New Beginnings Lutheran Church

Do you have all the answers to people’s questions? Of course not! Who does? In spite of everything we don’t know, we do know a pretty amazing person: Jesus. So, not to be evasive, but to be constructive, let’s point people to the one who does have all the answers and speak of Jesus.

Creation or evolution? Gay or straight? Left or right? It’s funny how much we talk about such things in comparison to speaking of Jesus. We’d all find more answers that we’re looking for if we spent more time on Jesus than the more popular debates of our times.

We’re not in a competition when it comes to faith. We are not supposed to win debates or even “win people.” Most of us prefer to avoid such confrontations. And yet, strangely (wonderfully), most people like Jesus. So, let’s just love people and speak of Jesus.

Do you believe God works all things together for good? When life hurts, “happily ever after” seems like the stuff of fairy tales. Are painful chapters in life redeemable? Does pain in life really serve a purpose?

Have you ever felt all alone in the world? Ever wonder if anyone cares, or ever will? Does your future feel like solitary confinement? To feel this way is one of the worst experiences in life. When everyone else seems to have left, where is God? Why doesn’t God provide?

Have you ever felt unappreciated? What do you do if you give your best and are only taken for granted or even abused in return? How do you keep on going? And for that matter, why isn’t God helping in this situation? You try to do right, but is God doing right by you?

What do you do when life betrays you? You had great dreams, but your present reality proves dismal. Worse: you cannot see any way of reversing your circumstances. When you’re broken, you must wonder where God is in this mess.

Some things are worth repeating. And when we forget, others can echo back what we need to hear—what we need to remember. Nobody can believe for you, but nobody believes alone. God intended faith family to be a means of grace in our lives.

Some things are worth repeating. For example, the words, “I love you,” never grow old. There are other words we also need to hear. We eat them up like starving people and we’re ready to hear them again. We crave their echo in our lives.

Some things are worth repeating—especially when we need assurance. Our feelings cover a spectrum. Where can we gain confidence? Throughout life’s ups-and-downs, God’s promises echo in our hearts to ground us, keep us, and direct us.

Some things are worth repeating. Some things are worth repeating (get it? Ha!). You can hear truth echo from one generation to the next. Despite the fact so much in life changes, we need to know something we can count upon—something that is certain.

Begin with the end in mind. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you’re there? You tend to go where you are looking. So, on what have you set your sights? How you answer that question will determine the direction of your life…and the degree of success you will have in your life mission.

How do you eat an elephant? C’mon. You know the answer. One. Bite. At. A. Time. Jesus sent His church to make disciples of all nations! That is the whole world! Beginning in Jerusalem, the Lord laid out concentric circles to the ends of the earth. How do these apply to you and me?

We have won the lottery! We were born in the USA! We live in the 21st century! We have freedoms and opportunities galore! We need to be careful, though, because we very easily confuse these means with the end. Why are we so blessed?

God desires multiplication. From the outset God told his creation to “be fruitful and multiply.” Jesus applied this biological imperative to a spiritual commission: “Go make disciples of all nations.” Thinking biologically, what would happen if everyone stopped having babies?

We are not only unchained from legalism, but also from sin. Unfortunately, we are as susceptible to temptations are we are to the law. Like correcting a drunk on a donkey from leaning left, they just end up leaning right. So how do we avoid these extremes?

A common protest again “grace alone” teaching says, “If we’re saved by grace alone—if God forgives unconditionally—then people would live however they wanted.” This idea sure seems it might produce quantity believers, but not quality believers. So what prevents grace-abuse?

The truth expressed in love could be accused of “legalism.” How do we maintain Jesus-only mindsets, grace-based living, and still hold each other accountable? How do we love each other without chains?

Jesus plus anything equals nothing. Jesus plus nothing equals everything. The temptation to add something to what Jesus finished sneaks up on all of us. How do we avoid being chained by legalism?

Watch out for comparisons. Comparisons produce pride or despair. Only one opinion matters and when we know it, we are set free. Want to be unchained from comparisons?

We so easily allow ourselves to be plagued by guilt. As Pastor Joe inappropriately loves to say, “Don’t ‘should’ on yourself!” Jesus came to set us free. How do we stay unchained from all the feelings and thoughts that weigh us down?

What’s harder? To be a Christian, or not? When you follow Jesus, do you have an abundant life or a cross-carrying life? You’d probably answer, “Yes!” So, what does that look like?

What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to know God? How does it look? Maybe you’ve heard of the contrast between religion and relationship, but what does that really mean?

How much faith is enough faith? We often hear things like, “Believe in yourself and you can do anything,” or, “Trust in your own abilities,” but is that what Jesus said? The answer might surprise you.

Quality time is rarely achieved without quantity time. We cannot plan to be in the right mood, let alone all the details that need to come together for that fantastic, memory-making experience. If you want to improve the quality of your relationships, you plan quantity time together.