Sunday Scripture and Sermon for January 4, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday is from Matthew 2: 1-12, in which Jesus is visited by wise men and presented with three special gifts. The sermon is titled 'Three Gifts,' and will focus on what those three gifts mean for us. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 17: 1-5; Jesus Prays For Himself

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus prayed. I find a lesson in that. With all that was going on in Jesus' life, especially in this part of John's gospel as he approaches the crucifixion, Jesus still found time to pray to God. No matter how busy Jesus was he always prayed. We stay pretty busy. Over the last few weeks we have all been coming and going without any time to take a breath and enjoy this time of year. And even when it's not Christmas we still manage to run a-mile-a-minute. In those times when we are too busy to do anything we need to find time to pray. Prayer is how we are strengthened, it is how God reaches into our hearts and lifts us up. Prayer is when we spend time with God, something we all need to do more of in our lives. Take this lesson from Jesus and find more time to pray. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 16: 17-33; The Disciples' Grief Will Turn to Joy

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God." We are loved by God because we have accepted Jesus into our hearts. That is the good news of Jesus: he has fixed the relationship that was broken. Israel had turned away from God; they were living the kind of life God did not want them to live. Their relationship with God had been broken. So God sent Jesus into the world to repair that relationship, to fix what was broken. Thanks to Jesus we have a personal relationship with God, one that is centered on love: God's love for us, and our love for God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 16: 5-16; The Work of the Holy Spirit

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the absence of the physical Jesus we have the Holy Spirit to teach us; we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and direct us as we go through life. We need to make sure we are listening. In this passage Jesus gives us an idea of what the Holy Spirit will do for us: he will guide us into all truth, he will tell us what is to come, and he will make known to us the things of Jesus. We need to listen. Through the Holy Spirit God speaks to us; through the Holy Spirit God tells us what he wants from us. We need to make sure we keep our ears open for what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do. Jesus tells us to keep our eyes open, waiting faithfully for the day of his return. We also need to keep our ears open, listening faithfully to all the things the Holy Spirit is guiding us to do. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 16: 1-4; Jesus Warns the Disciples

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells his disciples about the persecution they will face because he does not want them to go astray. This is a task easier said than done, but it is one of the more important things we can do as Christians. Someday we my face persecution, and when we do we need to make sure we stay true to our faith in Jesus. We should never recant our faith, or stop believing in Jesus. Our faith, Jesus tells us, should remain secure no matter what we face. And to do this we have the strength of Jesus in our hearts. Jesus is with as we go through our journey of faith, giving us strength for what we may face. Rely on the strength of Jesus to keep you true to your faith in times of trouble. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 15: 18-27; The World Hates the Disciples

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Part of what it means to be a disciple is to be hated by the world. The reason for that is because the world does not always like what we do. As Christians we go against the flow. We refuse to worship other gods, the gods of money and possessions; we refuse to follow anyone, no matter how 'cool' the world tells us they are. As Christians we do not adhere to what the world wants. That creates for us enemies. But in going against the will of the world we get the love of Jesus, which is bigger and better than anything the world has to offer. The world might hate us, but Jesus loves us eternally. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 28, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture this Sunday is Luke 2: 22-40, in which Jesus is presented at the Temple, and in which Simeon and Anna have some things to say about Jesus. The sermon is titled, 'Why I am Here,' and will focus on why Jesus came into the world. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 15: 1-17; The Vine and the Branches

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called to bear fruit. In other words, we are called to grow. Bearing fruit means we are supposed to go out there and share with others the good news of Jesus Christ. Bearing fruit means we are supposed to do the will of God by bringing other people to faith in him. Jesus is very clear about how important this is for the life of a disciple. Like the Israelites in the Old Testament, we are called to be a light to others, to bear fruit, to share with others the good news of God. All those who call themselves disciples are supposed to be going out there and making more disciples. In other words, we are to bear fruit. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Christmas Eve Service

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This evening, at 7:00 p.m. we will have our Christmas Eve service. This is the most holy night of the year, when we gather together to celebrate the good news of Christ's birth. Please join us for this very special service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 14: 12-31; Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is how it is possible for us to always have the presence of Christ in our lives. Jesus is not here, in the sense that he is not physically with us. However, we have been given the Holy Spirit, not just to be our counselor and our guide, but also to be our shield and strength in times of weakness. We have been given the Holy Spirit, and because of the Holy Spirit we will always have the presence of Christ in our lives. No matter what we do or where we go, we will have Jesus with us. And this is made possible for us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not alone in our journey of faith; we have the Spirit of God in our hearts. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 14: 5-11; Jesus the Way to the Father

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is fitting, I think, that this passage should come up just a couple of days before Christmas. Jesus is the reason for this season, he is the reason for our salvation, and he is the reason for our eternal life in Heaven. There is no other way for us to enter the kingdom of Heaven than through our Lord Jesus Christ. We remember and we celebrate that good news throughout the season of Christmas. We remember that Christ, and Christ alone, is our salvation. As you approach the Lord's special day, I encourage you to take time to remember the one and only source of our salvation, Jesus the Christ. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 14: 1-4; Jesus Comforts His Disciples

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is coming back, and when he does he will take us to be with him, that we may be where he is. That is some of the best news we have as Christians, that Jesus is going to come back one day and take us to live eternally in the kingdom of Heaven. This is especially important for us to remember in light of all that is happening in the world right now. With all of the wars, famines, and diseases it is easy for us to lose hope; it is easy for us to be saddened by what we see going around us. But in the midst of all that we are surrounded by the promise from Jesus: "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." One day Jesus will return, and when he does he is going to take us to live with him eternally in the kingdom of Heaven. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

All Church Christmas Party December 21, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I wanted to remind all of you about our All Church Christmas Party this Sunday. The festivities will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We will start with a put-luck dinner, which will be followed by a time of fellowship, which will include a very special visitor. After that we will move to our newly renovated Chapel where we will be singing Christmas Hymns. I hope to see you all there. Don't forget to bring a friend! God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 13: 31-38; Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Everything Jesus would have us do can be summed up in one word: love. More than anything else, above anything else, we are supposed to love one another. We love one another when we do everything Jesus commanded us: caring for the sick, givine to the poor, taking in the homeless, etc. But all of this is to have love as its source. We should do these things out of a sense of duty, we should do them out of a sense of love, love for God and love for our neighbor. We shouldn't do these things because we feel like we have to, we should do them because we want to; because of the love we hold in our hearts. Whatever you do, do it in love, and so bear witness to love of Jesus and our faith in him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 13: 18-30; Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is all part of God's plan. Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed. On the one hand we look at that and see something awful: one of Jesus' own turns him in. But on the other hand we see that God is in control of the situation. God has a plan, which offers some comfort to us. Jesus was not betrayed by accident, and he was not killed by accident. All of this is going according to God's plan. God is in control, he has a plan; not just for Jesus, but for us as well. That is some of the greatest comfort we have, that God is in control. Yes, bad things sometimes happen, as they did to Jesus. But in the end we have the comfort of knowing God is in control, as he was when Jesus crucified. It is all part of God's plan, which is good news for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

All Church Christmas Party December 21, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I wanted to remind all of you about our All Church Christmas Party this Sunday. The festivities will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We will start with a put-luck dinner, which will be followed by a time of fellowship, which will include a very special visitor. After that we will move to our newly renovated Chapel where we will be singing Christmas Hymns. I hope to see you all there. Don't forget to bring a friend! God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 21, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday is from Luke 1: 26-38, in which Mary is visited by an angel who tells her what is going to take place. The sermon is titled 'Called by God,' and will focus on how Mary, called by God, followed God faithfully in all she did. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 13: 1-17; Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus seems to be at perfect peace with what is going to happen to him. Another way of looking at it would be to say that Jesus trusts God. Jesus knows that even though he is going to be crucified, God is going to take care of him. Jesus knows full well the pain and torment he is going to feel on the cross, but he also trusts God completely with his life. There is a lesson in there for us. We need to trust God completely with our lives. When things go wrong; when we think we can do it all by ourselves; when we feel abandoned and alone. In those times we need to follow the example of Jesus and be at peace, trusting that we are in the hands of God, which is the best place to be. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 12:37-50; Jews Continue in their Unbelief

