2 Corinthians 11: 1-15; Paul and the False Apostles

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

False prophets are everywhere. They are on television, filling the world with poison. They are on the radio spreading their lies and discord. We need to be watchful. Jesus warned us about false prophets, how they would come and attempt to lead us astray. They are here, all around us. We need to be on alert to the message they are trying to spread and hold true to the true gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. Heed these words from Paul, and the words from Jesus. Be on alert. Do not be led astray by those who claim to speak the truth. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 10: 1-18; Paul Defends His Ministry

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul was bold, if nothing else. The reason he was so bold is that he believed so fervently in the gospel that anyone who disagreed with him, or who lived outside of that gospel, was going to hear about it. Paul loved Jesus more than anything else, and he made it his life's work to share the good news of Jesus with the world. What would the world look like now if more people acted like Paul? There may be a few more arguments, but I would imagine that a lot more people in the world would have heard about Jesus. Is Paul sometimes bold? Yes. But that boldness enabled him to bring counltess people to Christ. Paul was bold. We should have the same boldness in us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 9: 6-15; Sowing Generously

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God rewards faithfulness. Abraham is viewed as a faithful person. At a word from the Lord Abraham left his home, family, and everything else he knew and loved, in order to follow the call of the Lord. He was rewarded through having many descendants. Abraham always believed that the Lord was going to give him, and Sarah, a child, and God rewarded Abraham's faith. Abraham, in his great faith, was going to sacrifice his son, and the Lord rewarded his faith by preventing that from happening. Abraham had great faith, and God rewarded his faith. We are blessed in the same way. If we have faith in God, if we trust him, he will reward our faithfulness. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for January 31, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13, in which Paul talks about love. The sermon is titled 'All You Need is Love,' and will focus on the kinds of things we can do if we have love in our hearts. I hope to see you all on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 8: 16- 9: 5; Titus Sent to Corinth

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'For we are taking plans to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.' The way we live our lives matter very much. First of all, we are called to honor and glorify God, and one of the ways we do that is through holiness. But second of all, we are called to bring others to Christ. One of the ways in which we do that is through holiness. Jesus tells us we are to be a city on a hill, shining brightly so that others will see the light and be drawn to it, and so accept Jesus into their hearts. We need to make a good impression on those around us so that they will want to have the same kind of life we have, a life with Jesus. We need to do what is right so that the eyes of those around us will see how we live, how blessed we are, the joy we have in our hearts, etc. We need to live holy lives to be a light to those around us, that they, too, may turn to life in Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 8: 1-15; Generosity Encouraged

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has blessed us all with so much. Our blessings outnumber even the sands of the sea. There are, to be sure, spiritual blessings. Salvation, eternal life, a personal relationship with God, etc. However, for some of us there are material and/or monetary blessings as well. God has blessed so many of us with so many wonderful things. In response to that we should give back to God. Response is a key word. We give, not to buy our way into heaven, but in gratitude for what God has given to us. Paul encourages generosity because generosity is what we should be doing. We should be generous in response to God's gnerosity in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 7: 2-16; Paul's Joy

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul's joy is that the church in Corinth has repented. We may be able to assume from this passage that, at some point, the Corinthians were not living in accordance with the commands of the Lord. Now, however, they are living a holy and righteous life. Paul is sharing his joy, and pride, with the Corinthians, the joy he feels in his heart for how they are living. God is writing this letter to us. God is pleased with us just as Paul is pleased with the Corinthians. We please God, make him happy, through how we live our lives. Imagine the joy the Corinthians feel when they read this letter. How much greater is our joy knowing God is pleased with us. Our cup is, or should be, overflowing with joy, knowing God is pleased with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 6: 14- 7: 1; Do Not Be Yoked With Unbelievers

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are God's children. There is no better news than that. Through Jesus, especially his death on the cross, we have all been named as children of God. When we hear these words our hearts are filled with joy because we know what it means to be called children of God. There is a catch, though. Being God's children means we are called to live and act a certain way. We are called, as Paul says here, to 'perfect holiness out of reverence for God.' Jesus tells us, in the Sermon on the Mount, to 'be perfect, as God in heaven is perfect.' We do this that we might bring honor and glory to God. We practice holiness not to save ourselves, but to please God. This is why Paul tells us to prefect holiness, that we might, as God's children, bring honor and glory to God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 6: 3-13; Paul's Hardships

