The Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne

1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most well known chapters in the Bible. But many are unaware of the context in which Paul wrote this chapter on love. The church in Corinth had several serious problems. They thought that the presence of spiritual gifts in their lives, especially the gift of speaking other languages, was proof that they were spiritual and that God was pleased with them. But Paul makes it clear that god’s gifts are gifts of grace which are given to all believers, not on the basis of a person’s spiritual maturity, but on the basis of grace and the needs of the church. It is the presence of the fruit of the Spirit which indicates a Christian’s level of spiritual maturity (Gal. 5:19-23). And the first and most important element in the fruit of the Spirit is love. And so Paul talks about the importance of love in the context of the church, but especially in the context of spiritual gifts and what it means for a Christian to be truly spiritual. Let’s take a look at what Paul has to say about the importance of love in the life of a Christian. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Isaiah 43:25 John 13:35 Acts 2:1-12 Romans 12:3 1 Corinthians 1:7; 3:1-2; 13:1-13; 14:20 Galatians 5:19-23 James 1:19-20 1 John 4:20-21 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

God has a plan for your life. But how do you find out what that plan is? Have you ever had a decision to make and you really wanted to know the Lord’s will, and you prayed and still didn’t know? What do you do? Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Genesis 4:6-7; 6:12 - 7:5; 13 Exodus 33:11 Numbers 12:5-10 1 Samuel 3:2-14 Psalm 119:105 Proverbs 3:5-6 Isaiah 42:16 Acts 9:3-7 Romans 8:9; 12:1-2 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:16-18 1 Peter 4:19 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Are you often discouraged and frustrated? Do you sometimes feel that nothing good is happening in your life? Does it seem that God is not at work in your life? If so, you need to step back and count your blessings. It just might surprise you when you start to see how much God has done for you. So, how do you count your blessings? Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Genesis 12:2; 39:5 Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 28:1-14 Job 2:10 Psalm 37:4; 115:12-13 Matthew 5:45 Luke 17:7-10 John 1:16 Romans 8:28; 15:26-27 Ephesians 1:3-10 Hebrews 11:6; 12:11 James 1:2-4 1 Peter 4:10 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

God, through the prophet Ezekiel, addresses a serious problem for God’s people: There are times when what God does or doesn’t do or what the Bible teaches offends us. There are times when we disagree with God and the Bible; when we think that the way of the Lord is not just. Why do some Christians have problems with certain passages in the Bible? How do we normally deal with these things in the Bible that make us uncomfortable? How should we respond to passages that we find problematic? Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Exodus 20:5; 34:7 Numbers 14:18 Deuteronomy 5:9 Joshua 7:1-25 Judges 11:1-40 1 Kings 13:1-32 Proverbs 13:24 Isaiah 55:8-9 Ezekiel 18:20-32; 33:11-20 Luke 22:36-38 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Each of the four gospels tells us part of the story of the first Easter. Some information is only found in one of the gospels. There are some minor differences in the details between the gospels, which some people consider to be contradictions, but they really aren’t. As evangelical Christians, we believe that the writers were inspired by God to include the information found in each book. It is important for us to realize that the Jewish understanding of logic at that time was not primarily interested in presenting facts in chronological order, or even in presenting details which were not necessary to convey the author’s message, so it is not unusual for them to leave out details, or to compress events, so that what actually took place in two separate events is presented in a way which to us appears to only indicate a single event. But with our western understanding of logic, we like to have all the details and we want them presented in chronological order. Today I will try to do just that to the best of my ability. However, I hope that you will notice, as we go through the events of the first Easter, that it is the message of these events, and not the details, which are most important. Let’s look together now at what happened that first Easter Sunday. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Matthew 27:46-50; 28:1-15 Mark 15:34-37; 16:1-14 Luke 24:1-49 John 11:39; 20:1-23 1 Corinthians 15:1-24 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Becoming a Christian requires a degree of humility that is difficult for many. Unbelievers have a hard time believing or accepting God’s plan of salvation. The world views God’s plan as foolishness, but for those of us who believe, we know that it is the power of God. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Leviticus 1:3, 10; 3:1, 6; 4:3, 23, 28, 32 Numbers 21:4-9 Isaiah 29:14 Jeremiah 9:24 Matthew 16:24-27 Mark 8:34-38 Luke 9:23-26 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Hebrews 2:9; 9:22 1 Peter 1:18-20 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

What is the relationship between the Jewish celebration of Passover and the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry that includes the Lord’s supper, Jesus’ death on the cross and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday? Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Exodus 12:1-30, 43-49 Leviticus 23:4-8 Numbers 9:1-14; 28:16-25; 33:3 Deuteronomy 16:1-8 2 Kings 23:21-23 2 Chronicles 30:1-27; 35:1-19 Ezra 6:19-22 Psalm 34:20 Zechariah 12:10 Matthew 26:1-2, 17-30 Mark 14:1-2, 12-26 Luke 22:1-2, 7-38 John 1:29, 36; 11:55-57; 19:31-37 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Colossians 1:15-20 Hebrews 9:22 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Someone has said, “There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” The week that began with the triumphal entry and ended with the resurrection was one of those weeks when decades worth of significant events occurred. In the next few weeks leading up to Easter, we will be looking at some of the things which took place at the end of that fateful week, beginning with the arrest of Jesus and his trial before the Sanhedrin. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Matthew 26:24, 47-68 Mark 14:21, 43-65 Luke 22:22, 47-53, 63-71 John 2:18-22; 18:1-14, 19-24 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

