Jan 05, 2012
False Assurances or Pressing Toward the Goal
Posted by Pastor Todd Murphy
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Philippians chapter 3 is where Paul shares his perspective on living the Gospel-centered life. This passage is famous for his contrast of his former life as a Shammaite Pharisee with his new identity and ethos in Christ. The problem is that we often read this text with an untextured flatness that fails to see its dynamic nature. We read it as simpley a “before and after” much like the marketing spin you would find in an infomercial hocking a woman’s belly flattener or butt lifter. No Paul is not so arrogant to be talking as we do
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Jan 02, 2012
Historic Worship or Worship according to the Church that Started Yesterday
Posted by Pastor Todd Murphy
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Well happy new year. It is time to start a new year of blogging. Hmmm. There are so many places we could begin. But for now I want to start with something really practical and central to the life of the Church, worship. That is what the Church is all about. The call of the Gospel is the call to sinners who do not worship and obey God to do just that, to become worshipers and practitioners of God’s commandments. That is what the Bible calls repentance. However I like to describe the modern worship
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Dec 31, 2011
The Hard Work of Learning to Forgive
Posted by Pastor Todd Murphy
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Well it is the last day of 2011 and I am sitting here in a Starbucks nursing a warm coffee, working sporadically on my sermon and reflecting on what is behind---what is to come. I suppose there is a litany of reflections I could offer you, but I am just going to talk about one; one thing that we all will run into this coming year. In fact I am positive we will run into it innumerable times in the years to come. That is the opportunity to forgive. If we choose to be in relationship to people
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Dec 26, 2011
Learning From Other Sinners
Posted by Pastor Todd Murphy
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Life within the Church can be complex---at times, seemingly bipolar. Lets think about it. The Church is charged with the Gospel which calls us to repent of our sin. So with this comes preaching, praying and training in how to live out God’s standard of righteousness. When we first come to faith and settle down in a church, compared to the more cut-throat people of the world we lived among, they are all quite sweet and loving by comparison. But spend enough time in the Church and you will find all Christians are just like
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