Pastor William F Burroughs

What is Normal?

2012-01-26T10:06:00.001-05:00

      Well, after being on the medicines that helped me deal with the pain from the the detereorating condition that caused my knees to age at an advanced rate and collapse, I am now getting back to feeling normal. I now have two titanium knees, which I received last year. The first on May 5th, and the second on November 15th. The medicines that helped me to function somewhat normal, also came with the nasty effects of withdrawal symptoms from those pain killers.  This caused me to ask myself the question, if I am feeling normal again, what is "normal and, is it good to be "normal, " and do I really want to be normal?

     Deuteronomy 14:2, 1 Peter 2:9, and also Titus 2:14, gives me a clue as to the answer of my question. Listen to God in Deuteronomy and then read the rest of these scriptures for yourself. "For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be His special people out of all the peoples on the face of the earth."

    The word read in many translations as "Peculiar" is interpreted in the Greek as special. That is something that God has said about you and I, we didn't choose it for ourselves. This also removes from us the option of being normal, or ordinary. Now this can all get confusing if we aren't careful. Normal is often what society says and defines as "Normal," and this can't be trusted as a safe guideline, and then there is the other standard, "just going back to being me," and what I think is normal.

     Well, if we go back to being ourselves, then we start a journey back to what God saved us from. Now that leaves us only one safe shelter to return to from all of our journey's in life, and that's back to being that special person that God Himself called you to be. You aren't to be normal, and God has already accepted the "ME" that you and I are, and now we continue on as His Special People, on a very special journey, to a wonderfully special place...with Jesus, He, Christ is the true picture of who we need to be...
Be Filled With His Blessings
In His Grip
Pastor William

"Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can't really get rid of it."
C.S. Lewis
The Case for Christianity

Sweating The Small Stuff

2012-01-13T10:21:00.001-05:00

     This past Sunday was a good experience for our church. We all talk about trusting God through tough times, but when we face the reality of fear and testing we sometimes fail the exam. Consider the pressure this morning that Jacob was under as he obediently returned to his homeland as commanded by God.

      Genesis 32: 3-8 - Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor." When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has 400 men with him.” Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, cattle, and camels. He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”

     God had made specific appointments at different timesto visit Jacob and reassure him that He was with Him and that he would be Safe in His Hands. God had given to Jacob the very same promise that He had given Abraham, and Isaac. He would bless those that blessed him and cursed those that cursed him, He would be watching over him closely.

     Now look at Jacob as doubt begins to interfere with faith. Most likely the servants that came back to report to Jacob may have had some doubts, but it doesn't matter where the doubt will come from, just be reassured that it will come. Jacob now begins to plan ahead, he isn't comforted by what God has told him personally, he has to take things into his on hands. He splits up his camp, sends his family away and then starts sending gifts of contrition ahead to his Esau.

     Of course, if we read on we find that Esau was excited to see his brother and embraced him and welcomed him home. When we doubt God we can end up looking foolish. God had already been working ahead of Jacob and had prepared this day for him. The years of hate had diminished and Esau was not the man he remembered. We must believe that God is working in front of us and that He has our days in His Hands, when we don't doubt will take away from us the experience of growing in faith as we see God's hands working in a real way in our lives.
In His Grip
Pastor William

     God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

INCREASING, OR USELESS

2012-01-03T10:22:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting by the fire this morning as I write this and reflecting on the words of Peter in 2 Peter Chp1 vs 5 - 9... can't seem to let this go from Sunday, I think it is very important...

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

Getting back to the fire...I've hauled a lot of wood that I cut and sawed to stay warm with this morning, and for that effort I will stay warm as long as I'm still cutting wood. Now the results of that is the warmth I receive from God because of that effort, (a man once said, " The man who cuts his own wood gets warmed twice) I have stayed warm.
     Now let's apply those same principles to what Peter is trying to tell us. Peter says first, "make every effort," so we must ask ourselves first if we are making honest efforts to excel in these things. He then shows us the woodpile, goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness,brotherly affection, love...ok, you've got the picture. He then asks each of us two questions, "are they yours? and are they increasing." Increasing is the defining word here in this scripture.
     Lastly he he tells us how to avoid falling in this trap, and then a picture of the trap itself, blindness, uselessness, unfruitfulness, and a shortsighted picture of who you were before Christ found you. You know who I'm talking about don't you? The person inside of us who thinks we have earned our spiritual degree and are qualified and don't need anything else, we have it all figured out, and have quit chopping wood.
     The ashes of many logs will go out in a small bucket, funny isn't it, all of the resources that God will use to keep us close, it's hard work chopping, heavy hauling it in, and easy to haul out, he uses all of this creation around us to keep us comfortable physically and most of all, God sent His Son to warm our hearts. He also requires of us to be chopping spiritual wood for us and others, and if we do not all become cold shivering forgetful Christians, and useless in God's Kingdom work.
May God Bless You Greatly
Pastor William

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Arise and Walk

2011-11-03T01:00:00.002-04:00

Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape. --Charles Dickens

2 Corinthians 12:7b - 10
Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me. So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Pain and suffering is an many faceted subject in the bible, and in The Word of God there are over twenty one definitions for those two words. There is suffering of all types that we experience in life. Some of it is because of our own bad decisions, and sometimes it is the result of the decisions of others, but face it, it is a real part of life that none of us will escape.

God's Word clearly teaches us that we will experience different varieties of suffering. We will suffer because of our faith, and Jesus clearly warned us of this. He said if they persecuted me, they will persecute you, no puzzle there, it's straight to the point. Jesus suffered and we too will suffer that same kind of rejection.

But...when it comes to the suffering that comes because of the effects of time on our bodies, it is plain that Jesus had great compassion with our experience of aging, death and disease. The shortest but loudest verse in the Bible is "Jesus Wept." The pain and suffering of ageing and disease impacts us all, and doesn't discriminate by age, nationality or economic status.

You and I can rejoice that God did not leave us in this miserable state, but sent His Son to rescue us from this terrible fate. We will suffer, but only for a "little while," even though sometimes it seems to drag on for longer than we would like. Jesus also sees you and I just as He saw Lazarus, and He still speaks to us in our pain, and through our sufferings, and shows us a little more of who we are and who He is. The very same Savior still calls out to you and I. He calls us out of our darkness and can loosen our bonds and cause us to arise and walk!

God Bless
Pastor William

What is WRONG with People???

2011-10-19T01:37:00.002-04:00

What In The World!!!!

Let's pray that the human race never escapes from Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere.

C. S. Lewis

Dueteronomy 32: 43
"Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people's land."

We look around the world and the changes that are taking place and it is a much different world than it was fifty years ago. Now we all agree that washing machines and dishwashers are great, and so are the lights in the house and the cool air that we enjoy in our homes, but some things should never change, and those are God's great and precious truths.

We are living in an age that is lost in desire. God's precious Word had put walls around us and protected us from getting lost in those desires. Today they laugh at God's Word, and His people and even change God's truths to justify their sin. Not only that, they openly threaten God's people who object to those things that go against God's truth. Our government can show "respect" for all other "religions," but Christianity why? Because it has "real" power, not popularity.

We are force fed homosexuality on the air in our schools and it even is trying to penetrate our faith. We have seen Christian leaders fail miserably in the public forum and we have watched Satan rush the open flood gates to destroy the hope of those that trust in God. Some will read this devotion and call us narrowminded or bigoted, but we will wait until the day of judgement comes, and God plainly says, "he who endures to the end will be saved."

Their was a day that the word "gay" was used to describe happiness and holiday cheer, and today it has been redefined to mean something twisted and full of death, as described in "God's" Word. You and I have no reason to feel threatened by those that defend a selfish, and fruitless relationship. I shudder to think about children raised in these relationships; to think that this is the "norm." If that is ever defined as the norm in our society then it is a ticking timebomb that will quickly implode. I don't hate anyone, I choose to let God's Word define my world, not a society absorbed in self desire, and self motivation, but if I stand up for what is right, it is not always "popular" to the small estimated 1.7% of our world trying so hard to force us to accept their sin...God Bless

Pastor William

Leading Follows Loving

2011-10-11T14:44:00.001-04:00

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
C.S. Lewis
1 Peter 1: 1-3
Therefore, as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of the •Messiah and also a participant in the glory about to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you: Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for the money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

So you are maybe saying to yourself, "hey, I wish my leaders were more like that." You wouldn't be alone of course in saying that, but you may want to take a step back like I did this morning to grasp the fullness of what Peter is saying to "All" of us. I think that the key word in these verses is the word "Example."

I have seen some consumed with the desire to be an "Overseer." In my years as a supervisor I have personally heard a fellow supervisor say something to this effect, " I will walk on whoever and walk through whatever to get to the top." I remember the affect that had on my view of this person, because it instantly made me wary of everything that he said, and did.

Of course, by the grace of God, I was able to get past this because of an older more experienced supervisor who showed me by the way he lived, what it was to be a leader. After that I was "blessed" to follow God's call into the ministry. Wow! It made supervision look easy. I chose this picture of Mother Theresa because of the way she led by love and led others to follow her, and establish an order after her. Simply because of the risks she took in the ways that she loved others.

You see this verse is for all of us, not just "elders." Why would I say that? It's because I have never seen an effective leader who wasn't also a good follower. We all can get lifted up and conceited in our Christian walk, and begin to dish out advice to others, and even sometimes speak against our "Elders" and "Overseers," which instantly puts us in the dangerous place of "Leading" those around us astray.Hebrews 13:17, gives insight: "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

So many pastors, and church members, have locked their hearts away because of hurt, and you may be one of them, but to love is to take a risk. Have you hidden your heart away so others can't hurt it? Has it gotten easier for you to just be "friends," but not brothers and sisters in Christ? It's the biggest problem in our churches today, love'em on Sundays, but don't get involved... so my question is this, just how can we be examples in the "Family of God" with distracted hearts, selfish hearts, or hearts locked up and hid away...God Bless
Pastor William

Are You Ready?

2011-10-03T12:17:00.000-04:00

It is not a question of God allowing or not allowing things to happen. It is part of living. Some things we do to ourselves, other things we do to each other. Our Father knows about every bird which falls to the ground, but He does not always prevent it from falling. What are we to learn from this? That our response to what happens is more important than what happens. Here is a mystery: one man’s experience drives him to curse God, while another man’s identical experience drives him to bless God. Your response to what happens is more important than what happens.

Chip Brogden

1Peter 4: 18, 1918
And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

I believe that this is an important fact for all those that identify themselves with the cause of Christ, regardless what name you might put over the top of what you believe. Have you researched what it is that you have decided to dedicate your life too? C.S. Lewis said it well, "pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

God constantly from the very beginning knew our habit of forgetting who He was, again a good reason for God to call Himself, "I AM." We have such short memories. "Yahweh" gave his beloved children instructions for different ceremonies for His people to come and gather and remember what He had done for them, in the deserts, in the valleys and finally on the cross. It wasn't an easy journey for any that chose to follow Him. It was marked with suffering and with sacrifice, something we tend to "forget" in the country and the world that we live in.

Americans are the most spoiled people in the world. We have so many blessings and we are so unaccustomed to suffering that we do not know how to handle it, and our enemy knows it. Hence Satan's request to God after he had taken all of Job:s possessions and his children, "let me touch his flesh and he will curse "You." This should cause us also to remember God's Word to us in 2 Timothy 3:1; But understand this, that ^yin the last days there will come times of difficulty."

Are you and I ready to answer those questions without banging our heads in frustration? Will we be faithful witnesses when things get rough? When the fig tree has no blossoms and no fruit is on the vine, and everything is collapsing around us, family, possessions and our faith is on trial before God and "The World." Not without prayer, not without fellowship and the encouragement of the family of God. We must be reminded every day where the power comes from, and fall at His feet for strength, for we, more than all before us, live in the "Last Days. We must continue to do good, and trust God through all that happens around us that He is in complete control of our lives...God Bless.

Pastor William

Christ is the End of All

2010-12-16T12:53:00.001-05:00

Our destiny in Christ is eternal life. Death is merely a very temporary interruption in the midst of cosmic life.

C. S. Lewis

Romans 8:18-23

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 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. (NASB95)

It is of great importance to spread the Good News! Christ in whom “All Things were created,” has put an end to death, hell and the grave for all that accept Him as Savior and Lord. Why is the “Lord” part so important? It is for us to answer His command and place the bows of our eternal ships against the waves of the world, to enter to port of our new existence

Christ our eternal Messiah, came to release our world from a spinning whirlpool of death. It is why “Our Lord” wept at the tomb of Lazarus, but the tears that flowed down His precious face also saw again the futility of death in which all of creation suffered, He wept over “Death” itself.

Makes me pretty sure we will not be hunting in heaven. Nothing will ever again have to die so that something can live. That is why is so necessary for us to spread the message, The Death of Death has occurred, the lion shall lay down by the lamb. The Birth of Christ was the beginning of the end, and the start of a new existence with Him forever.

God Bless…Pastor William

Give Thanks in All Things

2010-11-23T12:21:00.001-05:00

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: it is is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country” C.S. Lewis

Ephesians 5:17-21
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (NASB95)

Thanksgiving is not just a “holiday,” nor is it just about cooking turkeys or getting the best sales on “Black Friday.” It is a time when we stop and consider what is important, and it is not the physical temporal things that we hold on to so tightly, it is about considering the value of others.

We should take this time to be thankful for our physical family as well as our “eternal” spiritual family, and forget and lay aside all of our personal needs and wants and concentrate on the value of those around us. No one exists as an island, but we sure try to do that in todays world.

