For most people, generosity is not a natural inclination. We have inherited that attitude because part of our fallen human nature strives to live independent of God’s grace and instinctively assume a defensive posture when it comes to our survival. Generosity, with no expectation of repayment, works against being fully prepared for the worst case scenario. We wonder “how much will be enough?” If I give something away, will that mean that I will miss out on something I may need later on in life? This attitude is rooted in a basic human independence that has missed the supernatural way in which God provides for all our needs: GRACE. In Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”, Scrooge is a perfect example of how that attitude can lead to a very dark place. Scrooge followed that line of thinking to the point of total isolation for society, deep seeded anger and a hopeless future. It is also a dangerous attitude for a believer to have because it will stifle the generosity God calls us to exercise in our stewardship.

Why is it that generosity is not a problem for some people and yet for others, the thought of being generous brings on a life crisis? What is the factor that moves people to be generous? There is one word that answers those questions: GRACE! Generous people operate in the knowledge and belief that they have received the grace of God, which frees them to be generous with what God has given them. Sunday we are going to look at the example of the early church in Acts 4 where people began to practice generosity with the church and to the community. Like Scrooge, they experienced grace in a profound way and as a result their attitude about possessions was changed. Where before grace they were tight fisted with their money; they became radically generous. Join me Sunday morning as we consider this formula of Kingdom Economics: Stewardship + GRACE = Generosity.

Last Sunday was the start to Kingdom Economics; a six-week sermon series on biblical stewardship. When I use the word “economics” I’m not referring to financial economics but am using that word to describe the values, principles and systems that we live by as stewards in the kingdom of God. Stewardship in God’s kingdom is not relegated to one specific area of life but permeates every aspect of a disciple’s life. Sunday we will consider “The Stewardship of Life.” If we believe God owns everything (last week’s teaching) and all we have is from God, it is only logical to conclude our very lives belong to God. And if our lives belong to God we need to be good stewards of all that we do with our lives. From Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, we see principles that a good steward will follow as they manage the resources from the master. From 1 Corinthians 4 we know that a steward is to be found faithful. Matthew 25 answers the question, “What does it mean to be a faithful steward?” Join me Sunday as we consider stewardship as a way of life that encompasses all we are and do.

As part of this series, I’m inviting everyone who considers themselves to be part of Kure Beach FBC to make a commitment for this sermon series. Here is a link to that commitment card or you can fill out a paper version at service this Sunday. One of the commitments is to be in attendance for or to watch all 6 messages in this series. Click Here to watch last week’s teaching.

It is difficult, even for the best of us, to remember all the things we need to remember. It seems that the more things we are engaged with, the more there is to remember, increasing the chances of forgetting something. That is why most of us use devices of some kind to help us remember the important things. We have a list of important contacts with a phone number. We either use the same password for all our computer / smart phone things or we use some kind of a password storage system in the event we forget one. We use calendars to keep track of appointments, obligations and other important events like birthdays. Most of us have some form of a To-Do-List so we are productive with our time. If something is important it is worth remembering so we make an effort to find a way to remember.
There is one thing Satan wants the Christian to forget: that we are forgiven. Does that ever happen to you? You know you have made a commitment to Christ at some point in the past and believe Christ has forgiven you of your sins; past, present and future. However, there are times that the Devil tries to convince you that you are not really forgiven, or we fall into living as though we are not forgiven by God’s grace; that we have to work to make our own atonement. God wants the Christian to remember you are freely forgiven by His grace through Jesus Christ. God has given us something to help us remember we are forgiven: Communion. Communion is not just an empty tradition or ceremony. I actually don’t think communion was ceremonial in its original use. Rather, it was relational and part of a normal gathering of people. Join me this Sunday as we celebrate the communion we have with God, because we are forgiven.

I hope you have had a wonderful celebration of Christ’s Birth! Merry Christmas!

