Sunday Thoughts

Good Morning Everyone,

I am sorry we are not getting together today. I enjoy our weekly gatherings, and it has been such a blessing getting to know many of you over our past year gathering together. It was such a blessing to me to have our first baptisms, as a body of believers, last Sunday. I look forward to seeing how God will use the four young men who were baptized last week. Let's keep praying for them.

This week, let's think about Hebrews 13:14-15.

Right before this section, Paul is reminding us of things we need to do to show Godly love to others. He used the example of remembering prisoners and people who are mistreated. He is telling us, as representatives of Christ, to reach out to those groups of people and care for them. He stresses the importance of marriage, and how it should be celebrated and protected. He warns us not to be materialistic and money hungry. He tells us to pray for our spiritual leaders and not be lead into “diverse and strange teachings.” We do this through prayer for our leaders and for ourselves, and through the study of the Bible.

Then we come to verses 14-15

“For here w have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge to his name.” Hebrews 13:14-15

Notice how all of the things Paul warns us away from are common behavior of this world. Our world gives a counterfeit form of love to the marginalized groups in our country by leaving them in their failures and sin. We as believers must love these groups, but call them to repentance out of their sin to the Abundant Life Jesus Christ has provided for them. Our world mocks marriage with counterfeit marriages that are blasphemous and godless ceremonial of all kinds. We must only affirm the marriage that God has designed, because He is the one who designed it. The church has even been counterfeited in a consumer and emotions based institution. God's Church, His body, exists to evangelize and serve while growing in relationship to Jesus. That is the very definition of an Abundant Life in Christ.

This life is difficult. We need to always keep perspective of who we are in this world, what our duty to Christ is, and where we are ultimately headed. These verses in Hebrews reminds us that we are going to experience hard times. A follower of Jesus does not live a life of luxury and ease. We will be made to look like, at times even feel like, outcasts. We could be treated unfairly, ridiculed, and possibly even abused. However, we must remember, we are not home. We are seeking, waiting for, excited about that city that is to come. We are so excited about it that we are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes, to expand the Kingdom of God. This world is not headed in a good direction, and too many latch on to any ridiculous cause they can find. They do this, because God designed them for the greatest cause of all, the expansion of the Kingdom of God. Let's pray that this week, we introduce the living God to all of those we see in need of Jesus. When we are hurt, outcast, mistreated, let us remember we are not victims of some unfair system that needs to be fixed through earthly solutions. The only solution to all of the problems in this world is Jesus.

Romans 8:36-39

As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This week, let's be more than conquerors for Christ remembering that we are not in our final home yet. Our enemy is not flesh and blood, we only know lost people who were like us before Jesus came into our life. Let us love them enough to pray for opportunities to share Jesus with them and call them out of their sin and into a new life with Jesus.

Have a great week, and I look forward to seeing you all next week,

Jeramy

Please be praying for:

A future location of our church

Sickness in our house

Our partnership with Fostering Families

We have many pesonal prayer request that I did not want to put on our public website. However, if you have shared something, know we are praying for you.

If you have anything we can pray for you and your family, please text or call to let us know

Announcements:

We are planning our second annual bowling party. More information to come soon

We are praying about a new location for our church. I will be calling places this week for information

We would like to provide Birthday boxes for foster children with Fostering Families. We are putting a “prototype” together. We will be showing you that soon to see if you want to participate in it.