Ken Pierpont's Blog, page 5

Confidence in Uncertain Times (Luke 1:1-4) Sermon Video

Series: Luke’s Gospel
Sub-Series: The Birth of Christ
Sermon: Confidence in Uncertain Times
Bethel Church–Jackson, Michigan
November 19, 2023 AM
Pastor Ken Pierpont

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The Power of An Invitation (Audio)

One of the simplest ways to powerfully influence another is with a sincere invitation…

The Power of An Invitation

Bethel Church | Jackson, Michigan

November 12, 2023 AM

Pastor Ken Pierpont

The Power of An Invitation (Video)

One of the simplest ways to powerfully influence another is with a sincere invitation…

The Power of An Invitation

Bethel Church | Jackson, Michigan

November 12, 2023 AM

Pastor Ken Pierpont

Have You Had the Best Ruben in Michigan?

Yesterday was my day off. I normally like to stay on Bittersweet Farm and putter and read and study and do little chores, depending on the season, but I got a call from one of our missionaries who happens to be the husband of my niece Elisabeth and we agreed to meet for lunch at Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Kerry Town—a neighborhood in Ann Arbor.

His name is Ty Perry and he is an old soul. I love to spend time with Ty. He is with Friends of Israel and I was eager to pick his brain and get his take on the situation in the Middle East. We always meet at Zingerman’s. Ty’s ministry is to Jewish people and Zingerman’s is a Jewish Deli, so we feel it’s almost our duty.

Zingerman’s Deli is “…in a historic building near the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market. Serving up thousands of made to order deli sandwiches with ingredients like premium Black Angus corned beef and pastrami, free-range chicken, turkey, housemade chopped liver, and chicken salad. Zingerman’s Deli also stocks an exceptional array of farmhouse cheeses, unique olive oils, varietal bottles of vinegar, smoked fish, high-quality salami, locally roasted coffee, exquisite teas and locally sourced vegetables for salads. Today, Zingerman’s Delicatessen is an Ann Arbor institution, the source of great food and great experiences for thousands of visitors every year.’

They say Zingerman’s Delicatessen has the best Ruben in this part of Michigan. I love Zingerman’s and yes, I had the Ruben, hold the kraut, please and thank you. I had the big pickle. After a great conversation with a fine young man and Michigan’s finest Ruben, I dove home with a smile on my face.

Do you see what I did there? Now you want to go to Zingerman’s. You are craving a deli sandwich, aren’t you?

I could do the same with the Jerome Country Market. Sometimes I take a drive in the country and drop in for a brisket sandwich. I’m never disappointed. It’s a beautiful drive and it is a well-run, well-stocked market and getting there is restful for the soul. It’s situated in some beautiful countryside.

See what I did there? Now some of you are tempted to take a drive in the country and see what that brisket sandwich tastes like, aren’t you?

That is what I like to call the power of invitation. We all have human appetites and when trusted friends tell us where to find the good food we are like moths to the flame…

And our souls have appetites too, appetites that can only be satisfied by our creator. That is what we are about at Bethel Church. We are about showing people how to have their deep spiritual appetites satisfied in God.

One of the most powerful things you can do to bless others, honor God, and strengthen the church of God is as simple as recommending a good brisket sandwich or deli. Just have some personal enthusiasm and invite them. Invitations can have life-changing power.

I just went to lunch and invited a friend there to Bethel. He promised he would come. Only God knows what will come of that but it could be good and we could be talking about many years from now. He is a family man. We are dealing in powerful and eternal things here at Bethel every week. It could bless his whole family for many generations to come. Just that simple invitation through the window.

Not long ago I had a sense that the Lord directing me to invite more. I am always inviting but I felt an impulse from God to invite more and build a team of others to invite more. I asked my prayer partner to hold me accountable to invite more. I’m excited to see what God has in mind.

Will you join me on the inviter team? Who knows who will come and what will happen.

Bittersweet Farm | November 2023

Four Steps to Deal With Anxiety

You Don’t Have to Be Afraid

Our grandson Aiden Redemption is like his dad. He is bright and organized. He loves to break things down into manageable steps. You can see his little wheels turning and he will say, “First, we will do this, then after that we will do this, then we will do this…” He always has a plan with steps. I think God wired him that way and I think he learned it from is very organized dad. Steps. When you face a big tasks, maybe it is a good idea to break it down and tackle one piece at a time. What do you do when you are overwhelmed with worry and anxiety? How to you deal with low-grade fear? Let’s break it down.

1. Clearly Name What You Fear.

Whenever you are tempted to worry, immediately get to a quiet place if you can and identify the source of your worry. What do you fear will happen? What do you fear will not happen? Write it down if you have to. Talk about it with someone if you have to but quiet your heart and do what you have to do to process it, but figure out what it is that is driving your anxiety. When you have isolated it, write is down as clearly as you can.

