Blog

The Importance of Christian Fellowship

  • Post comments:1 Comment

by Luke KincaidOne of my favorite ministers is a gentleman by the name of Paul Tripp. Today I wanted to share with you a portion of a blog which he sends out every Wednesday. The title of this specific blog is “Are You A Disappointed Christian?” The following are the six signs which he offers of one who may struggle with their disappointment as a Christian:“1. Disappointment with God. Do you feel as if God has not given you the life that he has promised? If we misunderstand what God is doing in the here and now, we’ll live with the wrong perspective and expectations, so disappointment is bound to set in. Lack of motivation for ministry. If you’re disappointed with the life that God has provided, you’re unlikely to get excited about sharing that disappointing news with others! A life of vibrant ministry is not defined by formal training or paid vocation but the result of an overflowingly thankful heart. Numbing yourself. When you’re disappointed with your life, you will pursue ways to escape it. That may come in the form of working too much, a hobby or activity, endless entertainment, or overindulging on food, alcohol, medication, or illicit sexual pleasure.  Envy of others’ lives. If you’re disappointed with your life, you will scan the lives of others to see how they’re doing. Inevitably, you will discover someone near you who is enjoying the life that seemed to pass you by. Envy will cause you to doubt God’s goodness and wisdom while telling you that you deserve better than what you are getting. Letting go of the habits of faith. When you’re disappointed with something, you don’t want to invest in or participate in it. Why read God’s Word, why pray, why hang around with other believers, why read good Christian books, and why encourage others to believe when none of those things seem to make a difference? Greater susceptibility to temptation. Once you let go of the habits of the faith, you let your spiritual defenses down. You are no longer connected to resources that stimulate and deepen your affection for Jesus, so the things of this world that woo you to step outside of God’s boundaries are more enticing.”Maybe you have identified with more than one of these and now realize that you may be struggling with disappointment in your walk with Jesus. Paul Tripp offers a few ways in which you can begin to go about dealing with this disappointment. The main one I want to share with you today is to seek the company of those who have what you are lacking right now in this moment.Christian fellowship is one of the primary ways in which we can see us overcoming our disappointment as we find strength in our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as we strive to live out the truth of Proverbs 27:17:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.So don’t be afraid to reach out to those around you. And if you…

Continue ReadingThe Importance of Christian Fellowship

Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

https://youtu.be/nXrkEiRsKfI?t=1365 Audio Recording God wants us to trust in His provision in every way. Asking God for our daily bread infers that we believe He knows our needs better than we do, so this part of the prayer is really a statement of trust. It’s saying, “God, whatever You want me to have is all I want. You know what is best for me so You know best how to answer this part of my prayer.” Sermon by Calven Celliers Download the Summary

Continue ReadingGive Us Today Our Daily Bread

We Are the Church

  • Post comments:0 Comments

by Calven CelliersAs a Team, our church staff are currently working through Andy Stanley’s book ‘Irresistible’ in our weekly devotions together. Today I want to share a portion of the chapter that we read this past Wednesday and some pertaining thoughts that it sparked in my mind at this time, with you. ‘After taking over from the disaster that was King Saul, King David spent years expanding, settling, and fortifying the nation of Israel. Eventually there was a break in the action. During the lull, it dawned on David that while everyone else had moved indoors, God was still living in a tent... So, David made an appointment with the prophet in residence, Nathan… Nathan smiled and suggested David do something about it. [But] God was fine living in a tent. He seemed to prefer it. Besides He wasn’t home most of the time anyway … God tells David he has too much blood on his hands to build a temple. David doesn’t argue, but he doesn’t give up on his idea. He forges ahead to ensure that when his son Solomon becomes king, everything will be in place for construction of a permanent structure … David raised the money. He had plans drawn. He hired stonecutters. And according to plan, when Solomon took the throne, the grand construction project began. Twenty years later it was completed. At the end of those twenty years, Solomon invited God to leave His tent and move indoors.’ (Irresistible – Andy Stanley)Andy highlights that Solomon’s temple embodied design features similar to all other pagan temples including a sacred space designed specifically for the image of the god for whom the temple was dedicated. A god-vault; the most sacred of sacred chambers. Solomon’s temple also had a chamber of this nature, referred to in Scripture as the holy of holies. The distinguishing, differentiating characteristic of the Jewish temple, however, was something it lacked that other pagan temples had. An image.Israel served a living God. Unlike the pagan gods in Solomon's day or those worshipped centuries later by citizens of Rome, Israel’s God did not need to be carted into His temple and hoisted onto a pedestal. Israel’s God never needed to be locked up at night so no one would steal Him. Israel’s God never needed to be wheeled out by priests on festival days. Israel’s God was Spirit. A Holy Spirit. Israel’s God wasn’t put in His temple. Israel’s God inhabited His temple.So, what does all this mean for us today? It got me thinking that at this peculiar time in world history, when many believers aren’t able to gather together in church, we must remember that you don’t need to go to church to meet with God, because God isn’t in a church building, He inhabits us! As born-again believers we ourselves are temples inhabited by the living God. We serve a living God who abides in us in the form of the Holy Spirit. While it’s nice to gather together in the…

Continue ReadingWe Are the Church

One Day at a Time

  • Post comments:1 Comment

Guest Postby John DoyleJeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope"Learning how to take things One Day at Time when anxiety hits, as it has with many in these days of Lockdown, is important and God's Word gives us great insight into His plan during these difficult days. I was reading a story about a song written by Christa Wells called “One Day” while I was preparing one of my devotionals. I was keen to get the correct Biblical perspective on the subject not knowing exactly how the Lord will lead me in my studies.Then I listened to this song on line. My heart kept being drawn back to believing that its important in these days to take things One Day at a Time"You’re doing one day, one breath, one prayerOne thing at a time, One word, one step, one hopeIn a coming light, Don’t try to swallow the oceanKeep doing one day, ‘Til one day you’re free"My wife Barbara and I are not really “one day at a time” people. We tend to be future oriented. Can't wait to see our Granddaughter Kristen get married in August and be with our son Keith on his 50th birthday. Its just consuming our minds at this time as we just don't know if we will be able to travel there due to Lockdown.We are praying everyday that it will be possible but our end request is "Lord Thy Will be done". We would love to know what exactly is going to happen, how it will happen, how long will it take to happen so we just decided to keep praying and taking One Day at a Time.It is exhausting at times going through these days of Lockdown and does cause anxiety to many people. But when you think about the life of Jesus on earth knowing what He was going to go through He always knew the Bigger picture and knew the outcome, and He just took One Day at a Time and impacted so many lives with His actions and Words. The greatest example for us all.God is so gracious to us and ever so patient. When we work ourselves up with the what if’s and maybes, He reminds us of our text verse above "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11God knows what our future holds so we can rest in Him. We know this to be true through our many years of ministry. We decided just to BE AT PEACE.This is exactly where God wants us all to be. He wants us to lean on Him. He wants us to run to Him in time of need and not to try and figure everything out on our own and travel down roads…

Continue ReadingOne Day at a Time