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me." You have to have Jesus to get God. As Jesus says earlier in John's gospel, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father but by me." There is no other way for us to be brought into right relationship with God except by his son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only source of our salvation, he is the only reason we have life in us, he is the only way to the Father. With Jesus we have everything, without him we have nothing. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 12: 20-36; Jesus Predicts His Death

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a sacrifice involved in discipleship. We have to be willing to lay everything at the feet of Jesus and serve him with all we have. Do we all need to physically die to serve Jesus? No. But we need to die to our own desires. Our own hopes, dreams, etc. need to die so that we can be true disciples of Jesus. Jesus gave up his life for us. He put aside his own fears and doubts and allowed himself to be crucified. Let Jesus be your example. Follow Jesus, who died to his own desires in order to benefit humanity. Let him be your example. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 12: 12-19; The Triumphal Entry

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The word 'hosanna' literally means to save, or save us. The ones who are crying out as Jesus marches into Jerusalem are asking Jesus to save them. They are asking Jesus, who they see as a king, to save them from Rome. They are asking Jesus to save them from future invasions. In shouting hosanna they are asking Jesus to save them. But what they do not know is that Jesus is going to save them. Jesus is going to die on the cross to forgive them from all of their sins. They are crying out to Jesus to save them, and they don't even know that he is going to. Jesus is going to save them, from sin. We shout hosanna, asking Jesus to save us, and we celebrate the good news that through him we are saved. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 12: 1-11; Jesus Annointed at Bethany

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In some cases, offering Jesus praise and glory is one of the best things we can do. We sometimes come to a place in our faith when all we can, and should, do is to thank and praise Jesus for all he has done for us. Yes, the money could have been used for some form of ministry. But sometimes it is fitting to simply praise the name of our Lord and savior. Whatever you may be doing for the name of Christ, don't forget to praise the name of Christ. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 11: 45-57; The Plot to Kill Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. He knew that his ministry would eventually cost him his life, that the good news he brought to the world was the good news his death on the cross for the salvation of the world. Jesus never stopped his ministry. At times, he had to retreat from the crowds in order to accomplish all God sent him to do. But Jesus always preached, he always went on with the work God had given him. There is a lesson in that for us. No matter what gets in our way we should never stop doing the work Christ has given us. We should follow Jesus and preach the good news and care for those in need no matter what obstalces get in our way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 11: 38-44; Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to believe in the power of Christ. Jesus can do amazing things, just as he did for Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Jesus brought them hope and peace in their time of sorrow. More than that, Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. We will be resurrected as well, just like Lazarus. We, too, will be given new life in Christ. We need to believe that is possible. When Jesus tells them to roll the stone away Martha says, 'But Lord, surely there will be an odor.' She did not believe that Christ would, or could, bring Lazarus back from the grave. Have faith that Jesus can bring us new life. Believe in your hearts that for us, the body of Christ, there will eb resurrection. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 14, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday our Scripture lesson is from Isaiah 61: 1-11, in which we learn what God's servant is going to be sent here to do. The sermon is titled 'Big God,' and will focus on how God is much bigger than anything around us; that God has the power to do anyting.

I also want to remind all of you that we will be dedicating Luke Metropulos, son of Mark and Natalie Metropulos, to the Lord during the worship service. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 11: 17-37; Jesus Comforts the Sisters

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is an example of the peace that Jesus brings. This past Sunday we lit the candle of peace in our Advent wreath. And in worship we talked about how the peace that Jesus brings us to us can also be referred to as peace of mind, or comfort. Jesus, before he does anything else in this passage, spends time with Mary and Martha, comforting them in their time of need. Jesus makes them feel better about the situation. Then Jesus goes even further than that in bringing their beloved brother back to life. Jesus makes us feel better. No matter what we are going through Jesus is there to lift us up. Just as Jesus offered comfort to Mary and Martha, he offers comfort to us as well. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 11: 1-16; The Death of Lazarus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is about to give us the good news of the resurrection. Jesus knows death is not the end, and he is about to share with his disciples the good news that one day we will all be raised up and taken into the kingdom of heaven. One day we will all be given a new life through Jesus. Jesus' friend Lazarus is, as Jesus says, dead. But Jesus knows that he is only sleeping; Jesus knows Lazarus will be resurrected, just as the rest of us will be. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Baby Dedication

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This coming Sunday, December 14, 2008, we will have a baby dedication as part of the worship service. We will be dedicating Luke Metropulos, the son of Natalie and Mark Metropulos. Please be sure to join us for this special event. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 10: 22-42; The Unbelief of the Jews

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus spoke to people through experience. In Jesus' time things were not written down as often as they are today. This means that the people who followed Jesus followed Jesus because they had an experience with him. They saw Jesus do something; Jesus did something for them; Jesus did something for someone they knew, etc. Jesus' followers followed him because they had an experience with him. What are some of your experiences with Jesus? Jesus has done so much for all of us; we have all experienced Jesus one way or another. I invite you to think about the times in which you have experienced Jesus in your life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 10: 1-21; The Shepherd and His Flock

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Jesus knows our name. To Jesus we are not just some strangers he came down here to save one time long ago. Jesus knows us all on an individual basis. He knows our fears, hopes, dreams, etc. Jesus knows everything there is to know about us. That is an encouraging thought. Jesus loves us enough to die for us, but he also loves us enough to get to know us. He knows us by name, and he calls us by name. We have, in Jesus, a personal savior. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Evening Worship tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will be having our evening worship service tonight at 7:30 p.m. For our worship tonight we will be singing Christmas songs, so if you would like to join us please stop by. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 9: 35-41; Spiritual Blindness

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ask God to open your eyes. That, I think, is one of the biggest concerns we have as Christians; that our eyes will be opened to see the glory of God in this world. Sometimes God's glory is hard to see. With the busyness of our lives, and the obstacles we sometimes face it is hard for us to see the glory of God. When you pray today, I encourage you to ask God to open your eyes, and to help you keep them open, that you may see God's glory in this world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation from December 1-December 6, so I will not be posting during that time. Postings will resume on Sunday, December 7, 2008. I hope and pray you will all have a good week. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 9: 13-34; The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see." Anytime Jesus heals someone it also serves as a metaphor for spiritual sight. We see Jesus as Christ and Lord because he has opened our eyes. The man who Jesus healed was blind from birth, but Jesus gave him the sight he needed to have a good life. Jesus gives us the sight we need for our journey of faith. In Jesus we see all we need to see. Christ has opened our eyes, and he has given us something to see. Keep your eyes open; continue to look at Jesus for guidance and direction. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 9: 1-12; Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God does not punish with physical pain. That is to say, in the words of Jesus, pain and hardship is not some form of divine punishment from God. We may not be able to answer perfectly the problem of evil, why bad things happen. But we have the comfort of knowing God does not punish us with pain and suffering. Jesus gives us that comfort, as he gave that comfort to the blind man. No one sinned to cause his blindness. In the same way, we are not punished by God for what we have done. Instead, we have been forgiven for what we have done. Instead of punishing us God has forgiven us for the sins we have committed. Repent and believe the good news. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 8: 48-59; The Claims of Jesus About Himself

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'I Am,' Jesus says. This is what God calls himself in the Old Testament. When Moses is sent to the Israelites in Egypt Moses asks God what name to give the Israelites. God responds by saying, 'Tell them I Am has sent you.' That was good news for Israel, that the great I Am sent Moses to save them. But it gets better in the New Testament because the great I Am comes himself. God does not send someone else to save the world this time, he comes himself as the man Jesus. That should give us reason to rejoice. We rejoice because God has come down and walked beside us. We rejoice because the great I Am has come into the world to save us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 8: 42-47; The Children of the Devil

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Listening is sometimes one of the hardest things. Sometimes God says thing to us that we do not like to hear or that do not make any sense. But when that happens we need to make sure we listen to what God says to us. There are those, like the evil one, who want to lie to us to keep us off course, to make us turn away from God. Do not listen to that voice. Listen to God always, and do what he tells you. He is the father of love, not lies. He will not lead you astray. Trust God and listen to his voice. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Hanging of the Greens

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will have our Hanging of the Greens service. This will take place during the worship service, and the congregation will be invited to participate in the service. Please join us for this special celebration, as we begin the season of Advent in our church.

