Reflections on 2012

This is a good time to do some reflections on this last year and then begin to work on what needs to happen to have a great year in 2013.  Here are some things to do during one's reflection time.  First, look at what went right.  It is important to remember the positive things in life.  If one only thinks of the negative it can open the door to depression.  Second, highlight the good family times that you had because when all is said and done the relational times with family are very important.  Third, begin to list the things that you wanted to accomplish but yet are still undone.  Here one needs to answer the question of whether or not they still need to be done or just left undone.  If it is something that ought to be done then place that item as a high priority to accomplish in 2013.  There is great wisdom at times to leave some things undone because in the big picture they really do not matter.  Learning to do what is most important is vital because all too often we keep dealing with the urgent and leave undone what is important.  Fourth, list the things that were a negative in your life.  Spend some time thinking about what the next step ought to be in these situations.  Some of these areas you may need to talk to someone to receive counsel and as a believer one ought to make this a matter of prayer in asking God what to do.  It is in this area that some type of change maybe necessary whether it is my own attitude, a spiritual growth area or restoration of relationship, or just making a stronger level of commitment to do what you know you ought to do.  This is not an easy thing to do but if you want 2013 to be a better year then in 2012, it means you must do some things differently.  On a personal note as I am going through this process I realize two things clearly.  First, God has been good to me even though I did not see some of things I was believing God for in 2012.   Second, I am conscious of the fact that I need to change and continue to grow as a child of God in order to see what I am believing God to do in 2013.
May the favor of the Lord be with us in 2013.

Pastor John

The Gift of Love

Today is Christmas Eve and a time of many religious celebrations of the birth of Christ and of family gatherings.  God the Father revealed to us on the first Christmas Day the greatest gift in the history of the world when Jesus was born.  This gift of love is the foundation of any gift given from anyone to anyone this Christmas season.  I realize that not all will recognize this truth but it does not change the fact of John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever beleives in Him will have eternal life."  God loved us and then gave us a gift.  We love our family and so this time of the year we find pleasure in giving gifts.  For many parents and grandparents the joy is watching their kids and grandkids open their gifts with great excitement.  For God this comes when a person accepts His gift (Jesus) into their hearts.  When this happens there is great rejoicing in heaven.  May we remember the greatest gift of love ever given in the midst of all the family gatherings and celebrations.  Jesus is still the reason for the season.  The greatest gift we can give as well during this season is the gift of love.  One last thing in this blog that makes God's gift the greatest, when God gave His gift to us we were unloveable.  What a precious display of love and unmerited favor that God has shown to us.  I for one will be thankful for all eternity.
May God bless you with His love.  Merry Christmas.

Pastor John

Jesus came to defeat evil

The big news right now is the story of the horrific murders in an elementary school.  Everyone seems to have an opinion and making posts concerning this situation.  I do not want to offend anyone but to take a the position of just grieving with the family is a bit shallow.  I cannot imagine what these families are going through and my heart hurts for them.  There is a lot of talk about how to prevent this from happening again but for many their solutions are shallow and symptomatic which will never remove the real problem that exist.  This world in the last 100 years has witnessed some of the most horrific crimes against humanity that ever happened in the history of the world.  A local paper headline on Saturday was "Evil Visited".  They had it right but I am not sure they know why they got it right.  If evil did visit on that day and I believe it did then the problem is evil.  I have not heard anyone in the media ask this questions.  Why or how did this young man turn his life over to doing evil?  What could we have done to keep evil from taking over this young man's life?  Unfortunately he used his free will to the purpose of evil.  Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief comes but to steal, kill and destroy.  But I have come that you might have life and life abundantly."  In just one week of this blog we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  Why did Jesus come?  To defeat evil which He did when He died on the cross of Calvary.  Through the defeat of evil we can have forgiveness of sin and begin to have life and peace through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.  How do we prevent this evil or any evil for sake of discussion?  By accepting Jesus Christ and to begin to live our lives by the principles of Jesus Christ rather then by the thoughts of man.  Jesus came into the world as the one true light that shines in the darkness.  May we allow His light to shine upon our lives in such a manner that we will be willing to love God and our fellow man by the principles of God.
May God grant to you a blessed Christmas season.

Pastor John

 

God became flesh

The importance of the birth of Jesus cannot be underestimated. God became flesh and dwelt among us is a constant theme of this time of the year. The apostle John made this truth as a central key in one's ability in the discernment of the spirits. I John 4:2-3 “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” The teaching of the birth of Jesus is not found just in the first couple of chapters of the gospels but it is vital to understand all the others teachings of Jesus Christ. There are many different thoughts about Jesus Christ but if anyone does not acknowledge the virgin birth of Jesus Christ they are not from God. If they are not from God then I am not to pay any attention to their false teachings. The world wants you to believe that there are many ways to heaven but if the teaching of the birth of Jesus is true then there is only one way because that is what Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came in the flesh then this statement is true and if it is true then I need to place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior if I want to see my Creator, our Heavenly Father. This teaching that the the Christian church has been celebrating for nearly 2,000 years is true and not a matter of personal opinion though many want all faith issues just to be a matter of opinion. The facts surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ are clearly recorded and are accurate. I encourage you this Christmas season to reaffirm that Jesus Christ is God who came in the flesh who then died on the cross to defeat evil and provided forgiveness of sin to all who trust in Him.

May God enlighten the eyes of your heart with the truth of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Pastor John

Loving God

Jesus in a response to the question on which commandment was the greatest did not even give one of the Ten Commandments but said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind."  Matthew 22:37.   In my message on Sunday I asked this question in response to Loving God commandment.  If we are healthy what is this going to look like?  Unfortunately for many American Christians there are too few models to look at to know what loving God look like.  Our greatest mentor on this topic are the godly men and women of the Bible who choose to love God over and above all other things.  I am going to share just two for sake of space.  First, King David, he is called a man after God own heart.  David wrote the majority of Psalms which reflect a man who loved God with everything He had.  Psalm 27:4 "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."  vs. 8 "My heart says of you, 'seek His face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek".  There are many more verses in the Psalms that convey David's heart of being in pursuit of the God that he loved.  May we be in pursuit of the Lord with all of our heart, with all of our soul and with all of our mind. 
The second example is that of Mary, the mother of Jesus, she was a virgin when an angel of the Lord spoke to her heart.  After the angel explained to Mary what was going to happen this was her response, "I am the Lord's servant, May it be to me as you have said."  Within this simple response was a heart willing to allow the Lord to do whatever He wanted to do in here life.  During Mary's visit to Elizabeth she had a song and this is the first line, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior." Luke 1:46-47.  Is this not a heart that is fully committed to allowing God to be God in their life.  Is this not an example that we ought to follow today.
Let us not allow the distractions of life and not allow the distractions of the Christmas season to hinder our first and greatest responsibility as a Christian which is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind.  May the God of all love and peace be with you.

