John 2

Based on today’s reading, what areas of my life do I need to put into Christ’s hands because I trust him?
In verses 1-11 we find Jesus willing to be interrupted to serve someone in need. He can provide what we need, sometimes saving the best for last, which requires extreme patience on our part. The thing that sticks out most in these verses is Mary’s confident trust in Jesus when she says to the servants “do whatever he tells you” (v.5). It was as if she believed that Jesus could do anything, solve any problem, fix what is broken. Mary is a great illustration of trust. Today I will be quick to put my trust him and encourage others to do the same by telling them “do whatever Christ tells you.” As I counsel people in need today, I want to hold up Jesus as trustworthy just like Mary did. I want to trust that Jesus can make a difference in my life and in the lives of others.

Based on today’s reading, how can I lovingly submit to Christ by obeying his commands?
In verses 12-17 the place of worship became a means through which the religious leaders could abuse and oppress people instead of serving and helping them. The people of God should not be self-serving; yet many churches struggle with the temptation to use people instead of serving people. The religious leaders were marking up the prices on Temple animal sacrifices and charging extremely high exchange rates, making it more and more difficult for people, especially the poor, to connect with God through worship. While we don’t do that at SWC, I do sense that God is challenging me to guard us from putting needless obstacles in a person’s path to God.

Another challenge for me comes in v.25. We love affirmation from people, but Jesus made sure that his number one source of affirmation was from the Father. People can be fickle but God is consistent. We should be seeking to please him and get our ultimate kudos from Him. If we don’t, we will find that pleasing others becomes more important to us than pleasing God.

John 1

Based on today’s reading, what areas of my life do I need to put into Christ’s hands because I trust him?
The first five verses of this chapter remind me just how powerful Christ is and how worthy he is of my absolute trust. Sometimes I think I can do more for me than Christ can. But the truth is I can’t. I am limited; he is not. I am often powerless; he is not. While he may have come to us as a First Century Jewish man, he is the eternal “Word” of God who made everything there is (v.3), including me, who distributes true life that makes life worth living (v.4), and who overcomes the dark forces of the world with his light (v.5). I can trust him. Today, I need to trust that he will use me to touch the lives of people through my preaching ministry. In addition to preaching weekly at SWC, which is both a joy and a sobering responsibility, I have been invited to preach God’s word at three major events outside of SWC- one this week and two in the Fall. I sensed a bit of fear and anxiety welling up inside me, wondering how I would find the time to prepare for these extra speaking engagements. Then I realized that the God who gave me these opportunities will, no doubt, help me in the development and delivery of these messages as long as I stay yielded to and focused on him.

Based on today’s reading, how can I lovingly submit to Christ by obeying his commands?
John the Baptist says in v.7 that he “came as a witness to testify concerning the light (Jesus) so that through him all might believe.” Every single follower of Christ is also called to be a “witness,” to show and tell the world that Jesus Christ is the ultimate giver of life and light. As a witness John pointed others to Jesus, saying, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (v.29)” and then again the next day, "Look, the Lamb of God! (v.36). This entire chapter is about pointing people to Christ. John is writing his gospel to point people to Christ. John the Baptist was quick to point people to Christ. A bit later in the chapter, Andrew points his brother, Peter, to Christ (v.41) and Phillip points Nathaneal to Christ (v.45). I sense God really challenging me today to make the most of every opportunity to point people to Christ through my actions, words, and prayers. Jesus calls me to be his witness (Acts 1:8) and today I will lovingly submit to him by seeking and taking opportunities to point people to him, the giver of life and light!

My Dream Church

One of my heroes is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and my favorite speech is his "I Have a Dream Speech." During our weekend services at the Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church, I shared my "I Have a Dream Speech." I articulated to our congregation what my dream church would look like. It actually looks a lot like the church we, in time, became.

