The Hearse

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

A good friend and denominational leader posted a great video on Facebook the other day. He was driving along in his pick-up when he noticed a black hearse in his rear-view mirror. He snapped a quick photo of it from his side-view mirror and posted it. In the post he spoke of how, though the hearse, representing death was right behind him, he felt nothing but peace concerning the reality of that death. He knew and was covered by the life and blood of Christ. Death had no power over him, or anyone who knows and lives for Him. Death, as Paul wrote, has lost its sting. Such is the assurance for all believers, for upon the ending of this physical life, we will simply step into the fullness of our eternal one. One writer likened the experience to simply leaving one room in the house for another. From the presence and confines of this life into the fullness and freedom of His eternity. Wonderful news for believers, but what of those who don't believe, and who reject the Good News of Jesus Christ? When their time upon this world ends, into what do they enter?

Here's a reality. For all of us, that black hearse pursues. Death will come to each. These bodies we walk about in fade, grow weak, and eventually die. None of us escape that pursuit. But there is something more to look at here. Death pursues us in seemingly infinite ways throughout this life. We see that through the misery of addiction, sexual and physical abuse, racial and class hatred, and the devastating effect that unresolved anger, bitterness, lack of forgiveness, has upon individuals, families, and relationships. Add to that the explosion of sexual perversions that have come upon society. Practices once thought unthinkable are finding their way into the mainstream. The Black Hearse of Death pursues us through all of these means and more besides. I believe that in many ways, it begins with our children.

I was walking on one of the trails around the city of Lynchburg, Virginia, where I live. As I did, two young boys and their father passed me on their bikes. One of the boys asked the other if he'd heard that 12 million kids had taken part in an online game called Fortnite that week. On the surface there doesn't seem anything overly alarming about that. Then I went online to learn more about the game that I'd already sensed some real apprehension about. Parents and even some kids commented on the many dangers inherent in it. Addiction to the game being foremost. Parents who sought to control their children's participation were facing extreme anger and rebellion from their children. The game had become an obsession, featuring non-stop violence. Since it is a game that can be played with a number of live participants, many parents commented on the cyber bullying taking place in it. These are just a few of the concerns listed. I use this example because I think the majority of parents, especially in the church, are oblivious to the dangers presented in this and so many other products targeting children. The same has been done with games and videos centering on the occult. Any suggestion that these games may be used by the enemy as pathways into the mind and spirits of those who play them is more often than not mocked and ridiculed. Satan works best where he's ignored.

The above is meant to warn and isn't a rant against all video games. My larger point is that just as Jesus said in John 10, the thief, satan, ceaselessly pursues us and seeks our destruction by any and all means. Whatever part of our lives is not covered by Him lies open to his assault. Such ought to be sobering news for all of us. Indeed, for all of us, especially those without Him, it ought to chill us to the marrow of our souls. Dare we examine just where the Hearse is pursuing us right now? How are we responding to the pursuit? As my friend Kerry, with total confidence in Him, or do we lack that confidence right now?

Last point: I mentioned above that for the believer, death is like leaving one room, this life, into another, the fullness of His eternal life. From one well-lit room into one filled with His Light. But what of those without Him? They too will leave one room and enter into another, except that it will be from one kind of darkness into one of the deepest darkness. His Word calls it hell. It is my deep prayer that no one reading this ever has to make that journey, and they won't, if they will simply believe, confess, turn from the darkness of death into the light of His life. Death, the Hearse, will have no victory or sting. May you know that truth. May we all know this truth. Because the Hearse, on this side of eternity, will never cease its pursuit.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Sips And Nibbles

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14....."Most people never discover true life. Most believers never drink deeply from the well of living water, and as a result our worship, our community, and our witness are weak." Larry Crabb

How can Crabb's words be so true in light of the power and truth of Christ's words in John 4? How can such an endless supply of the water and bread of His life be so available to us and at the same time consistently rejected? Why, when He invites us to eat and drink to our fill, and beyond our fill, do we allow ourselves to be satisfied with mere sips and nibbles of it all? Why do we live like wanderers in a desert, rationing our water and bread of life for fear it will give out, instead of having Him to "set a table before us in the wilderness" as He has promised?

