Prosperity

What it Means to be Blessed

Aug 24 2017

What it Means to be Blessed

(audio sermon by Gary Sampson)

Old Testament material blessing is a sign post to New Testament spiritual blessing. Jesus, Mary, Paul, the Twelve had little materially, but much spiritually.

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Speakers notes follow – More

Prosperity – What Did Jesus Model?

Mar 3 2016

Prosperity – What Did Jesus Model?

I sat in my seat somewhat inquisitive. I had never been to this church before. The worship was good, but people had told me that this church was obsessed with money. It did not take long for me to see why. Before taking up the offering the preacher stepped up to the microphone and gave a mini sermon that emphasized the importance of giving. It did seem a little strange. Looking around the auditorium it was fairly obvious that this church was not in great financial need. But this push just before people gave, gave me the impression that the results of the giving were a big issue.
Being my first week at the church I felt I could handle the mini sermon, and I just hoped it wasn’t a weekly thing. But things were about to move from the slightly odd to the out right shocking. More

What it means to be blessed

May 8 2014

What it means to be blessed

Psalm 1:1-6, Matthew 5:3-12

Why do we say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes? Apparently it comes from the time of the Bubonic Plague in 590 AD. Sneezing was the first sign that you had the killer disease and Pope Gregory ordered that the sick stand in lines to receive a blessing in the hope that they would be healed. But here we are hundreds of years later still saying ‘bless you’ and there is no plague! We bless the sneezing person as a matter of tradition. But it isn’t the only time the word ‘blessed’ is used in such a frivolous way. In some church circles now days when someone says, ‘Hi how are you’ the response is a traditional ‘I am blessed brother.’ Usually the person says it without even thinking what they’ve said. So I want to address this question today: What does it mean to ‘be blessed’ – what does the Bible say about it? More