The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday is Isaiah 64: 1-9, in which Isaiah tells of the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament lesson is from Mark 13: 24-37, in which Jesus tells of his second coming. The Sermon is titled "He is Coming,' and will focus on the coming of Jesus and the joy that comes with that blessed event.

I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 8: 31-41; The Children of Abraham

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Take nothing for granted. The Israelites were of the mindset that since they were the children of Abraham they did not have to do anything else. They assumed they were free from the Law and everything else God commanded them to do. Jesus tells them that that is not the case. The same is true for us. Yes, we are free from sin. Yes, we are given eternal life through Jesus. But there is still a call to holiness. We are still responsible for living the life God would have us live. If we are going to call ourselves the children of God we better be living the kind of life God, or father, wants us to be living. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 8: 12-30; The Validity of Jesus' Testimony

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the images of God from the Old Testament is a glowing fire. Israel was guided by this glowing fire so that even when the world was dark they would still have the light of God shinging around them. Jesus says here, 'I am the light of the world.' Jesus shines in the darkness, giving us light so that we will not walk in darkness. Though the world around us may darken, we have Jesus in our lives. Though the world may live in darkness we have the light of the world shining in our hearts. We are guided by this light; we are protected by this light; we are truly blessed to have the light of the world in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 7: 53-8: 11; The Woman Caught in Adultery

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is one of the best stories in the entire Bible because we learn so much from it. On the one hand we are reminded here to not judge one another. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. One of the most important details in this passage is the fact that all of the woman's accusers drop their stones. It is not our business to judge and throw stones. That is the Lord's work. But there is also the lesson that we are saved. In point of fact this woman was caught in adultery. Jesus does not say to those around him that they are lying. This woman has sinned. But Jesus says to her, 'I do not judge you either, go and sin no more.' We are saved from sin. We are all the woman caught in adultery, and we have all been saved from judgment by our Lord Jesus. God alone is able to judge, and the judgment God has placed on us is salvation. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 7: 45-52; Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"But this mob that knows nothing of the law." The Pharisees did not know the intent of the law. The intent of the law was to help the people live their lives to glorify God. But by the time of Jesus the Law had become a weapon used by the Pharisees to inflict penalities on the people. The Law was meant for worship, but it had become something oppressive. The powers-that-be were not doing what God wanted them to do. We need to show love to those around us, not oppression, not animosity. God wants us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We need to not be like the Pharisees who were not showing love. We need to show love to all those around us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 7: 25-44; Is Jesus the Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Too much knowledge and not enough faith is the problem that the people around Jesus had. Sometimes knowledge is a good thing, but not when it gets in the way of believing in Jesus. When we ask questions, or when we want to know something our end position should be to simply accept Jesus, his words, his lordship, etc. The Pharisees and the other powers that be were having a problem believeing in Jesus because they had too much knowledge. Ask questoins; learn things about Jesus; but do not let any of those things get in the way of your faith in Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 7: 25-44; Is Jesus the Christ.

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 23, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday comes from Malachi 1: 1-5, in which the love of God for Israel is described. The sermon is titled 'Love,' and will focus on God's love for us and how we need to be showing our love for God. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 7: 14-24; Jesus Teaches at the Feast

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?" We should not be taking a break from doing good. I think that is what Jesus is trying to say here. Yes, it was illegal for him to heal someone on the Sabbath, since healing was considered to be work. However, the point is that we are supposed to help whenever there is a need, not just when it is a good time for us. If there is anything Jesus teaches us it is that we should be doing good all the time; we should be helping all the time; we should be doing the work of Christ all the time. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 7: 1-13; Jesus Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's time is not our time. We sometimes want things right away, but we have to wait for God to act. This is an act of faith. We need to trust, first of all, that God is going to do for us what we need. But we also need to trust that God is going to work in our lives at the time we need it the most. The disciples, and others around Jesus, wanted him to show off. They wanted Jesus to reveal who he was and what he came here to do. And they wanted Jesus to do that right away. But Jesus knew that God would direct him down that path at the right time. Jesus knew that God had a plan, that God was in control of the situation. We need to have the same faith, to trust that God is going to give us what we need, do for us what we need, etc., but we also need to trust that God will do all of that at the time that is best for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 6: 60-71; Many Disciples Desert Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a cost to discipleship. In Matthew's gospel Jesus says to the young man who wants to bury his father, 'Let the dead bury the dead.' To the first of the disciples Jesus says, 'Drop your nets [in other words, your entire way of life] and follow me.' When we decide to follow Jesus we are to leave everything behind and follow him. All of our earthly ties, all of our dreams and desires. We should let nothing get in the way of our following Jesus. Some of Jesus' disciples, when they heard this, left Jesus. They did not want to make any kind of sacrifice. There is a sacrifice when it comes to following Jesus. We are supposed to give up everything to follow him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 6: 25-59; Jesus the Bread of Life

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will never be hungry again. When we partake of the bread of life, the body of Jesus, we are eternally strengthened for our journey of faith. We not only receive eternal life from the body of Christ, we also receive the much needed nourishment for our faith. The Israelites were hungry as they wandered around in the desert for forty years, so God gave them manna to give them the strength to make it to the Promised Land. We, too, have been given manna by our Lord to make it to our Promised Land. We have been given the body of Christ which, among other things, has given is the strength and nourishment we need. But the best part is that it lasts forever. We will never be hungry again because we have been filled by the body of Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 6: 16-24; Jesus Walks on Water

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need not fear anything, for Jesus is with us. The discples are out in the middle of the sea and they see someone, who maybe they mistake for a ghost, approach. Immediately their fear kicks in, but Jesus assures them and tells them to have no fear. We face things in this life that sometimes fill us with fear. We do not need to fear those things, because we have Jesus in our lives. We have the presence of the Son of God in our lives, so we do no need to be afraid. As Jesus tells his disciples, 'It is I; do not be afraid.' God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Growing in Ministry Workshop

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do not forget about tomorrow's Growing in Ministry Worskshop. This workshop will focus on the church's missional strategy, as we try to discern specifically the things God is calling us as a church to do. Everyone who signed up, please remember to come and participate in this very important workshop. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 6: 1-15; Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus gives us our daily bread. Those five thousand men were hungry; they had been with Jesus for a while, listening to his preaching and watching his miracles. They needed some food to give them strength. We all need strength for our journey of faith. We need our daily bread, and Jesus gives it to us. We are given our daily bread through the act of communion. When we partake of communion we are given the bread, the body of Christ, we need to sustain us for our journey of faith. 'Give us this day our daily bread.' Through Jesus that prayer has been answered. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 5: 31-47; Testimonies About Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.


'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' There isn't anything more we need to know. There are some who want more answers than that, but the only thing we need to remember about Jesus is that he is the Christ who came here to give us life. The testimonies about Jesus have been made, all we need to do is believe. No matter where you are or what you are doing always remember who Jesus is and what he came here to do. God bless you.


Pastor Josh
<><

Evening Worship Service for November 16, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will be having our Evening Worship Service this Sunday at 7:30 p.m. We will be spending our time worshiping our God through music, which will be led by John McCarty and Dan Lutes. During the service we will also be celebrating Holy Communion. I hope you are able to make it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 16, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday is from Zechariah 9: 9-17, in which we are told that the King of Zion will come. The sermon is titled 'He's Coming Back' and will focus on the second coming of Christ. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 5: 16-30; Life Through the Son

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is giving us a lesson here in being reliant on God. Jesus wants us to know that we cannot do anything without God, but with God all things are possible. Too many times we think we can do it ourselves, that we don't need any help from God or from anyone else around us. That is simply not true. We need God's help as we go through our journey of faith; we need the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ as we encounter obstacles as we go through life. We are not alone, and we are not meant to be alone. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 5: 1-15; The Healing at the Pool

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus fixes what is broken. Thirty-eight years is a long time to be paralyzed. This man not only had to suffer the physical pain and suffering, he also had some emotional pain. For one thing, he had no one to take care of him. But for another, he was looked at in a very poor light by those around him. The invalid's fellow Jews kept him away from the Temple, the market, etc. He was not allowed to do anything or go anywhere because of his illness. But Jesus fixes that. He not only gives the man the power to be able to walk again, he restores him to the community. Jesus makes it possible for this man to have a life again. This man's body is not the only thing that was broken, his life was as well, and Jesus fixed that. And he does the same for us. Jesus does for us what he did for this invalid: he fixes all things that are broken. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 4: 43-54; Jesus Heals the Official's Son

