Date: 2/25/2017 Title: The Price of Discipleship Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 10:34-39
Salvation costs us nothing, but discipleship costs us everything. Salvation does not cost us anything as it is predicated on faith alone; however, being his disciple and living for Him is costly. This is something that Jesus reminded his Apostles in Matthew 10, and also reminds us. The question remains, are we willing to pay the price?
Date: 2/19/2017 Title: Faith in the Face of Persecution Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus promises that as we live and minster for Him we would face persecution. The question is how are we to respond in the face of persecution. In Matthew 10 Jesus exhorts us not to respond in fear, but in faith.
Date: 2/12/2017 Title: The Opportunities of Persecution Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 10:16-25
Whether intentionally or unintentionally we can misrepresent or misunderstand the effects of the gospel on our life in this world. We tell people that once they come to Christ that He will make everything in this life easier or comfortable. We paint a picture that once you come to Christ, you will frolic through meadows, like the opening of “Little House on the Prairie” until Jesus comes. Liking the sound of this, people “come to Christ.” But, when trouble, suffering, hard times, and persecution come, they fall away from the faith. Why? Because they feel as though they were part of some cosmic bait and switch. Yet, what are they actually falling away from? Is it Christ, or is it the false impression of the Christian life we have portrayed in our gospel message? You see, they wanted the benefits of being a Christian, without paying the price.
In Matthew chapter 10, as Jesus is sending His Apostles out into the world for ministry, he warns them that they would face stark persecution in response, but with that would come tremendous opportunities for the Kingdom of God. Likewise, for us, although salvation is free, serving the kingdom of God for which we now live comes with a price of persecution. Yet, God gives us Kingdom opportunities in the midst of that persecution.
Date: 2/5/2017 Title: God’s Mission Briefing Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 10:5-15
When it comes to serving God we often feel as though we have been given a mission without a briefing. We believe that God has called us to go into all the world and preach the gospel, but we think it is up to ourselves to come up with the strategy, the objectives, the equipment, and the overall plan. So, we either start grasping for straws at what to do or, worse yet, we stay in the relative safety of our churches and do not go. Yet, God has left us with instructions. In Matthew 10 Jesus instructs his Apostles on what they are to do as they were sent. Although these are specific instructions given to them and their call to ministry, this passage provides us with biblical principles that apply to God’s sending of us.