Are we supposed to talk with Strangers?

Yes! In Mark 16:15 Christ tells us to go and proclaim the gospel to everyone. Keep in mind that everyone that has not trusted in Christ as their Savior stands condemned before God because of their sin (John 3:18). They need a Savior, and any of them could be living their last day today.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
(Joh 3:17-18)

EVERY ONE ONE OF US SHOULD BE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE MISSION, BUT EVERY ONE OF US HAS DIFFERENT GIFTINGS AND THEREFORE DIFFERENT ROLES.

There are chaplains and medics on the battlefield that are not in the front lines directly engaging the enemy, but who are there supporting those that actively engage the enemy. There are many players on a football team that never touch the football, but who work together to make sure that the ones carrying the football make progress on the field.

So if your gift is organization and administration, how are you using these abilities to help your church reach the lost and help the hurting? In other words, regardless of your gifting, how are you using them to help your church accomplish its mission? How are you working as part of the team?

We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we are empowered by Him and guided by Him.

Are you on the team? Do you know your role? Are you active on the field? Are you excited about what God is doing with your team?

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

TOUCHING LIVES BY THE POWER OF ONE



Christ told us to disciple all nations, but winning the nations is accomplished ONE by ONE. Winning people to Christ and discipling them one by one is the way to build a strong church. Crowds cannot be discipled en masse. Crowds can be convicted of sin and repent en masse, and even be baptized en masse, but discipleship just doesn't work that way. The reason for this is that part of discipleship is seeing the Christian life in action. 1 Peter 5:3 tells us that our eldership must set an example before us so that we can see spiritual maturity in action.



Discipleship must be built upon Relationship.


The family unit is the basic building block of the church family, the community, and the nation. Families joining together in Christian discipleship is the way to win nations.




We must:

· Work together to spread the word about Jesus dying for our sins, and about our church (Acts 1:8)
· Worship together regularly (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Hebrews 10:25)
· Pray for each other, and with each other regularly (Romans 12:12)
· Serve each other with a loving spirit by pitching in to do what needs to be done, and using our God-given abilities within the church family (John 13:14-15, 35, Philippians 2:4-5, 7)
· Faithfully set aside a percentage of our income and give generously to support our church (Proverbs 3:9, 1 Timothy 5:8)

Do you know what would happen if one person were to bring one person into a church family each month, and in turn each of those would bring one person into that church family?



Month 1 –––1 gets 1


Month 2 –––2 becomes 4


Month 3 –––4 becomes 8


Month 4 –––8 becomes 16


Month 5 ––-16 becomes 32


Month 6 ––-32 becomes 64


Month 7 ––-64 becomes 128


Month 8 ––128 becomes 256


Month 9 ––256 becomes 512


Month 10 –-512 becomes 1024


Month 11 –1024 becomes 2048


Month 12 –2048 becomes 4096



Why is it that the majority of American churches never break the 100 mark? (http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html#sizecong)

We must live for Christ, and boldly proclaim Christ where none have proclaimed Him before, and believe it or not, that place may be as near to you as the lunch table at work, or the van you car pool in.

The power of one, sold out for Jesus Christ.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Taking Baptism to the Streets

What about baptizing in the streets? What about baptizing in the neighborhoods? Should we be responsible to provide baptism immediately upon a person's willingness to repent of their sin and call on the name of Jesus for salvation?

1. I have often walked neighborhoods telling people about salvation in Christ, and exhorting them to call upon Christ to forgive their sins, but haven't brought with me a way to immerse them upon their confession of Christ.

• In Acts 2 the church was born, and we hear the apostle Peter say, Repent and be immersed for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• In Acts 8 we read that when the Samaritans believed Philip concerning the kingdom of God they were immersed.
• In Acts 8 when Philip took a chariot ride and led the driver to Christ they stopped the chariot and Philip immersed him.
• In Acts 10 the apostle Peter commanded the Gentiles to be immersed when the Holy Spirit came upon them.
• In Acts 16 Lydia and her family accepted Christ, and before she invited Paul into her house, she and hers were immersed.
• In Acts 16 Paul led the Philippian jailer and his family to the Lord, and the Bible makes a point of saying that that same hour he immersed them.
• In Acts 19 Paul met some of John the Immerser's disciples and they were promptly immersed calling on the name of the Lord Jesus.

hmmmm. Are you seeing a pattern here? I guess one could argue that it is not our responsibility to provide water where there is none, and there's probably a valid point there. But there's water just about every place we share Christ here in our community. All we would lack is the baptism pool. So how about carrying a pool with us so that when people accept Christ we can set it up, fill it, and immerse them right there in the neighborhood where they trusted in Christ? Let me know what you think.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

We are always on Trial

We are always on trial in some fashion. Sometimes we get so caught up in all the courtroom drama of our lives we forget what's really at stake. Our character is going to get questioned and challenged at every turn in life, and what will the verdict be as we are put through each trial? How would you come out on these charges?