We are all gears in a time piece ticking for eternity, and we are all needed to work properly in God’s timing. We may not understand what God is doing all the time in us and others, but it is important for us to realize how much we need God, and each other to make it to an eternity where time shall be no more…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Expectations

2010-11-19T12:22:00.001-05:00

“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.”

David Henry Thoreau

Acts 3:3-5 (NASB95)

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!” And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

In this passage is a great secret that many Christians need to grasp and hold on to today. Here we see the man lame from birth, 40 years old who sat at the gate begging for his livelihood. We do need to see the attitude that he had as he sat at the feet of those that walked by.

His attitude when he saw Peter and John was one of expectation. He believed that he was going to receive something from them, he had a spirit of expectation. He was at a place of prayer and worship, was there a better place to seek mercy than at the meeting place of God’s people?

So I ask the question of us all today. What do you expect to happen in your place of worship this Sunday? Do you expect a wonderful life changing experience, or are you just going to meet your friends again and sing a few songs? God Bless

Pastor William

Devotion

2010-11-11T13:13:00.001-05:00

To be Devoted implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

Webster’s Dictionary

Acts 2:42
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NASB95)

What do you think of when you think of the word fellowship? As a Christian does it bring to mind the times we get together as the Church to worship? I think for many this is what comes to mind. But this is not all that fellowship entails.

What we miss is the fellowship after the service, that is the times when we get to know one another outside the framework of gathered church meetings. I do think that we could enhance these meetings with more dedication to fellowship on other days of the week than Sunday's.

We see in Acts that the church was “Devoted” to fellowship. They were in fellowship with one another constantly and I believe that is what is missing in the church today. We love our locked up solitude, but the reality is we need to be more aware of each other and be united together as a family.

That can only happen when we spend time getting to know one another and to be more personally united in the bond of Christ. Didn't Christ eat from house to house? Did He ever setup home somewhere to feed His earthly comforts? I think not, and it would be the best thing for the church today to come out of our homes and into the hearts of others.

God Bless! Pastor William

Peace

2010-10-21T13:59:00.001-04:00

St Augustine said that "peace is the tranquility of order". Because peace is ordered towards Christ and the eternal Good, it is unlike worldly peace which is more like "a break between wars".

Romans 14:16-19 (NASB95)
Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

I worry that many have abandoned the pursuit of peace, other than their own personal peace. Many are confused about this subject, for this world has convinced most that peace is something that is all about us and has nothing to do with anyone else, if fact we don’t want any other worries right? We have enough of our own.

If we as Christians believe that the Bible is our authority for healthy spiritual living then these words from Paul are a good dose of medicine for us all to take. Paul says happiness is not found at Outback Steakhouse, serving myself, but is found in my serving someone else.

We are to be securing peace for each other, and in that exercise true peace with be found. Someone will be loving you and you will be loving someone else. Knowing that someone else feels we are needed in this world, somehow makes us more secure, and it builds peace around us and others. This is what we are to be chasing… and not the rabbits of self-desire that destroy us all. God Bless

Pastor William

Justice

2010-10-19T16:19:00.001-04:00

“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.”Blaise Pascal

Deut 16:19
“You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

I had, what the judge called a privilege, to be called to present myself to the Federal Court house for juror duty this past Monday. It was a completely different experience from state court duty which I have been called to many times.

I was reminded by the Federal Court judge, and a video presented by the Supreme Court judges, of how our court system is a foundation of our democracy. It is a right to be judged by a jury of our peers, and I was amazed at the effort made to be fair to the defendant on trial.

For whatever reason I was not chosen to sit on the jury, only 13 of 31 were chosen, but the experience reminded me again of the foundation on which our nation stands. It stands on Biblical and Godly principals, and if our nation leaves that standard it shall suffer.

Compare that to the news today where the Arabian courts, under Islamic Law declared it legal for a man to beat his wife and children…and that system awaits to overtake our land…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Honestly!

2010-10-15T13:37:00.003-04:00

No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. ~Abraham Lincoln

Psalm 24:3-5
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul 1to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (NASB95)
Truth is something that requires special handling. It is simple and yet it can be harmful, or helpful. God’s Word gives us an insight in Eph. 4 15, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.”
Scripture tells us that we are to place the truth in a vessel of sacrificial love patterned by Christ. We find also from the beginning that God has placed us slightly behind His majesty in His commandments to us, which are commands and not just suggestions, as others have said..
We are commanded to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and body. The second commandment…to love our brother as ourselves. Ok, it’s pretty clear. We are to weigh our words carefully on the scale of “Agape Love.” Our words may sometimes cut, but you must also bind their wounds…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Washing Feet

2010-10-14T11:07:00.001-04:00

“Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance...is a celebration of that miracle.”

Martha Washington quotes (American First Lady (1789-97), wife of George Washington, 1st US president. 1732-1802)

Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. 4 So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. 5 Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him

I don’t know if we will ever get the full implication of what Jesus did here. One of the greatest things we need to see is that He, Jesus, Son of God, washed the feet of His Betrayer also.

Washing feet is an humbling experience for both involved. I had the privilege to practice this the other day and it has really stuck with me. It is yet another way that Jesus instructs us to help and support one another.

As Martha said, consider the magic of the foot, that which bears you up through all things. Jesus considered it, and left us this to ponder when we get so spiritually pure and proud that we will not humble ourselves to minister to others.

We never get so big that we are disqualified from this task. If God Himself will use it to humble a proud Peter, and to shame a traitor, we too should make this something that we include in our lives to keep our “pride” caged…God Bless

Pastor William

Cooling Down

2010-10-08T11:46:00.001-04:00

I awoke this morning to temperatures in the sixties, and I must confess my disappointment. I am one who loves the Spring and Summer and tolerates the times between. Winter gives me two blessings, it is remembrance of my Saviors birth, and a chance to hunt.

By the way, God loves hunters, I ran across this scripture yesterday in my study of Genesis 10: vs 8-9. Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

It made me feel a little more peace about my love of hunting, but just as much, my respect of the animals I hunt. We must also remember that we must use this authority we have over them well. We are not to kill needlessly or just for fun. I eat what I hunt and not just for a wall mount.

God placed a fear of us in animals, and that is to their good, and ours too. We must respect that fear for it keeps us from being gluttons as men are so bent to be. We see this in the whale, and in anything where we do not harness our desires. Isn’t that what being a Christian is about, harnessing desire…God Bless.

Still Here

2010-10-07T10:16:00.001-04:00

It’s been awhile since I last invaded your mailboxes, and it has been a busy time. We have painted and scrubbed, remodeled and rebuilt this house in Gainesville, and I have more time to do the important things that I really enjoy, and that is ministering.

Ministering, for me, is not just about preaching and visiting, but it is about reaching as many people as I can for our Lord and Savior in every way that I can to honor the life He gave for me. I know that you feel the same way.

Our problem is distractions. We get led off of the narrow way by life, simply because it is so real and the necessities of everyday living so pressing. I am ready to get back on track and again try to help begin your day focused on what is really real, and relevant for our eternity with God.

Frankly I have missed you. As I listen for the Lord’s word for us each day, your faces come across my mind and my heart. I pray for you, and for your loved ones. It is like a renewal of friendship and faith, for we are one in that time. Jesus gave His life so we could all be one with Him and His Father, and each other…and so will we be forever…God Bless.

Moving On

2010-07-06T11:55:00.002-04:00

Well we have gotten moved in finally and we are enjoying our new home that God has given us. I haven’t really shared a lot of what is going on in our lives, but feel like it is time to get you all on board with us and praying for us as we go forward in the calling God has given us.
We are now church planters. It is a description given to men called by God to start new churches. Across our land many Southern Baptist Churches, and many other conservative churches are in decline. We have missed a generation in our churches for many years, and we also ignore, to some extent, other segments of our society.
I believe that Jesus would not be pleased with some of the things that “The Church” of today is doing, or not doing. In the last two years around 140 churches have died annually. We have started around 120 new churches every year, but can’t keep up with the declining church. We can either sit back and do nothing and keep doing church as usual, or we can ask our Savior what we need to do to change this.
Well, I asked, and I know what I have to do. We are in the middle of Gainesville, FL now, and everyone knows what a Gator Fan I am, but did you also know that it is the number one city in the State of Florida for abortions? God drew me here and now He is putting us to work. It is our hope to plant churches and to do it in a new way. Please place us on your prayer lists and ask God to use us for His Glory.
Our new address is 3301 NW 27th Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32605-2222. We will be here for a while because there is much work to do here. In the mean time, come by and see us. We have a spare guest room and an in ground pool, that’s a good excuse to come to Florida and it’s cheaper than a motel. We would enjoy seeing you all and in the mean time please pray. Also, please continue to pray for our current new church, Journey of The Word, and for the churches that God wants to use us to start and also for churches that need to get an infusion of "Kingdom Vision." There is so little time and so much to do for the kingdom in today’s world.
With all our love and His Blessings,
William and Roxanne
My phone is 386-853-0040 call anytime, God Bless

Jesus has seen it ALL

2010-05-21T10:36:00.002-04:00

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Hebrews 4:14-15 (NASB95)
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

I thought that was a good quote for us this morning from Abraham Lincoln, but as a Christian we can really see the “life in our years” thing can’t we. Christ is our life and if He is in our years, then He will make our years better and more fulfilling.

I am continually learning to trust that Jesus really has experienced all of those problems that I am facing and He can help me get through the tough things. You know what I’m saying don’t you. It always seems that we are alone in our problems and the Ole deceiver is right there telling us that God doesn’t care or understand and He really just doesn’t like you.

Well, it’s true! We are taking the test first aren’t we? We don’t know everything but we can trust that He does, and at the end of the test we will ascend to Heaven for our eternal lessons with our Lord and Savior. We will, as the old songs says, understand it better by and by. In the mean time while the test is going on, I must learn to trust the Life in my years, and His Name is Jesus…God Bless.

Pastor William

It takes Attitude to Draw Near!

2010-05-17T13:23:00.001-04:00

"The ultimate ground of faith and knowledge is confidence in God."

George Herbert

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NASB95)

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I’m going to make a bold statement, and then hope that you will agree that God’s Word backs it up. It is this,”we must have confession, and confidence to co-exist with God, to find help in our time of need.”

What I am saying is that you must believe to see, and you must believe that He is God, or you are alone. Am I making sense? If you have no confidence or faith in Him, you will not receive an answer to your prayers simply because God is not going to be there at your meeting if you don’t believe that He is real and powerful and can answer your prayers.

So I must confess my belief to myself and others, and I must also show my confidence in Him to myself and others, and then, and only then will God show up at my time of need and co-inhabit my space with me and help me in my time of need. Wouldn’t you agree with me now? You see if you don’t really believe He can help you, then He can’t help you…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Are You Rested?

2010-05-10T15:02:00.001-04:00

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

Ovid; (Ancient Roman Classical Poet)

Hebrews 4:6-11

Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” For if 1Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. (NASB95)

Have you rested from your works? A lot of what defeats us is our own fault. We are either trying to meet someone’s approval or have set up a standard for our flesh and we are trying to prove our worth to society or to God.

Well are you ready for a rest? i hope so, I know that I am. I want to rest in the worth of what Jesus did for me on the cross and tell the world that it was enough. If we would all do that we would not feel defeated as much as we do.

Christ has paved the way for you and I and all we have to do is follow in His footsteps. Yes, He will carry you at times, but He still expects us to find His trail for ourselves and do our best to follow Him, and He will cover our mistakes. If we all sought the approval of Christ on our lives, many of our struggles would end…God Bless.

Pastor William

Truth…The Basis of Belief

2010-05-05T13:22:00.001-04:00

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”

Albert Einstein

John 8:43-47

“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

(NASB95)

In John Chapter 14: vs 16-17 Jesus promised us a “Helper” ( The Holy Spirit) whose nature was described for us by Jesus as, “The Spirit of Truth.” The Spirit of Truth abides in each of us, and with each of us. He is an internal assurance and an outward witness of God’s truth in each of us.

Today’s world cannot receive the Holy Spirit of Truth. Christ told us that they could not see Him or know Him. That means that truth only abides within the hearts of those that walk with The Holy Spirit and as Jesus said in John 16:13, it is because “The Spirit guides us into “ALL” truth.

The Holy Spirit will give us guidance for today and will give us knowledge of what is yet to come. That is why “Truth” is tied so tightly to “Hope.” We have confidence because the Holy Spirit is God’s lifeline for us while we are here. Do you “Love” the Truth? John 4:24 says it all, “God is Spirit and all who worship Him must worship Him in “Spirit and in “Truth…God Bless

Pastor William

Getting to The Point

2010-05-04T13:02:00.001-04:00

The whole process of enlightenment and acceptance may be called coming to the knowledge of the truth

Wood, D. R. W. ;New Bible Dictionary

John 8:31-32 The Truth Will Make You Free

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (NASB95)

Coming to a knowledge of the truth is an important truth so often ignored within the Christian community. 2 Timothy Chapter 3 foretold this day, and we would be wise to listen to Bro. Tim’s advice.

The characteristics of last days behavior is described well in these verses, “unloving, without self-control, lovers of pleasure than of good,” are major statements within these verses that describe the reason it is so hard to get Christians committed to the church, much less a lost world.

It is time that we took seriously the words of Christ in John 12:46 “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” That is strait to the point isn’t it, if you really love Him you remain in His Word and in His Light, you will not walk in darkness…God Bless.

Pastor William

Dangerous Currents

2010-03-11T18:14:00.001-05:00

Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something. Where are your choices taking your life? What do your behaviors demonstrate that you are saying yes or no to in life?

