The Connection Church

10/23/2026

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. (Acts 17:22, 23 ESV)

Paul confronted a group of leaders who believed in something, but didn't know exactly who or what the true God is. They were trying to cover their bases by having a multitude of gods, including one without a clear identity. They were not so different than some of the people we run into today; all gods are the same, everyone goes to heaven, there are no absolutes, nor do we have to surrender anything. God, whoever he is, just accepts us for who we are, and how we want to be. But just as Paul confronted the Greeks, we have to be willing to confront the confusion and lost state of those we meet. It is not enough that people are honestly seeking, if they are honestly seeking the wrong thing. It is our responsibility and calling to help them discover the true God and a real relationship with that God.

I am glad I have come to know the God who is unknown to some others, and I rejoice in the privilege to share that relationship with anyone who will give me a chance. In our society I believe we have a large number of people who are today's "Men of Athens", people that are in need of hearing the word of God proclaimed to them just as Paul did in his day. The real question then is this, who among us will stand up and share the truth of God? Paul was willing to share with people who had no knowledge of God, and there are plenty just like that today who may be skeptics, and who may want to debate the truth of the gospel. We may not see ourselves as a Paul who can share with eloquence, but we may be the only ones who have a chance to impact their lives.

Pastor Tim Franklin

10/21/2026

And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. (Acts 14:11-13, 19 ESV)

It is amazing how quickly people can change their opinions; they get caught in the emotions and run one direction and then just as quickly something else pops up and they run another direction altogether. Margie and I used to joke all the time about the shiny object syndrome. You can be focused on doing something and a shiny object catches your eye and then, p**f, you lose complete track of what you were doing. In this account, Paul and Barnabas prayed for a man and he was healed; the people were so amazed they immediately assumed they were gods and made plans to worship them. But just a short time later, after the next new folks came to town, it was time to kill the ones they had wanted to worship.

Scripture warns us about seeking the praise of men, and I think this shows a good reason why that is true. If we live our lives seeking the honor of men, we will likely be disappointed, but if we will seek to honor God, our lives will never be spent in the futility of trying to please men.

Pastor Tim Franklin

10/20/2026

When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting." (Acts 12:11 ESV)

Peter had been miraculously released from his chains and brought out of the prison, but it wasn't until he walked through the gate of the prison that he realized he wasn't dreaming. I can't help but think of the times myself or others I know did similar things when God touched our lives; it is that place where you are amazed, but you find yourself trying to explain what happened, or how it happened. There is that hesitation to proclaim, "Wow, look what God has done!" I suppose it is our human nature to try to explain rather than to take the leap of faith and proclaim the miracles of God's touch.

I have never been released from a physical prison, but I have experienced the miracle of deliverance, I have had him provide for my family in ways that are amazing, I have seen and experienced healing, I have seen his hand at work restoring marriages, and so many more wondrous and unexplainable things. I pray that I will be one that will recognize and acknowledge the miracles of God's touch and will proclaim his power to everyone who will listen.

Pastor Tim Franklin

10/16/2026

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Malachi 3:8-10 ESV)

I am going to go on the record in saying that I believe in tithes and offerings to The Lord. We are in a place in the history of the church that for the first time people are trying to declare that it is unscriptural to tithe. There are all kinds of arguments I suppose, but I think the real root of them all is that they do not want to live under the expectation that they must give some of their money to the church, for the work of the ministry. I will say this, I don't think giving tithes and offerings is an insurance policy for blessing and prosperity. But I do think that when we honor God with our finances then we open the door for Him to bless us with wisdom, and we can be entrusted with resources that can be used for His glory.

Why do I tithe? Because I choose to honor God with every area of my life, including my finances. I do not begrudge God for anything that I sow into His Kingdom. I do not believe that I am limited by my tithe; in fact, I see the tithe as the beginning point of my giving, and I am free to give anything above that amount that God challenges me to give. There have been times when Margie and I gave and then wondered how we would manage our own finances only to see God do amazing things in our life, and we never failed to have enough to pay our bills and have food on the table. I close with this comment, don't tithe because you think it will get you something, tithe because you want to honor God. Tithing out of expectation, or with a grudging spirit doesn't honor God, and that is really what it is all about.

