Help Me Pick My Next Sermon or show what a jerk you are.

Dear ATS,

Okay, my lead pastor's mother is dying, she has a 30% chance of living and he is going to visit her, I lent him the money for the trip and he by the way he hates ATS. He told me that he needs me to give the sermons while he is gone and I obviously have not prepared as I did not know his mother was going to be so sick. So, tell me what you think I should preach on, show your love or how much of an idiot you are. Tell me to preach on why there is no God and prove that you are a idiot and cannot understand what I am asking. Obviously I will not preach that there is no God so to ask me to do so would just be trolling and stupid.

I have said this before so it should be in may profile. I preach to primarily gay foreigners. I am straight, only speak English, have to be translated and harder on Christians than Atheists or Satanists for that matter. I will not be speaking to Atheist or people who are non-Christians. Give me suggestions on what might help them to be better Christians. Here is your chance to help write a sermon and I might ignore you all. If you are a non-believer, give me a question that you think is your best and I will ask and answer it to them. Have fun.

reply to post by AQuestion

1 Thessalonians ch5 vv12-13
Focussing on the need to pray for your pastor in his time of anxiety.

It's quite easy to give a sermon that is exactly what is needed, just let the Holy Spirit guide you. All those that have stood at the pulpit with a prepared sermon and let the Holy Spirit guide them have seen their sermons get scraped on the spot but the sermon that is given is what was needed.

reply to post by AQuestion


If I was going to give a sermon to gay foreigners about Christianity?

I would start by telling them that God is the author of life and all that we see. I would want them to know that I believe that every choice that is put in front of us is put there by the father, that we don't control the choices that are presented only the choice we make. Since I believe that the father loves everyone I also believe that because of his foreknowledge he has not nor will never present anyone with a choice that would separate them from his love.

I would explain Grace as God's unconditional love for all men. I would continue by suggesting that Christ came to teach us about God's unconditional love for all men and that he gave us but one command to find that love, love one another.

I would talk about sin and repentance. I would probably say something like each of us has sinned in our life. Sin is any action that we do that is against love. If we do something that is against love than we must repent. Jesus said that it is our responsibility to overcome sin in this life, often times when he healed he even suggested to those he healed to sin no more.

I may even explain that Paul was a profit who had visions of the end times. In his visions the world was much different from the world he lived in. People were doing things that were contrary to his religion and contrary to love, and he could see that sin had become justified.

What we must do is separate ourselves from sin. One can know for themselves if their motives are done in love or in sin. If what you do is truly for the sake of love than you will find love. If you find true love and show that love is "in" you by your love for others, if the Spirit of Love lives in your transformed body and mind, then God has accepted your offer of love.

If you fail to find love than you can know that it is not love that you are pursuing, because Christ promised those who pursue love like he taught, to love others as we love self by becoming a servant, would find love.

If you want to find love pray with me that we all listen to the spirit of love and obey the command to love one another.

This is what I came up with.

reply to post by DISRAELI


Or maybe focus more on Jesus' teachings instead of Paul's? You do worship Jesus don't you?

reply to post by DISRAELI


Dear DISRAELI,

Wow, wow, wow. That is a suggestion.

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

My mind is alive with all the ways that I can use that to teach them so many principles. The lead pastor is amazing at giving, more than anyone I know he gives his time, his money and his efforts. You may have won the contest, you get to help judge the next that respond, we will consider crowd-sourcing the answer.

reply to post by 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Paul wrote about Jesus, so it comes to the same thing.
Anyway, the passage I suggested is not a doctrinal one. Look it up.

Help Me Pick My Next Sermon or show what a jerk you are

How very Christian.

Kinda reminds me of "You are either with us or against us".

This is ATS...many of us have "Thoughts and Opinions".

Peace

reply to post by AQuestion


How about 1 Corinthians 14:34-35? That one will win some people over I'm sure.

reply to post by sacgamer25


Dear sacgamer,

I love me some Akragon, he truly cares about others (and I hope he doesn't hold this against me); but, I really like your answers and I think we may be in more of agreement. That will not stop me from loving his brilliant sarcasm and I know he knows that I think the world of him. I like your answers.

If you want to find love pray with me that we all listen to the spirit of love and obey the command to love one another. This is what I came up with.

I do pray with you that we all listen to the spirit of love. You mentioned other things that I already told the congregation. I have told them to love and be themselves and that their choices matter and that if they make choices from selfishness rather than love then they have chosen their way regardless of what they call themselves. I am not easy on them because I have duty to tell them the tough answers and ask them the tough questions.

I'm sure if you google 'gimme a sermon' you'll get a bunch to choose from.

Or pick the cruelest most violently bombastic bit from the Old Testament and recite a few paragraphs. Just to remind them that the old god wasn't nearly as easy-going and forgiving as the new god.

Or better yet, tell the congregation to go home and make love to their wives on a Sunday morning for a change. For God's sake.

reply to post by AQuestion


I'm not much for church because I disagree with them so much. But you make your church sound a little different than what I have experienced. I can't stand when the message stops at Grace, the place where the message is supposed to start.

Originally posted by 3NL1GHT3N3D1
reply to post by AQuestion

 

How about 1 Corinthians 14:34-35? That one will win some people over I'm sure.

edit on 8-6-2013 by 3NL1GHT3N3D1 because: (no reason given)

Dear 3NL1GHT3D1,

34 Women[a] should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

And the message would be what? Either you did not understand the question or you to make a point. What is your point, be obvious and not deceitful.

reply to post by AQuestion


That women talking in church is an abomination, it's right there in your book.