Eric Allenbaugh (American author, "Wake-Up Calls")

Hebrews 2:1-4

We must therefore pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will. (HCSB)

To pay attention to The Word of God is to prevent it from slipping away and also to keep us from drifting away from its blessings. Will this happen? Yes! Of course it will. We have to pay attention to the Word of God to stay anchored in God’s Truth, for if we are not careful the dangerous eddies of sin can put us on satan's reef.

Eric Allenbaugh was right. Every choice we make indicates a movement in our life, or a change of direction. Our choices in life either move us closer to God, or closer to the those things satan places in our path to draw us off course. God can help us avoid those worldly reefs that will tear the bottom out of the spiritual ship of our soul.

Jesus our Lord and Savior plotted a safe course for us through these dangerous waters, but we must make sure that we do not drift of course. This is what Paul is saying to us in Hebrews 2, he is saying pay even more attention now to your course and where decisions move you. In these last days we are in stormy waters, and the words of Paul speaks to our day, Jesus is coming soon, don’t let worldly currents carry you away…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

We've Got Company

2010-02-18T13:09:00.000-05:00

The angels are the dispensers and administers of the Divine beneficence toward us; they regard our safety, undertake out defense, direct our ways, and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befall us.

John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion I

Hebrews 1:13-2:1

Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation? (HCSB)

Robert Burton believed that quote, “Every man hath a good and a bad angel attending on him in particular, all his life long.” There are some that crave attention. Well, how much more attention do you want? There are airy hosts, blessed spectators, sympathetic on lookers that see and know and appreciate our every thought and feeling.

Francis Bacon believed that men should know that a man’s life is a theater, with seats reserved only for God and the angels to be lookers on. Millions of spiritual creations walk the earth unseen to be revealed only at times when God may have reason to intervene in our lives. Hebrews 13:2 says that we at times may entertain angels, in meeting strangers.

You see God has not forgotten you and turned you loose until your day of accounting but has shepherds, glittering ranks of angels that report on your state of being. You are not a wild dog set free in this world to roam, but you are His and He tends closely to see what you are up to…He keeps up with the hairs on your head. The angels contest daily for your life, give them a pleasant task…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Angels Watching Over Us

2010-02-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

You may not be able to leave your children a great inheritance, but day by day, you may be weaving coats for them which they will wear for all eternity.

Theodore L. Cuyler (1822-1909, American pastor, author)

Hebrews 1:13-2:1

Paul, speaking under the authority of the Holy Spirit of God, leaves us in this verse some wonderful insights into our daily existence here on this earth. It is here that we learn of the personal attention that God is giving His children, and we find that we are not alone, but that we have angels in our midst. God has not left his children without protection.

Many in this world walk in ignorance of God and His wonderful provision for us. They feel as if they are, so to speak, “paving their own way. They think they stand alone on their own two feet and need no one’s help, but they are in ignorance to the presence of angels sent to secure those who are God’s inheritance, receiving eternal salvation.

Angels are watching over you and I right now, I wonder how many times angels have wept over my actions? Angels minister to you and I just as angels ministered to Christ in the wilderness of temptation. All who have received salvation, and will inherit eternal presence with God forever, have ministering angels around us…wow! There is a lot more to this life that we can see…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Forgiveness has an End

2010-02-09T15:23:00.000-05:00

If there be no enemy there's no fight. If no fight, no victory and if no victory there is no crown.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881, Scottish philosopher, author)

Hebrews 1:13-2:1

In Joshua 10:24-25 we see the results of a day where God held the sun in its place until Israel caught their enemies. “When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”

In Psalm 110:1 we hear the promise as God speaks to His Son. He promises Him that His enemies will be His Footstool, and Paul reminds us in Hebrews 10: 11 that Jesus still awaits the day that His enemies will be under His feet. To us this sounds a cruel and harsh punishment, but it is one that the enemies choose for themselves, not our Father.

This needs to be highlighted more in our communication with the lost world, for they still think that God will not be mean to them, or that He will pardon their sentence. It will not be so… for those that spurn the Son of God no sacrifice remains for their sin, they have rejected the Savior and will fall into the hands of an Angry God who will place their necks under the feet of His Son…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

The Cloak Maker

2010-02-01T13:06:00.003-05:00

However, no two people see the external world in exactly the same way. To every separate person a thing is what he thinks it is -- in other words, not a thing, but a think.

Penelope Fitzgerald (1916-, British author)

Hebrews 1:8-12 but about the Son:

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; this is why God, Your God, has anointed You, rather than Your companions, with the oil of joy. And: In the beginning, Lord, You established the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain. They will all wear out like clothing; You will roll them up like a cloak, and they will be changed like a robe. But You are the same, and Your years will never end. (HCSB)

I’m kind of in a state of awe right now…hey! Maybe you can be here with me and feel what I am feeling right now. Our God who created all of this that we see; a righteous and loving God who hates lawlessness, collects the heavens in a roll and changes them as you and I would put on or take of a coat that needs washing.

Scientists play around the skirts of this coat trying to understand what God has created. In their attempts they look at what our God has made, they worship the cloak rather than the cloak maker. They will never grasp it all, and if they do come close, it will not be before God wraps up the old one and puts on the new…as if changing His cloak.

The one thing that I can take comfort in is that I know the Creator, even if I don’t know all about His creation. I think man still hasn’t found enough about who is, yet man is already looking at the creation explaining to all the nature of God’s Cloak. Now if you don’t know the cloak maker then you don’t know his craft. Take comfort in the fact that you know the cloak maker today, and you will watch him roll up the heavens forever…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Putting Together God's Puzzle

2010-01-29T14:29:00.001-05:00

You are the handicap you must face. You are the one who must choose your place.

James Allen (1864-1912, British-born American essayist

Hebrews 1:5-7

For to which of the angels did He ever say, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, or again, I will be His Father, and He will be My Son? When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, and all God’s angels must worship Him. And about the angels He says: He makes His angels’ winds and His servants a fiery flame; (HCSB)

Psalm 104:1-4, says this about God our Creator and Lord, “My soul, praise the Lord! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with majesty and splendor. He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, laying the beams of His palace on the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind, and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.

You know I think I can find my place in God’s creation here, and you can also find your place as well. It seems that things begin to make sense when you put things in order. God who designed all of creation through Jesus Christ made a thing for everyplace and for everyplace a thing. The pieces of the puzzle fit when put together God’s way.

If we take our place as His servants we will also begin to see the structure of rightness and peace which God placed in the world and in us. We will hear,and feel the winds of angels wings brush our face, and the warmth of the Light of God in our bones. When we come as His servants a fire is lit in each of us that turns us into a fiery flame of witness to the Glory of our God… Oh’ the Glory of His Presence, that we miss when we are out of place…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

He's Been there, and Done That

2010-01-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

You can no more give what you haven't learned than you can come back from a place you've never been.

Author Unknown

Hebrews 1:1-4

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs. (HCSB)

In my supervisory days, I never felt like I could tell someone what to do until I could do it myself. On the farm that meant driving tractors, loaders, and various other equipment to familiarize myself with the nature of the work and what it was done with. Because of that habit it did away with many of the useless excuses of why someone failed to do what was given for them to do that day.

What is amazing to me is that God did the very same thing. He didn’t sit on His Throne and demand things that we could not do. He came down to experience just exactly what we face every day because of His great love for us. He knows our weaknesses and the trials that we walk through in life because He has been there too, but without sin, and failure.

This will also do away with all of our excuses of why we couldn’t do what He asked us to do. The messenger He sent in these Last Days was His Son. Jesus came to intercede for us, and He now sits at the right hand of the Father to help us with our trials and weaknesses. Jesus can help us through these trials, if we would but ask for help. This is the main reason our excuses will fall on deaf ears, because The Son experienced them all…God Bless

Pastor William

Leaving a Legacy

2010-01-14T13:37:00.002-05:00

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881, British statesman, Prime Minister)

1 Thessalonians 3:6

But now Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love, and that you always have good memories of us, wanting to see us, as we also want to see you. (HCSB)

Are we living with the future in mind? While on the subject, what is the period that we are speaking of when we speak of future? What brings this to mind is our subject today, and that subject is legacy. Are we living a legacy here that others can follow for future spiritual success? This also includes life here and not just the sweet bye and bye doesn’t it?

Look at the exchange between Paul and the Thessalonians. Timothy had come to the Disciples and brought them Good News about the Thessalonians that made them desire to see them, and also brought to the disciples the desires of the Thessalonians to see them too. We can see here two great legacies’ at work in the lives of two groups of people.

Our lives imprint the lives of others corporately and personally, and we should always strive to leave impressions of good intentions. Pleasant memories can really stir hearts in need during strenuous times, and we should leave a well large enough that others can see that even in our failures, we kept the bigger picture in mind which led us and will lead others to complete successful lives here…God Bless

Pastor William

OBEY? What a Funny Word

2010-01-08T14:33:00.000-05:00

From Obedience and submission comes all our virtues, and all sin is come from self-opinion.

Michel Eyquem De Montaigne (1533-1592, French philosopher, essayist)

1 Samuel 15:22-23

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king. (HCSB)

Submission is one of the hardest things for us as the children of Adam and Eve to accept, and it should come as no surprise to us, for we can see this problem in our family tree. Isn’t it always easy for us to come up with an alternative plan? Sometimes this is wisdom, but when it comes to God’s plans and our plans it is not an option.

In this New Year the best resolution we could all make can be summed up in one word, and that word is “Obedience.” We should all resolve to believe God’s Word and follow His plans for us to the letter, and not insert out will into the picture. As you can see in this exchange between Saul and Samuel, our plans can get us into lifelong troubles.

Let us all decide to reject the plans that satan eagerly supplies to those that have decided to be obedient to God’s Will for their lives. Satan has a alternative plan for every plan that God has for your and my life, but it is up to us to learn to discern the difference. It isn’t hard to tell the difference; Satan’s plan is the one that has you in mind and not others. I’ll bet Saul could tell you something about monuments to self…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Through Jesus Christ

2009-12-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

We must not sit still and look for miracles; up and doing, and the Lord will be with thee. Prayer and pains, through faith in Christ Jesus, will do anything.

Sir John Eliot (1592-1632, British statesman)

Romans 16:25-27

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret kept silent for long ages, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God, to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen. (HCSB)

The last piece of treasure that we will mine from this scripture is the most important of all, and gives the most import to our obedience. Hidden in the last sentence of this scripture is the secret of pleasing the “Only Wise God.” We find here the way to Him, and the way to true spiritual blessing in our lives. How? It is through Jesus Christ!

If we walk as Jesus walked, we will glorify our Father through our obedience to Christ, and He told us that while He was here. In Matt 5:16, Jesus says "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” I think that our life’s mission is described in an explicit way here, you can’t miss it.

Paul says it this way in 2 Cor 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Out whole life is to be spent on reconciling others to Christ; we are His spokesmen, His eyes, His feet and His arms. To the extent that we live through Him, is the measure of the Glory and Honor we give to our “Only Wise and Loving God…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Believing Is Seeing

2009-12-14T12:03:00.004-05:00

Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945, German Lutheran pastor and theologian)

Romans 16:25-27

There are scriptures that are so rich, they are a minefield of diamonds, and this is one of those. Another question this scripture eloquently places before us is an inquiry of our obedience. The obedience of faith is important as Deitrich Bonhoeffer suggests in his quote this morning. An old English proverb also says that the ship that will not obey the helm, will obey the rocks.

Obedience is important. Most all of us have visited our past and thanked those whom disciplined us for our good. What was the goal of those that disciplined us? It was to advance obedience, but in today’s world discipline and obedience have taken a back seat to the advancement of selfish and temporal goals.

Within Scripture lie the secrets of life revealed. You will not see them nor understand them, unless you first walk in obedience to them. Psalm 34:8 says “Come, taste and see that the Lord is good.” Obedience creates more obedience. Romans 1:17 tells us that God’s Righteousness is revealed in us from faith, to faith, and that His Righteous ones would live that way. Simply put, the more we walk the faith, the more we see…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

It's Not a Secret Anymore

2009-12-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

When thou standest still from thinking and willing of self, the eternal hearing, seeing, and speaking will be revealed to thee, and so God heareth and seeth through thee. Thine own hearing, willing, and seeing hindereth thee, that thou dost not see nor hear God.

Jacob Boehme (1575-1624, German mystic)

Romans 16:25-27

God has given those of us who are called by the name of His most Holy Son, a purpose in this world as “Christians.” The reason that we are fall under that description is because we have the same idea, the same purpose and the same goals that Christ had when He came to this earth. Our purpose is to advance “The Obedience of Faith.”

If we are so filled with our calling to this world, we will miss the calling that our Father has placed on our lives. He tells us plainly in His Word that our lives are not our own, but we were bought with a price, and we are to “Glorify God,” in these bodies. We were ransomed, we were, redeemed; God Himself paid our debt, and set us free.

There was no one else, or nothing else that could procure the price of life itself. Only the precious blood of our Savior, withdrawn from the vaults of heaven by God Himself, could purchase life eternal. It is now our purpose to proclaim Christ, to advance faith, and obedience to scripture, and to reveal the “secret” to a fallen world. The secret was kept quiet for ages, but it is a secret no more, to Him be the Glory, forever…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Silence is Deadly

2009-12-07T12:08:00.001-05:00

Power in America today is control of the means of communication.

Theodore White

Romans 16:25-27

I sincerely believe that we as Christians have relinquished any rights that we may have gained so as to be called a Christian nation. In today’s scripture we can see that if we wish we may have the power we need to proclaim the Gospel to a fallen world but, we now have so many restrictions on how we can proclaim our faith in America.