Your Honor, the defendant stands accused of:

1) Not being merciful

2) Compromising the truth

3) Not trusting in the Lord with all his/her heart

4) Leaning on his/her own understanding and perception of things

5) Not acknowledging God in all aspects of his/her life, and not looking to Him for direction

6) Being wise in his/her own eyes, and thinking the answer lies in his/her own power of reason

7) Not setting aside and giving the first portion of his/her income to the Lord

All seven of these are requirements that the Lord clearly spells out in Proverbs 3:3-10:

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. (Pro 3:3-10)

One of the sad things in all this, is that the Lord promises us favor with both God and man if we would but live in accordance with His ways. Father Knows Best.

So how have your trials been going lately?

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Pastor B's Trifurcate Blog

Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Pastor B doesn't get his blog out on Thursday, or Friday, but gets a trifurcate blog out before Sabbath comes to end (i.e., sundown on Saturday). So what's a trifurcate blog? One that has three forks or branches. (Never heard of 'trifurcate'? At least I didn't bring up my trigeminus, that motor nerve of our masticatory muscles, that is currently getting a work out as I'm writing this. Yes, I guess I am in one of those moods.)

This particular trifurcate blog is three passages of scripture that among other things, talk of the great compassion of God. Take a brief moment before you read these, and ask the Lord to speak to your heart; to convict you where you need convicting, to encourage you where you need encouraging, and to direct you where you need directing. Be blessed, and be a blessing.

Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
(Psa 111:1-4)

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
(Psa 112:1-4)

A Praise of David. I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, And Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.
(Psa 145:1-21)

My prayers are with all of you,

Pastor B.

P.S. Our Wednesday night 7:00 services are now live on WPIO FM 89.3. Tune in if you can't get up to join us. I'm currently teaching through 1 Peter.

The prosperity of the wicked is short lived

So why is it that people that are wicked dogs prosper? Jeremiah the prophet asked that question.

Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?
(Jeremiah 12:1)

A man named Zophar put it well, when he said,

"Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, And his head reaches to the clouds, Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'
(Job 20:4-7)

The judgement of the wicked is coming, but God is hoping to see the wicked come to repentance.

"My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
(Psalm 7:10-13)

Whether you see it or not, the wicked are surrounded by many sorrows, whereas God's children are surrounded by mercy. Therefore, be glad in the Lord and rejoice in the midst of your earthly trials.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
(Psalm 32:8-11)

Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
(Psalm 37:1-10)

I get excited just thinking about God and His mercy towards me and those that I love. And I really get excited when I start praising Him. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Wait on the Lord, ready yourself, and expect awesome things to happen in the name of Jesus.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

So What About that place called Hell?

Hell is a pretty controversial subject. Some people question its very existence, and some just don't like to think about it. I'd like to just jot down a few little known facts about Hell from the Biblical perspective.

1) The English word "Hell" occurs 54 times in the King James Version of the Bible.

2) The 30 times in the Old Testament where "hell" appears it is used to translate the Hebrew word "She-ol", meaning the underworld, or abode of the dead, or grave. Men of God such as Jacob (Gen. 37:35), Job (Job 14:13), and David (Psalm 16:10) went there. Even though men of God went into hell, or Sheol, they expected God to redeem them from the power of the grave (Psalm 49:15, 86:13).

3) 15 of the 24 times 'hell' appears in the New Testament it is used to translate the Greek word "Had-es", meaning the underworld, or abode of the dead, or grave. It is similar to the Hebrew word Sheol, and is used instead of Sheol in the Greek Old Testament.

We know that this place (Sheol, or Hades) is not the place of everlasting punishment or the lake of fire, because the Word of God tells us that men of God have gone there, and because the Word tells us that "death AND HELL" (i.e., Hades) will be ultimately cast into the lake of fire, the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Mt. 25:41, Rev. 20:14).