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to submit to Jesus. This royal official is someone who would normally not associate with someone like Jesus. This man is royal, Jesus is not; this man has money and power, Jesus does not; this man, on paper, is better than Jesus. But he recognizes that Jesus has the power and the heart to heal his son, so he comes to Jesus to ask for help. Sometimes we think we can handle our own problems, or that one of our wonderful inventions can take care of what is bothering us. Only Jesus can help us with what we truly need. Only Jesus has all the answers that we need. We need to be like the royal offical and submit to Jesus, admit he is greater than we are, admit that we need his help. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 4: 39-42; Many Samaritans Believe

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." We have all had an experience with Jesus. That is why we believe. We do not believe in Jesus because we read abouthim in a book, or because we have been blindly followin other people. We believe in Jesus because he has touched our hearts himself. We have all heard Jesus' voice, we have all felt him touch our life. But it does not end there. Jesus still touches our hearts, he still speaks to us. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to Jesus that he may continue to touch your life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 4: 27-38; The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Though he does not say it directly here, I am reminded of Jesus' saying, 'I am the bread of life.' Jesus gives us all the bread we need to continue on our journey of faith. We ask, in the Lord's prayer, for God to give us our daily bread, our daily food to give us strength for our journey of faith. One of the things that happens in communion, when we partake of the bread of life, we are strengthened for our journey of faith. The bread Jesus offers is the bread of life, the bread that fills us with all we need for our journey of faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 4: 1-26; Jesus Speaks With a Samaritan Woman

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows us inside and out. For some, who want to keep their lives private, this is not really good news. But for those of us who are looking for a personal relationship with Christ this is the best news we could here. Jesus loves us enough to get to know us; to know everything about us. Jesus knows our burdens, our fears, our joys, our history, and our future. And in that knowledge Jesus is able to help us get through our journey of faith. Because Jesus knows us inside and out he is able to guide us and direct us as we go through life. I think this is reason for us to rejoice. We have a savior who knows us completely! God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 3: 22-36; John the Baptist's Testimony About Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

John is the unsung hero of the New Testament. He did his job, and he did it very well. John was called to prepare the way of the Lord, and he did that. But that is not the end. We are the new John; we are supposed to be preparing the way of the Lord. Jesus is going to come back someday and we need to get everything ready for him when he gets here. We need to not only be ready ourselves, we need to help get the rest of the world ready. John was called to prepare the way of the Lord, and that is what we are called to do as well. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 9, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday is from Haggai 1: 1-11, in which Israel is commanded to rebuild the Temple, that it may be a testimony to the world that God reigns. The sermon is titled 'God is in Control' and will focus on how God does indeed reign in this world. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 3: 1-21; Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Paul tells us in II Corinthians that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, the old passes away and the new has come. We are made new in Jesus, we are all born again. The term 'born again' has lost some popularity in recent years, but it is one that needs to be brought back because it is what Jesus wants of us. Jesus wants us to be born again, he wants us to begin a brand new life with him, one that has nothing to do with our old life. We are a new creation in Christ; we are born again in Jesus. Take this day and, if you have not done so already, allow youself to be born again, to begin a brand new life in Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Recycling Bin

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We now have a recycling bin in the parking lot of the church. This is a great way to raise money for the church, and to help the environment. Please bring all of your recyclable paper products to the church, and tell everybody else you know to do the same thing. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 2: 12-25; Jesus Clears Out the Temple

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the other gospels Jesus uses the phrase 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' when he clears out the Temple. I think this is just as important for us to remember now as it was for the people Jesus drove out of the Temple 2,000 years ago. God's house is supposed to be a house of worship. When we gather here we are supposed to leave everything from the outside world in the outside world. All of our cares, fears, anger, sadness, etc. should be left at the door, for it is those things that distract us from true worship of God. And it is those things that drove the people in Jesus' time to make the Temple a market and slaughterhouse. When we gather for worship we should gather for worship only, nothing else. When we come into God's house the only thing that should be on our mind is God and God alone. God's house is to be a house of prayer and worship. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 2: 1-11; Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the cup of salvation. The wedding guests, and hosts, needed some wine so that everyone would be happy. Jesus knew that the cup he offered would fulfill all the needs of all people. Jesus says here that it is not yet his time, but we can also look at this and see that some of Jesus' frustration comes out in the fact that he knows the cup he offeres will never need to be refilled, and it will never need to be suplemented. The cup that Jesus offers is the cup of salvation, and we will need nothing more than that. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 1: 43-51; Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nathanael hears the good news that he will be rewarded for following Jesus. Because he has chosen to follow Jesus he Nathanael is going to be rewarded. The same is true for us. We have chosen to follow Jesus and we have been rewarded. We are rewarded with salvation and eternal life. We may not get gold or other riches, but we will receive blessings beyond count. To be sure, there is a cost to following Jesus. There are things we need to sacrifice, but we also need to spend time talking about the rewards we receive from God. Because of the work of Jesus Christ our Lord we have been rewarded with all we will ever need. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 1: 35-42; Jesus' First Disciples

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is just something about Jesus. The disciples saw it immediately. When they encountered Jesus they knew from the beginning that Jesus was sent by God to do great things. And, of course, they were right. Jesus was sent here by God to do amazing things. The most amazing thing he did was restore us to right relationship with God. Jesus had an immediate impact on the disciples. And he has had an immediate impact on us as well. From the moment we met Jesus we knew there was something special about him. Jesus has done for us what he did for the disciples; he restored us to right relationship with God. The disciples recognized what Jesus was going to do and they followed him. We recognized the same thing. Follow Jesus, for he is the one who has brought us back into right relationship with God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 1: 29-34; Jesus the Lamb of God

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world. One thing I would like to highlight here is that John the Baptist does not mention the cross here. He says that Jesus is the Lam of God who will take away the sins of the world, but he does not mention specifically Jesus on the cross. It is the entire life and ministry of Jesus that gives us our salvation. In the Apostle's Creed Jesus' life is not mentioned. The Creed goes from the birth to the suffering of Jesus under Pontius Pilate. There is nothing there about the life of Christ. We need to remember not only the death of Jesus on the cross, but his life and ministry in Israel. Jesus is the Lamb of God, not just on the cross, but in his entire life. Jesus is the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 1: 19-28; John the Baptist Denies Being the Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

John sure knew what he was talking about. He mentions here that Jesus is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit, which is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus baptized all of us with the Holy Spirit which means, among other things, that we are constantly surrounded by the Holy Spirit. The fact that we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times means for us that God is with us at all times. We are never alone, though sometimes we may feel like it. No matter where we go or what we do we have the Holy Spirit with us to guide us, to lead us, to give us strength. We have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, which means we have the Holy Spirit with us at all times. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Guest Preacher for Sunday November 2, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will be having a guest preacher in worship. Judy Chan, a missionary from China, will be sharing with us the work she has been doing in China. This is a time for us to learn first hand what God is up to in the world. Judy will also be leading Sunday School which begins at 9:45. Please come to this special Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

John 1: 1-18; The Word Became Flesh

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"And the word became flesh and dwelt among us." We lived with God for a time. Jesus, who is God in the flesh, came down into this world in order that we may have life. God's love for us is so great that he came down into this world himself to save us from sin. That is an amazing love. And throughout his life Jesus continued to reveal to us just how much God loves us. When we look at Jesus we need to see love. Yes, we think of the cross and everything we have because of the cross. But when we look at Jesus what we are supposed to think is just how much God loves us. God loves us so much he came down into this world to give us life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 12: 1-13; The End Times

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance." Jesus says, in John's gospel, that he has gone away to prepare a place for us. Someday he will come back and take us to this place, where there are many rooms, where we will receive all the rewards promised to us in the New Testament. Our rewards do not end with our salvation; there is much more in store for us. Someday, at the end of days, we will rise and receive our allotted inheritance. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 11: 36-45; The King Who Exalts Himself

