Tag: John J Frady

Why People Skip Church on Father’s Day

the inside of a rural english church

Father’s Day worship services can be lots of fun with special giveaways, man-centered services, funny videos, and cool testimonies. Unfortunately, Father’s Day Weekend is very often a weekend when people skip church.

Father’s Day most often means “Dad’s Choice” Weekend

Let’s be honest, on the top ten list of what most men want to do on Father’s Day, going to church doesn’t usually make the cut. Moms and children often tell dads, “This is your day, Dad! We can do whatever you want to do today!” Given this option, most dads won’t set aside their breakfast in bed and say, “Ok. Everyone up, get dressed, and get in the car! We’re going to church!”

Men Are Afraid They’re Going To Be Lectured

Think about it. Churches often use mother’s day to shower love on moms. Often, these same churches use father’s day to tell men to step it up and be a man. Writer David Murrow, the Director of Church For Men, in his article The Futility of Father’s Day Services*, has reported that only 4% of pastors consider Father’s Day as a high attendance weekend. Murrow attributes one cause to the pastoral beating up of men on Father’s Day. He writes “Can you imagine a pastor standing up on Mother’s Day and saying, ‘Women, I know you’ve messed up your families – but it’s never too late to become a great mother.’ Any minister who said these things about women would be out of a job by Monday morning.”

Father’s Day For Many Is A Day of Grief

As Father’s Day approaches, not everyone is wondering about whether to get Dad a goofy tie, golf club, baseball cap, or fishing equipment. Many dread the approach of the day, the entire day itself, and the commercialism and celebration that is connected with it because of difficult circumstances. Here are just a few issues people deal with on Father’s Day:

  1. Widows
  2. Widowers
  3. Orphans
  4. Children (of all ages) who have lost their Fathers (and Grandfathers)
  5. Parents who have lost their Children
  6. Single Men
  7. Single Women
  8. Wives and Children of Abusive or Dysfunctional Fathers
  9. Men and Women who are Childless
  10. Recently Separated or Divorced Men and Women
  11. Children of the Recently Divorced or Separated
  12. The Critically Ill and Their Families
  13. Father’s estranged from their children
  14. Children estranged from their fathers

A Few Practical Ways The Church Help Make Father’s Day Better?

  • Make it fun! Why should the day we celebrate dads be boring.
  • Use discernment and be sensitive to those who might be hurting on Father’s Day.
  • Don’t beat up on men in your Father’s Day’s Services. Honor them, challenge them respectfully, and move on.
  • If you have Fathers stand to be prayed for, consider having all men stand instead of only Fathers. You can still pray for the fathers, but you can also pray for all men present to be godly examples to the next generation.
  • If you show a Father’s Day video, make it a funny one. It helps break the tension. Save the sap for Mother’s Day.
  • If you give a gift on Father’s Day, give it to all men and not just those who are dads.

There are lots of reasons for fathers, men, couples, singles, and children to skip church on Father’s Day. It’s our job as pastors and church leaders to give them positive reasons to come to worship services on these days. Let’s be the church to those in need on Father’s Day.

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Great Websites For Church Video Resources

film

Some churches are blessed with great video departments who can crank out quality ministry videos quickly. Others have small departments who produce quality work, but are limited on personnel and equipment resources. Most churches have no video department, but would often still like to use quality video in ministry.

Wherever your church fall, sooner or later, you’ll find yourself searching for a quality video for worship music, sermon illustration, or teaching tool. Below is a list of great websites which may help your video ministry needs.

