For Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday I have a message on Jesus and justice. Our nation is deeply divided, and the divisions have spilled over into the American Church. Political extremism has strengthened the problem of segregation amongst the churches. Don’t expect my message to win the applause of either the Left or the Right. It will be a pastoral talk with a prophetic element aiming to help all of us to represent Jesus well amidst the present politically polarizing climate.
Ephesians: Submit to One Another
Ephesians 5: 21
In western American culture "submit" is an unpopular word, but Jesus' view of submitting is different, being Holy Spirit-led and full of humility. In this message John Michaelson unpacks what it means as a church to be mutually submissive to each other, looking at Christ's character as a reference.
Ephesians: Giving Thanks
Ephesians 5:20
One of the most basic evidences of a life filled with the Spirit is a strong practice of expressing thanks. Without the filling of the Spirit, even if we are Christians, we easily fall into grumbling and grumpiness, discontentment and resentment. Christian gratitude is not dependent on things going well in the present circumstance. We are taught to look beyond the present and rejoice that our God is working all things together for good. We may not always understand why things happen as they do but we can trust the Father knows what He’s doing.
Christmas Eve 2020
Luke 2:8-20
This message focuses on the shepherds in the Christmas story. The revelation of Christ's birth to shepherds demonstrates how God's glory is manifested in unlikely places and in personal ways.
Ephesians: Sing, Sing, Sing!!!
Ephesians 5:19
This message is about singing and making melody to the Lord with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19). It is part of the preceding verse that exhorts us to be filled with the Spirit. The writer (Paul the Apostle) is encouraging us in one of the most basic and common ways to be filled with the Spirit, namely, singing! This teaching explores how singing from the heart can drench us with the joy of the Spirit. It is an encouragement to fill our lives with songs, to join the innumerable angels in festal gathering (Heb 12:22), to sing to the Lord a new song! Even amidst a pandemic and global problems mounting, we can sing with the choirs of angels — “Glory to God in the highest.” A Savior has come and it is good and fitting to make a joyful noise!
Ephesians: Be Filled with the Spirit
Ephesians 5:18
“Be filled with the Spirit.” What does that mean? In the wider Church, the Holy Spirit often gets either restricted to just producing virtue or He is credited for doing bizarre confusing works. What are the manifestations of the Spirit? When Christians are filled with the Spirit what should be expected? Is the Spirit still at work today the way He was 2000 years ago in the early Church? Are we filled with the Spirit? What works do we do that cannot be explained in any other way than by the Holy Spirit? This message will essentially explore what it means to be filled with the Spirit and why it’s so important in accomplishing the mission of the Church to reconcile people to God.
Ephesians: Wisdom on Drinking
Ephesians 5:18
As Ren unpacks Ephesians 5:18 over the next 3 weeks, this talk addresses the first part, “do not get drunk,” and explores the matter of drinking alcohol. Pastor Scott shares not only the Word but opens up on some of his own life and present crisis of conscience in this area, as the pandemic isolation has allowed more time to examine every aspect of life, a season of rethinking everything one does and thinks.
This message asks questions such as these: is drinking okay? Is it not only permitted but blessed and encouraged by God? What does the Bible really teach about the use of alcohol? Does God intend Christians to enjoy the effects of alcohol in a moderate way? What is moderate? How much is too much? Is it possible to feel the effects of alcohol and be filled with the Spirit? Or is this verse suggesting they are opposing fountains?
Ephesians: The Lord's Will
Ephesians 5:17
How do we know the Lord’s will? How do we prepare ourselves to hear it? In the context of Ephesians, Pastor John Michaelson shares eight practical questions we can ask ourselves to hear God’s will and apply a biblical framework to decision making.
Ephesians: Redeem the Time!
Ephesians 5:15-16
This message is a clear call to be thoughtful in the way we live in every area of our lives. That we would orient our lifestyles around the pursuit of God and the interests of God—“making the best use of the time” (Eph 5:15). Each of us are given opportunities and we choose what we do with them. We choose how we live. We choose what we prioritize. We choose whether or not we will give the Lord the best of what we have or the scraps. One of the great motivations to give our all is because “the days are evil” (Eph 5:16). We are in a spiritual war and Satan rages against us daily in an effort to lead us astray. In this generation, as the divine clock winds down, many Christians are falling away, as Jesus predicted. This message is a strong sober call to spiritual arms in light of the very real danger of being swept away by the subtle schemes of the forces of darkness.
Ephesians: Awake O Sleeper!
Ephesians 5:11-14
Many Christians are asleep in the light. They take part in the “unfruitful works of darkness” but, because they are sleeping, are unaware or unconcerned. Because they live like the world they cannot expose the darkness of the world; darkness cannot illuminate darkness. They have no burning and shining light in them that draws people to God. This message is a wake-up call to the sleeper. It’s a call to arise and be the light of the world! We are called to be different from the world, to boldly expose the sins of our generation and to reflect Jesus Christ, so that those in darkness will be reconciled to God.