Passing along a good word from the Word <3
For the past two Sundays, our associate pastor Brian Talty has presented what I would call teachings. We typically call the talking time during a worship service a sermon, but I just feel “teaching” is a much better term. The topic was called “Redeem the Screen” and it has been relevant and impacting.
This series can be found here https://www.firstdecatur.org/messages/redeemthescreen/.
And I would recommend listening to both with your Bible and pen in hand. I would also invite you to return to this site in the next for weeks as Brian will be speaking to us with a second year visit to “At the Movies.”
Last year was so powerful as Brian used current films to preach to us for God’s Truth in the Bible. (more on that in my notes below) I had to laugh the first year and again this year. When our kids were at home, they strongly disliked when their mother sat with them to watch a movie.
First of all, I ask ten million questions from the very start. I can still remember John’s exasperated comment one time, “MOM!!! We don’t know if he’s the bad guy, we all just started watching this the same time as YOU!!”
Second, I would always find some teachable moment in the middle of the movie. And I, of course, being me…had to share. During the movie…cause it just couldn’t wait. Again, I have a memory of a particularly sordid and convoluted movie that we all were disgusted with but at the end I started my teaching point and Sarah cut me off with, “Oh my gosh Mom! Don’t tell me you see something about God in all of this.” Oh, but I did.
So I have loved the movie series even if I haven’t seen the movie being used for the text. I promise you, you will love it. Invite your family and friends and find the series either live on Saturday night or Sunday morning or rewatch later at https://firstdecatur.online.church
You can also catch them live on Facebook or YouTube. Check out the church website for more information. If you thought church is boring and sermons will put you to sleep, trust me…you thought wrong. As Brian pointed out in the Acts passage, Paul noted in verse 28 that even the poets of their culture had eluded to God and His Truth. Our modern “poets” and “authors” express ideas of searching for purpose and meaning. We can identify with the searchings of others and we can respond with the answer we have found <3
And now, the notes from last Sunday’s sermon:
Brian started with Acts 17:16-34 but his focus passage was verse 21.
Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
ACTS 17:21
He said that this defines social media.
He pointed out three areas that generalize our current culture:
Speech
Offense
Identity
For Speech, he pointed to the prompt we see when we sign on to Facebook “What’s on your mind?” and he urged us to remember we don’t really have to answer that. We may have laughed heartily.
For Offense, he reminded us that God has given us guidelines for addressing an offense with another person and not one of those steps involves publicly announcing the offense to anyone and everyone on social media.
For Identity, he cautioned that social media is a breeding ground for comparison and that comparison is always a lose-lose game. You either come out better than someone else and thus are puffed up, or you are less than and become envious and discontent with your lot.
These are just brief summaries. There were many Scripture references and calls to action including using social media to truly fulfill God’s instruction for fellowship, encouragement as well as an opportunity for us to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who are rejoicing.
He suggested we all apply Psalm 19:14 and pray before we post. Or speak. Or send the letter. Or make the call.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You.
Psalm 19:14