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/ – Worship House Media is often my first go to site when searching. They provide mini-movies, worship tracks, countdowns, worship stills, motion backgrounds, and resources for small groups and church software.

http://www.sermonspice.com/ – Sermon Spice offers pretty much the same resources as Worship House Media, but they include extended video illustration resources, many of those created by individual church ministry teams, meaning the quality sometimes varies.

http://www.danstevers.com/ – Dan Stevers creates quality creative videos for church worship services. You won’t find countdowns or worship tracks on his site because he sticks to creating quality mini-movies of the highest quality. This is one of my favorite sites because he also offers his videos in various languages, which is a blessing for churches with multilingual venues.

http://www.wingclips.com/ – Wingclips offers movie clips that illustrate and inspire for worship services and teaching environments. It offers you the opportunity to search clips from hundreds if not thousands of movies by movie title, scripture, category, or theme. This is a good site with prepared ready to use downloadable clips, but I often find that where they begin or end clips are slightly odd.

http://skitguys.com/ – Eddie James and Tommy Woodard, better known as The Skit Guys, have been around for years, providing entertaining yet thought provoking drama for worship and ministry use. Their website features ministry videos and motion backgrounds, but also downloadable scripts for churches who wish to perform their mini-dramas live. I’ve found this site extremely useful for seasonal emphases.

https://www.bluefishtv.com/ and it’s sister site http://www.rightnowmedia.org/ – These websites focuses much more on teaching resources than the other sites listed. On these sites, you’ll find great children’s resources, full Bible study videos by well known Bible teachers plus full Bible study teaching kits as well as great testimonies from students and adults alike on a variety of topics. I’ve used illustration and testimony videos from this site before for worship, but it’s often taken extra time to find because that’s not the main purpose of the sites.

Recently, I’ve also found great video resources produced by other churches and ministries by searching the following websites:

http://www.lifechurch.tv/churches/ – LifeChurch.tv, the largest church in the United States, offers most if not all of its resources to other churches for free. Create a username and browse.

http://www.sermonsearch.com/ – Centered around sermons and preaching resources, but continually offer a wider variety of video illustrations

http://store.centralchristian.com/Central-Videos-C109.aspx – Video store of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada

https://seeds.churchonthemove.com/resources/video – Free resources from Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma

https://vimeo.com/ – Great place to follow high resoluation quality video ministries of churches. My favorites are Hillsongs and Elevation Church.

https://www.youtube.com/ – More and more, churches are sharing great video resources with others directly on youtube. Other for profit sites will share their products here with links to their sites for purchase. Most often, the quality is not as good as vimeo.

http://www.godtube.com/ – Sort of like drinking Christian resources from a fireman’s water hose. Great resources can be found, but the organization of the site seems a little scattered.

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I learn about more resources everyday, so I’m sure I’ve missed a few great ones. If you can think of some, please share in the comments section.

 

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How To Not Be Obnoxious During Hospital Visitation

Bad Visitor

Unfortunately, my mother’s health over the past month has granted me the opportunity to spend some extended hours in hospital waiting rooms and in hospital room makeshift beds. While I am pleased to report that my mother is doing so much better physically, the incessant beeping from various machines, the uncomfortable accommodations, and the lack of sleep have caused me to reevaluate my own hospital visitation practices and to therefore create the following hospital visitation tips that may help well meaning people from becoming unknowingly obnoxious during their visit.

5 Hospital Visitation Tips

  1. Don’t make the hospital visit about you. Some people are so uncomfortable when they visit, the patient or family feel as if they have to comfort them instead of the other way around.
  2. Pray. Unless absolutely prohibited in some way, pray with the patient. If you can’t because of hospital staff or family, then pray briefly for the patient as you are leaving the hospital. Some people say that the least they can do is pray. Honestly, it’s really the most.
  3. Observe door etiquette. If the door is closed when you arrive, close it when you leave. People who have lived in the country understand that if a gate is closed and you open it to go through, it’s considerate to close it behind you. If it is open when you arrive, leave it that way as you go through. The same is true of the hospital room door. Often, the patient or family has the door open or closed for a reason.
  4. Don’t talk about what you just had to eat. Many hospital patients are not able to consume liquid or solid foods or may be somewhere in between. Some patients may have been fasting in preparing for a procedure. Others are recovering from surgery and the sight, smell, or mention of certain foods make them nauseous. Unless they bring it up, don’t talk about food.
  5. Let sleeping patients lie. Because of constant interruptions, incessant machine noises, and routine checks from the RN, LVN, CNA, PT or (amazingly enough) the MD, It is incredibly hard to sleep in the hospital. Therefore, when visiting someone in the hospital who is asleep and who does not wake up when you enter the room, let them sleep. Instead, pray over them and ask God to help them rest and recover, and then consider leaving them a handwritten note or at least a business card.

