Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." This is, perhaps, the most famous quote from the book of Ruth and it really says a lot. Ruth lover her mother-in-law so much. Ruth does not want to be parted from Naomi. Here we see compassion coming from Ruth. We get the sense Ruth is young, which means she still had a chance of getting married again, having children, etc. and receiving the security she needs. However, Ruth forsakes that in order to make sure Naomi is cared for. Ruth sets aside her own happiness and well-being to make sure Naomi is safe. I wonder if we are to follow her example. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Evangelism in Action
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Check out these pictures from Mt. Lebanon First Fridays:
Check out these pictures from Mt. Lebanon First Fridays:
And we'll be there again this Friday: August 5. Come find out what's going on at Mt. Lebanon Christian Church.
God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for August 7, 2011
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture for this passage is from Acts 6: 8-13, in which Stephen is seized and put on trial. The sermon is titled 'Bookends' and will focus on the good news that when we are faced with difficulty God is always there to help us stand up. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Scripture for this passage is from Acts 6: 8-13, in which Stephen is seized and put on trial. The sermon is titled 'Bookends' and will focus on the good news that when we are faced with difficulty God is always there to help us stand up. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Ruth 1: 1-5; Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The first emotion is sadness. Naomi loses her husband, and then lost her sons. In short, her only real family is now gone. The second emotion is despair. Naomi has lost those she loves, but she has also lost her protection, her financial security, her home, etc. Women in Biblical times were not permitted to own property or money. Naomi is at the mercy of the world. She has, quite literally, lost everything. We can all understand her hardship. We have all had times when our world has come crashing down around us. I do not want to give away too much of the story, but this is not the end for Naomi, just as it is not the end for us when we face difficult times. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The first emotion is sadness. Naomi loses her husband, and then lost her sons. In short, her only real family is now gone. The second emotion is despair. Naomi has lost those she loves, but she has also lost her protection, her financial security, her home, etc. Women in Biblical times were not permitted to own property or money. Naomi is at the mercy of the world. She has, quite literally, lost everything. We can all understand her hardship. We have all had times when our world has come crashing down around us. I do not want to give away too much of the story, but this is not the end for Naomi, just as it is not the end for us when we face difficult times. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Amos 9: 11-15; Israel's Restoration
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is always hope. The book of Amos is filled with despair and threats of punishment for Israel. This is not, in other words, a joyous book to read. However, the book of Amos ends on a very hopeful note of Israel's restoration. Amidst all the turmoil of this book there is a spot of good news: Israel will be restores. This is a message we can carry with us today. No matter how difficult life may seem, or actually is, there is always hope for the future. Like Israel we can always hold on to the hope that God will bless us; that he will restore us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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There is always hope. The book of Amos is filled with despair and threats of punishment for Israel. This is not, in other words, a joyous book to read. However, the book of Amos ends on a very hopeful note of Israel's restoration. Amidst all the turmoil of this book there is a spot of good news: Israel will be restores. This is a message we can carry with us today. No matter how difficult life may seem, or actually is, there is always hope for the future. Like Israel we can always hold on to the hope that God will bless us; that he will restore us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Amos 9: 1-10; Israel to Be Destroyed
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a very dark passage. One that, I'm sure, filled the hearts of the Israelites with fear beyond anything they had ever known. That is, sadly, how Israel lived most of their life: in fear of what God may sometime do to them. Thankfully, we do not have to live with that fear. We do not have to be afraid that God is going to punish us for something. Jesus has taken our punishment. Jesus went to the cross so we would not have to suffer. We do not need to live in fear, for we do not have anything of which to be afraid. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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This is a very dark passage. One that, I'm sure, filled the hearts of the Israelites with fear beyond anything they had ever known. That is, sadly, how Israel lived most of their life: in fear of what God may sometime do to them. Thankfully, we do not have to live with that fear. We do not have to be afraid that God is going to punish us for something. Jesus has taken our punishment. Jesus went to the cross so we would not have to suffer. We do not need to live in fear, for we do not have anything of which to be afraid. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, August 1, 2011
Amos 8: 1-14; A Basket of Ripe Fruit
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
'The time is ripe for my people Israel.' For Israel this is not a positive message. God says here that he will spare the Israelites no longer. However, I would like to try and turn this into a positive by saying the time is ripe for the church. We have been called into being by God, and he has set the table for us. Everything is in place for us, as God's children, to go out into the world and bring other people to faith in Jesus; to go out into the world and care for those in need. Too long have God's children sat idle. The time is ripe for us to rise and go forth. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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'The time is ripe for my people Israel.' For Israel this is not a positive message. God says here that he will spare the Israelites no longer. However, I would like to try and turn this into a positive by saying the time is ripe for the church. We have been called into being by God, and he has set the table for us. Everything is in place for us, as God's children, to go out into the world and bring other people to faith in Jesus; to go out into the world and care for those in need. Too long have God's children sat idle. The time is ripe for us to rise and go forth. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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