The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian church: “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost” (2 Corinthians 4:3). The preaching of the gospel is to be the primary focus of our message. The message of the gospel according to Paul contain the message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It affirms that Christ has all power in heaven and earth and all things in our world are under His dominion and power. The declaration of the gospel proclaims the new birth, new life, hope, healing security, power to be an overcomer and the soon return of our Lord. By preaching the gospel, we are affirming the faith of the believer, declaring hope to the lost and the only plan of redemption. It is easy to become sidetracked with the distractions of the media which constantly announces wars, rumors of war, pending food shortages, civil unrest, crime, inflation, stock market crashes, pestilence, racial unrest, government corruption, threat of anarchy, etc. It should be noted such news brings fear, distrust and disagreement. The gospel declares good news and was designed for turbulent and unsettled times. The preaching of the gospel must be accompanied by miraculous signs that bring proof of the resurrection and cause men to consider the truth of the gospel. If the gospel is not preached, men will live in unrest, fear and be eternally lost. Expect miracles and signs as we declare the gospel of Jesus Christ in these last days.

It’s said that you can’t unwind the hands of time. You can’t unring a bell once its been rung and you can’t unstrike the match. These statements speak to the irreversible nature of life and time. That you simply, no matter how much you would wish, can not go back. This fact marks every human life. It is the irreversible constant that we are born we live and we stubble toward and eventually into the grave. It is such a solemn thought with no hope of change. For the saying goes the only things certain in life are death and taxes. But before you leave this encouraging word calling it the opposite. Can I tell you that one came that gave us life from death. His name was Jesus and as we are living in the shadow of Easter we know that he conquered death, hell and the grave. That his sacrifice was THE GREAT REVERSAL. No longer is our path from life to death but now through Him we can live from death into life. What was irreversible was handled by the one who was invincible. We may not be able to go back but now because he walked out of the tomb he took the sting out of death and life for us has no end!! It was the greatest reversal of all time. He brought us from the darkness of death into the glorious light of HIS LIFE! Without him we were hopeless left in our loss, but the King came and died and the Holy Spirit put him back together again so that we too can have life eternal. Only this King Jesus could have been mortally wounded and still get up from the grave. It wasn’t long ago that the tale of another king resurfaced who went into the grave…that King was none other than King Richard III who was the last English King killed in the battle of Bosworth – close of The War of the Roses – half a millennium ago. As was there custom at the time the King was buried in the nearest sacred spot which happened to be a church in Leicester, England. Over time his grave was lost until a archaeology team rediscovered it a few years ago. They verified his brutal demise in battle and also verified his DNA to royal descendants through mitochondrial DNA extracted from his bones once his body was brought out of the grave. King Henry III was immortalized in the play by Shakespeare of the same name. But whether we know it or not each of us has probably heard and even sung the nursery rhyme inspired by Richard‘s downfall: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall All the kings horses And all the kings men Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty Back together again King Richard horse according to one historian was named Wall. So the king fell from Wall, his horse in battle. Later the archaeologist verified the King indeed was irreversibly wounded in that battle…he was the dispossess king that all the kings men couldn’t put back together again. King Richard III was then given a proper burial, but though he came out of the grave, unlike Jesus – Humpty Dumpty did not come out of the grave ALIVE! King Richard III could not reverse anything. He was simply reburied in a royal place. But Jesus came out of the grave ALIVE FOREVERMORE and gave us all new life so that we could live forever with Him in heaven…In a royal place. 😉

The most powerful thing you can obtain and have working in your life is the favor of the Lord. Several things jump out at me in the book of wisdom in Chapter 8

Proverbs 8

Vs.14
God said he possesses:

1.) Counsel
2.) Wisdom
3.) Strength

These are the things any leader needs. Because becoming a Ministry director or stepping in front to lead means you not only need strength, but you need wisdom, and good counsel. When we place our trust in God he will make the connections we need to bring us through. Also provide experiences so we can offer others his wisdoms and counsel He gave us. When we seek him first for these things he will put the people in our path to bring what we need to us when we need it.

Vs.17
Love ❤️ returned for Love.

Human love can not match God (Agape) love

But if we offer him what love we have, he Gives back a love that only God can give. And the verse ends with those that seek him early, shall find him, which speaks to starting your day with devotion and time set aside for meditation on the Lord.

Vs. 32
Blessed are they that listen in prayer 🙏 to God and keep his ways.

Vs. 35
Those that seek him find:

1.) Find Life
2.) Obtain Favor

This verse seems to indicate that in searching out God in our daily lives he will let us see all the ways he is present and working on our behalf and in that we will “find” him. And in finding him it will bring life and vitality…even more beautiful is the wisdom writer says that when we seek God we “obtain favor”. That is to say he will give us differential treatment because we seek him first before we do anything in life. (I do not mean that he is a respecter of persons) He is a God justice, but his favor puts you at the front of the line. They used to have a saying: God’s “Favor isn’t Fair”. Meaning when God sets his favor on your life you will go places you couldn’t have without HIS favor….also that you will be privileged to do things that others couldn’t. Not because they are bad people or less qualified but because God’s favor has been obtained in your life and HIS favor isn’t fair. Yes this will bring haters…because they wont understand why it works for you but didn’t for them. You wont be able to explain it…you will just have to shake your head and smile…because the favor of the Lord is on you!

