Life-relevant Bible-based teachings from Rev. Paul Miller, Pastor of Bushkill Community Church and St. John’s E.C. Church.
Episodes
Monday May 17, 2021
Monday May 17, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – May 16, 2021
Series Title: UNIFY Understand, (be) Non-dual, Include, Forgive, Yearn
Today’s Title: Yearning for Integrity
Today’s Text: Psalm 15
BE ALIGNED WITH THE PRESENCE OF GOD (v1)
WALK WITH INTEGRITY (blameless, upright)(v2)
- Doing what’s right
- Speaking truth from the heart
CONTROL YOUR WORDS (v3)
- No slander
- No wrong to your neighbor
- No slurs
KEEP GOOD COMPANY (v4)
- Despise those who are vile
- Honor those who fear god
KEEP YOUR WORD (v4)
-A promise holds little value until tested by trial
HAVE FINANCIAL INTEGRITY (v5)
- generosity seeks no gain
- don’t let money corrupt justice
“Whoever does these things will never be shaken.”
- Psalm 15:6
Monday May 10, 2021
Monday May 10, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – May 9, 2021
Series Title: UNIFY: Understand, (be) Non-Dual, Include, Forgive, Yearn
Today’s Title: Forgiveness and the Path to Peace
Today’s Text: Colossians 3:1-17
Are you at peace?
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” – Colossians 3:15
THE PATH TO PEACE
- A HEART-SET & MIND-SET FROM ABOVE (v1-4)
- STOMP OUT WHAT IS BENEATH YOU (v5-8)
- RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE, INCLUDE EVERYONE (v9-11)
- PUT ON YOUR GOOD-WORKS CLOTHES (v12)
- FORGIVE YOUR CO-WORKERS (v13)
- PUT ON LOVE (v14)
- Compassionate Love
- Kind Love
- Humble Love
- Gentle Love
- Patient Love
- Forgiving Love
- HERE THERE IS PEACE
- The Rule of Peace
- The Call of Peace
- The Response to Peace
- Gratitude
- Worship
Monday May 03, 2021
Monday May 03, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – May 2, 2021
Series Title: Forgiveness
Today’s Title: Paralyzed by Unforgiveness
Today’s Text: Luke 5:17-26
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
TWO WAYS THAT UNFORGIVENESS CAN PARALYZE
- PARALYZED BY NOT FORGIVING THE ONE WHO HURT YOU
- BITTERNESS
- PARALYZED BY NOT ASKING TO BE FORGIVEN BY THE ONE YOU HURT
- PRIDE
Seven Words that can change your life…..
GET UP
TAKE YOUR MAT
GO HOME
Forgiveness has the power to heal. It brings healing to relationships, it eases stress, it sharpens focus, it turns our attention away from self and on to the other. Forgiveness is our greatest need and Christ’s greatest work.
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – April 25, 2021
Series Title: Forgive
Today’s Title: “The Depth of Forgiveness”
Today’s Text: Luke 7:36-50
“All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those around us.” – Richard Rohr
CONFORMING FORGIVENESS
(law)
Closed System
Condemning
Outwardly Superficial
Fearfully Concealing
Measured & Limited
TRANSFORMING FORGIVENESS
(grace)
Open
Welcoming
Inwardly Honest
Beautifully Messy
Immeasurably Loving
Where are YOU in this story? Quick to judge and condemn, like the Pharisees? Humbled by your brokenness at the feet of Jesus, like the woman? Forgiving to even the “worst of sinners”, like Jesus?
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – April 11, 2021
Series Title: Forgive
Today’s Title: “Forgiveness & Prayer”
Today’s Text: Matthew 6:5-15
Prayer and forgiveness are tied together. You can’t be effective in one without the other.
