would be willing to help plan and direct that kind of service in music, singing, drama, making of of video clips, ushering, and so on? Let's see how many people are reading this blog.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Bible--Casebook or Codebook?
When you read the Bible how do you approach it? How do you decide what to practice and what to discard? Take the following quiz and see how you come out. Look at what to do next at end of the 20 commands.
Write a "T" (today) beside each of the following statements that you believe should still apply to Seventh-day Adventists today.
Place a "NT" (not today) beside each statement that you believe no longer applies today. Do not answer according to what is practiced today but what you think the practice should be.
1. Whoever curses his father or mother shall be put to death (Exodus 21:17).
2. You may eat all you want from your neighbor's vineyard [garden] as long as you don't carry any produce away in a container (Deut. 23:24).
3. If a woman bear a male she shall be unclean seven days, but if a female she shall be unclean two weeks. If she bears a male she must wait 33 days to be purified from her bleeding but if a female 66 days (Lev.12:1-5).
4. He whose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assembly of the Lord (Deut. 23:1, NIV).
5. Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it (Lev. 19:26).
6. Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard (Lev. 19:27).
7. Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute (Lev. 19:29).
8. Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God (Lev. 19:32).
9. When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any related duty. He shall be free at home one year, to be happy with the wife whom he has married (Deut. 24:5).
10. If men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals, you shall cut off her hand; show no pity (Deut. 25:11, 12, NIV).
11. "But the priests (ministers) . . . are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment . . . they must not wear anything that makes them perspire" (Ezek. 44:15, 17, 18).
12. When you fast put oil on your head and wash your face (Matt. 6:17).
13. Men everywhere should raise their hands in prayer (1 Tim. 2:8).
14. Women should dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes (1 Tim. 2:9).
15. A woman must not teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent (1 Tim. 2:12).
16. The church elder must not be given to much wine (1 Tim. 3:2).
17. Provide for widows over sixty who have been faithful to their husbands but do not help those under sixty (1 Tim. 5:9-11).
18. Greet everyone with a holy kiss (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14).
19. Women must cover their heads when they pray (1 Cor. 11:5, 13, 15).
20. If your right hand causes you to sin cut it off (Matt. 5:30).
How many of you will practice all 20 today? If you do not, how did you decide? Does anything go when using the Bible or are there some core principles to guide us? What principles do you use that help you decide?
Write a "T" (today) beside each of the following statements that you believe should still apply to Seventh-day Adventists today.
Place a "NT" (not today) beside each statement that you believe no longer applies today. Do not answer according to what is practiced today but what you think the practice should be.
1. Whoever curses his father or mother shall be put to death (Exodus 21:17).
2. You may eat all you want from your neighbor's vineyard [garden] as long as you don't carry any produce away in a container (Deut. 23:24).
3. If a woman bear a male she shall be unclean seven days, but if a female she shall be unclean two weeks. If she bears a male she must wait 33 days to be purified from her bleeding but if a female 66 days (Lev.12:1-5).
4. He whose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assembly of the Lord (Deut. 23:1, NIV).
5. Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it (Lev. 19:26).
6. Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard (Lev. 19:27).
7. Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute (Lev. 19:29).
8. Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God (Lev. 19:32).
9. When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any related duty. He shall be free at home one year, to be happy with the wife whom he has married (Deut. 24:5).
10. If men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals, you shall cut off her hand; show no pity (Deut. 25:11, 12, NIV).
11. "But the priests (ministers) . . . are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment . . . they must not wear anything that makes them perspire" (Ezek. 44:15, 17, 18).
12. When you fast put oil on your head and wash your face (Matt. 6:17).
13. Men everywhere should raise their hands in prayer (1 Tim. 2:8).
14. Women should dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes (1 Tim. 2:9).
15. A woman must not teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent (1 Tim. 2:12).
16. The church elder must not be given to much wine (1 Tim. 3:2).
17. Provide for widows over sixty who have been faithful to their husbands but do not help those under sixty (1 Tim. 5:9-11).
18. Greet everyone with a holy kiss (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14).
19. Women must cover their heads when they pray (1 Cor. 11:5, 13, 15).
20. If your right hand causes you to sin cut it off (Matt. 5:30).
How many of you will practice all 20 today? If you do not, how did you decide? Does anything go when using the Bible or are there some core principles to guide us? What principles do you use that help you decide?
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
$5 million
If New Hope was to receive a New Year's gift of five million dollars how would you want the church to spend it? Would you spend the whole amount in one area or would you divide it up into smaller pieces? I could give you some ideas but I will leave it very general at the moment.
Friday, December 22, 2006
When will Christ return?
I have a unique theory of when Jesus will return. See if you agree or how you would describe his readiness to return.
In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said that this gospel of the kingdom would be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations and then the end would come. Later on in the same chapter he said that his coming would be as in the days of Noah when people were eating and drinking and were oblivious to the floods coming until it actually arrived.
Here is the BIG question. How can Jesus return if there are children constantly being born and growing into the age of accountability? Will Jesus save these children based on where their parents stand? Will Jesus save these children based on what decisions they would make if time was to last longer? Will Jesus treat them as if they have never lived? So since they have no chance of salvation they will not face punishment either.
2 Pter 3:9 says that God does not want anyone to perish but all come to salvation. I believe that Jesus gives us the clue in Matt. 24:36-39, being as in the days of Noah. The world had reached such a state of rebellion that no one was making a decision for God. Noah preached for 120 years and only his family entered the ark.
So today. The world will become worse and worse until evangelism dries up. No one is making a decision for Christ and it doesn't matter how many babies are born none of them will decide for Christ just as no one was making that decision in Noah's day. When this happens Jesus will return because there is no one left to save. What do you think?
In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said that this gospel of the kingdom would be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations and then the end would come. Later on in the same chapter he said that his coming would be as in the days of Noah when people were eating and drinking and were oblivious to the floods coming until it actually arrived.
Here is the BIG question. How can Jesus return if there are children constantly being born and growing into the age of accountability? Will Jesus save these children based on where their parents stand? Will Jesus save these children based on what decisions they would make if time was to last longer? Will Jesus treat them as if they have never lived? So since they have no chance of salvation they will not face punishment either.
2 Pter 3:9 says that God does not want anyone to perish but all come to salvation. I believe that Jesus gives us the clue in Matt. 24:36-39, being as in the days of Noah. The world had reached such a state of rebellion that no one was making a decision for God. Noah preached for 120 years and only his family entered the ark.
So today. The world will become worse and worse until evangelism dries up. No one is making a decision for Christ and it doesn't matter how many babies are born none of them will decide for Christ just as no one was making that decision in Noah's day. When this happens Jesus will return because there is no one left to save. What do you think?
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