It is interesting the things that come across a pastor’sdesk. Usually there is a lot of junkmail and junk email, like “how to have a successful fundraiser,” or someone whocan fill our cleaning supplies needs at church, or that widow from Nigeria whohas millions of dollars she wants to donate to our congregation, she just needsmy bank account number and PIN...

But every so often,there are unsolicited emails that I receive which address things that some ofour members are wondering about. Forinstance, the mass email I received recently asked whether a Christian shouldattend a gay wedding. Then there was thepodcast that asked whether our congregations are ready to welcome repentanttransgenders who have seen the errors of their choices.

Text: (Acts 16:9-15 ESV)

"And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a manof Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, "Come over toMacedonia and help us." 10And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on intoMacedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 So, setting sail from Troas, wemade a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi,which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. Weremained in this city some days. 13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where wesupposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the womenwho had come together. 14 Onewho heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller ofpurple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to payattention to what was said by Paul. 15And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying,"If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house andstay." And she prevailed upon us."

Text: (Heb. 6:1-12 NKJ)

"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Our meditation is based on the parable of the shrewd steward. You will see that when every effort to climbthe ladder of success leaves you falling flat, Jesus stands ready to pick you back up and put you to work in the kingdom of God. Again, the Savior defines the work ethic Heseeks: “I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon ofunrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” O Lord Jesus, bless Thy Word that we may trust in Thee. Amen.

Believe it or not, we’re pretty much back at that time of year again: it’s August, so it’s officially “Back to School” time. Which means you’ve probably noticed plenty of “Back to School” sale ads. A typical one usually goes something like this: “Get all your ‘Back to School’ needs at [insert store’s name here]!” Now, maybe for “Back to School” time the use of the word “needs” is appropriate at times. In order to take notes and do homework for class you need pencils, or pens, and a notebook, etc. You might even need a laptop or computer forcertain classes.

However, the word “need” is one of the most misused words in our language and is usually most misused by stores and businesses that are trying to convince you that whatthey are trying to sell you is an absolute necessity. Despite what advertisers, stores, and online retailers may tell us, we as human beings actually have very few “needs.” Physically, all we really “need” is oxygen to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, clothes to wear, and modest shelter to protect us and we could live just fine for many years. Jesus, in our text, reminds us that life is actually even simpler than that: He said to Martha, just “one thing isneeded” (v. 42).

Imagine it is your anniversary, and you ask your wife if it’s allright to go out with your friends. She replies, “If that’s what you want to do on our anniversary, then go ahead.” Later, when you find yourself sleeping on the couch, would you be surprised and protest, “But you said I could go!”?

I don’t think any of you are naïve enough to think she was actually giving you her blessing. But sometimes we are deliberately naïve with God—like Balaam in our text. Now to be clear, God doesn’t say one thing and mean another. But God does test us to see whether we will be deliberately naïve, or faithful to Him and His Word. Watch how He tests Balaam in this text.

Some of you may be familiar with the background to the hymn “Amazing Grace.” It was written by an Anglican pastor named John Newton in the late 1700s. The hymn is about John Newton’s own life experience. Before he was an Anglican pastor, he was a man who gave very little thought to God. After leaving the British Royal Navy, he became involved in the business of slave trading – transporting men, women, and children from Africa to America to sell them as slaves.

In 1748, at the age of 23, Newton was involved in a storm at sea that was so violent he thought he was going to die. He prayed to God for mercy, not only from the storm but from his sins. God spared Newton’s life. Newton went on to study Christian theology and eventually became an opponent of slavery. God saving him from his wretched sins is the “Amazing Grace” that Newton writes about.

Our text this morning also gives us an example of God’s amazing grace for a wretched sinner. Listen to the great sins of King Manasseh and God’s grace which was even greater in 2 Chronicles 33, verses 9 through 16.

“How are you doing?” I would imagine that everyone here today has been asked that question more than once. Depending on who asks the question, you might well anticipate additional questions. If a friend you have not seen for some time asks the question, you might expect that friend to go on to ask questions like: “How is your husband or wife,” or “how is your family?” If your doctor asks you that question, you might expect him or her to go on to ask: “Have you been sticking with the low-fat, low-cholesterol diet I recommended,” or “have you been exercising regularly?” If your pastor asks you that question, he might go on to ask: “Have you been reading your Bible regularly,” or “how is your prayer life going?”

It is concerning that last subject that I wish to speak to you today—your prayer life. I would imagine that most if not all of us pray at meals and before going to bed. We no doubt pray during times of crisis and to express our thankfulness to God for blessings received. I would imagine that we pray about our personal needs, our family needs, and perhaps even our congregational and national needs. If, however, there is a weakness in our prayer lives, I would imagine that it would be this—that the scope of our prayers is often much too narrow. Paul addresses that issue in our text today, and based on these words I would encourage you—BRETHREN, LET US PRAY!