This morning I want to share with you the vision I am sharing with my own congregation at the Vineyard Church of Pine Haven. We are a small town church in a community of 500 in rural Wyoming. Our building will seat 100 people. Yet I believe that God is calling even us, a small church in a sparsely populated area to be a church without borders. A little over 2000 years ago, a small gathering of believers was given a commission to be the church without borders. In the book of Acts chapter 1 we see this commission. Acts 1:8 8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Now when we look at this passage we view it from the eyes of history. We see that they did actually become the church without borders but what we don't always see is what that commission must have looked like from their perspective. So this morning I just want to encourage all of you… [more]

Recently I came across a video blog by Phil Strout talking about qualities found in successful leaders. In those videos I found some principles that I have always believed concerning vision. So I wanted to pass along to you those biblical insights about vision so you too can implement these principles in your life and ministry. The book of Proverbs states in chapter 29 this statement. Proverbs 29:18  18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: Now I could go on and on about how people need vision and that leaders need to instill vision but in all honesty most of the time it is not that people don't have vision but that they are not empowered to carry out their vision. So this article is about the biblical insights about vision that I have learned over the last 33 years of being a believer in Jesus. Insight #1 - Empower Others And You Will Be Empowered Early in my ministry I was very bad about getting a vision and then chasing after it only to realize that I was not l… [more]

This week at my church I won't be sharing a traditional Mother's Day sermon but instead will be sharing a message about the God who comforts as a mother who comforts her child. Often times we place upon God attributes that show severity and rigidness. However I would like to show you the God who is willing to comfort us as a mother comforts her child. So let me start by sharing with you a verse out of the book of Isaiah chapter 66 and verse 13. Listen To The Podcast Of Pastor Duke Sharing This Mother's Day Sermon Podcast Powered By Podbean     God Comforts Like A Mother Isaiah 66:13 I will comfort you there in Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child.” Mothers are very special people. No one has more hopes, dreams, ambitions, and love for a child the way that a mother does. She watches over her child and hurts when they hurt. In my own life, my mother has been there to encourage and comfort me many times when life has thrown me a curveball.… [more]

I am the first to admit that I am an imperfect leader. I am an imperfect church member. I am an imperfect man. There have been times in my life where I have done or allowed some pretty dumb things in my life. So when I talk about codependent tendencies between church leaders and church members, I am not trying to raise myself up on a pedestal by pointing out the flaws of other. I am trying to bring to light something that I have both wrestled with personally and seen operating within some churches in the hopes that by doing so, it will bring a greater degree of health and fruitfulness to leaders and church members. There is a difference between codependency and interdependency. The Bible teaches that we are to be interdependent upon one another. Unfortunately because we do not live in a perfect world and because of some of the baggage we carry around, interdependency is replaced with codependency. So let's look at the definition of codependency, look at ways it manifests itself betw… [more]

Have you ever struggled with doubts and unbelief? Have you ever felt bad because had thoughts that something was impossible? Have you felt condemned because others told you that if you had doubts, God would not answer your prayer? I think we all have had at one time a struggle with unbelief and we have prayed the same prayer that the man who had a demon possessed son prayed in Mark 9:24 Listen To The Podcast Of Help My Unbelief Your browser does not support the audio element. Podcast Powered By Podbean   The "Help My Unbelief" Scripture Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" The Christian faith is not a faith that goes by what we see or what we feel. It is a journey with Jesus Christ along the entire path of our life. It is a relationship not a formula and as such, struggling with unbelief is part of that journey and relationship. So let me try to encourage you today as you are … [more]

If you are around Christians any length of time at all, you will hear them say that they feel "called" by God to do something. They may say that they are trying to discern the call of God on their life, or they may say that they are answering God's call, or even say they are called to ministry. Hopefully I will be able to answer for you what is the call of God and whether or not you are experiencing this very real phenomenon. Where Do We Get The Term "Call Of God"? The concept of being called comes from the life of Samuel and his experience with God's calling. It can be found in 1 Samuel chapter 3. The Lord Calls Samuel 1 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. 2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samu… [more]

I have always been a proponent of internet evangelism. When I found out that tomorrow, Sunday April 21st, is internet evangelism day, I had to do an article about it. Internet evangelism day happens every year on the 4th Sunday of April. This website has over 4,000 people per year go to our page that is set up to teach people how to start a personal relationship with Jesus. The internet has broken down the walls between nations and people. It allows a small town pastor in rural Wyoming to speak to people of all nationalities. It allows you to plant seeds where you never thought it was possible to plant seeds before. It truly allows every believer to fulfill the great commission given by Jesus in Matt. 28:19-20 Matthew 28:19-20 THE GREAT COMMISSION 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, 1 baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am w… [more]