Believe it or not, it is good for people to visit others when they are sick and believe it or not, most of them do appreciate your visit. However, using simple etiquette can help your visit be more beneficial than harmful.

If you can think of other tips, please comment below.

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The Importance of Worship Service Transitions

awk-moment

It’s frightening to say, but one of the most crucial parts of the worship service is often the most neglected. It’s not the sermon, the music, or even the offering, but it’s what connects them all together. The transitions.

Nothing can be more awkward for those on the stage and in the seats than for a transition to go awry. Suddenly, in the eyes of those attending the worship service, the person speaking moves from being a spiritual guide leading others on a worship journey to a time wasting unprepared idiot.

Earlier in my ministry, I didn’t give much thought to worship transitions. In the traditional churches where I was raised, you did one thing, stopped it completely, and then moved on to the next item on the agenda. In these settings, the Pastor or Music Minister often served like a formal emcee at an evening debutante ball. If someone were singing, he would announce that person’s name and the song they were singing. Then, the announced person would act slightly surprised, stand slowly, and then dramatically walk to the podium.

What a waste of time. People don’t put up with that in today’s world unless it’s a group of children doing some type of presentation.

There are many transition times in worship, but here are some questions surrounding six major transitions of which the worship planner should be aware.

  • Beginnings – How are you going to begin? Will you build momentum toward your start time, will you simply begin with a bang, or will you ease in subtly?
  • Musical – What will the transitions be between the musical elements within your service? Will your songs flow together seamlessly or will you break completely between songs?
  • Congregational – How will you use congregational elements to help you transition in the worship service? Will you have them greet one in the service? Will you direct them to sit or will you let them figure it out? Will you hope for or direct congregational applause following songs, videos, or speakers to help kill the dead space?
  • Video – How will you use video features, bumpers, announcements, and commercials to help create smooth transitions from one element to another? Will you announce the visual elements or will you just go to it?
  • Spoken – What spoken transitions will you add into your worship services to help you transition smoothly from one element to the other? Will you use a verbal announcement, a prayer, a brief monologue, or a spoken word in these times?
  • Endings – How are you going to end your service? Will you build to a climax and let everyone out with a bang? Will you end with ongoing prayer and altar ministry and allow everyone to leave as they desire?

It may seem trivial to give major focus to transitional items such as these. Shouldn’t we just focus on the content of the main parts of the service and wing it in between?

Not at all.

Charles Dickens once wrote, “There is surely something charming in seeing the smallest things done so thoroughly.” He was writing about a button. Shouldn’t the same be said of our worship services?

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8 Simple Tips For Better Writing

write

No matter what your vocation, use these simple tips to improve your writing.

  1. Lead with your main idea – Let people know your subject upfront. If you don’t, they’ll stop reading.
  2. Good writing is concise. It can certainly be creative, but it should be free of superfluous adjectives and unnecessary details. More is not always better. Sometimes it’s just more and often it’s less.
  3. Avoid using “that” as often as possible. Even though it is sometimes useful when adding some type of description, the sentence can most often become more powerful by moving the description to before the noun.
  4. Condense what you’ve written, then do it again. This will help your writing be tighter and more interesting.
  5. Use a thesaurus to help you find the perfect word. Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
  6. Overused clichés are as common as dirt. Good writers avoid them like the plague.
  7. Read more and your writing will naturally improve.
  8. Use Spell Check and Grammar Check. It’s free and instantly available. Duh.
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The Number One Complaint About Church Visuals

complaint-box_1

Serving in worship ministry affords me the privilege of hearing friendly (and sometimes unfriendly) complaints about what happens in worship. One area that is often criticized is the operation of the visuals placed on the screen during the worship service, especially when it regards the timeliness of the presentation of the song lyrics.

