John 14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”
In John Chapter 13, Jesus gave His disciples shocking news. He informed them that He would be betrayed by one of their closest friends. Additionally, He would soon leave them and go where they couldn’t follow.
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I often find myself reflecting on the idea of waiting on the Lord. Waiting can seem frustrating in our fast-paced world, where immediate results and quick fixes are highly prized. My personality is to get in and fix things as soon as possible. So, it’s not easy when I have to wait days, weeks, or months for something. I can start to get anxious very quickly.
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“In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” — Ephesians 6:16
Paul used this metaphor to represent the Christian’s faith and belief in God. This shield unquestionably extinguishes all (not just some) of the flaming darts the evil one shoots at you.
Just as a physical shield protects a warrior in battle, so, too, the Shield of Faith protects us from the devil’s spiritual attacks. It’s a shield that deflects the lies, temptations, and fears, as well as the doubts that Satan throws at us.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
One of my best friends recently moved to a small town in South Dakota. He asked me if I could help him find a church there. After I did a quick Google search I was amazed to find 34 churches in this “small” town! I also visited some of their websites and read their statements of faith, values, leadership details, etc. In the end, I was able to categorize those 34 churches into three separate groups:
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“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:3-4 NIV84)
I’ve recently been reading Exodus; I saw a great dichotomy — the balance between patiently waiting and taking action. Sometimes it’s hard to know which one to do. Moses and the Israelites were “pinned down” between the Egyptian army (bent on destroying them) and The Red Sea. They had nowhere to go.
So, the Hebrews did what I often do — they started whining and grumbling! We are told in Exodus 14:13-14 that, “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
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“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” — Psalm 62:5-8
I’m not exactly sure what each of you is going through. But I know that, most likely, we are staring something in the face that brings us to a place of needing to trust Jesus. Perhaps in the past weeks (or in the coming weeks), you are wrestling with trusting Jesus.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” — Philippians 1:6
Right now, there are no doors in the upstairs of my home. As a matter of fact, there is also no furniture, functioning bathroom, pantry, bedroom, or living room. We are walking on “ram board” floors, and wiping drywall dust off our clothes every few minutes. None of this is surprising since we’re blessed to be smack dab in the middle of some home renovations.
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In a recent message, I shared an illustration that has made an unmistakable impact on my life. I found this story in the devotional by L.B. Cowman, “Streams In The Desert” (July 7 entry):
“There is a very famous “Pebble Beach” at Pescadero, on the California coast. The long line of white surf comes up with its everlasting roar, and rattles and thunders among the stones on the shore. They are caught in the arms of the pitiless waves, and tossed and rolled, and rubbed together, and ground against the sharp-grained cliffs. Day and night forever the ceaseless attrition goes on–never any rest. And the result?
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This past week was Mission To The City. We set out (as a church family) to serve our city with the love of Christ. That motivation is at the forefront of everything we do! The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4) guides our outreach.
We’re to spread His Word, sow Gospel seeds, and let God do the rest. It’s refreshing to know that all I’m supposed to do is plant some seeds (even as small as a mustard seed) in someone’s life. I can do that by sharing the Gospel, passing out a flyer, inviting someone to church, or doing a kind act in the Lord’s name.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” — John 12:27
These were Jesus’ words before He was betrayed and crucified. If anyone knows about suffering, it’s Jesus. His suffering was foretold in the book of Genesis. In fact, the prophet Isaiah even called Him the “Man of Sorrows”.
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