Many years ago I had some church leaders who accused me of having too much power in the church. After consulting a dictionary, I discovered that "power" is defined as, "the possession of control, or authority over others." Their accusation seemed odd to me since the Lord himself said, "You know that the rulers of this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:25-28). In other words, Christ-followers are not seeking positions of power they can then use to control people's actions. But, Christ-followers should be concerned about the influence they exert because "influence" is defined as, "the capacity to effect or sway others." When Jesus said that Christ-followers are, "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:12), he was saying that true light always influences the dark (John 3:19-21). My response to them was, "all those who worship Jesus Christ should be influential. But, power is not a position Christians intentionally pursue."
Over the next three weekends, I am preaching a series of sermons entitled, "Our Amazing Influence." I don't think many of us understand just how far our influence reaches and we need to know that we are influencing other people, whether we realize it or not. The only question is, "how are we influencing people?" Are we influencing them for the good, or for the bad? Here are the titles for my sermons:
10/31 & 11/1 - - "The Amazing Influence of a Godly Man"
11/7 & 11/8 - - "The Amazing Influence of a Godly Woman"
11/14 & 11/15- - "The Amazing Influence of Godly Parents"
I hope to see you at one of our weekend worship services. For times, go to our church website at: www.newhopechristianchurch.net If you attend worship somewhere else or are unable to be present one of these weekends, you can listen to the podcast of each message by going to the same website. Let's ALL be the godly influence God has called us to be.

My Life Story

I mentioned in my sermon this past weekend (10/17&18/09), that sharing our faith with others involves knowing God's Story and knowing our story, as well (you can listen to the podcast of this message at http://www.newhopechristianchurch.net/). I Peter 3:15&16 says, "you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ." The question put to the congregation was, "How many of you know your story? How many of you can gently and respectfully share with others what your life looked like before you met Jesus Christ and what your life looks like after you met Jesus Christ?" I gave an assignment that everyone write down this week their life's story in 100 words or less and bring it next weekend to church. Our life story becomes the bridge God will use to transition from the everyday conversations we have with people, to the deeper spiritual conversations we need to have with people. If you'll also listen to the first two messages of this series (preached the first two weekends of October), you will know that we should pray and listen to God's Holy Spirit for the right time to share our life's story. Here is my life's story as an example for you in writing yours:

"I grew up with a tremendous need to please other people; to be affirmed, accepted, and appreciated by everyone. Consequently, I strove for excellence in everything I did; athletics, school, church, Boy Scouts, etc. But, no matter how many times I was affirmed by others, it never seemed to be enough. When I discovered Jesus Christ as my savior and friend, I also found the only affirmation I really need. My life now revolves around pleasing him not to earn his acceptance, but because he already loves me, forgives me, and accepts me the way I am."

I look forward to reading and hearing some of your life stories, as you prepare to always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have in Jesus Christ.

"What Am I Doing Here?" That is a question we all ask ourselves at one time or another. It is also a question that has haunted Jason ever since he heard his dad utter it just prior to his death several years ago. Fresh out of law school with an upcoming bar exam to prepare for, the highly motivated and strictly disciplined Jason returns to the small southern town he grew up in, to spend the summer studying. He reconnects with Paul (a 'shoulda been' actor who has just returned from Los Angeles) and Layla (an old friend who is engaged, but whose childhood crush on Jason suddenly reappears). But, it is a chance encounter with David (a pastor at a local church) which changes his life forever. David offers Jason a part-time summer job as a youth pastor, and Jason reluctantly accepts, caving into Layla's pressure and a need for cash. But, as Jason gets to know the youth and their struggles, he discovers a passion within that he didn't know was there. "The River Within" is a family movie shot on location along the Spring River in beautiful northeast Arkansas. The movie explores the idea that each of us has a purpose for our lives whether we know it or not.
The movie will be shown at the Plaza 9 theaters here in Marshalltown from October 23-29 and it will be the only showing in Iowa. It features Craig Luttrell, who once lived here, as Paul, the 'shoulda been' actor from LA. I'm sharing this information with you because Hollywood produces so many movies filled with either immoral sexual situations, extreme violence, demonic messages, and more that when a "family friendly" movie comes out, Christians need to support it. Our attendance at wholesome movies sends a signal to Hollywood that there are many out here who appreciate and attend movies with a good message. Grab the family and tell others to see, "The River Within".