They just want to serve.  So they signed up for Vietnam, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Japan, China and even Africa.  Some went with a Christian group, some with secular organization.  Some had an agenda and medicine equipment.  Some had no clue what they will do and just arming themselves with just a passport and a few phone numbers.

That was the state of short-term mission at Midway in summer 2005.  Out of no where, young people making announcements: “I am going.”  Some asked for church support, some didn’t care.  But it is clear that many of our young people wanted to do something, anything.

vacMidway - July 15, 2005
Romans 8:28-39 (NIV)

Cau and Christine,

Take a deep breath.  I know it's your first time [getting married].  Well, it's my first time too [with a wedding homily].

Today we are all here to celebrate the wonders of God’s love on your lives, the Love that will unite both of you together as husband and wife.

Christine, it is my joy watching you grow up and seeing you came to know Christ.  It seems like just yesterday you were a little girl running around in our old, old church (the one on Main Street, Santa Ana).

Cau, it is amazing to see the transformation God did on your life.  I still remember our conversation a few years ago when you – as a new believer and a former gang member - asked me how you could become a pastor. And I told you to wait for a year before we talk some more about it.

Today you are standing here, readying to pursue God together in marriage.  For the past few months, I had the privilege of learning and preparing you in our premarital counseling sessions. Today, you both have chosen this text on Romans 8:28-39 for your wedding. From it, I would like to draw out three final helpful points for your marriage and your ministry: 1) You are in marriage by God; 2) You are accepted to God, in Christ; 3) You are heading into His glory.

“On the Seventh Commandment”

Exodus 20:14 – Bumble @ vacMidway – 5/27/07

I have been thinking about adultery all week.  No, nothing wrong with me at all, it is because today we are on the seventh of the Ten Commandment series: "Thou shall not commit adultery".  Often our main life issues have to do with power, sex, and wealth.  The last few commandments addressed power.  This one is about sex.  And next week is about wealth.

[Moses bad news] I was told that Moses came down from the mountain with the two tablets and as the people gathered around him he said, “I have some good news and some bad news.” “The good news is I got Him to limit the commandments to 10, the bad news is He would not throw out the one about adultery.”[i]

On the 3rd Commandment

0) Intro

We are in a series of The Ten Commandments: Boundaries to Protect, Rules to Release.Today we will be study the 3 ^rd Commandment.It is the least understood of all commandments.

It's a simple one-liner in Ex.20:7: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

But why was it even on the Ten Commandment?After all as stated in Romeo and Juliet: " What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet…"

To understand what the 3^rd Commandment is all about, we will examine the following: 1) What exactly are we commanded to do?   2) Why must we adhere to it?And 3) How could we truly abide in His Name?

[Let's pray]

Race of the Cross (Acts 21-28)

0)Intro: Via Dolorosa

a)Key verse: 20:24 "<!--StartFragment-->However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace."

1)The course Paul was on...

a)From Miletus -> Caesarea (21:1-14)

i)Miletus (20:22-25), At Tyre suffering prediction (v.4), At Caesarea Abagus prophesied again (v.10-14)

b)Paul with Jerusalem Church (21:15-26), the Jewish Christians were the ones who wanted to persecuted him.

c)Paul's arrest and defense (21:27-22:29)

d)Paul brought before the Sanhedrin (22:30-23:10)

e)Paul escorted to Caesarea (23:11-35)

f)Paul's defense before Felix (24:1-27)

g)Paul's defense before Festus (25:1-27)

h)Paul's defense before Agrippa (26:1-32)

i)Paul's voyage and shipwreck (27)

j)Paul in Malta and on to Rome (28:1-16)

k)Paul in Rome (28:17-31)

i)        [Extra biblical info from church's traditions from here on...], writing Phil. Eph. Col., Philemon

ii)Testified before Nero (reigned 54-68AD)

iii)Released from Rome, arrested 2nd time under Nero's persecution & martyrdom around 64-68

I didn't really complete my sermon yesterday - that's the problem with just having an outline and not a full manuscript.  With the manuscript, I know that my 4000 words would be about 35 minutes talk.  With outline, I have no idea how long it would take.  So I was down to the first 2 items of the major point 2 and then I had to "jump to conclusion".  The good thing there will always be a next time...

Wanted: Church Developers

vacMidway - 3/25/07 – Bumble – Acts 20:17-38

0)Intro

a)Anderson land rush[i]:
Last week a town in Alaska giving away lands to draw people to come to their community.

b)Establish the churches

i)Disciple-making always in the context of community

ii)"making disciples OF ALL NATIONS"

c)Text and setting: Powerful church planting movement in Ephesus area

1)Why do I need to developing churches?

a)Why "I"?

i)God is a triune community: Many religions has described god as many gods, or one god.Only Christianity described God as a Triune God

(1)Augustine’s argument about Love as intrinsic evidence of a Triune God[ii]

ii)Therefore, we cannot know God without community:

(1)“Socially, we were designed to live in community with others, reflecting how God the Father, Son and Spirit live in interdependent community, and are made to love and be loved, as God embodies love.”[iii]

iii)So each of us is a part of the new community of God, we then will build the community up.This is a way to establish the Kingdom of God.

(1)In that light, Vietnamese people is a largely undeveloped frontier, English Speaking Vietnamese is a mission.

2)What must I do to be a developer?

a)Follow Paul’s Model

i)Be real

(1)"You know how I live... I served... I was tested"

(a)How do you know you are really "involved" with someone? When they know you, accept you and hold you accountable.

i.Example of newly married couple

ii.Exhort one another daily: let them know you, give them a green light to come after you!

ii)Be relational

(1)"You know [I've preached], taught you publicly and from HOUSE to HOUSE

(2)“They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him” (v.37)

(a)Relationship is what count – without relationship beliefs cannot transfer.

iii)Be foundational

(1)"[You know] I have declared... they must turn to God: repent; to Jesus: believe"

(a)Repent and Believe: Not positive-thinking nor legalistic

Repentance is a turning to God, when we dedicate ourselves and our life to obey him; faith is receiving the grace offered to us in Christ... repentance but neglect faith, insisting only on regulating life and on precepts about good works… They teach how people should live, but they leave people in their own nature…^[iv]

i.Repentance: turn away from anything that takes place of God: all of life is repentance.[Believe]: trust that Jesus is the boss in your life - without faith, there will be no transformation

ii.Ill: MS Thach prayer of repentance last week