Turning on the Lights! – Thursday August 22, 2024. Turning On the Lights for Thursday August 22, 2024 On fire today with the Truth!
We hit the ground running today talking theology, politics, good, evil and the judgment of Christ.
It is true that we are children of God and citizens of His Kingdom, but we are also called to denounce evil when it harms the bearers of His image.
We are called to be good citizens here in earth
We are called to never allow that to compromise our life in the Kingdom.
We do not allow evil to enter the church and we act against evil that is forced by law upon us – and
We are called to open our sanctuaries as they are vessels through which the Love of God and the Grace of God are offered to all who will repent.
May God bless you and keep you always – and in all ways.
This is a video recorded copy of the FaceBook Live event of Turning on the Lights! – Thursday, August 22, 2024. Watch here via the YouTube link!
This is an audio recorded copy of the FaceBook Live event of Turning on the Lights! – Thursday, August 22, 2024. Listen here or through your favorite podcast app!
This is a transcript from the audio of this episode of Turning on the Lights! – Thursday, August 22, 2024
Good morning. Good morning. My brothers and sisters and welcome to the school months additions of turning on the lights from the Church Town Church of God. Here we go walking into the sanctuary walking into the side room. This is where all the cool kids sit. Alright, Brady, huh? Right, Ryan, right, Bryn. All the cool kids sit here. I’m gonna sit here with the coolest kid of all sits. There we go. You know who you are looking out over the church. I’ve got it all set up. Yes. Yes. It’s Thursday morning, but remember during school, it’s gonna be Tuesdays and Thursdays. Why because I have to take my granddaughter to school Mondays and Fridays. Good morning Sandy and so instead of altering the time I altered the day, Tuesdays and Thursdays work and they’re gonna be working for the next several months while my little girl is in first grade. We’ll wait and see what second grade holds for us all but right now here we are Tuesdays and Thursdays roughly around 820. We’re getting it together. Aren’t we Lord? We’re holding it together this week. Aren’t we Lord? Oh my goodness. What a week. I’m not even gonna talk about it. But I got my I’ll tell you this much. I got my mother-in-law back and I got my dog back and so today is a good day. We’re gonna have some friends over for dinner tonight and you know what that means. It means I am going to smoke some ribs and make some mac and cheese. So after. Three days of just insanity. Three days of insanity. I’m gonna spend today cooking researching writing trying to prepare for Sunday. Sunday? What’s Sunday? It’s been I won’t even bore you with all the details. Father, thank you so much for the opportunity to be together this morning. We pray that your word will go out and be received by all who need to hear it in the name of Jesus Christ. Oh, amidst this wickedness of this world, dear Lord. May your light be may your word be light in Jesus name. Amen. And I’m telling you wicked world. There’s just there are things that you have to as a Christian like I am not a a political Christian, but as I posted earlier this week, it’s not that religion or Christianity or our theology has become more political. It’s that politics have become more theological. They’re messing right politics is messing with the image bearers of God. It’s messing with fundamental truths about the image bearers of God. Do we not say anything about that? It’s messing with the very life and the right to live when an image bearer of God is conceived. When an image bearer of God is conceived within that mother, there are two sets of DNA. There is no living thing, no living being of any sort that has two different sets of DNA. There are two different image bearers combined. Not combined, but coexisting together codependent in a good way. So that’s that’s the lot that you know and when you’re pressing your politics to kill everybody, we must speak against that when you’re pressing your politics to transform the image bearers of God to convince them that they are not male or female to convince them that you should take this gift that you have been given this body and it’s okay to mutilate it to change it chemically or physically. Those are political movements and they are theological realities. So no, it’s not like the church is all of a sudden. No, the church hasn’t become more political and I’m not gonna preach this candidate that candidate, whatever I’m going to put the facts out there as to who believes what and we must maintain what we know to be true as Christians. We must also maintain and that includes I should say not also maintain, but that includes the grace that is afforded by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who may have walked these paths. We cannot hold our noses in the air as though we have not done anything that stinks in our lives that we have not sinned that we have not betrayed other people and betrayed our Lord. We must extend the grace and let every individual know maybe they’ve walked one of these paths of which I just spoke that the church is open. Grace is here. Repent the kingdom of God is at hand and he wants you to be a child in the kingdom of God. And some of the things that you hear about from quote unquote progressive Christianity and all that he will meet you where you are that’s true. He will meet you where you are, but he will transform you. This is the one piece that I do feel at times at least the church doesn’t put out there nearly enough. Whatever sin you have committed if it is abortion, if you were lost and you tried to transform your body if you were lost and you’ve done these things come come back home. Come back home the grace of God encompasses you come back home come out of the darkness come into the light come home. I pray to God that there are more