In John chapter 11 we find the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It is exciting to read stories about miracles and to see the power of God at work. There are so many miracles recorded in the Bible, that some people believe that we should expect to see miracles all the time. Make no mistake, our God is a living God, and he still does miracles today. But he does them when he chooses, and always for the purpose of advancing his plan for the salvation of the world. In the resurrection of Lazarus, we see that God had a purpose for this miracle which involved revealing important information to us about who Jesus is, leading many to believe in Jesus, and it was also the event which caused the Jewish leaders to finally plot the arrest and death of Jesus which would accomplish God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. Let’s look together at the story of Lazarus. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Matthew 8:5-13 Mark 5:22-43; 8:29 Luke 7:11-17; 8:41-56 John 11:1-57 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Many people believe that contentment is the result of having certain things. Some people think, “If I just had a nice car or a nice house, or the right husband or wife, or children, or made a certain amount of money, then I would be content.” Contentment is not the result of having things. You can be rich and have a wonderful family, good health and all the things that money can buy and still not be content. While others can have almost nothing and be content. Other people think that if they were different from who they are, if they were better looking, or talented in a certain area, or had better health, then they would be content. But those things do not bring contentment either. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Philippians 4:11-13 1 Timothy 6:6-10 Hebrews 13:5 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Christianity is one of the few religions that believes that it is possible to have a personal relationship with God. In fact a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ is what Christianity is all about. Those of us who know the love, joy and peace that comes from a personal relationship with God should have a burning desire to see others experience that same relationship with God. To help people come to know God personally, we need to be able to share in a clear and concise way how we came to know him and what it means to have a personal relationship with him. This is called our personal testimony. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Isaiah 43:9-12; 44:8-20 1 Peter 3:13-16 1 John 1:1, 9-10 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

The tongue can be used to do great good or great evil. It can encourage or cause suffering. As Christians, God commands us to keep our tongues under control and to use them for his glory. But controlling the tongue is no easy task. In fact it is impossible for us to do in our own strength. Fortunately, God wants to help us. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Psalm 15:1-3 Proverbs 10:18-21; 11:13; 13:3; 15:1-2; 16:24; 17:27; 20:19; 26:20 Matthew 12:33-37; 15:16-20 Romans 12:14 2 Corinthians 12:20 Ephesians 4:15, 29-32; 5:19 Colossians 4:6 James 1:26; 3:2-10; 4:11 1 Peter 3:10 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Communication is vital to building strong, healthy, positive interpersonal relationships with people in our family, with our brothers and sisters in the church, and with people in general. The Bible has a lot to say about how and what we should communicate. This is one of those subjects that is everywhere in the Bible for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. In this message, I want to share with you some basics about communication. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Proverbs 19:11 Isaiah 50:4-5 John 1:17 Romans 5:7-8; 12:15 Ephesians 4:29-32 James 1:19 1 John 1:9 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Diversity is a subject about which the Bible has a lot to say. Diversity is also a subject about which modern society has a lot to say. But as is so often the case, what the Bible says and what the world says are totally different. In this message, we will be looking at how diversity is part of God’s plan for the body of Christ. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Luke 10:38-42 Acts 9:26-30; 11:19-30; 13:1-3; 14:11-12; 15:36-39 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 2 Timothy 4:11 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ You can learn more about the Protestant Evangelical Church of Narbonne here: http://epe-narbonne.fr/en/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

I have skipped chapter 14 because I preached on that chapter back in July of 2021(https://rumble.com/vjymr0-when-christians-don’t-agree-july-18-2021.html). But what we are looking at today in chapter 15 flows out of what Paul says in chapter 14. So let me remind you that in chapter 14 Paul talks about committed Christians having different convictions on what Paul calls “disputable matters”. On these issues, each Christian should live in accordance with his convictions, but he should not insist that others share those convictions. We must love and respect those whose beliefs are different from ours on disputable matters. Against that background, in chapter 15 Paul tells us that we should live to please others, that we need to have unity even though we don’t demand uniformity, and that we need to accept one another. Let’s look at the passage together. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Deuteronomy 32:43 2 Samuel 22:50 Psalm 18:49; 69:9; 117:1 Isaiah 11:10 Luke 22:42 John 5:30; 6:38 Romans 15:1-13 Philippians 1:4-6 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

