5/12/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, there are many different types of callings in this world. God calls some to be lawyers and others doctors and others teachers. God calls some to be evangelists and others pastors and others bus drivers. But I do not believe that there is a greater calling than that of a mother. If God has called you to be a mom, it is a special calling indeed!
A Mom will love you when the entire world hates you! A Mom will believe in you when everyone else thinks you stink. And a mom will care for you in your deepest darkest times with love and care and compassion. Today we’ll look at a young lady called to be a mom and ever more than that, called to be Jesus’ Mom. Mary certainly had a unique call on her life, and she fulfilled it very well. You also have a unique call on your life and God will fulfill it as you trust in Him! By the way- Happy Mother’s Day
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5/5/2024 0 Comments Pastor's PenBeloved, Paul had hope. In fact, with the world in chaos around him, with himself being jailed and chained, he still had hope. Paul wrote in Acts 28:20, “It is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.”
Certainly, Paul’s hope was in the person of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Hope of Israel. Jesus Christ is the hope of Israel and the world! Because Paul had hope, Paul wanted everyone to know the hope that he had. He wanted everyone to have a personal relationship with the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This is why he would endure such harsh conditions, such as being jailed and chained. Paul especially wanted his own people, the Jews, to know the Hope of Israel. For 3500 years the Jewish people have awaited their Messiah. Woven through every book of the OT is the Messiah. For 3500 years the Jewish people have prayed this prayer: “I believe with perfect faith in the coming of Messiah and though He may tarry yet I shall wait for Him every coming day.” That Messiah has come. Paul knew that but yet many Jews did not know and still do not know that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Do you know the Hope of Israel and the World? DO YOU KNOW JESUS? Blessings- Pastor Joe 4/21/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, it has been reported that Sir Ernest Shackleton had placed this ad in an English newspaper: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”
What Sir Shackleton envisioned was becoming the first to make a trans-Antarctic crossing from sea to sea. The expedition began in 1914 and ended uncompleted in 1917. The reason that Ernest Shackleton has been lauded as a great leader was that all 28 men aboard the vessel, Endurance, made it back safely. Through trial and toil and severe winters, they all made it out alive. Beloved, as we study this portion of Scripture, we must note that on the way to fulfill Paul’s desire to reach Rome he ended up shipwrecked. That shipwreck could have easily defeated Paul and left him with utterly depressed. However, Paul did not give up. He executed endurance, and continued to press on! Beloved, on your way to your destination, you may end up shipwrecked. Remember the shipwreck is only part of the journey. Do not give up but persevere! Blessings- Pastor Joe 4/14/2024 0 Comments Pastor's PenBeloved- what you need during a hopeless situation is a courageous stand! According to Charles Stanley there are six purposes that motivate God for allowing the storms of life:
(1) Cleansing: to get our attention Psalm 119:67, 71 (2) Companionship: God desires that we walk in an intimate relationship with Him. We must be reading His Word, listening to Him; talking to Him and seeking His mind and heart to find His will for our life. Psalm 57:1-3 (3) Conformity: conforming us to the likeness of His Son. (4) Comfort: God does not always want to just do something IN us, but often His ultimate goal is to do something THROUGH us. But if you want to be a blessing to others, you have to be broken. A vessel that's unbroken has very limited use. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (5) Convictions: pain and suffering solidifies your conviction that God is sufficient, He is with you and will care for you. (6) Change: Paul is a great example of one who changed when God got his attention on the Damascus Road. Remember, the deeper the valley, the darker the storm and the more intense the pain, the greater the preparation of your heart to be a blessing to other people. Blessings- Pastor Joe 4/7/2024 0 Comments Pastor's PenBeloved, I want to thank those of you who attended our fellowship on Easter Sunday. In addition our Easter Sunrise Service was conducted on the property that we are desiring to purchase for our fellowship and the future site of our new church building. Please continue to keep this opportunity in prayer! While we do not currently have all the funds necessary to purchase this property, please remember that with God all things are possible!