PRAYERS THAT ATTEMPT TO IMPRESS OTHERS ARE A SIGN OF INSECURITY (v5)
YOUR PRAYER IS GOD’S BUSINESS, NO ONE ELSE’S (v6)
GOD WILL NEVER BE IMPRESSED BY YOUR WORDS (v7)
GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED, BUT MAYBE YOU DON’T (v8)
SAYING WHO GOD IS, IN PRAYER, ISN’T FOR GOD’S SAKE, IT’S FOR YOURS. (v9)
SUBMITTING TO GOD’S BOUNDARIES & PURPOSES REVEALS WHERE & WHY WE MAY HAVE WANDERED (v10)
MY BODY’S MOST BASIC DAILY NEED IS FOOD. (v11)
MY HEART’S MOST BASIC DAILY NEED IS FORGIVENESS
TO LIVE IN UNFORGIVENSS TOWARD OTHERS STARVES YOUR HEART (v12)
EVEN AS I FOLLOW GOD’S LEAD, TEMPTATION WILL BE CLOSE BY (v13)
DON’T CONFUSE SUFFERING & DANGER WITH TEMPTATION & EVIL (v13)
GOD’S OFFER TO FORGIVE YOU IS DEPENDENT UPON YOUR WILLINGESS TO FORIGVE OTHERS (v14-15)
Are you receiving God’s forgiveness?
Are you withholding forgiveness from someone?
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – April 11, 2021
Series Title: Included in the Kingdom of God
Today’s Title: “Include the Outsider”
Today’s Text: Acts 10:1-23
OUTSIDERS INCLUDED BY JESUS
- EXCLUDED BY PREJUDICE - Samaritans
- Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
- The 10 Lepers (Luke 17:11-19)
- Samaritan Woman at the well (John 4:1-42)
- EXCLUDED BY DISEASE - Lepers
- Jesus touched a leper to heal him (Matthew 8:1-4)
- The 10 Lepers (Luke 17:11-19)
- EXCLUDED BY REPUTATION - Tax Collectors
- Matthew becomes a disciple (Matthew 9:9-12)
- Gathered to hear Jesus (Luke 15:1-2)
- Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
- Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
- EXCLUDED AS AGENTS OF OPPRESION - Centurions
- Commended for great faith when Christ healed a servant (Matthew 8:5-13)
- Declared Christ to eb the Son of God at the cross (Luke 23:47)
- EXCLUDED BY BIRTH - Greeks
- Greek woman – Jesus casts out a demon from her daughter (Mark 7:24-30)
- Greeks ask to see Jesus on Palm Sunday (John 12:20-22)
- EXLCUDED BY PATRIARCHY - Women
- Samaritan Woman at the well (John 4:1-42)
- Greek woman – Jesus casts out a demon from her daughter (Mark 7:24-30)
- Woman caught in adultery (John 8:2-11)
- EXCLUDED FROM PUBLIC DISCOURSE - Children
- Jesus angry at disciples for keeping children away – Luke 18:15-17
- Jesus enjoyed the company of children and spoke about their faith (Matthew 18 1-5)
- Praise for God from the lips of children on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:14-16)
- EXCLUDED BY THE INCLUDED - Jewish religious leaders
- Jesus eats at the home of a “prominent Pharisee” (Luke 14:1-24)
- A Pharisee named Nicodemus – (John 3:1-21)
- Jesus heals the daughter of a synagogue leader (Matthew 9:18-26)
OUTSIDERS INCLUDED IN THE CHURCH
- THE GREAT (INCLUSIVE) COMMISSION
- Matthew 28:16-20 – make disciple of all nations
- Acts 1:6-9 – don’t exclude Samaria (Philip, Acts 8:4-8)
- PETER’S STRUGGLE TO INCLUDE GENTILES
- Vision in Acts 10 – make disciples from all nations, not just Jews in every nation
- Church Council in Acts 15 – Paul & Barnabas stand up for Gentile believers
- Peter still struggled - Galatians 2:11-14 (Paul had to call him out)
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – April 4, 2021
Series Title: Included in the Gospel
Today’s Title: Include the Sick
Today’s Text: Luke 17:11-19
The impact of sickness and why Jesus healed people…
11 the border between Samaria and Galilee
RACISM, OPPRESSION
12 a village, ten men who had leprosy
A COMMUNITY OF OUTCASTS
They stood at a distance
HEALTH LAW & SOCIAL EXPECTATION
13 called out in a loud voice,
DESPARATION
“Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
RESPECT
14 “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
NOT YET HEALED, HOW COULD THEY?
as they went,
GOING WAS AN ACT OF FAITH
they were cleansed.
GOD HONORED THAT FAITH
15 One of them,…….came back, praising God in a loud voice.
STILL SHOUTING, BUT NOW WITH JOY!
16 threw himself at Jesus’ feet
NO LONGER AT A DISTANCE, BUT RIGHT AT HIS FEET
thanked him
NEVER DISCOUNT THE POWER OF GRATITUDE
he was a Samaritan.
