PACC Messages
by LewisThis page contains a synopsis of and a link to recent messages delivered at Palo Alto Church of Christ. The speaker’s name appears in the synopsis, along with the date and the title of the message.
May these be a blessing to you!
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Trust in the Lord and Do Good — March 20, 2011, Lewis Greer, Psalm 37
In his final sermon as the minister at Palo Alto Church of Christ, Lewis challenges the congregation with the words of King David in Psalm 37.
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Your Mission, Should You Decide to Accept It — March 13, 2011, Lewis Greer, 2 Timothy 2.15
Looking for an impossible mission? There are many available, but the one every Christian has been given is this: be like Jesus. In reality, that may not be impossible — unless of course you try to do it on your own. Here Lewis looks at some of the lies and some of the truths we tell about growing spiritually, and encourages us to take on this mission.
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Jubilee Memories – February 13, 20, 27, 2011, Joy Swift
Joy Swift is a founding member of the Church of Christ in Palo Alto, and one of two founding members (Doris Hoover is the other) who still lives nearby and is part of the local family. Joy is also a professional storyteller, and during our Jubilee celebration she combined her talents with her experiences to share verbally some of the history of the church from that first Sunday in 1961 right up to the present.
Unfortunately the first Sunday, about the building of the building, did not get recorded. At the beginning of hef final segment (2/27), Lewis Greer, minister of the church, introduces Joy, although to most she truly needs no introduction.
listen or download 2/13/11
listen or download 2/20/11
listen or download 2/27/11
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Jubilee 4: Trusting God with the Future – February 27, 2011, Les Bennett
As a former missionary, teacher of missions, and minister, Les Bennett has learned a few things about trusting God with the future. In this timely message (because there is always a future to trust to God), Les shares some of his insights about those who trusted God and those who trusted in themselves, and just exactly how that worked out.
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Jubilee 3: God’s Timing is Always Perfect — February 20, 2011, Lewis Greer
Our timing is sometimes pretty far off, but God’s timing never misses. By looking at various incidents in the life of Jesus, Lewis Greer explores how it may look to us like our prayers are being ignored by God, like God is falling behind, or even that God is saying no when he is really saying yes. Trusting that timing is sometimes tricky, but if it really is perfect, that’s where we should be.
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Jubilee 2: God’s Call and Our Vocations — February 13, 2011, Bob Carpenter
In his second week as a baptized believer in Jesus Christ, Bob Carpenter found himself at the Palo Alto Church of Christ. He was in graduate school at the time, and he went on from there to become a professor at Oklahoma Christian University. From time on the mission field to time in the classroom, Bob has a great sense of God’s call. How can we hear God, and how can we follow that call even when it is not preaching, teaching, or missions?
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Jubilee 1: The Reach and Impact of PACC — February 6, 2011, Darla Bennett
For the first message in our month-long celebration of 50 years of the Palo Alto Church of Christ, Darla Bennett, former missionary to Uganda, shares her insights on the impact PACC has had around the world, both near and far. Her unique perspective and insights are both encouraging and challenging.
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The Prodigal God — January 30, 2011, Lewis Greer, Luke 15.11-32
We often tell the story of “the prodigal son,” but our emPHASis may be on the wrong sylLABle, as the saying goes. Timothy Keller’s book The Prodigal God provides some of the impetus for this message, and the preacher provides the rest. All of us get “lost” from time to time. How can we be found?
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Putting God in His Place – January 23, 2011, Lewis Greer, Matthew 6.33
If you are an organized person, you probably live by the maxim “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Lewis thinks that idea is great (although he doesn’t always follow it), and that it finds its highest application in what we do with God. Where does he go in your life?
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A New You – January 16, 2011, Lewis Greer, 1 Corinthians 12.16, 17
Now that we have a new day and a new way, what about us? Can we become new? Scripture says that we can, and in fact we do become a new creation. In this message, Lewis explores what that means, from the legendary Phoenix to the time of baptism.
