by Josh Monda | Aug 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
Jul 21
Posted by Josh
You might be wondering what in the world am I talking about. What do I mean. Homiletic is actually the art of preaching. I am always looking at things and reading blogs of different pastors. Part of that is also looking at things that may help pastors as well. I have been a pastor for over 15 years. The other day I was doing some market research for a project I want to start and I ran across a resource that I thought could be helpful for pastors. I know there are times when pastor just do not have the time to get a sermon ready. So rather then snag one from John MaCarthur or Rick Warren and then claim it as you own why not use this Resource. I mean it is discrete and not some recycled sermon that perhaps your church has already heard on the radio and it is nice fresh content plus it has powerpoint included. Sure it may not be a substitute for preparing your own but it could be an awesome resource when you are in a crunch. Why not check out the Free Sermons they offer and go from there. I also wrote about this on this page . Check out the resources below.
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1. Click inside the codebox
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3. Paste the HTML code into your webpage codebox Homiletic
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by Josh Monda | Jul 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
It has been a week since I have had a post so I thought I would get in gear. I have been watching some basketball games of the local High School here. The girls team is ranked numbers in the state for 3a ball and they are undefeated they have a good club I hope they do well. Well anyways I am not going write about basketball but continue my series from the book Why Guys Need God by Mike Erre. Today I want to share a couple of quotes from chapter 10 and talk about them a little bit.
When we come out of hiding in front of each other, relationship will take hard work and lots of grace. The church gets lots of criticism because of its imperfections.
So many times we hide who we really are. Sometimes it is like we have to put on some sort of facade so people do not see the real us. I am not sure what drives this perhaps it is fear of people seeing the real us or fear that we are not good enough. Rarely do we tell people our real struggles or the things that are keeping us from being all we want to be in Christ or all we can be in Christ. The truth is if we really do be ourselves then in fact it will take alot of hard work and lots of grace. Grace to forgive others even when we really do not want to and grace to ask for forgiveness even when we do not want to. But if we continue to pretend to be someone we are not then the church is just a place where we go to be fake. The church definitley is not perfect and we are indeed a bunch of reformed sinners going thorug the process of sanctification yet many times we act like we have already been fully sanctified and that we have no problems whatsoever.
I often wonder what would church be like if people were real. What if a man walked into Sunday school and said I am struggling with pornography and I need help, or what if a woman walked in and said I struggle with gossiping I need help, or how about I have bitterness in my heart I need help. The church is supposed to be a community loving each other and holding each other accountable but I am afraid we have become a community where everything is based on only what we want people to perceive us to be and not who we really are. We don’t want people to know our secret sins what will is take for us to stop being superficial and just be honest. It is so hard. Here us the second quote.
Most churches teach men how to pretend behind religious fig leaves. We learn to act in the right religious ways, look the right religious ways, sing the right religious ways, and so on. We usually are not encouraged to actually share how things really are. So even though we need to connect with other guys at a really deep level, the church actually often hinders this process.
Prayer isn’t a place to be good; it is a place to be honest.
I already spoke about this above. I do not think this is a problem for just men either. I think often we go to church to pretend. Pretend to be someone we are not and we rarely go just to be honest and admit our struggles.
by Josh Monda | Jul 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
Many times I feel one of the greatest failures in Christian live is our inability to love one another.  In addition it is also our inability to show the world that we love one another.  We all know the verse right  ”By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).  I know alot of Christians that say they love one another.  I mean that is an easy thing to say right “I love you” well it might be easier for some then others.  The reality of it is we do not have to work that heard many times to tell someone we love them.  We hear it from Christians all the time “I love you in the Lord”  not sure why we need to add in the Lord, but we say that.  I think it has become all to common place to say it and not really show it. Â
I often think of this when someone is hurting and I hear someone say “they love the person” and often I want to ask “really how are you showing it”. Â Why do we get caught into this trap of saying we love others but not displaying that love. Â I am so often reminded of
James 2:15-16 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
Sure we may not do something that seems so drastic but we do this very thing all the time. Â We know someone hurting or in need and we know we are called to show love but instead we make excuse.