Many have joined the world in its effort to keep Christ out of Christmas. We have holiday cards, not Christmas Cards, and Happy Holiday’s instead of Merry Christmas. We have steadily relinquished these things and joined in because we think it such a small thing in our own minds, but, it is not small.

Satan is at work to remove Christ from your and my life in any way he can. It is the small things that he always begins in, things that you don’t pay much attention to until it’s too late. Holiday cards have resulted in a holiday tree at the white house, it’s not a Christmas Tree anymore…how much more are we going to let slip by…God’s Blessings’.

Pastor William

The Power of Obedience

2009-12-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

No principal is so noble, as there is none more holy, than that of a true obedience.
Henry Giles

Romans 16:19-20

The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (HCSB)

If we left this verse without claiming the promise that lies within, we could miss the greater blessing that God has placed in this verse for us. When we live in obedience to the Word of God as Children of God we can accomplish God’s purpose in our lives here on this earth, and that is the defeat of Satan.

Notice, if you will, whose feet Satan is crushed under. It is your feet. God will use you to crush Satan and his demons if…you will live in obedience to God’s Word. Obedience is a powerful tool in the hands of an obedient believer. God is telling us through Paul that just as Jesus has crushed Satan’s head and set us free, we must also by our obedience, continue to do the very same thing in our lives today.

That is a dangerous task to undertake without the authority and protection that comes from living in obedience to God’s Word. When we fall away from obedient living we will find ourselves under the feet of Satan and in his power. But when we strive to live in obedience to God’s Word, the Grace of Christ cleanses us, raises us up and puts Satan under our feet. The greatest need in the church today is obedience to God’s Word…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Innocent of Evil

2009-11-30T11:32:00.000-05:00

The temperate person's pleasures are durable because they are regular; and all their life is calm and serene, because it is innocent.

Author Unknown

Romans 16:19-20

Here at the end of Paul’s letter to the Roman church, we find the same rejoicing that Paul spoke of at the beginning. Paul began this letter in much the same way. In Romans 1:8 Paul says, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.” Paul rejoiced whenever Christ was manifested in the lives of people.

So here is a question for all of us this morning. Are there people around you that are saying the same thing about the way we live? This means that you are taking the second part of this verse very seriously also. It means you are growing wise in the ways of God and innocent in the ways of evil. Paul also mentions this in 1 Cor 14:20, “Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in evil and adult in your thinking.”

Paul here speaks of evil as people in the state of infancy that will not grow up to be adults in spiritual things. This means that they are not spreading the news of Christ’s power and grace in their lives, but they are controlled by the evil one in this world and bring shame to the Cross of Christ. They are not known in the world for expressing faith, but for a lack of faith having the reputation of a foolish child...God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Saying Thankyou

2009-11-24T17:09:00.000-05:00

Better than thanksgiving is thanksliving.

Author Unknown

Jeremiah 30:19 - Thanksgiving will come out of them, a sound of celebration. I will multiply them, and they will not decrease; I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant. (HCSB)

Colossians 4:2 - Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. (HCSB)

I have been in many churches where we reviewed the prayer list and checked on prayer needs and have besought the Lord’s grace on behalf of many. Most churches have this same list, a standing list of those that need prayer. But I have not seen in many churches a list of answered prayers which would result in praise to God for His work in our lives.

It is as if we just expect God to do these things; it’s just His business or duty to take care of us...right? The One and Only God, who created us and all that is around us to reflect His Glory is faithful and just, but wouldn’t it be a good thing to stop often and reflect on some specific things God has done for us, and is doing for us daily?

Wake up sleepers and rise from the daily doldrums of life and see what God has done for you. You should first give praise to God for being born in this rich and beautiful country, and then begin to thank Him for health, for food, for a roof over your head, for every way you can find that He has blessed you. But first of all thank Him for Calvary and for our redemption and salvation, give thanks for, and to our Jesus…God’s Blessingss.

Pastor William

Dissension In The Church

2009-11-20T11:01:00.001-05:00

Each eye can have its vision separately; but when we are looking at anything our vision, which in itself is divided, joins up and unites in order to give itself as a whole to the object that is put before it, that whole is Jesus Christ.

John Calvin (1509-1564, French protestant reformer)

Romans 16:17-18

Now I implore you, brothers, watch out for those who cause dissensions and pitfalls contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them; for such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. (HCSB)

Opinions are like elbows; everybody has a couple. Opinions are many times the start of confusion in the Body of Christ. Opinions are not bad; in fact they are the source of fresh ideas in the Body of Christ. They do become a problem however when we think that our opinion is the always the right one.

After a decision is made then the opinions of what happened or was decided upon are not important. It is important then for everyone to unite in cause and in harmony and fellowship do the work of the church. But…alas, there is at times always a group that disagrees eternally, and seeks others that do, and impairs the harmony of the church.

How are you and I to handle disinters? We are to avoid them; they are not serving Christ when they are causing division in the church. Yet, I find people will run to these people to get the latest lowdown on what’s going on. When you listen to these people you feed the problem, but if you refuse to listen they may find their place and return to a peaceful existence in The Body of Christ…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Seeking to Serve

2009-11-17T14:34:00.001-05:00

If your cup seems too bitter, if your burden seems too heavy, be sure that it is the wounded hand that is holding the cup, and that it is me who carried the cross that is carrying the burden.

Author Unknown

Romans 16:6-12

Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. (HCSB)

I must apologize for the lapse in Devotions, I have been quite busy, but it was a good busy. The Convention in Pensacola really showed me that maybe Southern Baptists are getting serious about turning the corner and putting the church back on track and working to spread the Gospel, rather than protect their traditions.

I will cover these scriptures which end the Greetings of Paul and end with the instruction to greet one another with a Holy Kiss. I find in these scriptures a common thread and it is this one. Paul was thanking those that had been working hard for Jesus. Paul was complimenting their faithfulness, and expressing his love and appreciation to them.

One thing lacking in today’s church is a lack of commitment. These people were on line for Christ. They didn’t come to the church because of what the church might have that would benefit them. No, they came to the church to work where they might be a benefit used by God. I think that is almost backwards of what most people are doing today when they go seeking a place to “worship”… isn’t it…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Working Together For Christ

2009-11-04T12:41:00.003-05:00

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people -- your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way.

Barbara Bush (1925-, American First Lady, wife of George H. Bush)

Romans 16:3-4

Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. (HCSB)

Paul is taking care of some important business here in the beginning of Chapter 16 of Romans, and it is a real good read if you are taking notice. Paul became known by many after his conversion. He says in Galatians that in some Judean provinces he was well known as the one who formerly persecuted the faith and people that he now loved.

He is thanking many here, and he also is lifting them up. If you will notice he acknowledges their senior faith and honor as believers that were “in” Christ, before him. Paul also takes the opportunity to thank those that have been striving with him in the faith for lost souls, and supporting the churches, even to the point of having church in their homes.

Why do I point all of this out? Well, it’s to highlight the fact that church is everyone’s job, and we all have something to do in it. Church isn’t something that we leave up to someone else, it is something that we give sacrificially for and work to see that it goes smoothly. It is also that which ties us together and makes us thankful for one another, and the best relationships are formed in the Work of Christ…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

All On The Altar

2009-11-03T12:32:00.004-05:00

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure thing boat never gets far from shore.

Dale Carnegie (1888-1955, American trainer, author, "How to Win Friends and Influence People")

Romans 16:3-4Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. (HCSB)

I would dare say that there are not many risk takers out there anymore within the Christian church. So many seem to follow the lead of someone who comes out with the latest program or event, yet in the early Christian church, they were all risk takers, and not of a small degree. Paul commends Prisca and Aquila, for risking their lives for him.

This is a good question to ask Christians today. “To what extent will you go to hold to your Christian faith?” The time is drawing nearer to a time when being a Christian is not going to be a popular thing, nor is are you going to be viewed favorably just because you say you are a Christian. Many say they are Christians today that have no commitment to Christ.

One of the requirements of being one of Christ’s co-workers with Paul is a willingness to risk all that you have, and are, on Jesus. It is a good thing for Christians of this day to ask themselves, how much will I risk for Christ, and if you are not willing to risk your life, to have life, it’s time to resign. Jesus will only be greeting those on His return that placed their all on the altar…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

I Am What I Give Away

2009-10-30T12:26:00.003-04:00

In the master there is a servant, in the servant a master.

Marcus T. Cicero (c. 106-43 BC, Roman orator, politician)

Romans 16:1-2

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also. (HCSB)

This has been a verse that I think has given cause to many to read it quickly and skip over any kind of scrutiny. But, if I read this right, Paul is recommending Phoebe as a servant, or if you will a deaconess of the church in Cenchreae. Which, by the way, is the meaning of the word in the Greek, Deacon translates to the word “servant.”

Jesus gave us direction to understand this better while He sojourned here, and I will give that to you and let you reach your own understanding. Jesus said in Matt 20:26-28 “It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”

If I hear Jesus correctly then the positions I can obtain here and their rewards are these; I can be a servant and be great, and if I want to be first among the greatest, I can be a slave. I think that turns our thinking upside down on what it is that we can best achieve while we are here. Our worth is not determined by what we obtain, but by what we give away…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Peace I Give Unto You

2009-10-27T12:13:00.002-04:00

To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit, these are little guideposts on the footpath to peace.

Henry Van Dyke (1852--1933, American protestant clergyman and writer)

Romans 15:33 (HCSB)

The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

It is easy to pass by this ending verse and not see what Paul is communicating to those he loves, and has taken the time to write to. I mean, come on, do you remember the letter writing days, it took a lot to make us sit down and write our thoughts on a piece of paper to someone. It was a task that my Grandmother took seriously though, and she did it often.

I still have those words, written in her own defining hand that, to this day, still brings me encouragement, peace and good memories. This small verse is wrapping up all that Paul has said in the whole of chapter 15, and beginning the start of the final chapter of this letter to the Romans. What was his whole purpose of this letter? It was peace, for everyone.

So how do we keep this peace, look at Paul’s ending of 2 Cor 13:11-12, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Be restored, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.” Here are the keys, rejoicing, restoring and encouraging each other, and being of the same mind, will bring peace. It will cause all of the saints to rejoice with us…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

The Power of The Assembled Church

2009-10-26T13:44:00.002-04:00

I have never seen a man who could do real work except under the stimulus of encouragement and enthusiasm and the approval of the people for whom he is working.

Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939, American industrialist, businessman)

Romans 15:30-32
Now I implore you, brothers, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf: that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you. (HCSB)

There is something so special about being together with the body of Christ. We shouldn’t miss that here in Paul’s letters to the church in Rome. Paul has asked for prayers for a completion of his mission to the Jerusalem church, and now he is asking that as he leaves there and approaches them in Rome that they would begin refreshing prayer.

Paul knows the power of the assembled body of Jesus Christ and he knows that when the church is together it is an awesome force. He is asking for the church to pray for his heart to be filled with the Joy of the Glory of the Lord, so that when he reaches them there, they will together be strengthened and refreshed in the Assembled Church, The Body of Christ.

Watching preachers on TV is ok, but the real power and strength comes when Christians are assembled together. Too many people sit at home on Sunday and miss this power, simply because they are spiritually lazy. They sadly have no time for God, until their lives fall apart, and they are in need. Let us agree to take hold of every opportunity that we have to receive the power of the Assembled Body of Christ…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Have You Agonized Lately?

2009-10-22T14:12:00.002-04:00

It is privilege of living to be... acutely, agonizingly conscious of the moment that is always present and always passing.

Marya Mannes (1904-1990, American writer)

Romans 15:30-32
Now I implore you, brothers, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf: that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you. (HCSB)

Paul is asking for a multiple blessings here. He is asking for love, and many around the world today are in this same shape. There are missionaries and many others that stand against Satan daily in their endeavors as they strive to preach the gospel and convert souls to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and there is something that we can do for them.

We can agonize. When is the last time that you got down on your knees in agonizing prayer? Was it when someone in the family was deathly sick and you fell on your face at our Lord’s feet and begged for their lives. Today there are so many people eternally sick and hell bound, and around the world somewhere, obedient saints are trying to reach them for Jesus.

The church is in the shape it is in today because it has forgotten its main mission, and that is to save the lost and join hand in hand with others that are. You and I are comfortable in our homes, but somewhere in this world today someone is sleeping in a hot tent under a mosquito net to reach lost souls. Can you and I this morning and every morning take a few moments in agonizing prayer for their mission and for the lives of the lost…God’s Blessing’s.
Pastor William

Expectations

2009-10-20T13:24:00.001-04:00

A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations.

Patricia Neal

Romans 15:28-29
So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will go by way of you to Spain. But I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. (HCSB)

I love to read and feel what Paul is saying here. Paul was a proclaimer of God’s Truth, and he lived the truth. But also look at the many ways that Paul encouraged others to live the Truth as well. He encourages those he leaves behind him by taking the success of the labors in the Gospel and helping someone else.

Paul now finishing the first task is already raising the expectations of those that he longs to see. You can almost hear, and feel the words he speaks to them as he says to them “I know” how I will find you when I see you again. He recalled to them all the fullness of their first meeting with Christ, and Paul says, I know I will find you full of Christ!

That’s an encouragement to them even before he arrives. I’ll bet when they read Paul’s letter that I they weren’t full…they got full pretty quick. Now wouldn’t it be nice if those that know you…before they met you next, could say about you, “I know when I see you that you will be full… of Christ? God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Spiritual Obligations

2009-10-16T10:24:00.003-04:00

A man's indebtedness is not virtue; his repayment is. Virtue begins when he dedicates himself actively to the job of gratitude.

