Thanks for visiting our web site! We are a small but strong multi ethnic church dedicated to worshiping God in every part of our lives. Please feel free to explore this site and learn more about what we believe and who we are as a church.

Please join us this Sunday morning, January 29, at 10:30 as we continue following Jesus in 2012. Pastor Jerry continues the series of sermons examining the doctrine of the Trinity. This Sunday we will see the comfort that believers can have because God is our Father, who loves and provides for us abundantly.

We hope to see you Sunday!

2 Corinthians 13:14 “God’s Powerful Presence With Us”
Introduction:
In 1989, a major earthquake jolted central California. One of the scenes that I recall came from Candlestick Park, site of the World Series in 1989. Here were professional baseball players, 30 minutes from playing another game in the World Series, something they had probably dreamt about for years, saying it’s only a game. After the earthquake hit, they were searching the stands for their family members. One player said, “I knew something was wrong when I saw the first base dugout moving. My first thought was to look for my wife in the stands.” Other players as well were searching the stands looking for family members. They wanted to be with their families.

We can understand how they felt. When danger comes, we want to be with the ones we love. On September 11, we wanted to be with the ones we love and be assured that they were ok. When there is a tornado we are anxious to hear from or be with those to know that everyone is safe. It is important to us to be with our loved ones in difficult times.

The same thing is true in our relationship with God. In times of difficulty and danger, we too want God to be with us. The beautiful thing that we see this morning is that God is in fact with us in a powerful and beautiful way. In fact, He is with us in a way that far exceeds what we can imagine. We not only have our Father or the Lord with us, we have all three persons of the Trinity with us.

This morning we begin a series of five sermons looking at the Trinity. We’ll be looking at each person of the Trinity but this morning we look at the Trinity as a whole and see the blessing of having Father, Son and Holy Spirit being with us. Let’s read 2 Corinthians 13:1-14.
I. What is Paul’s View of the Trinity?
It is clear from this passage that Paul’s view of the Trinity is not just some abstract theological concept. It’s easy to view the Trinity in that way. Look at the straightforward way the Heidelberg Catechism describes the Trinity in Lord’s Day 8. Question 24: “How are these articles divided? Into three parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification.” Question 25: “Since there is but one God, why do you speak of three: Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Because that is how God has revealed himself in His Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God.” It sounds like this is saying the Bible says it and so there! Accept it and let’s move on. Sometimes it’s hard to see much practical value in the doctrine of the Trinity for us.

But Paul uses the teaching of the Trinity in a very loving and pastoral way. That is made clear from the background of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Paul had stayed in Corinth the longest of any of the places on his missionary journeys. He had grown close to these people and had helped them with many problems in their church. He likely felt as a father would feel toward his own children. The result is that 2 Corinthians is one of the most personal and pastoral letters that Paul wrote. There is certainly some weighty teaching, but in this letter, he speaks directly from his heart.

At the conclusion of the letter, Paul gives a brief strong reminder of the things Paul had helped them with. They are to “aim for perfection.” Immorality was a big problem that Paul had to help them with. They must try to live as God wanted them to live in their sexual lives but also in all areas. He says, “Listen to my appeal.” They had raised serious questions about his authority. Now Paul says they should listen to him because he speaks as one from God Himself. They are to “be of one mind.” There had been divisions and splits within the church in the past. They should work together for the gospel and focus on the things that bind them together. Finally, they are to “live in peace.” As a result of the unity that they have, they will be able to live in love and peace.

Then after these important closing words of encouragement, Paul concludes with the familiar words: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. These are words that come from the heart of a man who deeply loves this church. It would make no sense at all for Paul at the end of this very personal letter to suddenly throw in a carefully formulated statement of the Trinity. Paul is wishing for God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit to continue to powerfully be with them to help them. He leaves them this parting blessing with the hope that this is what they remember above all.

Richard Allen Farmer, who is a professor at Gordon College, tells this story: “When I was a youngster, probably in my 10th or 11th year, my grandparents bought us a small plastic cartoon projector as a Christmas present. Bringing a couple of reels of black and white cartoons, Pop (his grandfather) taught me how to thread the projector. He patiently demonstrated how to bend the film around the sprockets and thread it into the take-up reel. After one demonstration, Pop said, ‘Now you try it.’ I threaded the projector correctly and I will never forget his words: ‘I have the smartest grandson in the world!’”

