THE BLOG
Category
Topic
- Anxiety 2
- Beauty 1
- Bible 4
- Blessings 1
- Body of Christ 1
- Burden 1
- CEO 1
- Christian Living 91
- Christlikeness 6
- Christmas 9
- Commandments 1
- Community 1
- Conflict 1
- Cults 1
- Culture 1
- DDM 1
- Death 1
- Discipleship 3
- Emotions 4
- Eternity 2
- Evangelism 6
- Faith 2
- Forgive 2
- Freedom 1
- Fusion 1
- Gather 1
- God 1
- Gospel 2
- Gratitude 1
- Hebrews 11 1
- Holiness 1
- Holy Spirit 1
- Homosexuality 1
- Humility 1
- Israel 2
- Jesus 5
- Joy 2
- King of Glory 1
- Lying 1
- Missions 1
- Outreach 1
- Pastor Jeff 1
- Perspective 2
- Prayer 7
- Psalm 119 3
- Reading 1
- Salvation 13
- Sanctification 1
- Satan 1
- Scripture 2
Guaranteed Safety
The word “safe” seems to be an oft-spoken word in our day and age. You hear people talking about safe neighborhoods, safe spaces, safe confidences, safe environments, safe schools, safe vaccines, or safety rules. The primary reason for all this talk about safety is sin. I’m not talking about being wisely safe from harm (fire, cliffs, traffic, country music - haha!, etc.), but recognizing that If sin and its consequences were not in the picture, there would be no need for spiritual, mental, emotional, relationship, financial, or even physical safety.
Because of sin and its consequences, we find ourselves on guard about harmful words, attitudes, anger, deception, gossip, etc., as well as viruses, poisons, dangerous insects, animals, natural disasters, human error, and the like. One day, when our Lord returns, we will experience all the pre-Fall blessings of paradise with our Lord and Savior in His new heavenly creation and eternal kingdom. I can’t wait.
Don't Pray
One of the great resources God gives His people is prayer. God has invited us to pray about everything because He is able to do anything through prayer. Here are of few of the many benefits of prayer.
Control Issues
I was talking to a T-Mobile “Expert,” as they now call them, about an issue with my daughter's Apple phone. The agent let me know that I needed to talk to the tech team because “Apple likes to control things,” and then we can find out how to handle trouble with this device. Sidebar: I’m the only non-Apple user in my entire family and regularly get mocked for not being on the Apple team or for actually using an Android phone (superior in my book). But I digress.
What that T-Mobile “Expert” said about Apple's “control” issues got me to thinking about our “control” issues as believers.
Our Defensible Faith
Christianity is uniquely a defensible faith with clear, rational, and compelling evidence. God has instructed all believers to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).
How to Preach Jesus
God has not left us in the dark about how we communicate the most life-changing, destiny-determining, soul-inspiring, truth-proclaiming, joy-generating, hope-assuring, and hell-defying message of the gospel.
We tend to rely upon strategies and practical how-to’s (which are helpful), but God typically provides foundational truths and practices that allow His power to be put on public display.
This week, from Colossians 4:2–6 we learned three practical truths about God’s strategy for preaching Jesus:
Preach What About Jesus?
Whatever we preach, it better be the right message (the gospel) about the right Person (Jesus Christ) as it will determine your eternal destiny. Believing in the wrong message will leave you “accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9) and in the wrong Person will leave you “deceived” (2 Corinthians 11:2-4).
We must preach the only good news story about Jesus Christ that exists since it is the only message that can forgive the sin that condemns everyone to death (Romans 6:23 - physically, spiritually, eternally).
NOTE FROM THE ELDERS
Response to Washington State’s New Mask Directive
In light of the Governor’s new masking directive, we are encouraging our church family to honor the Lord by observing this guidance.
Let's Celebrate
by Pastor Jim
"Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!" (Psalm 95:1)We love to celebrate. Birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, graduations, promotions, a clean bill of health. Some of us get all excited when our favorite team wins. We celebrate the blessings of good news, accomplishments, milestones, and victories, big and small.None compare to the blessings we have in Christ.
