12/29/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenI hope everyone had a very merry Christmas.
Beloved, this morning we are having our Youth Led Service, encouraging them in their service unto the Lord. We will be learning what the Lord Jesus teaches on the “cost of discipleship” and how those lessons can be applied in our relational commitments. In our walk with the Lord may we be “All In” every day and every step of the way. In His Service, Jimmy Rosas
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12/22/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, we are soon to once again celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the human Son of Man and the divine Son of God. He is one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God.
While there were many people instrumental in the birth of Christ, this morning we will look at His birth through the eyes of Joseph, His legal father. There is not too much known about the man who would care for Christ as He grew up. We know that Joseph was possibly a carpenter but most importantly we know that he was a righteous man who did the right thing. When others would have ran away from a responsibility that was not even their own, Joseph stood steadfast and remained faithful to the end. We can learn much from his character and apply his attributes of faithfulness, purity, and perseverance to our own lives. May you have a Blessed Christmas week and may Christ always be at the center of your lives! We hope to see you at our Christmas Eve Service, Tuesday @7:00PM. Blessings- Pastor Joe 12/8/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, the message of Christmas is God with us. That is important to know, especially during those times when we are going through great difficulty. We know that the Bible never teaches that we will have problem-free lives as followers of Christ. But the Bible does teach that we never will be alone. God is with us: Immanuel.
What a staggering thought, God is with us. That is the message that this sin-sick world needs to hear, that God is with us! To do this, Beloved, God had to become a Man. Today we will explore what this meant for Him and for us. Today beloved, I want you to place the hopes and fears of all of your life on that little baby, who grew up to be a man who came to the earth to die for the sins of the world. He wants all of them so that He can comfort you and bring you peace! Beloved, today, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in the person of Jesus Christ! Blessings- Pastor Joe 12/1/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, next Sunday we will commence our Advent series as we focus on the birth of Christ, look at His first arrival and anticipate His Second Coming. Today however we will continue our study through the Gospel of Mark.
Here in these eleven verses we find Jesus ministering to Peter’s Mother-in-Law and then to many others. Jesus was often healing and preaching, and we will focus on those two elements today. Now, as Christmas approaches, I pray that you will find yourself in awe of the wonder of Jesus and His love to each of us. Allow yourself to focus on Christ’s love for you this season. Blessings- Pastor Joe 11/24/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, do you have a grateful heart? In light of today’s message, my prayer for each of us is that we would not take God’s blessings for granted but rather like the Samaritan Leper, we would thank Jesus for everything He has given us. Luke 17:15-16 says, "Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan."
May we each have a grateful heart! May we display God’s grace on our lives both through thanks and through giving. I pray that you and your family will have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving! Blessings- Pastor Joe 11/17/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, as I was reading these verses the key verse, Mark 1:17 stood out to me. It reads as follows, “And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Now Jesus said these words to Peter and his brother Andrew, but Jesus is also speaking these words to us today, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men!” Notice a couple of things about this key verse. One, we all start by following Jesus. Where does Christianity start? It starts with following Jesus. He is the leader, we follow him! Secondly, He will make us fishers of men. Now, Jesus was the world’s greatest fisher of men. But He wants us to fish for men as well. So, how do we do it? Beloved, He will show us how, for He says, “I will make you fishers of men.” This discipleship takes time but don’t worry, Jesus is a great teacher. Beloved, if you have ever wondered how to fish for men, I want to give you an opportunity. Next Sunday we have Ryan Reis coming in to hold a revival night. Invite someone to come with you! Invite an unbelieving friend or relative or neighbor. Let’s start fishing for men and women! Blessings- Pastor Joe 11/10/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, as we meet Jesus here in the Gospel of Mark, we find Him displayed in humble beginnings. First, Jesus had a rather common, unremarkable name. Secondly, He was from Nazareth, which was an unremarkable, despised village. In addition, Nazareth was in Galilee, which was an unspiritual region and not the “Bible belt” of Israel at that time.
But remember the theme of the Gospel of Mark. Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Thus, as many other servants, He had a humble upbringing. To further illustrate the point of His servitude, Jesu was baptized. He was baptized, not because He needed to be baptized but to identify with sinful man. In today’s study, we learn of Jesus’ arrival through His baptism, His temptation and His ministry. May we also follow His example of service to a lost and dying world! 11/3/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, did you know that when Bible translators go to a people who have never had the Scriptures in their own language, they usually begin by translating the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the most translated book in the entire world. One reason is that it is the shortest Gospel, but the other reason is that this Gospel was written for people unfamiliar with first century Judaism. Mark wrote it for the Romans.
The key verse for the Gospel of Mark is Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Hence, Jesus is portrayed as a servant or THE SERVANT here in Mark’s Gospel. This verse also happens to be one of our key verses for 2024. As we make our way through the Gospel of Mark may we not only become more familiar with Jesus but also fall more in love with Jesus. May Jesus be the passion of our lives! Blessings- Pastor Joe 10/27/2024 0 Comments Pastor’s PenBeloved, toward the end of his letter to the Colossians, Paul exhorts Archippus saying to him, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” Paul could have easily been speaking to each of us. Each one of us has a ministry to fulfill and the plea today is that we would fulfill it.
Now, what that ministry is and how it takes place is unique to each one of us. But what is not unique is the fact that we are called to finish the job, to complete the task while working as unto the Lord. May each of us indeed fulfill the ministry that we have received in the Lord. May we finish well and may all the glory go to God! Blessings, Pastor Joe 10/20/2024 0 Comments Pastor's PenBeloved, Paul is nearing the end of his letter to the Colossians, and he begins to give his final greetings. In today’s study we notice that Paul mentions the carriers of the letter and then those of the circumcision, His fellow Jews who had become Christians and were fellow workers for Christ.
One of the main facets that this portion of Scripture points to is the fact that Paul was not alone. Yes, he was in prison, and it was certainly challenging but thankfully, the Lord had provided Paul with friends and fellow workers. I know at times it may seem that we are all alone and that nobody cares. The truth is that there are those who care, especially our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. May we cherish our friends and especially the one that sticks closer than a brother! Blessings- Pastor Joe |
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