Ruth Benedict (1887-1948, American anthropologist)

Romans 15:25-27
Now, however, I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints; for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs. (HCSB)

When you read Paul’s writings and even in today’s scripture you find and important word that Paul uses, and that word is obligation. Why does he use this word so much? It is because he saw Jesus, he knew the Word of God, and all of the Messiahs promises were then secured before him and were within his grasp, and he felt he owed a debt.

Paul sees God reaching out and redeeming the Gentiles through his ministry, he is watching the fulfillment of scripture and he is asking all of those around to make an investment in the Christ. Paul collects money from Gentiles to reach out to the poor among the Jews who had missed the coming of the Messiah, using this key, hoping to open their eyes to Jesus.

We too are indebted, and I’m afraid sometimes that we invest to much in buildings and not enough in the lost of this world. The church mainly operated in homes and open places then, and it left the resources open for the use of the Gospel to reach those really in need, not just of food, but of a visit with Christ. We are obligated and we are indebted to Him, He gave His all for us, we cannot do less…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

But Now I'm Found

2009-10-15T15:08:00.003-04:00

Deuteronomy 4:29-30 – “But from there, you will search for the Lord your God, and you will find ⌊Him⌋ when you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, you will return to the Lord your God in later days and obey Him.”

Romans 15:24-26
For I do hope to see you when I pass through, and to be sent on my way there by you, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints; for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. (HCSB)

You can see clearly that Paul was aware that he was living in the later days. He is in a hurry to accomplish those things that he felt led by the Holy Spirit to do. You know you also have the Holy Spirit living in you, are you listening to Him? The Holy Spirit will keep us on track and on task for the day of Our Messiah’s Return.

What are we to be doing in His absence? We are to be doing the will of The Father, our Father, which is in Heaven. How are things going in your life? It could be that you have let the deceiver take you out of the fight, off the track , and you are spinning your wheels, much as a tortoise on his pack setting on a fencepost, feet churning the air.

It’s not hopeless for us when we get that way, if we cry out for our Father and desire Him with our whole being, then God says He will be found by us. In other words, God Himself will find us and place Himself in our path, right where we are, and love us, bind us up, and put us upright, right on track, and back in the fight. He makes Himself available to us, but we must desire to find Him…does that answer some questions for you…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

We Are Travelers

2009-10-13T15:10:00.002-04:00

We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through.

Australian Proverb

Romans 15:24-26
For I do hope to see you when I pass through, and to be sent on my way there by you, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints; for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. (HCSB)

Forgive me for saying so, but it seems we are always looking for a place to sit. Do you know what I am trying to say? We are looking for a comfortable place to relax and feel at ease. Does that seem to be Paul’s aim? You say, “Well Paul was an evangelist, a disciple,” and indeed you are right, but aren’t we all his disciples that have tasted His Grace?

These that he has really yearned to see, he lets know his intentions before he arrives. I will enjoy your company for a while, but then you’re going to send me on, and support me in God’s business. Paul wasn’t looking for a piece of land to build an estate, or even a humble abode, Paul wasn’t ever in a place long enough to let that kind of thing happen to him.

Paul was assured after his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus that this place was not home. He wasn’t going to leave anything to fight over; it was going to be in the hands of someone who needed it. Are you passing through, you see what I am saying now, I’m afraid that many Christians are not, they have settled down, and settled for less, because they are seeking the wrong rewards…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

What is Your Aim?

2009-10-09T18:07:00.002-04:00

The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions.

William F. Scolavino

Romans 15:20-23 (HCSB)

So my aim is to evangelize where Christ has not been named, in order that I will not be building on someone else’s foundation, but, as it is written: Those who had no report of Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand. That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. But now I no longer have any work to do in these provinces, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you

Listen to the deep conviction and commitment of Paul. Paul was in the building business. Paul looked at the great sacrifice that Christ had made for him, the great foundation that was given him to work on and he got down to business. He isn’t wasting his time, if you will notice, on those that had already received the good news.

What do you make of this? Listen to his yearning to see those that he had led to Christ and had not been able to see for many years. He wasn’t wasting a lot of time singing hymns with the redeemed and having fellowship suppers and going to conventions. No Paul knew there was no time to waste, and so he was sharing with those that had not yet heard.

We are meeting regularly in our churches, encouraging each other, which we should be doing. But, we also live in a world that is lost more today than ever before. We should not forget the time, but we too should be looking for those who have yet to hear, and understand that should be our aim, we should all have a lost person in our sights…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Boasting of Christ

2009-10-06T12:29:00.002-04:00

There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn't matter who gets the credit.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882, American poet, essayist)

Romans 15:17-19
Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God. For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed, by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the good news about the Messiah from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. (HCSB)

We all deal with the great monster and deceiver “pride.” He looms over our lives every day trying to insert and manifest his deity when we are least suspect. But, what Paul is speaking of here is pride in his Lord. He also has reason for his boasting, a reason that God would wish that we all could boast and brag of daily.

Paul is boasting of what pertains of God in his life. No credit due him, for Paul was a murder and a well known and greatly feared torturer and murderer of Christians. So, his relief from all of this was to boast, to dwell on, and to share with others the greatest thing that was happening in his life…he was being used by God.

He is very careful to give God glory also, for he says that he would not even dare to take credit for what God was accomplishing in him. But, he would declare and share the miracles and wonders of God around him, so as to share the Good News. So what do think of this Paul, one of the greatest of the apostles, wasn’t he aware most every day that the Greatest miracle of all was that God would love…him…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

For Someone Else

2009-10-05T14:40:00.002-04:00

God asks no man whether he will accept life. This is not the choice. You must take it. The only question is how.

Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887, American preacher, orator, writer)

Romans 15:15-16
Nevertheless, to remind you, I have written to you more boldly on some points because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of God’s good news. My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (HCSB)

The attitude of Paul in these verses is well worth our consideration as a way for us all to live. His first attitude; it was of grace, he spoke boldly because he was forgiven, therefore without guilt he was able to do the second thing. The second thing was to serve as a minister of God’s Good News.

These two attitudes of living gave his life purpose, and that purpose was of major importance to me and to you. He strove to make us, that’s you and I, acceptable to God, and sanctified by The Holy Spirit. Now through the Holy Spirit of God that attitude is passed down to me and to you, to live with that same attitude.

We together, saved by the Grace of God, are to minister to others around us, and share the grace given to us. The Good News is still the same Good News that Paul spread to those that God had chosen to adopt into the Multitude of the Redeemed. We too have that very same purpose given to us by God, through His Holy Spirit. The main purpose of our lives is to help others receive life; it’s not about us just making a living for ourselves…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Able To Share

2009-09-30T16:57:00.002-04:00

I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care.

Author Unknown

Romans 15:14
Now, my brothers, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. (HCSB)

Paul in this verse of scripture is telling us what the fullness and the overflowing is used for in our lives. It is used to help those around us. Paul says that the knowledge we have that is given to us by God through The Precious Holy Spirit, is to be used to instruct each other. Not in a haughty way, but through a humble and broken spirit.

We are to be filled with good things to share with one another, so the responsibility starts with us to be filled with knowledge, not for ourselves, but for others. We don’t seem to grasp that because we are always so busy taking care of our own worries. God wants us to be so overflowing with His Love that we are able to minister to one another.

Able to instruct “one another” means that we are filled with the goodness of God. Listen to God’s direction in Deuteronomy 4:10, “The Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people before Me, and I will let them hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children.” The words shared at the base of Mt Horeb, are to be shared “forever” between us all…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

What Are You Full Of?

2009-09-29T14:43:00.002-04:00

Without fullness of experience, length of days is nothing. When fullness of life has been achieved, shortness of days is nothing. That is perhaps why the young have usually so little fear of death; they live by intensities that the elderly have forgotten.

Lewis Mumford (1895-1990, American social philosopher)

Romans 15:14
Now, my brothers, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. (HCSB)

We last spoke of the kind of life that Christ bids us live, a life that overflows, and we will not accomplish that by ourselves, for it takes the power of the Holy Spirit living within us for us to achieve this task. Listen to Paul’s words to the flock in Romans 15:14, he says that he was convinced, (that’s a strong word,) that his brothers were full.

Can others say that about you? We joke about what others are full of, and some words are not kind. People are full of nonsense, full of themselves, full of manure? Then we have a warning from our Savior in Matt 6:22-23,“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!

Notice that we are full of one thing or another. Why is that? It is because of the tendencies of our flesh. We are always consumed by things, and the devil is there to draw our attention away from the things that would enable us to be full. One of his greatest tools is the eye; he too knows pictures are worth a thousand words, that is why it is so important for us to keep our eyes on Jesus…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Overflowing Life

2009-09-24T12:39:00.002-04:00

Fill the cup of happiness for others, and there will be enough overflowing to fill yours to the brim.

Rose Pastor Stokes

Romans 15:10-13
Again it says: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people! And again: Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; all the peoples should praise Him! And again, Isaiah says: The root of Jesse will appear, the One who rises to rule the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will hope. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (HCSB)

So, before we leave this wonderful portion of God’s Word, let’s look at one more important aspect of what Paul is trying to tell us about our attitudes of Praise and Thanksgiving. To me one of the most important words in this scripture is the word that is directed to you and me personally, and it is the word “overflow.”

Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:15 tells us to share this grace, and why, “so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to overflow to God’s glory.” There’s that word overflow again, and then in 1 Thess 3:12 “may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone,” see a pattern yet?

We’re not through, again in 2 Cor 1:5 “For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so our comfort overflows through Christ. Isn’t this great everywhere we are instructed to be overflowing, not with a sip, but with abundance. And finally this in 2 Cor 9:8 “And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.” We are to live overflowing lives…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Obvious Encouragement

2009-09-23T14:25:00.002-04:00

All times are beautiful for those who maintain joy within them; but there is no happy or favorable time for those with disconsolate or orphaned souls.

Rosalia Castro

Romans 15:10-13 (HCSB)
Again it says: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people! And again: Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; all the peoples should praise Him! And again, Isaiah says: The root of Jesse will appear, the One who rises to rule the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will hope. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The root of Jesse, will appear, this was prophesied in Isaiah, this scripture comes from the mouth of the ancient prophet who did not live to see it fulfilled. We, on the other hand, are witnesses to the fulfillment of thousands of Old Testament prophecies, and yet we do not appreciate the power of this prophetical witness.

It is said that the chances of one of these prophecies coming true, is equal to the chance of you randomly picking up a marked quarter among a 2 ft layer of quarters that would cover an area the size of Texas. Ok, so what, so what if this is true, and so what if the prophecies have been fulfilled.

Well, for me it means that just as those promises have come to pass, my eternal rewards in Christ shall come to pass as well. If I am looking forward to my reward I am filled with hope and filled with joy, which is my strength, and the precious Holy Spirit of God residing in me, shall fill me with the strength I need each day until I see Jesus. How about you? Is it a big deal to you, or are you over looking God’s encouragement…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Give Yourself Away

2009-09-22T15:07:00.002-04:00

What a man does for others, not what they do for him, gives him immortality.

Daniel Webster (1782-1852, American lawyer, statesman)

Romans 15:7-9
Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God. Now I say that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, to confirm the promises to the fathers, and so that Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles, and I will sing psalms to Your name. (HCSB)

If you desire to be like Jesus, it is a wonderful goal that you set before yourself, and it is also the only eternal and lasting goals we can achieve on our temporary journey here. To what extent we each become like Him is determined by our own vision of who we think Jesus is, so it is important that we have a proper picture of our Savior.

Jesus has eternal and unchangeable characteristics that you can set your sights on. We have talked of His unconditional acceptance of others, regardless to their station in life, but the reason that He is this way is what we need to look at. Above we can read and see a background for the actions of our Savior, and the background is service to others.

Jesus, a servant of the circumcised, and a servant confirming the promises of those that believed unseen that He would one day come. Jesus, a servant to the Gentiles, grafted in to His Love. Now why did He give His life in service? So that His Father might be glorified, and so it is that if we will desire to do the same, we will make eternal differences on those that live around us and in ourselves...God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Under Contract

2009-09-17T14:20:00.002-04:00

Those people who are uncomfortable in themselves are disagreeable to others.

William Hazlitt (1778-1830, British essayist)

Romans 15:7-9
Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God. Now I say that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, to confirm the promises to the fathers, and so that Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles, and I will sing psalms to Your name. (HCSB)

I am amazed at the authority with which the Word of God speaks. God is speaking to us through Paul with a command and not a choice. What is this command? It is this, “accept one another,” and what is acceptance, it is ownership. If you sign a contract to buy a car, you accept the terms that come with it, and you are legally responsible for it.

Now here are some terms that come when we accept Christ. Jesus commands that as He accepted us with all our faults and shortcomings, so we must accept one another. It means that we take ownership of each other’s lives, and that we invest something in each other. As a car needs to be provided certain things to run properly, we also must be serviced.

That service takes place not just on Sunday’s, but on everyday of the week. God says that we are to be roadside assistants to one another on life’s highway. We all run out of gas at times, and we throw a belt, or get overheated and have to pull over for a minute, and that is when we need each other the most. We accept ownership of each other, and stop on our life’s journey to make sure that we all make it safely home…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

It's A Long Road

2009-09-15T13:15:00.003-04:00

Long is the road from conception to completion.

Jean Baptiste Moliere (1622-1673, French playwright)

Romans 15:4-6 (HCSB)
For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope. Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you agreement with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice.