This verse has been on my mind lately “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)
This verse very plainly and clearly ells us to have a “fervent” love for one another.  The word for fervent ther is (eketenes) which is an athletic word.  It means to stretch and to reach out; to strain and exert to the utmost degree just like an athlete in a race.  This is telling us to be passionate about loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.  This is not just some warm fuzzy feeling that we often have or that we say to one another it goes beyond that.  It is more then just even having some sentimental or caring feeling for another person. Â
This verse is commanding us to love with this great love this love of fervency.  But here is what is even greater the verse says “above all” this love is to be put in front of anything else.  This is the most important duty of a believer in Jesus Christ.  We are to put every once of energy in our minds and hearts to love.  This means that we love others even when they have hurt us, or abuse us, or persecute us, or oppose us, or ridicule us, or speak bad about us, or injure us, or make fun of us.  We choose to love regardless of circumstances.
You know what the greatest part about all of this is. Â When we love each other with this fervent love “it covers a multitude of sins.” Wow only if Christians to grasp on to this. Â Only if we could understand what it means to love in this way. what does it mean?
- It means that we are not saying we love and at the same time hating, and reacting, and sinning.
- it means that we are loving with a spirit of forgiveness, not living with some sort of sinful unforgiving spirit.
- It means that this kind of love will help us to reach those who do evil to us and win them to Christ. Â
I pray I will love like this love with a fervent love instead of the typical love I see christians proclaiming.
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by Josh Monda | Jun 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
Apr 27
Posted by Josh
Yesterday (4-26) I had the awesome privilege of being a room host at our Regional Teens Involved.  If you are not familiar with Teens Involved it is a competition that is hosted by Word Of Life (if you are not familiar with them then that can be another blog) anyway at this competition teens can compete in 23 different categories.  Yesterday I hosted the instrumental room which was a riot for me because I know very little about music.  What I was so impressed with was the quality of teens that were in this competition. I had the wonderful opportunity to pray with every teen before they performed and to chat with them briefly and wow.  We hear so much bout our teens doing bad things and this and that but these teens wanted to be there.  These teens wanted to give what they had to the Lord.  Specifically I remember one young lady playing her violin and I was nearly moved to tears.  My heart was encouraged being with those teens.
My heart was also encouraged as I had the opportunity to hear two young men preach.  These young men are special to me as I have had the opportunity to be a part of their life and have even lead one of them to Christ.  It was so awesome to hear them clearly lay out the gospel and clearly give a plan of salvation.  It was neat to hear that they had taken my advice.  Though I am saddened to not be their Youth Pastor anymore do to my recent resignation (thats another blog), I am excited to see them live for the Lord.  Both these guys and many others hold a special place in my heart more so then they or anyone else will probably ever know.  Guys if you read this you did an awesome job and I am so proud of you,
Teens are the church of now and into the future and it is a joy to see them serve. Â I would encourage you if you are involved in a church what are you passing on to those that are below you. Â Look for someone to get involved with and pass the things of God on to them.
My Thoughts, Spiritual Application, Uncategorized
by Josh Monda | Jun 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
Apr 27
Posted by Josh
Yesterday (4-26) I had the awesome privilege of being a room host at our Regional Teens Involved.  If you are not familiar with Teens Involved it is a competition that is hosted by Word Of Life (if you are not familiar with them then that can be another blog) anyway at this competition teens can compete in 23 different categories.  Yesterday I hosted the instrumental room which was a riot for me because I know very little about music.  What I was so impressed with was the quality of teens that were in this competition. I had the wonderful opportunity to pray with every teen before they performed and to chat with them briefly and wow.  We hear so much bout our teens doing bad things and this and that but these teens wanted to be there.  These teens wanted to give what they had to the Lord.  Specifically I remember one young lady playing her violin and I was nearly moved to tears.  My heart was encouraged being with those teens.