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"The king who exalts himself...will come to his end at last, and no one will help him." When we seek our own glory no one will be there to help us. We need to remember that we live for the glory of God, not the glory of ourselves. When we love God, when we love our neighbor, when we practice holiness, we are not doing those things to make sure we are in good shape. We do those things to honor and glorify God for who he is and for what he has done for us in our lives. This king that Daniel is talking about is one who is seeking glory for himself, and that is not the kind of life we should be living. We should be living the kind of life that honors and glorifies God for all he has done for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 11: 1-35; The Kings of the South and the North

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In reading this passage I am reminded of what is said in Isaiah 40: 8; "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our Lord stands forever." All of the things of this world will pass away. Kings and presidents will come and go; countries will come and go. But the Lord will always remain. God will always be there. That should give us hope. No matter what happens to us, or those around us; no matter how much things change; no matter how much it seems like the world is going to end. God will always be there. He is the constant; he is the one who is without end. Remember the words from the prophet Isaiah, that the word of our Lord stands forever. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 10: 1-21; Daniel's Vision of a Man

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Daniel's work cost him a lot of strength. He needed the power of God in his life to do what God called him to do. And in this passage he is given the encouragement he needs. He is told, in his vision, to be strong. We need these words of encouragement sometimes, too. In our journey of faith we sometimes face trials and tribulations, and when that happens we need to hear from God words of encouragement. The Lord is with us. In the end of Matthew's gospel, when Jesus gives the Great Commission, he also tells his disciples that he will be with them to the end of the age. That is from where we get our strength, from knowing the Lord is with us. Be strong! We can be strong knowing the Lord is with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 9: 20-27; The Seventy Sevens

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Daniel's prayer for salvation was answered. He came to the Lord in confession and asked God for forgiveness and it was granted. Our prayer for salvation has been answered as well. God sent Jesus into the world to give us life, to bring us salvation. We, like Israel, have prayed for salvation, and it has been granted to us through Jesus. Daniel confessed his sins, he asked God for forgiveness, and it was granted. We confess our sins, we ask God for forgiveness, and it has been granted through Jesus. We are forgiven! God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 9: 1-19; Daniel's Prayer

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here we have a prayer of confession from Daniel. Confession is an important part of the life of a Christian. We need to confess that we need Jesus. We don't confess our sins to make ourselves feel bad; we don't confess our sins to create a pity party; we confess our sins simply as a recognition that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus came here to save the world, and it is important that we recognize that we need that salvation. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 26, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday is from Zephaniah 3: 14-20, in which the prophet is giving hope to the people Israel. The sermon is titled 'There is Hope,' and will focus on the hope we have as children of God. I hope you all are able to make it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 8: 15-27; The Interpretation of the Vision

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God does give us an idea of what is going to happen. Sometimes we wonder what exactly is going to happen to us or the world. And one of the pieces of good news we get from Daniel is that God does sometimes let us know what is going to happen. Sometimes there is a mystery to it all, but sometimes, like with Daniel, God lets us know. And even if God does not let us know what will happen, he does know himself. While sometimes it may remail a mystery to us, God knows. God is in control, we are in his hands. In all things we need to make sure we trust God and continue to follow the path he has laid out for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 8:1-14; Daniel's Vision of a Ram and a Goat

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the many things Jesus accomplished in his ministry was wiping out the powers of evil. We no longer have to worry about the evil one, because Christ has defeated him once and for all. The old saying, 'all he can do is lie,' is true because he has no power to do anything else. We can rest easy, we can simply go on through our journey without fear. Jesus has defeated evil, he is protecting us. The goat defeated the ram in Daniel's vision. In reality, Jesus defeated Satan and the power of evil. Praise God for he has been victorious over evil. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 7: 15-28; The Interpretation of the Dream

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. Throughout the Bible we get the sense that there are going to be some rough times for the children of God. That is the bad news. The good news is that it is going to get better. Someday Jesus will return and call of us to him, and he will take us to heaven to be with him that we may live in peace and harmony for all eternity. There is hope, in other words. No matter how bad things get, they will get better. We are in the hands of God and someday God will make all things new, and he will make all things better. God bless you.



Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 7: 1-14; Daniel's Dream of Four Beasts

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

A couple of weeks ago in Bible study we talked about the transfiguration, in which Christ was transfigured to a dazzling white and had a conversation with Moses and Elijah. The story of the transfiguration and Daniel's dream are important because they remind that there is something glorious about our faith. We don't always see it in the world, but someday when we are in heaven with our Lord we will behold wonderful and amazing things. We may see strange animals, we may see folks glowing in a dazzling white. Whatever it will be we will be witnesses to the glory of heaven. Do not pass off Daniel's dream as simply a dream. He was given a glimpse of what our kingdom will be like when we arrive there. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 6: 1-28; Daniel in the Lion's Den

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is it not amazing what God can do? So many times we read stories like Daniel in the lion's den and we think that miracles like that don't happen anymore. The truth is that miracles happen every day. Sometimes they may be harder to see, but God works in our lives; he makes things happen, good things. God continues to work miracles in the lives of his children. We need to open our eyes that we may see them, open our ears that we may hear them, open our hearts that we would be aware of the ways in which God works in the world. God still does miracles, we just need to be aware of them. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 5: 1-31; The Writing on the Wall

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Daniel spoke without fear the words God gave him. As he is standing before the king, who had the power to have him put to death, Daniel did not hesitate for a moment to bring this message before him. These words, which to some would seem insolent, were given to Daniel by God and Daniel spoke them without fear. God has given us all a message to proclaim. He has given us words to share with those around us. Sometimes that message is not going to be well received. But in those times we must rely on the strength of the Lord; to strengthen us for our journey of faith for the work we have been given, to proclaim the message instilled in our hearts. May God be with you as you share with others the message he has given you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Evening Worship Service: Sunday, October 19, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will be having our evening worship service this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. The service, including the message, will be led by John McCarty, and Dan Lutes will be leading the music. Please stop by the church to worship God during this time. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 19, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday's Scripture passage is from Habakkuk 1: 12-2:1, in which Habakkuk asks God some questions. The sermon is titled 'Seek Understanding,' and will look at how it is ok to ask God questions, for as Christians we are supposed to seek understanding so we can serve Him better. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 4: 28-37; The Dream is Fulfilled

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God does what he says he is going to do. Nebuchadnezzar found that out the hard way. Looking at this in a positive way, God keeps him promises. How much of a relief it is that we can trust in God. We do not have to worry about God not keeping his promises. Eliah's name is symbolic of that. Her name is greek for 'olive tree, or branch,' which is symbolic of God's promises in the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament God sent the dove to Noah carrying and olve branch, which is how Noah knew the flood was over. In the New Testament, Jesus is arrested while on the Mount of Olives, fulfilling God's promises to save the world. God makes promises, and he keeps them. We can always trust God to follow through with what he says. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Eliah Jean Snyder

Eliah Jean Snyder was born on October 15, 2008 at 9:31 P.M. She is 7 pounds 14 ounces and is 21 inches long. Kate is doing well, and so is our daughter, whom we are calling Ellie for short. We thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers and we cannot wait for you to meet our little girl. God bless you all.

