Congress on Evangelism Day 2


Rev. Mike Slaughter

Rev. Mike Slaughter

Ginghamsburg Church
Tipp City, OH

Wow, last night was a Home Run by Tyrone Gordon and tonight we had another Grand Slam.

Title of the Message: Christmas is not your birthday!

Scripture Text: Isaiah 53

 53 Who has believed our message?

To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
     My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
     He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
     Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
     But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
     All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
     He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
     Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
     He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.
10      But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.

New Living Translation
“Easter is no longer the highest attendance day. It is now Christmas Eve!”
“It is Amazing how we have blended Santa Claus, Frosty and Jesus”
“Christmas is not your birthday, so stop acting like it is! Christmas is Jesus Birthday!”
As Mike started the service tonight there was a large computer monitor at the front by the podium and it was counting. by the time he came to the front to speak the count was around 200 and he explained that every 4 seconds somewhere in this world a child dies from hunger related causes.
Mike then said that we are emotionally detached from the pain and suffering in the world, if not children would not be dieing every 4 seconds when there is so much wealth in the world.
Then Mike said the world doesn’t get it because the church has bought into the same ideas as the world when it comes to Christmas. It is all about getting and giving gifts to everyone but Jesus.
Again, I can’t do Mike’s message justice: He spoke about the fact that Jesus has been made into something that the Bible never did.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
        He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.

 

Jesus never told us we would have an easy life. As a matter of fact the Bible teaches that we will suffer.

Philippians 1:29

 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.

New Living Translation
“We have mastered the art of Pain Avoidance”
The Son of God is not a Santa Claus Jesus!
“We call people to make a decision for Jesus Christ!”
“Jesus calls people to become disciples!”
God is good. Meditate on these notes and listen to what God is saying.
Ronnie

Rev. Mike Slaughter, Chief Dreamer of Ginghamsburg Church for three decades, is a catalyst for change in the worldwide church. Mike’s life-long passion to reach the lost and set the oppressed free has now made him a tireless and leading advocate for the children, women and men of Darfur, Sudan. Since initiating The Sudan Project in January 2005, Ginghamsburg has invested $2.8 million into humanitarian relief in Darfur. The resultant agricultural project, child development program and safe water initiative are expanding to reach a quarter of a million Sudanese refugees and villagers.

Locally, Ginghamsburg Church serves more than 40,000 people annually in surrounding communities via its food pantry, car, clothing and furniture ministries.

When Mike arrived at Ginghamsburg Church in 1979, worship attendance hovered at 90 with 118 members and an annual budget of $27,000. As of 2008, 4000 attendees on average worship weekly at Ginghamsburg and the multi-million dollar budget resources a faith community committed to serving the poor, lost and disenfranchised.

Mike’s call is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted and to challenge people to wrestle with God and embrace their own God-destiny to be “On Mission” as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today.

Read Mike’s Blog

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One comment on “Congress on Evangelism Day 2

  1. [...] worship featured a message by Mike Slaughter.  I will defer to my friend Ronnie Collins for a detailed ... tnrambler.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/days-2-and-3-of-the-congress-on-evangelism

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