Pastor John

Christmas plans

I trust everyone had a very good Thanksgiving Day with family.  Now that December is just a couple of days a way all thoughts are now turned toward Christmas.  Some may have the majority of their shopping done but for most of us there is still much to be done.  This season can get very busy and if we are not careful we can leave out the very reason we celebrate Christmas.  Jesus was born as a baby and lived among us.  The truth that God became a man is one of our foundational truths as a Christian.  Here has been and is my concern for Christians.  We get so busy with the shopping, the Christmas parties, the family gatherings that we push aside time to be with Jesus and to celebrate our faith with our church family.  Learning to balance all the things that need to be done is not an easy task but to leave out Jesus ought never to be an option for a Christian.  Here are some suggestions that will help you to keep Jesus at the center of all Christmas activities.  First, Jesus said the first and most important commandment is to Love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength.  This means Jesus must be priority number one, not just with our words but with our actions.  This say that Jesus is number one but you are not in church to worship Him or you are not spending time in His Word and prayer is to deceive oneself in who has that top priority in your life.  Get this right and the rest will be easier to do.  Second, show forth moderation in your gift giving.  To spend money you do not have is not God honoring.  One way to keep your attitude right is to give a special gift to a charity of your choice.   Third, in all your planning set aside time on Christmas Eve to attend a worship service.  Bethel's service is at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve for one hour.  The goal is to center our thoughts on Jesus and pray for God's blessings to rest upon all our families gatherings and travel.
I could say more but if you keep these things in mind it will help you to have a blessed Christmas season without feeling too chaotic.
May the Lord bless you and keep you in His love and care.

Pastor John

Expressions of Thanksgiving

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving Day.  This time is filled with family dinners, football, planning for black Friday and family fun time.  I encourage you to give thanks on this day but not just on Thanksgiving Day but throughout the week.  There are many ways to give the expressions of thanks.  Here are just a few suggestions.  If on facebook post some things that you are thankful for briefly.  Write a note of thanks to those who mean a lot to you in your life.  Volunteer to clean up from the dinner before you watch football.  Remember to thank God for His love and mercy in your life.  Bring someone a gift that you really appreciate.  One of my things before anyone eats the turkey dinner is that we go around the table and each person says something they are thankful for which encourages us that this day is more then just a meal.  My list is clearly not exhaustive and is not meant to do each and everyone of them but this list is given to focus our thoughts of just how blessed we are in America.  As a Christian I have so many things to say thank you that space does not allow to speak of them all.  Here is just a few: I am thankful that I was made in the image of God, I am thankful that God loved me when I was unloveable, I am thankful that God continues to love me, I am thankful that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin, I am thankful that God works in my life so I can become more like Him.  I am thankful for the family that God has given to me.  I could say many more but I hope you get the idea. 
May the God of all love and mercy be with us this Thanksgiving Day.  May He bless all our family gatherings.

Pastor John

Healthy expectations

Everyone has expectations and we often judge how life is treating us based upon whether or not our expectations are being fulfilled or not.  Often when someone is saying they are having a bad day it means their day did not go as it was planned and the reverse is true as well.  I am having a good day because everything is falling into place.  Expectations are normal and I would encourage you to have expectations.  The question at this point is; are my expectation realistic and based upon the truth of God's Word or are they a pie in the sky and unrealistic wishes based upon a fautly understanding of God and the world that surrounds us.  A short blog cannot possibily answer all the various aspects of this topic but I do want to give three things that can help you to develop healthy expectations with a realistic opportunity to see them become part of your present reality.  First, as a believer in Jesus Christ we must begin and end with the character of God and the promises of His Word.  The proper foundation of an expectation will clearly bring about an increase of faith to believe that God is able to do what He said He would do.  Therefore I encourage you to pursue the knowledge of God to know God intimately and to learn His ways.  Second, take a good honest look at your present circumstances, your gifts and abilities, your support structure and then begin to ask God what His Word is saying about your present life and ask for a revelation of His will.  This is not easy to do because as humans we often think we already know what is best for us even before we ask God.  Within this step there are times we need outside help in order to obtain the proper discernment.  Third, one needs to develop an action plan.  The fulfillment of expectations are often the result of good hard work when it is done with the proper Christian attitude.  Let us not under estimate the importance of having the favor of God upon our lives to see our expectations become a reality.  May the God of all creation fill your heart with faith as you trust Him.

Pastor John

Concern for America

The judgement of Sodom is clearly connected to the sexual immorality that was present in this community. Ezekiel 16:49 "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Ezekiel is presenting the root cause of the sexual immorality which resulted in the judgement of God. My concern is for America that we are not going down the same pathway of Sodom. That pathway begins with being arrogant or in other word having pride in our own ability and leaving God out of the picture. This attitude is very present where we as Americans think we can solve our own problems and there is little or no dependence on Almighty God. Pride is the doorway for a whole host of sins which includes the various forms of sexual immorality. The people of Sodom were overfed or one could say they were about satisfying their own desires. Life is basically all about meeting one's own needs and concerns. Jesus wants His disciples to deny themselves not satisfy selfish desires. The people of Sodom were unconcerned or basically saying they a bit lazy about meeting the needs of the unfortunate of their community. The prophetic word of Ezekiel concerned Sodom but there is within this word a warning for future cultures that they do not repeat the same sins of another culture that brought down the judgement of God.  This is where the church must be awakened to make sure that there is not arrogance, being overfed and being unconcerned within the church.  We have no right to speak to our culture at large when the same sins we are condemning in our culture is present within us as a church.  The apostle Peter said the judgement is to begin in the house of God.  Let us as members of His church search our hearts and repent and get right with God so we will be able to speak love and grace to our community.  God is speaking love to us now so He will not have to speak judgement to us later.  I pray that we will allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.

Pastor John

A heart of gratitude

Once the month of November arrives it seems to go so fast and Thanksgiving Day is upon and then Christmas is almost here. This is a good time of the year to focus aspect of our inner life. There is a lot of emphasis on being thankful for the things that we have which is a good thing but this blog is about something greater then thankfulness, the heart of gratitude. Often a person level of thankfulness is directly connected to their present surrounding circumstances but what if there is a season when things are not going as well as you would like them to go, can you still have a heart of gratitude? As a child of God we are encouraged to be thankful so I am not being negative about that but there is another level of an inner attitude that is not dependent upon how well things are going on the outside. A heart of gratitude is based upon a basic understanding that God is sovereign and all powerful, the creator of all life and as a child of God He has the ability and the will to take care of me, all of me. If I try to understand this based upon how my temporal needs are being met at a particular time then I will begin to wonder why God allows certain things to happen in life. But if I view this from a spiritual point of view and allow God to do what is right in His eyes then I can be thankful in all things for this is the will of God for me, I Thessalonians 5:18. This is when you begin to develop a heart of gratitude. Paul and Silas were in prison in the Philippi and were worshiping because they possessed a heart of gratitude. How can I develop a heart of gratitude? First, give yourself wholly to the Lord. Allow God to God and walk humbly before Him all your days. Second, take God at His Word and trust Him in all things though your understanding maybe lacking at times. Third, dwell in the secret place, that is spend time everyday in the presence of the Lord. We do this by reading His Word, by prayer, by being quiet before Him and journaling your thoughts and prayers. May the God of all love and peace be with you. Pastor John

Spiritual warfare

There are many verses in the Bible that address the topic of spiritual warfare but still it seems that most people live their lives as if they were not in a war. The Bilbe speaks of light and of darkness, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan and the reality that there still is a heaven to gain and a hell to turn from. Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." But the apostle Peter and James tells us to draw near to God and to resist the devil. When a person has committed themselves to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior they are at war for Satan is at war with God. Satan knows he cannot defeat God so he wages war at God's children. My our eyes be open everyday to see the spiritual and not just the temporal. Proverbs 27:3 "The prudent see evil and hides himself, the naive proceed and pays the penalty." There are temporal things that seems innocent to the natural eye but can cause much spiritual unrest. An example is our culture highlighting the demonic aspects of Halloween as if it is just an innocent form of entertainment. I do not have a problem with pumpkims, fall colors and celebrations of harvest. I do have a problem with witches as being good, with many of the decorations around in the community that glorify the spirit of darkness. What does light have to do with darkness? By the way the apostle Paul ask a very similar question of the Corinth church. II Corinthians 6:14 "Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" As a believer we are to be witnesses of light. Jesus encourages His disciples to all their light to shine. Regardless of what you do this week and are involved with this week my encouragement is simple. May the light of Jesus shine through your life. Let us be aware that how we live and act will determine whether I am being a witness to light or not. Pastor John

