Messages Archive
by LewisThis page contains links to messages delivered at PACC that are older but still interesting. You may find something here that is useful for you today, and we hope you do!
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Miracles – July 25, 2010, Lewis Greer, John 2, 11
Do you believe in miracles? If you do, do you believe they only happened in the Bible or do you believe they still happen today? Admitting there are miracles, remember, is the same as admitting that there is divine intervention in the lives of humans. Are you ready for that?
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Jesus Was Who He Said He Was – July 18, 2010, Lewis Greer, John 11
OK, what about Jesus? He claimed to be the Son of God, the Son of Man, and God. Who was he really? Of course if he claimed to be God and actually was God, that would demand a pretty special response. Is there any way we can “know” if his claims were true?
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The Bible — July 11, 2010, Lewis Greer
This is the second message in the series What If It’s True? I made it second because I hold that one should believe in the Bible because he/she believes in God, not the other way around. But is the Bible trustworthy? And if it is, what do we do about it?
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God Is – July 4, 2010, Lewis Greer, 2 Samuel 22
This is the first in a series called What If It’s True? Each message, beginning with this one, challenges the listener to consider a statement then answer the question: If this is true, what should my response be? The first statement is simple, or at least it is simple to say: “God is.” What if that’s true?
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Inside Out — June 20, 2010, Lewis Greer, 2 Corinthians 4.1-7
Realtors everywhere know the value of great curb appeal, but they also know that the house must be beautiful on the inside, too. How about us? Do we spend more time thinking about our own curb appeal, or do we attend to the treasure that resides in us?
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Going Out For Dinner – June 13, 2010, Lewis Greer, Matthew 25.35-40
Many people have asked the question over the years, “What would Jesus do?” That’s a very good question, but it is not always easy to answer. Perhaps a more appropriate question might be, “What did Jesus do?” We can see that from the Bible record. The question is, do we have the courage to follow him in action?
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Neighborhood Watch — June 6, 2010, Lewis Greer, John 4.4-42
How well do you know your neighbors? How well did the Samaritan woman Jesus encountered at a well know hers? Christians have often focused on her less-than-stellar reputation, but when she discovered Jesus she told her neighbors, “Come and see!” What else can we learn from her?
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Get Out of the House – May 30, 2010, Lewis Greer, John 20.19-31
One of the most well known passages in the New Testament, this is also one of the most ignored passages in the New Testament. We’re happy to talk about “doubting Thomas,” but we’re not so quick to note the words of Jesus to all of us. Still, they are life enhancing, fear conquering, and Spirit giving words, and we ought to pay attention to them.
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Love — May 23, 2010, Lewis Greer, 1 John 4.16
A popular song of decades ago includes the line, “the greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.” We are already loved, the Bible teaches us, so how do we learn to love more? The apostle John (“the one whom Jesus loved,” he calls himself) has the answers.
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Pray — May 16, 2010, Lewis Greer, Acts 2.42
What is prayer all about? Is it about form, content, times of day? Is it just about talking to God, or is there something more? Lewis offers some insights and answers to these questions, and ultimately teaches us a simple secret that will make every prayer life better.
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Eat – May 9, 2010, Lewis Greer, Matthew 4.1-4
This is the first message in the series “Eat, Pray, Love.” It has nothing to do with the book of that title, but this message has a lot to do with The Book. How do we feed on God’s word? How does it sustain us? And perhaps most important of all, why aren’t we hungry more often?
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Giving It Everything You’ve Got — April 18, 2010, Lewis Greer, Luke 14.25-35
Do you want to be a follower of Jesus? Really? Apparently a lot of people in Jesus’ time did too, but he warned them (and us) that following him wasn’t necessarily cheap or easy. What does it mean — and what does it take — to be a disciple?
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Go — April 11, 2010, Lewis Greer, Matthew 28.16-20
What makes “the great commission” great, and is it for all Christians or just the apostles of Jesus? These questions and more (you are guaranteed at least one new bit of knowledge with this message) are answered here.
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The Contrast of Christianity – March 28, 2010, Lewis Greer, Matthew 7
If the central message of the Sermon on the Mount, as John R.W. Stott has said, is “be different,” just how does that look? What are the differences, and what difference does it make? Matthew 7 has some interesting answers.
