Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
The TWW community would love to pray for you!
Please include your prayer request in the comment section of this post.
Tropical Rainforest Overlooking Ocean, El Yunque, Puerto Rico
Please keep those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in your prayers, especially the residents of Puerto Rico.
Here is our Order of Worship
A Prayer by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) link
Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbour
where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go.
And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring hardship and danger
in your name we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen
Prayer of Benedict of Nursia (c. 480–547) link
O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
and a life to proclaim you;
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Scripture Reading: Luke 19:11-27 (NASB Bible Gateway)
Parable of Money Usage
While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. The first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ He *said to him, ‘By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’ Then he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’ I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”
The Lord's Prayer (traditional)
Taken from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 1662 link
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
Benediction
Jude 1:24-25 (NASB Bible Gateway)
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
FIRST!
2
Can we pray for Puerto Rico and please for the politics to stop and can we just help these people. I gave what I can now hope to have more to give later.
Wade,
Thank you for this message. Appreciate your words:
“Christ is interested in our faithfulness in telling rather than our success in converting. The return is up to Him.”
I’ve always wondered about the ‘reward’ system He uses and this is quite helpful.
Can you guys pray for me? –church-related issues/anxiety.
Thanks!
@ Melissa:
praying for you Melissa.
From today’a passage:
When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done.
and..
Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’
I struggle with this passage as it comes across (to me) as a fearful threat by Jesus. I also hear, as in the verses mentioned, a tinge of “earning” a reward in heaven. Those perceptions of mine seem to contradict the very nature of other scriptures where Jesus speaks of rest, avoiding worry, etc.
Regardless, I so appreciate your gift of teaching, Wade, and hopefully I can “unlearn” some of my misconceptions with time.
And I hope it’s not inappropriate to say this, but I thought your shirt was beautiful! After all, I often hear compliments given to women and how lovely and/or beautiful they are, so I’m hoping I’m not out-of-order by my complimenting your shirt.
@ Melissa: Praying for you.
Victorious,
Thanks for the compliments – for both the sermon and the shirt! 🙂
Kathy, thanks for listening as well, and for the comment.
I’m glad the explanation regarding “rewards” helped!
And, very grateful Deb spends the faithful, countless hours, putting up E-Church weekly. It’s a blessing indeed.
One comment not approved. Boy, was that nasty!
Why when preaching a sermon do pastors feel the need to raise their voices?
When someone raises their voice at someone, that person is made to feel uncomfortable even it they have done nothing wrong.
Sopwith wrote:
A monotone wouldn’t hold anyone’s interest would it? Perhaps it’s enthusiasm about the message. I think the voice and the tone reflects what’s in one’s heart and sometimes the urgency of getting the message across in the way it’s felt by the speaker.
Just a few thoughts….
Q. Will God really hurt you if you don’t share the gospel?
Sopwith wrote:
Hi Sopwith,
We, myself included, need to be mindful that everything is not filtered through the lens of ‘feelings.’ It is so prevalent in our culture, and we all pick up on it all day long. It is called sensuality – of the senses, what I can feel.
If we are truly partakers of the Gospel, the question is more like, Why would I not want to share the Gospel with others? When I walk into my church in suit and tie, I hear the folks in lawn mowing attire say: You don’t have to. My reply is: I get to. I do think it is more than just perspective, though.
I think it is more like we hurt ourselves by our rebellious behavior, than that God hurts someone. Even his judgments upon people are meant first of all to effect repentance/correction (a good thing), then as justice, and also to encourage the righteous. There is also the endurance of suffering that proves faith.
We do need to remember that God is not servant to a justice system. Justice emanates from Him and serves His Will. We can trust His good Will towards us. All of His-story tells us so.
___
TEDSgrad,
HowDee,
SKreeeeeeetch!
What we have here is failure to communicate…
Respectfully, i implied nothing about [MY] ‘feelings’…
I wrote: (1) “Why when preaching a sermon why do pastors feel the need to raise their voices?”(2) “When someone raises their voice at someone, that person [is made to feel] uncomfortable even if they have done nothing wrong.”(3) “Will God really hurt you if you don’t share the gospel?”
(A) I attempted to convey that Wade Burleson seems to raise his voice during his sermons.
(B) I attempted to convey that the raising of the voice makes people (anyone) feel uncomfortable.
(C) I attempted to convey that Wade Burleson implies in his sermon that God will really hurt you if you don’t share the gospel.
*
“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!”
ATB
Sòpy
___
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lm_IoyMC3l0
😉
– –
Sopwith wrote:
Wow Sopy! If you are bothered by Wade's raised voice, you should have heard the pastor in a Southern Baptist church I used to attend. I listened to the entire sermon and don't believe anyone would be hurt by Wade's voice inflections or by what he shared.
I”m sorry, Sopwith,
After reading your explanation, I see where I was mis-interpretting.
Thank you for correcting me.
__
@ TEDSgrad ,
It was good advice never the less— thank you!
Faithful are the wounds of a friend!
ATB
Sòpy
—
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzhk2aheNfI
😉
– –
___
Wasted Words: “Bring Me Higher Love, Perhaps?”
Deb,
hey,
Prayer, fasting, and a calm sharing of the words of God works real tangible wonders; as you are well aware the Word of God is spiritually discerned.
Therefore, all the inflection (good or bad) [although it sure helps(tm) ] really in the world it won’t make no never mind.
SKreeeeeetch!
—> If you want real tangible results(tm) you have ta speak softly and boldly…
—>Let His Word do the rest!
As for a pastor implying our Lord Jesus hurts His people for not sharing the Gospel —the Good News of Jesus Christ with their neighbors, well that is simply rubbish. 501(c)3 pastoral folks dat say such things simply don’t know Him very well. (sadface)
♪♩♪♩ hum, hum, hum …think about it, there must be higher love
Down in folks hearts or manifest in the heart of God
Without it, life is wasted time
Look inside your heart, I’ll look inside mine
Things look so bad in America everywhere
In this microcosm world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be…
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, oh
Bring me a higher love
Where’s that higher love, the Bible is speaking of?
This religious world is warbling and we’re just hanging on
Facing our fears and standing out there alone sometimes
But they’res a yearning, and it’s real to me
There must be someone who’s believing in Jesus! , and His Good News! (1)
Bring me His higher ❤️…
IMP
ATB
Sòpy
___
(1) Gracefully Adapted. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CsS4xlHKnpw
😉
– –
@ Sòpwith:
Letting you have the final word, Sopy.
Sopy,
At the dinner table when I say, “Will you please pass the salt” it’s usually a passionate request. 🙂 I get passionate about history, sports, family, life in general – but most of all, the gospel of grace.
I really appreciate you sharing how you do not like my tone inflections, raised voice, and passion in speaking. I grew up in an era of orators, and I do admit that my style is not comfortable to some, including you. The Kingdom fo God is really big, and I tell people all the time, that the Spirit may desire you to join another church, or listen to another preacher, or hear someone other than I.
Some like my style, some don’t. Some like my tonal inflections, some don’t. Some like the way I dress, some don’t. All have a right to not only express their opinion, but every single person’s opinion is reality for that person. You don’t like the way I speak, I get it. You’ll find that my acceptance of those who don’t like me is real and genuine. You’ll also find that because I’m the same way in my personal life as I am when publicly speaking, there will be no change because of your assessment of me.
Appreciate your comment and I always thank Deb for letting folks share freely and honestly.