Here is the text for the speech:

Our Dream Church
- by Lead Pastor Lenny Luchetti

…We have a dream of a church that sees a human being not based upon the level of that person’s income or education but based upon their value in the eyes of God,

…A church that is unashamedly committed to Christ and because of that commitment is radically dedicated to loving all kinds of people with all kinds of issues in all kinds of ways,

…A church that is not consumed by petty deliberations about the color of the sanctuary carpet because she is too consumed by the mission of love Christ has called us to live,

…A church that sees overwhelming needs in our community and world and instead of turning away in fear and defeat runs right toward the needs by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and caring for the sick, the addicted, and the depressed,

…A church that helps seekers become servants of Christ, a church that is led not by perfect people but by people perfectly submitted to the Holy Spirit and guided by the Holy Book,

…We have a dream of a church that is not content to simply share a pew together but who are open to share life together, a church full of people who refuse to hold grudges because they’re too quick to forgive, who refuse to gossip because they’re too busy extending grace, who refuse to judge because they’re too busy loving,

…A church where people can worship by clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and raising their hands or being still, bowing their heads, and closing their mouths, a church that sees true religious devotion not as mere ritual but as love for the orphan and the widow, the successful and the struggling, the friend and the enemy,

…A church who measures the level of their success not by how many people show up on Saturday or Sunday but by how many people are living out Christ’s mission on Monday,

…We have a dream of a church that refuses to put limits on what God can do because she has the fearless, reckless audacity to believe that God has the power to do absolutely anything!

This dream originated in the heart of Christ and is the kind of church we are becoming. If this is the kind of church you want to belong to, you are in the right place. Come join us in fulfilling this dream!!!!

Sermon: How To Destroy Relationships and How To Build Them Again

In this message, I was trying to highlight relationship busters and the antidotes to those busters. All of us probably have relationships in our lives that need some maintenance or extreme repair. During the message we considered how Jesus went about relationships and how we can follow his example. Check out the message by clicking on the link below and feel free to post your thoughts.
http://www.stroudsburgwesleyan.org/index.php?page=audio_sermons2&audio_id=51

Sermon: Why We Need Each Other

In this message I was stressing how biblical Christianity's emphasis on community cuts against the grain of the rugged individualism our culture has brain-washed us into craving and cherishing. In this message I was attempting to highlight why we need each other. God made us not as independent but as interdependent beings. At various points during the message I confess my own tendency toward "do-it-yourselfism." I also try to highlight how having people with me at low points in my life has made a world of difference in how I came through those trials.

Check out the message by clicking on the link below and, as always, share your thoughts, questions, etc.: http://www.stroudsburgwesleyan.org/index.php?page=audio_sermons2&audio_id=49

Sermon: The Fingerprint of Christ

Whenever Easter rolls around, I try my best to tell the old familiar story in a new and unique kind of way. This year my text was John 20:31-38 (the Doubting Thomas story) and I used some detective props, including a magnifying glass and fingerprinting kit, to go on a search for evidence that Jesus is alive. We looked at some historical evidence that Jesus is alive. I suggested that there is present evidence as well; this present evidence is the fingerprint of Christ that shows up on the lives of those who, like the apostle Thomas, make Jesus "Lord and God."

I concluded by noting that there is really only one way to know for sure that Jesus lives. When we make Him Lord of our lives, the center around which everything revolves, we will dust for fingerprints on our lives and Christ's print will appear all over us. When we make Jesus Lord of our lives, we will know for sure that He lives because His print will begin to show up all over our lives in how we love others, etc.

Check out the sermon and feel free to add your insights and questions to this post. Here is the link to the message: http://www.stroudsburgwesleyan.org/index.php?page=audio_sermons2&audio_id=48

Sermon: When God Doesn't Meet Our Expectations

This Palm Sunday message was aimed at revealing how God doesn't meet our expectations but often exceeds them. The same Palm Sunday crowd who was praising Jesus as he entered Jerusalem was pretty much the same crowd who on Good Friday yelled out about Jesus "crucify Him." And why did they have such a change of heart? Because Jesus did not meet their Messianic expectations. They expected Jesus to lead them in a rebellion against Rome so that the Jews would be in power again. But Jesus did not meet their political, military, or economic expectations. On Good Friday he stood before them beaten, bloody and bruised. He looked too weak to be the warrior Messiah they expected. Many abandoned Jesus at this point because he did not meet their expectations.

Although Jesus does not always meet our expectations, if we can hang on to him beyond the Good Friday death of our expectations we may experience him exceeding our expectations on the Easter Sundays of life. Clink on the following link to listen to the sermon. Please feel free to comment, disagree, ask questions, etc. Here is the link:
http://www.stroudsburgwesleyan.org/index.php?page=audio_sermons2&audio_id=47