Pastor Josh

<><

Daniel 4: 19-27; Daniel Interpret's the Dream

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here in this passage we find Daniel saying a similar thing to Habakkuk, whom we discussed in church the other day. The king was in trouble because he, and the rest of the people, were not living the holy life they were supposed to be living. We need to remember that we, as Christians, are called to a life of holiness. We live this life of holiness out of response for what God has done for us. As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, 'be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.' God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 4: 1-18; Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of a Tree

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here we have another dream from Nebuchadnezzar. But the one brief phrase I would like to focus on is 'his kingdom is an eternal kingdom.' God's kingdom will never end. No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, God's kingdom will stand forever. Let that be your source of hope. We have the hope that when all else fails God's kingdom will still be there. Someday, when Jesus returns and we are all resurrected, things will become brand new, and all things will be made good. No matter how bad things may seem, God's kingdom will last, and we will receive all the blessings that come with that kingdom. Hope in the Lord! God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 3: 1-30; The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are some of the most beloved characters in all of the Bible, and not just because they were able to stand in a fire and not get burned. They are also loved because they refused to recant their faith. They had the chance to stop believing in God and worship the idol the king had set up, but instead they held true to their faith and continued to believe in, worship, and rely on God. And in the end they were saved from the fire. In the end their faith in God was vindicated. When we are thrown into the fire, will our faith be as strong? When we are faced with persecutions, as well as trials and tribulations, what will we do? Will we turn away from God and follow someone/thing else? Or will we continue to believe in God and call on his name. We know what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would do. What would we do? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 2: 24-49; Daniel Interprets the Dream

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

From very early on in this book we see that there is something special about Daniel. You can clearly see that the Lord has touched him, and that the Lord is going to use him for great things. The number one reason why Daniel is special and was able to such great things is because Daniel was open to being used by God. Daniel was willing for God to have him interpret dreams, and use him to make a point about God's protection. Daniel was a willing person, he was open to being used by God. God wants to use all of us as well. He has called us into a life of faith, and he has called us into a life of service. We need to be open to being used by God for great things. Like Daniel, God can do amazing things through us. We just need to let him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 2: 1-23; Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, something that we cannot always relate to in the 21st century. If you read through the Bible you will find a lot of instances in which God speaks in a dream. We have lost this in our day. It may be that God no longer chooses to speak in that way, but I think the more likely answer is that we do not listen as well as folks did in the Bible. God continues to speak in a variety of ways. We need to pay attention for those times when God is speaking to us. Keep your mind and heart open, and you will hear God, see God, experience God in a new and miraculous way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Daniel 1: 1-21; Daniel's Training in Babylon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Daniel did not want to distract himself with the king's things; he wanted to keep himself focused on God. The King wanted, through food and drink and other things, to buy the prophets. But Daniel kep himself set apart from the others. He wanted to serve God, not a king. Daniel, if nothing else, was completely devoted to God. Though it sometimes cost him, he never wavered in his service to God alone. Daniel is an example of how we are supposed to live our lives and do our ministry. We need to be completely devoted to God and not to anyone or anything else. We are to let nothing stand in the way of living our lives for God. Remember Daniel and his devotion to God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 4: 7-18; Final Greetings

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord." Paul faced a lot of difficulties in his ministry, but he always continued his ministry. Whether he was in prison or on the road Paul continued to preach the good news of Jesus Christ; to see to it that as many people as he could reach were brought to faith in Jesus Christ. We all have work to do for Jesus, and we need to be doing it. God has told you what he wants you to do; God has told all of us what he wants us to do. We need to go out and make sure we are doing that work. "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 12, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday's Scripture lesson comes from Nahum 1: 7-15, in which God talks about his displeasure with Nineveh and their unfaithfulness. The sermon is titled 'Holiness' and will focus on our call as Christians to a life of holiness. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 4: 2-6; Further Instructions

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to spend more time in prayer. God likes to hear from us, he likes to have conversations with us. God likes to know what is going on in our lives and in our hearts. We have the blessing of a God who is accessible all the time; we should take advantage of that and spend more time in prayer, conversing with God; telling him about our day; telling him what we need. But prayer is also a time when we listen to God. God continues to guide us and direct us as we go through life, and one of the ways in which he does that is through prayer, because when we pray God has the chance to talk to us. Through prayer we are strengthened for our journey of faith, and through prayer God directs our paths. Pray without ceasing. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 3: 17-25; Rules for Christian Households

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Be subject to one another; love and serve one another. That is what Paul really means in this passage. We are not supposed to get caught up in who is in charge, we are supposed to get caught up in serving one another, being kind to one another, loving one another. This is also the kind of instruction Jesus was giving when he tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Paul tells us: wives submit to your husbands, and husbands to love your wives. In other words, treat each other with love and respect. This passage usually gets people upset because it sounds harsh, but what Paul is telling us is to be subject to one another, to love and serve one another. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 3: 1-17; Rules for Holy Living

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Holiness is one of the goals of a Christian, and here we find some instruction on how to live a holy life. Holiness revolves around one word: love. When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength we practice holiness; and when we love our neighbor as ourselves we practice holiness. Let us be holy by loving God and loving those around us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 2: 6-23; Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Yesterday in worship we talked about being Christ-centered, which is exactly what Paul is talking about here. No one, absolutely no one, knows more than Jesus. No one, absolutely no one, should be put in front of Jesus. Jesus is in charge, he is the one we should be listening to, not those around us. Jesus is the one who knows what is best for us, not us. Jesus is the one who has a good plan for our lives; none of us can say we have a better plan than Jesus. We need to be Christ-centered, putting Jesus in charge of our lives, and not other people. We need to listen to Christ, and not our own ideas and plans. Be Christ-centered. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 2: 1-5; Paul's Struggle's

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

A big reason why Paul wrote his letters was to make sure the people to whom he was writing were strengthened in his faith. The early Christians were faced with persecution in some cases, and opposition in all others. They needed a little encouragement from time to time. They needed to hear from someone that in the end it was all going to be ok. Paul shared his faith and his experiences with people so that they, too, would have the strength to continue on in their faith and in their ministry. We have all the courage we need from Jesus. He is with us, giving us all the strength we need. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 1: 24-29; Paul's Labor for the Church

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul says here that he is going out and proclaiming the good news so that we all may be presented [to God] perfect in Christ. We have all been made holy and perfect through Jesus our Lord. With his death on the cross means our sins have been taken away, making us holy and perfect, the way God intended us to be. Thanks be to God that Jesus has made us perfect. Let us go forth and bring more people to Christ that they, too, may be made perfect in him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 1: 15-23; The Supremecy of Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we look at Jesus we are looking at God. Jesus is God in the flesh. He is not just a prophet, he is not just a man who was able to perform miracles. Jesus is God in the flesh. This is good news for us because did not call someone, he came down himself. God came down and walked beside for a little while as the man Jesus. God's love for us is so great that he came down to earth and dwelt among us. As Paul says, once we were alienated from God, but not anymore. God has brought us back into right relationship with him. As God came down he righted all the wrongs. Jesus is God in the flesh, and that is the good news of the gospel. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Evening Worship Service: October 5, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will have our Evening Worship Service at 7:00 p.m. Music will be led by Dan Lutes, John McCarty, and Kate Snyder. The sermon will be based on the Parable of the Talents. We will also be celebrating Holy Communion. I hope you are able to make it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Installation Service: October 5, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will have a special installation service to install Pastor Josh as our minister. The Reverend Bill Allen, Interim Regional Minister, will be leading the installation service. Please come and celebrate with us on this special day.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from John 1: 35-50, in which Jesus calls the first of the disciples. The sermon is titled 'Follow the Leader,' and will focus on what we need to be doing as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Colossians 1: 1-14; Greetings and Thanksgivings

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul begins all of his letters by thanking God for the people to whom he is writing. Before he gets into any admonitions, theology, or anything else he tells the people, in this case the Colossians, that he is thankful for them. How often do we thank God for one another? We are blessed to have companions in our faith, brothers and sisters in Christ who will bear with us as we go through our journey of faith. We are not alone. Not only do we have Jesus, we also have each other. Each and every day we should take time to remember how much of a blessing it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ; and each and every day we should remember to thank God for each other. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 28: 1-10; Ashore on Malta

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Last night at Bible study we talked a little about faith. The disciples, at point, were not able to heal because they did not have enough faith. Jesus admonishes them simply because they had the ability to heal people and cast out demons, but were unable to do so because they did not believe. Paul had great faith. He knew that the Lord was with him giving him strength to heal people who were in need, like the sick man on the island of Malta. We need to remember that with faith all things are possible. If we believe in the power of God with all our hearts amazing things will happen for us. Remember, be strong in your faith, trusting in the power of God Almighty. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 27: 1-44; Paul and the Storm

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul is living out some of Jesus' directions here. He is helping the folks on the ship even though they are his enemies. These men have arrested Paul and are taking him to stand trial for being a Christian. But Paul does not let that stop him from helping these men through the storm they are fighting. Jesus tells us to love one another. This love is not supposed to be limited to those who are our friends, for even thieves love their friends. Our love is supposed to be showed to our enemies as well, those who may even wish us harm. 'Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.' Straight from the mouth of Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 26: 1-32; Paul and Agrippa

