From the Pastor's Perspective......
A Million Dollar Formula
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a person could get all of the benefits of a million dollars without having all the headaches that would go along it! Most folks think they would like to have a million, but if they just knew what it would entail they would probably decline the generous offer. Suppose some one gave you a million late this evening. You would not be able to get it to the bank. You would need to set up…
Uncontrollable Circumstances
For a lot of his ministry, Paul had to roll with what happened in his life. We see that as he was being taken to Rome and became shipwrecked along the way. Acts 27:41-44 (KJV) And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any…
Are You Worth Beholding?
This is a familiar passage of Scripture. Peter and the Apostles had been put in prison for preaching. In the middle of the night, an angel opens the door and escorts them out of the prison. The angel leaves them with this command in Acts 5:20. “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.” They do exactly what they were commanded to do. Just as the Jewish Council finds out they are…
Why Church?
We start with the fact the Jesus started the church. The word “church” means called out assembly, specifically of those who believe in Jesus. The first assembly of this kind is found in Matthew 10 when Jesus called out the believers to be His disciples. In Matthew 16, Jesus claims ownership of the church. He says, “I will build my church.” W hy church? Because the one who died to pay the price for you sins created the church. Why…
It’s About Life
One of the great things about the Bible is that it covers so many facets of life. Certainly, it is a book of faith and a description of the good and positive practices of religion, along with those practices which are bad and wicked. It covers all the regular aspects if life. The home, finances, relationships, faith, work, education and so much more are all covered in Scripture. When we fail to see the Bible as a guide for life,…
False Peace
One of the great things that people say they crave in life today is peace. “If I could just have some PEACE and quiet.” The sad reality today is that the world knows no peace. Ezekiel 13:10 begins with this phrase. “Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace.” Our world seems as if it has turned upside down and often, even Christians are left feeling as if there is no peace. When…
Joy In Life
Sometimes it seems that we are so overcome by the negative things we see in the world, we forget that we are supposed to be joy filled Christians in life. John 15:11 says “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” This means that despite whatever the world throws at us, there are great reasons that we can have joy in life because we can joy in…
The Help Of The Lord
One of the things that we often take for granted is the help that the Lord provides in our lives. Much of this is because we simply fail to recognize the many ways that the Lord helps us. If we realized it, then his help would not leave us speechless. Psalm 94:17 “Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.” So how does God help us? He gives us others who would be a…
It’s Not The Real Thing
In 1 Kings 14:25-28, the king of Egypt, Shishak, invades Jerusalem and steals all the treasures of the Temple, including the shields of gold that Solomon had made. His son, Rehoboam, who was now the king of Judah, replaced the shields of gold with shields of brass. 1 Kings 14:27 “And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house.” In…
Blessed Because Of Prayer
As Christians, we are frequently reminded that we are supposed to pray. Why? God hears. God listens. God answers. We are commanded to pray. Jesus said “men ought always to pray and not to faint.” Yet, far too often, we just don’t pray, or we don’t pray the way we should. Consider, then, this statement from Psalm 65:4. “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in they courts.” When you…
The Charge of God
As Christians, those who claim the name of Jesus, God has expectations for our lives. You could say we are charged regarding life. 1 Kings 2:3 expresses it this way. “And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.”…
All Things New
One of the amazing things about the Lord is that He can make things new. It really does not matter what it is, Christ can make it new. Scripture phrases it this way. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Christ wants us to find new life in Him. He is the way, way, the truth, and the life. When we…