FAITH

Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32 The mustard seed is indeed one of the smallest seeds in the plant world. And yet when planted and cared for can becomes a home not just for birds, but for literally numerous insects and small animals. The lesson of Jesus is huge. Facing storms. Facing the impossible. Facing change when we don’t want to. Making changes that are difficult. Moving in faith so small it’s seems insignificant. And yet as we move in this small seed of faith, our obedience becomes the fertile ground in which the seed sprouts. God is the Gardner. He comes along aside and strengthens the roots and trims the stems of our faith. Sometimes that looks like trials and hard times. But we continue to be obedient and God continues to help the plant of faith grow up into a full blown faith strong enough to speak to mountains. Faith is activated in part by obedience. “Get up, take your mat and walk.” “Go wash in the river.” “She reached out to touch His robe believing”. Sometimes our Faith is not strengthened until we act in obedience and often that obedience is in things we already know we should do, but out of fear don’t do. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the result. Fear of what God may ask of us on the other side of obedience. The seed of the mustard plant must first be planted in order for the fruit to spring forth. Too often our faith remains small because we fail to even plant it. I encourage you today-do not neglect to “plant” your faith for the direction God is leading. He will produce a harvest thru you as you obediently submit to Him. Keep looking up-Jesus is coming soon.

Everyday

Everyday! Everyday we wake up to the most negative news there is from every corner of the earth including places we never heard of and can’t even find on the map. In the middle of all that, those who are in Christ have the antithesis of all the bad news. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God died to bring peace in the storms. I tend to grow weary of Christians who regurgitate all the bad news providing fertile ground for divisiveness in an unhealthy way. I grow very weary of reading posts from “pastors” who suddenly believe they have been called of God to preach a gospel other than that found in the Word. I grow weary of political arguments that do nothing more than further divide the hearts of humanity. Do I have political beliefs? Absolutely. Do I have issues to which I would love to “preach” for or against. Of course. But at the age of 16 God called me to do one thing-live and speak in such a way as to draw people’s minds and hearts to the One True God and His Son Jesus Christ and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Having said all of that to say this - the good news is this, no matter the politics of this world, no matter theologies based on human traditions, no matter the wars and rumors of wars, no matter fears of health and welfare THERE IS HOPE!!! “Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ I point you to the Words of Jesus. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place; All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish]. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭6‬-‭8‬, ‭13‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ Is my calling to speak out in divisiveness regarding political issues or to speak to the great divide between the depravity of the human soul and the absolute holiness of Almighty God? I believe my calling is the same today as it was at the age of 16 - “Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

GOD USES YOU! Joshua 2:1b & 21 - “...So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night...21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.” NLT This is a fascinating account in the lives of the Children of Israel. In order for you to fully appreciate the context of my thoughts today, I encourage you to go to this portion of scripture and read the entire account. Why is it so intriguing? For two reasons. One, God uses a prostitute to bring about His purpose for the Children of Israel. This demonstrates to me again that God will use anyone who submits themself to Him. We often think we are not worthy of being used by God in some miraculous way. I think differently. I am quite confident no one on this mailing list is considered a prostitute so I feel quite safe in saying this...if God will use a prostitute certainly He will use you. This woman agreed to the terms proposed by the spies which was simply this. She would get them out of town safely if they would let her family live. The agreement was struck. There was a scarlet rope to be left hanging over the wall of her house. The spies returned safely home and made their report to Joshua telling him of their agreement with Rahab. When the Israelites came and defeated the enemy, they spared the life of Rahab and her family when they saw the scarlet rope hanging from her window. Rahab was part of a great victory. The second reason this is intriguing to me is this. Guess who shows up in the lineage of Jesus? Rahab! She became the mother of Boaz and is listed as an ancestor of Jesus! Now tell me nothing important can happen through someone who is obedient to God’s plan. God can and will use anyone who has faith in Him and obeys His commands. That means you can be used of God in mighty ways if you just believe He wants to use you and you make yourself available to Him. One other little thing that is just interesting. What color was the rope hanging from the window? Scarlet. Isaiah18:18 - “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;....” KJV What color is blood? Red or scarlet. Rahab’s life was a life of sin(scarlet). Her salvation was exposing her life, walking in faith, and obeying the terms of her agreement by leaving the rope hanging over the wall. The victory belonged to God’s people for her obedience. Jesus blood is red and was shed for the forgiveness of sin and through it we are washed as white as snow. As the scarlet rope was the salvation for the spies and the salvation of Rahab and her family, there is a scarlet rope from the place of God to place of people bringing salvation for those who grab hold. And for those who grab hold, not only salvation is theirs, but being used of God to do mighty works is theirs as well. Think you are not worthy of being used of God? Think again.