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the things Paul keeps mentioning in his many defenses and some of his letters is the resurrection, the fact that death is not the end. In being followers of Jesus we are blessed with eternal life. We do not have to worry about death. Yes, our bodies will die, but one day we will be raised up and we will live forever in the kingdom of heaven. Paul knew what he was talking about when he said to Agrippa, 'Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?' Paul knew the good news that Jesus offered, that there is eternal life for all those who follow Christ. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 25: 1-12; The Trial Before Festus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul had a couple chances to get out of the trial and suffering he endured. All he had to do was deny his faith and toe the line. And as we witness Paul 'not getting out of it,' I'm reminded of the fact that Jesus had a couple of chances to get away, too. He could have asked God to get him out of it; he could have ran away at the garden; he could have talked his way out of things before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, or anyone else. Jesus could have gotten out of it all, but he did not. He went through the pain, the suffering, and humility of the cross for our sake. Jesus loves us so much he went to the cross for us. He had chances to relieve himself, but his love for us is too great. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 24: 1-27; The Trial Before Felix

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The main thing that we can learn from Paul, and the rest of the Apostles, is that there is a cost to discipleship. Being a follower of Jesus is not a 'bed of roses.' We are not promised a perfect life. Being a follower of Jesus means that sometimes we must go through trials and tribulations for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we are persecuted, sometimes we suffer for other reasons. But the point is that Paul shows us that being a disciple of Christ means that we will face difficult times. The good news is, though, that we have God with us in those difficult times. We have a God who will never ,eave us or forsake us, but who will forever remain with us as we go through difficult times. Even though we may face trials and tribulations God will be with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 23: 1-11; Paul Before the High Priest

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." Paul, when he said this, was standing before the Jewish High Priest. He was able to stand before the High Priest with a clear conscience. We should live our lives in the same way. Someday we will all see Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven. When that happens I'm sure we all want to stand before him with a clear conscience, knowing that we lived a life of faith. Paul was able to stand before the High Priest with a clear conscience, we should aspire to be able to do the same thing when we stand before our great High Priest. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 28, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday comes from Micah 6: 1-8, which mentions specifically what the Lord requires of us. The sermon is titled 'Do This,' and will go into more detail about what Micah says the Lord requires of us. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 22: 1-21; Paul's Defense

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' " Paul continued one of the many things Jesus came here to do: be a light to the Gentiles. Part of Jesus' ministry included breaking down some of the social and religious barriers that existed between the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus called Paul to continue that ministry. Jesus called Paul to proclaim the good news that Jesus came here for everyone, the whole world. We should be saying the same thing. I have met people in my time, as I'm sure you have, who thought, for whatever reason, that they weren't good enough for Jesus, that Jesus did not love them. That is simply not true. Jesus came here for everyone, he loves everyone. That is the good news we should be sharing with those around us: that Jesus loves the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 21: 27-36; Paul Arrested

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul was arrested for his faith, and he never wavered. Paul continued to preach the gospel until the day he died, and because of that he sometimes suffered greatly. We should be motivated by Paul's faith. First century prisons were not very good places to be, and first century jailers were not very nice people. Paul suffered greatly for his faith. We should do the same thing. The Christian faith is not as acceptable as it used to be, which means for us that we are sometimes persecuted like Paul. When that happens we need to remember Paul and his faith and remember that he never wavered in his faith. We will sometimes face opposition, and when that happens we need to remember our faith and remember to never waver in our faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 20: 13-38; Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." Even though these are Paul's words I think Jesus would say the same thing. We have all been dedicated, or committed to the Lord; to go forth and do his work. We have a holy task, one that requires our strength and our faith. Not all of us are elders like those to whom Paul is writing, not all of us are preachers, but we have all been given a task, a call, from God. We have all been called to go forth and make disciples of all nations, to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus has committed us to God, to the word of his grace. Go forth to love and serve the Lord. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 19: 1-22; Paul in Ephesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus." When we are baptized we are, as Paul shared with the Ephesians, baptized into the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The key word in this is 'into.' When we are baptized into the name of Christ we are united with Christ. And when we are united with Christ we receive the blessings Christ has received from God: son/daughtership with God, eternal life, the Holy Spirit, etc. Christ has a very special relationship with God, and we are baptized into his name we receive the same blessings. We all, in being united with Christ, are called sons and daughters of God, are given the gift of eternal life, are blessed with God's presence in our lives. Remember you baptism into the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 18: 1-17; In Corinth

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Jesus called Paul to the Gentiles, and what a mission it was. The mission to the Gentiles means for us that Jesus is for everyone. There is no such thing as a select group of people; a lonley few who are the only ones who get to receive salvation and go to heaven. We are all given the blessing of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Every person has the opportunity to have Jesus in their life. This is good news for us, no one is left out. We are all invited into a personal relationship with Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 17: 16-34; In Athens

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill." While it is true God is all around us in nature, He is not in any of the things man has made. That is to say, as great as our inventions are they are no substitute for God. So many times we look around us and we see all the wonderful things humans have invented and think maybe God is in those things. We need to remember that God is bigger than silver and gold and anything else we may have come up with. God is greater than our inventions. We need to remember to worship God and not worship the things we have made. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 16: 16-40; Paul and Silas in Prison

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." Paul and Silas, after being tortured, were still so filled with the joy and peace of Christ that they could do nothing but sing hymns. One of the hardest things for us to do is rejoice when things are going wrong. But we have all the reasons we need to rejoice. Through our Lord Jesus Christ we are given all the reasons we need to rejoice and be glad. Remember Paul and Silas; remember their joy in hardship; remember the many blessings we have received from God and let that be your source for joy. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Evening Worship: Prayer Service; Sunday, September 21, 2008, 7:00 p.m.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Evening Worship service for this coming Sunday will be a time of prayer. There will be no singing or preaching. We will spend the time Sunday evening in prayer, in the presence of our God. If you, or anyone you know, needs special prayer please come to worship with us this Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 21, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture lesson for this Sunday is Jonah 1: 1-17, in which Jonah is called by God to prophesy to the town of Nineveh but instead runs away. The sermon is titled 'Mercy and Compassion,' and will focus on the lesson we get from Jonah to find mercy and compassion from those around us. I hope you all are able to make it to worship on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 15: 1-21; The Council at Jerusalem

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What we learn here from the Apostles is that belief matters more than rules. The Gentiles, non-Jews, were not circumcised. And according to the Law those who are uncircumcised cannot be a part of the people of Israel. Likewise they are not given the blessing(s) Israel receives from God. The Apostles, following the exmple of Jesus, preach the message that faith, what you believe, matters more than anything else. If we belive that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, then we will receive all the blessings God has to give. It is not the rules we follow that save us, it is Jesus, and our belief in him. Salvation and grace come from Jesus, which is the message the Apostles tried to get across. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 14: 21-28; The Return to Antioch in Syria

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." The journey of faith is filled with many trials and tribulations. Jesus never promised us a rose garden; he was always honest about the kind of lives his disciples, which includes us, would have to live for the sake of his name. As we read in the book of Acts, Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and the rest of the Apostles had to go through many hardships. The good news is that Jesus is with us as we go through trials and tribulations. Yes, we must sometimes endure pain and suffering, but as we do we have the Lord with us, giving us strength and all we need to make it through the difficult times we sometimes face. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 13: 13-52; In Pisidian Antioch

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the things we talked about in our Evangelism Class we had a few months ago was telling our faith story. When we go out to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ we do not always have to preach a big sermon filled with theological constructs. Often times, preaching means simply sharing our faith story with those around us. That is what Paul is doing here. He is restating Israel's story in an attempt to get people to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. We need to do more of what Paul did; we need to share our faith story more. Tell people not only the good news of Jesus Christ, but also what Jesus has done for you in your own life. People respond to that kind of message. Not to mention the fact that it reminds us of what Jesus has done for us. Like Paul, go forth and share your faith story. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 12: 1-19; Peter's Miraculous Escape From Prison

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In church yesterday we talked about hos God reaches into the world and makes things happen for his children. Peter, and his escape from prison, is a prime example of how God sometimes reaches into this world. One important thing to remember, though, is that God does not reach in for the sake of doing something cool. God reaches in for the sake of the ministry of Christ, for the benefit of the world. When Peter was let out of prison he visited some friends to let them know he was alright, but then he went out and continued to proclaim the good news of Jesus. God does not do magic tricks. The things God does in this world are for our good. It's not just that God reaches in, it's that he reaches in to do something good. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 11: 19-30; The Church in Antioch