Haiti reflection

There are events in our lives that have the potential of changing our lives and prespective of life. Last Thursday thru Saturday was one of those events in my life when I visited Haiti. In 2010 they experienced a horrific earthquake that caused much destruction and loss of life. There are still many signs of the earthquake and the rebuilding is far from over. There are many sites of hundreds of tents that the people are still living along with an inadequate living conditions for thousands of people who are living in concrete homes. The infrasstructure is nearly none existent with no sewer system and roads more like the old west going over the mountains then what one might expect in the modern world. Travel in Haiti is very difficult and slow with most intersections without stop signs or lights. For many the only mode of transportation is walking but that is dangerous because in many places there is not a good place for them to walk. It is hard to discribe these types of conditions because you will not find anything in America close to these conditions. I have been in another 3rd world country and there are some similiarites but the conditions in Haiti is the worst that I have seen. Time does not permit to speak of all the cause of these conditions because they have been present for many years. Due to the earthquake and a couple of other factors there is a huge need for orphanages. I heard one statistic that there were over 300,000 orphans in Port au Prince alone. Some orphans have no parents and other orphans have parents but they have no possibility to take care of them. It heartbreaking to see all these young children reaching out for love and for someone just to hold them. Many times on this short visit a child walk up to me so I would pick them up and give them a hug. The main reason for this trip was to view and become aware of the ministry of Convey of Hope which feeds these children in 250 schools and orphanages in Haiti. After visiting several orphanages and schools and saw the conditions they were working I was both overwhelmed and honored to experience the work of dedicated men and women helping these young children. The vision of the directories of the orphanages was amazing and the stories of the miracles will stay with me for a long long time. Proverbs 21:13 "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Jesus said that we will always have the poor among us. I am going to get involved in helping the poor of Haiti for I heard the cry. This proverb warns us that if after I hear that cry and I do nothing then my prayers, my cries will not be heard. I will be sharing more on Sunday and show many of the pictures that I took while in Haiti. The conditions are improving in Haiti but they have a long road ahead of them and we can become a part of the solution for Haiti. May the Lord bless you and keep you in His love. Pastor John

Lessons from sports

Today the golf world is trying to answer the question "What happened in the single matches of the Ryder Cup when America had a huge lead but Europe won?" In the world of football there are some every season surprises and the regular referees now back but still not getting calls right point to the lesson from sports today. It is unpredictable. Just when you think you know what is going to happen or which team might win something odd seems to happen. That lesson from sports is common in life. When does life go the way you think it ought to go. Things seems to be going well for a season and then out of the blue something disrupts all of life. It could be a relationship, a job situation or a health issue or an unmet expectation. Life just does not seem fair at times. The key to the unpredictable times of life is to trust in a God who is always faithful. Trusting in His Word that can be trusted. God will always love you no matter what you are going through. God is merciful and kind in His dealings with His children. The problem we have at times is we do not understand how God going to act and bring about order in my life of chaos. I cannot answer that for you on a personal basis but I do encourage you to place your faith and trust in a God who is always faithful. Trusting Him means you give Him permission to act in the ways that seems best for Him. Trusting Him also means also the timing of God is not going to be our timing which calls for patience and steadfastness on our part. Jeremiah 29:11 states that God has a plan and a hope for your future. The next couple verses are the condition to fulfill in order to see the promise fulfilled. I must seek Him, listen to Him and pursue Him with all my heart and when I do that I will find God and have clarity on the future. May the God of all love and peace be with you. Pastor John

Lessons from the past

The week in Huntington, IN the community celebrates Pioneer Days. This is a throw back to the mid 19th century. There are a variety of exhibits that demonstrate what life was like back then and this is a time for the community to come together which is a good thing. On Sunday morning I have the priviledge to to speak in their community worship service. I will be sharing a message by Charles Finney "The One Thing Needful" from 1859. The thought I have for you this morning is what can we learn from this time period. I just have a few observations. First, people are not that much different today then back then. Within Finney's message he was dealings with some distractions that kept people from the message of Jesus Christ. Many of us have a view that there is so much more to do today then back then that the distractions would not have been as bad but that is not the case because it is a issue of the heart and the heart of man has not changed. Second, there was a need for revival during this time and there is a need for revival today. There is always a concern that Christian people begin to become complacent and compromise. The soul of man is in need to renew relationship with God. I am sure that others would make other observations but when I did some research on the messages of preachers of that time it is clear that with an update on illustrations and some words the messages of the mid 19th century would be relevant for today. Our toys have changed, our entertainment and sports is very different and no one would want to do without our advance technology but the heart and soul of man is still in need of having a genuine authentic relationship with our Creator. May the God of all eternity continue to draw our hearts to love God. Pastor John

New Beginnings

The story of the New Testament begins with the birth of Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus changed everything. This one event had more impact upon the world then any other event in human history. This was a new beginning. What started in a manger with the life of Jesus ended on a cross. Three days later came the resurrection of Christ and then the birth of the church. What started on the night that Jesus was born changed everything. There was a day in my life almost 40 years ago now that I had a new beginning when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. That day changed everything for me. There has been many times since that day that I needed to make some kind of change. Change basically means doing something different then what was being done, a new beginning. Some changes are big and some are small but as a believer in Jesus Christ some of my small changes were actually more significant then what I thought was a bigger change. Our goal as a Christian ought to be growing to become more like Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In order for this to happen change must take place. I realize that change is difficult for some people and some changes come with different levels of fear and not knowing if the change will be worth it. Be encouraged that change can be good, very good. Do not allow the fear of the unknown stop you from doing the right thing in changing to become more like Jesus. May the God of all love and grace, strengthen you in your inner being with courage and love.

Pastor John

Being God's children

The prophetic call of the church has been and always be the same throughout all generations. That call is to live as children of God in the midst of an evil generation. Jesus call His disciples to follow Him. Luke 9:23 The apostle Paul encouraged the church of Corinth to follow his example as He follow Christ, I Corinthians 11:1. God sets the standard in how He wants His children to live. Though it may seem difficult if not impossible at times to accomplish, please do not get discouraged and given up because Jesus understands us and that is why He set the Holy Spirit to us to help and guide us to live a genuine, authentic Christian life. This is a walk of faith. This walk takes discipline and effort on our part as the apostle Paul told the Philippi church, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." Philippians 2:12-13 God's prophetic call for us is to enter a partnership with God to live a life we could never live on our own. When we live in this manner we will not only please God but it also is the only way to bring about kingdom of God change in the hearts of people within our community. God has great things planned for us both in our individual lives but He has great things planned for the church as we work together as the family of God. Part of God's prophetic call for us as His children is do life together because we will always be able to accomplish more together then we would ever be able to do on our own.
May God bless you and keep you in His love.