Are you getting married? Well, so am I! I am not into big public announcements. It seems like when I do, something gets in the way, however I am excited. For me it is important to have a biblical marriage and a Christian marriage ceremony. It is amazing to me how many wedding ceremonies are out there but how many really do not incorporate our faith in a meaningful way. So I wanted to share with you the marriage ceremony that I recommend to believers and also the one that will be used at my own wedding. A Biblically Based Christian Wedding Ceremony The Christian Marriage Ceremony Prelude: Christian Music Reading Psalm 95:1-7 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalm. For the Lord [is] the great God, And the great King above all gods.In His hand [are] the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills [are] His also. The sea [is] His, for He … [more]

With our morals and values being challenged at every corner in today's world, I thought a study on what the Bible says about profanity would be in order. I will be the first one to admit that when I first got saved, and at a couple of other times in my life, I allowed myself to have quite the potty mouth. So my intent with this post is not to point fingers at those who do not have very good control over their tongue, but instead to give you a reasoned approach to the question of cursing and the biblical mandates concerning our speech. So we will look at 3 things. We will look at what it means to take the Lord's name in vain, look at other types of corrupt communication, and finally look at the habitual use of profanity and it's effect on how other people view you. Using The Lord's Name In Vain Exodus 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. This commandment given by Moses is specifically… [more]

I have just completed my sermon series on the book of Galatians. To me, the book of Galatians is the Magna Carta of the Christian faith. In it we find what the Apostle Paul was willing to live and die for. It is probably the most applicable, yet most ignored of all the books in the New Testament. We may read it, but we don't really believe what it says. So if you come upon this page, I pray that God will open your ears and heart and turn you into the new creation that He has planned for you to be. Sermon from Galatians 1 What Is The Message Of The Gospel Of Grace? Sermon From Galatians 2 Staying Right With God Sermons From Galatians 3 Oh Foolish Christians! What Is The Blessing Of Abraham? Law Vs. Grace Sermon From Galatians 4 The Difference Between Works And Fruit Sermons From Galatians 5 Examining The Fruit In Your Life Falling From Grace The Works Of The Flesh Or The Fruit Of The Spirit Sermons From G… [more]

This is the final message in my series on the book of Galatians. Paul has hand written an entire book of the Bible defending the message of grace and the finished work of Christ on the cross. When he puts his finishing thoughts together, he boils it down to the motives of those that opposed grace, the place where he places his trust, and what when it has been all said and done, knowing what is truly important. So let's take a look at what Paul ends his letter to the Galatians with. The Boasting In The Cross Of Christ Bible Passage Galatians 6:11-18 11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lor… [more]

We are coming to the end of the series on the book of Galatians. In Galatians 6, Paul finishes his letter with a principle that many have quoted but in all honesty, few apply in it's proper application. Many try to teach that it has to do with money or physical things, however that is the least of the applications of this passage. So let's take a look at what Paul is trying to get across to the Galatian church and how we can apply it to our lives. The Reap What You Sow Bible Verse Galatians 6:1-10 1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. 4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction o… [more]

Heresy hunting seems to have become quite a popular pastime with many radio broadcasters and internet bloggers. Recently I ran across a response by Tim Challies (www.challies.com) concerning some heresy hunters coming after him. He is a Christian blogger, author and fellow pastor who holds to what most would call a "reformed" theology. I for one cannot even fathom why the heresy hunting crowd would go after such a person with this background. However, Tim is not the first person from a standard theological position that these "Christian watchdogs" have gone after. Hank Hannegraff of the Christian Research Institute took it upon himself to go after widely known Presbyterian pastor and author, Dr. D. James Kennedy. There have been many well respected men and women of God who have been slandered, criticized, and black balled by these so called "defenders of doctrinal purity". I personally do not understand why people follow these guys who give spiritual colonoscopies to fellow believer… [more]

The topic of suicide is not addressed very often in Christian circles and when it is, it is usually coupled with very emotional responses that are not reasoned out very well. With the tragedy of what has happened to Rick Warren's family and the inevitable public discussion that will happen because of it, I hope to be a voice of reason and grace in the midst of what is sure to brew controversy. Let me start off by sharing that I have not been immune to this type of tragedy. At age 18, my father is suspected of committing suicide. It was the early 80's and AIDS had just started being widespread. He engaged in a lifestyle of drugs and promiscuous sex and so was living a high risk lifestyle. The last picture that I have of him looks exactly like people who came down with full blown AIDS. Because of this my family suspects that when he found out, he took his own life. The first funeral that I officiated at was of a high school friend who suffered from schizophrenia and ended up taki… [more]