Before we go on let us also look at Paul’s comments on His Father, for he gives testimony to the character of his God before making his requests of him. He states that his God is a God of endurance and encouragement. That is pretty important isn’t it? I know that encouragement is one thing that I really need in my life, it helps me to endure.

How does God give us encouragement? In 1 Samuel 23:16 we find can find an instance of how it happens; “Then Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and encouraged him in his faith in God.” Paul also tell us this in Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.”

David was running from Saul in the wilderness, and I am sure he felt that God had abandoned him. Well, all of us feel that way at different times in our lives don’t we? I know I do, and no matter how strong of a Christian someone appears to be to you, they also need your encouragement, and somebody near you needs it today…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

United In Mind and Voice

2009-09-11T09:21:00.002-04:00

We cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose. We stand together until the end.

Woodrow T. Wilson (1856-1924, American President (28th))

Romans 15:4-6 (HCSB)
For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope. Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you agreement with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice.

Before we now leave these two verses that are striving to build us into a single purpose and direction for our lives, let’s look at the two things he speaks of. For one Paul has spoken of the dangers of a doubting mind, but now speaks of the kind of mind that a Christian should have. It is a united mind, a mind that can only come from the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit unites our thoughts and purposes with the Will of God, and allows us to have this stable mind. Ps 133:1, tells us this, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! This unity is not for our own purposes but for the purpose of Christ, so as to stand as against a lost world, and save lost souls.

Christ put it this way in John 17:23 “ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” So for us today, it is Christ in me and you united in purpose and in love speaking with a united mind and voice. As Jesus said in John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Enduring Together

2009-09-10T08:26:00.001-04:00

Not in achievement, but in endurance, of the human soul, does it show its divine grandeur and its alliance with the infinite.

Edwin Hubbel Chapin (1814-1880, American author, clergyman)

Romans 15:4-6 (HCSB)
For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope. Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you agreement with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice.

These verses must be understood in the light of verses1-3 of yesterday’s devotion on Chapter 15. This gives us a clue of what we will need to be able to endure and hold on to our hope. What is that important ingredient that we will need? It is each other. We need each other and we need God’s Word to be able to successfully traverse this world.

Notice what it is that Paul asks God to grant Christians to enable them to speak with one mind and voice. It is for Christians to be in agreement with one another. This is so important in the church. The saying is of old, “United we stand, divided we fall.” But Paul also tells what to unite around, and that is Christ and the Scriptures.

It is fighting over all the other stuff that divides churches. People have so many preconceived ideas of what is important. Paul is telling us that we are to be in agreement with each other, holding one another up and glorifying God in all that we do. God insists that we be involved in one another’s lives, so as to encourage one another as we each carry our cross for Christ…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Always Building

2009-09-09T14:15:00.001-04:00

Never insult an alligator until you've crossed the river.

Cordell Hull (1871-1955, American statesman)

Romans 15:1-3 (HCSB)
Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, in order to build him up. For even the •Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written, the insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.

To me this journey that I am taking through Romans has really enlightened to me the importance of others in our journey here. Just when you think that Paul is through sending home the point, he comes back to it again. What is it that he comes back to regularly? Our, and hear the word he uses here, our “obligation to bear.”

Now that isn’t strong enough, so he goes a little farther, he says that obligation is one of “bearing,” which is saying we must help steady those with weaknesses. Moreover even those with no strength at all, we must help for their own good or pleasure, so that they might be able to stand the onslaught of satan. This is what Christ does for us isn’t it?

We are to feel for those whom are insulted and put down and we are to find their weaknesses focus on them and build them up into strong and faithful believers in Christ, now that’s what being a Christian is really all about isn’t it. Not that you are a spiritual guru, but that you are a servant, who feels the insults of others so strongly that you are stricken to help them, just as Jesus was for us…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Targeted Faith

2009-09-08T16:06:00.002-04:00

He was of the faith chiefly in the sense that the church he currently did not attend was Catholic.

Kingsley Amis (1922-1995, British novelist)

Romans 14:20-23
Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats. It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble. Do you have faith? Keep it to yourself before God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin. (HCSB)

Faith has a different meaning to many in today’s world. Many times we hear someone speak of their belief in a “higher power.” That isn’t a new thing. In Paul’s day he also saw the tomb, or plaque erected in belief to the unknown god. Paul immediately began to tell them about this God that they didn’t know.

Many people in today’s world have their faith defined more by what they do not believe than what they do believe in. They are so afraid of believing in the wrong thing that they abandon their search for the right thing, therefore their faith is mostly “undefined,” they really don’t know what they believe, or what they are living for.

Paul is saying here that that kind of belief is sinful, moreover, in the Greek this kind of faith is said to have missed the mark. Belief, or faith, the subject of Paul’s words here, is defined as living life with a target or a goal in mind. Paul is saying that living without God’s goals as your ultimate goals in life will cause you to lose life. Another way of saying it is, if you aim for nothing, you are sure to get it…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Dangerous Doubt

2009-09-04T13:27:00.002-04:00

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and interferes with our relationship with God. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.

Romans 14:20-23
Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats. It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble. Do you have faith? Keep it to yourself before God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin. (HCSB)

James 1:6 gives us this insight on the damage doubt can do to us as Christians, “But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.” Strong words are used here of doubt, let’s look at them.

Have you ever seen a surging sea? It is unpredictable first of all, for its danger is that you can never prepare yourself to meet this powerful force. It is also a driven force, that is that there is a strong and determined movement in a direction, and lastly, it is tossed, by the wind which again can be, a powerful destructive force on its own.

Like a boat at anchor, the rope slack at one moment can receive a powerful jolt, uprooting the anchor and putting the ship on the rocks. This is the powerful strength of satan, in that he will always hit us when we least expect it, and one of his most used tools is the tool of doubt. Doubt, a powerful force to stop us as Christians, throws us off course, and into the raging seas of the world…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Causing Doubt

2009-09-03T11:18:00.002-04:00

When you start to doubt yourself, the real world will eat you alive!

Henry Rollins

Romans 14:20-23
Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats. It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble. Do you have faith? Keep it to yourself before God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin. (HCSB)

I think that we have thoroughly covered the importance of our considering our spiritual family in everything that we do. If you haven’t read those devotions before this one, I strongly urge you to regress and go back and understand that this journey that you are on while you are on this earth is not a conquest that you undertake alone.

The subject that I think we really need to pull out of this scripture is “doubt.” So why does Paul bring this word to the forefront after this encompassing word encouraging us all to walk in love? He knows that we can get distracted by judgment, by our beginning to think that I have the right and only way, and if you’re not like me, you are wrong.

Paul is saying to us, your walk before God is yours, and it is not your business to get into the walk of someone else and start pointing fingers. God is able to handle and correct the walk of His children and I have seen that in the ministry that He has given me. Walk the truth and it does all of the correcting that is necessary. Our actions will be our words, and our holy walk a witness to our brothers and sisters, and to a lost world…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

The Other Guy Matters

2009-09-02T17:33:00.002-04:00

To win true peace, a man needs to feel himself directed, pardoned and sustained by a supreme power, to feel himself in the right road, at the point where God would have him be -- in order with God and the universe. This faith gives strength and calm.

Henri Frederic Amiel (1821-1881, Swiss philosopher, poet, critic)

Romans 14:19-20 (HCSB)
So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats.

I was moved by the words of Amiel. Think for a moment of what it is that he is saying. If we “individually” are not at peace then we will not promote peace, the reason for that being the fact that we are not at peace within ourselves. Thus the words of Paul brings meaning to our present day dilemma, so then…we “must” pursue peace.

In this pursuit Paul also says that we are not to do it alone, and it doesn’t happen alone, it happens because we are seeing to it that someone else is at peace and in that process I am assured to be at peace. In this process someone else is included in my pursuit of peace, and my peace depends on how much I am helping someone else to be at peace.

What a different way to look at things. Being concerned with me too much can be detrimental to my peace, and being concerned about someone else can build my peace. The penalty for not doing that is the loss of my personal peace, and more than that if I am harming my brother, I am destroying myself…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

You Are A Servant, Like It or Not

2009-08-28T11:52:00.002-04:00

You have got to be a servant to somebody or something.

Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958, American engineer, inventor)

Romans 14:16-18 (HCSB)
Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves the Messiah in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.

We are not given a choice whether to serve or not, we are chosen servants of our Lord and king. I think that it would help us to overcome some of our most cumbersome pride issues if we would refer to ourselves as servants more often. There is something humbling about the word servant, and we will be His servants, if He is our King.

Paul is speaking of service here and our time in this world is to be marked by our service. Paul says then that “whoever serves,” meaning us, serves the Messiah in this way. This is to say that we, for whom Christ died, owe Him an eternal debt of service. We are His and He is our King, we are to live in a way that is “acceptable” to Him, and not ourselves.

What is acceptable to your King? Well have you asked Him? Have you kneeled before Him this day and asked His blessing on your endeavors? Remember, as we discovered yesterday, peace and joy are a result of righteous living. How can we as servants of “The King” live rightly daily without His Blessing?...God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Kingdom Living

2009-08-27T14:11:00.003-04:00

Him, who incessantly laughs in the street, you may commonly hear grumbling in his closet.

Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801, Swiss theologian, mystic)

Romans 14:16-18 (HCSB)
Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves the Messiah in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.

In these verses we find the kingdom of God defined as what it is and what it is not. I find that Paul chose to first define what it wasn’t, and it wasn’t satisfaction of the flesh. He says that those things that make the flesh happy, and eating and drinking certainly make Baptist’s happy, were not the secret for everlasting peace and contentment.

So what does he define as our greatest source of strength, joy and answer to our daily needs? The Holy Spirit of God, and he tells us what things will lead us to contentment in the Holy Spirit. They are these, righteousness, which means letting God’s Word define “Right Living” for you,and I, which will lead to peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Paul doesn’t list “Peace” first, for peace is a product of kingdom living. He doesn’t list “Joy” first for it is also a product of “Walking in God’s Word.” He listed righteousness first because without it neither peace, nor joy can exist. The only lasting peace and joy that will be real joy in the street, and real peace inside your heart, comes only from walking according to God’s Word…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Can You See Christ In Me

2009-08-26T14:11:00.003-04:00

If we are to live together in peace, we must come to know each other better.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973, American President (36th))

Romans 14:16-18 (HCSB)

Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves the Messiah in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.

This is something to consider as Christians as we endeavor to live for Christ and to win souls for the Kingdom of God. Can anything that I do be misunderstood or cast doubt on my life’s testimony for Jesus? Before you can ask this question, it is my belief, and I think Christ’s teaching that I must have a great concern and love for those around me.

When Jesus addressed the crowds, He always left the crowds with a thought of concern or love for each other, and He expressed it in his actions. As I have told you before the life verse that God gave me was Hebrews 13:1, “let love of the Brethren continue.” This isn’t the cheap or temporal love the world expresses, but the eternal love of Christ.

Paul is saying that I should really examine my life for things that do not reflect the Glory of God to others, and rid my life of things that do not honor Him. Acts 20:24 tells us this, “But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.” Now that says it all…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

The Value of Others

2009-08-24T10:30:00.002-04:00

Ambition breaks the ties of blood, and forgets the obligations of gratitude.

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832, British novelist, poet)

Romans 14:13-15
Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another, but instead decide not to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way. (I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.) For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. By what you eat, do not destroy that one for whom Christ died. (HCSB)

“I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus.” Now that’s a way to start a sentence isn’t it, and if you will notice Paul ends his thought on this the same way, with Jesus. He emphasizes the value of others by the price that was paid by Christ. He sought them and He bought them with “His” redeeming blood.

If We have nothing invested in each other we will not value each other as much as we should. Christ does and it is His very life giving precious blood. He invested His whole life in His children, which by the way again, “they are His children.” It’s a dangerous thing to mess with someone else’s children, the Father protects his children.

Paul is saying that our view of others should be bent and persuaded by the Love of Christ for His Children, not by our selfish ambition or motives. I have seen selfish ambition destroy families, all for the sake of earthly things. Jesus does not allow that in His kingdom. He taught us from His birth, until His death, “Others first, self last.”…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Stumbling Blocks Defined

2009-08-21T09:24:00.003-04:00

An obstacle may be either a stepping-stone or a stumbling block.

Author Unknown

Romans 14:13-15
Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another, but instead decide not to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way. (I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.) For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. By what you eat, do not destroy that one for whom Christ died. (HCSB)

Before we leave these verses, it would serve us well to define the two words that are the subject of these verses. Those two words are stumbling blocks, and pitfalls. Can you and I define these from within ourselves? Most certainly not, the reason being is that what we may call a pitfall, or cause to stumble, may not be someone else’s cause to stumble.

It could be someone watching a Christian walking into, or talking about an “R” rated movie that they went to see. It may be someone at work that watches us in our daily work life and sees our stumbling, our times that we get angry of frustrated. It could be that person who was hurting, or needed a hand, and we never called, but we talked about God’s love.

So stumbling blocks and pitfalls are not defined by us, but by others. If we are to be effective for Christ in this world, then we must have a real love and concern for others. Not just saying that we love others, but getting out of our little world of selfish desire, and living in someone else’s world. When we go there, we remove the stumbling blocks, and we become stepping stones to Jesus…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Outside of Self

2009-08-20T12:55:00.002-04:00

Love is what is left in a relationship after all the selfishness is taken out.

