Experience LW: The Importance of Church | Mac Hammond

Sermon Recap

We were treated to a special Sunday called “Experience Living Word!” The purpose of this special Sunday was to encourage members to bring others to church to share with them the rich experience that church attendance has had on their lives. Pastor Mac started the service by sharing how he and his wife, Lynne, started Living Word some 42 years ago. He identified what kind of church Living Word is, a full Gospel, Charismatic Word of Faith Church. He then shared fascinating details about the decline of church attendance and how it can be correlated to the repeal of “blue laws.”

Dive Deeper

Pastor Mac shared that he and his wife, Lynne, founded and are the pastors of Living Word Christian Center. It began 42 years ago in 1980 with 12 people in attendance at the first service.

Living Word is not associated with a denomination. It is a full Gospel, Charismatic Word of Faith Church. Being described as a “faith church,” Pastor Mac explained that being a faith church means your belief system shapes who you are and how you experience life.

People say, “If there was really a God that cared, the world wouldn’t be in such a mess.” There is a widespread ignorance of who God is in the world, even in the body of Christ. Pastor Mac gave a brief talk about who God is and who He is not. He explained that God is good. He is faithful. There is no evil in Him, and He doesn’t use evil to chastise you.

We live in two realms of truth: the spiritual realm and the temporal realm. There are truths that govern life in both realms.

Shared a paper by secular economists entitled, “Opiates of the Masses. Deaths of Despair and the Decline of American Religion.” Paper revealed a direct correlation between two striking much-discussed social trends of recent decades. First, an abrupt decline in religiosity, or church attendance. Second, soaring death rates from suicide, drug poisoning, and alcoholic liver disease, or so-called deaths of despair.

Paper studied why American religion was on the decline and found it was in direct correlation to the repeal of “blue laws.”

Read About It

Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick.”

2 Corinthians 4:17–18, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Discussion Questions

Can you list some of the ways that church attendance has enriched your life?

Who are some people you think could benefit from church attendance?

What are some of the ways your eyes have been opened regarding “blue laws.”

 

 

 

Share
Share
Share

Recent Sermon Notes

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM, “Trust” #4 | Mac Hammond

Mar 23, 2025

Pastor Mac taught the fourth message in his series, “The Impossible Dream.” We are called to dream the impossible dream. Or you could say God’s dream for us, because for us, it’s an impossibility. But nothing is impossible for God. That’s why it’s called the impossible dream. Pastor Mac said, “I feel like that this particular subject is something that will do as much to move your life forward in God while you’re on this earth as anything possibly could.”

GRACE UNVEILED: “Law of the Spirit of Life; The Law of Sin and Death” | Jim Hammond

Mar 18, 2025

Pastor Jim presented his 30th installment in his series on the book of Romans entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” The book of Romans has been deemed one of the most priceless literary treasures in the world. In fact, many secular colleges study the book of Romans just for its literary value. Many scholars call Paul’s letter to the Romans the Definitive Statement of the Christian Doctrine. Presently, our study of Romans brings us to chapter 8—a chapter scholars claim to be one of the most powerful chapters in all the Bible.

GRACE UNVEILED: “Ever Doing the Things I Don’t Want to Do” #29 | Jim Hammond

Mar 9, 2025

Last weekend, Pastor Jim gave the 29th installment to his teaching series on the book of Romans entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” In this chapter, Paul talks about his own personal struggle as to why he keeps doing carnal things that he doesn’t want to do, yet he keeps doing them. This portion of scripture has to do with believers who are alive in their spirit man but are walking out their lives in spiritual defeat because they’re trying to obey the law with all of its rules and regulations in their own self-effort, their own strength. Thus, the subtitle of this message is “Ever Doing the Things I Don’t Want to Do.”

The Impossible Dream: Strongholds, #3 | Mac Hammond

Mar 2, 2025

Pastor Mac presented the third installment of his new series entitled, “The Impossible Dream.” He said it was important that we have a clear understanding of what is the impossible dream. It’s not enough simply to dream. You need to go out on a limb and dream an impossible dream. What is an “impossible” dream? It’s a dream that can’t be fulfilled without God’s ability and power! Pastor Mac said, “God has called us to be dreamers.”

GRACE UNVEILED: “Death, Raised, Bound, Loosed,” #28 | Jim Hammond

Feb 23, 2025

Pastor Jim continued with his series on the book of Romans entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” His focus was the passage in Romans 7:13–14: “Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Pastor Jim taught on the Apostle Paul’s own personal struggle with trying to live his Christianity with an Old Covenant mindset… how it was impossible to do and something that would only bring about failure. In spite of Paul’s warning, many Christians try to live their Christian lives with an Old Covenant mindset.