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A New Way – January 9, 2011, Lewis Greer, Matthew 6.25-34
Most of us trust God some of the time for some things, but all of us have an innate tendency to want to trust ourselves first and most deeply. Is that really the best way? Why do we hold on to a trust in ourselves when we have failed us so many times? Beginning with a dramatic reading by Ken Gudan and Lewis Greer, juxtaposing two scriptures seldom seen together, we answer that question.
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A New Day – January 2, 2011, Lewis Greer, Philippians 3.13-14
We love the idea of having a “clean slate” and starting all over again, which is one concept that makes New Year’s Day so popular. But what if you could have a clean slate every day, not just once a year? (Note: this message was about 24 minutes long until most of the coughing was edited out, and now it is just under 18 minutes. Thankfully, no germs are included in this digital recording.)
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Only 19 Shopping Days Until Christmas – December 5, 2010, Lewis Greer, Luke 9.6-7, Revelation 4.8
Are you feeling a sense of urgency yet? Christmas is coming, and there is a lot to do to get ready for it. Not many people, on the other hand, did a lot of preparing for the first Christmas. In fact, most people really weren’t ready. Will we be any more ready when Jesus comes back again?
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Love – November 28, 2010, Lewis Greer, Matthew 22.34-36
This is the eighth and final message in the series “Marks of Maturity.” It seems like love should be a basic for all Christians, but as it turns out, loving God and loving our neighbors is not necessarily simple. How do we learn to love? How does God guide us, and what does he really expect from us in that whole “love” answer he gave a Pharisee?
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Thanks Giving – November 21, 2010, Lewis Greer, Romans 14.1 – 15.4
I heard a little girl tell her mom, “I don’t say thank you to people.” The statement was not well received, but it was honest. If we were as honest with ourselves and others, what would we say about our “thanks giving” to God? It could be that we just don’t do that as often — or as well — as we should.
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Grace – November 14, 2010, Lewis Greer, Romans 14.1 – 15.4
What do you think of when someone uses the word “grace?” Amazing Grace, Grace Kelly, Grace Slick, saying grace? All of those are good answers, and fairly common. Less common is for us to think of the grace we have received, and even more rare is for us to realize that as recipients of grace, we should also be dispensers of grace.
download not yet available
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Strength – November 7, 2010, Lewis Greer, Ephesians 6.10
Wish you could see the slides that went with this, but you’ll be able to imagine them if you listen well. Also, toward the end of this message on being strong in the Lord, there is an illustration/demonstration carried out with the help of four young me in the church. It involves several bamboo garden stakes, some rubber bands, a 3/4 inch steel pipe of about 3 feet in length, and some duct tape. If you want more details, send me an e-mail through this site and I’ll provide them. In the meantime, put down that pea-shooter and take up the sword!
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Humility – October 24, 2010, Lewis Greer, Philippians 2.5-8
C.S. Lewis seemed to think that pride was the basis for almost all sin, and I think he was onto something. We often think of humility as being the opposite of pride, but that skews our definition of humility. Pride just keeps getting in the way. In this message humility is defined and explored as well as encouraged. In humility, here is hoping you find it useful.
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The S Factor Diet – October 17, 2010, Lewis Greer, Luke 12
There are a lot of famous diets, mostly for weight loss. This diet is designed specifically for spiritual weight gain, and the effects of that can be quite surprising. If you want to grow spiritually, give this diet a try!
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To Grow or Die – October 10, 2010, Lewis Greer, Hebrews 6.1-8
Grow or die is a phrase often used in modern day business, but it is as old as the Bible. There it isn’t about church growth or financial growth, it is about spiritual growth, and if we aren’t growing spiritually, no matter how long we’ve been Christians, we are in some sense losing our lives. Which way are you going?
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God Guides Our Choices – October 3, 2010, Lewis Greer, Deuteronomy 30
How do you make choices? Are you influenced more by short term desires or long term goals? And just exactly where does God figure into all of that? Scripture teaches us that God can and will play a big role in our choices, if we choose to let him.
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For earlier messages, please visit the Messages Archive page.