Nick Richardson

Romans 14:13-15
Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another, but instead decide not to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way. (I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.) For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. By what you eat, do not destroy that one for whom Christ died. (HCSB)

Just forgive me and grant me some room as I prattle on about the impact these verses of scripture should have on us, but what they call on us to do is to live “outside” of self. Sounds simple enough, but we have to admit it is a struggle for us to live in a world that puts our wants and needs behind the needs of others. It is simply not our nature is it?

In Leviticus 19:18, God says we shall love our neighbor as ourselves, then Jesus raises the bar again in Matthew 5:44 when he says even love your enemies and pray for those that hate or persecute you. Isn’t that a bold call to live by faith and not by selfish feeling? You know what I mean when I say feeling right. Emotional faith is the weakest faith of all.

I don’t always feel like loving you, or anyone else, but I don’t have a choice, because I am to submit myself to the Lordship of Jesus, and obey God’s commands. When I submit, then the Holy Spirit of God will give me the strength to love others, not with my weak and temporal emotional love, but with the Eternal Love of Christ, my Savior, and Lord…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Confusing Christians

2009-08-19T14:52:00.002-04:00

Most of us are umpires at heart; we like to call balls and strikes on somebody else.

Leo Aikman (American Journalist)

Romans 14:13-15
Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another, but instead decide not to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way. (I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.) For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. By what you eat, do not destroy that one for whom Christ died. (HCSB)

I know the world is not going to have this kind of concern for one another, but Christ certainly modeled for us the life that He desired for us to lead. He didn’t criticize Zacheus, he went to his home to eat with him, and to restore him. God wishes that all men might be redeemed and restored, yet we too often criticize and do nothing to help them.

Christians have caused many people to be in states of confusion by the lives that they have led in front of them. They take the form of religion, talk religious, claim to be religious but, their lives do not reflect Christ. They live like everyone else in the world, except for a 30 minute service they attend weekly to be able to condemn those that do not.

My thought is that we should be more “kingdom” minded in the way that we live. We should desire that we not do anything that might lead someone away from Christ. The statement that we are the only Jesus that some may ever see, is so true. The way we live reflects on our Savior, and He came to save, and not destroy…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Who is King?

2009-08-14T11:52:00.002-04:00

We need not fear life, because God is the Ruler of all and we need not fear death, because He shares immortality with us.

Ann Landers (1918-, American advice columnist)

Romans 14:9-12
Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living. But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (HCSB)

Revelation 1:17-19, tells us this, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me, and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this.”

John, recognizing Christ, fell down at His feet acknowledging the Authority of Christ in his life. It would be good for us to do the same thing these days. The first part of verse 9 should sober us, and put us in our place. Why, because even death is ruled over by our Savior, he holds the keys to everything. There is no way around Christ!

He, Jesus, is the center of creation; it exists by Him, through Him, and in Him. Acts 17:25 says, “For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.” If you think that you have “skirted” Him in life, at the moment of your death, you will meet the King of Death, and His name is Jesus, and if you were king over your life, instead of Jesus, you will know who the King was …God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

2009-08-12T14:23:00.002-04:00

When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.

Wayne Dyer (1940-, American psychotherapist, author, lecturer)

Romans 14:9-12
Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living. But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (HCSB)

When I was a little boy one of my favorite games was king of the hill. We would find us an old pile of sawdust and see who could stay on the top the longest while we sized them up and tackled them. We didn’t create that game; it is one that has been played through the ages, some of those battles ended in the loss of life.

We should be careful in this life in our relationships with others, for all those others around us are also children that Jesus died for. When we stand before His throne on judgment day God is not going to ask us one question about their actions. Just one subject will be the topic of that conversation; it will all be about us, “personally.”

Romans 2:15b says this, “Their competing thoughts either accuse or excuse them on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.” What competing thoughts? It is the competing thoughts of Grace, and Law, have we shared the grace that God has given us or have we reserved that for ourselves and judgment for others? God will decide in that day…Grace to you, and God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

To His Advantage

2009-08-11T13:30:00.001-04:00

I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.

David Livingstone (1813-1873, British missionary, explorer)

Romans 14:7-8 (HCSB)

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Another way to express what Paul is saying when he says, “to himself,” or herself as the case may be, is to state it like this. “No one lives to his own advantage, or dies to his own advantage.” Does that make it easier to understand what Paul is saying here? In other words, Paul says life isn’t about you.

Wow! Now that will turn some heads. It isn’t about us, it’s all about Him. Your life is not for your advantage, it is for God’s advantage, and for His Glory. Doesn’t this make 1 Corinthians 6:20, easier to understand; “You are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

If we could ever grasp that one point we would be happier and find peace as God’s children, for it would help us to find our purpose every day that we live. In Gal 2:20, Paul tells us this, “and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me,” God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

For Whom Am I Living?

2009-08-05T11:37:00.002-04:00

None are so empty as those who are full of themselves.

Benjamin Whichcote (1609-1683, British philosopher, theologian)

Romans 14:7-8

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (HCSB)

Self can get pretty big, and the problem with that is that it is so close. it is hard to see around it. It looms large in our lives, and it takes a determined effort to get out of its shadow. Paul tells us this in 2 Corinthians 5 vs 15 “And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.

Ok a good question for us all today, is who are you living for right now, this very minute? Be brutally honest. Why do you go to work, is it for you, or for the Lord. Does the Lord’s will and purpose have anything to do with your life’s direction, or is the only see that you think of all the time is what benefits your earthly existence?

One of these days these questions will be much more important for you and I, when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We will be judged then not on how much we gained physically here for ourselves, but on what we obtained for Christ, our Lord, and Savior. The Lord tells us in Ezekiel 7: 27, “I will judge them by their own standards. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Weighing The Day

2009-08-04T12:05:00.003-04:00

He who lives only to benefit himself confers on the world a benefit when he dies.

Tertullian (160-240, Roman Christian author and polemicist)

Romans 14:5-6 (HCSB)

One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it to the Lord. Whoever eats, eats to the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is to the Lord that he does not eat, yet he thanks God.

A common denominator that we find when we value certain days above others is selfish desire. We value certain days because life is all about us, about what makes us happy and what makes us sad. It is an inward seeking of self-gratification. There is nothing that we cannot enjoy as Christians, as long as we take Christ along with us, and if Christ wouldn’t go there, neither should you and I.

The difference is that I ask myself each day that I live this one question, “whose day is this?” the simple answer is that it is God’s day, and our Father says that we need to be fully convinced of this fact. The reason being is that we can be satisfied with weak and small emotional gratifying experiences and miss the Grandeur of God in our days.

It is getting up every day excited because God is with you, and you recognize that fact, and you give Him the Glory for whatever you have in that day. If you have nothing, you thank Him, if you have plenty, you thank Him. If it’s a special day, you thank Him, and if it’s a Monday morning …you get up and give Him praise for Monday…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

What Are We Living For

2009-08-03T12:35:00.003-04:00

The real difficulty, the difficulty which has baffled the sages of all times, is rather this: how can we make our teaching so potent in the motional life of man, that its influence should withstand the pressure of the elemental psychic forces in the individual?
Albert Einstein (1879-1955, German-born American physicist)

Romans 14:5-6 (HCSB)
One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it to the Lord. Whoever eats, eats to the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is to the Lord that he does not eat, yet he thanks God.

I can remember as a small child, thinking that Christmas was so far away, for I so loved that time of year. I loved the anticipation and the waiting for all my wishes to come true, overnight, under a green fir tree. Then when I got old enough to know the real Santa Claus, it felt like the time between Christmas seasons had shrunken so much.

We do the same thing today you know? Except when you get older that special day is Friday, so much so that we have designed an acronym for it, “TGIF.” Thank Goodness it’s Friday, but please do not ask me about my Monday. Once again, we celebrate an ending and not of a beginning. Listen to what Paul tells us about these worldly symptoms in Galatians 4:9-11

“But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You observe special days, months, seasons, and years. I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted”…We’ll talk more about this tomorrow, God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Pushing Ahead

2009-07-30T13:03:00.002-04:00

If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another.

Winston Churchill (1874-1965, British statesman, Prime Minister)

Romans 14:2-4 (HCSB)

One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat; and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him. Who are you to criticize another’s household slave? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And stand he will! For the Lord is able to make him stand.

Much of what Paul is saying here is directed to Christians. He knew how human nature works, and he knew how a spirit of competition could cause friction in the Church. When we engage in competition it is natural for us to size up our opponent. What Paul is saying here is that your brothers and sisters in Christ are not your opponents, they are your compliments.

Paul is telling us that we are to compliment, or to build up each other before our God, and that God is able to make each one of us stand. In competition it is our wish that we succeed and someone else fails. But in God’s Kingdom competition we are racing along pushing our brothers and sisters in Christ in front of us to win, not to lose.

In fact God will make that one stand that you are pushing down and they will win in spite of you. Have you ever experienced that spiritual truth in your life? God does not allow that kind of spirit to win in the race that we are engaged in on this earth. In fact it is the exercise of considering others better than ourselves, and loving our brother as our self, it’s a different kind of race…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Measuring Up

2009-07-29T14:07:00.002-04:00

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you.

William Arthur

Romans 14:2-4 (HCSB)

One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat; and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him. Who are you to criticize another’s household slave? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And stand he will! For the Lord is able to make him stand.

Once again forgive me if I continue on this subject, but there is an important word in this matter that we must not ignore. God has accepted “him.” Doesn’t this increase for us the danger of rejecting what God has accepted, indeed have we become their judge instead of their friend?

James 4:12 tells us this, “There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? Now I can’t speak for you, but I can myself and this convicts me. I say this because we really are looking at those around us most of the time with a measuring eye.

Who has God accepted, or who has He rejected? We are really in a better position before God when we leave the measuring to Him. God will handle that business without prejudice and we can avoid the presence of a criticizing spirit within us. It begs us to ask ourselves the question, “who are we,” and the answer is we are servants of the Living God, not judges. We must measure self first, amen? God’s Blessings…
Pastor William

Being A Friend

2009-07-28T15:01:00.002-04:00

If you are looking for a friend, you will find that they are few. But if you will be a friend to many , many will be a friend to you.
Pastor William

Romans 14: 1-3
Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about doubtful issues. One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat; and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him.

Forgive me if I banter on about this subject, but I think it is one that needs a further diving into the finer points of its presence in our lives. Paul extends his thoughts on the matter in Colossians 3:11 “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and un-circumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.”

Now that’s cutting down into the heart of the matter isn’t it. What Paul is telling us is that our “Grading” is unholy and un-Christlike, for Christ is “All.” This tells me that it is Christ who defines our friends, not our lifestyle or social standing. It means that that I am letting Christ and His purposes in this world define who my friends are.

We should be allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us to those in need of Christ, it is not a choice it is an obligation that we have to Christ. Paul speaks of the importance of this again in Romans 1:14-15 “I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. So I am eager to preach the good news.” It is the Good news that should lead us in the choosing of our friends, and those befriended by Christ…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Accepting One Another

2009-07-27T15:08:00.002-04:00

It doesn't matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.

Brian Tracy (1944-

Romans 14: 1-3

Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about doubtful issues. One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat; and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him.

Acceptance is important. We ourselves want it, but it is amazing how much after we have received it, we begin to grade the levels of those around us. Some are even proud to only have a certain kind of friends and would not be caught running around with those beneath their level. It is prideful, and it is hurtful to many that desire simple acceptance.

When we run into others in the faith it is important to remember the importance of humility. Christ taught us that it was the most important trait we needed as Christians, it is a daily “heart check” to rein in our flesh. Our point of view here is not so important, but it is the view point of where we are all going that should drive our faith.

God thinks very highly of each of us, but when we begin to grade, to put each other on different levels, socially, or in any other way, we become distasteful to Him. It’s something to think about in our daily lives isn’t it, how we choose our friends? Let’s all become people that find points on which to agree and strive together for the lost in our world, not a social standing. We shouldn’t be “high maintenance,” but servants of one another…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

We Must Agree

2009-07-06T10:01:00.002-04:00

A man lives by believing something; not by debating and arguing about many things.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881, Scottish philosopher, author)

Romans 14: 1-3

Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about doubtful issues. One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat; and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does, because God has accepted him.

Some people love to debate things. Usually they are trying to prove to someone else their point of view is better. There are so many churches today. Independent, American, Southern, Northern, you get the idea, and they differ sometimes on the smallest things. The pity is that we allow these things to prevent us from working towards the same goal.

The main goal of the Church today is to lead people to faith and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, we find so many ways to keep us from working together to accomplish this goal in these “last days.” I believe that if we were to examine these things we would find many of them small or silly. Just tools of Satan to stop the work of salvation.

I believe when we get to heaven we will all find something that we were doing wrong, or backwards. But, I think that I can safely say that there is one commandment that’s hard to mess up if we would just practice it faithfully, and that is to love one another. Drop the differences focus on Christ, and you’ll find it’s hard to get that wrong…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Spiritual Plans

2009-07-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

There are in every man, always, two simultaneous allegiances, one to God, the other to Satan. Invocation of God, or Spirituality, is a desire to climb higher; that of Satan, or animality, is delight in descent.

Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867, French poet)

Romans 13:13-14
Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires. (HCSB)

Desire is a ruthless leader of men. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us in James 4:1-2a, “What is the source of the wars and the fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.

As Christians we are to be led and controlled not by our desires, but by the Holy Spirit of God. It is a discipline that is present in the mature Christian, but lacking in the one who is pulled and pushed around by the changing and demanding power of earthly desires. The mature Christian has learned that the road of desire is endless, and fruitless.