Pastor John

Thoughts on Labor Day

This coming weekend is called Labor Day of which most of us will have a day off. It is often a good time to get together with family with an extra day off. My thoughts though have to do with our labor for the Lord. I Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because your know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I labor for the Lord because of the life He has given to me through the power of the resurrection. That is what the therefore means in this context. If you have been saved from your sins through Jesus Christ it is because of His life, death and resurrection. I do not labor to be saved but I labor for the Lord because I am saved. Labor for the Lord ought to become as natural as an apple tree bearing apples. Jesus said in Luke 7:47 concerning being anointed by a sinful woman "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who have been forgiven little loves little." I cannot speak for you but I have been forgiven much, I love the Lord with all my heart and as a result of this love I labor for the Lord, willing to do whatever He wants me to do. All our labor we do for Him is noticed by Him and will be rewared by the Lord. This reward may not be seen on this side of heaven but as sure as we are of the resurrection of Jesus Christ we can be sure that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Do not think for a moment that we work in vain. Let us remember that our God is a rewarder. Therefore as we labor for the Lord let's keep in mind three simple things. First, I labor for the Lord because He has saved me and I do it willingly. Second, our labor must be an act of faith, God responds to faith. Third, our labor will benefit those we serve, plus we will receive a reward. What a great deal that God has set up for us as we labor for the Lord.
May the love of God be with you.

Pastor John

God & enjoyment

There are many people who come to believe that serving God will lead to a life of enjoyment. This concept is filled with much falsehood and misunderstanding. Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The apostle Paul stated I Timothy 6:17 "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." Within these two verses and others we see a God who has our best interest in mind. A God who created the earth for our enjoyment and who wants us to have a good life. The balance part of that teaching is that sin ruin things and instead of enjoyment, heartache entered into our lives. When God created Adam and Eve, He had already created a most beautiful garden for them to live in for their enjoyment. The way of experiencing the joy and happiness that God has planned for us to reject the way of sin and follow the way of life that is only found in God and in His way. What arrogance that any man has to think that we know the way to enjoyment better then God does. The reason that Jesus encouraged us to deny ourselves was so we would reject the way of sin and selfishness so that we would be able to have a life of true joy and happiness by serving and loving God with all our heart, soul and spirit. God truly does want us to enjoy life but this can only happen when He is truly number one in our lives and when we commit to do life His way.
May the God of true joy and happiness reveal Himself to you throughout this week.

Pastor John

Character matters

II Peter 1:3-11 & Romans 5:1-5 & Galatians 5:16-26 are just three passages of scriptures that point to the importance of God like character as a follower of Jesus Christ. We live in a world that often overlooks the lack of character as long as there are results that benefit us in one way or another. This happens often in sports because we are looking for a positive outcome on Sunday afternoon. During this last off season there have been literally dozens of pro football players arrested for a variety of offenses. Too often the attitude is that this does not matter or it is not a big deal. I believe in a God who gives us a second chance so I am all for giving someone a second chance. What concerns me is the repeat offenders that seem to have consistent lapses of character. Let's be honest, negative actions is often a result of a lack of character. If you do not want to repeat a negative action then I encourage you to examine an area of character to begin to work on so that the action can begin to change. Consistent change in one's action will always be tied to a change of thinking that is resulting in a character improvement. Improve one's character and you will improve the outward actions. In a stressful situation one's true character will rise to the surface. If you are concerned in what someone might see then that is likely a sign that your character needs some work. Let's all be honest at this point as well, there is not one person alive that has perfected their character, we all need work. I encourage you to read through these scripture passages and ask God for grace and mercy to help you to become more like Him.

May the God of all love and peace be with you.

Pastor John

Hearing the voice of the Lord

In order to obey the voice of the Lord I first must be able to hear the voice of the Lord. It is not easy to discern the voice of the Lord in the midst of much noise. We live in a culture of constant movement and noise. The challenge for us is to find time to be still and quiet before the Lord. The scriptures encourage us to be still before the Lord, Psalm 46:10. The scriptures encourage us to rest in the Lord, Isaiah 40:28-31. Jesus often took time away from the crowds to spend time with His Heavenly Father. From that Jesus said that He said nothing or did nothing unless His Father directed Him. Let's talk about how to hear from God today. First, pick a time and place you can pray and read the Bible everyday. Consistency of this discipline will help you to know God's voice. Do not expect too much too soon, if one does it opens up the possibility of being discouraged and quit and very thing the enemy of our souls wants you to do. Second, be a student of the Word of God. The voice of the Lord will never contradict the Word of God because He is the author of that Word. Do not allow a lack of understanding of certain passages of scriptures keep you away from reading the Bible. Unfortunately I heard many say, 'I do not understand what I am reading and therefore I do not read it.' Keep reading and God will enlighten the eyes of your heart. Third, begin to act upon the little things that you are sensing. God is testing you whether or not you will be obedient in the small things before He speaks to you more and more. Fourth, believe that He wants to speak to each and everyone of us. This is vital in that many come to think that God only will speak to certain people but Jesus paid the way for all to receive and for all to hear the voice of the Father on a personal basis.
May the Lord grant to you grace to hear Him and courage to obey Him.

Pastor John

Am I Generous?

This was the title of Sunday's message of the Blessed Life. This can become a very interesting question depending upon the criteria that one uses to determine whether or not one is actually generous. It is may opinion that many people think they are more generous then they actually are and then there are many people who are generous wishing that they could be even more generous. Therefore how can we assess the level of our generosity. First, determine to use God's standard on stewardship and not man's standard. Being generous biblically is more then what we do with our money, being generous means I am thinking about others, I am willing to give of my time and talents along with my money. If we judge our generosity based on the tangible gifts we give alone can be deceiving, what is the motivation of our giving? When we have a solid biblical approach we will be concerned with the heart as well as the gift. Second, we are walking in obedience to the principles of God and especially the biblical principles that deal with our finances. Let's answer the following questions. Am I being obedient to give the first fruits of my increase, the tithe? Am I practicing good stewardship principles with the 90% so I have the ability to give above the tithe when the Lord speaks to me? If the answer is yes to both questions then I will have the ability to be generous. The prophet Samuel spoke to king Saul that "obedience is better then sacrifice." I Samuel 15:22 Third, so I have the sin of selfishness under control? Jesus encouraged His disciples to deny themselves. He said that He did not come to be served but to serve. Jesus encouraged us to love one another. In order to be generous I must think of others and not just myself.
If you will answer these questions honestly it will give you a good gauge on how generous you are and will give you some hints to the areas to work on in order to be more generous. The apostle Paul encouraged us through the Spirit of God in II Corinthians 8:7 to "excel in the grace of giving." Lord help us to be a generous people.

May God arise and let His light shine upon your life.

Pastor John

Focus of our eyes

One of the keys of life is the focus of our eyes. Psalm 25:15 "My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare." The apostle Paul encouraged us in Colossians 3:1-2 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not one earthly things." Paul did not use the word eye but it is the same encouragement of keeping our focus on the right things. If I am driving and my eyes are focus on the fields and trees alongside the road I open myself up to getting into an accident. When my eyes are ever on the Lord then that is where I am placing my trust and confidence. When I do that then good things will happen. The concern that I have as a pastor and fellow believer in Jesus Christ is that if we are not careful we can become distracted by the cares of life and the worries of our financial situation. Jesus promised in Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." I seek that which my eyes are focused on. No one is an exception to this rule. Our spiritual life is not up for personal opinion on how it works. God has spoken in His Word what He expects of those who believe in Him. The Word of God is very positive, when I keep the focus of my eyes on the Lord and trust Him, then I have the assurance of His protection, guidance, strength and mercy being upon my life. I will defeat the enemy and a victorious life in Christ is in my future. May encouragement for every believer in Jesus Christ is to keep our eyes on the Lord and set our hearts on heaven which is our eternal home.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in His love.

