He's not like Me

What I believe about God is the most important thing about me.
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963, American preacher)

Ps 50:17-21
"For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you. "When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you associate with adulterers. "You let your mouth loose in evil, and your tongue frames deceit. "You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. "These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes. NASU

John Wesley, British preacher and founder of Methodism, had this opinion of reason; “Passion and prejudice govern the world; only under the name of reason.” I am of the same opinion. We are living in a new modern world with, “New Ideas,” and new ways to reason out a new idea of who we think God is, and how He fits in to our life and into this world.

Reason will never get us to God, nor can we please God with our reasoning. People never get it, no matter how many times God repeats it. HE IS NOT LIKE US! God is a God of love, He rules in righteousness, and He has the perfect will for people’s lives, but we don’t. God’s truth and wisdom cannot reasoned it, it is an experience of the heart. We will not only experience it in our own hearts, but we will, from our hearts, share it with others, not from our reason.

Blaise Pascal, the French scientist, and religious philosopher put it this way “It is the heart which experiences God, not the reason.” This is important, don’t miss it. You may have your reasons for the way you feel and think, but they are not a matter of importance to God. It is only His truth, and His wisdom that will get us where we want to go. Scripture says it best in Prov 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”…God Bless.

Pastor William

Righteous Responsibility

Peace is normally a great good, and normally it coincides with righteousness, but it is righteousness and not peace which should bind the conscience of a nation as it should bind the conscience of an individual; and neither a nation nor an individual can surrender conscience to another's keeping.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919, American President (26th))

1 Peter 3:10-12
For, "THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT. "HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT. "FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL." NASU

During these coming days, it will be tempting to cry and blame things that do not happen on the government and on other circumstances. But, today is our day Christians, it is a day to show the world who we are. So many Christians have placed their faith lower and lower on their list of priorities, and it is plainly evident from the election that many Christians faith had nothing to do with their vote.

Well, it is our time to buckle down and live our Christian beliefs like we never have before. John Wooden the Christian basketball coach says it this way; “Success is peace of mind, a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming, and not just in a physical way: seek ye first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be yours as well.”

So now Mr. Christian, do you really believe that. You’ve talked a lot of smack, but is there anything behind it? If we will be serious about Kingdom business we may reap a harvest that the church has been seeking for decades, but it will come at a personal cost to everyone in the church, not just the preacher or the song leader, or Sunday School teacher. We must turn our face to God and live our faith at all costs…God Bless

Pastor William

The Cold Hard Truth

Ceremony leads her bigots forth, prepared to fight for shadows of no worth. While truths, on which eternal things depend, can hardly find a single friend.
William Cowper (1731-1800, British poet)

Prov 21:28-31
A false witness will perish, but the man who listens to the truth will speak forever. A wicked man displays a bold face, but as for the upright, he makes his way sure. There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the LORD. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD. NASU

Martin Luther the German leader of the protestant reformation, made great changes in the church for which he paid a great personal price. One of his most famous quotes was this one; “Peace if possible, but truth at any rate.” Now I think that was not only words in his case but it was the way he lived, (and practiced,) his faith.

That is missing significantly in today’s church; the motto seems to be this one, “peace at any rate, truth if possible.” Yes, that’s right, it is completely reversed. It seems that we are to go to church and listen and enjoy worship and never be confronted with the truth so that it will change our lives. It is a complete reversal of the function, and purpose of what the Body of Christ “The Church,” is to be in this world.

This is the Word that God gave to Zechariah, in Zech 8:16, "These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.” We are not to look over sin, but we are to look at it rightly and strive for purity within the Body of Christ. It is not our choice. The only way peace is possible is through the truth, anything else is not perfect, and it is not of Christ…God Bless.

Pastor William

Financial GPS

It is not the horse that draws the cart, but the oats.
Russian Proverb (Sayings of Russian origin)

Deut 8:18-20
"But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. "It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. "Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God. NASU

Charitable giving has decreased by a large amount as of lately. Some have begun to cut back on what they have given to the Lord to put gas in their cars, or to maintain their life styles, or other things that have placed them under a financial burden. It is interesting to read in God’s Word of the triggers that money has pulled over the course of Christian history, and it is worth reading again.

