Updated
12-5-07
12-9-07
“For, behold, the darkness shall cover the
earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and
his glory shall be seen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:2)
We clearly see that darkness has covered the
earth. Spiritual darkness has permeated every continent on the planet and its
penetration has devastatingly impacted the professing church.
Jesus said that in the last days false prophets
would rise up to deceive many, that iniquity would abound and the love of many
would wax cold. He said that there would be famine, pestilence, war,
earthquakes, envy, strife, self-centeredness, false teaching, etc.
Certainly we can get caught up in pointing the
finger at those who we believe to be responsible. We could choose to campaign
against the darkness by pointing out all the faults. However, while we believe
that there is a place and time to utter forth the judgment of God, expose the
darkness, and execute discipline; we choose in addition, to emphasize our belief
that “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” We believe
that the Lord Himself has called His people to be light in this dark world.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a
lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.” (Matt. 5:15-16)
We are also called to be the salt of the earth, a
preservative that holds back decay; a seasoning that has the potential of making
those who taste it thirsty. Jesus said: "You are the salt of the earth; but
if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for
nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Matt. 5:13-14)
We will not cease to contend earnestly for the
faith. We will do this by exposing the darkness and by proclamation of the truth
of the Gospel.
May the Lord enable us to shine bright in this
dark time! Unrelenting!
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil
with good.” (Romans 12:21)
I
love you all, Pastor Paul
A few pasts weeks are
listed below...
12-2-07
“The Bible calls Satan the great deceiver. To
be deceived means to be led away from the truth without knowing it. If the
person being deceived knew they were being deceived, then deception would not
have occurred. One must believe that one is not deceived in order to be
deceived. It is just that simple.
I believe that understanding deception has a lot
to do with having a proper perspective. Instead of having God’s perspective,
the person being deceived has his own perspective. A human desire for power and
the potential to be proud are two of the greatest barriers that prevent us from
seeing God’s perspective. Satan’s plan is to deceive mankind by working on
human weaknesses. He knows what he is doing.
In
Proverbs we read: “There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death.” Think about this for a moment. The Bible
states “the wages of sin is death.” So what may seem right, can lead to
death because the consequence of sin is death. Do you see how deception works?
Sometimes it is beneficial to take time to do a
reality check on our lives. For example, a Christian can be confident that he or
she is serving the Lord when he is actually deceived. This is because what we do
“seems to be right” in our eyes.
Not
long ago a situation occurred which helped me to see how easily one can be
deceived by not having the proper perspective. I was looking over a series of
slides on my digital camera. I had taken these photos while traveling around
England. Without knowing what I had done I had somehow expanded the view on one
particular slide from the normal view to a view that was 10 times enlarged. As I
was flipping through the slides, I could not figure out what the scene was that
I had photographed.
Moving the picture around on the screen from left
to right and top to bottom did not help. It was the most frustrating experience.
Nothing that I could see in the photo seemed to give me a clue where I had taken
this photo. Suddenly, I remembered how to view the slide in the normal
unexpanded view. In a second I could see what the picture was and recalled
exactly where I had taken it. I just needed the proper perspective.
Perhaps this illustration will be useful to help
you see what can happen to human beings, ministries, pastors and even
denominations. It is very easy to go about our lives thinking we are God’s
chosen vessel, doing His will, when we are deceived and doing the work of Satan.
This is why it is important that we read the Word and give ourselves a reality
check from time to time.” - Roger Oakland
I trust you will enjoy Roger today. Welcome him
with open hearts.
Pastor
Paul
11-25-07
Have you ever received a gift that you lost track of, only to find it at
a later date? I remember receiving a beautiful sweater that was for some time
lost in the back of a drawer in my dresser. Later, when cleaning out the same
drawer, I found it. It had begun to cool off and the sweater was just what I
needed. Opening the folded garment brought joy to my soul and a thankfulness for
the one who had purchased it.
Today in our study through Revelation 19 we are taking a bit of a
“rabbit trail” through the book of Ephesians for a brief overview of all God
has done for us. He has provided us the garments of righteousness as a gift from
the groom – our Lord, to His bride – the Church. He has given new and
beautiful garments to the church and instructs us to put off the filthy rags of
human effort and unrighteous living. We are called to put on the garments of
truth, holiness and the life of our Savior Jesus Christ. However, just as was
the case with my misplaced sweater, we will rediscover how God by the cleansing
provided us in the “washing of water by the Word” we are given the garments
of righteousness only He can provide.