2. Identify It’s Opposite.

Now take that fear and imagine the opposite of it. If your inner voice is saying, “What happens if you run out of money before you die,” turn that into a positive request. Maybe that would sound something like this: “Lord, I pray that you will allow me to have what I need all the day of my life and that you will provide for my basic needs.” Or, “Lord, help me to be faithful to bring you glory with my life even if you allow me to die hungry.”

If your fear is that your children will walk away from the Lord, turn that worry into a prayer like this, “Lord, I pray for John, that he will walk with God all the days of his life and never turn aside and die faithful to God as an old man.”

3. Pray. Ask the Lord for That.

Now you have isolated that for which you need to pray. Pray. When you turn a worry into a prayer it is no longer a worry. You are not worrying you are praying. You are not disobeying God, you are obeying God. That is why the Apostle Paul said this:

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV)

4. Now Thank the Lord and Anticipate Peace.

Paul wrote: and the peace of God… will guard your hearts and minds…” God wants your heart and your mind to be free of fear and worry and anxiety.

Recently I have been learning that I will not achieve my ideal weight by start and stop fad diets. I need to eat what I need to maintain my ideal weight now nothing more and I need to do that with prolonged consistency. I don’t need to cut back drastically a few days at a time and then get discouraged and break over. I need to eat what I need consistency every day.

A coach I was watching said, “Do this for 90 days without any variation before you tell me it’s not working. If it is not working after you have faithfully done what you should do for 90 days in a row, we will lower your daily calorie goal.

I need to say the same thing here. Take these steps over and over for 90 days, every time you are tempted to worry. See the difference it makes after you discipline yourself to repeatedly obey this simple instructions Paul has given.

Don’t worry. Take a slow drive down a country road and pray.

Bittersweet Farm | November 2023

Sad News From Bittersweet Farm

Some time Sunday something very, very sad happened out on Bittersweet Farm. The Barred Owl that lived in the woods south of the farm was killed on the road. Standing over the sad site by heart ached.

This fall I have been trying to encourage the people of Bethel with a series of sermons I called Life is Hard. I have been reminding them that the hardships we face on earth are because of the fall. All the creation of God was beautiful and Adam and Even were placed in a garden. When they sinned the beauty of the garden was disrupted with brokenness and a curse. This curse included separation from God and immediate spiritual death. Now all living things were subject to death. The whole earth now labors under a curse. Now living things that we cherish will die. This is known among theologians as “the fall of mankind.”

One day Jesus will return and there will be a new heaven and a new earth and there will be no more curse and no more brokenness. All who place their faith him him will be forever delivered from the curse and forever included in the Eternal Kingdom of God on an earth that will never again be polluted with sin and it’s damning effects. We all long for that day, especially when death touches our lives in some way.

An Autumn Drive

Saturday, when I looked up from my football game out across the fields to the bright yellow Maples in the tree line and it occured to me that I only had a few hours of daylight left to enjoy an October afternoon in Michigan. I suppose I should have gone out on my gravel bike to explore but I made a softer choice. Lois was out of town. I took my 4Runner out for a drive to enjoy the color. My car car (Elliot is his name) found his way to the Jerome Country Store. I would get a brisket sandwich to enjoy on my color-tour.

As I drove I listened to a recording of my friend Don Jackson preaching to men at Camp Barakel. It was recorded at the Men’s Retreat last weekend. He faithfully reminded them of the brevity of life, the curse of sin, and the the certainty of meeting God in judgment one day.

I took the long way home passing under trees still full of bright, colorful leaves. In a quiet spot I pulled over and ate my brisket sandwich and checked the messages on my phone. One of them was from one of our ladies at Bethel.

Great tragedy had struck her family. Her brother had fallen from a scaffolding earlier that day and he was killed. I could not imagine how deep her sadness must have been to lose a beloved brother in a tragic accident so suddenly. I struggled to find words to comfort her. I thought of my brothers and my sister, our understanding, our common experiences and convictions, our love for each other. I could not imagine the shock and pain of getting a phone call on a Saturday afternoon and finding out one of them had died in a sudden and tragic way.

Reminders of a New Creation to Come

We’re beginning our seventh year living on Bittersweet Farm and the Barred Owl has called out at dusk and sometimes daylight for all those years. The sound of the Barred Owl calling from the woods was always a reminder to me of the favor and blessing of God shown to us in the privilege of living among while things in the country. I feel the same at sunset and in a snowstorm or when I hear the coyotes howling on a winter night.

We mourned the great bird’s fate. I told my birder friend, Dr. Dave. He shared our sorrow and promised to pray for one of our owl’s vocal offspring to take his place in the woods across the way.