Walking Godly

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” As I read thru these verses, I reflected on the beauty of the words and reality of the truth they present. We need look no further than the news headlines of today to see the wickedness of humanity. It is on full display every day. Shootings, hi-jackings, kidnappings, murder, human trafficking and more. It becomes obvious that something is terribly wrong with our society. Humanity is living out life devoid of any semblance of even kindness let alone Godliness. If we measure the depth of depravity of humanity by the above verses it is easy to see why we are where we are. Obviously, not all of humanity is heeding the Word when it says – “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked…” If we have not already lost the blessing of God upon our land, it would seem we may very close as the base wickedness of humanity quite literally continues to creep into every level of life at a pace I have never before seen. What, then is the answer. The answer is simple, its just not easy. The Psalmist spells it out – don’t walk with the wicked. That may mean we need to do some self-reflection about the company with which we hang. Maybe we have some “friends” who in fact are keeping us from being what God intended us to be – a reflection of Him. Then he says, “his delight is the law of the Lord…” That indicates we must spend time in His Word on a consistent basis. With football season just weeks away, one of things that sets winning teams apart from others is they spend time learning the offense and defense of their opponent. If we are to be a “winning” Christian, we must spend time in the Word learning the offense and defense of walking with Christ. The reward of this lifestyle is in verse 3 – “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Wow! What this says is that if I walk away from the wicked, the scoffers, and the nay-sayers and plant myself in the Word, then my life will be refreshed, fed, nourished and prosperous. I can think of nothing better to think on beginning the year than the Word of God. Do I want to be in the congregation of the wicked or the sitting on the banks of the life giving river of God, being refreshed daily by His Word and allowing Him to prosper me as He sees fit? I know where I want to be. Come join me.

Why? Romans 11:33 - “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” NLT For those you of who have ever had children or have been around children for any length of time you might remember this - “Why?” Why this and why that until you get to a point where you have no more answers for the “Why?” I am like that when it comes to God. Not tough questions, but question like - “Why do you allow evil?” “Why do good people die seemingly before their time and evil people just seem to live on and on and on?” “Why are some people healed and others die of disease?” "Why are there so many floods?" “Why - why - why?” Paul sets up the “Why?” question with this statement - “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!” When we can agree with this statement it is not hard for the “Why” to be resolved. Think about this for a moment - God’s riches are great. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He holds the wealth of nations in His hands. He knows where all the oil reserves are and holds those in His hand as well. He knows where the diamonds are - and holds those in His hands as well. Beyond those temporal things, He holds all eternity in His hands and who can put a value on that - priceless. Who can measure His wisdom? A portion of the wisdom of God is displayed in the wisdom of Solomon who was the wisest of men to ever live. Yet the wisdom of God is greater than that. His knowledge is so great the Word says he knew us before we were even conceived! How great are the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. If that is true, and it is - then it is logical to make the next step. I cannot understand His riches, wisdom and knowledge. They are so great they go beyond my understanding. In fact they are so great my mind cannot even begin to conceive. In light of my inability to even conceive of the greatness of God’s riches, wisdom and knowledge, can I be content to NOT understand the most difficult “Why?” If I cannot even conceive of His greatness - why should I be concerned with my very small perception of this world? Why should I be conflicted with things that make no sense to me? Very easy answer - I am human, finite, a small dot on the page, a mere speck of dust in the universe, unable to see the picture for the perspective of God. That leaves me with two thoughts - one, though I am a small speck of dust, I am the object of God’s great riches, wisdom and knowledge. He loves me so much He shares those things with me. Two, because I am a small speck of dust in the universe and because God’s riches go beyond my understanding, I can lean on His understanding, trust Him and know He will direct my paths. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” Please continue to lift up all the families who are victims of the recent floods that seem to be going on in many places. You are loved, Pastor Roger