“Years later, I asked Pop if he remembered that incident. He didn’t, but I did! For all the years following that day until now, I have thought I was bright, skillful, teachable, quick to catch on. I would probably also have remembered if Pop had said, ‘I have the dumbest grandson in the world.’ And my life might have demonstrated my belief. What memorable phrases are you depositing in your mind, to be trapped there for years to come?”

Paul leaves them with a memorable phrase that they would hopefully remember for years to come. Here Paul explains the Trinity in a very practical way.

II. Let’s look at The Practical Presence of the Trinity.
Paul’s benediction begins with him by referring to “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.” “Grace” is the key word that describes what Jesus Christ did to take away our sins. “Grace” is Jesus Christ leaving heaven, suffering, dying and enduring the pain of hell because of what you and I have done. Grace is what we get even though we are rotten miserable sinners who don’t have any right to expect it; it is completely unconditional. Grace is Jesus’ sacrifice of everything for us.

And now Paul says to the Corinthians: “May you always be aware of that tremendous gift of grace. May you continue to live in the awareness of Jesus’ death for you.” Moreover, it is the grace of Jesus Christ that gives us hope and confidence. It gives us the confidence that we have peace with God. It gives us the motivation to live our lives in thanksgiving.

It also gives us the confidence to live in a radically exciting way knowing we live in grace of Jesus. Juan Ortiz writes, “Watching a trapeze show is breath-taking. We wonder at the grace and timing. We gasp at near-misses. In most cases, there is a net underneath. When they fall, they jump up and bounce back to the trapeze.”

Ortiz continues, “In Christ, we live on the trapeze. The whole world should be able to watch and say, ‘Look how they live, how they love one another. Look how well the husbands treat their wives. And aren’t they the best workers in the factories and offices, the best neighbors, the best students?’ That is to live on the trapeze, being a show to the world. What happens when we slip? The net is surely there. The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, has provided forgiveness for all our trespasses. Both the net and the ability to stay on the trapeze are works of God’s grace. Of course, we cannot be continually sleeping on the net. If that is the case, I doubt whether that person is a trapezist.” The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ gives us forgiveness, freedom and security so that we can enjoy life with God as we serve Him.

Secondly, Paul prays that the “love of God” may be with them all. It was God the Father’s love that sent Jesus to us. In fact, God has always loved us from the very beginning; God’s love was and is always there. Before our access to the Father’s love was blocked by sin. And now through Jesus’ death and resurrection, that loving relationship can now be fully restored.

Therefore, Paul can say, “live in the love of God.” Never forget that God the Father has created and specially chosen you. Never forget that the Father surrounds you with unfailing love; God’s love for you will never change. That love is very special to us.

Philip Yancey compares God’s love for us to that of a parent watching a baby learn to walk. Parents often marvel at a skill that has been mastered by all but a very few of the 8 billion humans who have inhabited this planet. So he could walk; everybody can walk. What was the big deal?”

Philip Yancey comments: “I imagine that God views each halting stop forward in my spiritual walk with the enthusiasm of a parent who watches a child take a first step. And perhaps, when the secrets of the universe are revealed to us, we will learn the ultimate purpose of parenthood and romantic love. It may be that God has granted us these times of specialness to awaken us to the possibility of infinite love – love of which our most intimate experiences here on earth are more glimpses: God’s love!” That is the tremendous love of God that Paul is speaking of.

Finally, Paul gives his third request: “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” “Fellowship” is one of those words that have been used so often that we have lost much of its meaning. Fellowship does include Christians spending time and doing fun things together.
That is part of it and we certainly don’t want to disband our Fellowship Team by any means. But “fellowship” is more than church dinners and fun nights. How do you fellowship with the Spirit?

“Fellowship” means that you share something with that other person. Thus, we call church meals a time of fellowship because we share together the love of Christ. We share that time together as fellow believers in Christ. “Fellowship” of the Holy Spirit then means that we share something from the Spirit. We share in the benefits of Christ’s work of grace. We share in the Holy Spirit’s powerful ongoing activity which cleanses us. Paul here is saying, “Live in the ongoing presence and power of the Holy Spirit.”