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Being God's servant is not an easy thing by any stretch of the imagination. We are called into God's service, which is a blessing, but some of the things that come along with that call are not a blessing. Things like beatings, imprisonments, sleepless nights, etc. all make for a very hard life. The good news is that the Lord is with us, giving us strength for all we endure. While we suffer hardships God is there with us helping us with what we need. The other good news is that we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. Someday we will hear those blessed words, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' It is hard being God's servant. But we are blessed along the way with God's presence, and we are going to be blessed in the end with a place in God's kingdom. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 5: 11- 6: 1; The Ministry of Reconciliation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have been reconciled with God. This reconciliation is not a reluctant reconciliation in which God allows us to enter his kingdom, but grudgingly. This reconciliation is one that God creates because of the amazing love he has in his heart for us. God has reconciled us to himself not because he has to, but because he wanted to, because he loves us. We are not only saved by God, we are loved by God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 5: 1-10; Our Heavenly Dwelling

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Things will get better someday. Is that a perfect answer to the suffering that exists in the world right now? No. But that is a promise that we can hold in our hearts, a promise that will continue to give us hope: that someday we will receive a heavenly dwelling, a heavenly body. When we are blessed with those gifts we will also be blessed with a perfect life, a life without any suffering whatsoever. When we enter God's kingdom we will have the perfect peace and joy we long for in our lives. Let that be your hope, let that promise give you the strength to carry on in the midst of suffering. Someday our lives will be perfect. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Spaghetti Dinner

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to extend and invitation to everyone to join us at the Church this Saturday evening, January 23, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. for a Spaghetti Dinner. This the first of several fund-raisers we are going to have to assist with the cost of some of the proposed projects here at the church. Ticket prices are: Adults: $8.00 (or two for 15.00), Children: 5.00 (between ages 5-12). The dinner will include spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, dessert, and a beverage. All proceeds from the evening will go into the church renovation fund. Please join us for this event, as this is a way we can all get involved in the work of the Church. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for January 24, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Psalm 19: 8-14, in which God is glorified and praised for all he is and has done. The sermon is titled 'Living the Good Life,' and will focus on the reasons we have to be joyful in our lives. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 4: 1-18; Treasures in Jars of Clay

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Like jars of clay we are molded into who God wants us to be. God is active. He reaches into our lives and continues to change us. In the beginning the jar is a pile of clay. There is no shape or form, there is no life or beauty. Slowy the potter works at the jar and in the end the jar is beautiful. In the end the jar is useful for something. The clay, over a period of time, is molded to make a jar. In the same way, God molds us. We are, in the beginning, not much to speak of. But over time God works on us. He uses his hands, he uses his feet, he uses everything he has to make us into a jar. Now we are ready. We are ready to be the people God wants us to be. We are ready to be used by God for something great. Are you allowing God to mold you in the right way? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 3: 7-18; The Glory of the New Covenant

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'And we, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.' Moses goes up on Mt. Sinai to have a conversation with the Lord. While there he is in the Lord's presence, and when he comes down he has been changed in such a way the Israelites do not recognize him anymore. Moses is shining with God's glory. He has been transformed into something new. The same thing has happened to us. Due to Jesus' life and ministry we are given the blessing of being in God's presence. Being in God's presence has changed us. We, like Moses, glow with the light of God's glory. We have been transformed into something new: children of God who perfectly follow his will and continue Christ's ministry. God's glory is in all of us. Let our lives reflect that glory. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 2: 12- 3: 6; Ministers of the New Covenant

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Covenant was a covenant of words, the Law, given through Moses to the people Israel. The New Covenant is one of love and Spirit, established through Jesus and sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Old Covenant was a covenant of law, based around following a set of rules to achieve life. The New Covenant is a covenant of love, based on the love of God the Father and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant was not all inclusive, it was reserved for Israel alone. The New Covenant is all inclusive, the salvation Jesus offers is for everyone. We, as Christians, are ministers of the New Covenant. We are supposed to share with everyone the good news of the New Covenant; the New Covenant of the Spirit, Love, and Welcoming. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 2: 5-11; Forgiveness for the Sinner

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness is hard. There is no way of getting around that fact. People make us angry. They steal from us, they lie to us, they hurt us in ways we can barely describe. Our hearts are sometimes filled with anger and rage for the things that have been done to us, or to others. Though anger may be a common emotion in these times there is another emotion Jesus would have us remember above all others: love. Though it is hard we need to love those who sin against us. Only then will we be able to forgive them for what they may have done. Like everything else this comes through prayer, praying to God that we might have compassion in our hearts is the way to have love. And when we find that love we are able to forgive. How do we forgive? Through prayer and love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 1: 12- 2: 4; Paul's Change of Plans