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OJT and GTD — March 21, 2010, Lewis Greer, Matthew 6.25-34
A lot has been written and a lot has been said about “GTD” (Getting Things Done), but is it possible to focus on GTD while still living your life OJT (On Jesus’ Terms)? Maybe, just maybe, we need to redefine GTD….
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Samson: strong — and weak — September 20, 2009, Lewis Greer, Judges 13-16
Even many Christians don’t think of Samson as part of the honor roll of the faithful that appears in Hebrews 11, but he is. What can we learn from this amazingly strong (in several ways) man? A great deal, as it turns out.
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David, a man after God’s own heart — September 13, 2009, Lewis Greer, Acts 13.22
Perhaps the greatest compliment ever given to any human was given to David by God, and that was repeated by Paul in his first gospel sermon. God called David, “a man after my own heart.” We love that phrase, but are hard pressed to explain exactly what it means. Even more challenging, perhaps, is to be such a person. Can you be that?
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Who Is Peleg? – September 6, 2009, Bill Belew, 1 Peter 3.15
Peleg had a famous great-grandfather (Noah), and a well known grandfather (Shem), but other than that, what do we know of him? We know that in his lifetime “the land was divided.” His name, in fact, means division. How does that apply to us, and how does it fit with Peter’s admonition to “always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you?” Bill Belew explains it all in this message.
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Who Is Driving Your Life — August 30, 2009, Kevin Osborn
Kevin Osborn likes to go fast. He has been to race-car driving school, he has parachuted, and he has searched for speed even in his golf swing. When he drives his life, his tendency is to want to go fast there, too. But Kevin has learned this truth: even though he is an excellent driver, he is not the best driver for his own life. “Who is driving your life,” he asks, and then makes a Biblical basis for having that not be you.
recording not yet available
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Moses: The most humble of men — August 16, 2009, Lewis Greer, Hebrews 11, Acts 7, Exodus 2ff
When people hear “Moses” they think “Charlton Heston.” Some think “Prince of Egypt.” Not many think “humble.” Yet the Bible says Moses was “the most humble of men.” What is that all about, and who was this incredible servant of God? We discover that by looking at three different uses of “I am” in Moses’ life.
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Improving Your Serve — July 26, 2009, Lewis Greer
As a former tennis professional, Lewis knows what it means to improve your serve in tennis. But until recently it hadn’t occurred to him that we could also improve our worship of God. That’s right, we can actually worship God better than we do, and this lesson teaches us how. (Note: Lewis carried a tennis ball with him throughout this message, and spent part of the time tossing it up in the air. Fortunately, he never did hit it with a tennis racket.)
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The Post Game Report: a look back at Romans — July 19, 2009, Lewis Greer and Bill Belew, Romans 9 – 16
Bill and Lewis reprise their role as “Bible sportscasters” while doing a post-game report on Paul’s letter to the Romans. Intentionally humorous, but with real lessons, the intent is to help us all remember Paul’s greatest letter, especially the second half. (Note that many slides were used in this presentation, which unfortunately cannot be seen in the audio recording. But you can hear us talking about them…!)
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What To Give People, Problems and God — July 12, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 16
Some people think Romans 16 is unimportant — just a lot of names of people, most of whom we’ve never heard of other than here. But this chapter holds a lot of strong practical advice for us, if we’ll only look just below the surface.
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The Myth of Independence — July 5, 2009, Lewis Greer, Jeremiah 2.13
Many people in the world, but perhaps especially Americans, want to be independent. Many of us think we are. But independence is a myth, says Lewis, for countries, for churches, and especially for individuals.
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A Difference of Opinion (and the difference it makes) — June 21, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 14
Every church everywhere for all time has had differences of opinion. Some of those differences happen naturally, but others happen because some in the church are “weaker in the faith.” What difference does that make, and what differences could it make?
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Wake Up Call — June 14, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 13.8-14
Were the Christians in Rome asleep? Were they lazy? Why did Paul need to send them a wake up call? Do we need one? If you have to ask, the answer may well be “yes.”