But fellowship with the Spirit also enables us to have fellowship or sharing with other believers as well. We share with others the love and grace that the Spirit brings to us. The fellowship of the Spirit enables us to live in peace with others. We share and benefit from the fruit of the Spirit in our lives so that not only as individuals but as a community we share in joy, peace and love. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit enables us to live as followers of Jesus.

In this verse, the Trinity is presented as a fact but a very special fact. There is one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet it is the Triune God who is powerfully experienced by each believer. Our loving God is with us in three very special and unique ways through the Trinity. This is more than a theological truth; it is an experienced fact.

When I was in college, I worked for one summer in a construction crew that put in and repaired underground telephone cable conduit. Occasionally, part of this work would involve tearing up sections of pavement with a jack-hammer. Now what comes to your mind when you think of a jack-hammer? Probably a terribly noisy tool that creates all kinds of noise, dust and even more noise. It’s something that makes you roll up your window as you drive by. But it is only until you have run a jack-hammer that you realize just how true that is.

Using a jack-hammer was indeed heavy, noisy, dirty and tiring, and I hated it. At the end of a day running one of those, you not only knew about jack-hammers, you experienced it in every part of your body; ears, head, arms, legs, everything. The Trinity for the Christians is not just a truth to believe; it is to be experienced in every part of our lives.

III. God’s Presence With Us Today
Paul’s wish for the Corinthian Christians was not only to know about the Triune God but that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with them all; that is, to experience it. This is only one of two places that Paul uses the word “all” in his closing greetings. He does so to emphasize that what he wishes to be true for the Corinthians to be shared by all. He wants all who believe in Jesus to experience the blessings of the Triune God.

He wishes that these things may “be with” them. He hopes that the blessings and comforts of our God will stay and remain with his readers always. James Limburg, professor of Old Testament emeritus at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, tells of going bicycling with his young son shortly after he’d gotten a 10-speed bicycle.

He says, “We took a ride on the bike path around our town. Just off the path was a drainage tunnel which ran under the interstate highway. We decided to explore it. We parked our bikes and began to walk through the tunnel. It was made of concrete, wide enough for us to walk side by side, but not high enough for me to stand up straight. We walked for a distance and then the tunnel took a sharp turn and suddenly it became dark. A hand reached out and took mine. Neither of us said anything about it, but we continued, hand in hand, until we came to another turn and we could see the light. Then the hand let go.” This young son wanted his dad’s hand and wanted his Father’s presence. God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is now here even when the way becomes dark and scary.

It should be our desire as well to experience the Triune God in this way. Does the grace of Jesus Christ powerfully shape every part of our lives? Jesus died for us in His grace and that is something that should never be put back into the back parts of our minds. When we realize all that Jesus has done so that we may have salvation, it should move us to live in grateful obedience.

Do we know and realize how much the love of God the Father is every day? Do we realize how much God the Father has invested in us so that we might be saved? Do we realize how carefully God is watching over our every step, guiding and directing us and beautifully providing for us as He showers us with His love?

Do we realize that we have the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit with us? We have the power to do great things for Christ’s kingdom because of the gifts God has given us through the Spirit. We have the ability to share with each other and help with each other in the needs of life. We have the powerful presence of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

So what is the problem; what’s the point? So often, we like to pretend that we can do things on our own just fine. We don’t really need to have God’s presence with us every day. We just need it once in a while when there are problems. Then God has become like the firemen down the street. They are there when you need them but other than that they play no major role in our lives. If we miss the ongoing presence of God in our lives, we are missing a great deal.

Let’s make Paul’s prayer our own prayer. Let’s not only wish that God will help us when we are in need. Let’s pray that Christ’s grace, the Father’s love and the powerful fellowship of the Holy Spirit may shape, encourage and help us every day.

Thanks for visiting our web site! We are a small but strong multi ethnic church dedicated to worshiping God in every part of our lives. Please feel free to explore this site and learn more about what we believe and who we are as a church.

Please join us this Sunday morning, January 22, at 10:30 as we continue following Jesus in 2012. Pastor Jerry will begin a series of sermons examining the doctrine of the Trinity. This Sunday we will see the comfort that believers can have because God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We hope to see you Sunday!