Creative backgrounds and interesting animations certainly help enhance worship services, but they don’t mean much if the people worshiping are distracted because the lyrics to the songs they are trying to sing are late. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing problem in many churches.

So, here’s the bottom line: Song lyrics need to be on the screen before people have to the sing them. If the people have to guess at what the next word or line or phrase is, then their worship experience has been hijacked, meaning they’ve been temporarily or permanently disengaged from what is happening.

How To Avoid Lyrical Delay: Prepare and Practice

Prepare – It is the worship leader’s job to provide the correct worship lyrics and sequences in which the song is going to be presented. This serves as a guide to the technician who is creating and/or displaying the lyrics.

  • Very important point – The sequence of the songs, meaning the breakdown of when and how many times the verses, choruses, bridge(s), and tags are included in the song presentation is first and foremost the responsibility of the worship leader.
  • If the correct song sequences are not communicated to the technicians building and then operating the song playlist, it is doubtful that the presentations of the songs will be presented properly. The blame for this failure is most often given to the visuals operator, but most often it actually belongs to the worship leader.
  • Sometimes, a worship leader refuses to plan the sequences of the songs because he simply wants to be led by the Spirit. It makes sense to these worship leaders that if he and the visuals technician are both being led by the Spirit then everything will come together perfectly without prior coordination. The Holy Spirit can certainly lead two different people simultaneously, but if we use this excuse for not preparing, we are basically blaming God for our laziness and mistakes.
  • It is the visual technician’s job to review the song playlist prior to the run-through and worship service ensuring that the correct song version has been included and that it is in the right sequence. If this has been done, the operator and worship leader can be more confident that the right words will be displayed at the right time.

Practice – If there is a run-through prior to the service, it is responsibility of the visuals technician to practice along with the musical worship team.

  • The following cannot be said enough – The run-through is not just practice for the band. It’s also practice for the visual technician. Believe it or not, the visual technician needs to practice just as much as the band, if for no other reason than to catch mistakes, correct typos, and reorder the sequences of songs built improperly.
  • If practice happens, sequencing or presentation issues can be found and corrected prior to the service. If this does not happen, the visuals technician is basically just hoping everything is going to be ok.
  • The rehearsal also allows the visuals technician to reacquaint themselves with the flow and the feel of the song, allowing himself to anticipate where the worship leader is going if an extra chorus or bridge needs to be added on the fly.
  • Sometimes, when a visuals technician is also responsible for building the song playlist, he tends to feel like he’s already done his homework for the service and therefore doesn’t deem it necessary to practice with the band during run-through. When these things happen, the operator is allowing prideful arrogance to step in between himself and a successful worship service.

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When I was growing up, my parents used to say, “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” The same can be said for the worship leaders and visuals technicians of our day who are partnering together to avoid the number one complaint about church visuals.

Related Posts:

9 Mistakes Worship Attendance Counters Make

I Am Greater Than You

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9 Mistakes Worship Attendance Counters Make

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Larry Osbourne once said, “If churches spent as much time counting faces as they did dollars, they wouldn’t have a growth problem.”

One of the best ways to track growth or decline in church attendance is by counting those in worship service attendance. However, people often ask, does it really matter if we get a count of everyone? The answer is “Yes. You should count everyone because everyone counts.”

No matter if the counting is done by ushers, deacons, staff, or pastors in church, there are nine common errors I’ve noticed which often cause worship attendance figures to be skewed.