While most of Romans 16 is taken up with greetings to various people, Paul does share some final words of instruction that we want to look at as we finish our series of messages on the letter to the Romans. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Romans 16:17-20, 25-27 2 Corinthians 11:14 Philippians 4:13 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Last week, we looked at verses 1 to 7 of chapter 13, in which Paul talked about the responsibility of Christians to give to the civil authorities what we own them, namely submission, taxes, respect, and honor. In addition, we saw that God requires us to always do what is right, even when civil authorities order us to do what is wrong. In the latter half of this thirteenth chapter, Paul moves on to what we owe to other people, to the need for us to get ready for heaven, and how we go about getting ready. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Proverbs 22:7 Matthew 7:12 Mark 13:33-37 Luke 6:27-36; 10:25-37 Romans 13:8-14 Ephesians 5:1-18 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 1 Peter 2:21; 4:1-8 1 John 4:7-21 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Last week, in part 1 of this message, we saw that the Bible teaches that the rule for the relationship between the Christian and the State is that we should submit to the higher authorities. But even a cursory reading of the Bible will show that there are exceptions to the rule. Today, in part 2 of this message, we will be looking at those exceptions. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Exodus 1:15-21 Joshua 2:1-21 Isaiah 5:20-24 Daniel 3:1-30; 6:7-11 Matthew 22:15-21 Acts 5:27-29 Romans 13:1-10 Titus 3:1 Hebrews 13:17 1 Peter 2:13-17 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

In this message we will be looking at the relationship between the Christian and the State. Because of the length, I have divided it into two messages. This week we will look at the importance of submission and obedience to civil authorities. Next week we will look at what the Bible says about resistance to civil authorities. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Genesis 1:27-28 Matthew 22:15-21 Romans 13:1-7 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Today, we will look at the prophecy in Micah that indicated the precise location where the Messiah would be born, and the implications of this prophecy for our faith. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Micah 5:2-5 Matthew 2:1-12 John 7:27, 41-42; 20:29 Romans 1:20 Hebrews 13:15 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Today we will discuss the significance of one of the messianic prophecies that God gave through the prophet Isaiah: the prophecy of the virgin birth of a child who would be Immanuel, God with us. And we will look at the role of this prophecy within the continuing revelation of God’s relationship to his people as presented in the Scriptures. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Genesis 32:22-30 Exodus 33 1 Chronicles 28:2 Psalm 132:7 Isaiah 7:10-14 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26-27 Matthew 1:18-23 Luke 24:49 John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7 2 Timothy 2:2 1 Peter 2:21 1 John 3:2 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

The prophet Isaiah announces that the day is coming when God will send a light to illuminate those who live in darkness. He is talking about the light of salvation that will break through the darkness of sin and set us free. This will be a time of rejoicing for those who are liberated. The coming light and joy will be accompanied by an end of war. All of this will happen because of the birth of a child. The child is a son who will be a gift to humanity. But this is no ordinary child. He is born a king with the responsibility of governing on his shoulders. Isaiah is talking about Jesus. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Isaiah 9:2-7; 53:5 Matthew 7:29; 10:34; 28:20 John 10:13; 14:8-11, 16 Acts 16:7 Philippians 1:19 Colossians 2:9 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

We will return to our series of messages on Romans, but this month we will be looking at some of the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. In this message, we will be looking at three Old Testament prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah, who refer to the Messiah as “the Branch”. Jesus is never called the Branch in the New Testament. This may seem odd, but by the end of the message we may understand the reason for this omission. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: 1 Samuel 13:1-14 Psalm 2:9; 118:22 Isaiah 8:14; 11:1-16; 28:16 Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:14-16 Zechariah 3:8-9; 6:12-13 John 3:17 1 Corinthians 13:8 Galatians 3:7, 28-29 Philippians 2:9-11 1 Peter 2:4-7 Revelation 1:16; 2:27; 12:5; 19:15 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

It was my intention to preach this week on Romans 13:1-7, which talks about the relationship between the Christian and the State, or between the Church and the State. However, I decided that before addressing that topic, it would be best to do a message on the subject of delegated authority. Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Deuteronomy 4:7-9; 6:6-7 Proverbs 13:24; 22:6 Daniel 2:21 Matthew 23:1-3; 28:18-20 Acts 4:15-20; 5:27-29; 16:1-4 Romans 13:1-2 2 Corinthians 13:2, 10 Ephesians 5:22 - 6:4 Colossians 3:18-21 1 Timothy 3:2-4 Titus 2:3-10, 15; 3:1-2 Hebrews 13:17 1 Peter 2:13-20; 3:1-7; 5:1-5 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com

Please read Romans chapter 12 before listening to the video. It begins with the word “therefore”, indicating that what came before, namely Paul’s explanation of God’s marvelous plan of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles, is the cause that should have as its effect that we offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices. But what does it mean to be a living sacrifice, and how is it possible for us to actually offer ourselves to God? Here are the Bible passages that were used in the preparation of this message: Romans 12:1-21 1 John 4:4 You can download a free Bible app to your computer or smartphone here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Have questions? You can contact me by e-mail at: pasteur.epen@protonmail.com