Pastor John

The Blessed Life

Everyone dreams of living a blessed life but many of those dreams are shattered due to circumstances of life. There are basically two ways of seeking the blessed life: one is to pursue it based upon my own thoughts and ways or two is to pursue it based upon God's thoughts and ways. As a believer in God who made the heavens and earth and who set all the laws in how life is to work I would be foolish not to based my pursuit of a blessed life upon God's thoughts and ways. Unfortunately the cause of the first sin was to do life their way rather then God's way. Adam and Eve saw the fruit was good and they ate even though God told them not to eat. God told Cain that if he would only do what is right would he not be accepted. This story has been repeated in every nation, generation and God has sent prophet after prophet calling His people back to living their lives after God's thoughts and ways. We live at a time in history that many think with all the advances we have made that we do not need God any longer. That is a huge mistake because the principles of God worked when Abraham lived by them and will work today. They worked when King Daved lived by them and they will work today. They worked when the Apostle Paul lived by them and they will work today. Do you want to live a Blessed Life? My encouragement then is to pursue it based upon God's thoughts and ways. This is not a pick and choose process though, it includes all of God's principles. All of His principles work whether it concerns our spiritual life, relational life, physical life, financial life, recreational life, or our work life. God's way will work every time it is tried.
May the God of all light shine upon us with revelation of His ways and then give us grace to walk in those ways.

Pastor John

Pure in Heart

Jesus said "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" Matthew 5:8. The scriptures have a lot to say about the heart. Solomon the wisest man to live outside of Jesus Christ said "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" Proverbs 4:23. We are commanded to love God with all our heart. The heart of the physical body is the central focus of our physical health. It is vital to have a healthy heart if we are going to live a fruitful, productive life. The heart that the Bible refers to is our spiritual heart or the central focus for our spiritual health. This is why Solomon stated the most important thing in life in having wisdom is the guarding of our heart. Guarding our motivations, actions and thought life is at the core of guarding our heart. Let us not deceive ourselves in thinking that we have pure motives while our actions are contrary to good, healthy Christian living. As well do not deceive ourselves if our actions are good but we have a corrupted thought life. The prophet Jeremiah addressed this issue "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." Jeremiah 17:9-10. Therefore how to I examine my heart? How can I have the assurance that I have a pure heart? The answer to this question may surprise some but if one will heed this they can prevent having a deceitful heart. First, make sure I am in proper standing is God, that all my sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ the only Savior and Lord of all life. Second, examine the heart by what you are doing with your time, talents and money. Jesus said "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:21. Understanding our treasure is basically understanding what is important and in what am I putting my trust. I examine this area by what I am actually doing and not on what I say I want to do. Some people say that God is number one in their life but they rarely attend church, do not tithe, do not read their Bible consistently, do not pray often and are ungrateful people. By their actions it is clear that God is not number one though they have convinced themselves that is the case. A careful self examination before God would clear us this misunderstanding. I want to see God, I want you to see God. Jesus said that if I and you are pure in heart we will see God. Let us take the words of Jesus seriously and do whatever we need to do in order to be pure of heart.
May the Lord bless you and keep you in His love.

Pastor John

The Grace of God

The grace of God is often misunderstood. Far too many just equate grace with an incident in life that God protected them or the fact that their sins are forgiven. The grace of God is much more then that, grace is God's empowerment when we are weak, grace is God's strength when going through a difficult season of life and grace is God's anointing upon us broken vessel that the gospel will be known by others. The apostle Paul had what he called a thorn in his flesh. Many have debated exactly what that was but that is not what is important. What is important is that Paul was facing a difficult time and was weak. It is at this point God said to him II Corinthians 12:9 "But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest upon me." The desire that the apostle Paul had for the power of God helped him to keep time of weakness and the difficult times of life in their proper prespective. God is able to make all grace abound. God can strengthen and bring forth victory and give hope in the most difficult times. Whatever you maybe facing today I encourage you to pray for the grace of God to be manifested in your situation today. I acknowledge frequently that I am weak but then pray for the sufficiency of God's grace to come and strengthen me.
May the God of all power and love send forth His grace upon your life today.

Pastor John

The Old Testament ends with messages of the prophet Malachi. There is a verse that the Lord says, "You have wearied the Lord with your words. "How have we wearied Him?" you ask. by saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and He is pleased with them" or "Where is the god of justice." Whenever change what the Lord has already said is not received well by the Lord. There were times in school when the test was real hard and so as not to flunk all the students the teacher would grade on a curve. That is what was not a passing grade now can become a passing grade. Somehow we think that God is going to do something similar to for us. We do that by saying: it's really not that bad, everyone is doing it, it is just too hard so God is going to overlook some things or the thought that every is going to heaven. The standard of God is what it is and no amount of our words or thoughts about them is going to change the really that God is going to judge us fairly and righteously based upon His standard and His words and not our standard and our words. This means then if I am going to please the Lord then I must align myself up with him and not the other way around. Lord help us to understand You and Your ways that I will have a heart that pleases You in all that I do.

Pastor John

Divine intervention

The story of Esther is one of impossible odds if it were not God working out His plan to save His people. What are the odds of a young Jewish girl becoming the queen? What are the odds Mordacai would be elevated to second in charge of a nation that had a law on the books to wipe out all the Jews? In the natural these odds are so high that it would not be worth trying to figure them out. I thank God that He is at work whether or not I am aware of it or not. There are things that happen that are outside our control but as we trust the Lord we can have confidence that God is working out all things for our good as we love God. Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I do not know about you situation but I need God to work out some good, that is I am praying and looking for a divine intervention of God. What I cannot do God can do. What I cannot change God can change. The things that I am believing God for can only come about through the power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord help us to believe what You have said because Your Word does declare Your faithfulness and Your love is everlasting.
May God's righteous hand be upon your life.

Pastor John

The right time

The prophet Haggai said in verse 2 "These people say 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built." While they were saying and living their lives this way they were very busy with their own houses, projects and making their lives better. All these things are not wrong in themselves but to do that while neglecting the House of God is the problem. It seems like today when it comes to church involvement that one of the biggest reasons is they do not have enough time. The same excuse the people of God were using during that time. I realize that people may have other excuses but the vast majority surrounds the busyness of their own lives. The thing is as well is that most people actually think these are valid reasons. We have more time saving devises today then ever before but it seems we have less time to enjoy time we save. "The right time" is really a concept of priorities. The family of Jesus once wanted Him to reveal Himself in public at the Temple but Jesus responded that for them the time is always right but it was not yet the right time for Him. The right time is all about the timing of God's will. Basically we need to learn to live on God's time rather then on our time. If we are to love God as number one in our lives then we must also make His will for our lives number one. The apostle John "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." I John 2:17
The time is always right to do what God wants me to do. I do not have either time or space to develop this thought to completion. The key to knowing the will of God begins and ends with our knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. God will never contradict Himself and He can be trusted. May we all walk like Jesus who fulfilled the will of God completely. Thank You Jesus.

