Now that I have achieved the status of “senior citizen,” I am more keenly aware than at any time in my life of the importance of leaving a legacy for my children and grandchildren.

I’m not talking about monetary treasure. While I freely acknowledge that God has always supplied my every need and treated me we an enormous measure of His grace, I have not accumulate any earthly wealth.

Rather I am increasingly aware of the need to vouchsafe a spiritual legacy, sharing with my children and grandchildren the lessons that God has so patiently taught me as I have followed Him.

Part of those lessons involves what I believe may happen as the end of this age draws to a close. That’s why I have been motivated to write my new book, To Those I Love I Leave… At my website, www.Sermon-Coach.com, I’ve been sharing the chapters from this book. I will continue to post one chapter each week through the end of February.

It my fondest hope, and most fervent prayer, that some of my words in these chapters will prove helpful to the church and that God will honor the distribution of this material. May God bless you, even as you read what I have written.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about? Or, what will you preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon? David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help you learn how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons. Just click here to visit David Mains’ website.

For so many of us, the Christmas celebration can be a mile wide and an inch deep. We tire ourselves with an ever-growing list of gifts to buy, activities to complete, and traditions to uphold. And through a maze of cards and calls, outreach and entertainment, we struggle to connect with others in meaningful ways. Our intentions are sincere, but often trivial. When we look back on the season, we’re often left feeling like our holidays somehow lost the Christ in Christmas, and only touched the surface.

Every pastor needs resources to help him or her find appropriate Sermons for Advent and Sermons for Christmas. With Christmas Sermon resources from Mainstay Ministries, you can help your congregation season their Christmas traditions with the flavor of Christ. More than simply helping them to remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” you can encourage people to focus on Christ in the very traditions that have become part of our celebration of Christmas: decorating our homes, conveying Christmas greetings, giving and receiving gifts, gathering with family and friends, entering the new year with goals. Click here to see a list of special Christmas Sermon Packages available.

Looking forward to Christmas? Looking for key Sermon Ideas? Wondering what to preach throughout the Christmas Season? Searching for help in preparing for your Sermons on Christmas Day? In addition to the above special offer, Mainstay Ministries has many valuable resources filled with Christmas Sermon Ideas to help you plan for your Christmas preaching and for such Sunday Sermons, including resources for the following: Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermon, Advent Sermon Series, Advent Sunday Sermons, Christmas Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermon, and Christmas Sermon Series. Connect with us on-line by clicking here.

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God speaks to the local church by means of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The action does not stop here. God speaks not only to the corporate body as it is assembled, but to the individual members of the body who minister to one another, and eventually to those outside the church through the same method. God speaks to, and through the local church by means of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The total exciting diagram looks like this:

God speaks to, and through, the local church by means of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We have too long avoided the specifics of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We have dwelt on the fringe and majored in generalities. We all know that Christians are supposed to be “filled with” the Spirit, but our vague understanding has left us with an important frustration.

Most Christians live with defeat because they have not realized that at conversion the Holy Spirit comes to live within them. It is no wonder that the powerful impact of this truth has been overlooked, since in so few of our evangelistic efforts is the ministry of the Holy Spirit adequately emphasized.

I continually hear messages on conversion where the Holy Spirit is not even mentioned! This preaching implies that God is interested only in for giving the past so that the convert is fit for Heaven, while the present and the future are left in his own insufficient human hands. I have heard it said from pulpits that the single reason God allows us to remain on earth is to help other people experience the same awareness of forgiveness and assurance of eternity. This is a great perversion! Does God have no desire that man now experience, in and through His own Spirit, life that is truly filled with meaning and beauty?

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You can learn how to develop highly relevant Sunday sermons that grab the attention of your congregation and help your listeners respond effectively to the deep truths of God’s Word. David Mains and Mainstay Ministries have a whole range of helpful solutions. Do you need to prepare a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon? You can find help on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons. Just click here to visit David Mains’ website.

For so many of us, the Christmas celebration can be a mile wide and an inch deep. We tire ourselves with an ever-growing list of gifts to buy, activities to complete, and traditions to uphold. And through a maze of cards and calls, outreach and entertainment, we struggle to connect with others in meaningful ways. Our intentions are sincere, but often trivial. When we look back on the season, we’re often left feeling like our holidays somehow lost the Christ in Christmas, and only touched the surface.

Every pastor needs resources to help him or her find appropriate Sermons for Advent and Sermons for Christmas. With Christmas Sermon resources from Mainstay Ministries, you can help your congregation season their Christmas traditions with the flavor of Christ. More than simply helping them to remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” you can encourage people to focus on Christ in the very traditions that have become part of our celebration of Christmas: decorating our homes, conveying Christmas greetings, giving and receiving gifts, gathering with family and friends, entering the new year with goals. Click here to see a list of special Christmas Sermon Packages available.

Looking forward to Christmas? Looking for key Sermon Ideas? Wondering what to preach throughout the Christmas Season? Searching for help in preparing for your Sermons on Christmas Day? In addition to the above special offer, Mainstay Ministries has many valuable resources filled with Christmas Sermon Ideas to help you plan for your Christmas preaching and for such Sunday Sermons, including resources for the following: Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermon, Advent Sermon Series, Advent Sunday Sermons, Christmas Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermon, and Christmas Sermon Series. Connect with us on-line by clicking here.

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God Speaks to the Church. The initial role of the local church is to fill the need for Christian fellowship. The local church speaks to God through corporate worship and prayer. But, how does God speak to the local congregation?