The above Scripture is from Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. She was there to draw water that would not last. He offered His Living Water that would never run dry. While this was happening, His disciples had gone into town to the local "McDonalds" to buy food. When they returned, they pressed Jesus to eat what they'd brought. He told them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." They were "addicted" to the food of the world. They couldn't grasp anything beyond their bodily needs. They lacked understanding as to their being spiritual beings before physical ones. They knew nothing of the spiritual food available in Jesus Christ. They were satisfied with junk food when a Kingdom feast was available to them. How like them are we? How ignorant do we remain of the Kingdom water and bread whose fullness we're invited to? Where in our worship, relationships, and witness does that lack continually show up?

I've walked with Him for 41 years now. I've learned to love and follow Him in ever deeper ways, but it is to my sorrow that I spent so many of those years living in the state I speak of. I depended on "junk food" more than His bread. I drank the soda pop of this world more than His Living Water. I was carrying a canteen of His water, hoping it would somehow get me through whatever wilderness I was walking in, all the while blind to the well of living water that was right before me, and in me, through Christ. I existed and subsisted on sips and nibbles instead of flourishing in His abundance. And all aspects of my life suffered as a result. Sadly, this is how the majority of those who have free access to all of His abundance choose to live. We simply can't believe that what He offers us is real, true, and available. At least, not really available to us.

We're living in the midst of a time when access to our favorite "McDonald's" and the fare they offer have been cut off from us. Are we going through some kind of withdrawal because of it? Or, have we at last discovered that right before us is the well of water, the endless supply of His bread, that is our's for the taking? Have we finally realized that the junk food and soda pop has been starving us all along? Do we throw away our carefully hoarded canteens of water and backpacks of bread, and simply partake of His life? A life that fulfills, that quenches our deepest thirst and satisfies our greatest hunger? The disciples, at Pentecost, with the outpouring of His Spirit, came to know of the food they once knew nothing about. Are we ready to enter into such knowledge as well? Or do we just go on with our sips and nibbles, backpacks and canteens?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Reveille

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

A few weeks ago, as I thought upon all that is happening in this pandemic, all the half-truths, outright lies, personal and political agendas, and the real spreading of misinformation by those possessing these agendas, I wrote down in my prayer journal, "We're (the church) being called to war. We've always had that call, but we've been too comfortable to answer it. The enemy is boldly attacking, but its the church that has been called to the offensive." We're to attack the gates of the devil's strongholds, each and all of them representative of hell itself. And we're promised that in our offensive, those gates, those strongholds will not prevail. So the question for us is; what is our strategy, how do we carry off the assault?

Some think that we attack by going out into the streets, demonstrating, demanding, confronting. We are to confront darkness, but too often, if we do, we do it in the wrong and worst way. We try to fight the darkness with the weapons of darkness, one of which is anger. His Word says that the anger of men will never accomplish the righteousness of God, but we have such a difficult time believing or living that. Yet we are to assault hell's strongholds, and I believe His Word gives us the weaponry to do so. Here are three that I've gleaned over the years, and each of which the enemy has no defense for.

The first is that we, the church, embrace radical holiness as a lifestyle. It's time for us to stop fearing and avoiding the word "holy." We need to stop fearing that people will get uncomfortable and angry if we use it. They will, but we are called to be a holy people. Not holy in what we do or don't do, but in who we are, how we live, and the depth of His presence in our lives. He said we're to be holy as He is holy. This means that we enter into the fullness of His life, and that all that seeks to block His life in us is surrendered, rejected, turned away from. It means the end of compromise and half-hearted faith. We reject looking like a cleaned up version of the world, and embrace looking like a child of the King. Holiness of life has got to come out of the closet.

Secondly we enter into lifestyles of intercessory prayer. We pray for the advancement of His Kingdom, in the church, in His people, and upon the world. We pray that He be lifted up, and that all that is against Him is torn down. We pray that those in darkness behold His Light, that those trapped in death receive His life, and those held in captivity to anything, find freedom all because they are held in His grip. His grip of love. We begin by praying that all of this takes place in us first. Our intercessory prayer is ceaseless.

