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The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (12)

By Arron Chambers

Averie Blackmore
Averie Blackmore is studying worship leadership and humanities at Milligan College. She has had the honor of leading a women”s small group and helping start a young adult worship service at her home church in Johnson City, Tennessee. She is an intern in the worship arts department at Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland.

Averie”s Best Sermon: The best sermon series on emotions is by Steve and Holly Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is available at http://bit.ly/1pHcUEF [1].

Why Averie likes this sermon: “I have always heard sermons that talk about emotions, but I have never heard a sermon series ON emotions. Steve and Holly Furtick speak to all ages on owning your emotions, handling high-pressure situations, self-assessing your level of happiness, and beating emotional burnout. This sermon series spoke to my confusion of how to embrace my emotions as a gift from God, but not to let them control me.”

Nathan Cachiaras
Nathan Cachiaras is a senior at Milligan College, majoring in Bible with an emphasis in pastoral ministries and minors in Greek, history, and humanities. He desires to enter an MDiv program to continue his spiritual formation and pastoral preparation. He intends to eventually serve full time in the church.

Nathan”s Best Sermon: The best sermon on the Christian response to tragic events is by Tim Ross of Hopwood Christian Church in Elizabethton, Tennessee. The sermon transcript is available at http://bit.ly/1SfUVhy [2].

Why Nathan likes this sermon: “Tim Ross reminds us of the ways in which the Eucharist, our central act of worship, must inform our actions in a world that feels so often like it is coming apart at the seams. Delivered at a weekly ecumenical gathering of Christians from all over the Tri-Cities region, Tim”s message, although just a short homily, is a prophetic and powerful word to all of us in the church who have ever wondered on what grounds we might begin to approach the deep brokenness of our world. Indeed, the Communion meal, which we too often take for granted, teaches us profound truths about the realities the gospel brings to bear upon our own lives, politics, and Facebook posts.”

Zach Maclellan
Zach Maclellan is a 23-year-old Milligan College graduate with a degree in biblical studies. He is now in his second year of an MDiv program at Emmanuel Christian Seminary. He hopes to serve as pastor of a congregation one day.

Zach”s Best Sermon: The best sermon on homosexuality, “Are Christians Anti-Gay,” was by Ben Cachiaras (Nathan Cacharias”s father) and is available at http://apple.co/1XKsDNz [3].

Why Zach likes this sermon: “Ben tackles the difficult issue boldly and effectively, while not worrying about criticism he might get. He uses a ton full of compassion that is extremely important when discussing a difficult issue. He uses . . . real and authentic [stories] to communicate the struggle between homosexuality and the church. And most importantly, he gathers himself to communicate a view of homosexuality that is lathered in love. This should be heard by all believers who are struggling with what to think about homosexuality. “

Ben Carpenter
Ben Carpenter is an MDiv student at Emmanuel Christian Seminary; his goal is to work at a campus ministry. He grew up in Mexico City, Mexico, where his parents, Steve and Kay, served as CMFI missionaries. He graduated from Milligan College in 2014 with a degree in pastoral ministries. While in college, he served as an intern at Mountain Christian Church in Maryland, and First Christian Church in Johnson City, and also as a summer intern with CMFI in Salamanca, Spain. He currently serves with an international campus ministry called World Café that ministers to students at East Tennessee State University.

Ben”s Best Sermon: The best sermon on living life on mission was by Luke Erikson, Edgewood campus pastor with Mountain Christian Church. The sermon can be viewed at http://media.mountaincc.org/4121/4122/16879 [4].

Why Ben likes this sermon: “In his sermon, Luke demonstrates how Jesus loved the outsider. He reminds us that we must remember the stories of how Jesus loved the outsider because if we do not, we will be in danger of losing our identities in Christ. It is easy to get caught up in living our day-to-day lives and forgetting about the overarching mission of Christ. The mission of Christ is to love, and so we must love if we are to live that mission. Luke urges us to carry out the mission of Christ by being in relationship with those who are outsiders and showing them love.”

Arron Chambers, a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor, serves as lead minister with Journey Christian Church, Greeley, Colorado.