Last week just before my vacation/anniversary celebration I received
bottle of cologne from a friend as a “vacation gift.” With it I received a
card that shared the thoughts of the one who had purchased it for me. It said,
“Every time I spray this cologne I am reminded about the fragrance of
Christ.” The thought penetrated me and each time I spray it, I enjoy it more
than the time before. Praise be to God for the gift of reminders. Praise be to
God for His unspeakable gift of grace and love.
Whether it is the garment of righteousness or the fragrant presence of
Christ, I pray this holiday season brings to our remembrance and usefulness all
the Lord has done for each of us.
Thanks be to the Lord our Savior who provides grace and peace unto each
of us through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. “According as His
divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might
be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:2-4)
I love you all, Pastor Paul
Someone might ask, “Why should we pray if God knows all, and will
supply all our needs by His riches in glory by Christ Jesus?” The answer is
simple. God wants us to learn that He is our sufficiency. His desire is to be
our all in all. It is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. However, He is
zealous for our well being, and the development of our relationship to Him; a
relationship He has designed in His great sovereignty - that we become and
develop as a people of prayer.
It is interesting to note that for each time we are exhorted to study or
teach the truths of Scripture, we are told 23 times to pray. It is apparent that
God desires to have us develop a “prayer life” and personal relationship
with Him.
With few exceptions, essentially every person named throughout Scripture
develops the concept of personal interaction between the Lord and the person
cited. There is no change today. We who are believers are called to a constant
interaction with the Lord.
Today you will hear a sermon that has impacted my life in a tremendous
way. Not only as a call to prayer, but in hearing the difficulties of a pastor
who grieves over his daughter’s struggle with the Lord, on her journey to
surrender. Many of you here today will likewise relate to this. I trust you will
enjoy this powerful message and the prayer and worship time following.
Today, Brenda and I are on our way home from a weeklong celebration of
our 28 year marriage. Praise the Lord. We so appreciate the time off together. I
have really needed a little rest.
By God’s grace I will see you Wednesday and this coming Sunday as we
continue our study through the closing chapters of Revelation.
We love you all, Pastor Paul
11-11-07
Last week we experienced two more confirming
signs that the Lord is and has been leading and guiding us in so many wonderful
ways. The first was in the harmony we experienced in the weekly scripture
reading. Our Psalm of the week was, “The LORD reigns, He is clothed
with majesty; The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely
the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established
from of old; You are from everlasting.” Psalm 93:1-2 This verse was also the
text Dr. David Dolan planned to use and it was also the scripture for memory we
had chosen for the “Scripture for Memory” section of the bulletin for this
week. All this was a “coincidence.” I believe the Lord was causing us to
consciously reflect on the theme. Consider this: 1) The Lord reigns. He is the
sovereign King. He is clothed with majesty. He is awesome and sufficient and
omnipresent. 3) He has girded Himself with strength. There is nothing to
difficult for the Lord. No problem we face. Nothing overwhelms Him. He is the
living and powerful Lord who desires to take full control of everything we are
and everything we will ever face. He is omnipotent! He holds all the earth in
His great power. Rest in Him! 4) His throne is established from of old; He is
from everlasting. He transcends time. He is omniscient: knows all. He cannot be
surprised and therefore cannot be disappointed. Everything we have ever done and
ever will do has been known to Him from before time began. He controls eternity
and has made to us great and precious promises that cannot fail. He has promised
us an eternal destiny that will never fade away. He, knowing our frame and
weakness made full provision in Christ for forgiveness, sanctification and
glorification - to all who believe. When time has ceased to exist as we know it
today, He will be there in eternity to hold all things together by the power of
His might and we will be there with Him to enjoy every good and perfect gift he
has promised. Rejoice!
The second interesting “coincidence” was in the use of the song,
“He Knows My Name.” It was in the song line-up for worship, and in the video
presentation we viewed for the announcements, plus it came up again in the
Operation Christmas Child film. It seems that the Lord is reminding us that He
is a personal Lord and God to each one of us. He knows your name. He loves you
personally, intimately, and passionately.
What a glorious and great God we serve. How can we be anything but
thankful? Praise the Lord!
I love you all so much. Pastor Paul