On this Father’s Day this year we are thinking about gifts - not gifts that we might give to our earthly fathers, but rather the gifts that we have all received from our heavenly Father. What are some of these gifts? We could never name them all, but let’s look today at just a few. Thank you for worshiping with us today from Ocean Lakes Family Campground.

Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of standing outside a door and constantly ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door - all to no effect? Nobody is answering. Did you know that there is just such a situation in the Bible? We will be reading this story from Acts 12, the first 19 verses. If you are where you can get your Bible, follow along as we explore this story today!

The title of today’s message is one which may be confusing to some people: “Half-Way Christians.” One might say that a person is a Christian or not, but you can’t be just “half-way.” Actually this title is what is called an “oxymoron.” This is a figure of speech in which two or more words are put together which are actually opposites; they contradict each other. Some examples are: “minor surgery” – “new used car” – or “good grief.” Let’s look at this subject together this morning to try to get some answers.

If you look at the title of today’s message, you may get the wrong impression that we’re thinking today about some musical subject - “Blowing the Trumpet.” Actually, Jesus was talking about some people of His day who did good deeds, but wanted everybody to take notice. It is a very interesting analogy that Jesus used, and there is a real important lesson for us all in His words from Matthew, chapter 6, verse 2. What did Jesus have in mind in these words from the Sermon on the Mount? Let’s find out together.

The title of today’s sermon is one which many people may think that they would never hear from a preacher. We’ve all heard critics of the organized church say, “All they talk about at church is money.” Jesus did not do that, and in fact, there were times when He told people that they could just leave their money at home. That’s the subject of today’s sermon, so stay with us and let’s see what Jesus was talking about when he said that.

During the years when Jesus was on this earth in person, there were many who heard His words, but could not understand what He was talking about. One of His sayings which was so hard for people to take in is recorded in Luke’s gospel, chapter 9, verse 24. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Save your life and lose it; lose your life for My sake, and you will save it.” That’s our subject for today, “Finding Through Losing.”

Every time a preacher steps to the pulpit to bring a message to the people, there surely must be an awareness that someone out there in the congregation is in great need of a message from God which will give strength for the facing of the next days, weeks, months, and even years ahead. The question is not, do you have any burdens, but rather, the main question is “How Do You Face Life’s Trials?” This is what we are going to be thinking about during the next few minutes.

Have you ever heard God call you by your name? Maybe you haven’t heard him with your ears, but have you sensed him calling you in your heart? Today we are thinking on the subject, “When God Calls Your Name.” However God may call you, it can be a wonderful experience, not something to dread or to cause you to be frightened. What is it really like when God calls your name?