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

To me, this sounds like a very exciting time. Paul, and the rest of the Apostles, were running around telling as many people as possible about Jesus. There was a sense of urgency; that this preaching was very important; that Jesus was going to come back soon and they needed to get busy. I wonder what things would look like if we got as busy; if we were all out there spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. We may not all need to go to Asia and Africa, but we should all be out there telling as many people as we can about the good news of Jesus Christ. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 10: 1-8; Cornelius Calls for Peter

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God sometimes gives visions in order to make people do a certain things. In other words, God makes things happen, he gets involves in the lives of his children. This is good news for us because God, who is loving and wise, gives us guidance and direction we need as we go through life. What this means for us is that we are not alone; God is with us; he is continually guiding us and directing us as we go through life. Just as he guided Peter and Cornelius he guides us as well. Heed the words of God and let him guide you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 9: 1-19; Saul's Conversion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who says Jesus isn't still working. I realize this story happened about 2000 years ago, but this sort of stuff is still going on. When I was in Africa a few years ago I learned that people are converted to Christianity like this all the time. Jesus is still working in the world. He is helping us with the work he has given us; he is still working himself. We may not always witness this kind of event, or have anything to do with one. But what we really need to remember is that Jesus is still working in the world. Yes, he has given us work to do. But he has also continued to work himself. Believe in these sorts of happenings; believe that Christ is still working in the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 14, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is Obadiah: 15-21, in which Obadiah talks about how God is active in the world, and in the lives of His children. The sermon is titled 'Dirty Hands,' and will focus on the ways in which God has been active and involved in the world.

Do not forget, this Sunday is also the Installation for all the new officers for this church year. All officers please make sure you are here. And everyone else should please come, too, and take part in this special event. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 8: 26-40; Philip and the Ethiopian

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"How can I [know what the scriptures mean]," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" If there was ever a passage to motivate us to share with people the good new of Jesus, this is it. Sometimes we may think everyone knows who Jesus is; sometimes we may think we don't need to go out and share with people the good news of Jesus Christ. This passage is a pretty big statement against that. Our friends, our neighbors, and even our enemies may not know anything about Jesus. It is our calling to tell them about Jesus. We are called to share our faith and bring to others the good news, because they may not hear about Jesus any other way. Can you imagine the look of joy on the Ethiopian's face when he heard the good news from Philip? We can bring that smile to others' faces when we teach them the good news of Jesus Christ. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 7: 1-53; Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a decent preview of the sermon for this Sunday. Stephen is going through the history of Israel here, highlighting all the times in which God has been active in the lives of his children. God continues to reach into the world and work for good for those who love God. This message is good news for us; it gives us hope to know that God is so active, that he continues to reach into the world. God is not absent, but he is not simply present either. God is active in our lives. God is working in your life right now. Have hope knowing you have God working in your life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 6: 1-7; The Choosing of the Seven

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This highlights the importance of doing good works on behalf of those who are in need. Widows, more than any other group of people, needed some serious help. Women, when their husbands died, were seen as useless. No one would marry them, and no one would take them in. They were in need. And so the Apostles did what they were told to do by Jesus, care for all those who are need, in this case, the widows. As part of the Growing in Ministry process we will be looking at things we can do to grow in ministry, and that begins with carrying out the most important commandment from Jesus: love your neighbor as yourself. In other words to care for those in need. Let us follow the example of the Apostles and the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ in caring for those who are in need. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 5: 17-42; The Apostles Persecuted

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"We must obey God rather than men!" We see here the Apostles being persecuted for preaching the name of Jesus. The people of Israel said they must stop, but they did not. They continued to obey God and do the work that he had given them. And thank God they did. Thank God that there were such people who spoke without fear, who never stopped proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Thank God that the good news of Jesus Christ spread throughout the land. There are many people in the world, even people in Mt. Lebanon, who do not believe in, or know, Jesus. We shoud follow the Apostles' example and continue to preach the good news to them in the hopes that one day "every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 4: 23-31; The Believer's Prayer

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness." The early Church faced some opposition from those around them. The Romans and their fellow Jews did not care to much for what the Apostles and other Christians were doing. All of that is to say that the early Christians had a lot of reasons to be afraid. But the early Christians also knew how important it was for them to continue to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. They knew that it was of the utmost importance to share with others the good news of Jesus Christ, which is the reason why they asked for the strength to speak with great boldness. We should all speak with the same boldness. We should all boldly proclaim the saving power of Jesus Christ to all those around us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 3: 1-10; Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember this story. We, as Christians, may not always have a lot to give. We may not have money, we may not always be able to do neat tricks, but at all times we have the ability and opportunity to share with people the good news of Jesus Christ. The messagae that saves, the message that brings people hope, the message that brings peace to people's heart is ours to share with the world. Never feel like words are not enough, for the words that we can share with people are the words of life. What we carry and give to others is worth more than anything else we can give. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 2: 14-41; Peter Addresses the Crowd

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What a sermon! I think this sermon of Peter's is in the Bible for two reasons. One, to give us the history of what happened to the disciples, as well as what they actually did, after Jesus returned to heaven. Two, and I think for our purposes for the day the most important reason, is so we would have a sermon to preach. Peter's sermon is the sermon we should all be preaching. When witnessing to people this is the message that we should share: the mesage of Jesus. In so doing we will bring people into a life of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Go forth and proclaim the good news. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Evening Service: India Experience; Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 5:30 p.m.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have a special treat for our evening worship service this Sunday. Kate Snyder will tell us all about the year she spent in India. She will be giving us a slide show presentation and telling us all about her time there. She will also be providing Indian food, to enhance the 'India Experience.' We will begin the meal at 5:30 p.m. and Kate's presentation, as well as the rest of the worship service, will take place following the meal. I hope you all are able to make it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 7, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is Amos 5: 7-13, in which Amos admonishes Israel for failing to do their duty of caring for those in need. The sermon title is 'Care For Them' and will focus on our call as Christians to care for those who are in need. I hope you all are able to make it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Acts 1: 1-11; Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ascension of Jesus into the heavens is one of the most important things for our faith. Why, because it is important for us to remember that Jesus did not die again. Jesus, upon being raised from the dead, did not live out the rest of his days and pass on to a quiet sleep like the rest of us will. No, Jesus went back to heaven, the place he came from in the first place. And this important for us because what it means is that Jesus is still doing his ministry. Jesus is still praying for us, lifting us up before God; Jesus is still teaching us, through the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus speaks to us and guides us; Jesus still heals us, through his eternal presence in our lives Jesus continues to lift our burdens off of us. The good news for the day is that Jesus is still alive, he is still in heaven continuing his ministry? God bless you.

Pastor Josh

<><

2 Samuel 24: 18-25; David Builds and Altar

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is fitting that, as we come near the end of David's story, the last thing we see David do is build an altar to the Lord. It is fitting because David, even though he sometimes fell short of who God wanted him to be, always found time, energy, etc. to worship God. I guess that is why David is called 'a man after God's own heart.' David, no matter what kind of scrape he got himself into, and he got himself into plenty, always worshipped God for all God had done for him and Israel. What an amazing lesson for us. Sometimes we run out of time; sometimes we run out of desire; sometimes we come up with other excuses as to why we should not worship God. We should remember David and all the times he fell before the Lord in praise and worship. No matter what we have done, no matter where we have gone, we need to spend more time in worship of God who has done so much for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

2 Samuel 23: 1-7; David's Final Words

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'One rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God.' To make this applicable to all of us we might change the phrase 'rules over men' to the word 'lives.' 'One lives (a life of) righteousness when he lives in the fear of God.' Fear in this sense does not just mean fear in the sense of being afraid. Fear also means respect. We live a righteous life when we respect God. This is something David should have remembered a little more in his life. But from the life of David we today do learn how important it is to live in respect of God. We honor and glorify God with how we live our lives. Let us remember to live a life of righteousness, a life of respect for God, to honor and glorify him for all he has done for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><