Teach those women they don't deserve to speak in church, I'd hate for them to go against god's word.

Originally posted by sacgamer25
reply to post by AQuestion

 

I'm not much for church because I disagree with them so much. But you make your church sound a little different than what I have experienced. I can't stand when the message stops at Grace, the place where the message is supposed to start.

Dear sacgamer25,

LOL, not my church, I just preach there. It is God's church and I am just someone dumb enough to pay to help others and preach there. ROFL, I have never been paid and don't own a thing of the churches. I don't go to churches, I spend time with believers who have questions and that is what the true church is, the body of believers and we are supposed to help one another understand the truth. I was asked to preach because I am not like the congregation in many ways. I really appreciate my lead pastor because that is all he has ever asked of me, he has never told me what to say and is very traditional in many ways. He went to Fallwells college. LMAO.

I preach love and responsibility and forgiveness. I also help people to see the times we live in; but, consider that secondary. Preaching is so very bizarre for me, I am so much not a preachy person. I don't worry about what people believe, that is between them and God, I only tell them why I believe and what I believe, the rest is up to them. Thanks for being you.

Originally posted by 3NL1GHT3N3D1
reply to post by AQuestion

 

That women talking in church is an abomination, it's right there in your book.

Teach those women they don't deserve to speak in church, I'd hate for them to go against god's word.

Dear 3NL1GHT3N3D1,

LOL, you won the jerk contest and could not understand or follow the OP. Now, you could have asked something useful rather than confrontational; but, instead are asking me to tell them that God is a bigot. Did I get that right? No, instead you have shown that you cannot add anything useful to a sermon or conversation. Have fun with that, no real response that I might actually ask. Now let me show you how you could have used the same verses to teach them. How bout, "Why does God say that women should not speak in chruch?" There is answer; but, why toss pearls before others?

reply to post by AQuestion


I never said god was a bigot, I just gave you a verse inspired by god.

If it's god's word, it can't be bad can it?

Where's the answer to the question you posed? Please point me toward it.

I grew up within a Christian family; my dad was a part time preacher at the local church. But when I reached the age of 14, I realised that it was a load of twaddle, indoctrination and brainwashing, so I decided to think for myself and find out things by myself. Now at the age of 48 my thoughts have not changed regarding the existence of god, but these are a few questions that always puzzled me and still do today…..

God is supposedly in control of the world and the events that take place on a daily basis that is what we are meant to believe….

So when the world is hit by earthquakes, tsunami’s, volcanic eruptions, flooding etc, that result in thousands/millions of people being killed, why do we not thank him for what he has done?

Millions of people thank god for sending rain and sunshine so that they can grow their crops so that they can feed families and communities etc. But if too much rain or too much sun is there to ruin the crops, people don’t thank him for that, do they?

Why does god only get praise for only the good things that happen in the world?

If people love god so much, then why don’t they just take it for granted that these are meant to be because god made them happen?

Instead people go to church and pray to him to alter/change and make better the decisions that he has made to place chaos upon the earth.

So is god just playing with us?

Does god have a bit of fun and fool around with our minds/lives?

So in order to get adoration from his so called followers, does he just make a load of crap happen in the world because he knows that his believers will pray to him in the hope that he will put the wrongs he has done to right?
I also used to get confused when saying grace before a meal….

My dad used to thank the lord for the food that we were about to eat that was on the table, but what the hell had it got to do with the lord/god?

My dad used to graft hard in the car industry doing 12/14 hour shift work. I hardly ever used to see him because of this. When I was up and about, he was in bed after a night shift, and when I was in bed, he was out at work. If my dad did not go to work to earn the money to buy the food, pay the rent/mortgage, put clothes on my back and pay the bills, then what would have happened to us?

If my dad suddenly developed a bad injury which meant he couldn’t work to put food on the table, then would god have sent parcels of food to our door? Would he pay the bills and put some clothes on my back?
The answer to the above question is no, he wouldn’t…

When at work my dad was put on strike, therefore we had no money coming into the house so that our family could be fed. My dad and mom used to pray every day, but nothing happened to make our lives easier. But when the unions decided that my dad could go back to work and start to earn money again, then god got the praise again for letting my dad go back to work so that he could put food on the table. When in fact it had nothing at all to do with god, it was down to the union officials and the decisions that they made to enable my dad to resume his normal rat race duties….

Anyway, I will stop there, I have thousands of questions and I am sure millions of others do to….

Any answers???????????

Originally posted by 3NL1GHT3N3D1
reply to post by AQuestion

 

I never said god was a bigot, I just gave you a verse inspired by god.

If it's god's word, it can't be bad can it?

Where's the answer to the question you posed? Please point me toward it.

Dear 3NL1GHT3N3D1,

LMAO, I asked people to give suggestions on what I might preach on. I did not ask for trick questions to prove they should not believe. Is that beyond your understanding? LOL. I shall put it in simple terms for simple people, what can I ask them to make them better Christians, not what I can I ask them to disprove that God loves us. Does that help? Don't be stupid and assume that I will not repeat your question or answer it to them, I will. I may make them read the whole thread. You will never know for sure; but, you had the opportunity to give an answer or ask a question that would have helped them to understand their beliefs better and chose to be a jerk instead and ignore my OP. Have a great weekend.

reply to post by AQuestion


What makes you think posting a verse from the bible would imply god doesn't love you? Do you disagree with the verse or something?