Church of the

"Living and sharing Jesus Christ"

We joyfully proclaim the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Pastor's Point – July, 2010

“Does God Give Second Chances?” 

In the Jonah VeggieTales movie that our children enjoy watching, an angelic choir sings a moving song to Jonah chanting "God is a God of second chances."  Really?

 

If you know the story of Jonah, you recall that God sent him with a message to the city of Nineveh, but Jonah refused, ran away, and boarded a ship to sail in the opposite direction.

 

But instead of escaping, he found himself thrown overboard and swallowed by a large sea creature.  After three days alive in the creature's stomach, Jonah prayed that God would forgive him.  The creature promptly vomited Jonah along with a lot of other sea stuff onto a nearby beach.  Alive and having learned a lesson, Jonah traveled to Nineveh and delivered the message.

 

God had given him a second chance.  At the same time, He gave the residents of Nineveh a second chance and explained to Jonah that it was His compassion that led Him to do it.

 

The same God gave His only Son to save the world – you and me.  The apostle John wrote in the famous passage (John 3:16) that it was God's love for us and His creation that led Him to do it.  For humanity, that is a second chance!  Peter, another of Jesus' apostles later wrote, "The Lord... is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).  Second chances?  That and more!

 

If you feel that you need a second chance with God, remember that through Jesus He is before you with outstretched arms waiting for you to return.

 

With love,   

 

 

Pastor's Point – June, 2010

“It ain't your fault” 

You had nothing to do with your birth.  It wasn't your fault that your parents decided to do what resulted in you.  You didn't decide where you would grow up or any of the conditions around your early life.  You did not make the world the way that it is.  You inherited it with all of its problems.  Although you had no say in any of these conditions, there was plenty of help around you to make your life troublesome.  And so went your childhood.  Whether good or bad, and probably a healthy amount of the latter, you didn't cause it.  

 

Oh yes, but as you grew you did have and make choices about your life.  Every day.  Some of your choices may have helped make your life better.  But you must admit that not all of your choices were good.  In at least in some way, you like the rest of us also helped to make at least part of this world a little worse.  If you didn't, I'd like to meet you and touch a perfect person.

 

But let me tell you some good news.  God understands that it is not all is your fault.  And in spite of your personal contributions to the world's problems, He still loves you.  More than you could ever realize!  He forgives your contribution to pain and suffering of others as well as yourself.  He has taken full responsibility for all that has gone wrong for you and everyone else.  Not only take responsibility, He also has acted to rescue you and everyone else from it all. 

 

Are you willing to permit Him to bear the fault?  Are you willing to accept His forgiveness?  Are you willing to allow Him to change you so that you can join Him in solving the problem?  If you answer yes and would like to learn more, please contact us or visit us. Also, I suggest the magazine Christian Odyssey.  For a free subscription, go to http://www.christianodyssey.com/subscribe.htm.

 

With love,   

 

Pastor's Point – May, 2010

“Jesus' way of reaching people” 

Before I became a pastor, I enjoyed a career working for the IBM Corporation.  The company was and continues to be one of America best.  When many of the nation’s largest companies struggled with problems with unions, IBM soared above them without a union.  IBM’s employees tend to be highly motivated and extremely productive.  The company had a secret to its success.  The secret was explained in its three basic principles: 1) Respect for the individual, 2) Best possible customer service, and 3) Excellence in all endeavors.  I remember them still today.  America’s corporate world today could learn much by considering this different approach to business.  

 

Did you know that the Lord Jesus had a secret way of reaching people?  He used this way to reach large numbers of people and proclaim the gospel to them.  He also led His disciples to use the same way.  He made them partners with them in His work.  This is the role of the church today – to partner with Jesus in His way of reaching people.  The Gospel according to Mark explains this in Mark 6:33-44, the famous story of the feeding of the 5000.

 

We see there that Jesus' secret was genuine compassion for people.  Exhausted, saddened by the death of a friend, and in need of a vacation, Jesus responded to the needs of people who "were like sheep without a shepherd."  He taught them and fed them along with the help of His disciples.   He is no different today.  Jesus is still filled with compassion and wants us to partner with Him to teach His wandering sheep and help with their needs.

 

With love,   

 

Pastor's Point – April, 2010

“Are you better off?” 

That question is sometimes asked during presidential political races to raise doubts about the administration currently in office.  But how does it apply to one who believes that Jesus is Savior and Lord and decides to live as His follower?  Is that life better than it would have been?  Or, is the believer’s hope for a better life only in the hereafter?

 

The Bible has a well known story that answers this important question.  David, a young person who first encountered the Lord as a teen was called upon to live a life of service in the Lord’s name.  David answered the call, and ultimately became known as Israel’s greatest king.  After a long life of service that took its toll with internal and external conflicts, personal failures, and occasional successes, David wrote: “The Lord is my Shepherd” – the famous opening words of the 23rd Psalm.  That beautiful, often memorized poem ends with “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.  And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

 

 David’s words express a definite hope in the afterlife.  But they also claim that he had something in this life that really mattered and made it better.  Because we live in a world that is less than paradise, we can expect difficulties from time to time.  In some cases, the difficulties may seem to overwhelm the more pleasant times.  But because the believer has the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in his or her life, what follows them works out for good and brings peace of mind.

 

If you are young and unsure about responding to Jesus’ call now consider: people today – I am one – know by experience that the Lord is faithful to His promises.

 

With love,   

 

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