Last, we answer the lies of the surrounding culture with His Truth. This may be the most difficult of all because so many of the enemies lies have found their way into the culture of the church. We seem to be accepting ever more false doctrines and heretical teachings than ever. God's Word isn't seen as the final authority on many things, and for some, on anything. The power of the lie is growing. Left unchecked, it will wreak havoc everywhere. It is already doing so, but His Truth is eternal. It is all powerful, and no lie of the enemy's can stand against it. A church armed in it will always prevail over the most powerful gates and strongholds the enemy can erect, starting with those abiding in a heart. Even our hearts

The horns calling us to battle are sounding. They've been sounding all along, but we've chosen not to hear them. We can still choose to do so, but we'll be crushed if we do. The gates Jesus spoke of are right before us. Do we do what we've been doing; turn over and go back to sleep? Or, do we hear His reveille, and rise up, get out of our beds, and take those gates in the name of Jesus? What will you do? What will I?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Breathe

"O Lord, I have come to You for protection.....Bend down and listen to me; rescue me quickly." Psalm 31:1-2...."In our deep pain, sorrow, and woundedness, we need to breathe out our pain to Him, and breathe in His healing word and presence." Sheri Rose Shepherd

The above quote from Shepherd reminds me of something I wrote down in my prayer journal many years ago. I don't remember the source of it, but I can never forget its power. It simply reads that in the midst of chaos, fear, pain, and heartbreak, and all that threatens to destroy us, we need to say, "Jesus is Lord....breathe in, breathe out." In the midst of life events that can literally take our breath away, we need to choose to be still before Him, and state the unchanging truth that in the midst of all of it, He is Lord. He reigns. He is conqueror. He is unchanging. In that place, we breathe out our pain, fear, anger, and sorrow. We breathe in His healing power and presence. We don't just speak and claim a Scriptural promise. We need to remember and have as our experience that His Word is a Living Word. Our situation and need is real. God is not offended by our pouring out our pain. He welcomes it. But that isn't where He will leave us. In our pouring out, He wants to pour in. Pour in His Truth, and pour in His Spirit. This brings strength where there is none. Hope when all hope seems gone. Joy and peace where both seemed to have disappeared. This is what we see modeled in the life of David.

David was a man after God's own heart, but all through the Psalms, we see a man who wasn't shy about telling God how much pain he was in, and his pain covered just about every aspect of what can go on in any of our lives. Yet, the place of pain was not able to hold him captive. In all of the Psalms we see the above process unfolding. He breathes out his need to his God, and he breathes in the Father's answer of new hope, new strength, new life. So many of his Psalms begin with what seems like despair, yet end on a renewed hope and trust in His God. Something mystical but real has taken place. David did more than just vent his frustrations. There is no power in that, yet that's as far as many of us ever get. He poured out His complaint, yet not in a carnal, fleshly way. He did so with the expectation and belief that as he emptied himself of these, the Father would then fill him with Himself. This is how the Lord ministers to us in our need. We pour our hearts out to Him, but we do so with the expectation that He will then pour Himself into us. How many of us actually have such an expectation? How much of our "prayer" with Him is just our ranting about how bad things are, and then going away still angry, upset, and disappointed? We didn't release these things to Him and so left that time the way we came. Indeed, we're worse off than before. Angrier, more frustrated, and lacking hope and healing.

Shepherd speaks from experience. She lost her marriage, contracted cancer and was told she had 8 weeks to live. She entered into a 4 year time period, the first part filled with anger, doubt, self-pity, and questions of whether He even loved her. Then she began to pour herself out to Him, all of herself, anger, doubt, all, and allowed Him to begin pouring Himself into her. The healing began. She is not cancer free, but she's alive, and filled to overflowing with His hope, joy, and peace. All the challenges remain, and the emotions that go with them. She has learned to abide in Him, to be still and know that He's God, and to live in that truth.....as she breathes out, and breathes in in all of it.....He calls you and me to the same. Wherever we are, in whatever we face, can we just speak this truth, "Jesus is Lord," and then, breathe out all that seeks to deny that, that we may then breathe in all of Himself that proves that it is true.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Which Path?

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

I don't remember the source, whether it was something He spoke to me, or something I read or heard, but I have written in my prayer journal that, "We're not called to a hard journey in Him. We're called to an impossible one."
Let that thought sink in. If you see it as negative, discouraging, defeating, than believe it or not, that's a good thing...if you ever had any idea that you could live the life of faith in your own strength and ability. We cannot. That truth is made clear throughout the New Testament, and throughout all the words of Christ. Yet countless professing believers continue to try to live up to and out of His Word by their own efforts, and meet with failure and defeat every time. It is impossible to live the life He's called us to, created us for apart from Him. His Word says that we can do nothing apart from Him, yet we expend huge amounts of energy trying to. Why?

