Pastor Craig's ConSpiritu Blog

  Sermon, August 28, 2011 John 20:19-31 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 20:19-31  When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’  But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side...

In yesterday’s blog, I made the statement that “the point of being empowered and shaped by this indwelling Spirit is to be shaped according to love – for one another and for those whom God loves.” I further stated: “This is the love that younger people are craving to experience in concrete, practical ways – beginning with the attitudes of the people who bear the name of Christ. This is a life that calls to them, a life with which they would gladly associate themselves, if only it were truly lived out.” This is no small matter. In fact, it has always been a concern at the center of the Christian faith. The bulk of the Apostle Paul’s letters to various churches of his time has to do with how people treat one another. Paul’s expectation is that the love of Jesus Christ that has been imparted to them through the Holy Spirit should make a difference in their lives, and that difference should be manifested in their treatment of one another. Consider the following: Romans...

What is the heart of the church, and how do we tend it? In 1979, a young pastor by the name of Michael Slaughter was appointed to a small country church called Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio. At that time there were 90 members in attendance. Slaughter saw potential in that church to become a teaching church, dedicated to fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ in that community.  Now over 30 years later, the Ginghamsburg community of ministry locations (aka “churches”) has over 5,000 worshippers. However, Slaughter is not interested in numerical growth for the sake of having a large membership. His commitment over the years has been to following the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ. Initially that lost him 1/3 of his members. But as he kept the focus upon the difficult and demanding path of following Jesus, and not pandering to those who come to church expecting Jesus to conform to their worldview, people responded. His experience is that people want...

Sermon, August 21, 2011 Psalm 131 Mark 6:30-32 Psalm 131 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
    my eyes are not raised too high;
 I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me. 
 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. 
O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time on and for evermore. Mark 6:30-32  The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Have you ever sat by the side of a river or a lake, and just watched the sun dappling the rippled surface? Maybe y...