Jesus often used creation to illustrate truth and all who follow him and are familiar with his words know that a fallen sparrow is a reminder of his constant care for his own. When our lives are touched with death he intends for us to find deep consolation in him and in his promises of a new creation of unimaginable beauty and delight even greater than Michigan in October.

Bittersweet Farm | October 24, 2023

When Money Stuff Is Hard (Audio)

Series: Life is Hard

Sermon: When Money Stuff is Hard (1 Tim. 6:6-19)

Bethel Church | Jackson, Michigan

Ken Pierpont, Lead Pastor

When Money Stuff is Hard

Series: Life is Hard

Sermon: When Money Stuff is Hard (1 Tim. 6:6-19)

Bethel Church | Jackson, Michigan

Ken Pierpont, Lead Pastor

 

In the Face of Great Evil

Most of us have big colorful television sets in prominent places in our homes and advanced computers in our pockets. It’s a mixed blessing at times like this. We have all watched in horror the evil acts against people in Israel last week. What the Bible says in true. Humans are capable of demonic evil. It’s being streamed around the world. Demonic hatred for the Jews is on world-wide display again as the Scriptures repeatedly warn us will be the case all the way to the end-times. You can read about it clearly in Revelation 12. Satan hates Israel and inspires people to despise them. In fulfillment of Scripture Israel has been regathered to its rightful land though most have not yet trusted in Jesus as Messiah.

Now Israel has vowed to mete out justice to those who committed the atrocities. The vile terrorists are hiding behind innocent women and children. The suffering of the innocents deepens our grief and confirms what God said would happen. Around the world Jews and Gentiles are taking sides and demonstrating in the streets. The whole world today is boiling with hatred and anger.

The Antichrist?

This could be the perfect atmosphere for someone to rise to popularity by promising a peaceful solution. The Scriptures teach that one day the Man of Sin will rise up in supernatural power and broker a peace agreement between Israel and her Arab neighbors. Shortly after that the Man of Sin—the Antichrist—will betray God’s people, Israel. We don’t know when that will happen, but this is the exact atmosphere that would make the whole world vulnerable to it.

Over the last few years more and more the Jews have been gathering to pray on the Temple Mount and this has stirred Islamic militants with deep hatred. The Jews would love to rebuild a Third Temple. Preparations are being made for it. This will happen one day because the scriptures say the Man of Sin will desecrate the temple when he breaks his promise to Israel.

Jesus is Coming!

We who love the Lord and long for his return are reminded of the promise of Christ’s return. This should make us want to study our Bibles and be well-informed about about End Times events.

When Jesus first came he expected his disciples to know what the Old Testament said about his first coming. He has given us his Word and he expects his people to know what it says about his second coming. We may not see every detail clearly until it gets closer but we should study to be aware of what devout students of scripture have written even when they differ, so that when the time comes we will be ready and aware. There are things about Jesus return that all genuine Christians agree on and there are areas where godly people with a high view of Scripture differ, but we should know what the major positions are so we will clearly know what is happening as events unfold.

What Are You Thinking About?

In other words, as devout believers we should not leave large tracts of scripture unstudied and spend hours of time filling our heads and schedules with things that really will make no difference in eternity. Remember what we tell our children in AWANA is still true… Approved Workers Are Not Ashamed—why because they “…study to show themselves approved unto God rightly dividing the Word of God.” If you do not accurately handle the Word of God you should be ashamed… I didn’t say it, Paul did.

What do we love? There is an easy way to tell. What do you talk about? What do you spend time on? What do you spend money on? What do you get excited about? What makes you angry? These things betray the truth about the content of our affections.

When events in Israel spill out and they capture the attention of the whole world, it should be a reminder to us that God has promised to reward those who love his appearing… who love him at his appearing when the love of many is growing cold.

People who love God and love this appearing pray with fervency.

People who love God give to fund good works.

People who love God sow the seed of truth wherever they can.

People who love God live holy lives.

We should elect honorable representatives. We should try to pass laws that reflect the law of God. When we see evil intensify we should rest deeply in Christ who holds everything together and we should intensify our fidelity and obedience to him.

And at the end of the day, we need to get up in the morning and go to work and as representatives of Christ in a world where the love of many is growing cold. But we should never go out into the world without a keen awareness that we have a calling and commission from Christ. We are children of the Living God and we are tasked to represent him to our world and make him known. We don’t just go off to work to make a living. We see our work as worship. We see our work as service to others. We see our work as a way to show God’s love in a world of hate… or indifference. We see our work as a way to fund his cause. We see our work as a way to witness. It is a mission field. And our work is a place of simple obedience to God.

One day St. Francis of Assisi was out hoeing a row of beans when a passerby asked, “What would you be doing right now if you knew this was the last day of your earthly life?” He replied, “I would finish hoeing this row of beans.”

Prayer: “God help us to be faithful to you in the row of beans you have given us to hoe.”

Bittersweet Farm | October 14, 2023