So What Are You Advertising?

Recently, a Lancaster man was arrested on the suspicion of breaking into and burglarizing a local bowling alley. Now I am not sure of the evidence which pointed police in this man's direction, but I did hear of some evidence that appears to confirm his guilt. When arrested, the suspect was wearing a brand new sweatshirt ... bearing the name of the bowling establishment! Put that together with the fact that at least one such sweatshirt was listed among the stolen goods ... and voila! Nothing like advertising your guilt!

We as Christ followers can learn something from this. Really, John? Yep! Like this alleged burglar, we also need to be involved in advertising ... not our guilt but rather God's grace. What I am referring to is the gospel of course. This gospel is the GOOD NEWS that God so loved me (in spite of who I was ... a rebel who wanted absolutely nothing to do with HIM) that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16). His Son humbled Himself, came to this earth as one of us and eventually died a violent death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). And why did Jesus Christ do this? In order to face a righteous God's wrath against our sin so that we would never have to do so! (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10)  As a result we can enjoy a relationship with the Living God! (1 Peter 3:18; John 17:3). 

So .... my question for all of us this morning is this: "What is it that we are advertising in our lives?" I hope and pray that increasingly the answer to that question will be "The gospel of Jesus Christ!" 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj 

What's the Big Deal About Worship?

In just a few hours, the family here at Grace will gather to worship our God. Why is it so important that we do so? Consider the following quote by Manley Beasley, a prominent Southern Baptist evangelist who ministered in the middle to later years of the 20th century:

"'A glimpse of God will save you. To gaze at Him will sanctify you."

Right on brother Beasley!  


Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Peanut Butter and Evangelism

Recently the media has issued the follow warning: Shoppers prepare yourselves, the price of peanut butter is going up ... way up!"  And when they say "way up" the media is not in this case guilty of overhype. J.M. Smucker Co. which makes Jiff peanut butter has announced a 30% increase. Other pb makers have also announce planned increases ... some as high as 40%. What does this mean for the average consumer? According to the National Peanut Board based in Atlanta, this cost increase will add about 4 cents to the cost of a pb and jelly sandwich. Now that might not sound like much ... but when you take into account the fact that Americans eat enough pb each year to make approximately 10 billion pb and jelly sandwiches ... that 4 cents adds up ... to a total of $400 million!  Wow!  That's a pile of money that could be spent on other things!

Why the increase? Simply put it's Economics 101. The supply of peanuts is down (due to the drought in the American South) while the demand is up. That equals higher prices!  Now since I LOVE my peanut butter giving it up is not an option. So I plan to spread it on a bit more thin. Perhaps with this strategy I can keep my increase to just a penny a sandwich! All this to say ... this painful-to-my-wallet jack in the price of pb is due to a lousy harvest!

Just the other day as I was reading through the gospel of Matthew, I came across a verse in which Jesus talks about a harvest. But he was not talking about a harvest of peanuts. Here is what he said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 13:37-38). The harvest he was referencing was the harvest of souls. Note he calls it "plentiful." So there is a lot of harvesting to be done ... but the problem is that there are not enough workers to do the harvesting! So he urges us to pray that the Lord Himself would send workers out into the harvest. So ... let's pray ... and let's also be part of the answer to this prayer. As we go through our routine, let's do our best to point people to Jesus Christ! 


Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Thursday's A La Carte Offerings

Hey it's Thursday ... that means it a la carte day. Enjoy!

1. How does God speak to us today? Tim Challies has some great insights in answer to this question.

2. As Christians, we often refer to the truth that God is sovereign. But what is he actually sovereign over? Check out Justin Taylor's (gospel coalition) list. Quite encouraging!

3. Here is a video (6:56) in CEEF's "Ask the Counselor" series in which David Powlison discusses what the Bible says about divorce and remarriage. 


4. Here is another brief video (2:00) with John MacArthur talking about the interceding of the Holy Spirit on our behalf.

5. On a lighter note ... a video (2:34) featuring one of my favorite animated character from the Ice Age series of films.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Let My People Think!

There are times when I look at what people do and I ask myself, “WHAT were they thinking?”  That question popped into my mind as I viewed the evening news recently. Shawn Wiemer, a Detroit area man, made a 3 AM stop at a convenience store. The clerk, taking note that Wiemer was drunk, must have asked him if he was driving. Wiemer quickly pointed out that he brought a designated driver along ... his 9 year old daughter!  To read more about this bizarre story, check out a Los Angeles local newscast coverage of the story. 

Many people today just don’t think (OK, perhaps their situation is not as extreme as the situation above – but people would rather be entertained and amused today than think).  God calls His people to THINK!  In 1 Peter 1:13, Peter tells us that we must be “preparing our MINDS for action.”  Jesus Himself told us we are to love the Lord our God “with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our MIND” (Matthew 22:37).  So God calls out to all of us, “Let my people think!”  If you need some guidance on what you need to think about, open your Bible and read Philippians 4:8 and THINK! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

When You Need Help . . .

There is a rather bizzare movement that has taken hold in America ... and I am not talking about the "Occupy Broad Street" movement. Unlike the "occupy" movement which is anti-corporate greed, this movement is all about anti-crime. It has been fueled in part by the rash of superhero films that have made it to the screen in the past few years (think Spiderman, Batman, Ironman, the Green Lantern, Captain America ... just to name a few). Inspired by these comic book world superheroes, a growing number are donning superhero costumes in the real world. And they are doing their best to go after the bad guys. Take for example, Benjamin Foder. His hero name is Phoenix Jones and as PJ (Phoenix Jones) he wears a black mask and a matching muscle body suit. He belongs to a Seattle area group of superheros known as the Rain City Superhero Movement. These individuals all don various superhero outfits as they do their part in attempting to keep crime in check.To read more about this phenomena, check out the real life superheroes web site (the site lists approximately 600 members worldwide.)

Being a guy who has seen a few superhero movies and in my youth read more than a few superhero comics, I must admit I kinda like the idea of a superhero appearing out of nowhere in my hour of need. But really, I don't need a superhero. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe dwelling inside of me in the person of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:15-17).  So why would I need some guy in a cape to save me when God's Spirit is always with me? I think I will take my chances with God. How about you?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

iWill Connect: Sunday October 16, 2003

Technology can be quite useful in life ... except for those times when it doesn't work at all. That was the case this morning. Our computer in our sanctuary was very uncooperative and therefore we were unable to use our projector. So for those in our our early service, I have posted my message slides from this morning.

Fall 2011 i will connect- oct 16 p js sermon slides (2)

View more presentations from John Smith

Thanks for stopping by . . . pj