Wellington Church of Christ

Have you ever been persecuted for your faith in Christ?  How were you persecuted?  What was your reaction when you were persecuted?  How did it make you feel?

In Matthew 5:11 Jesus said that His followers would be persecuted:

I mentioned briefly last week that the first four Beatitudes correlate with the last four – we’re going to see today how the second Beatitude relates directly to the sixth.  The second Beatitude says,

I once heard it said, “Youth cry for justice while the old cry for mercy.”  I can’t remember who said it or where I read it, but it has always stuck with me.  The truth behind the statement is profound. 

Some of my favorite people of all time have been characterized by the personal quality of meekness.  It’s a misunderstood quality and a quality that all Christians should strive toward.  Why?  It is a quality of our Savior and Lord, Jesus.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:1

Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ…

I am often asked the question, “How do you choose what to preach?”  Frankly, after prayerful consideration, I preach what I want to preach, but with a very serious caveat; I don’t skip any verses.

What makes a good sermon?  Over the years, my feelings on this have changed dramatically.  Early on in my Christian walk, I wanted a sermon to have one or more of the following qualities:

What is the first time that you can remember praying?  Something that is now very interesting to me, when looking back on my childhood, is that before going to church and before giving my life to Jesus, I used to pray.

I remember walking through the woods, walking through fields,

When I was young I spent a lot of time fishing.  I had two tackle boxes – one for spinner baits and rooster tails and one for crankbaits and worms.  I enjoyed collecting lures and organizing those lures

It baffles my mind that Jesus chose to live the life He lived.  He was born into a poor family.  He was born in a barn.  Jesus grew up in the town of Nazareth, a town of ill reputation.  Jesus chose ordinary men to be