Up Your Thanks.

Did you know that your abundance and spiritual growth is determined in part by your level of thanks? It's true! That is what we discuss in our series "Step Up" in the installment called "Up Your Thanks".
Think of this; if you are not thankful for what you have you are focused on what you don't have. If you are focused on what you don't have your are coveting which is a sin (Exodus 20.17), and you are festering a life of greed. There are differernt kinds of thanks to offer: Natural Thanks, and Pure Thanks. There are likely more, but this is what we will look at today. Natural thanks is simply recognizing something was done for you and you say thanks. Sometimes it is empty or sometimes it is with an alterior motive... trying to flatter the giver so they will return often and with more. Pure thanks is totally different; it responds to generosity with acts of love. Pure love never says "thank you, but...".
When it comes to our faith we are to have Pure Thanks for what Jesus has done for us. I Thessalonians 5.18 gives us insight into the seemingly elusive will of God which we are all seek, and tells us that giving thanks is part of the glue that holds it all together. You reaching your full potential of abundance and greatness in Jesus Christ is determined by your level and purity of thanks.
Please take the next half hour to sit back and reflect on your life as you view this challenging installment called "Up Your Thanks." Share it with a friend and then write us and let us know how it changed your life.

What About Jesus' Momma?

Our apologies to our regular web viewers who faithfully watch our services via this blog, due to technical difficulties we are unable to post this weeks service. However, it will be available at a later date when we have this "Finding Answer.Together." complete dvd set available in July.

On Mother's Day we were able to keep a good think going but continuing our series as well as be themed around Mother's. Specifically we talked about Jesus' Momma. Did you know that Mary contains the second most controversial topic in all scripture?! Yes, our little old, innocent Mary packs quite a bombshell in her role of scripture. The virgin birth makes here a hot topic. Now, some of you reading this just thought "Really, what is there to wonder about?" while others thought, "Isn't that the truth... who made that one up?".

The Bible is very clear that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was both conceived and born. Some groups believe she even remained a virgin the rest of her life. With all of this controversy, lets take a look at what the Bible does and does not say about Mary and then try to weigh out what stance we should take on Mary. Cue the lights and music because here we go...

Mary is first mentioned all the way back in Genesis. Genesis 3.15 to be specific when God is talking to the dreaded serpent and says he will put enmity between him and the woman. Ask any lady and she'll admit that to be true of her and snakes! However, this "woman" is not "women" but Mary. "How so?" you ask. See, the verse goes on to speak of the "seed" of this woman, and that her seed will be at direct odds with the product of the snake (Satan). Knowing that this is the only time of scripture where a child is spoken to have been born from the lineage of a woman and not the father, this is a special occasion. Galatians 4.4 again speaks of a special child born of a "woman"... Jesus, and Mary. Today we would think nothing special would be meant if we said a child was born of a woman but in Biblical days this was big stuff. Okay, so being born of a woman is one thing we know about Jesus' momma, but we also know that she was a virgin... or do we?

Isaiah 7.14 says that a virgin will conceive. We all know that is impossible! Actually the Hebrew text says that an "almah" will conceive, and "almah" is literally translated "young woman". The appropriate Hebrew word for virgin is "bethulah", but that is not what Isaiah 7.14 says. Could it really mean that Mary had been knocking boots with Joseph after all and the virgin birth this was just a fun twist to lead us on? Maybe Isaiah was talking about his own son who was born just a short while after 7.14 was written? Let's dig deeper because we know that just because someone is a young woman it does not mean they are not a virgin also. If we look at the life of Rebekah in Genesis 24.16 we see that she was a maiden (Bethulah), and then a couple chapters later she is an "almah" (24.43). See, Rebekah is a "young virgin woman." Is that too what Mary was? About 2 centuries after Isaiah wrote these words the Jewish community showed that they knew exactly what an "almah" was when they translated it as "parthenos" when penning the Septuagent (Hebrew Bible translated to Greek), and "parthenos" is undoubtedly a virgin. So, yes, Mary was a virgin.

Looking at scripture we can know exactly who Mary was, but how can there be so much controversy around her if things seem so cut and dry? Controversy comes into the equation when people try to add or subtract from what is recorded in the Bible. Lets take a few moments and look at what the Bible does not say about Mary.

1. Mary had a c-section. Some people believe that somehow God miraculously removed Jesus from her uterus. They feel there is some shame cast upon Jesus and or Mary to have travelled down the birth canal and through private areas of the female anatomy. This is a ridiculous claim, it is like telling a butterfly that it is worthless because it had to struggle its way out of the cocoon. Micah 5.3 is talking about Mary and says she "travaileth" or labors. If God did a supernatural c-section there would be no laboring.

2. Mary was a virgin her whole life. I can't believe the Council of Constantinople actually came to this conclusion! Major religious leaders on both sides of the Protestant and Catholic borders believe this! Think of this realistically. God designed marriage to have a physical union and Paul even speaks of neglecting that union as being a sin that leads to more sin. Matthew 1.25 says that Joseph didn't have sex with Mary until after the child was born, implying they had sex after that. Also, Mary had other kids! Since God only had one child and didn't not impregnate anyone else via the Holy Spirit we know Mary and Joseph must have made babies just like everyone else; dim the lights, put on some love songs, get some oil...

