Obey Confront (26 of 35)
Series: Obey Everything
Steve Jones
Matthew 18:15
SERMON SUMMARY: This sermon addresses Jesus' command to confront. We are to confront: 1) Frequently, 2) In Person, and 3) In LOVE.
Introduction: For most of her adult life, author Anne Rice was, as she described it, ''a pessimistic atheist.'' She became famous as the author of a widely read series of novels about vampires, at least two of which were made into movies. She also wrote stories about witches and even penned some dark erotica.
In 1998, however, after nearly 40 years of denying God, Rice returned to the church of her youth. Eventually, she announced that from then on, she would write only for God. She has since produced two novels about Jesus. In 2008, she published her autobiography, Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession, in which she detailed her journey back to Christ and her decision to become a Christian.
In July of 2010, however, Rice announced on her Facebook page that she has ''quit being a Christian.'' In her fuller explanation, she said she isn't leaving Christ and that her faith in him remains ''central to my life.'' What she's abandoning is the church, which she's come to see as a ''quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious and deservedly infamous group.''
I don't necessarily agree with Anne Rice's evaluation of the church. But can I let you in on a secret? People in the church don't ALWAYS get along. We usually do, but not always. Why is that? It could be a lot of things.
One reason Christians don't always get along is sin. When someone in the church is living in open rebellion to God's Word then that can cause problems. This was the case in the Corinthian church that we read about in the N.T.
Another reason Christians may not always get along is honest disagreement over methodology or Bible interpretation. In Acts 15 we read that Paul and Barnabas disagreed over whether or not to take John Mark along with them on their second missi ...
Series: Obey Everything
Steve Jones
Matthew 18:15
SERMON SUMMARY: This sermon addresses Jesus' command to confront. We are to confront: 1) Frequently, 2) In Person, and 3) In LOVE.
Introduction: For most of her adult life, author Anne Rice was, as she described it, ''a pessimistic atheist.'' She became famous as the author of a widely read series of novels about vampires, at least two of which were made into movies. She also wrote stories about witches and even penned some dark erotica.
In 1998, however, after nearly 40 years of denying God, Rice returned to the church of her youth. Eventually, she announced that from then on, she would write only for God. She has since produced two novels about Jesus. In 2008, she published her autobiography, Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession, in which she detailed her journey back to Christ and her decision to become a Christian.
In July of 2010, however, Rice announced on her Facebook page that she has ''quit being a Christian.'' In her fuller explanation, she said she isn't leaving Christ and that her faith in him remains ''central to my life.'' What she's abandoning is the church, which she's come to see as a ''quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious and deservedly infamous group.''
I don't necessarily agree with Anne Rice's evaluation of the church. But can I let you in on a secret? People in the church don't ALWAYS get along. We usually do, but not always. Why is that? It could be a lot of things.
One reason Christians don't always get along is sin. When someone in the church is living in open rebellion to God's Word then that can cause problems. This was the case in the Corinthian church that we read about in the N.T.
Another reason Christians may not always get along is honest disagreement over methodology or Bible interpretation. In Acts 15 we read that Paul and Barnabas disagreed over whether or not to take John Mark along with them on their second missi ...
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