Pastor David Keuss - Hope without Compromise

When it comes to thinking of names for a Worship Center, it sounds easier than it is. Do you define it by purpose?  By historical coinage of terms, chapel, cathedral, etc, etc?  By denomination, like house of worship, house of prayer type names?  By region, just think Northeast versus mid-South?  Secular type names to appeal to anyone, such as auditorium? Something that sounds so simple actually can have impact various ways. A simple search yields some intriguing but not helpful ideas for your typical evangelical church: For instance, some synonyms aren't the best: http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/sanctuary And there's the connotation that the sanctuary is somehow more holy than other parts of a church or one's life outside of it, which is a dubious claim. The only thing that makes that so is that the Word of God is sung and preached in a sanctuary verbally and in hearts.  But if you consider the place, what does it mean to call it sanctified, ...

What are your thoughts on this as a person attending or helping lead in your church? http://thomrainer.com/2015/06/six-reasons-why-church-worship-centers-will-get-smaller/ My thoughts are that Thom is spot on.  He is exactly right that worship centers will get smaller over time.  Perhaps the biggest reasons are desire for multiple services and stewardship.  The desire for a more close feel among friends is also a strong contender. God bless!

When we are trying to follow Jesus sometimes a person will say something that sounds good, but is not God's will for us.  We go along because we feel they are spiritually mature, or out of peer pressure, or driven by fear.  But those are not reasons to do anything. Consider a few examples of being misled as a Christian person: 1.) The statement "I prayed about it and got a feeling to do --fill in the blank--."   While this sounds very spiritual, you do not see a single example of someone in the Bible making any decision, let alone a major decision, based on how they felt in a prayer.  This alone ought to eliminate this as a real contender, because there is no positive foundation to use it to decide anything.  Christians ought to be very skeptical of the human heart too, for God's Word declares boldly: 'the heart is deceitful above all things, and hopelessly sick.' (Jeremiah chapter 17)  King David speaking prophetically said that he was born with a si...

W hen you think about your work, your family situation, or your relationships, it is best to remember that God's truth makes one blessed.  Sometimes we forget this and imagine our life outside of church as a big "neutral" zone where we just operate by the world's advice.  But consider this, when Solomon assumed the throne of a kingship after his father David in Israel, he asked God for wisdom to lead.  And God heard the prayer.   One of the wisest people in history, due to God's blessing, Solomon lead a large and diverse (including parts of modern Syria, Jordan, Iraq) country. Recorded in 1st Kings the country thrived and had security due to godly wisdom in action. And yet God's wisdom extended to the practical.  He had a wise set of friends, who were in different roles, so there was balance.  These were also advisers with different backgrounds.  We read in the Bible that he had 12 directors over national provision who operated in turn, so that no ...

If you've been in church for even a short time, there's a chance you've heard some of these.  Without further ado, 5 things pastors should never say: 1.) "As I start this sermon today, I have to apologize."  This isn't about a wrong done here, but rather:  when you get up to preach pastors people need a word from God, not an excuse on preparation being lacking.  Many pastors routinely apologize for not being prepared or for their getting nervous as the sermon starts.  If you have a short time to connect with the congregation to bring a Word from God, leave your self-doubt out, it's not about you pastors anyhow, but God's truth.  It is always a bad idea to start out saying things like this.  First of all, how you feel is totally irrelevant.  God's Word is powerful and it will work if you declare it honestly to people to help them.  So how you feel should not factor in.  Then there's this, speaking as an honest audience member tired of...

As National Day of Prayer approaches this week, we need to remember that not all prayer is godly. That sounds obvious right?  But it isn't.  Even in legitimate churches full of mainly genuine Christ followers, prayer can be off course, not directed to God but our own selves accidentally.  Our sinful tendency can make us think we are praying and doing God's will. What we really need is prayer rooted in a desire to see God's character in real life. Two illustrations this week reminded me that God looks at the heart.  A heart that is right with God must be right with Jesus Christ His Son.  This is more than a one time profession of faith when you were eight years old as we so often portray it.  Yes, there is a time you come to know Jesus as your own Savior, realizing he forgave your sins, and you personally trust Him (John 10:1-18).  But we must fight inside our heart for holy character.  These illustrations are of people in two different situa...

So often in our busy lives we neglect to take a day off.  We wear not taking a day off as a badge of pride.  Many of us or our friends work two or three jobs.  One of these might be a small business on the side, and nearly any small business takes additional time to manage and grow. What then is the value in having a day off to rest? First, the Lord commands it.  God created you, He knows you need rest. Scripture says, before the Law of Moses, "on the seventh day God rested from all his work."  As shocking as it may sound, the example of taking a 7th day off to rest is in the first few chapters of the Bible as a pattern.  We're not stronger than God, so we should take it seriously.  Later, this was codified into the Law for Israel to use.  But the idea of a day of transcends the Law of Moses. Scripture also relays to us, we look forward to a Sabbath rest, aka, a time of stopping.  Hebrews 4:9-10 hints at its value.  It's brought ...