I thought these tidbits might either be of interest, or might cause you to do a little studying of your own.

By the way, both Matthew 25 and Revelation 20 each mention a group of people that will be cast into that lake of fire right along with the devil and his angels. Do you know which groups these are?

Thank God that if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Would the Apostle Paul write this about us and our churches?

If the apostle Paul and his co-worker, Epaphras, were living today, do you think Paul would write this kind of letter to you and your church?

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. (Col 1:3-8)

Are you and your fellowship known for your faith in Christ Jesus?
Are you and your fellowship known for your love for all the saints?
Do you and your fellowship clearly proclaim the gospel of Christ?
Are you and your fellowship bearing fruit for the Lord?
Is the love of the Holy Spirit evident in you and your fellowship?

Would you pray with me that our church families would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that we would walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; and that we would give thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."? (Col 1:9-12)

After all, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:13-14)

I love you guys,
Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Jesus and His Whip

It's kind of hard for some to picture Jesus making a whip of cords, overturning the tables of those that had turned the temple of God into a religious flea market of sorts, and driving men out of the market with a whip.



Something tells me that there was an authority in His voice and a fire in His eyes that caused even the toughest of men to respectfully withdraw. You might remember that the multitudes that heard Him were astonished at His teaching, in part, because He came across with an authority that was unlike the other teachers of His day.

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
(Mat 7:28-29)

And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" (John 2:14-16)

I 'bolded' "My Father's house" so that you'd be sure to catch what Jesus was saying to them. He was calling the heavenly father His dad! It was not unusual for the Jews as a people to address God as "Our Father", but individuals did not address God as if He was their personal father. It was as if Jesus was saying that the temple was his family's home, and that He was not about to have them turning His dad's place into a religious business, when it was meant to be a house of prayer. Luke 19:45-48 describes another time Jesus drove people from the temple. Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if Jesus cleared it out on a regular basis when He was in town.

(There is much Jesus did that did not get recorded. The apostle John ended His gospel with these words- "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen."- John 21:25)

The word of God tells us that we believers, as the people, or church, of Jesus Christ, are the temple of God in this age (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:21). Is there anything set up or going on in you that Jesus would be unhappy about? In your church family? If we claim the name of Jesus, we are a reflection of both Him and His Father.

Best clean house on our own, and not wait for Jesus to come in and overturn the tables.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

God Predicted You Would be Here 3000 Years Ago

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David wrote Psalm 102 about 3000 years ago.
This Psalm says it was written for a future generation, and that a people that were yet to be created would praise the Lord, and be used to set free those that were under the sentence of death.

"This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the LORD viewed the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death,
(Psa 102:18-20)

There was a people yet to be created that would be the people of the coming Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of God. This people would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would become known as the congregation or church of the Messiah, the church of Jesus Christ.

Read what the prophet Isaiah said about 500 years after King David wrote the above Psalm.

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." (Isa 61:1-3)

The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name.
(Isa 62:2)

Are you a planting of the Lord? Are you a tree of righteousness? Are you one of those Christ followers that kings and prophets foretold would one day come to bring hope to the hopeless and bring freedom to those in bondage?

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Taxes and Frailities

Well, today is the day. It never ceases to amaze me how pathetic I am when it comes to keeping records, maintaining files, and differentiating between the important stuff and the not-so-important stuff.

Do I need to keep the receipt of the $2.00 pack of pens that I bought at Staples? Probably not. But it gets tucked in my wallet with the $120 receipt for the printer, and the $4.00 receipt for my Diet Dews, and my $20.00 receipt for gas, and my $15.00 receipt for dog food, and well, I'm sure you get the picture. And where do you think those packs of receipts end up that are stored indefinitely in my wallet? I periodically put them in a safe place to be sorted out later (I think I put them in zip lock bags sometimes). I have no idea where they are, though. Probably the same place where all the cheap pens end up that I am constantly purchasing because one by one the whole lot of them end up going bye-bye. Does it matter that I 'lose' pens? Maybe not. Does it matter that the I 'lose' receipts? For the most part, no. HOWEVER, there are a few of those receipts that are actually important! Just like this morning when I was looking for my printout of last year's tax return. I can find piles of printouts of all sorts of things that really don't matter, but do you think I could find the printout of last year's tax return? It wasn't in the file folder labeled "income taxes", but it could be in some other safe place. (Maybe with the zip lock bags of receipts and the cheap pens?)