churches and I’m going to brag here, but there are more churches like the Church Town Church of God come in come into the Church Town Church of God experience the love of Christ that flows through his children. Repent and lay your life at the feet of Jesus and you will see how other people do it and and you will have arms wrapped around you literally or spiritually, whichever you may prefer. Come home if you’re lost come home. If you have sinned and you think that your sin is too much, you know how many times when I talk about my vocation and I know my pastor friends who may be watching get this all the time. Oh my goodness. If I walked into your church, the walls would fall down. No they won’t. I’ll get struck by lightning people around me will get killed. No it won’t happen. You know why because the exact opposite of what you’re saying is the truth at least in a Christian church. It should be the truth welcome welcome home. Welcome home. Weary sinner welcome home prodigal son welcome home you who are lost you are found you who are blind you will see welcome home. So there’s my opening salvo we see and we hear the doubles speak and the and I’m not the political season can be so frustrating, but I want you to be assured of a couple of things one. I hate to say it doesn’t matter, but here’s the deal. We are called to do our diligence as Christians and research these candidates and get the best information that we can and vote based on the best information that we can gather. You are called to do your civic duty. So do it whether you believe it matters or not at this point in time. It’s still available to us. We’re we should still do that in two things are true at the same time as we do our diligence as citizens. We dwell as citizens of the kingdom of God so regardless of outcome, we are secure. Our hearts are at peace. I guess three things can be true all at the same time we do our diligence. We vote based on the best information we have, which should be in accordance with our faith. We are peaceful regardless of the outcome because we know that we are citizens of heaven. We know that we are citizens of the kingdom of God and the third thing that is simultaneously true is what I opened up with we do not allow evil to enter the church. We do not and we speak against we act against evil that is being forced by law upon God’s image bearers. Those three things can be simultaneously true and a fourth thing four things that are simultaneously true. The church is sanctuary. Four things that are true. Hey man, good so you’ve had that experience. I’ve had that experience too Barb. So there we go four things that are simultaneously true. We do our diligence as citizens. We dwell as citizens of the kingdom of God, a royal priesthood of believers. We. Speak against and act against evil that is by law forced upon us. And we open those Dagon church doors and let every sinner know regardless of the path they’ve chosen chosen grace forgiveness is available. There we go. I really do hope that that is some sort of an encouragement. Oh certainly we are tangled up in it. Now we live in that messy intersection of the physical and the spiritual. We live in this messy in between time when even these redeem human beings redeemed by the power of God mess up all the time. We live in this messy time when we must get in front of the mirror every day. Know who we are know who God is dwell in the power of God put one foot in front of the other. And seek his will his kingdom above all else. Piece of cake right Christians. Meanwhile, as we try to live this life of grace and peace and forgiveness, we’re called every name in the book and our churches are burned and we’re beaten up in the streets and this is in America. Around the world, we dare not stick our head out lest it be locked off in many places. There’s power in the name of Jesus. He alone is worthy. Why do you think why do you think every false religion every atheistic religion like Marxism and communism and fascism? Why do you think the focus would focus? They focus on their enemy. Who is their enemy? Jesus Christ and his followers not focusing on other leaders of false religions or cults or political movements. You’re focusing on Jesus Christ and his followers. There’s power in the name of Jesus. He alone is worthy. That’s what we’re focused on here at Church Town. He alone is worthy and we’re going to examine Jesus Christ. We’re going to look at him from every angle. We look from the prophetic last week and we’re going to begin to look at him and his actions and his sovereignty this week. His sovereignty over the earth. His sovereignty over the physical is what we will begin to look at this week. The miracles that demonstrate the sovereignty over the physical. I’m fired up. I got a lot of work to do because of the past 3 days. Like I said. Cracking the Bible was. Not in the cards. But I got my mother-in-law back. Praise God. I got my dog back. Praise God. We got holes in the church that are filled now. You guys heard that on Tuesday. Praise God. Mega church pastoring baby. It’s what it’s all about. I also have on a more serious note another. It’s not a distraction another aspect of this week is a family friend has passed and I’ve been working with the wife and counseling and grief and preparing the funeral. The viewing was yesterday. The services on Saturday. Your prayers are always appreciated. Tracy send me a message please about your dad when you get a chance been praying hard. Just know if you attend church town regardless of what I might be experiencing throughout my week. You are being prayed over. You’re being prayed over. But at any rate, so that’s on Saturday as well. I need to bear down and focus on Saturday and that funeral and Sunday. The miracles of Jesus that demonstrate his sovereignty over the physical so yeah, I’ll take all the prayers you got. This is all leading up to the passion of the Christ Matthew 25 and is it was been good. I hope so too miss you miss