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A Rope Across Niagara — May 31, 2009, Lewis Greer, Psalm 42.1
Psychologists tell us there are only two internal motivating forces: fear and desire. The Bible says a lot about both of those, specifically in our relationship with God. Which is stronger in you, your fear of him or your desire for him? Maybe, though, there is another question to be asked.
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An Attitude About Authority — May 24, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 13.1-7
When Paul wrote about being in subjection to the governing authorities, he surely didn’t mean our governing authorities, did he? And could people like Hitler really have had their authority “established by God?” Tough questions, but there are purposes and principles at work here, and they do apply to us.
Was Snidely Whiplash Good? — May 17, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 12.9-21
Paul assumes his readers have some ability to know what is “good” and what is “evil” when he says, “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” Of course it isn’t always that easy, so how can we grow that ability, and how can we make sure we are “glued to the good?” Here is some good practical advice from the apostle about living our lives in a world filled with both good and evil.
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Be Transformed — May 10, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 12.1-2
There are few phrases in the Bible that are more challenging for many Christians than Paul’s “do not be conformed to this world (to this age), but, by the renewing of your mind, be transformed….” How do we go about that, and what does it look like when we get there?
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The Three Rs — May 3, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 11
Most people would think of the classic ‘readin’, ‘ritin’ and ‘rithmatic. But not Paul. He didn’t even think of “reduce, reuse, recycle!” Just as both may apply to you, however, so do his “Three Rs.”
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The Good News Gang — April 26, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 10
We should all get with the times and join a gang — specifically, The Good News Gang. There are lots of perks that come with membership in this gang, including beautiful feet! Want to join?
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The Potter and the Clay: Who gets to go to heaven? — April 19, 2009, Lewis Greer, Romans 9
The potter and the clay is a picture that is used widely in scripture, and not always to illustrate a positive point. Isaiah uses it to demonstrate the relationship between the creator (God) and the created (us), and says in one place that we have it upside down. Paul uses those illustrations, along with his own amazing logic, as he discusses the fate of Israel.
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This Is The Day, Easter Sunday — April 12, 2009, Lewis Greer
Psalm 118.24 is a widely quoted — or at least a widely sung — verse of scripture. But many times we don’t give that verse enough credit, using it only to praise a day of good weather or good fortune. But “this is the day the Lord has made” means much more than that, as you will discover in this very brief (10 minute) message.
(Note: this sermon was delivered to a combined church service, including The Way Community Church, led by Pastor Francis Chung, who spoke immediately before Lewis.)
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Response to a Resurrection, Palm Sunday — April 5, 2009, Lewis Greer
Even the world knows about “the triumphal entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem, a day we commemorate as Palm Sunday. But do you know why the people came out to celebrate? John’s gospel alone gives us the reason, and it teaches us something about worship.
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Worshiping in Spirit and Truth — March 22, 2009, Lewis Greer
Jesus’ statement that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth,” is widely quoted among Christians. But is it widely known? What does it mean, and could a figure of speech (can you say hendiadys?) be an important clue to helping us understand it?
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Worship or Warship? Dialect, Attitude, and our Relationship with God — March 15, 2009, Lewis Greer
Lewis asks questions: What is the difference between worship and a warship? Do we come to church to actively serve God, or do we come to fight? If we are on a warship, how do we get off and get into worship? Some answers are also supplied.
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Halfway Home, a Review of Romans 1-8 – March 8, 2009, Lewis Greer and Bill Belew
Bill and Lewis pose as sportscasters for the “Grace and Faith Sports Network” and review the first half of the “game” of Romans. They critique Paul’s game plan and talk about how the second half might be played. This humorous look is filled with lots of good lessons.
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Overwhelming Victory – March 1, 2009, Lewis Greer
Lewis begins by reading an extraordinary passage of scripture, the end of Romans 8, and goes on to explain how and why we enjoy overwhelming victory in Christ.
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Open My Eyes, Lord – February 22, 2009, Mike Gormish (elder)
Much of how we see the world depends on our perspective. Mike uses both scripture and the illustration of a soccer referee (which he is) to help us “see” more clearly.