3. The virgin birth was taken from mythology. Nice try but look at the facts, the OT prophecies were nearly all written before mythology.

4. Believing in the virgin birth means you have salvation. Mary's virgin birth does not prove anything for you along the lines of salvation. Romans 10.9 says how one is rescued/saved and it mentions nothing about the virgin birth. Several groups believe in the virgin birth but also believe Jesus is an archangel or simply a prophet and that certainly won't rescue you from the curse upon humanity.

5. Sin nature comes through the father. Yes, some believe that the reason that Jesus didn't have a sin nature is because his father was God and not a man and it then means that it is the male genes that cast sin upon the next generation. Speaking of genes; if you believe that, get your head out of your jeans and read Romans 3.23 "For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Nice try feminist-man-haters but you aren't perfect either. Mary herself referenced her need of a savior in Luke 1.46-47.

6. God had sex with Mary. People do believe that. In High School a kid told me this and I about laughed out loud. "If God had sex with her than she wouldn't be a virgin." I told him. He went to his church and came back this this reply, "They said if you have sex with God it doesn't count." LOL! Luke 1.35 says, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee...". I may be wrong but the Holy Ghost is not the body of God but the every present active force of God, right? Since he does not have a body he cannot have penetrating sex, right? Furthermore, the only way for God to have sex with Mary is to have the body part of him do it which is Jesus. So, Jesus would have been sent by the father to sleep with Mary to get her pregnant with Himself. Go ahead, read that again and you'll still be scratching your head. Of course, this view is only held by people who do not hold the trinity.

7. The virgin birth is not important. I'll admit there are some who put way to much emphasis on Mary and the virgin birth, but my view does NOT mean this is not important. Some wonder "Can you be a true Christian and not believe in the virgin birth?" My answer is "NO!" To that some of you just moved your mouse to the back button and this I just turned into a radical right-wing legalistic holy-rolling Christian. Hear me out. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ we are putting our faith in all that he has done for us. Past. Present. Future. We commit to him and have faith in him. Sure, we certainly don't know everything about him when we are a new Christian but our faith says that we will accept Him and everything about him as we crawl out from under the shadow of ignorance. Now, if we start picking and choosing which parts of Jesus we follow we are only having "conditional faith" and conditional faith does not produce salvation. The truth is that every part of Jesus' life is important and it all weaves together to produce the Jesus of our salvation.

All of this being said, what should we think of Mary. We know that she was a young virgin woman whom God used as the human vessel to bring his Son into the world, but is the she most holy female to ever live?

Mary is an incredible woman. Luke 1.30 tells us that God had found favor with her. However, she is not the only woman God ever found favor with. Mary happened to be the woman he found favor with to execute this part of his redemptive plan. Throughout history God has found favor with many, many men and women used them to work out his plan. Mary was one of these women at the point of history when he would send his body, Jesus Christ, to enter the world. Mary is an example of what God can do with someone who is willing to be used by him.

Mary is an example to follow, not an object to worship. Her example can teach us all something. God new that this was a bold move to have her be pregnant before marriage but it had to be so. Her life was one which carried shame and reproach from the outside world but it was still part of God's plan. Mary stepped up the the plate and hit a home run. She didn't back down. Mary loved God. Mary kept herself pure before marriage. Mary was faithful to her man. Mary was a good mother. Bottom line; Mary was not perfect, but she serves as a great example to us. Just like there were some struggles which came along with her divine calling, there will be some for us, but we too can step up the the plate and hit a home run in faithfulness to God.

Mary never claimed to be what many have made her out to be. In reality she was an ordinary woman who looked to an extraordinary God.

What does Jesus Mean for Today?

Okay, so we all know that Jesus was around a really long time ago and died on a cross, came back to life, yada, yaha, yada... But why should I care? Does he really care about me now? I think he just sits on a some rocking chair in the sky waiting to ruin the world someday and get snapped back into reality that we are here.

The above is a common view of Jesus, and if you that is your view of Jesus you are in luck. Although this perception of Jesus is very common, there is truth out there that you need to know. You are right, Jesus was a guy who was around a really long time ago and he did die on a cross and came back to life, but he is not just sitting on a rocking chair practicing his aim throwing lightening bolts. Jesus is very active, maybe even more so than when he was here on earth. "Doing what?" you ask; working for you.

You see, in the Old Testamant we see all the ways that God worked before Jesus (the body of God) came to earth. God communicated with regular people of faith and instructed them how to get to know Him more. The three main offices that helped people get to know God were the Prophets, the Priests, and even the King. God guided them and thier experiences to help us. Once Jesus came and lived the life He did, dying for us, coming back to life, and ascending back to heaven, everything changed.

While the Old Testament people relied on the three main offices to aid in the relationship to God, we rely on Jesus because he has now taken on those roles. Jesus is our prophet, our priest, and our King. Now, you may not recognize Him as that yet, but He is. Jesus is speaking to you and wanting to guide you but it all comes down to you letting him. You see, God may have the unlimited power of the universe, but he is still to much of a gentlemen to force himself upon you; you have to openly and willingly recognize God.

