Are You on a Mission?

"Mission"- A body of persons sent to establish relations with a foreign country." Mission comes from the Latin 'missio' meaning to send. The Greek word is ä-po-ste'l-lō' (An apostle in the New Testament was a 'sent one').

God has always gone to great lengths to send us His light, His truth, His Spirit, and His Word:

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!(Psa 43:3)
You send forth Your Spirit . . . And You renew the face of the earth. (Psa 104:30)
He sent Moses His servant, And Aaron whom He had chosen. (Psa 105:26)
He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly . . . He sends out His word and melts them;
(Psa 147:15-17)

God then sent the embodiment of His light, His truth, His Spirit, and His Word through Jesus Christ. And now we are His ambassadors, His mission, if you will.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Co 5:17-21)

We, the church of Jesus Christ, are God's embassy here on earth. We are to plead with people that are alienated from God by sin to establish relationship with Him through repentance and faith in Christ. God is holy and righteous, and is a consuming fire that will judge and take vengeance on wickedness. But through the blood of the Lamb that covers and takes away our sin we can wear the white robe of the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus through faith. Calling all sinners, run for the embassy where you can find refuge from the wrath to come.

Are you on a Mission?

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Freedom in Christ

Are you free in Christ? What does that mean, exactly?

Does that mean you are free to dress like you want, spend your money like you want, spend your time like you want, and indulge in any socially acceptable habit that you want?

Is freedom really being able to do whatever we please? Is that the kind of freedom that Christ bought for us with His blood? The freedom to do whatever we please? The freedom to indulge in whatever activity gives us pleasure or satisfaction, as long as it's not against the rules of God's Word?

A baseball player that sits in the outfield picking daisies isn't violating any rules of the game, but wouldn't you agree that he's not doing what he's supposed to be doing?

So why would we think that we can sit in the field picking daisies and call ourselves Christ followers just because we're not violating any rules in the book?

Freedom in Christ is actually experienced as we surrender our will to His will, and live out our mission here on earth as obedient children, and as slaves of God.

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (Rom 6:22)

The freedom we have in Christ is not one of doing what we please, but being able to do what He pleases. Apart from Christ we cannot please God.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)

God didn't call us to a life of indulgence and ease, but to a life of self-sacrifice and service in the Lord's army corps.

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2Ti 2:3-4)

Are you free in Christ? What does that mean exactly?

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Thanksgiving and the Pursuit of Happiness

What makes you thankful?

Brother Roy Coy sent out a devotion today (in his typical 4:00 a.m. way :) - maybe I should try getting up at 4:00 a.m.) challenging us to ask a very good question, "What would it take to make me happy?"

Our founding fathers talked of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Though we Americans probably have a higher quality and degree of life and liberty than most, we do spend a lot of time and energy pursuing that ever elusive thing called happiness.

So, what exactly are we pursuing? A group of Pilgrims pursuing religious freedom came to our shores in 1620, and the cold, sleet, and snow of the first winter was so severe that less than 50 of the 110 Pilgrims and crew survived it. Yet instead of bitterness toward God for the dead, there was thanksgiving toward God for the living. And on March 16, 1621, a miracle occurred- an Indian walked into their settlement, and he spoke English! His name was Samoset, and the rest is history. The birth of a holiday we call Thanksgiving, and the birth of a nation that we call America. And who knows. The outcome of our history may have been very different had those Pilgrims not chosen to be thankful in the midst of their loss and grief.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME." (Rom 10:10-11)

Those Pilgrims were not put to shame. They were ultimately delivered, and
ultimately used by God to found a great nation.

I do not know what God has in store for you, but I do know that He has a beautiful plan for your life, and that the choices you make each day affect others around you.

Maybe a different twist on the question of happiness, would be to ask you, whose happiness are you purusing? Your own, others, or God's?

To puruse His will, to know it, to obey it, and to stay in it, is probably the most effective way to bring true happiness. For in pursuing the happiness of your Heavenly Father, you bring His kingdom to earth (Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven), and with His kingdom comes righteousness, peace- the everlasting Holy Spirit kind!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Enter into His Presence with Thanksgiving

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. (Psa 95:1-2)

Notice that even if you can't sing you can make a joyful noise! Express your thankfulness to God for your many blessings. Count your many blessings. Name them one by one!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Th 5:16-18)

God wants us to always be in the mode of rejoicing in His goodness, praying, and giving thanks in every circumstance.

How in the world we do THAT?

Somehow we must rejoice, pray, and thank Him when we wake up, when we get ready to start a new day, when we drive to work, when we work, when we take our breaks, when we are home, when we are resting, when we are engaged in community activities, when we are shopping, and when we retire for the evening.

Obviously, our rejoicing, prayers, and thanks can't be limited to dinner time, bed time, church services, or special prayer meetings.

