1 Corinthians 4.1-5

This Sunday I will be focusing on 1 Corinthians 4.1-5. In verse 5 it says: "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart." So often we want to say things like "they'll get theirs", when someone does us wrong. In that statement we are thinking ----- they have done harm to us and now God will get them back. This ends up coming off as vengeful. But, we must pay special attention to this verse that urges us to remember who the real judge is. The one who knows the secrets of all our hearts ---- even our own. By knowing that Jesus is the judge of the secrets of our hearts, does that change our tone when we desire to judge others?

John Huss

I was sitting and preparing for Ash Wednesday and I thought of this video that I had seen many years ago. This is the end of a segment on a man named John Huss. I would encourage you to learn more about John Huss. He wanted the "common" people to be able to read the holy scriptures. Therefore, he was a proponent of the bible being written in the vernacular of the people. If you cannot see this video then follow this link.

1 Corinthians 3.10-23

This coming Sunday we will be focusing on 1 Corinthians 3.10-23. In this portion of the letter to the church in Corinth Paul brings up the metaphor of building. Earlier, in verse 9 he said that the church is "God's building". As God's building, our foundation is to be Jesus Christ (verse 11). From that foundation we are to build the building -- to build the church. Paul says in verse 10: "Each builder must choose with care how to build on it." The question that I have for us today ----- and when I say us, I mean the church ----- the question is: are we choosing with care how to build God's church? Are we using gold, silver, and precious stones? (Like Paul tells us to in verse 12) Or are we using wood, hay, and straw? It would be really strange to build a really straight wall ------ using stones ----- and then half way up start using some hay and then some wood and then some straw. And paste on top of that a roof. What does this God's house look like? How is God's building project going in your life?

Lay Witness Mission Weekend

At Warren's Grove we will be hosting a Lay Witness Mission Weekend on March 4th - 6th. I want to invite all of you to come out for this awesome event. This is an opportunity to grow in our faith and to grow in our knowledge and love of God. This starts on Friday, March 4th at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. If you need more information please email me and I will email you back philipchryst@gmail.com To see the video that accompanies this click here.

1 Corinthians 3.1-9

This coming Sunday I we will be focusing on 1 Corinthians 3.1-9. In this passage there is a very famous verse that goes like this: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (3.6). We could look at this verse and pull from it that there are different tasks that we all have to be about in the church. That for some they are to be planters and for some they are to be waterers. But, that is not the point. The point is that the Lord is the one who loves the church and cares for the church and died for the church. Because of that the Lord is the one who is to be in charge of the church and we are not called to be a people that cling to a certain human (ie. Paul or Apollos). Instead, the Lord of the church grows us as his children. A children that he loves and cares for. Our identity is in the one who owns us ----- for we are his. Just like it says in verse 9: "For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building." The question that I would like to leave for us today is this: in what ways is God growing us as the church today?