Also, today is Youth Sunday and our youth will be leading the church service. Pastor Jimmy will provide the teaching while the youth will lead worship, help with ushering and communion and all other facets of a church service. May we all continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Blessings- Pastor Joe 3/31/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, today Easter Sunday, we celebrate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. It is a glorious day. It is also a day we reflect on where Jesus defeated death. Nothing had been able to handle death. People, plants, wildlife, mountains- absolutely nothing has been able to handle death. People die, plants die, wildlife dies and even mountains surrender to death. Everyone and everything has succumbed to death.
But today, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:54–57 says, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’’ When Jesus resurrected, He defeated death. Romans 6:9 says, “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.’’ Therefore, as we study todays Scripture and look as a Father begs, a woman touches and a child arises, we believe that Jesus has conquered death. This is the best news ever! May you have a blessed Easter Sunday! Blessings- Pastor Joe 3/24/2024 0 Comments Pastor's PenBeloved, written approximately in 500BC the Prophet Zechariah predicted Jesus Christ as entering Jerusalem on a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
We can imagine the joy and excitement that filled Jerusalem at that time. Not only was it Passover but Jesus Christ was coming into Jerusalem as the King of Kings! Jesus was initiating a public, kingly act openly revealing that he is the King. In a sense He was saying, “King Me!” The crowd was overjoyed at His entrance and yet only a week later the same crowd would shout “Crucify Him.” Even as Jesus received the crowd’s worship His heart was breaking in half. Luke 19:41 says, “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it.” Why would Jesus weep during such a triumphal entry? Because there were many who would not receive Him but who would ultimately reject Him as their Messiah. Luke 19:44b says, “And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Dear friends Jesus desires to be our King! Is He your King?! 3/17/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, have you ever wondered what the word, “friendship” means? If you look at the word closely you will notice that it comes from two words, “friend” and “ship.” When combined together we get our word “friendship.” Personally my definition of friendship is a friend who is willing to travel the distance with you, willing to go through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad, through quiet waters and rough seas.
Unfortunately, for many, it seems that friendship is lacking. This is unfortunate because as we study these next few verses in Acts 27, we see the value of friendship. The Apostle Paul had friends all over the world. He had friends willing to travel with him and friends willing to care for him. Beloved, if you learn anything today, learn this: you need friends. I would encourage you to cultivate the friendships that you have and then create some new ones. God did not create us to be friendless but to be friendly. Concerning friendship, two verses of Scripture come to mind. Proverbs 17:17- “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 18:24- “A man of many companions comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Beloved, may we remember to value our friendships and especially our friend who sticks closer than a brother, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Blessings- Pastor Joe 3/3/2024 0 Comments Pastor's PenBeloved, there is a natural progression for every believer. It begins with our conversion when we give our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ. Conversion is when we say, “yes” to Jesus and “no” to ourselves. It continues with our commission, which comes from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christ has gifted each believer with spiritual gifts and natural abilities, which are to be used for the glory of God. Each of us has been commissioned to be ambassadors of Jesus and commissioned to serve Him, His church, and the world. Beloved, we have been commissioned or “saved to serve,” so to speak.
Thirdly, as a believer we need to learn to “finish the play”. When we live with commitment, it will help us to persevere under duress and to continue to follow Christ at all costs, we will “finish the play”. Therefore beloved, it begins with conversion, which is followed with our commission and is completed with a commitment to Christs’ call. May each of us move forward in our call from the Lord with the conviction to persevere! Blessings- Pastor Joe 2/25/2024 0 Comments Pastor's PenBeloved, would you stand alone for Christ, even if it meant your life? It was CT Studd, an English missionary to China, India and Africa who said: “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
In fact, when his critics told him to go home, that he had done enough, he replied, "God has called me to go, and I will go. I will blaze the trail though my grave may only become a steppingstone that younger men may follow." As we consider today’s study, we must understand that the Apostle Paul, like CT Studd considered no sacrifice too great for his loving Savior. Paul understood that people’s eternal destiny was in danger if they did not receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Therefore, Paul was always ready to share the Gospel as 1 Peter 3:15-16 tells us, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” Paul would stand alone if need to. May the same be true of us! |
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