Fellowship Dallas Weekly Sermons

I love to tell the story about the young seminary graduate who wanted to be a preacher. He was excited when he was invited to interview with a small, country church. His meeting with the search committee began with a question from the chairman. “Young man, do you know your Bible?” The young man replied, “Yes sir. I know the Bible from front to back.” Another member of the committee asked, “Do you...

What do the following sports have in common? Horse racing, football, ice hockey, cricket, snow boarding, and rock climbing? Here is a hint - coal miners and riot police wear them too. Those who participate in these activities all wear helmets. I left out skydiving because I have never understood why skydivers wear helmets. If your parachute doesn't open your helmet will be wearing you.

That scene from the movie Gladiator gives you a taste of ancient warfare. It also resembles the intensity of the battle some of you are facing right now. You're not up against flaming arrows and fiery missiles in a literal sense but you know that you are under attack. You can feel the heat from the flaming darts of the evil one. This morning I want you to encourage you with the knowledge that God...

As some of you may know, I’m originally from Chicago. And while I didn’t live there very long, that’s where my sports allegiances lie. And that means I’m a Chicago Blackhawks fan. That view is becoming less and less popular around these parts as the Dallas Stars have dramatically improved. If you follow professional hockey, you know that we’ve had Stanley Cup fever for the past several years. Sadl...

This past Good Friday I was at my post in the Hub. Just as service was about to start a gentleman walked in, noticed my uniform of a light blue Easter t-shirt, and headed right for me. It was very clear from his movements that this guy was on a mission. He asked me “Are you a pastor?” I told him “yes” and he quickly said, “Well, I need to get saved again and I need to get baptized.”

We've come a long way since this nation was founded on the solid premise that some truths are self-evident such as, "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..." But what if you live in a culture where no truth is self-evident? No one can be wrong in such a culture and everyone can be right if you believe you're right. These students are lea...

It seems like the day before taxes are due is an appropriate time to remind you of Benjamin Franklin's famous observation, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Of course that's not exactly true. There are two other experiences in life no one can escape - trials and temptations. While these are used by the devil to defeat us, God uses trials to grow us up and t...

Wizard of Oz clip...Isn 't it amazing what a little information can do for your confidence? Dorothy and her friends were scared to death by the "great and powerful Oz" until little Toto pulled back the curtain. You saw their fear give way to bold confidence once they knew the truth about the Wizard. Today I want to pull back the curtain. I want to expose the enemy of our souls. I'll warn you in ad...

Good morning! Welcome to Fellowship Dallas. I’m so glad that you’re here today to worship with us. Last week we celebrated Easter and we had so many people attend church here. When you combine all of the adult services with our children’s ministry, we had well over 3,000 people join us to celebrate Christ and His resurrection. We really had a great weekend. I am so thankful to serve on staff at a...

Isn't this a great day? It's good to be alive. That's what Easter is about - life. Life is good. Even when life is bad, it's better than the alternative. Everyone celebrates new life this time of year, even the non-religious. Last Sunday was the first day of spring, the first season of the new year when the days get longer, the birds sing louder and new life begins to appear. We all seek life. We...

How many of you read through the whole NT? Congratulations. Why did you do it? Guilt? Peer pressure? My guess is that you read for 8 straight weeks because you believed that reading the Bible would benefit you in some way.

This has been an amazing week for me. First, I was pre-selected to receive my bank's "very best credit card." Then I got a phone call telling me I had won 3.5 million dollars and a new Mercedes Benz. It was a good thing I had access to all that money so I could help a member of our church...Ever been scammed like that?

The Importance of Biblical Instruction

In the beginning, God created Paradise. You know Paradise. You've never actually been there but it lives inside your heart and mind. It is a place untouched by the chaos and confusion that surround us on this fallen planet. God created the first human occupants of Paradise and delegated His authority to them so they would rule over His glorious Kingdom. He said, "be fruitful and multiply." He want...

Recently my friend Philip gave me a gift, a beautiful pocket knife. The problem is I will probably never use that knife to cut anything. It is a limited edition knife commemorating Nolan Ryan's 500th career strike out. It's in a box and will most likely stay in a box because it is just too valuable to be used as a knife. This knife has been repurposed. It now serves as a memento, a memory aid to t...

In nine more months Americans will be given another opportunity to choose a new President. There are still eight or more people who feel that they are worthy to lead this country. How will you choose? By their political party? By the promises they make? By the cute factor? Do you prefer a former governor or senator or will you opt for a businessman or a surgeon?

Last Wednesday was National Signing Day. If you are not a college football fan that means nothing to you. But if you are a college football fan you know that National Signing Day is the day when talented high school football players choose the colleges they plan to attend. The anticipation builds leading up to signing day and over the years the announcements have become more and more dramatic. Thi...

How do people assess churches these days? What are they looking for when they go? A cool building? Gifted preacher? Awesome programs for the kids? 100% Arabica beans? I have the privilege of leading a ministry team that helps our new people find their place here. My team and I meet with them one-on-one to get to know them and always ask one very important question: What are your hopes in connectin...

Good morning. Welcome to Fellowship Dallas. My name is Randy Thompson and I am one of the pastors here. I’m so glad you’re able to worship with us this morning. Today, we’re beginning a new series that we’re calling Life Together. Over the next couple of months, we are going to investigate what it means to be a church. We are also going to practice something together, as a church.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. We have been considering the implications of this verse as we start a new year. Since Jesus was full of grace and truth then it stands to reason that any follower who bears His name or any church that worships Him would be champions of grace and purveyors of truth. In fact, these are two of the vital signs of a healthy...

She was guilty as sin. She knew it, Jesus knew it, everyone knew it. Early one morning as Jesus was teaching near the temple, a group of Pharisees dragged a woman to Jesus and deposited her at His feet. She had been found in the arms of another man. The penalty for adultery was death by stoning. “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to sto...

Well it’s that time again - NY resolutions time. Even if we have given up on making a list there is still something about a new year that provides a little motivation to change, change habits, change our circumstances, or change our attitude. There will be a lot of changes in 2016. We will change presidents. No applause, if history is any indication, it won’t be long before you don’t like the next...

My family and I are two years out from one of the most terrifying episodes of our lives. My wife, Martha, and I began to notice evidence that we weren’t the only ones who had been in our house. And the more we looked, the more evidence we saw. On the second night after noticing this I had to get up and go to the kitchen, and when I walked into our living room my worst fears were realized. There, o...

What DID Mary know? Did she know that she held her Creator in her arms? When she looked down at her baby at her breast did she know that she was feeding the Son of God? Did she know that her son would heal the sick, walk on water and make the blind to see? Did she know He would be hated and that she would live to see Him die in his early thirties? Did Mary know that the Son she delivered would one...

What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? This is a classic philosophical paradox meant to show that there are some dilemmas that cannot be resolved. However, the paradox is a flawed since if there exists an irresistible force then no object is immovable.