~Pastor

“A time for every purpose under heaven” echoes Solomon who was considered the wisest to ever live. Rulers from other countries would come to “watch him think”. His words, dated over 2,000 years ago, became a famous song by The Byrds’ in 1965. But, after analyzing nature, secular accomplishments, worldly wisdom, self-indulgent pleasures, and materialism he concluded: Vanity, vanity all is vanity (or meaningless) and “there is nothing new under the sun”. Why so negative wisdom man? After having indulged in 700 wives and 300 Concubines. (some were offered as gifts to link thrones, and even if it was an insult to not accept, still I seriously question his wisdom with 1000 wives. 🙂 plus, it was a direct violation of Duet. 17:14-20…but I digress.) He writes Ecclesiastes towards the end of his life when you think he would have so much greatness to share instead he says in essence: no matter how much things change they still are the same, but enjoy the seasons of life you have been given. Solomon throughout the book tells us everything he tried in order to find fulfillment, apart from God, or “under the sun”. His own words in Ecc. 2:8 “I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasures of kings and provinces….as well as the delights of the heart of man” but nothing satisfied the human heart like being close to God could. So at the end of his “seasons” of life we find his final words of wisdom; “here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” Ecc. 12:13 So, his God granted wisdom brought him to an understanding after experiencing all that life offered in riches, houses, vineyards, wine, and wealth…he said: “to everything there is a season” meaning the one thing that never changes is that things are changing. He concluded that wisdom is preferred to foolish behavior, and light is preferred rather than darkness. He also concluded that though the same fate can happen to both wise and foolish it is better to walk in the light and for people to eat and drink and to find enjoyment in each season. He also concluded that he perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God. Do not resist change but honor God who gives you strength to change. In Ecc. 3:14 He said, “I also know that whatever God does will endure forever”. So, season change, and we can change with them if we leave our lives in God’s hands and the beauty of that is that we will not be chasing after “meaningless” things but the changes that God does in each of our lives will last forever. So as seasons change remember we have been offered the miracle of a metamorphosis in our walk with the Lord and any thing he does in us will last forever.

God bless, Pastor

We all have areas of weakness.  We typically push all our strengths to the forefront and hide these places where we feel we are not good or show our unappealing side.  But, as much as that may be human nature, God uses our weaknesses to bring glory to our life story. Paul the Apostle prayed that God would remove a weakness he had and God’s answer to him in scripture may surprise you.  God said His power was made perfect in weakness.  

…..”My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”   ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

So when someone sees your weaknesses or you talk about them to a person who could benefit from that knowledge, God has promised that there is a power that is released to heal and help those that need it.  The key is if they need to hear it.  If someone is willing to make fun of you for an area of weakness that you have then they just need to be told not to judge your story based on the chapter they walked in on.  But, in the right situation your example of how God has used your weaknesses can change someone’s life. Your story is not finished and your weaknesses with your strengths will tell a tale of true victory when the last chapter is through.

The latest addition of Bloomberg financial magazine called 2020 officially, “The Lost Year”.  The entire publication is dealing with the effects that COVID-19 will have on the world and the local economy. It asserts that any gains financially or as a nation in previous years will be lost due to the coronavirus pandemic.  The truth is they are right in calling this “The Lost Year”, even if we are only into the third month of the new year, but not for the reasons they think.

When you see the world through from a Biblical view point, we know that God is still in control.  It sure is “The Lost Year” or maybe better said, “The Year for the Lost”.  In these troubled days, I believe the church will see more lost souls come to salvation than ever before.  It may be the Lost Year because the church has finally left the building and decided to really be the Church.  It may be the Lost Year because the losses we have to sustain together gains us a new level of connection to those around us.  It may be the Lost Year because we have restrictions to travel and vacations, but instead we really connect as family and genuinely show our neighbor that we care for them.  It may be the Lost Year, because we are no longer too distracted and “too busy” to let our neighbor know that we are praying for their safety.  With God, anything is possible!  Maybe we should be calling 2020 “The Saved Year”.

With God:

Money can be restored

Property can be restored

Relationships can be restored

But sure, I understand the message from the magazine – one thing can never be restored and that is TIME.

Time flies and it does not return. Years pass and we never get them back.  Yet God promises the impossible: “I will restore the years that the locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25). The immediate meaning of this promise is clear. God’s people had suffered the complete destruction of their entire harvest through swarms of locusts that marched like an insect army through the fields, destroying the crops, multiplying their number as they went.