For us to cut back on what we are giving to the Lord’s work is to place a knife to our own throat. A casual look at our financial ledgers, may tell us if we are spiritually inclined or materially motivated. Today is a time for Christians take a hard look at their spiritual roadmap and consider if they are on the right road. They may have taken a turn that has gotten them off track, and need help to get back on God’s path.

Well a good GPS can help you, that is; God’s, Positioning ,Spirit, He will help you to get back on the right road. We should be cutting back on our pleasures and increasing our giving to reach out to a lost world during this downturn. This downturn is our turn to show the world what is valuable to us. It is plainly visible. Are we acting just like them or are we walking in faith, knowing that everything is ours, in Christ…God Bless.

Pastor William

It's Magical

If you believe in an unseen Christ, you will believe in the unseen Christlike potential of others.
Author Unknown

Heb 11:24-27
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. NASU

It is amazing to me how fascinated people, even myself, become entranced by the workings of magicians. We know that they are not real, yet if they can, by sleight of hand, cause us to be mystified by their tricks, they have our attention. Many study this art from youth, and devote their entire lives to its perfect execution, but in the end, it is not real.

Now this day you have a chance to see a real, but yet invisible God work in your life. Wouldn’t you be interested in seeing the interesting and real ways that He can work in your life to bring about miracles? The magician sought from Paul a way to do the miracles he did, but they were not tricks, and he drew quick condemnation for seeking to use the power of God for selfish gain.

Now that is still a prerequisite today, when you want to know the secrets, it must be so that you can share them, and not for selfish gain. Jesus came for others, not Himself, and the greatest blessings we receive come when we seek blessing for someone else. I leave with you this day the same thing that Paul left with Timothy, his “son” in the Gospel in 1 Tim 1:17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”…God Bless.
Pastor William

Nest Builders

The essence of man is, discontent, divine discontent; a sort of love without a beloved, the ache we feel in a member we no longer have.
Jose Ortega Y Gasset (1883-1955, Spanish essayist, philosopher)

Rom 8:22-25
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. NASU

What is the secret to being content in life? Many have sought out the answer to that question, one of the most famous being Solomon. Solomon had the resources to seek out the answer to that question and found his answer in the simple things of life. What he found was that all the things that he could see, taste, touch, or feel, were not able to satisfy the human soul, but the unseen held the answer, and it was not on this earth.

So the question that God would ask each of us this morning is “are you and I content?” It is our inclination in this world to build nests, big and small, places where we can surround ourselves with the things we like and then take our ease. We are very proud of these nests, we save for them, labor for them and insure them well, but the contentment we seek will not be found here.

If you are content in your nest, enjoy it well, but it will not last long for the unseen awaits us, the touch and feel of our eternal home is yet to be seen. We also must remember that Jesus left the comforts of heaven to save us, and we also must leave the comfort of our nests to remind His Children today of what He done for them. We will find contentment here preparing for the day of Christ’s return…God Bless.

Pastor William

Act Like You've Been Saved

Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.
John Wesley (1703-1791, British preacher, founder of Methodism)

2 Chron 5:12-14
and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying, "He indeed is good for His loving kindness is everlasting," then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. NASU

Enthusiasm is: A quiet spiritual strength: An inner glow: Faith in action: Greatest asset in the world: Beats money power influence: Tramples over prejudice. When you speak of your church, (if you do speak of your church) are you filled with excitement and enthusiasm? Are you excited about what God is doing in your life?

God’s church has so much to be excited about, and look forward too, but most people look forward to Saturday’s much more than Sunday (that is if they don’t have to work,) then Sunday is just a day off. It has not always been this way. After reading the dedication of the Temple, you find that God inhabits excited and enthused people, those that have decided to step up a notch in their thanksgiving to God.

If we as “The Church” are not excited about our Sunday’s, how can we ask anyone else to come with us? And if when they come with us to church, if they don’t see something different and exciting, why would they want to return. We rob ourselves when we don’t exhibit our praise, for Jesus said if we were silent, then even the rocks would cry out…God Bless

Pastor William

A Chip Off The Old Block

I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need. [When asked how he managed to make his remarkable statues.]
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917, French sculptor)

Heb 3:1-4
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. NASU

Blocks of marble come in all shapes and sizes. They have different qualities and colors that are within, but it takes a great sculptor to bring those things out. Sometimes the rough beauty of marble can be found in nature, carved out by time, shiny but without shape or purpose, but a delight to see.

