Shelbyville Community Church

For most of us, when we think about the Christmas Story, chickens aren’t the first thing we think about. But what if chickens provide a powerful illustration of how NOT to behave? Take any ten chickens. Any ten. Put them in a pen together and spread out a little feed. In a matter of minutes, those chickens will have established something called a pecking order. If you are higher on the pecking ord...

When it comes to the Christmas story, the rhythm of prayer is foundational, just as it is foundational to the story you are telling with your own life. Not only was the birth of Christ an answer to thousands of years of prayer, it is also a call to prayer every single day. Each of the characters in the Christmas story had a vital prayer life, which is precisely why they became a part of that story...

In Ecclesiastes 12, the teacher will say something very profound. He begins, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”—” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, NIV) Solomon is an old man at this point. He is saying, “Don’t forget about your Creator in this small window of your life called “youth.” Join us t...

I have a book in my office called the “Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook.” It details how to survive many terrible and unexpected circumstances, like: - How to fend off a mountain lion. - How to survive a poisonous snake attack. - How to escape from killer bees. - How to disarm a bomb. - How to land a plane. (No, I’m not making that up) The premise of the book is simple: You just never know. Y...

Woody Allen said, “It’s not that I’m afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Aristotle said that death is the thing that is to be feared most because it represents the end of life. Jean-Paul Sartre asserted that death removes all meaning from life and represents the worst moment of anyone’s life. Join us this weekend as the teacher in Ecclesiastes laments the great enemy o...

In Ecclesiates 7, the teacher wants us to understand the value of wisdom. He will talk to us as one who has done more and gone farther than any of us, much like a grandparent might try to impart wisdom to their grandchild. And he asks a very important question: “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13, ESV) He’s talking about the brokenness of...

In Ecclesiastes 5, the teacher is going to begin a conversation about wealth that no one in our culture is having. He is going to argue that pursuing worth and satisfaction in money is ultimately fleeting and worthless. He will say that no matter how much we accumulate, it will never seem like enough. He will tell us that the road to wealth is paved with things like sleepless nights, unscrupulous...

I was reading some people’s comments this week about their “no need to go church” attitudes and beliefs. Some were saying that they do not have to go to a church to be a Christian. True! One person said that he could worship God in places other than at a church. True! Another said that it was the same old same old every week. Unfortunately too true! There were many but the saddest was the person w...

It was God who said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” He said that on the day that He created mankind. The truth in that statement has not changed. He created the institution of marriage, the nuclear family, extended families, and communities. We all need a personal relationship with God and we all need good relationships with other people in our lives.

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 was made famous by what rock band? If you’re 40 or younger, you probably think it is the Backstreet Boys, which is incorrect. But if you’re over 50, you probably know the answer. While Solomon seems to say that seasons come and go randomly into our lives, he is actually arguing the opposite. In fact, he is going to tell us every season of our lives is appointed by God. He se...

The book of Ecclesiastes is one of God’s gifts to help us live well in the real world. In chapter 2, the teacher will try to bring happiness and meaning to his life through things like possessions, progress, and pleasure. His life becomes the stuff of bumper stickers and fridge magnets: Live for today. Be happy. Laugh well. Forget your cares. Enjoy yourself. Find your passion. Yet in spite of it a...

The book of Ecclesiastes is one of God’s gifts to help us live well in the real world. In it, the teacher will note that life in this world is no fairy tale. He will argue that we live in a world where bad things happen, a world where injustice occurs, and where everybody dies. And yet, he will say it is still possible to live a beautiful life! A recognition of the brevity of life becomes the foun...

This Sunday we finish our study in the book of James. What a study it has been! God has spoken to each teaching pastor and used them to speak to the SCC family. As we finish the book, James shares the reality that some may wander in the midst of what is happening in their lives. Yet, there are those in the community that have the chance to help bring them back from wandering. The hard part is life...

James 5 is a call to a relationship of deep intimacy and trust in the Almighty in every season of life. It is a call to approach God no matter what you are going through, whether it be good or bad, physical or spiritual. He begins: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.” That phrase “in trouble” literally means “distressed.” Are you troubled? You should take your trouble to God. Prayer is,...

Baptism is a picture of a new life! This weekend we have the amazing opportunity to celebrate what God is doing here at SCC through the ancient practice of baptism. Baptism is a reminder to keep our spiritual appetites sharp. It reminds us to never stop pursuing Christ, seeking to know Him, and letting Him fill us with His grace and mercy. Scripture reminds us: “For God saved us and called us to l...

Life in a broken world is sometimes hard. This is why James tells us in chapter 5 that we must endure suffering with patience. Join us this weekend as we discuss what it looks like to endure hardship patiently. Our God will encourage hundreds this weekend, and you could be one of them.

Pride is the doorway to all the places in life we don’t want to end up. And yet, so often, it's pride that we think is the sin we don't struggle with, or we brush it off because we don't realize just how big a pitfall it is. But the goal is not humility. Humility is the by-product of the real antidote to pride, and that's intimacy with Jesus. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we stan...

There was an old Persian ruler who wanted to impress a visiting dignitary, so he took him to a glass cage. Inside the glass cage was a lion resting comfortably next to a lamb. The dignitary was blown away and said, “How is it possible for a lion and a lamb to be in the same cage together?” “I do have a secret” said the ruler, “Every morning I put in a new lamb.” When it comes to relationships, we’...

James reminds us that when it comes to our world, there are two kinds of wisdom that bring completely different results to our lives. There is “heavenly wisdom” and there is “earthly wisdom.” Heavenly wisdom is relational. It is the powerful ability to build and keep relationships with others. Earthly wisdom is all about me and what makes me happy. By the way, let’s not confuse wisdom with knowled...

In James chapter 3, James will remind us of the power of words. He will tell us that our tongues chart the course of our lives and have the potential to either blow up a relationship or to build up that same relationship. But for James, it’s not as simple as simply monitoring our words. James says that the problem is that what comes out of our mouths simply reveals what is already lurking in our h...

Did you know that Martin Luther, the first and most notable influencer of the Protestant Reformation, believed that the Book of James should have been removed from the Bible of his day? He thought that there was too much emphasis on having works as a prerequisite and the proof that we are genuine Christ followers. The emphasis that I hope to convey deals with how to get our faith practically worki...

In James chapter 2, he will shift from talking about how to love God to how to love people. And he will tell us that, among other things, love doesn’t show partiality. In other words, love doesn’t play favorites. It doesn’t discriminate against others based on external things like appearance, ancestry, or affluence, which are always superficial and shallow. James will argue that when we discrimina...

Did you know that Martin Luther, the first and most notable influencer of the Protestant Reformation, believed that the Book of James should have been removed from the Bible of his day? He thought that there was too much emphasis on having works as a prerequisite and the proof that we are genuine Christ Followers. The emphasis that I hope to convey deals with how to get God's Word practically...

So far in the book of James, we’ve been introduced to the author—James, the half-brother of Jesus. We’ve learned who this letter is too, Jewish Christians who have fled Jerusalem due to persecution. And we’ve learned that trials form in us what nothing else can, maturity. As the letter progresses, James is about to share with us that trials have a way of wearing us down. And when we’re worn down,...

James, the half-brother of Jesus, is writing this letter to Christians who are fleeing Jerusalem due to persecution. He opens the letter saying, "consider it a great joy when you face trials of various kinds." Imagine being a recipient of this letter, knowing that you could be arrested, beaten, or killed for following Jesus, and his half-brother is telling you to be joyful for it.