For four consecutive years, the harvest was completely wiped out. God’s people were brought to their knees in more ways than one. But “the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.” God said, “Behold I am sending to you grain, wine and oil, and you will be satisfied” (Joel 2:18-19).

In the coming years, God said, their fields would yield an abundance that would make up for what had been lost: “The threshing floor shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. . . . You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied” (Joel 2:24, 26).

This wonderful promise for those people meant that years of abundant harvests would follow the years of desolation brought about by the locusts.  I wonder what would happen if we chose to see this pandemic the way God sees it.  Ministry like never before to the hurting.  Love exemplified like never before through the church that has now become visible because we are no longer in buildings but online all over the world.

Maybe, we will look back in 4 years from now and label this the beginning of “The Salvation Years”.

~Pastor Calhoun

In a world that’s getting even and casting shade, mercy is a word that is not used very much any more, if at all. Did you know that the original word for “mercy” (Hesed – in Hebrew) actually referred to a character trait of God and not an action of man? The definition of mercy flows from an understanding that God is not just merciful, but his very nature is to show mercy to us.

Mercy:
Hesed is also defined as loving kindness 176 times in scripture, loving kindnesses 7 times, loyal deeds 1 time, loyalty 6 times, mercies 1 time, merciful 2 times, mercy 1 time, righteousness 1 time, unchanging love 2 times.

All of that revelation is crammed into one little word, “Mercy”: God’s unmerited favor

David spoke of God’s mercy:
Psalm 25:6  NIV
6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

Psalm 40:11
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.

Isaiah uses “hesed” or “mercy” as “loving kindness” in Isaiah 63:7
7 I will  mention the loving kindnesses of the  LORD, and the  praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath  bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the  house of  Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.

The experience of God’s people is that God’s mercy, unlike human mercy, cannot be exhausted ( 2 Sam 24:14 ; Lam 3:22 ). Yet divine mercy is not blind or dumb; although God tolerated Israel’s rebellion with mercy for a very long time ( Nehemiah 9:17 Nehemiah 9:19 Nehemiah 9:31 ; Jer 3:12 ), ultimately ungodliness in Israel was met by a withdrawal of God’s mercy, leading to judgment (Lamentations 2:2 Lamentations 2:21 ; Zech 1:12). But even in judgment and discipline God’s mercy can be seen and hoped for ( 2 Sam 24:14 ; Psalm 57:1 ; Isa 55:7 ; 60:10 ; Jer 31:20 ; Hab 3:2 ; cf. Tobit 6:17), for it is part of the basic disposition of love toward his people, and it directs his actions ultimately in ways that benefit his people.
Mercy as the Foundation of God’s Covenant. Mercy and hesed [d,s,j], God’s covenant love, are integrally related. So close is the relationship that hesed [d,s,j] sometimes is to be viewed in terms of mercy. In this relationship, mercy then comes to be seen as the quality in God that directs him to forge a relationship with people who absolutely do not deserve to be in relationship with him. Mercy is manifested in God’s activity on behalf of his people to free them from slavery; it is neither theory nor principle. As the passages taken up with the establishment of the covenant with Israel show, God’s mercy is a driving force in leading him to create a relationship with Israel ( Exod 34:6 ; Deut 4:31 ; 13:17 ; Hosea 2:19 ); its meaning through hesed [d,s,j] extends to that of loyalty based on merciful love and since that covenant was extended to is (the gentiles) it is God’s Mercy that gives us a relationship with him.

Some of the best relationships you will develop throughout your life will be ones that started with mercy. So go show some lovingkindness  to the world today and watch as the best relationships you could ever ask for are develop from simply showing mercy!

~Pastor C

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  The crushing weight of “fitting in” has created a gap between how someone looks outwardly and how they are doing inwardly. The greatest thing Jesus did when He walked the earth is that He touched those that others avoided. He didn’t stay at […]

What You Should Remind Yourself of Each Day

“And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:2-4, ESV)

The events in Acts 2 signify a moment that would forever change the life of Jesus’ followers and their mission on this earth. The promised Holy Spirit had been given, and a supernatural filling had occurred. In a moment, the supernatural interrupted the natural, and they began speaking in other languages to the amazement of all who witnessed.

This filling was the presence of God making its home in man. But it wasn’t just God’s presence that made a home in them — it was also His power. And it’s this power that Jesus referred to as He prepared to ascend to Heaven and tasked them with spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

This was no simple mission. In fact, it was impossible, naturally speaking. Facing intense persecution, God’s Word and God’s love were the only two weapons they were given. But in spite of all the odds, the Gospel spread, and followers of Christ were multiplied.

Thousands of years later, we’re still witnessing this multiplication. But we’re not invited to just witness it; we’re invited to participate in it. As a believer in Christ, we experience the gift of the Holy Spirit — not as an accessory or add-on, but as the operating system of our lives. It is the proof of the Presence of God in you and that the Power of God is with you.
As you begin each day, remind yourself of this fact: You’re not alone. God’s presence is with you, and so is His power.

~Pastor C.

 

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