Once the mature Christian has tasted the peace that comes from “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ,” his desire is to remain in Him. Interests and goals change, we become others oriented and not trapped in “self.” So to walk in decency is not to walk in the blind world of self, fulfilling our plans for us, but putting on Christ, loving others and leaving our future to Him…He has wonderful plans for us…God’s Blessings
Pastor William

Spiritual Fashion

2009-07-02T13:26:00.002-04:00

Here lies an Atheist: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go.

Epitaph

Romans 13:13-14
Let us •walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires. (HCSB)

We desire to be fashionable. We want our appearance to be up to date with the world around us; we even want to be looked at as someone that fits in. It takes me some time to adjust to the latest styles, but eventually I give in as long as they are not risqué. It took me awhile to adjust to the long shorts, until I watched an old basketball game from years ago, those shorts looked silly.

So now what is the latest style and fashion in heaven? Well there is only one place to go to be fashionable in heaven and that is to put on Jesus Christ while you are here. You will be checked at the door. Somewhat like the restaurant that says “no shoes, no shirt, no service,” at heaven’s door you will have to be dressed in Jesus to get in.

Sequins will not get you in, and gold, well that’s just heavens asphalt. Diamonds, well that’s the doors and walls of Glory, there is no way to dress to impress unless, you put on Jesus. Now that will get you some attention. All of creation will watch you, every eye will be on you, as you walk down the streets of heaven to meet your Savior…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Prepared For War

2009-07-01T12:08:00.003-04:00

My life is a battle.

Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778, French historian, writer)

Romans 13:12-13
The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us •walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. (HCSB)

Genesis 1:4 says that “God saw that the light was good, and separated the light from the darkness.” The words of our Lord indicate to us the workings of the “Armor of Light. The Armor will separate us from evil, and lead us to good. In Psalm 43:3, the psalmist asks the Lord to “Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place.”

You see, in our own strength we cannot follow the command to walk in decency, without quarreling and jealousy. All of these things are natural desires of the flesh, which we will follow, if, we are not dressed in the light. To walk in the deeds of the flesh, is to walk in darkness, no matter how good those things may appear to us.

In Psalm 119:105, the psalmist declares, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” So plainly speaking The Word of God is the Armor we must be dressed in when we go forth to battle each day in this world. It’s a common mistake made by many Christians that fall in this battle, they forget there is a war going on in this world, and they walk on to the battlefield undressed and empty handed…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

The Pause That Refreshes

2009-06-30T16:03:00.004-04:00

One hour of thoughtful solitude may nerve the heart for days of conflict -- girding up its armor to meet the most insidious foe.

Lord Percival

Romans 13:12-13
The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us •walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. (HCSB)

The other brilliant side of the coin of prayer, spent properly, is that of not only cleansing, but also a defense that comes from the innocence that comes out of that glorious time we spend with our Father. It is packing the spiritual lunch for the day; it is cleaning out all of the things that may prevent us for hearing His Wisdom.

Quoting the British Clergyman Robert South, “Innocence is like polished armor; it adorns and defends.” To understand the fullness of what he was telling his parishioners in the 1600’s, is to understand that morality, and a clean heart are the clothing of a Christian, it helps us to better understand why Paul says “walk with decency.”

There is only one way for you and I to do such a thing, and that is to attend a private meeting with our Lord everyday of our lives. It is to approach our God morning and evening, and rejoice in our success’s and be comforted in our shortcomings. God is interested in them all. What an awesome God we serve…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Undergirding One Another

2009-06-29T10:40:00.002-04:00

The minds of people are so cluttered up with everyday living these days that they don't, or they won't, take time out for a little prayer -- for mental cleansing, just as they take a bath for physical, outer cleansing. both are necessary.

Jo Ann Carlson

Romans 13:12-13
The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us •walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. (HCSB)

It appears to me this morning that one of the most important things that we are commanded to do in scripture is to be cleansed. The question is “How.” How do I find the impetus, the spiritual strength that I need daily to discard those deeds of darkness that find ways to creep into my daily life?

Well the answer is, “Prayer.” I do not mean just our individual prayers, but also by the prayers of others. What is your prayer life like? Are you just praying for you, or just your family? We are commanded in scripture to be lovers of the brethren, we are to lift up and we are to be encouraging one another as we see the “Day of The Lord” approaching.

Hebrews 10:24 tell us this “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works.” Be sure that in this life our deeds follow us as sure as our shadow follows our body. To insure that we are bolstered by Christ centered deeds in our life requires us to discard things keeping us from that time of prayer…our time before our Lord where we put on the “The Armor of Light,” not just for us but others as well…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Impressions

2009-06-26T10:54:00.003-04:00

Live this day as if it will be your last. Remember that you will only find "tomorrow" on the calendars of fools. Forget yesterday's defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow. This is it. Doomsday. All you have. Make it the best day of your year. The saddest words you can ever utter are, "If I had my life to live over again.”Take the baton, now. Run with it! This is your day! Beginning today, treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight. Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.

Og Mandino (1923-1996)

Romans 13:12-13
The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us •walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. (HCSB)

I see many names in the news this morning. A governor whose legacy is adultery, an actress who painted the minds of many, and a rock star whose moonwalk and music marked his life. I also heard one man comment that he thought that the rock star would, quote, “live forever.” But the sad fact is that these are not forever things, they are earthly things.

Many things can be said about what these people have done, or not done, but that is not the question for you and I today. It is this. What are we doing that will go with us into eternity? God will not be impressed with moonwalks, beauty, or position, God will only ask one question, what have you done to return the debt of love that you owed my Son…

People daily are wasting precious time on temporal things that are not eternal, and no matter how much they impress you and me, we will not be their judge, God is. In light of that during the pomp and glitter of the next few days, place it in context of deeds that will impress our eternal Father. For God will not be impressed on how we pleased the world, but on how we pleased Him…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Valued Time

2009-06-24T12:51:00.003-04:00

Time; that black and narrow isthmus between two eternities.

Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832, British sportsman writer)

Romans 13:11-12
Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (HCSB)

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” Charles Bixton shares his experience with time with us this morning. I think that in his words you will also find something else. You, yourself place values on time. You decide yourself what are the most important things in your life.

If you know truly who God is, and the importance of knowing everything you can about this God who loves you so much, you will make time for Him. Hebrews 10:25 tell us this, “not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Our time to meet our God is near. Don’t you want to be prepared for this meeting? I don’t want to enter His chambers as a stranger, but as someone who knows Him well. When I come to my time of evaluation I want to stand in confidence before my King. Could you do that today if He decided your time here, was over…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Wake Up, It's Late!

2009-06-23T12:47:00.003-04:00

Shed, as you do your garments, your daily sins, whether of omission or commission, and you will wake a free man, with a new life.

Sir William Osler (1849-1919, Canadian physician)

Romans 13:11-12
Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (HCSB)

Are you asleep? The British poet, Lord Byron, said this of sleep, “Sleep hath its own world, and a wide realm of wild reality. And dreams in their development have breath, and tears, and tortures, and the touch of joy.” Notice here he mentions only a touch of joy, for living without Christ is to chase these fleeting moments.

It is being asleep, or ignorant of a life full of satisfaction and joy of accomplishment that we have when we are fully awake to the life that is ours for the taking in Christ. What Paul is trying to convey to us here is the lateness of the hour. It is like waking suddenly from a peaceful sleep to discover you have 15 min. to get ready and be at work.

We begin life thinking we are going to live forever, and as life goes on it becomes more fleeting. But, if we are aware of our purpose, we can find joy and accomplishment in every ageless moment. We can know that we are doing things each day that will last an eternity, and that can bring you joy, if you are awake in Christ…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Endless Love

2009-06-22T12:07:00.004-04:00

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice. But for those who love, time is not.

Henry Van Dyke (1852--1933, American protestant clergyman and writer)

Romans 13:11-12
Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (HCSB)

What time is it, and what is time? I think that Henry Van Dyke did a good job of describing it don’t you? Time is defined by what we set ourselves to do. Working in the tasks we dread we find time endless, but in those things that we enjoy, time goes by so quickly. So then time is judged by what we enjoy, or what we dislike.

I most like his definition of time for those in love, for them time does not exist. So the way I look at life now is important, and it is important for me to know the time. If you look at your watch, or clock, or even your phone, it will give you the time, but it does not define the time for you, it is just an indicator of where you and I are.

Too me what would measure time for us now is our love for our Father, how much you and I love Jesus, and if we are really in love, time will disappear. In expressing my love for God, in acts of service, time will catch me. Not waiting impatiently, nor dreading the next day, but in love, making the most of the time, for the night is nearly over…God’s Blessings
Pastor William

Love Wipes The Slate

2009-06-19T11:07:00.001-04:00

There is a law that man should love his neighbor as himself. In a few hundred years it should be as natural to mankind as breathing or the upright gait; but if he does not learn it, he must perish.

Alfred Adler (1870-1937, Austrian psychiatrist)

Romans 13:8-10
Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, all are summed up by this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law. (HCSB)

I think that this is one of the boldest statements in scripture and gives us a glimpse into God’s heart. We are legalists for the most part in that what we see of a person is what we believe is true about them. Yet we know that in each person’s heart there is sin, for there was but one born without sin and His Name is Jesus.

We know of many around us we believe to be good people, judged by the way that they have fulfilled the law by living close to what is deemed good. Yet, I see here a great truth that turns all of this around. God says that if you and I love one another, we will have fulfilled all of the requirements of the Law.

Christ commanded us in John 13:34 and again in John 15:12, to love one another as He has loved us. So I see here that in this new covenant that God has made with us that the fulfillment of the Law is last, and Love is first. Now to me that makes Loving my Brother of the Utmost importance…a new covenant, a new way of life…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

An Eternal Debt

2009-06-18T11:38:00.004-04:00

Modern man drives a mortgaged car over a bond-financed highway on credit-card gas.

Earl Wilson (1907-1987, American newspaper columnist)

Romans 13:8-10
Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, all are summed up by this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law. (HCSB)

I think the best way to begin to understand what Paul is saying in this scripture is to first start with explaining how Paul is using the word “owe” in vs. 8. How can we follow this scripture if we have a mortgage or a car payment? In today’s society debt is almost a way of life, if you have a credit card you can be considered owing, even if you pay your balance by the end of the month.

So here is what I think Paul is saying to us by the Holy Spirit in this scripture. He is saying that the main debt that you owe is to each other, and that nothing is to interfere with us paying this debt. If the house interferes with it, get rid of it. If the car prevents you from accomplishing it, get rid of it, and what is this debt that we owe?

It is to love one another. We are indebted to Christ, we owe Him this love, and it is to take precedence, or first place in our lives. It is the only real debt that you and I have. The rest of this will disappear with the banks at His Coming. But the debt of Love is eternal, it will not disappear…Paul is saying, “payday someday,” we will be called to account for this debt… God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2009-06-17T08:54:00.003-04:00

If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are.

John W. Gardner (1912-2002, American educator, social activist)

Romans 13:5-7
Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor. (HCSB)

A rebel has few friends and they usually wind up hanging with him. Christ was not a rebel, Jesus was a friend. He was a friend to all, He came not to fight, but to teach, and that is the way Christ asks us to walk today also. Are we going to meet some resistance? Yes, of course but Christ did not seek confusion, neither should we.

God has given us authority for a good reason. I have found through life that those who reject authority will also reject Christ. Why? It is because the only opinions and rules they have respect for are their own. They are centered on self.

This very thing is what caused men to reject Christ. The Word of God tells us, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”(John 1:11) The religious status quo caused the rebellion, because of their refusal to honor and respect their King, Jesus, The Messiah, God’s only son, and their conscience is seared to this day…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

The Flavors of Authority

2009-06-16T13:39:00.002-04:00

Authority without wisdom is like a heavy ax without an edge, fitter to bruise than to polish.

Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672, British puritan poet)

Romans 13:3-5
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but too bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do good and you will have its approval. For government is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. (HCSB)

The way that Christians interact with authority is many times determined by our own actions. In The Word of God the interactions that I see are not open rebellion. What I see in most cases is an interaction with authority that says God tells me to do thus, and I can do no other, but it is never an intentional breaking of established peaceful governance.

If you and I get a speeding ticket it is because we have exceeded the limits of peaceful governance; we have broken the law. God expects us to conduct ourselves reasonably before the world, because we are his witnesses. It is only when law intercedes in spiritual governance, that we run into conflict with the authorities that help give us a calm and reasonable society.

If they break God’s spiritual laws, He “WILL” deal with them, and we will have God on our side. But, if we break the laws of society, we do not have God on our side, God is on the side of peaceful governance, or will uphold our authorities. We will be forgiven for transgressing the law, but the penalty will be upheld…it’s something to think about in the way we conduct ourselves in this world…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

A Gift Opened

2009-06-12T12:06:00.003-04:00

There is a very real relationship, both quantitatively and qualitatively, between what you contribute and what you get out of this world.

Oscar Hammerstein (1846-1919, German theatrical impresario)

Romans 12:6-8
According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness. (HCSB)

Before we leave these verses, I think it important that we look at the fervor in which they are given to us. It is not just that you are given a gift, for a gift is never reaped fully until it is opened. Many people have gifts, but they are not exercised simply because they are aware of what opening that gift will cost them.

Once you open a gift it begs you to use it. If it is a basketball, it begs to be bounced and thrown at a metal ring. If it is a baseball, it also asks that you get someone else together to use it. It must be thrown to be hit, and it needs a glove to catch it before it hits the ground.

So it is with the gifts that God has given us. He gives us an aurora in which they must be used…diligently and cheerfully. It is a gift that draws from us our very best, God designed it that way to grow us up and improve us, and to goad us into drawing others to walk along side of us in excited service to our Great and Wonderful God…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William