Nehemiah 1:1-11 “A Leader’s Position”

Introduction:
What do you do when faced with a problem? It depends on the kind of person you are. If you are a practical type of person, when you face a problem, you immediately try to figure out what to do to fix the problem. You plan and set out on a course of action.

Nehemiah was a practical kind of person. If you keep reading through this story, you find that he was a very effective leader who knew how to get things done. He saw problems and worked to fix them. However, when Nehemiah hears of a problem in Nehemiah 1, he does something very unusual for such a practical person. Let’s read what the problem was and what Nehemiah did. Let’s read Nehemiah 1:1-11.
I. First, let’s look at The Background in verses 1-4.
These events occur later on in Old Testament history. This is about 500 years after King David and 450 years before the birth of Christ. The vast majority of the people of Israel have been taken away as captives by foreign nations. At the time of Nehemiah, a new Persian Empire was in control of this part of the world.

While the Babylonians wanted to uproot people from their homelands, the Persians wanted to reestablish people back in their homelands. They figured if people were happy, they would be more open to being ruled by them. And so the Jews were given the option of returning to their homeland in Canaan. Not all did, for by this time, they had gotten somewhat settled in their lives in the foreign land. Nehemiah was one who did not return to Canaan but continued on serving the Persian king. Verse 1 says that this things occurred in the 20th year, which refers to the 20th year of the king’s rule which was in the winter of 446 BC while Nehemiah who was serving the king of Persia in his palace.

The problem comes to light in when Nehemiah’s brother, Hanani, who had moved back to Jerusalem, comes back to Persia to visit. Nehemiah asks how the group that had been allowed to return home again is doing. He finds out that the remnant had returned all right, but things back home were dismal. Some time before, they had tried rebuilding the city wall and gates, but the Persian king had stopped them from continuing and perhaps had even broken down what they had built. There was nothing to protect them from anyone who wanted to come in and wipe them out.

Nehemiah’s response in verse 4 is immediate. “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” It hit him hard that they were struggling so much in the promised land and so he wept.

One December afternoon, a group of parents stood in the lobby of a nursery school waiting to pick up their children after the last pre-Christmas session. As the youngsters ran from their lockers, each one carried in his or her hands the surprise, the brightly wrapped package on which the class had been working for weeks. One small boy, trying to run, put on his coat, and wave all at the same time, slipped and fell. The surprise landed on the tile floor with an obvious ceramic crash.

The child’s first reaction was one of stunned silence. But then he set up an inconsolable wail. His father, thinking to minimize the incident and comfort the boy, patted his head and murmured, Now that’s all right. It really doesn’t matter, son. It doesn’t matter at all. But the child’s mother dropped to her knees on the floor, swept the boy into her arms and said, Oh, but it does matter. It matters a great deal. And she wept with her son. Nehemiah’s weeping clearly shows how deeply he cared about his people.

What is remarkable is what he didn’t do next. He didn’t immediately try to get a hearing from the king to try to fix the problem. He didn’t organize a task force to study the problem. Nehemiah, the practical leader, did something that to many would seem very impractical. His strategy for action was to mourn, fast and pray!

And what is even more remarkable is that he followed this strategy for months. This conversation occurs in November or December of 446. When he finally tells the king about the need, it is the following spring, some 5 months later. Now it must be recognized that during this time of fasting and praying, he was also planning for when the king finally gives him an opening to present his need, he has a well thought out plan. But his first reaction to the need was to pray.

II. Let’s look at Nehemiah’s Prayer in verses 5-11.
Notice that Nehemiah begins his prayer in verse 5 by stating two things about God. First, God is the “God of heaven, the great and awesome God.” The God of heaven is a reminder of who God really is; He is the true King over all.

However, Nehemiah also points out that God is also a covenant God. Nehemiah looks back through history and remembers all the wonderful and awe-inspiring things that God had done for his people. “God, you said long ago that you would keep your covenant love with those who love you and keep your commands.”

In effect, Nehemiah is acknowledging who God is, but is also reminding God of who the people are in relationship to God. With that in mind, he pleads with God to listen and see the prayers and needs of His people. “God, you can do all things and you promised to take care of your people.”