  1. They count to get it done instead of to really know. This often happens when the job is delegated to someone who doesn’t understand the importance of really knowing the actual count. An easy solution may be taking a few minutes to explain the purpose behind counting to those involved.
  2. They count too early in the service. For many congregations, the number of people in attendance at the beginning of the service is no indication of how many people will be there by the end. I suggest waiting until the musical worship is over and the sermon begins (if the service is typical) before counting. The difference may be drastic.
  3. They only count those inside the actual worship center. Consider creating a counting chart listing all of the areas needing to be counted. This may include your worship center sections, tech booths, green rooms, the main foyer, prayer room, etc…
  4. They estimate instead of counting. I believe this is what most pastors do across America. It simply isn’t reliable (or honest). Estimating crowds instead of actually counting them can cause the actual number to be grossly deflated or overinflated. One way to spot if your counters are estimating is if the numbers they turn in are rounded numbers like 200, 250, 120, etc…
  5. They either miss or don’t count infants and children with adults. If everyone counts, count everybody. I’ve heard one church leader say “We mean all, and that’s all all means.” Children and infants count as people, even if they aren’t in the infant, toddler, preschool, or elementary rooms.
  6. When counting children’s attendance, they don’t count the adults in the room. Turn about is fair play for the children’s attendance. Adults (or teenagers) are in attendance as well, so count them.
  7. They use a faulty clicker. Clickers can be great tools for use when counting, however besides being distracting (because of the clicking sound) they sometimes get stuck so the clicks go 1,2,3,4,4,4,4,5,6,7,7… One way to correct this problem is by purchasing a digital clicker which seems to be more reliable. They are also much quieter.
  8. They forget to count the people on stage. This is an easy oversight, but forgetting to count those on stage often means you miss counting pastors, band members, speakers, singers, etc…
  9. They forget to count themselves. Remember, we count everyone because everyone counts, even you.

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Related Posts:

We Ain’t No Professionals Ain’t Cutting It Anymore

I Am Greater Than You

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Good Friday Service Outline – Full Script

Many churches, including ours, have found a renewed interest in celebrating Good Friday. In many ways, since Easter has become more of a reaching service (which I believe it should be), Good Friday has become more of a Believer’s Easter Weekend Service.

At Celebration Church, many found this year’s service to be extremely meaningful and a few have asked me for the outline. It’s included in it’s entirety below. Let me know if you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future services.

2015 Good Friday Service Outline

Pre-Service Music and Slides

Musical Worship

  • Song – 5

Good Friday? video plays as soon as people are seated – 3:16

  • Suggested Song – “Your Love, So High”

Welcome – Greeting/Communication Cards/Prayer – 3 (Instrumental music continues)

Campus Pastor or Campus Representative: 5

When many of us think about the Last Supper, we envision Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting (fresco) which he finished in 1498. (Show image of fresco)

Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Ultima_cena_-_ca_1975

  • The original work was 15’ x 29’ and took 3 years to complete.
  • It was not painted on the ceiling or walls of one of the grand cathedrals of the day, but instead was painted on the wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The modern translation of a refectory is a dining hall. In fact, the tablecloth, knives, forks, glassware, and china were all similar to those in use by the monks residing in the monastery in that time period. It was almost as if Leonardo da Vinci wanted those dining to feel as if they were dining with Jesus, helping them realize that what He did for them so many years ago was still relevant in their world.
  • The body and blood of Jesus, offered up to pay the price for the sins of the world, is relevant to us in the 21st century as well. He gave His life for us so that we might live with Him and in Him and He in us.
  • The monks in Milan must have felt like Jesus was right there with them as they ate every meal. Tonight, we are going to celebrate a meal together, just as the disciples did and as the monks in Milan did, and Jesus will be right here with us as well. We know that He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere, so we know He is with us right now.
  • Before we celebrate communion, let’s celebrate His presence with us tonight. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to be present with us even now.

Suggested Song about the presence of the Lord – 5  – “Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here”

Spoken – The Bible says this about the night of the Last Supper…

Scripture: – Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover Lamb is sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.”

“Where do you want us to prepare it?” they asked him.

He replied, “As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there. (Luke 22:7-13)

Spoken: What happened then might have looked something like this: 

(Play first 4 minutes and 9 seconds of video)

(Music begins as soon as the video ends)

Intro to the Lord’s Supper: – 4 He has kept that promise to us. Tonight, we are going to remember the Lord’s death for us as He commanded us in that moment we just saw portrayed.