As I sighed over some of my weaknesses and seeming 'inabilities' this morning (and I didn't cover the part of trying to get a stubborn wireless mouse to work right, inadvertently selecting the wrong option with that weird pad on my laptop, and well, you really don't want to know the rest of that story) I thought how some of us wrestle with the same problem in our spiritual lives.

How are you managing your spiritual life? Do you differentiate between the important and the not-so important stuff? What do you consider the important aspects of your spiritual life? What kind of priority do you give them in your daily life? If Jesus came back today and wanted to see how you've been managing your spiritual life, how would things look? How would you look?

Is your spiritual life a series of constantly dropped balls, good intentions constantly put aside or forgotten, and important things left undone?

How are your priorities looking?

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [having to do with our daily needs] shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Mat 6:33-34)

Pray for me, and I'll pray for you.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

We ain't as smart as we think we are

I'm sure that you have a lot of bright ideas, and whether you know it or not, some of them might have even been the result of a little help from the Lord. Where we get into trouble is when we think that our human intelligence is going to help us reason out what we should or shouldn't do as Christians.

The Word of God tells us that our natural mind and its thinking are not in tune with God and His thinking. In fact, it says that the things of the Spirit of God are often contrary to our natural inclinations.

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.- 1 Corinthians 2:14

We have a tendency to trust our analytical ability and reasoning, when the Word of God warns us not to rely on it when it comes to spiritual matters.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. - Pro 3:5-6

Of course, there is a catch of sorts. If you trust in the Lord and acknowledge Him in all your ways He will direct your paths, BUT God often leads us to do things outside of our comfort zone.

So I guess you need to ask yourself, do you want to be the person God wants you to be, and do you want to do what God wants you to do?

If so, seek the Lord in faith and He will direct your paths.

Just keep in mind that the Lord will often challenge our natural mindset and direct us to do things in a way that will not necessarily make a lot of sense to us. In most cases when God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things He leads them to do things that are out of the norm.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. - Rom 8:14

Listen . . . and follow.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Happy Day-After-Ressurection-Day Day!

Hope all of you celebrated the resurrection of our Lord yesterday. Our worship team did the music at a Sonrise Service in Frontenac (we went all acoustic- was really cool) and then did our normal celebration at our 10:00 service at CCSC. I went through the end of the book of Matthew and walked our congregation through the events from the Last Supper (we had communion) to the resurrection.

Jesus suffered in so many ways on our behalf, and yet His own apostles abandoned Him when they felt their own lives were in danger. And yet, Jesus went to see them after He rose from the dead, He forgave them, and He then gave them the great commission! How amazing is that, that the Lord sent out the very apostles that had abandoned Him as His first ambassadors to the world. But Jesus knew something that many of us forget. Those that have been forgiven much, love much.

Have you ever wished you had a stronger love for Jesus? A greater passion for Christ? Let me make a suggestion. Ask God to give you a greater sense or awareness of your sinfulness before Him. It is hard to not be passionate for Jesus when you realize just how undeserving you are, and how much He has forgiven you.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
(Eph 2:1-7)

How awesome He is, and what love He has.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Watch and Pray

If what she's seeing is the Lord coming through the clouds, she better be ready to meet Him.

And He [Jesus] said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."
(Act 1:7-11)

One of the things that poses a big threat to our readiness to meet Him, is our tendency to procrastinate and to allow the things that life throws at us to take a higher priority than the things of God. We have often have the best of intentions, but unfortunately good intentions are powerless against poor prioritizing and procrastination. And to make matters worst, poor prioritizing and procrastination fly under our radar so that we frequently don't even detect their presence.

Take me for instance. :) I didn't even know until this morning that I apparently didn't post and distribute the daily blog yesterday. Do you know what that means? I not only didn't get to it, in spite of my good intentions, but I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I DIDN'T GET TO IT.

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins (back in Jesus' time 'virgins' was simply a to-the-point term used for 'women that hadn't been married yet') who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
(Mat 25:1-13)

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Mat 24:36-51)

"Cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites"? I think maybe Jesus was trying to get our attention, and get us to take this whole thing of serving God seriously.

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(Mat 26:40-41)

Our intentions may be good, but our flesh is weak. We MUST WATCH (Be constantly on our toes) and PRAY (seek God's guidance and strength).

