January 31, 2012
"The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God. The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don't have to play defensive games anymore. We don't have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can say we told a lie instead of saying we exaggerated a bit. We can admit an unforgiving spirit instead of continuing to blame our parents for our emotional distress. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. With the assurance of total forgiveness through Christ, we have no reason to hide from our sins anymore."...
January 6, 2012
I'm at a season of life where it seems like it's time to slow down. Nothing is working quite right anymore. I need glasses for aging eyes and anti-inflammtories for aging joints. I forget names and what commonly used household gadgets are called. Solitude invites me to steal away (which I enjoy doing at times!) while a growing family and new church lovingly require me to get even busier than ever. The commercials say Benny and I should be anticipating retirement after all the years of being in the throes of parenting and pastoring. Sometimes I envy those who can....
October 14, 2014 | Category: Sermon Review | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Holy Spirit, Jesse Phillips, Freedom, sermons, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, sermon review, redeemer blog, Sanctification, Gospel-centeredness, gospel-centered preaching, sermon, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, Galatians, Galatian's series, from slavery to sonship, Redeemer Lake Nona
Jesse began by talking about the concept of change. Turning away from unwanted behavior is something common to everyone. Whether it is silly habits, or more serious addictions, we all have aspects of behavior that we want to modify. 12 step programs abound for every sort of sin, addiction or compulsion. Many of these programs borrow from biblical wisdom in their approach, ...
Keep ReadingSeptember 8, 2014 by Bob Putman | Category: Sermon Review | Tags: ordination, qualifications for ministry, pastoral ordination, pastor, Redeemer Church, Benny Phillips, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Jesse Phillips, news, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, leadership
Sunday was an historic day at Redeemer Church, as we celebrated the ordination of Jesse Phillips, son of Pastor Benny Phillips and his wife Sheree. Numerous visitors were present for the service, including guests from Metro Life Church, Orlando, where Jesse grew up and was called to ministry....
Keep ReadingAugust 4, 2014 | 2 Comments | Category: Sermon Review | Tags: redeemerchurch, sermons, lee vista church, lee vista, Jesse Phillips, Identity, Faith, mission, Lake Nona Churches, gospel, bible, bible reading, lake Nona, Lake Nona Church, Redeemer Church, lakenonachurch, the gospel, sermon review, redeemer blog, Israel, kingdom of God, kingdom of man, book of Daniel, Age of Heroes
“Israel and Hamas broke their ceasefire today and resumed fighting. This means the war has now gone on for…let me just check my watch here. Is it July 31st? Ok that means the war has been going on for…3000 years.” That joke (roughly) was how Stephen Colbert began his show on Friday, and it was either hilarious or insensitive. But it was also illustrative of a far m...
Keep ReadingJuly 8, 2014 | 2 Comments by | Category: Sermon Review | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Lake Nona Churches, Scripture, lee vista church, sermons, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, Jesse Phillips, Age of Heroes, Jonah, Mercy, sermon review
On Sunday, we heard from Jesse Phillips to kick start our summer series, “Age of Heroes: Classic Bible Stories and What They Really Mean.” He took us through the story of Jonah, beginning by explaining to us what Jonah ISN’T about. Often we hear children’s ministry versions of classic Bible heroes and the supposed lessons that God wants to teach us about them. Jona...
Keep ReadingJuly 4, 2014 by Jesse Phillips | Category: Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, Lake Nona Churches, Jesse Phillips, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, Freedom, 4th of July, founding fathers, liberty, pursuit of happiness,
It’s the 4th of July. So naturally I was the chosen contributor for today’s blog. Running for office and naming my daughter Liberty has probably guaranteed me a featured column on this blog for every civic-related occasion until the end of time....
Keep ReadingJune 16, 2014 | Category: Sermon Review | Tags: Spirit, redeemerchurch, Jesse Phillips, Acts Series, propelled, Lake Nona Church, Lake Nona Churches, lake Nona, lee vista, church life
Often, we are tempted to place our hope in something other than Christ, and we are tempted to be constrained by something other than the Spirit....
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