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. (Psa 5:3)

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
(Psa 34:1)

But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. (Psa 59:16)

Does God hear your voice first thing in the morning? Do you tell Him how grateful you are for His love? Do you praise Him and thank Him as you get ready for your new day? Does your praise and thanks continue throughout your day?

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. (Psa 55:17)

My wife, Claudia, and I want to invite you to a special Thanksgiving Eve communion service at our church this Wednesday night from 7-8 p.m. (5195 S. Washington Ave. on the east side of U.S. 1 in Titusville - about a mile north of the 405 overpass). (Main parking is to the rear of the building.)


We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, . . . For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
(Col 1:3-9)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

God's Elite Guard

Hard to imagine the magnificence of the two cherubim, the 15 foot high angelic guardians of the holy of holies and the ark of the covenant. It appears that they may be capable of wielding flaming swords since Genesis 3:24 says:

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
(Gen 3:24)

There is some debate as to whether the cherubim are angels that are special attendants of God, or whether they are their own separate class of created beings. In Psalm 104:4 we read:

Who makes His angels spirits, His attendants a flame of fire.

Are the angels the attendants, or are the attendants a separate group from the angels?

One thing we do know about angels is that they look after God's own.

For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. (Psa 91:11)

Another thing we do know is that there is a heavenly army (i.e., host), and

All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?" (Dan 4:35)

This is good news for us, because this means that the Lord is the commander in chief of the heavenly army, and that no adversary can prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes.

Take comfort in knowing that though war should rise against you, your heart need not fear.


The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; . . . For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek." Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me. Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! (Psa 27:1-14)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

The Holy Spirit brought us what Jesus bought us!

Did you know that the Space Shuttle delivers cargo through the darkness of space?

Did you know that the Holy Spirit delivers cargo through the darkness of this world?

Jesus bought us a precious gift when He died on the cross and rose from the grave 2,000 years ago, but who was going to deliver the precious cargo of everlasting life?

Man sits in darkness with no hope, blinded by his sin and his adversary, the devil.

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2Co 4:3-4)

But Praise God that in the midst of the darkness God launched the Holy Spirit who carried the precious cargo of new life in Christ to a dying world. Praise God that in the midst of my darkness God launched the Holy Spirit who carried the precious gift of new life in Christ to me!

In our Christian heritage we are careful to remember what was accomplished on Mount Calvary and those last words of Jesus, "It is finished." But even though the payment of our sin had been finished there in Calvary, the delivery of what had been purchased had yet to be made! The Holy Spirit had yet to be launched!

And then on another mountain, Mount Olivet, a risen Jesus spoke those last words before His ascension to His throne, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me". The Holy Spirit was about to be launched!

Power! Power in the Holy Spirit! When a Christian says, "I have no power", what they are really saying is, "I have no power in the Holy Spirit". The Holy Spirit doesn't want to dock at your station and have you admire Him. He wants you to open up those bay doors and receive the victory that He has brought to you. It's a victory that Christ bought for you, but that you must take personal delivery of.

Don't pray for the Holy Spirit if you are a Christian, because He has already docked in you. Pray for the power! And when you pray for the power He will come upon you!!

The early Christians prayed for the power to boldly procliam Christ's word, and they got room shaking Holy Spirit power!

Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Act 4:29-31)

Pray for the power to be His witness, and watch what shakes out!!!

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

By the way, did you know that the shuttle is mentioned in the Old Testament book of Job?

The Narrow Gate and Farmer Brown's Garden

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Mat 7:13-14)

Peter Rabbit was a naughty boy who got himself in trouble feasting on the delights of Farmer Brown's garden. He had great trouble finding, and then getting safely to, the narrow gate that he knew would lead to safety.

Fortunately for Peter, he found his way to the narrow gate and was able to escape to safety. But I'm sure there were many rabbits that didn't make it to through that narrow gate alive. (In the picture, Farmer Brown with his rake is pursuing Peter, trying to catch him before he makes it through the narrow gate.)

Most, if not all of us have found ourselves caught up in the things of the world at one time or another. While that in itself is a problem, the far greater danger is that the the things of the world can mesmerize us into spiritual oblivion. Once immersed in the things of the world, we may never find our way out of its garden of delights, and may not find our way back to that narrow gate.

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Heb 11:24-26)

Moses felt that bearing the suffering and shame of Christ was a greater treasure than enjoying the fame, fortune, power, and luxuries of all Egypt.

Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. (Heb 13:13-14)

We are foreigners behind enemy lines here on earth in this life. We are seeking a kingdom yet to come. In the mean time we are God's Resistance movement, if you will. On the other side of the narrow gate can be suffering and shame for a season, but it ultimately leads to safety and glory that far exceeds the enticements of Farmer Brown's garden.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.