Theology

Divine power for Your Calling (CCB)

/ Jonathan

June 8, 2025 – Christ Central Buffalo (www.christcentralbuffalo.com)

Sermon Text: 2 Peter 1:1-15

[1-2] Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

[3-11] His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[12-15] Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Mission Insite Tutorials

/ Jonathan

I made some brief tutorials on how to use Mission Insite’s site to use their analytic services. Mission Insite provides reports for regions of interest to help recognize ministry opportunities. This can be a powerful asset for ministry planning, as it can help identify the baseline along many different axes, as one attempts to better align efforts with community needs. These axes include population size, age, ethnic background, family makeup, occupation and educational attainment, perceived spiritual needs, perceived physical needs, and opinion surveys on religion, politics, social and moral issues.

For example, if a multi-ethnic church had a strong initiative for teaching English as a foreign language, they might want to consider planting a church that focuses on the community to which they are reaching. They could make that decision in light of just talking with the folks they are working with, but to make a multi-year informed decision, it can help to get data on the entire community and look at various trend analyses.

First tutorial: Creating a Mission Insite Account

Why get access to Mission Insite? Who should get access to Mission Insite? How do you create a Mission Insite account? In this video I explain the how and why for getting a Mission Insite account.

Second tutorial: Logging Into Mission Insite

In this video, I explain how to log into Mission Insite. This service is at https://www.missioninsite.com (it redirects to https://acstechnologies.com/missioninsite). Not sure why the audio is choppy at the beginning. I appreciate your patience!

Third Tutorial:

What are Mission Insite reports? How might you use the insights from one of these reports for ministry? In this video I explain the service that acstechnologies.com provides, called Mission Insite. It is available at https://www.missioninsite.com. I explain what an Executive Insite report generates, and give some examples how these graphics and data can help you better plan your ministry. I encourage you to have your report in front of you.

Other tutorials of interest, made by others:

Anxiety and Our Father’s Care (CCB)

/ Jonathan

June 16, 2024 – Christ Central Buffalo (www.christcentralbuffalo.com)

Sermon Text: Matthew 6:25-34

[25-27] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

[28-30] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

[31-33] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

[34] “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

God’s Goodness Revealed (CVPC)

/ Jonathan

February 19, 2023 – Colonial Village Presbyterian Church (www.cvpchurch.org)

Sermon Text: Psalm 19

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
[v1-6] The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

[v7-9] The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

[v10-11] More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

[v12-13] Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

[v14] Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.