My heart was also encouraged as I had the opportunity to hear two young men preach.  These young men are special to me as I have had the opportunity to be a part of their life and have even lead one of them to Christ.  It was so awesome to hear them clearly lay out the gospel and clearly give a plan of salvation.  It was neat to hear that they had taken my advice.  Though I am saddened to not be their Youth Pastor anymore do to my recent resignation (thats another blog), I am excited to see them live for the Lord.  Both these guys and many others hold a special place in my heart more so then they or anyone else will probably ever know.  Guys if you read this you did an awesome job and I am so proud of you,
Teens are the church of now and into the future and it is a joy to see them serve. Â I would encourage you if you are involved in a church what are you passing on to those that are below you. Â Look for someone to get involved with and pass the things of God on to them.
My Thoughts, Spiritual Application, Uncategorized
by Josh Monda | Jun 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
Recently I listened to an interview with Rick Warren and whether you like his stuff or not he had some good things to say in the interview. Â In this interview he commented on many things. Â For instance he spoke on stages they try to take people through at Saddleback. Â They were first to “Know Christ”,Then to Love Christ’s family, then to grow in Christ, then to serve Christ, finally to share Christ. Â This is a process that they attempt to take people through. Â I enjoyed what he had to say about this because it seems in many churches their is not a process, or even a plan for that matter. Â It seems more like a somewhat organized Chaos with no real plan. Â On top of that when asked to put their plan into words most churches can not primarily because they do not have a plan. Â This can be and is counter intuitive to many churches. Â If the people do not know where they are going or where they are being lead then “aren’t they following blindly”.
Really what impressed me most was Warren’s comments on discipleship.  Warren spoke that Saddleback was built on a series of five covenants.  The first is their entry point “Come and See” he said there is no commitment to “Come and See” the only thing you have to do is show up.  You can sit wherever you want, you don’t have to sing any songs you are not forced to say anything you just come and see.  Warren was quick to point out that Jesus never left the people there. Â
“From “Come and See” Jesus would take them through consistent steps.  During this time Jesus is constantly turning up the heat.  As they begin to follow Him Jesus begins to say things like You’re my disciple if…He redefines commitment.  ”You’re my disciple if you love on another.”  ”You’re my disciple if you bear fruit.”  ”You’re my disciple if you take up your cross, deny yourself,  and follow Me.”  And on and on Jesus is turning up the heat.”
“In those days, nobody took up a cross unless the Romans were going to nail him to it. So He’s saying, “Come and die.” There’s a huge difference in commitment between “Come and see” and “Come and die.” He doesn’t say “Come and die” at the very first. He takes three years into a relationship with them. And He’s moving them.”
“Churches have not understood that commitment is sequential, systematic, and processed. And to move them from “Come and see” to “Come and die” is what Purpose Driven is all about.”
“What happens is churches tend to be one or the other. You’re either a “Come and see” church or a “Come and die” church. And the “Come and see” churches bring them in the front door and win a lot of people to Christ, but they don’t deepen them to deeper levels of maturity. The “Come and die” church doesn’t reach anybody for Christ, and they’ve got their frozen chosen that they keep taking deeper and deeper and deeper. But those people have koinitis. They’re so close no one else can break into it.”
“What a church has to do is see that “Come and see” and “Come and die” is the whole spectrum. And how do you get people from “Come and see” to “Come and die?” There are classes. There are covenants. There are commitments. There are cells. There’s coaching.”
“It’s not just one-on-one. It’s not just one to small group. It’s not just one to big crowd. There is a combination. And you have to take into account that people learn in different ways. Most churches have not built the levels of learning into discipleship.”
 So often we have no plan.  Our plan is watch this movie, read this book, take someone else through this book.  That is not really discipleship.  So often there is no process to grow someone in Christ.  They either “Come and See” and never get moved beyond that or we as them to “come and die” and they are not ready for that.  Why is it we seldom move people through a time of discipleship.  Rarely do we really take time to get to know those we are supposedly discipling so how do we really know where to start?  We really need to revolutionize how we look at discipleship and stop wasting time.  We need to strip discipleship of all of its protective gear and stop worrying about people seeing the real us and stop pretending to be something we are not and start invading peoples lives with who Jesus Christ is.  We need to be willing to stick it out for a long haul and show them whatever way it takes for them to understand who Jesus is and move them into the direction of “come and die” then we will have radical committed disciples of Jesus Christ.
Please not that the quoted text are the words of Rick Warren in the interview. Â