However, having said that, Nehemiah immediately must continue in confession in verses 6-7. God said that He would keep His covenant love to those who loved Him and lived in obedience. But the problem is that the people had rebelled against God and broken God’s commandments. In doing so, they had broken the covenant agreement they had with God. Nehemiah doesn’t go into all the specifics, but his confession is very sweeping and necessary.
A Presbyterian minister once told a story about his first year at a certain congregation. His predecessor had abolished the general confession of sins from the Sunday liturgy, and one of the first things this new pastor did was try to reinstate it. But resistance to the proposed change was fierce. Some members thought that confession of sins was too morbid a thing to do in church, where one’s spirits were supposed to be lifted up. During the heat of the debate one woman — an elder — exclaimed, “But I don’t have to apologize to God for anything!” Nehemiah was very much aware of all the sins of the people and confesses them all.

Nehemiah also very consciously includes himself and his family in this confession. There is a strong sense of identity with the people of God. He knows that it wasn’t others who sinned, it was all of them.

And then Nehemiah recounts what has happened as a result of those past sins in verses 8-9. God had warned them that if they sinned against him, they would be scattered among the nations. And that is exactly what had happened to them. They had received what they had coming to them as a result of breaking the covenant.

However, there is also a condition in the covenant that Nehemiah is counting on. In Deuteronomy 30:1-4, Moses said, “When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. Nehemiah is “reminding” God that part of the deal is that if they repent and turn to the Lord again, then God will restore them and bring them back.

And then Nehemiah reminds God as well of more promises in verses 8-10. Nehemiah reminds God that even though the people are sinful, they are still his people. Nehemiah stands between God’s angry punishment and the people and begs for their lives even though they don’t deserve it. “God, they are Your people. You have redeemed them!” “You can’t turn your back on them now, even though they don’t deserve it.”

As Copernicus, the great astronomer, was dying, a copy of his great book, The Revolution of the Heavenly Bodies, was placed in his hands. But it was not his brilliant work that was on his mind. Instead he directed that the following epitaph be placed on his grave: “O Lord, the faith you gave to St. Paul, I cannot ask; the mercy you showed to St. Peter, I dare not ask; but, Lord, the grace you showed unto the dying robber, that, Lord, show to me.” That reflects the basis of Nehemiah’s prayer. He asks for grace that is undeserved and unmerited.

Then Nehemiah closes the prayer with a specific request in verse 11: “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
Notice that he refers to the king as “this man.” God is great and awesome, the God of heaven, but the great king of Persia is only a man. But he is a man who had a lot of power and he had stopped the building of the wall before. If he is to grant Nehemiah permission to rebuild the walls, he will have to reverse that first edict.

What he is doing is asking for God’s leading as he approaches the king of Persia with a plan. But he knows that this can only be done with prayer for it would be a very dangerous thing to do. The following chapters describe how through his being cupbearer to the king, God gave him the opportunity to help his people.

III. We too are to be Falling on Our Knees when we face needs.
There are many needs around us. As individuals or families, we have needs that can at times be overwhelming. Maybe it’s being frustrated in school or in our jobs or in our relationships. Maybe it’s being sick or someone you care deeply about being sick.

As a church, with its elder and deacon leaders, we have needs. We, who are leaders, are facing challenges in leading this church. And as a church, we have financial needs as well. We are tasked with leading this church into the future of meaningful ministry as well.

And then there are the needs of the world around us. A world in which innocent people are killed in shootings and car bombs. A world in which accidents take the lives of young people. Floods, earthquakes and wars kill hundreds and hundreds of people.

We think of any of these things and what do we do? What can we do? The problems seem so big, so overwhelming at times. We can strategize and plan; figure out what needs to be done and that is a good thing to do. But what is best to do is to follow the pattern of Nehemiah that we read of here. Let’s recognize who God is! He is almighty and all-powerful God who holds this world in his hand. And he is our faithful covenant God and loving Father who will do what is best for His people.

He is also a God who forgives our sins, even when we don’t deserve being forgiven. While we must face the consequences of our sins, God forgives our sins. He is a gracious and loving God.