The Lord is counting on us to stay awake, and be on our guard against those things that would distract us from our mission. Please pray for me, and I'll be praying for you.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Passover Begins

As we prepare for the sunset this evening, the Jewish Passover begins. This was the time that Jesus sat and ate His last supper with His disciples, the evening before the passover lamb was slain.

The same night that He was betrayed, He took the bread, and broke it, and said this is my body broken for you, eat this in remembrance of me.


For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
(1Pe 2:21-25)

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

All by YOUR Grace, All for YOUR Glory,
Pastor B.

Time to Get a Job

This sign is one I would love to have posted throughout our church facility. It takes a lot of work to run a family, as any mother knows, and as any father that has ever run a household knows. Someone needs to mow the lawn, vacuum and clean the carpets, pick up trash outside, clean the windows where little hands have pressed, shake out the mats, arrange the tables and chairs, make sure there are enough visitor packets and prayer request cards, find pens for tables that need them, make sure the bathrooms and kitchen area are clean, make sure garbage isn't overflowing or smelling, make sure there are diapers and wipes in the nursery, make sure there is creamer and sugar for the coffee, make sure the clocks read right and have the batteries they need, make sure the bulletins and inserts are printed up, that needed Sunday School materials are in place, that people are greeted at the door, that bulletins are handed out, that offerings are collected, counted, and deposited, that nursery and children's workers are present, that needed last minute substitutes are found, that guests are introduced, that devices that require batteries have working batteries, and that there are enough cups, bread, and juice for communion on communion Sunday. (Have you ever wondered what happens on a communion Sunday if someone forgot to reorder the necessary cups or bread?)

A church is a large family, and as such relies on the family members to get the work done. If you are part of a church family and don't have a job, you need to get one! Believe it or not, working a job doesn't hurt, and it honors God and helps your church family. Many hands make light work. Some people have jokingly said that when Jesus said that His yoke was easy and His burden was light that He was not referring to when 20% of the people do 100% of the work.

1 Timothy 5:9 says that those that do not provide for their own are worse than unbelievers. The word 'provide' is a word that means to look out for, and includes all aspects of looking out for one's family. We Christians should be the most committed, reliable, selfless, cheerful, sacrificial, workers present. So if you ever run into one of those "Workers Present" signs, ask yourself, are you one of the workers present in your church family as people come in the door on Sunday? Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Passover (Easter) Sunday

Several thousand years ago, God's people, the Israelites, were slaves in Egypt. Per God's direction, on the evening of the 14th day of their month of Nissan, they ate their unleavened bread, and spent the following morning (still the 14th as Hebrew days went from evening to morning) removing the leaven from their dwellings. In the afternoon they killed a passover lamb, put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their dwelling, and readied for the coming of the death angel into Egypt.

The death angel came the evening of the 15th of Nissan, and the Israelites ate their unleavened bread and lamb as the death angel passed over them, and cries of anguish were heard throughout Egypt where God's judgment fell.

About 1600 years later Jesus Christ sat with twelve disciples on the evening of the 14th day of their month Nissan, and ate their unleavened bread and drank the fruit of the vine. On the following afternoon of that same day, Jesus Christ, the passover lamb of God, was crucified, shedding His blood for the sins of the whole world. (Church tradition places the 15th of Nissan that year on Friday, and hence, our remembrance of Christ's crucifixion on 'Good Friday'.) Christ was our passover lamb, and shed the blood that will deliver us from God's judgment on sin and evil.

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
(1Co 5:7)

But God's people were to have a new life! The lamb wasn't just slain so that the Israelites wouldn't be hurt by God's judgment, but so that the Israelites could be raised up as a people of God and brought into a new land. In the same way, Christ wasn't slain just so that we would be spared God's judgment on this world, but He was slain so that we could be raised in newness of life.

Jesus remained in the grave during the sabbath, but the day after the sabbath, on Passover Sunday, He rose from the grave! Christ was planted as a seed in the ground, and rose up as the firstfruits of resurrected life for mankind.

"But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. . . . For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming."
(1Co 15:20, 22-23)

Wow! We followers of Christ have been celebrating the resurrection of Jesus every Sunday ever since. But that first Passover (Easter) Sunday was the one that made eternal life possible for all of us. Those of us who are in Christ, will one day be changed, and be raised up just as Jesus was.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY." "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1Co 15:51-57)

Glory to God!!

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

It's those two calendars and it's those palms!