Pastor John

Defining success

On Sunday I spoke about the contrast of success in the eyes of the world verse in the eyes of God. When we are faithful to the Lord we will be successful regardless of how the world may view us. Jeremiah is a great example of someone who was faithful to the Lord but his message to the nation of Judah was not accepted and even to the point of being put into prison. There are a lot of factors that will come into action to view how a person maybe a success in the eyes of the world. There is basically one factor that come into action to be a success in the eyes of God. That is have we been faithful to that which God wanted me to do. The Lord promised to be with Jeremiah and rescue him when he was speaking forth the message that God wanted him to speak. The Lord Jesus has promised to be with us. The one thought that one want to express at this time with the truth that Jesus is with us is that one with God is the majority. God does not lose. There are many examples in the Bible concerning this truth. Elisha was on a mountain and an army was going to take him captive and his servant was very scared but when Elisha prayed that his servant's eyes would be open it was revealed that an army of God was protecting them. God never did like it when Israel trusted in foreign armies rather then trusting in Him. When we are being faithful to all that God wants us to be doing we can walk with the confidence that He is with us to protect us and to guide our steps. Faith in God's ability is essential in order for us to be successful. May the Lord enlighten the eyes of our heart that we may know and do the purposes of God in our lives.

Pastor John

No king but King Jesus

"No king but King Jesus" was a motto during the Revolutionary war when they were rejected the rule of the king of England. One of the governors of the colonies spoke about that the people of the colonies were only going to serve one king and it was not the king of England but rather the king of the universe, Jesus Christ. That motto served them well and our nation was born. There was much early influence of the Christian faith upon the founding of America. The influence of Jesus was impacting their personal lives, political lives and their business lives. Let us examine ourselves today to know what the huge influencers are in our lives. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Jesus ought to be the biggest influence in my life and when I allow the world undo influence then I will tend to view my present circumstances from a worldly point of view rather then a biblical point of view. Jesus is King. Jesus created this world we live in and some day He is coming back to set up His kingdom and there is no one or no thing that is going to stop Him because His name is King of kings and Lord of lords. I have the opportunity to set Jesus as my personal king now and if I begin to truly make Jesus King and live by kingdom rules, Jesus promised to be with me and love me which will give me the assurance of His favor on my life. Now there is nothing more pleasing in the big picture of life then having His favor upon my life, my family and my church. May God grant all of us His grace and strength so we make Jesus King in our lives.

Pastor John

God is speaking

I have been in the ministry for around 30 years and have heard this phrase or one similar to it, 'I do not hear God' or 'I am not hearing from God anymore'. The tone of this phrase is that God has stopped talking to them for a reason they do not understand. It is curious for me when a person begins to feel this way because the Bible does not communicate that God is not speaking. I believe that God is speaking all the time and the better question is why am I not hearing God at this moment rather then why isn't God talking to me anymore. There are many ways that God speaks to us. He speaks to us through His Word, through our conscience, through the messengers that He sends us, through our circumstances, in the quiet, through music and a variety of other means. Now for a moment let us look at some reasons why we may not be hearing the Lord. A lack of discipline in not reading the Bible and praying everyday, the busyness of life, the cares of this world, selfishness, arrogance, pride, habitual sin, a lack of hunger for God, misplaced priorities and misapplied spiritual principles. So how do I begin to hear from God again after a dry season spiritually speaking. First, admit that I have the problem, the source of the problem is in me and not in God. This means to repent and ask God for grace to restore and renew you. Second, pray for a greater hunger and thirst for God and His ways. Nothing in life is more important then being serious about doing the will of God in your life. Third, be thankful. Nothing seems to change a person's attitude quicker then a grateful heart. Begin to thank God for His character and essence and for His activity in the lives of people. Try it before you knock it.

I firmly believe is you do these three things that you will no longer feel that God is not speaking to You.

May the love and peace of Christ rest upon your life.

Pastor John

Choices

Israel had many kings and unfortunately most of them were involved in idol worship rather then following in the footsteps of King David in the worship of the One True God. Their decisions and choices in life affected whole generations in leading them away from the Lord. One of the lies of our society is that what I do does not affect anyone else. To say my actions only affect myself is being naive and most likely selfish. Our choices has and always will affect others around us. The ones affected the most are the ones closest to us. There are a couple of things to keep in mind concerning our choices.
First, the choices we make today form our tomorrows. That is why change can be so difficult for people. They would like things to change but that means their choices need to be different but they either like what they are doing or do not have the discipline or the courage to make different choices that can lead a person to the change they want.
Second, good choices can only be made when I am intentional about the choices I am making. I can either allow life to happen, being reactive, or I must be proactive and intentionally make the right decision.
Third, good choices are based upon the truth and an adequate amount of facts related to the choice that I must make. As a Christian I believe the Bible to be true and as a result I try to make choices based upon the truth of the Bible. If I need to make a choice on buying a car then I need to gather all the appropriate facts in order to make an informed choice.
There are other factors involved in making good choices but I begin here I am confident that you will make good choices. Remember there is a promised in James 1:5 that if I lack wisdom I can ask God and He will give me more wisdom so I can do the right thing. This is part of trusting the Lord with our life.
May the God of all love and grace strengthen you in the choices you must make.

Pastor John

The Story 13 - Finishing Strong

Solomon, king of Israel, seemed to make all the right chooses early in his life. He asked for wisdom, built the temple and was very successful in all that He did. He was a king who had it all. His father king David encouraged him to follow the law of Moses which would have brought forth success and continual strength for the kingdom of Israel. We are not told all the reasons for the shift in Solomon's life from making good decisions to poor decisions but the pressures of this life and the desire for pleasure are often in the mix when a person begins to make poor decisions. There is a problem humans face which is once we begin to make poor decisions it is often hard to stop the direction we are going until diaster occurs. Solomon rejected the counsel of God and begin to marry foreign wives which turned him to idol worship. This was evil in the sight of the Lord not just a bad decision. Solomon started well but did not finish well. Jesus told the parable of the sower and some of the seed was sown in the midst of weeds which choked out the seed's fruitfulness. This type of soil was discribed as the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. It does not matter whether it was during the time of Solomon, Jesus or today we are confronted with the cares of life and money issues and how we handle these issues will determine whether or not we will finish well. The following things will help us to finish strong: first, commit to finish strong. All good things begin by making a good decision that is followed up with a determination to live out our decision to finish strong. Second, follow the commands and teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus said if you love me you will obey me. Third, begin to ask for wisdom and grace to live by the principles of Christ while in this world but never becoming part of this world. Remember our home is in heaven. May God grant to you strength and peace to finish strong.

Pastor John

Choose Life

The celebration of the Reserrection of Jesus Christ was great yesterday. The truth of the reserrection is to be with us everyday. Jesus died on the cross so that we might live. This spiritual truth when accepted will begin a journey that will last for a life time. Moses spoke in Deuteronomy 29:19-20 "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." To choose life is to choose to live under the favor and blessings of the Lord. Within these verses there are the basic principles of how to live with the blessing of the Lord upon your life. First, I must choose life, choose to do life on a daily basis. Right standing before God and right living always will begin with a decision to discipline your life to follow God and His ways. Second, to choose life means to love the Lord your God. Jesus reenforced this when asked which is the greatest commandment responded by saying "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind." Loving God on this journey of life is not always easy but it is the key to life. Third, develop a listen ear to what God is saying. Many times the scripture says "You who have an ear let them hear what the Spirit is saying." Fourth, once I listen then I need to resond by doing what God wants me to do. This is the part of holding fast to Him. This is the heart of obedience. This is the principle that made David a man after God's own heart. When we do this God promises to pour out His blessings. Do not be unwise and expect God's blessings without doing this spiritual journey the way that God wants you to follow. Choose life, choose to do this life God's way and choose to do this life everyday of your life.
May the love of the Father, the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit strengthen you on this journey of life.

