Sermon Summary for 1/7/07

In our first House Worship, we had 14 in attendance. Then we had 20; and today we had 20 again!
Here's a summary of the sermon for the day. Enjoy!

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolution for changes in 2007?
Have you noticed that when you're having fun, TIME flies, but when you're in an unbearable situation, TIME seems to drag?
How many TIMES have you felt, "If I had to do it all over again, I would..."? Why, because we have learned something the 2nd TIME around that we didn't know before.
The theme of TIME is popular in the entertainment business, "Back to the Future," "Blast to the Past," "The Time Machine," etc.
TIME means different things to different people...to the Buddhists it is cyclical, with no beginning nor ending for the universe (although they do teach that there's a beginning for the Earth). To the Christians, however, TIME is like an "arrow," with a starting point when everything was created and an ending point when God will bring a close to human history.
Rather than catching a time machine to the future to see how customs and outlooks have changed (such as in the movie "Time Changer" where a scientist from 1890 visits the 21st century and is surprised to see how callous society has become), let's catch a "time machine" and go back in time to the 1st century and see how warm and intimate was the church founded by Jesus and the Apostles compared to the formalities typical of many institutionalized churches.
We know that Jesus came in the "fullness of time" and was born of a Virgin in Bethlehem (Eph. 1:7-10), all in fulfillment of ancient prophecies concerning the birth of Messiah.
When we read Eccl. 9:10-12, we can see that the wise Solomon saw that sometimes bad things DO happen to good people, and sometimes "bad" people DO prosper and get away with things.
The Bible says that our time is short, PS. 89:47. So where is time's arrow pointing to now?
If we're careful, we can discern the "signs" of the time (Matthew 16:3), that we live in perilous times during the "last" days (2 Tim. 3:1) when there'll be much immoralities.
"...for the time is near" (Rev. 1:3).
So what should we do (Acts 2:37)? "Let's hear the conclusion of the matter" (Eccl. 12:13-14), live lives of holiness, purity, and faithfulness to His Word!
How? Go back in time for the answer, restore the 1st century church in practice and purity!
The early church worshipped in various homes and took Communion on the 1st day of every week (Didache, "The Teachings of the Twelve, i.e., the Apostles). The idea of church buildings is fine when it serves the people, but it becomes oppressive when the idea is conveyed that this is where a person is SUPPOSE to worship, or where you HAVE to be baptized, or take Communion, etc. Read carefully the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman in John 4:19-24, it is NOT where you worship, but that you do so with sincerity "in spirit and in truth" that is pleasing to God. Let's be pleasing to Him and strive to do good and be pure of heart!
God bless you all!