My blog for the day is a correction of an incorrect statement I made last Thursday regarding Palm Sunday. I incorrectly put the parenthetical statement, "(Palm Sunday on our calendar)" in my blog, regarding the feast of tabernacles. Ouch! How my mind got so confused I do not know, but you have my profuse apology.

I was driving in my car yesterday thinking about the difference between the old Hebrew civil calendar and the old Hebrew religious calendar. The religious calendar starts with the month of the Passover and seven day feast of unleavened bread (Ex.12:1-2, 15) [our Easter season]. The first month of the civil calendar was the seventh month of the religious calendar, and had the Day of Atonement and seven day feast of tabernacles [Lev. 23:27, 34]. Both Palm Sunday and the Feast of Tabernacles are in a first month of a Hebrew calendear, but the former is on the first month of the religious calendar, and the latter is on the first month of the civil calendar. How I connected in my mind Palm Sunday and the feast of tabernacles together last Thursday, I do not know. I wish I had a good excuse, but the best I could come up with is it's those two calendars and those palms everyone kept waving around!

By the way, no matter what hard times you are going through, remember as you wave your palms tomorrow, that the entry of Christ into your life is a time to celebrate. For with Christ, comes freedom from the penalty and power of sin, redemption and regeneration, new hearts and new starts for all turn to Him.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" . . . Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
(Rev 7:9-15)

Praise God for the blood of Christ washes us clean and makes us worthy to enter the throne room! Praise God for the risen Christ dwells in us, and reigns over us from His throne in glory. Praise God for He who sits on the throne will return to establish His kingdom on earth and one day dwell among us.

Wave those palm branches. The Lord came to redeem us, the Lord is reigning over us, and the Lord is returning! Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Worship is Not Just a Personal Matter

Some people mistakenly think that worship is something that a person does just between them and God. The scripture actually tells us a much different story about worship.

It tells us that in worship we speak to one another. In worship we speak the Word of Christ. In worship we teach and admonish (gently correct) one another. Wow!

“speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”- Eph 5:19-20

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. “- Col 3:15-16

Note that worship can and does bring the peace of God to our hearts when we do it with a thankful spirit. It is important that we not only sing to God from our hearts, but that we sing with one another. Our songs should give thanks to the Lord and should contain the truth of the word of God. As we sing the truth of the Word of God together it will teach us, and even gently correct us.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
(Heb 13:15)

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES AND PALM SUNDAY


On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, the people of Israel would announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written." (Neh 8:15). It was a time to leave their houses, set up temporary dwellings (booths), focus on worship, and remember that we are still pilgrims on this earth, and God is yet to establish His kingdom here on earth.

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. . . .
'Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
(Lev 23:34, 39-41)

And then Jesus, the Messiah arrived on the scene! Could this be the time when God would restore Israel and establish His kingdom on earth?

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SITTING ON A DONKEY'S COLT."
(Joh 12:12-15)

We also wave palms on Palm Sunday as we celebrate the first coming of Christ, and it is also a good time to remember the feast of tabernacles (i.e., booths), and remind ourselves that we are still pilgrims and strangers on this earth, and that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom that is yet to be established on this earth. Let us not get too comfortable in our houses, for they are mere tents in the grand scheme of things.

Remember our message and our mission! And remember to Rejoice in the Lord Always! (Philippians 4:4)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Someone is Watching You

People are always watching us, and as Christians we must recognize that what we say and do reflects on the name of Christ.

Years ago one when my son was a little boy he was watching a computer game that consisted of a little man that lived in a house. The little guy would move around the house doing things such as read the paper, and feed the dog. He even put a record on his stereo once in a while and did a little jig. You could type messages to him and he would type back. If you ignored him he would eventually walk up to the monitor and knock on the glass to get your attention. Every once in a while he would step outside his front door and you couldn't see what he was doing outside. I'll never forget my little son saying, "I know what he's doing, Dad, he's smoking a cigarette!" I found this quite unusual since none of our immediate family smoked. I asked him a few questions and found out that he noticed how some of his uncles would step outside the front door of his Nana's house to smoke cigarettes. It amazed me that this made such an impression on my son, that when he saw this little computer guy step outside the front door of his house, that his first thought was that he must be stepping outside to smoke a cigarette.

Kids aren't the only ones that are impressionable. People of all ages are impressionable, and we adults are probably more impressionable than we realize or than we would care to admit.

But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
(Eph 5:13-18)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.