A LESSON ABOUT PREJUDICE
17 Where are the other nine?
LACK OF GRATITUDE STANDS OUT
18 this foreigner?”
THE JEWS AROUND JESUS SAW THIS MAN THAT WAY, NOT CHRIST
19“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
THE GOAL OF ALL HEALING IS TO BE “WELL”
- WELL IN BODY, IN MIND, IN HEART, AND IN COMMUNITY
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
The inclusive message of the Gospel does not leave out people that are all too quickly ignored, forgotten, and condemned. Such is the life of the prisoner. Only persons who have actually lived inside of a prison have the right to describe it. This sermon includes words from several men who are currently "incarcerated", a word reserved only for those who have been tried, convicted, and sentenced to "time served" away from family, friends, and society. Are we as a nation, the church, and as individual followers of Jesus paying any attention to "the least of these" in prison?
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – March 21, 2021
Series Title: Understand, (be)Non-Dual, Include, Forgive, Yearn
Today’s Title: Include part 1: Include the Hungry
Today’s Text: John 6:1-15
GOD, PEOPLE, & FOOD
- Trees in the garden – Genesis 2
- Temptation & Knowledge - Genesis 3
- Cain & Abel – Genesis 4
- The Passover – Exodus 12
- Manna – Exodus 16
- Feasts & Food Laws – Exodus 1-7, 11, 23-24 (among others)
- The Temptation of Jesus – Matthew 4
- The Lord’s Prayer – Matthew 6
- Feeding 5000 – John 6
- “I am the Bread of Life” – John 6
- The Lord’s Supper – Matthew 26
FOOD - GOD’S INCLUSIVE PROVISION – God gave us enough to go around
- Genesis 2:8-17 – God provided for us from the start
- Matthew 6:11 & 26 – Ask God for it & trust Him to provide it
FOOD CAN BE SHARED OR HOARDED – it’s the responsibility of those who have food to feed those who don’t
- Acts 2:42-47 – The church in Jerusalem
- Luke 12:13-21 – the rich fool
FOOD CAN BRING US TOGETHER OR REINFORCE OUR DIFFERENCES – None should be left out
- 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
FOOD CAN BE TEMPTATION OR THANKSGIVING
- Temptations of Adam & Eve and of Jesus
- John 6:11 – Jesus gave thanks for the bread and the fish
FOOD CAN BECOME A god OR REMIND US OF GOD IN CHRIST
- Philippians 3:18-20
FEEDING THE HUNGRY – THE WORK OF GOD
- Psalm 146:6-9 – God’s desire
- Isaiah 58:6-9 – true fasting
- Ezekiel 18:15-17 – description of a righteous person
- Proverbs 25:21 – feed your enemy
- Ezekiel 16:49-50 – the sin of Sodom
FEED THE HUNGRY….
Internationally: Compassion International - www.compassion.com
World Vision - www.worldvision.org
Heifer International - www.heifer.org
Hunger in America: Dare to Care - donate.daretocare.org
Feeding America - www.feedingamerica.org
Hunger in the Poconos: Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network - www.pven.net
Bushkill Outreach – www.bushkilloutreach.org
Monday Mar 15, 2021
Monday Mar 15, 2021
Rev. Paul J. Miller – Sermon Outline – March 14, 2021
Series Title: “UNIFY: Understand, (be)Non-Dual, Include, Forgive, Yearn”
Today’s Title: “Being Non-Dual: Changing Views of the Unchanging God"
Today’s Text: Psalm 139
JONAH’S MIND & HEART – Jonah 3:10
DAVID’S MIND & HEART – Psalm 139
KNOW THAT GOD KNOWS YOU (v1-6)
EMBRACE THE MYSTERY OF GOD (v7-12)
GOD’S FEARFUL & WONDERFUL PRESENCE (v13-16)
THE INFINITE THOUGHTS OF GOD (v17-18)
OKAY GOD, THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS (v19-22)
SEARCH, TEST, KNOW, SEE, & LEAD MY HEART (v23-24)
Knowing in your mind how deeply God knows you is overwhelming, but inviting God to reveal what He sees in your heart is transforming.
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GROWTH CHALLENGE: Read Psalm 139:23-24 every day this week as a prayer. At the end of the week, write down what God has revealed to you about you.