Pastor John

Passion Week

Jesus' last week before He was crucified was like no other week in the history of the world. Jesus experienced riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and being herald as king and being worshiped as the Lord. Jesus is both King and Lord. The world did not recognize this truth and the religious leaders persecuted Jesus because of that truth. Jesus taught His disciples many things this last week and He encouraged them what to do once He was raised from the dead. Most of the people were still looking for a king to come and remove the bondage of the Roman government but Jesus came to remove the bondage of sin. Isaiah 53 clearly taught that but for a variety of reasons this was not seen nor understood until after the resurrection. I keep being that up because we live on the side of the resurrection and we have the ability to understand the spiritual truth of Jesus' last words through the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to read the gospel writings from the Triumphal Entry through His resurrection. Refect upon and ask the Lord to reveal Himself through His last words. Jesus did all this for you that your sins can be forgiven and then you can begin to live a new life according to Kingdom of God guidelines by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May the light of the glory of the gospel of Christ guide your life.

Pastor John

Potential comes from the heart.

On Sunday the lesson of The Story was on David and the issues of the heart. David was not the first pick of or anyone else. They did not see the potential that David had but God saw the potential that David had in his heart. I Samuel 16:7 teaches the principle that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. Being human we have the tendency to see things mainly through physical eyes and that environment which means we do not always see the potential that someone has and in fact we do not always see the potential we we have. David the youngest of eight boys was chosen over his brothers. God placed something in David that was not in his brothers, God called him to be king. God did though place something in each of son of Jesse. The potential that is in each of us comes from God. In order to reach that potential we must first of all realize it comes from the heart and therefore we must learn to handle the issues of the heart. Solomon in Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." In order to live out what God has placed in us we must allow God to define my heart, refine my heart and then to mature my heart. The is done by loving God with our whole heart and beginning to serve Jesus and His church in whatever area that is presently available. God has called you and placed a great desire upon your heart that will make a difference in the world of your influence. In order to see this become a reality I must deal with the issues of life with a heart that runs after God's heart.
May the Lord who loves us grant His grace to strengthen our heart.

Pastor John

The Story: chapter ten, Standing Tall, Falling Hard

We live in a day where everyone thinks they are right. I know that statement is an over simplifaction of reality but we are losing our moral compass of how we ought to live our lives. In the first 15 chapters of I Samuel we have several stories of families or individual who thought what they are doing was OK for various reasons but in reality they were sowing seeds to their own destruction. Eli and his sons had some of the most important positions in Israel at that time but allowed their own personal satisfaction to dictate what they did rather then following the commands of the Lord. The sons of Samuel had a great godly example but used their influence for personal gain by bribes. King Saul was on top of the world after a couple of victories and all of Israel looked to him but yet disobeyed the word of the Lord through the prophet Samuel because he listen to himself and the pressures of others rather then listening to the Lord. What do all these people have in common? At one time in their life they were living on top of the world, everything was going great but all of them fell intot he judgement of the Lord and the end of their lives ended in disgrace. What does all this have in common for me today? They are examples for us that we are to follow the Lord all the days of our lives. We are to understand that God's ways are always right regardless of how they may appear and when we try to do life our own way it is filled with heartache and the end will be one of destruction and not life. We do not have to go the way of Eli and his son nor the way of king Saul but we can walk in life and hope by doing the following things. Spend time everyday in God's Word and pray, commit to do the right things regardless of the comfort level and make relationships a priority over things.
May the Lord bless you and keep and the Lord shine His face upon you.

Pastor John

God's gifts

There are times in the life of every church that it is exciting to the joy and happiness of the people and especially the children. Pastor Tim McNamee of Cityview Christian gave a great message on God's gifts and one of the points was to stir up that gift and use it for the kingdom of God. Yesterday they helped us to put on our annual Winter Carnival and we saw dozens of workers using their gifts for the glory of God. The gifts ranged from cooking a great lunch, to clowns, to balloon making, gifts of organization, to the gifts of helps, the gift of mercy, gift of love and many other gifts were in operation that helped us to set an atmosphere where the children had a great time in the house of God. God is gracious in the giving of gifts. It is up to us whether or not we will use the gifts given to us for good purposes within His kingdom. What a wonderful display of the gifts of God being used yesterday at the winter carnival. It excites me to realize what God wants to continue to do in our midst as we trust Him to anoint the gifts that He has given to us. We can do more together then we could ever do on our own. May God bring the increase to our gifts as we use them for His honor and glory. May God continue to build His church through us as we trust Him to work in and through us.
May His love and grace be with you.

Pastor John

The Story: chapter 7, Joshua

Joshua is a story of victory and that of possessing God's promise. I am grateful for all the victories that God has given to me in my life but they are all in my past. Joshua could not rest upon the mighty miracles that God had granted to them in the past but God was now calling him to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land where they would witness the hand of God on their behalf. I do not want to minimize any previous miracles but there is new land to be taken, fresh battles to fight and an enemy that is not just going to lay down because he was defeated one. Miracles ought to encourage us to believe God for more miracles. Joshua had a very close relationship with God but God still was teaching him new things concerning Him and His ways. There are three lessons that Joshua was learning that would be helpful for us to learn. First, Joshua had to learn that God does not pick sides because He is the side, it was Joshua who needed to pick sides. A wise person will pick God. I identify with God and I am on His side. Second, Joshua needed God's plan for success. God will always bless what He is doing but does not have to bless what I am doing. The key is listening to God and receive His plan for my life. Third, this one follows the last lesson, once I receive God's plan then I must discipline myself to execute that plan His way. To conquer Jericho Joshua had to follow the instructions of the Lord and when he did God granted a great victory. Working out His plan for my life will bring about great joy and satisfaction. Therefore let us be strong and courageous for the Lord our God is with us and will fight our battles when we get on God's side, listen to Him to receive His plan, His instructions and then carry out that plan with faith and trust. God will grant the victory when we do life His way.

Pastor John

The Story chapter 6, wandering

Have ever been in a store for no real purpose? I have and all I do is wander around the store. This usually happens when I have some time to waste so I will head to sporting goods store and wander around looking at what I may want but do not need. When our lives are not filled with a purpose or direction then it is easy to push the default button and begin to wander. The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they lost their direction. They were supposed to go the Promised Land but due to a lack of faith in God decided it would be too hard. This act of disobedience of the nation of Israel affected a whole generation which now were prohibited to enter the land of promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They wandered and their children had to wait another 40 years to enter this land. Within our story now in this age we all tend to wander at times and the reasons will most likely be closely connected to the wanderings of Israel. The Lord Jesus Christ can help us to have the victory over the wandering tendency that we have but I must learn to trust Him and walk with Him in order to receive His help. John 15 talks about this principle with the vine and branches. If I abide in Him, He will abide in me. Jesus went on to say that apart from Him we can do nothing. Learning the lesson of life that when I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior I have entered a life of corporating with God. Learning to do life His way is the key to life. Learning to obey when He wants me to do something is vital to develop intimacy with Him. We will all experience wandering moments but we do not have to experience wandering seasons. Let us not take our eyes off our destination with is life eternal with Jesus our Lord and Savior.