Pastor Tim Franklin

10/15/2026

While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. (Nehemiah 13:6-9 ESV)

There comes moments of confrontation in the lives of most Christians, a time when you realize something needs to go so the things of God have a place. While Nehemiah was out of town, Eliashib decided that it would be okay to move Tobiah and his baggage into the house of God. When Nehemiah got back in town he couldn't believe what had happened; his response was not to be one of those nice God people that try to be careful not to offend or upset someone. Nehemiah cleaned house! Perhaps if the church was willing to take bold stands, confront sin in the camp, and clean house from time to time, then the world would realize we stand for something that matters and it would bring a halt to the steady encroachment of worldly values into a church that has had its values and principles watered down.

Hear me clearly, I am not saying there is no place in the church for those struggling with sin, I am saying there can be no room for sin to be brought in and accepted as normal and approved. The spirit of Nehemiah needs to be released in the church today.

Pastor Tim Franklin

10/14/2026

“Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”” Acts 3:1-6 ESV

Offering people an encounter with the risen savior can transform their lives, but all too often we settle for for giving them stuff which can only satisfy their needs for a moment. We have become a nation that thinks if we can offer enough stuff, then lives will be changed and people will rise up and walk. In most cases, it seems that all we are really doing is giving them a fancier mat to be trapped on. I am not against helping others, but if we don't include the the transformational rebirth of their spirits, then we are only offering superficial help. Peter and John saw past the man's desire for a few coins and saw the real need in this mans life. He needed to be touched with the power and presence of Christ; he needed a source of power that could work a miracle. He needed Jesus!

What are we offering the broken and discouraged? What are we offering the lonely and the hopeless? If all we can see to give is just a little stuff, then we are really not much better off than them, but if we have a relationship with Christ that overflows with hope, power and the blessings that flow from his presence, then we can declare to them, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Pastor Tim Franklin

10/13/2026

“And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."” Acts 2:38-39 ESV

What we do in our lives affects the lives of others. There are studies that say children who were abused often grow up to be abusers; that, if true, is a terrible reality. On the other hand, children who grow up in healthy, stable families often go on to reproduce that in their own families. Now there are always exceptions to the rule, children who live lives completely different than the ones they experienced growing up. Why that happens I will not pretend to be able to explain. I do know that a healthy relationship with Christ makes a difference when it is modeled as Christ desires us to live.

I believe the message found here for parents is not a guarantee. He is not saying that if we love Christ with all our hearts, do our best to honor him, and raise our children to know him that our children will be little angels who will never waiver. I believe the promise is that there will be a righteous seed of faith planted in their spirits that can grow and bloom. That seed will never wither and die, it is just waiting for the first glimmer of the light of God’s presence. Some of those seeds sprout early, some may seem like they may never sprout. Our role as Christians is to keep modeling our faith, and keep shining the light of God’s truth.

Pastor Tim Franklin

10/11/2026

Sunday Service

10/11/2026

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Sunday Service

10/09/2026

“And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, "Let us rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"”
Nehemiah 2:18-19 ESV

It seems like anytime a person decides to make a commitment to do what is right, or good, there will be someone who will be quick to point out how crazy their decision is, it could be smoking, drinking, drugs, or anything else and someone will be telling them not to try, not to change. It also seems to work the same with things of faith. If someone accepts Christ there will be someone telling them they are being brainwashed, if someone is seen reading a Bible they can be told it is a work of fiction. The world is awash with naysayers who do not want anyone or anything to change from the standards they have established for life.

Nehemiah ran into some powerful naysayers. He had a mission, a calling, God had put it on his heart to rebuild Jerusalem and he was rallying others to join in and rebuild. Now there’s one thing a naysayer can’t stand, that is when the person he has decided is foolish starts to gain others to their way of thinking. It’s bad enough that one person does such things, but they can’t stand aside and let a group be drawn into such things. We see the naysayers today when it comes to faith in Christ. Young people who accept Christ are being mocked and derided for choosing outdated ideas. But I believe God is raising up Nehemiahs for this generation who will be builders of faith. The question is, will we support them, or will we sit on the sidelines to see who prevails.

Pastor Tim Franklin