God created you and I, but sin has marred what He made. Early on we started telling God what we should be, or what we should look like, and it has got us in trouble ever since. In Jeremiah 18:6, God tells Israel this; “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.”

God chooses us individually and then asks us to surrender to His shaping, and molding and sometimes it hurts. But in the end our beauty will be unmatched and without equal. We are all chips off of “The Block,” we are all made in His image, and one chip at a time He is using this life to chip off what He doesn’t need. And when He is finished we will all look like Jesus…God Bless

Pastor William

Righteous Battles

We must never despair; our situation has been compromising before, and it has changed for the better; so I trust it will again. If difficulties arise, we must put forth new exertion and proportion our efforts to the exigencies of the times.
George Washington (1732-1799, American President (1st))

Josh 7:10-12
So the LORD said to Joshua, "Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. "Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. NASU

The Israelites were in the middle of a successful string of battles, then all of a sudden a loss. Many fell and Joshua sought answers. The first question was addressed to the One who could give him a real perspective of where they were, and so it was that Joshua asked the Lord, why. Joshua wanted to know why the Lord had allowed Israel’s defeat and he quickly got an answer.

Rise Up! was God’s answer. Why have you fallen on your face, Israel has sinned. I believe that God may be speaking those same words to us this morning. Government can never change people and run a righteous world. Never has, and never will, but many Christians have depended on government to do these things while they chase after the things of the world with those that they condemned.

Rise up Church, we must now destroy and remove from our homes and churches the ideals of the world and put Christ first. We must get off of our faces and on our feet, and cleanse the Church of God. We must not just speak holiness, but live it. Then and only then will we be able to face our enemies. The battle is not over, it has just begun, and we know that in the end…we…will…win…God Bless.

Pastor William

Growing Together

The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life -- mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.
Julius Erving (1950-, American basketball player)

Eph 4:15-16
But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. NASU

We as the Church, the living Body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, are to be just that, a living and properly functioning body. As our physical bodies sometimes come down with illnesses, so also do viruses attack the Body of Christ from without, to stop the work and to cause dysfunction in The Church.

The medicine that will cure these dysfunctions and illnesses is the Living Word of God. Peter tell us in 1 Peter 1:23, “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” The Word of God which has made us brand new and “imperishable,” is also our antibiotic for the symptoms of spiritual ills in The Church.

What is the main ingredient? The main ingredient is the Love of Christ. It is that unquenchable spirit of enduring and everlasting commitment to the Kingdom of God. It is what will hold us together and make us “fit to serve.” The Holy Spirit will provide the oil that will enable us to work together so the Church can Grow! For as Paul says, we are to grow in “all aspects,” into Him who is the Head, even Christ…God Bless.

Pastor William

Fresh Ideas

In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970, British philosopher, mathematician, essayist)

1 Sam 17:28-30
Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle." But David said, "What have I done now? Was it not just a question?" Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people answered the same thing as before. NASU

David’s older and more battle worn brothers were angry with him. He had come to bring supplies to those in battle, on orders from his father. But, as he watched the giant Goliath stand and boast against Israel, he heard the boasts with different ears than those that had been there for so long. Those there had heard his daily speech and their minds were closed.

But, David questioned their actions, or their inaction, and brought them to a wall of fact. David chose not to doubt his God, but to doubt the threatening voice and large presence of Israel’s tormentor. The enemy had found a new way to threaten Israel, and someone had to find a new way to answer, so God brought a fresh new mind into the situation.

It was a little boy, with little doubt, about what God can do. We in the church today must face the new battles that satan will bring, but, we must face it with new ideas, and without doubt that God will do what He said. If we get too used to doing things the same way, the enemy will stall us with demonic tactics. Therefore let’s not look back, but look forward, it not what we’ve always done, but what will we do now, with His strength that will change the battle…God Bless.

Pastor William