And so we should fall to our knees and pray to our loving and powerful God and Savior. We must ask God to help us and to show us the way. Pray that God may show us what we can do and give us opportunity to do it. And maybe that will be only to pray.

Georgia congressman, John Lewis, was one of Martin Luther King’s followers. On one Sunday in March of 1965, at the end of a Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Lewis and his fellow marchers encountered hundreds of state troopers and sheriff’s deputies. Lewis suggested that the marchers kneel and pray. As they did, the force opposing them advanced and struck them with clubs and whips, chased them and trampled them with their horses. John Lewis took the first blow, a baton to his stomach. Then the second, a hard-swung club to the left side of his head. Blood darkened his raincoat. Lewis collapsed, unconscious, his skull fractured.

John Lewis may have been battered that day, but he and his fellow marchers emerged victorious. ABC News broadcast a tape of the violence, and millions of Americans saw these marchers whipped and clubbed for simply kneeling and praying. One week later, President Lyndon Johnson introduced the Voting Rights Act to Congress. When you are about to be attacked by dogs and clubs, kneeling to pray is not the “smart” thing or the practical thing to do, but that is what this godly man did.

Whatever the need, praying should be the first thing we do each time we face a problem. God answered powerfully and helped Nehemiah when he asked for God’s help. God will do the same for us as well.

Change

The older I get, it seems the more “fuddy-duddier” I become. I don’t text and I still have a bare-bones cell phone plan. I have neither an iPad, Smartphone nor Kindle and I am content with this. Now part of the reason for this is the expense of such newer gadgets, but part of it is also that what I’m using now still works just fine. I have a phone that functions as a camera (which I rarely use), a calendar (which I do use) and amazingly enough, a telephone! It’s not linked to my email or the internet. Almost 3 years ago, I finally purchased a laptop to use when I take classes, but until then I couldn’t see the need for it. By the time I purchased it, laptops were becoming out of date.

Although I am increasingly out of date in this area, I am making some strides towards updating my technology. A year ago, we decided to get new (free) phones when our contract was up for renewal and we got the highest tech ones we could get. I haven’t owned an MP3 player, but I did learn a year or so ago that my cell phone can store a bunch of my music so I can now carry some of my music collection with me. Now I can listen to music while I cut the grass, which I’ve come to really like!

While I’ve come to enjoy some changes, there are some things that I suspect I’ll be hesitant to change. I enjoy reading a real newspaper while I eat my breakfast. In our household, we eat breakfast at different times and I enjoy spreading a real newspaper out in front of me while I munch on my Grape Nuts.

I also think I’ll always enjoy a real book in my hand as opposed to a reader. I’ve read a book on a computer screen before and it was not something I really enjoyed. There is something about a book in my hand and turning real pages.

Of course, now that I say that I suspect that someday, I’ll be holding a kindle or iPad or something like that and reading books on it. I had the excuse for a while that much of the things I enjoy reading were not available in digital form but a recent search proved that this isn’t true either. I still enjoy reading real books in my hands and so I find myself a bit conflicted as to what I really want or what is best.

We are at the beginning of a new year. It will likely be another year of change in many ways. There may be changes in family relationships or work or health. There will be changes for us spiritually. While I may be a bit of a fuddy-duddy when it comes to change in general, I have to make sure that I don’t end up being a fuddy-duddy spiritually. I’m not talking about being non-traditional or anything like that. I’m talking about being changed by the Holy Spirit into being the follower of Jesus God created me to and wants me to be.

I sometimes think we drag our feet when it comes to that kind of change as well. We like the old way of doing things. We like our old sinful habits and actions. The new way of obedience and closer communion with God may be something we aren’t that wild about doing. Yet, in spite of us, God is changing us. Sometimes we gladly move along and keep in step with the Spirit, as Paul says in Galatians 5:25. But there are also times when we drag our feet and so we need to hear Paul’s command as well not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God as Paul says in Ephesians 4:30.

So we have another year in front of us. Let’s make it our prayer that we keep up with the changes that God has in store for us as he continues to renew our minds by His Spirit.

Pastor Jerry January 2012

Please join us this Sunday morning at 10:30 as we begin a new year following Jesus. Pastor Jerry will be preaching on the vital importance of prayer as we face the challenges of a new year.   We hope to see you Sunday!