Thinking out loud…

Thinking out loud…. We have become a people who no longer worship the True God of creation. We have become a people who worship at the feet of financial security and lifestyle convenience. It no longer matters that these are not the things God called us to. God calls us to complete obedience to His Will and Purpose. Within that purpose can be those things, and many have found those things, but we are not called to those things or even to achieve those things. Obedience to God, complete obedience, will include struggle and hardship-John 16:33 “ I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.].” There is no promise of financial security and convenience of lifestyle. There is the promise of Peace and Victory over hardship. We are not to trust in the chariots of government or the security of financial institutions. We are to trust in God and God alone. He will supply your needs. He will supply the things necessary for life. 2 Peter 1:3-“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.” We now have some calling for “blood” because they are not getting thier way and the things they want. Those are people who have yet to understand the provisions of God. Government is not God. For many government has become “a god” and they worship at its feet waiting for provision, safety and security and when they don’t get what they want they throw themselves into fits of anger fearing for thier life. However, is this to be expected? Yes. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 - “1But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. 2For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3[and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith….” Even those who have professed Christ have bowed down to the god of self and have become involved in this ungodly worship of security and of lifestyle convenience while ignoring the tenants and instructions of God Almighty and His call to complete obedience. Unless, or until people look to the Heavens for thier strength and security we will find our end as that of old-destruction and enslavement to the gods of self, security and lifestyle convenience. Time after time, king after king, leader after leader led the people to the foot of the idols of the gods only to become enslaved to evil more vile and more corrupt than before. The slope of serving the god of self is not just slippery, but leads to destruction and death-at least spiritually but sometimes physically. Ministers of the Gospel, I call on you to call people to Christ and His power to save. Jesus is coming soon and I want to be found as a mouthpiece blowing the trumpet and calling attention to the end of time as recorded in the Scriptures. Leave behind the promises of security and convienience. Embrace the security of serving and onedince to the One True God Who provides everything you need for life and Godliness.

Some encouragment

The Day of the Lord Psalm 12:1-2 - “Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.” NLT All I need to do is watch the news for a few minutes and I can see a number of things happening in our society. One, I see more and more Godlessness among the nations. Two, I see more and more hatred being directed at people who live in the same neighborhoods, even on the same streets. And finally, I see adults and children disappear off the streets and even out of homes. I often ask - “What is going on in our world?” After reading today’s scripture I know the answer. We are living in a day when the Godly are fast disappearing. Our Christian meeting houses are losing attenders - except for churches where the true Word of God is preached. The ranks of believers in the United States is shrinking as a whole. There are pockets of encouraging words coming from some of our University campuses and third world countries. But, cults and false religions are increasing in numbers exceeding that of Christ followers in many places. (Just a side note - it is reported there are over one million believers in Iran-pray for them as this conversion can cost them their lives.) So where does that leave us? Hopeless? Discouraged? Depressed? No, not at all. In fact, just the opposite. If we read just a couple of more verses, we find God’s answer - “I have seen the violence...Now I will rise up...” I truly believe we are in those days described in the Word as the days before the coming of the Lord. As I understand scripture, what we are seeing is exactly some of the things we are to see before the return of Jesus Christ. Sin will abound, pestilence will increase, disease will increase - Mark 13:12 - “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.” NIV In my opinion, for what it is worth, these are days for us to begin to look to the heavens. These are days when we should strengthen our faith and our resolve. We should refresh our commitment to God and His purposes for us. These are days when we put fear behind us and look with eager anticipation toward the coming of the Lord. These are days we should grow desperate in our prayers for the lost. These are the days when we keep our families, spouses, children, and grandchildren lifted up before the Lord - asking God to save those who have yet to experience the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, the Godly are truly disappearing from the earth and neighbors are lying to each other, but it is not a time to fear - it is a time to rejoice in the truth of God’s Word. This is a prophetic Psalm. God does see from Heaven and answer. He is about to bring everything to an end as we know it. Those who are alive in Christ are not far from their eternal reward. Hang on - hang in - stay the course - keep praying - tell others - and never forget God is with us so who can be against us. You are loved and prayed for, Pastor Roger