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Why are churches important?

Today there are many wonderfully important institutions and associations, ones that bless and enrich our lives tremendously. Yet it is remarkable to think that Jesus established one in particular, the church. (Matt 16:18-19) Two thousand years later, the world is full of local churches. Not full enough, we hasten to add — but still, we are amazed at what the Lord Jesus has accomplished. But what does a local church have to offer modern Americans? More than we might think.

Continuing the Conversation, part 1

This post will summarize the “Continuing the Conversation” meeting, which occurred June 20.  This meeting was the first follow-on to the big April 29 potluck dinner and presentation “The Next 30 Years.”  The next one will occur July 29. Greetings in the Name of the Lord, New Lifers! It is a joy to be writing you.  Yes, the dog days of summer are here, but many things are happening at New Life that you will be hearing about in the coming months. Some

Who is my neighbor?

The two greatest commandments are: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 10:27) This is what Jesus lived and what we are called to live. So, who is my neighbor and what does it mean to love him?

Missions in Jonah, Missions Today

This Sunday we end our sermon series on Jonah.  It’s time to ask: what’s this book about, anyway? It’s definitely about Jonah running. It’s also definitely about Jonah being saved from certain death by a big fish that does God’s bidding. It’s also about Jonah’s startlingly successful preaching campaign. And finally, it’s about Jonah’s anger at this startlingly successful preaching campaign. Note what this means. Every chapter is about the man Jonah. The last chapter is especially telling, because do

Announcing The Life Course

How should we live life?  What is true?  What really matters? When questions like these are asked, sooner or later we begin talking about God.  (Hopefully sooner rather than later!)  God must have some very important things to say about life since He created it.  He created you and me. Jesus said two things about life immediately worth mentioning.  First, some incredibly good news:  “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).  We could hardly think of anything

Malachi Series Overview

The last words of the Old Testament!  That’s what the book of Malachi is.  As we will see in our new sermon series, this book clearly shows the Old Testament is an ‘unfinished story.’  Or better yet, an unfinished history, lest we mistake this for fiction or fantasy.   The book’s ending includes a prediction of the next act, with God sending a “messenger.”  But preceding him is yet another  “messenger.”  Two messengers will come, the Lord says.  This should invite you to turn to

Countercultural for the Common Good: The Recent Cheltenham High School Events

You might remember that we started this calendar year with a sermon series entitled “Countercultural for the Common Good.” What does countercultural mean?  It means we’re different, and this for a simple reason:  Christ has called us to follow him.  So we cannot give ourselves to the American dream and its promise of the good long life.  On the other hand, but also because of Christ’s call, neither can we be isolationist or indifferent to our neighbors of the Easton Road corridor. 

New Life Ministry to Arcadia University?

It all started over two and a half years ago, as a group of local pastors from diverse churches met to pray together.  A discussion about Penn State Abington began, with all of the pastors voicing a desire to see a new gospel presence and loving witness on that campus.  Things moved quickly, and a partner was found in the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), a college ministry based in Pittsburgh and expanding to many campuses in the Philadelphia area.  Seven churches

Thoughts on our Upcoming Sermon:  “An Inevitable Death on Jesus’ Mind”

Thus far our “The Final Week” series has frequently seen Jesus in confrontation with the Jewish leaders: The cleansing of the temple. The fig tree incident. The parable of the tenants. And the devastating Olivet Discourse, in which Jesus prophesied a horrible tribulation and the destruction for the temple. But now Jesus’ mind turns to his own impending death.  We enter chapter 14. Jesus is anointed by a woman in Bethany, and he agonizes in prayer in the garden of

Does the Bible have eyewitness accounts? Or legends?

This is a follow up to last Sunday’s sermon with some information on the two resources I mentioned concerning the Bible’s historical accuracy. First, the lecture by New Testament scholar Peter Williams can be found here.  It is entitled “New Evidences the Gospels were Based on Eyewitness Accounts.”  Let me describe its content again briefly.  We now have a good idea what the most popular names were during the time of Jesus, and specifically in the Israel/Palestine area.  For men, Simon