(Give instructions on coming forward to receive)

Serving of the Bread/Juice with song (Consider using real unleavened bread and juice. Have a table onstage with the bread and the juice for the campus pastor.)

Time of personal examination and reflection – 3 – (Something like this) The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11 that we should examine ourselves before eating the bread and drinking the cup. You see, on the very night He was betrayed, Jesus, knowing what was about to happen, gave bread and wine to his disciples and taught them that it represented His body. So, now, when we partake of the bread and juice, we proclaim, we remember, we celebrate His death, until He returns. So now, if you would, please hold up the bread and the juice before you. Look at them. They represent the body and blood of Jesus. Now, take a moment and think about your own life. Is there anything you need to get right with the Lord before you participate in the Lord’s Supper?

(Music plays while the Campus Pastor gives the people a moment to examine themselves)

Taking of the Bread/Juice with song which continues after the Lord’s Supper is taken and prayer is said – 3

Say:  That same evening, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. While he was there, he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, who led Roman soldiers there so they might arrest him. He then went through a mockery of a trial, was publicly flogged, then sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Read:  “Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called the Place of the Skull. There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews… Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.” John 19:17-20, 28-30

For The Cross Song by Brian Johnson – Special Video Song Presentation with scenes of the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. (We downloaded the multi-tracks straight from Bethel Music and set them to a video which presented the words in a creative way mixed with scenes from the crucifixion.) Here’s a link to the song by itself: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhU59tWalD

Message – IN A MOMENT

Spoken: At the time of Jesus’ death, it must have seemed like the purpose of his life was unfulfilled. Fortunately, in that moment, God provided 3 miraculous signs, pointing toward the ultimate miracle which would take place on Sunday.

At the moment of Jesus Death: God Ripped The Temple Veil In Two

“Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom…” Matthew 27:50-51

  • In the temple, behind the veil was the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary where the ark of the covenant rested. Filling the Holy of Holies was the Shekinah glory of God, the visible tangible presence of the Lord. Only the high priest could enter and only once a year and then only to offer the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of Israel.
  • The veil was massive and was designed to separate man from the presence of God. It was sixty feet high, thirty feet wide, and ten inches thick. It was so heavy that it took 300 priests to hang it.
  • The very moment Jesus died, this curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, as if it were a piece of paper.

(Show image of veil torn in two)

veil torn

  • This could only be done by God and is a sign that the way is now opened for anyone and everyone to enter into the presence of God through the sacrifice of the Messiah.

At the moment of Jesus Death: God Shook the Earth, Split Rocks, and Opened Tombs

“Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment…The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened.” Matthew 27:50-51

  • The second miraculous sign was a supernatural earthquake and the splitting of rocks which must have created much devastation around Jerusalem. God was making another statement about Jesus to the world.
  • It reflected the “earth-shaking” revelation that had just taken place with the splitting of the curtain. Through the death of the Son of God, the way had been cleared for sinful man to enter the company of the holy God. Centuries before, when God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, the earth shook because the Law was meant to shake people up. Here, the earth is shaking again—this time not to shake man up, but to shake him loose. To get him to wake up from his sin and sleep of apathy. We can be free! The sin that enslaves us has be paid for and forgiven. The veil is rent. Redemption’s price has been paid!
  • Because of the earthquake, the tombs were opened and deep fissures were created. The death of the Savior had and is still having a splitting open of tombs impact on mankind. Those dead in their sin can now escape their living death.
  • The splitting of the rocks and the resulting opening of tombs was evidently a preview of the final resurrection, guaranteed by the imminent resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

At the moment of Jesus Death: God Raised Holy People From the Dead

“At that moment…the bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.” Matthew 27:51-53

  • These saints appeared to many as confirming witnesses to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Their appearance in bodily form testified to Christ resurrection and to God’s promise to raise all those who put their trust in Christ.
  • These chosen saints who were resurrected after Jesus arose on Easter Sunday began to walk around the Holy City. What a sight it would have been to see people who had been dead for years walking around Jerusalem.