We know that God speaks to individuals through circumstances, but if He used this method to speak to the corporate body, each member would interpret the circumstances differently and would probably end up in a fight. God speaks through Scripture. But, He can do so through an individual’s private reading. Is there a need for believers to form a corporate body in order to engage in private Bible reading?

How does God speak to the local church? At Circle Church we struggled to find an all-encompassing category. After a year of continued discussions, we began to discover that God speaks to the local church by means of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. That’s right.

God speaks to the local church by means of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

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Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help, whether you need to create a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon. For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

For so many of us, the Christmas celebration can be a mile wide and an inch deep. We tire ourselves with an ever-growing list of gifts to buy, activities to complete, and traditions to uphold. And through a maze of cards and calls, outreach and entertainment, we struggle to connect with others in meaningful ways. Our intentions are sincere, but often trivial. When we look back on the season, we’re often left feeling like our holidays somehow lost the Christ in Christmas, and only touched the surface.

Every pastor needs resources to help him or her find appropriate Sermons for Advent and Sermons for Christmas. With Christmas Sermon resources from Mainstay Ministries, you can help your congregation season their Christmas traditions with the flavor of Christ. More than simply helping them to remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” you can encourage people to focus on Christ in the very traditions that have become part of our celebration of Christmas: decorating our homes, conveying Christmas greetings, giving and receiving gifts, gathering with family and friends, entering the new year with goals. Click here to see a list of special Christmas Sermon Packages available.

Looking forward to Christmas? Looking for key Sermon Ideas? Wondering what to preach throughout the Christmas Season? Searching for help in preparing for your Sermons on Christmas Day? In addition to the above special offer, Mainstay Ministries has many valuable resources filled with Christmas Sermon Ideas to help you plan for your Christmas preaching and for such Sunday Sermons, including resources for the following: Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermon, Advent Sermon Series, Advent Sunday Sermons, Christmas Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermon, and Christmas Sermon Series. Connect with us on-line by clicking here.

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We have found that once the meaning of worship is understood, it is possible, as a congregation, to praise God without comfortably padded pews or maroon carpets, without elegant chandeliers or vaulted ceilings.

Instead, a massive sign advertises “Teamsters’ Union Hall—Local No. 705” from the front wall. A hardwood dance floor amplifies the footsteps of latecomers. The elevated train often manages to rumble past during a scheduled time of silent meditation. And, we have constant competition from the police and ambulance sirens as they rush through the calamitous community. The lobby telephone can ring or the janitor’s bell sound at any unexpected moment. Yet, in the midst of this, Sunday by Sunday we are truly worshiping God together.

We have established that the local church speaks to God through worship and prayer. Although prayer is included in the morning services, it is emphasized in the services of prayer throughout the week. These are conducted once or twice a month per geographic area in small home groups.

We discovered that there were not enough church-wide prayer requests to merit our meeting each week as a total body. There are many personal requests, however, and these are shared in an intimate and trusting way because of the closeness which develops in small groups. In order to protect these cells from becoming inclusive, all-church prayer meetings are scheduled every so often on a Sunday night. Anyone is welcome to attend any of the prayer groups, or all of them, if they desire. And several do.

In previous church midweek prayer meetings, we had noticed that the lack of specific requests was usually overlooked because the time was filled by more sermonizing. It seemed foolish to us to for those gathered to spend a large block of the evening listening to another lecture in the service of prayer when there was such a need in our lives for an unhurried period to share personal requests with one an other. The requests that had come in traditional surroundings were boringly repetitious, centering mainly around beds of sickness, unsaved relatives, and missionaries serving around the world. If you have been to one such meeting, you’ve been to them all!

It was Circle Church’s philosophy to have one or two groups meeting during a midweek night. The congregation was encouraged to attend a specific one in their geographic area at least once each month. We are excited about the worship service and the discussion groups, but somehow the small prayer cells are the most rewarding of all. The intense personal honesty that was displayed in them was a new and refreshing experience to me.

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Whether you need to create a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon, David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

For so many of us, the Christmas celebration can be a mile wide and an inch deep. We tire ourselves with an ever-growing list of gifts to buy, activities to complete, and traditions to uphold. And through a maze of cards and calls, outreach and entertainment, we struggle to connect with others in meaningful ways. Our intentions are sincere, but often trivial. When we look back on the season, we’re often left feeling like our holidays somehow lost the Christ in Christmas, and only touched the surface.

Every pastor needs resources to help him or her find appropriate Sermons for Advent and Sermons for Christmas. With Christmas Sermon resources from Mainstay Ministries, you can help your congregation season their Christmas traditions with the flavor of Christ. More than simply helping them to remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” you can encourage people to focus on Christ in the very traditions that have become part of our celebration of Christmas: decorating our homes, conveying Christmas greetings, giving and receiving gifts, gathering with family and friends, entering the new year with goals. Click here to see a list of special Christmas Sermon Packages available.

Looking forward to Christmas? Looking for key Sermon Ideas? Wondering what to preach throughout the Christmas Season? Searching for help in preparing for your Sermons on Christmas Day? In addition to the above special offer, Mainstay Ministries has many valuable resources filled with Christmas Sermon Ideas to help you plan for your Christmas preaching and for such Sunday Sermons, including resources for the following: Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermon, Advent Sermon Series, Advent Sunday Sermons, Christmas Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermon, and Christmas Sermon Series. Connect with us on-line by clicking here.

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