your smiling face like hi Tracy. It’s just like boom sunshine. All leading up to the final. Episode right the plot to kill Jesus. Thank you and I do appreciate that like I said, it’s very much reciprocated very much so praying praying is to use the modern term praying is my safe space. The world can be spinning. And I go in prayer and sometimes it’s random sometimes I’m just here there and everywhere and people and situations are just coming to me and sometimes it’s very methodical because as I stand at the pulpit like I said, I could probably do the count every week two hours after the service because I see everybody’s face and there is that whole church thing about when people people usually sit in the same spot every week so so then I’ll just go through where everybody is in the sanctuary and pray over them and and that’s my that’s my rejuvenation. That’s my recentering. That is my safe space safe spiritual space me and him and you, I guess. We thought we’ve been we’ve been talking Matthew 25 raise your hand if you’ve been reading and rereading this chapter you should be. You don’t have to raise your hand, but it is pivotal. It is a chapter that is transitional leading from the life and ministry of Jesus. It well, it’s not that his passion is his his trial his death his resurrection was not part of his ministry and who he was but you get what I’m saying the life and ministry of Jesus through that last section of his life and resurrection. This is the transitional chapter if you will speaking about being prepared and being filled with God’s Holy Spirit speaking about living in the Kingdom of God, which may not be fully understood at that time, but certainly will be within this generation right making the most out of the gifts that you’ve been given by the Lord whether you’ve been given one bag or three bags and now he’s going to speak about what happens if you ignore all of this. What happens if you ignore his life and his times and his teaching what happens if you deny the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ and who is responsible. For your soul your spirit one again as we work through this relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you are partly responsible. Those who persevere to the end will be saved profess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord and you will be saved need I go on. Who does that saving of course that we’ve been talking about that from the beginning the grace the forgiveness of sin, the blood poured out for the forgiveness of sin. There is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood and God man shed his blood for you. Your sins are forgiven given repent turn lay your life at the feet of Jesus and experience the transformational grace the transformational power of God’s Holy Spirit in your life. You will be as complete as you can be as a human being on this planet right now. That’s the promise. You will be as the kids say the best version of yourself truly. Because the transformational power of God’s Holy Spirit will see to that you are transformed your sin is forgiven. You walk in the way of the Lord. You walk in the way you seek his will you learn you grow and you become the child of God that he sees it’s magnificent. Powerful and anything but boring anything but boring. Learn grow become go. That’s what we say here at Churchtown because we got this thing about disciple making right. We talk about disciples. Well disciples, you know people talking about Jesus aren’t necessarily disciples. You want good disciples. You don’t want people going off half baked talking about things of which they don’t really know and are not able to answer any significant questions about you want to learn grow become that disciple now go learn grow become go. You want to take that I’m on fire for Jesus and you want to temper it into red hot coals that last a lifetime and you go. Let’s get into the word. Let’s be able to answer all of those gotcha questions. Remember all of those enemies we spoke about earlier. Who are they focusing on you as a Christian because they’re focusing on Jesus Christ. How about all the gotcha questions that are out there? Can you answer? Can you direct in scripture? Can you have a calm conversation? So I’m gay so I’m going to hell. Well, if you would if you would like to talk about. How scripture addresses healthy human sexuality. I’d love to have that conversation with you if you’re willing to listen what you do with that information is absolutely yours. But I am not the judge of whether or not you go to heaven or hell. I will share with you what the word teaches me. Or okay. You never know, but are you able then to have that longer deeper conversation that encompasses the depth and the breadth of scripture and what scripture has to say about healthy human sexuality from the beginning in Genesis through the end in Revelation. There’s a lot there. From adultery to homosexuality and everything in between we need to learn that we need to grow. We need to become good disciples. Now we go. And that’s where the church needs needs to do the work. That’s where your local pastor needs to get down and do the work and the teaching and grow a congregation that is hungry, not you grow it. You know what I’m saying everybody and that congregation wants more and and and ministries as we say begin to grow, you know organically from the congregation and we want more. We want to know more. We want to know God. We want to know each other. We want to learn and grow and become. That’s all inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. Well, I’m going to have to get going and I have we haven’t finished Matthew 25 yet. It’s been a good morning though. It’s been a good morning. When the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He’s the judge. Judge not man Jesus didn’t judge Jesus is the judge people. He says he did not come to condemn people, but those who know who he is or all and and deny him are already condemned because he walked the face of the planet and we know who he is and we know what he did. And now you say, okay, nope, I deny that. You bring condemnation upon yourself in many ways as we say our gracious God gives you what you desire. I desire my own fleshly ways. I desire the ways of the world. I don’t want regeneration by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. I want this okay. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the king will say to those on his right come you who are blessed by my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world for I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger. You invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me. These are all things we talked about the morning earlier on Tuesday when the internet was going in and out and in and out. They really are indicative of living life as a Holy Spirit filled Christian. It’s not that you seek out all of these particular instances and want to do just those particular instances. What he’s saying is you are salt and light. You are living with the love of God in you and you demonstrate it. You love God with all of your heart soul strength and mind and you love your neighbor as yourself. This is the greatest. Commandment. So that’s what we’re talking about here. Are you living life as a disciple of Christ, regardless of who you are presenting that love of Christ to? And it says the king will say, I tell you the truth when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me. Love God love your neighbor. Then the king will turn to those on the left and say away with you. You cursed ones into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. Okay. That’s Jesus speaking. I think we ought to listen. And it’s not like you see critics of the scripture saying, well, God’s just holding this big sword over our neck saying love me or I’ll kill you. No. He’s saying that there is the reality of heaven and hell. There is the reality of good and evil. There is the reality. Of regeneration through faith in Christ or living in the ways of the world under the small G God of this world, the opposer of God’s will. Those are realities, not threats. He will say to those who are blessed, you are blessed. Enter the kingdom of God. You have persevered to the end. Enter the kingdom of God. He will say those who have denied the Christ. You are cursed. You wanted to be cursed and you are cursed. That’s reality. That’s not a threat. To deny heaven and hell, to deny good and evil. That’s exactly what the opposer of God’s will wants us to do. None of it exists. None of it matters. There are no moral standards. There is no right and wrong. There is no good and evil. Right. Okay. And we see God’s passive wrath today. Romans one and two when he removes his word from the people and they are left to their own devices. Look what’s going on. Look what’s going on. Look what’s going on at that convention. There’s an abortion clinic set up outside the convention so you can kill babies while they’re speaking. Okay, that’s fine. It’s neither right nor wrong. And you got a warped moral compass if you believe that. Then they will reply, “Lord,” and he says, “I was thirsty. You didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger. You didn’t invite me.” In other words, you did not love your neighbor. You loved yourself. They replied, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and not help you?” He will answer, “I tell you the truth. When you refused to help the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. You did not love the Lord. You did not love your neighbor. You loved yourself and your wealth and your status, your position, your ego. You determined for you what was right and wrong. You denied God’s word. You denied God’s Savior, the Savior of Christ. You got what you wanted, and they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.” It doesn’t get any more clear than that. Who’s preaching that these days? They’re not preaching it because we feel like it is going to seem like, “Oh, love me or I’ll kill you.” That’s not it. And this is where being a disciple that is steeped in the word is necessary because now you can talk about good and evil, where it comes from, why it exists, and the reality of God’s teaching about it, that you are a very special creation. You’re not a beast of the field. You are an image bearer of Yahweh, the Most High. You are a spiritual being with consciousness, with creativity, spiritual being in this physical body. You’re unique. And here’s the reality of your life. A beast of the field does not need to think about these things. We do because we are uniquely made as God’s image bearers, and that’s the truth. Father, we pray that the truth will set so many free today that your kingdom of God will grow exponentially this day. And over the weekend, Lord, as churches open their doors, we pray that they act like churches as sanctuaries, and your word is brought forth purely and simply and well taught. All eyes are on you for you, dear Lord, are the only one worthy of our worship in Jesus name. Amen. It’s Thursday, but normally we’re gonna say on Friday. I’ll either say I’ll see you in church, which doors here at Churchtown are always open wherever you are. Come on. You think I was joking earlier? Do you think that I was just saying things earlier? Maybe you’re hearing this and you’re fairly local and whatever the case may be, you wanna put our congregation to the test. Come on in. You’ll experience the love of God, but wherever you are, we pray God’s churches will open as sanctuaries for sinners and your word will permeate souls and change lives in Jesus name. Amen. I intend to have a blessed day, Barbara. It’s hard to say I deserve one, but I feel like I deserve one. So we’re gonna get after it. Alright, we’re coming all the way from Vermont to church on Sunday. Alright, we love you guys and hey, I’ll see you in
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