Many of us have heard sermons or know that church outreach is very important to the health of a church and individual believers. The problem is that most of us don't even know where to get started. It is one thing to hear the pastor say we need to "evangelize" but it is quite another thing for us to translate that into actions other than knocking on doors, passing out tracts, or buying a tent and holding evangelistic meetings across the country. Most of those things are beyond our comfort zone or ability to do, so I thought I would do a post on church outreach ideas that neither cost any money, are not a program, and where anyone at any level of the Christian life can be a part of. Begin By Facing your Fear Blair Radney, our personal evangelism contributing author has already done a great article on dealing with your fear  in evangelism. I have found that focusing on 1 John 4:4 is a great way to overcome the fear of sharing your faith with someone else and also stir yourself up to… [more]

Recently I had a great conversation with Allen Hodges, who is a dear friend of mine and the pastor of the Billings Montana Vineyard Church. We talked about leadership styles and it's effect on making disciples. Out of that conversation and my subsequent mulling over what was said has caused me to write this article. There are probably just as many leadership styles as there are personalities. There are also church traditions and expectations that influence or even dictate certain leadership styles. If you understand this, then you will also understand that there is not one "right" leadership style. Just as the God of the universe has created each of us unique as individuals and has gifted each and every one of us differently, so too He has called us to lead in different ways. However, at the same time, we really need to take a look at certain things within our churches and learn how to lead in ways that produce what we want to produce which is disciple making disciples. The great… [more]

Easter Sunday is "Resurrection Day." It is the day that we re-tell, re-enact- and imagine once again the mind boggling event that happened on a Sunday morning over 2000 years ago in the city of Jerusalem. For many Christians this day begins the Eastertide festival which is sort of a "resurrection party" that goes on for 50 days and culminates on the day of Pentecost. (The day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the early church.) Easter Sunday starts with a woman visiting the tomb and finding the stone that sealed the tomb, rolled away. She enters the tomb to and is visited by Jesus who is not dead but alive. The news of a risen savior unleashes the early church in passion, love, and faith, upon an unsuspecting but hungry world. This day and during the Easter season, we reclaim and proclaim the saving work of Christ. Death attempted to swallow into it's tomb the very Giver of Life- who transformed that tomb into a womb of new life. Sin and death have been conquered for eternity a… [more]

Holy Saturday is the seventh and final day of Holy Week. Jesus is in the tomb donated by Joseph of Arimathea, where he and Nicodemus had prepared the body and wrapped it with strips of cloth. There are guards posted at the entrance of the tomb because the chief priests and the Pharisees requested that it be guarded so that nobody could steal the body and claim that He was resurrected from the dead. There is a seal placed on the tombstone insuring that nobody has entered it. We can only imagine how the disciples must have felt. I am sure they must have been paralyzed with fear and grief, rehashing all the events that had happened over the last week. They must have been looking out the window of where they were staying waiting for the governmental powers of their age to arrive with swat teams and commando's and drag them away for similar tortures as was given to their Lord. They had given 3 years of their lives to a dead Messiah. They had risked it all. Yet His love, His life, His tea… [more]

Good Friday is the sixth day of Holy Week. After Jesus was betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He is dragged before a Jewish court of law led by the high priest, Caiaphas. The take Him to Pilate who was the Roman prefect of Judea so they could ask for a death sentence. Pilate, being the typical politician that he was, saw that this was a possible political hot potato so he sends Jesus to Herod. Herod seeing the same thing sends him back to Pilate who then decided to take a vote of the people. He gives them the choice between a known thief named Barrabas and Jesus. The people who welcomed Jesus with exuberance and joy on Palm Sunday were the ones who voted for Barrabas just 6 days later. (Says a lot about voting for our spiritual leaders.) Pilate finally sentences Jesus to the excruciatingly painful death of crucifixion. The "via delorosa" or the road of suffering for Jesus begins, 6 hours of horrible pain is endured, darkness descends, and the curtain that separates the innermost… [more]

Holy Thursday which is sometimes called Maundy Thursday, is the 5th day of Holy Week. Jesus takes His disciples to a large second story room filled with dining furniture called an "upper room." He does this so they can celebrate the Passover meal together. It is in this room while celebrating the Passover that Jesus institutes what we call communion, or the Lord's supper, or the Eucharist. The symbols of the breaking of the bread, (His body) and the passing of the cup, (His blood) have become the central act of worship and remembrance for the past 2000 years. From there, they go to the Garden of Gethsemane at the bottom of the Mount of Olives to pray. It is here that the passage written years earlier by the prophet Isaiah starts to unfold. Isa. 53:7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. As Jesus c… [more]