Scott Street MB Church Podcast

We had a great teaching message this Sunday from Rev. Dr. Rob Patterson, who preached the first part of a 2 part message on the Prophet Jonah. Among the things he shared he said “A lot of us have something in common with Jonah. Sometimes God says something to us and it frightens us and we run. Sometimes we make mistakes and Jonah knew mistakes. But God can do something good with something that is already broken, and that’s you and that’s me. God uses broken things and we are grateful for that.” Later on Dr. Patterson teaches us three principles we can learn from Jonah, he explains “When you hear God’s voice, run. But in Jonah’s case he ran in the wrong direction. Have you ever ran in the wrong direction? So for us, if we hear God speaking (through his people, his Word, through his Holy Spirit) let’s run but in the direction God calls us to go. So, you may ask, ‘what kind of direction God ask us to go?  How do we know what’s God’s direction?’ And I can tell you that you can trust that God’s direction will be is in the way of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience. He is going to send you in the direction of Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control. If you are going in that direction, you are probably going in the right direction!”

Listen to the rest of this wonderful teaching by Dr. Patterson as he unpacks the rest of the principles we can learn from Jonah.

Preached on Sunday, July 22 at Scott Street Church.

Many times we read about some of the people God used in the Bible, and we get the idea that they were some kind of spiritual giants or superhuman people.  Some of them did some incredible things that we read about – miracles that would blow us away. And we get the idea that we could never do anything like that – after all, we're just us. They must have walked around with halos on their heads, or something like that. But there is something that sets some people apart from others, but underneath, we are all exactly the same, with the same opportunities and the same problems.

Elijah is one of those examples. God says this through his word in James 5:17 – 18  “Elijah was a human being, even as we are.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”

Every one of us can be an Elijah if we choose to obey God and allow Him to use us to do His work.  The miracles didn't come from Elijah, they came from God – as He worked through this man Elijah – and He can work through each one of us too! Ask The Lord to use you today!

Preached on July 15, 2018 at Scott Street Church

The times of Noah were a very desperate time in mankind's history – the wickedness that abounded caused God grief in his heart – to the point where we read that He was sorry He ever created man. The troubling thing today is – we are no different today.  Scripture records that like it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37), so shall the end of time be.  We are rapidly approaching the exact same climate that saw the destruction of the world through the flood. God has promised that there will be another world cleansing – but not by water – this time by fire.  2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

But there is hope – there was then and there is now – God always has a plan, and He knows the plans that He has towards us.

As God looked over the whole span of humanity, there was a feeling of almost total despair – with the exception of one – Noah.  He stood out like a shining star in the midst of darkness. Genesis 2:5 – 6 tells us “the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.” Then God tells Noah that He is going to do something that had never been seen in over 1600 years – He was going to cause it to rain, which Noha had never seen happening before. So, why did Noah take this seriously? Hebrews 11:7 – 8 says “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.  By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” Scripture tells us that God brought the water – the springs of the earth were opened up, and the windows of heaven were opened so that rain poured down on the earth.

The ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat on the 17th day of Nisan.  The 14th day would later be remembered as the day of Passover.  Three days past that would be the day on which the tomb of Christ would be discovered empty.  The day Noah's ark came to rest was the day of resurrection – the day of new life – the day of new beginnings. So, no matter where you are in your life, no matter how old or how young you are, today can be a day for new beginnings for you!

Lord Jesus, we invite you today to walk with us, refreshing us and flowing in and through our lives. Fill us with your forgiveness and may your peace -you are the prince of peace-  overflow in us no matter the circumstances we are going through right now. We trust you and invite you to use us as vessels of love to others as we act in compassion, kindness, grace and as living sacrifices bringing to this needy world the good news of your salvation.

Preached on July 8, 2018 at Scott Street Church

Our mission is to be a family who loves God and loves others. It’s important for us to be clear about the mission and task that God has given to us so we can work intentionally, wisely and diligently to accomplish it.

What are some ways that you’ve grown in your relationship with God and others? What are some areas that, if you think about it, you see that maybe you need to change or grow in when it comes to loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves?

We realize that as long as we are living in this world, there will be a continual struggle that we will face, and not until we die will we be free from the pull and temptation of sin. Paul gives a typical list of the type of activities that are associated with the sinful, fleshly, pre-conversion lifestyle. In Proverbs 6 there is also a list of what has been called “The Seven Deadly Sins”. The list continues for a total of 15 sin categories.

Sin is detrimental to the cause of Christ, and as such are associated with the former sinful life – and not the new creation life Christ came to give us. Yet we need to be aware and on guard on these so they do not creep back into our new Christian life and take us captive again. Too often some sins are so subtle that we might not even notice. The Bible talks that if we live in a habitual lifestyle of sin– and not necessarily those who are endeavoring to walk in the Spirit, but take a wrong step- the end result is plain – the penalty – not inheriting the kingdom of God.

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment – but He also doesn't leave us defenseless – there is another list that is available to the child of God, The Fruit of The Spirit. There are nine of these – and each one is empowered by the Spirit to help us live as a new creation and authentic freedom in life! Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control!

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” Galatians 6:1 So, let’s embrace our Freedom In Christ!

Preached on Sunday June 17, 2018 at Scott Street Church

How has your diet of reading the Bible been for you? Are you feeding yourself with the truth, or are you feeding yourself on what the world has to offer? I think it is safe to say that if it is the truth that sets us free, then the opposite of truth binds us up – imprisons us – holds us captive

We are to daily find our strength and power by the Holy Spirit of God who lives within us. I love driving our car when the tank is full. I love living my life when I am full of the Holy Spirit. The phrase “be filled” could better be understood - “be being filled” - a continual process. Just like your car, the more you use it, the more you need to fill it. But unlike the gas for your car – there is an endless supply – and the price has already been paid by Christ. Power, life, truth, freedom – all offered by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. And as you walk in the Spirit, you will find your desires begin to change – from yourself to the things of God. Psalm 37:4 – 5 says “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this.”

Unless we take the time to refuel, we will run out of gas. Our cars have warning lights when we are low onn fuel and so do our lives – lack of joy, peace, purpose. We become more focused on ourselves than on others. These are signs that we need to go back to the water of life and get refilled! Let’s make room for Him today!  Revelation 22:17 - “The Spirit and the Bride say Come. And let the one who hears say Come. Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

Preached on Sunday June 10, 2018 at Scott Street Church

God no longer dwells with his people through tabernacles and temples. He became a living and breathing person who walked and talked and showed us how to worship and live the way he intended, paying the ultimate price to show us just how great his love is by taking the worst we could do to him. He took all of our sin upon himself to close that rift in the relationship that started way back in the garden.

And God has taken this one step further yet! If we accept the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf then we too become God’s dwelling place. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – God living and moving in our own lives. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit! And in Ephesians Paul points out that it’s no longer a physical building that God dwells in, but rather his church – us – the people who make up the church that God is building together to become his dwelling place!

Preached on May 27, 2018 at Scott Street Church.