This week we are going to turn our attention to Matthew 2 and the account of the Magi’s visit to the Holy Family. There is a lot going on in this chapter, but I want to focus our attention on the concept of wisdom as it’s lived out in this passage. Wisdom is defined as “the ability to use your knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments.” In our text we will see one man, King Herod, makes a bad decision and judgment because he refused to accept the knowledge he had. Herod failed to apply wisdom to his knowledge and experience. However, the Magi from the east had the same knowledge as Herod, but acted with wisdom based on what they knew. The results were drastically different between Herod and the Magi – that’s why we call them “Wisemen.”
All of mankind faces a similar situation as Herod and the Magi. We are blessed to live in an age of knowledge unlike anything human history has known. Together with knowledge people can have experiences previous generations could not even imagine. As with the characters in Matthew 2, all knowledge is used through the filter or lens of an individual’s own biases and presuppositions. People can filter the knowledge of the universe through their own presupposition, a presupposition that often elevates man’s place in the universe and at the same time diminishes God’s. The outcome from Sunday’s passage is one of either worship of the one true king, or embracing a culture that leads to death. Will you follow the path of the Magi and become a wiseman (or wisewoman) by considering the natural revelation through the knowledge and experience of a supernatural God.

Sunday is Christmas Sunday! As we move through the themes of Advent, this week we focus on the love of God we receive at Advent. John 3:16 is the most well known verse in all scripture and there we read that “God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son.” The Advent of Christ must be viewed as a gift, motivated by the pure love of God for us.
At Christmas we give gifts to various people in our lives, from close family members to people we barely know. The gifts we enjoy giving the most are ones we give motivated out of love for the person we give the gift to. But even then we may feel anxiety wondering if it is a good gift that they will like and enjoy. Sunday we will see that the gift of love at Advent is the right gift at the right time, a gift money cannot buy and a gift that keeps on giving. Join me as we celebrate God’s great gift of love to us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Sunday starts the second week of advent and we will focus our attention on the peace Christ brings to us. The word peace in the Hebrew Scriptures speaks of a person’s wholeness, completeness, unity and harmony. As defined this way, peace is an undeniable need in our society. It is as though there is a force at play which seeks to divide, fragment and disrupt our human existence. Can you relate? Do you feel torn and pulled in different directions? Is your life lacking harmony that leaves you feeling used and worn out? The Heart of Christmas Brings Peace.

This Sunday we will look into the Old Testament to see when peace was first lost for mankind, what were the effects of losing that peace and how Advent restores peace. Understanding the back story to the loss of our peace will frame for us the work of Christ in bringing peace to us. Have you ever wondered why it was the shepherds God first announced the Advent of Christ into the world? Shepherds were considered unclean and out of the fellowship of the spiritual elite of the day. They would have been the last people most would have thought for that kind of announcement to be made. But that is just the point of the gospel; the Advent of Christ is Good News for everyone, including those that are on the outskirts of society. Join me this Sunday as we see that The Heart of Christmas Brings Peace.

This Sunday is the start of Advent, and we begin a new Advent series: The Heart of Christmas. There is no question that the meaning of Christmas has shifted since that first Christmas night in Bethlehem when the Christ child was born. While the holiday still bears the name of Christ in its title, I’m afraid for many people Christ is not even really thought of in their celebrations. This year I invite you to come back to the Heart of Christmas, Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a season of HOPE! 

• Children are filled with the hope of receiving some gifts they have asked for in the weeks leading up to the big day.
• This week you will watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which highlights the hope we have in the celebration of Christ’s Birth.
• The whole thing with Santa Clause is dripping with hope. The naughty vs the nice list. People reason –  I hope I’m on the nice list! I hope Santa will come! I hope Santa will give me what I want!
• Christmas occurs at a time of year when everything in the plant world is dying. We bring evergreen trees and wreaths into our homes to give us hope for life in the midst of all the death.
• This is the darkest time of the year so as part of our Christmas celebration we hang lights to give us hope of the one who is the light of the world. 

This Sunday we will look at Joseph, the husband of Mary, and see the Hope is at The Heart of Christmas. Joseph had reason to lose his hope, but an angelical visitor helped him find hope and with it, the heart of Christmas. Join me Sunday for the first week of Advent and see the hope that is at the heart of Christmas!