Conclusion

After seeing all of these things, “The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, ‘This man truly was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54)

Paul summed it all up when he wrote the following words about Jesus:

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:6-11

Are you ready to make that decision today?

Decision Time and Song – 

Suggested Song – Chorus of “We Thank You For The Cross”

Offering/Baptisms – 

Closing Song – 

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10 Reasons You Should Go To Church

church

When I was a young Christian, I used to pray Psalm 27:4 which says, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

I had no idea He would take me so literally. Since coming to Christ almost three decades ago, I’ve spent most of that time serving in churches and ministries, mostly in worship ministry.

One thing I’ve noticed during that time is that often, even the most devout Christians, for one reason or the other, fall away from attending worship services on a regular basis.

So, in response, here’s my list of ten reasons you should go to church:

1. Christian Fellowship goes two ways: with God and with others. (1 John 1:3)

2. It’s one of the greatest habits (Hebrews 10:25)

3. For the opportunity to use your spiritual gifts to help others. (1 Peter 4:10)

4. Accountability. (Hebrews 13:17)

5. There are no self-sufficient Christians. (1 Corinthians 12:21)

6. To make a joyful noise unto the Lord! (Psalm 100)

7. To “devote yourself to the apostles teaching, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

8. To pray for others and to be prayed for (Matthew 18:19)

9. To express your love for God publicly (Psalm 22:22)

10. It’s what Jesus did (Luke 14:6)

There are possibly hundreds of other reasons to attend worship services (and small group meetings). Any that come to your mind today? If so, leave a comment.

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P.S. If you live in the New Orleans area as I do, Easter’s a great time to start or restart attending worship. Let me invite you now to attend one of the 30 Easter Worship Services at Celebration Church. For times and locations, click Here

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The Selfish Decree of St. Patrick

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On March 25, 433, St. Patrick stepped onto the shores of Slane, Ireland. He immediately demanded the opportunity to speak to the people of that city. His speech went something like this:

“Good people of the Emerald Isle! Henceforth on March 17th, or upon the weekend closest to that date, the rivers of at least one major city should be dyed green in my honor. People without the knowledge that the 3 leafed shamrock represents the Holy Trinity shall wear them proudly, along with shiny green top hats. I decree that everyone should skip church in order to attend parades where green beads and cabbages will be thrown to the massive crowds who have gathered to celebrate the anniversary of my death! Oh, and children who don’t wear green shall be pinched unmercilessly. Ok, that’s it. Let’s all get sloshed!”

Here’s a slightly more accurate account:

St. Patrick was born to Italian parents, residing in Scotland, in the year 387. When he was 14 years old, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates, taken to Ireland, and forced to serve as a shepherd. While there, he learned the language and the customs of the people. He also spent much time in prayer and soon dedicated his life to Jesus.  Six years after his capture, he escaped captivity and begged a ship captain to give him passage. Even as he was escaping, he had a dream where the people of Ireland were calling out to him, saying, “We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more.”

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Upon his return to England, Patrick began his studies for the priesthood and was later named as Bishop Patrick. He was then given the task of converting Ireland for the glory of God. He did arrive in Slane, Ireland in 433, and set about sharing the gospel with everyone he met. One legend says one Chief named Dichu tried to kill Patrick, but discovered that his arm was unable to move. Once he prayed with Patrick to give his life to Jesus, his arm relaxed and he could move it once again.

Patrick preached the Gospel across Ireland, living the life of a missionary and converting thousands. He planted churches across the entire island, training priests and overseers to lead them. St. Patrick served the Lord for the remainder of his life in Ireland, living most of them in poverty. He passed away on March 17, 461.

The following prayer is attributed to St. Patrick:

I arise today through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth, firmness of the rock.

I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me;

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s eye to look before me,

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s word to speak for me,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to protect me,

God’s hosts to save me afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today against wounding.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today through the mighty strength of the Lord of creation.

May we all be as focused on Christ as was St. Patrick.

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