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'Because it is by faith that you stand firm.' Our faith is what keeps us grounded when trouble comes. When we have nothing else we have our faith in God, giving us the strength we need to carry on our lives. As we face difficulties that are sometimes too much for us to handle we have our God with us, and our faith in him, to help us, to give us strength, to enable us to stand firm. When trouble comes, remember your faith, and use your faith to stand strong and continue to believe in the power and love of God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 1: 1-11; The God of All Comfort

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God gives us comfort, he makes us feel better. Life is not always easy for us. Christians, like all other people, sometimes have to endure many hardships in life. God does not promise us a perfect life. However, God does promise us that he will be there to comfort us in times of need. When we face trials and tribulations God will be there to take care of us, to offer us the comfort we need. If we let him, the Lord will lift us up in any situation we are in, no matter how severe it may seem. Come to the Lord in prayer when you suffer and he will offer you comfort. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 16: 19-24; Final Greetings

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'My love to all of you in Christ Jesus, Amen.' We should greet each other with these words, and we should use these words every time we leave one another. These words serve as a reminder that even though we may not always see eye to eye we are still called to love one another. We are brothers and sisters, nothing will ever change that. As brothers and sisters we ought to always treat one another in love and express the love we feel in our hearts for one another. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for January 17, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from John 2: 1-11, in which Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding Cana. The sermon is titled, 'Who is Jesus?' and will focus on what we learn about Jesus in this passage. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 16: 5-18; Personal Requests

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul loves spending time with his brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul, as he says here, is refreshed by spending time with the people he loves. As Paul writes these words I can see the excitement on his face, knowing he will soon be seeing these people so dear to his heart. We just made it through the Holiday Season once again. One of just about every one's favorite things during the holidays is to see friends and family. Around Christmas time we all feel that thrill of seeing our loved ones. It is so exciting to to spend time with the ones who are so precious to our hearts. That feeling, that excitement should be what we feel when we come into God's house to spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a blessing for us to be together, to spend time with one another in faith. Sunday is coming soon. Are you excited? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 16: 1-4; The Collection of God's People

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When something is broken we need to pay someone to come and fix it for us. When we want something to continue to work properly we sometimes need to invest our finances to make sure that can happen. If, for example, we want our houses to continue to hold up we need to invest money in them. The same is true of the church. We are a self-sufficient body, which means the money we have comes from us. If we want the church to continue to do its work we all need to give out of what God has given to us. If we want the church to keep healing, provide help, preach the good news, we all have to invest in the church. We need the gifts of God's children to continue to do the work God has given us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 15: 35-58; The Resurrection of the Body

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will get a new body someday. When we were teenagers some of us got cars. For some teenagers this is the best thing in the world, having a car of their very own. For others, though, it is not as exciting, for some get an old, beat up, piece of junk. For them, getting a car is not quite as fun as it is for others. At some point in their life, though, those same teenagers will get a nice, shiny, new car. Imagine their excitement, or yours if you ever went through such a thing, going from having an old, beat up car to having a new car, with all the bells and whistles. That is what is going to happen to us. Someday we will receive new bodies. When we are in the kingdom of heaven God will give us heavenly bodies, new bodies, shiny bodies, with all the bells and whistles. That is something about which we can be excited, our new bodies, our perfect bodies, for our place in God's perfect kingdom. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 15: 12-34; The Resurrection of the Dead

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have eternal life. That is the miracle of Easter Sunday. Jesus is victorious over the grave, and because Jesus is victorious over the grave we, too, will have victory over the grave. Our bodies will die, but will one day be resurrected. Through that glorious act our eternal life will become a reality. We will live forever. Let that be your peace in times of suffering: that one day we will live with God in his kingdom, his kingdom of perfect peace and joy. And we will live there forever. Jesus has been raised from the dead, and because of that miracle we have eternal life. We will live for all eternity. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 15: 1-11; The Resurrection of Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is alive. That is the good news for us for two very important reasons. One, Jesus' resurrection means we, too, will have victory over the grave. In other words we, too, are blessed with the gift of eternal life. We will live forever. Two, Jesus' resurrection means Jesus is still alive. Jesus is still with us, as he was with the disciples. He still prays for us, he still heals, he still gives strength. Jesus lives, which means his ministry in our lives continues. Jesus lives! God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 14: 26-40; Orderly Worship

