Sermon Preview 6.14.09
Two young men were out cave exploring when they found what appeared to be huge bear tracks deep inside a long tunnel. They bravely decided to keep going, but they moved ahead slowly and cautiously, keeping their eyes and ears open in case a bear lurked nearby.
Suddenly, from behind a large rock formation jumped the biggest, meanest looking grizzly bear they had ever seen. The bear stood up on his hind legs, beat his chest, and roared so loudly that it sent a terrible sound echoing off the walls of the cave.
Scared to death, the two young men decided to run for their lives. They took off on a dash for the daylight. They had a little bit of a lead on the bear when one of the guys dropped to the floor of the cave and started untying his boots. He whipped his backpack off and took out a pair of running shoes and began lacing them on his feet.
His buddy yelled at him: “Hey, man! Whatta ya think you’re doin’? Let’s get outta here! We don’t have much of a chance of outrunning that bear as it is!”
The guy on the floor hopped up and began sprinting toward the cave’s exit. He turned and yelled over his shoulder: “I don’t have to outrun the bear. All I gotta do is to outrun you!”
Do you ever feel like people treat you like bear bait? When the going gets tough, they get going. They claim they love you until it costs them something and then, they leave you behind.
If we are going to be a "Great Church", we need to "Continually Practice Agape Love for One Another" (Guideline #8).
Join us this Sunday as we continue our sermon series "God Given Guidelines for Growing a Great Church". We'll discuss the Meaning, Model and Ministry of Agape Love. Our text will be 1 John 4:7-12.
Have a blessed week!
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