You will really find a lot of good stuff on this if you watch our sermon in this series "finding answers. together." You are not the first person who searched for spiritual truth, we all do. Right now I want to partner with you on your search. Join me and watch this.

If Jesus was God, How Could He Be a Man?

If Jesus is God, why would he ever chose to come to earth, and if he did come to earth why would he come in a human body? If I were God the last thing I would want to do is elect to be a human, be treated like a human, experience life as a human, smell like a human, or go get old like a human. But Jesus did. Why? Was he on a mid-life adventure trip or was there a reason for it?

If you have ever thought these things like me, you will benefit from hearing this very practical, down-to-earth sermon on Jesus being a man and doing normal man things. Jesus did not come to earth as God in human form for fun; God works intentionally with purpose. Join us in discovering that purpose.

Fair Warning: This session will change your perception of Jesus and possibly shock and or offend you.

As requested, here is a copy of the list from the Book of Mark as stated in the Sermon.

1. Ch. 1. Jesus yells at complete strangers telling them to repent, orders guys to quit their jobs to follow him, and tells demons and leper to keep their mouths shut.
2. Ch. 2. Jesus picks a fight with religious leaders because he did the equivalent of breaking into church and making sandwiches out of communion bread.
3. Ch. 3. Jesus gets angry and he ignores his mom.
4. Ch. 4. Jesus rebukes the wind.
5. Ch. 5. Jesus kills 2,000 pigs.
6. Ch. 6. Jesus offends people.
7. Ch. 7. He publically calls the religious leaders hypocrites and goes on a tirade about them.
8. Ch. 8. Jesus gets frustrated, puts spit in a guys eyes, and calls Peter “Satan”
9. Ch. 9. Jesus gets sick of some people and asks them, “How long do I have to put up with you.”
10. Ch. 10. He tells a rich guy to sell his stuff and give it to the poor.
11. Ch. 11. He has a disciple take a donkey without asking and kills a fig tree
12. Ch. 12. Jesus tells people they are wrong and that they don’t know their Bibles.
13. Ch. 13. Jesus threatens to destroy the temple.
14. Ch. 14. Jesus yells at his friends for taking a nap late at night after running them all over the place for 3 years.
15. Ch. 15. He is murdered.
16. Ch. 16. He is alive again.

What's So Special About Jesus?

Why are you a Christian? Why did you chose to follow Christ and not Islam, Buddha, or Scientology? Really, think about it. What makes Christianity so different from these, or any other religion? The difference: we have Christ... but so what? What makes Jesus so special that we should follow him and not other religions? What gives Christians the right to say they are the only way to heaven, don't all roads lead to heaven?

These questions and more are answered in this sermon.

Sermon: What's So Special About Jesus?

finding answers. together.

Our current series is making an impact. You can watch this series on this blog as our sermons are posted weekly (normally by Tuesday afternoon) but I want to take a moment and talk about this series.
Finding Answers. Together. is designed for people who are willing to look at what they believe and admit they don't have all the answers but want them. You'd be scared to know that most everyone is just like everyone else... we all have questions. You won't find answers unless your questions are asked. That is what we are finding... answers.
This series takes a very commonsense approach and is not for the heavily intellectual person, but for the commoner. Bible is used but so is logic. It is serious topic studies but delivered with humor and satire. Some could argue, "You can't use logic to answer questions about Christ... we are to walk by faith and not by sight." I agree about walking by faith, but don't forget that if you are saying this statement you are likely a current follower of Christ and have faith; but we are sent to people who are not Christ followers and do not have faith. Realize that even the Christ follower does not have blind faith; the Christ follower has seen enough to believe and continues to believe and therefore sees. (Yes, that does make sense but you may have to read it a few times and then have your mom explain it to you.)
If you have questions you would like us to answer in this series please feel free to email them over to me: pastor@millettbbc.org. If your question fits into the flow of the series it will be considered. Makes sure to keep up with the series as you may have it answered somewhere throughout it.
If you are enlightened or inspired by this series please let me know as well. Send me an email and share your blessing. Be sure to tell which sermon touched you and how.
I look forward to having you join me as we continue Finding Answers. Together.

Did Jesus Really Come Back to Life?

On Easter Sunday we began a series for people like me... you know, the kind who want to cut through all the fluff and get to the truth. We are calling this series "Finding Answers. Together." and we are doing just that; finding real answers. We all have questions dealing with Jesus and we are going to find real answers to them, not just hearsay.



Since we began on Easter we began with the question, "Did Jesus Really Come Back to Life?" Good question. Think about it, could it really have happened? Do you really believe it? Just because your grandma did doesn't mean you have to; she also believed rubbing butter on a burn was the right thing to do but we all know it is the worst. Is their really any proof that Jesus, the worlds most popular person could really die and really come back to life? Watch this video as we explored conspiracy theories and seek truth.

Sermon - Did Jesus Really Come Back to Life?


Easter Choir.



Special - Arise My Love