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Worship is a time for worship, I think is what Paul is trying to say here. This is a place, and a time, when we are allowed, if not encouraged, to let go of the things that trouble us in the world. During worship we are blessed with the opportunity to be in the house, and presence, of the Lord; we are blessed with the opportunity to sing, to pray, to read and study God's word. During this time we are blessed with the opportunity to worship the Lord. Everything else should temporarily fade away during this time. This time of worship should be devoted to worship. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 14: 1-25; Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God moves in mysterious ways. Not all of us may believe in speaking in tongues. Certainly there have been many who have abused and/or faked that gift. However, when we talk of speaking in tongues what we are really talking about is the many ways God can move in the world. God can call prophets; he can send his son; he can conceive a child through the power of his spirit. God can do many things. Sometimes this may seem unfathomable to us, but at all times we need to be aware of the ways God can move and work in the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for January 10, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Matthew 2: 1-12, in which the Magi come to visit Jesus. The sermon is titled 'Eyes of Faith,' and will focus on our need to see. I hope to see you all in Church on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 13: 1-13; Love

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When asked what is the greatest commandment Jesus responds by saying: "The first is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it, that you shall love your neighbor as yourself." The center of all we do is love. Love is the reason God sent Jesus into the world is love; the reason Jesus died on the cross is love; the reason we make disciples and care for those in need is love. That is the key word in our faith: Love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 12: 1-31; Spiritual Gifts

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The point is we all have a gift, we all have a job to do as children of God. God has called us to serve: to care for the widows and orphans, to feed the hungry, care for the sick, share the good news, and many other things. These are all opportunities for us to make someone else's life better, so it is a blessing for us to do these things. But an even greater blessing is that God has given us the gifts we need to perform these acts of service. If God calls you to preach, he will fill you with his Spirit to guide and direct your words; if God calls you to care for the sick, he will give you the patience and the heart you need to do that work. Whatever God calls you to do you can be sure that he will give you what you need to complete that ministry. God has blessed us all by calling us into his service, and he has blessed us all with the gifts we need to perform those acts of service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 11: 17-34; The Lord's Supper

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Do this in remembrance of me." We are blessed with the opportunity to partake of communion each and every Sunday. We are blessed to be continually reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. When we take communion we are called to remembrance, we are supposed to take that time and remember what Jesus endured. Jesus endured the cross. He endured the humiliation and the shame, suffering a fate that was reserved for the very worst of criminals. He endured the mocks and the jeers from the soldiers and the crows. Jesus endured the physical pain, suffering a kind of pain most of us cannot imagine. Jesus endured having his hands, feet, and side pierced. We are supposed to remember these things when we take communion. We take that time to remember what Jesus endured for our sake, as well as the love he has for us. Jesus loves us enough to endure the cross and all of it's pain and shame. When you take communion remember to remember Jesus: his sacrifice and his love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 11: 2-16; Propriety in Worship

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Underneath these words there is a reminder that we are to be in the world, but not of the world. In other words, we belong to Jesus, and since we belong to Jesus we should live the way he wants us to live rather than the way the world may want us to live. We are called to a life of holiness, and even though the world may not think it's important, it is our calling. As God's children we are blessed, but we are also to respond according to the grace we have been given in Christ Jesus. We are to be in the world, not of the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 10: 23- 11: 1; The Believer's Freedom

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive." We are granted a lot of freedom in our lives. In theory we can do whatever we want because we are saved from sin (though true repentance must factor in somewhere). However, just because we can do everything does not mean we should do everything because not everything is good for us. Rather than focusing on what we can do we should focus on what we should do. What we should do is help others and bring honor and glory to God. Those things are permissible, and they are beneficial. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 10: 14-22; Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through communion we become a part of Jesus. As we partake of his body and blood we are joined with him. This is good news for us as it means we are then entitled to the inheritance Christ has received as the Son of God. But there is also a call here. As we are united to Christ that means we are responsible for continuing the ministry that Christ started. We are to continue doing what Christ did when we walked this earth: care for the sick, spend time with the lost, preach the gospel, etc. Jesus did so many wonderful things in his ministry and he helped so many people. Through communion we are reminded of our call as Christians to continue the ministry that Jesus started. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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1 Corinthians 10: 1-13; Warnings From Israel's History

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can learn from the past. As we read through the Bible we are told how much God loves and just how much God is willing to do to give us life. However, there are also lessons to be found as we read through the Bible. Israel had a bad habit of not pleasing the Lord. For these things they were punished that they might learn a lesson. Focus for a moment not on the punishment, but rather on God's state of mind. God was unhappy with the way the Israelites was living their lives. Our calling is to honor and glorify God, to please him. God is our maker and our savior. For these things we should give thanks and please God. From reading about the Israelites we know what pleases the Lord, and we know what makes him unhappy. Let us remember to please the Lord in all that we do. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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