Pastor John

The Story chapter 5: Commandments and Love

The story of God in the giving of the Ten Commandments is a picture of God's love reaching down to the nation of Israel who had been delivered from the bondage of Egypt. Israel at this time needed a lot of direction in their new found freedom. God's desire to be with His people is clearly evident but the people were afraid. The revelation of God's power with the ten plagues, parting of the Red Sea and the visible cloud and shaking of Mt Sinia had an affect of not wanting to hear the voice of God for fear that He might destroy them but was willing to listen to Moses. If I was there I do not know how I might react and for that reason I am not going to be hard on them because most likely I would not have reacted much differently. As a young believer I know I was much more open to listen to preachers and teachers but to hear God I was not so sure. I have learned over the years that God loves me and has my best interest in mind therefore when God does speak to me it is always for my good. That was a lesson the children of Israel needed to learn and throughout their history there were times they listened well but unfortunately there were times they were more interested in during their own thing. As a follower of Jesus Christ I must learn to listen and then to obey. This though is only a part, because of His great forgiveness for me I must respond to His love with loving Him with all that I am. The reason I listen is because He loves me and I desire to love Him for all that He has done for me. It is out of a heart of love that I obey Him. Lord help us to love You in ways that will please Your heart and help us to love our neighbor in ways that will communicate Your great love for them.
May God's love abound more and more in your hearts.

Pastor John

The Story: chapter four Deliverance

When people hear the word, deliverance, it can easy mean different things for different people. For some it is deliverance from sin, to others deliverance from a habit or addiction, to others it could be from demonic oppression or it could be getting out of a bad situation or relationship. The unfornuate thing for some is that they never see themselves in need of deliverance. I am not saying one's life is evil or completely unpleasant but all of us are in need for God to step into our lives and make a difference in one area or another. The lack of feeling a need for God to deliver you out of something at one time or another is a sign of a lack of awareness of our own ability in the spirit world to change that spirit world. After I have become a Christian I have been in need of deliverance many times. I had a huge problem with rebellion early on in my walk with Jesus. I could not change that but God on to reveal Himself and come and do what I could not do. In chapter four of The Story it was talking about the children of Israel being delivered out of Egypt. This was done by the mighty hand of God through a series of mighty miracles one after another. God stepped in and did what they could not do. I want to encourage you to Have Faith in God. If there is an area in your life that needs to be different regardless of what that area might be I encourage you to begin to cry out to God and believe that He can change the situation, heal the body, provide for a need, save a loved one, open a door for a job, restore a relationship or transform a life. Have faith in God for His deliverance ability regardless of what the need maybe.
May the love and peace of God overshadow your life.

Pastor John

The Story: Chapter three, Joseph

The lessons of the The Story are very relevant for today's living. The story of Joseph could be told from favorite son to slave to prison to second on charge of a nation. That is a life that most of us would love to have if we could leave out the middle part of being a slave and being in prison. This points to a truth that Jesus talked about toward the end of His ministry in John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." The truth is that everyone in life has times of difficulty and trials and temptations that begin to seem to overwhelm them. It is never comfortable to begin to feel that I am losing control of life and in knowing how to deal with life. I am positive that Joseph struggled in what was happening in his life. I am also positive that you have struggled at time in what was happening in your life. Jesus gives us the key to overcome these times. The context which we find John 16:33 is the context of Jesus pouring out His heart of love to the disciples and sharing with them the importance of loving another, loving Him and by trusting in the Holy Spirit when life does not make sense. I can have peace because I know that my Father in heaven loves, Jesus loves me and they have my best interest in mind. Jesus is affirming His love for the disciples on this occasion which He did by washing their feet. Then Jesus encouraged His disciples that the true test of love for Him would be doing, obeying, that is doing life His way and when we trust in Him, He promised to give us peace. The Father God loves you therefore you can overcome through His Son, Jesus Christ.
May the love and peace of God overshadow your life.

Pastor John

The Story week two

There are many people who can relate to Abraham and Sarah. They had many great expectations for a family and in fact received a promise from God that they would have a son. That was great news but this expectation went unfullfilled for years. We too have some very good expectations and believe that God has spoken to us in a marvelous way but yet we have not seen the what we have been promised. Again like Abraham and Sarah there are times we think that God can use a little help to do what He had promised. They decided to have this child in an unconventional manner but that was not God's plan so they just ended up complicating their lives. I do not know about you but I have tried to help God but only ended up causing myself more problems then I already had. The lesson is this is simple but one that is difficult at times to fully learn which is life will always go better when I do the things that God wants me to do and I trust and wait upon the Lord to do what He said He would do. This is called faith. From the time the promise of have a child first came it was 25 years before the baby was born. That is a long time to wait for a promise to be fulfilled and there were many lessons to learn along that pathway but God's timing is right. I do not want to wait anymore then the next person but learning that a walk of faith is resting, trusting and believing that God has my best interest in mind and His ways and timing is the best. Psalm 25:3 "Indeed, those who wait upon You will not be put to shame." If you have an unfulfilled promise from God do not become discouraged but believe that God has the power to do all that He has promised, Romams 4:20-21. Faith is believing God is able to fulfill His Word regardless of what we may be seeing in the natural world.
May God strengthen you in your faith to wait upon Him.

Pastor John

The Story Chapter One

The Story is a journey through the Bible that communicates God's love story for His special creation, us. Throughout this story God does not cover up the mistakes of man nor does He compromise His plan but expects us to do life His way. Within the first chapter of the story we have creation, the fall of man, the promise of restoration, the first murder and Noah's ark. The thing that is interesting that happened then is still happening today. The human race has a hard time listening to God. We may hear God but we have a hard time listening because if I listened it means that I am going to cooperate with God and do the things that He is telling me to do. In the story of Cain and Abel God spoke these words to Cain "I you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you but you must master it." Genesis 4:7 Unfortunately Cain did not listen and then killed his brother. The account of the human race from that point only got worse which led God to destroy the earth except for Noah and his family. Noah being a righteous man and who found favor with God saved his family. Shortly after the flood was over there arose a problem of Noah getting drunk, which lead to other problems with his children. The words that God spoke to Cain were not heeded then for Cain, Noah, his sons or for that matter the rest of the human race. God is looking for faithful ones who will listen to Him and begin to do life His way. In chapter two God finds another man who would listen to Him, Abrahan. More on him next week. For us today let us not become deceived and think that we can do what is right in the sight of the Lord in our own strength. We need Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord to help us to do what is right but He will not force us to do what is right we need to choose to do what is right and then ask Him for His help. He promised to help me if I look to Him.

May God strength your journey of faith.
Pastor John

Whose on first?

As this year begins the Lord is reminding me of the importance to keep His first in all things throughout this year. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." Jesus said in several places that if we want to be His disciple that we must follow Him. This concept of God being first and of following Jesus is one and the same. Many people claim to love Jesus and that is great but let's remember that Jesus said in several places that if you love Me, you will obey my commands. This too is the same principle of putting Him first and following Him. May the Lord inspire us to live a life this year of taking the words of Jesus at face value and follow Him by loving, serving and obeying Him with our whole hearts. I can only speak for myself but I long to have His favor and blessing upon my life which will come when I do the things that Jesus said was important. By the way the things must important to Jesus is to put Him first, love Him, serve Him, follow Him and to do these things with a heart of worship through grace. None of what I said can be accomplished through obeying the letter of the law but it is all accomplished through a passionate intimate relationship with the one who saved me, called me, and strengthens me. I desire to see more fruitful activity of God this year and that will only happen when I trust Him to work in and through me. We do not need to work harder this year but we do need to trust Him in all things whether big or small. I believe God wants to manifest Himself in the lives of His children. Ephesians 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
May the God of all love and grace bring this into reality in our lives.

Pastor John