In the above Scripture, Jesus had just had a conversation with a rich young ruler of Israel. The man had diligently kept all the rules and regulations of the Jewish religion. Jesus commended that, but told him that one thing kept him from true life, and it was his trust and reliance upon his riches and his works. Christ asked him to give all of his wealth and abilities away, and come and follow Him. At that the young man turned away. He could give up neither. Jesus then told his watching disciples that it was very hard (nearly impossible) for a rich man to enter heaven. Not because he was rich, but because almost always, his reliance was upon those riches, as was his loyalty and trust. All of it would keep him from trusting in Christ alone. All of it would keep him from walking the cross style life that every believer is called to. His disciples then asked Him that if this were so, then who could ever be saved? And that is where we see the root of the problem. All of us, in some way, are like the rich young ruler, because we don't have to be literally rich to trust in things, people, and talents, that we will not give up in order to follow Him. The rich young ruler did well with rules and regulations. He could not handle or accept the cross, Christ's cross, that was placed before him. Can we?

Let's go back to that thought from my prayer journal. Every believer would agree that the way of the disciple is not an easy one. It is hard, but deep down, some part of us believes we can live it out. We can sacrifice, we can give, we can work. Yet at root remains an unconscious sense that we still retain a measure of control. The cross confronts this, and when confronted, we will choose the way of the rich young ruler. We'll continue to try and follow Him on our terms, lacking the fullness of His Holy Spirit power. We can do the possible. We can even do the hard. We will never do the impossible. Someone said that over 90% of what the church is doing today is being accomplished apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. We're the church. We're seeing the results of manpower, but where is the evidence of His Holy Spirit power? Worst of all is that His Word says that what we do apart from Him is just wood and stubble. It doesn't bear the fruit of eternity. How tragic to one day stand before Him and realize that the majority of our life, no matter how earnest, was spent in futility.

Yet we can take heart. We can realize, confess, that we cannot live this life of faith in ourselves. We can surrender all our cherished "treasures," laying them at His feet, at the cross, and walk with Him, relying on Him, His presence and power alone. In that we learn that there are no limitations upon Him. Nothing is impossible. All things are possible. In and with Him, and so in and with us. Are we ready to lay down our rich young ruler lives and pick up our cross in order to enter into the fullness of His life? He confronts us with that question. We know what path the rich young ruler took. Which path will be ours?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Going Nowhere?

"The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord." Joshua 5:6... "Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when their faith is greater than their fear." Michelle Rigby Assad...."Often times, our greatest inner change happens when we're going nowhere." Unknown

God had brought the people of Israel to the border of the land He had promised them. They were to enter in immediately and take possession, but instead sent twelve spies in to explore the land. This was their first act of disobedience. When the twelve returned, ten gave a report that pierced the hearts of the people. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, exhorted the people to go in and take possession. They were the only ones who had really seen, the ten did not. In fear, the people refused to enter in. This was their second and greater act of disobedience. As a result, God sent them back into the wilderness for forty years. His purpose was clear; a generation of people who lacked the courage to obey had to die off before the people could enter into the promise. So for forty years the entire nation wandered, going nowhere. Except that they were going somewhere.

In that instance God dealt with a nation. A nation conditioned by their past to continue to live and think like the slaves they had been in Egypt instead of the free people they now were in Him. What may seemed like an act of cruelty to some was instead an act of love. He knew they could never have conquered the land with the traits they possessed. He had to refine them, prune them, grow them, and He did it all while they wandered, going nowhere. A new generation, raised in that wilderness grew up, free from the that which held their parents captive. This generation would cease the aimless wandering and take possession of what God had already given. They entered into that land a changed and transformed people. How He dealt with Israel remains a clear pattern in how He may deal with you and me.

Many of us embark upon our journey of faith full of hope, ideals, dreams and desires. We want to live for Him, be heroes for Him. Then we come up against the giants of the land, the cities with strong walls, and the adversaries that we'll have to face. In those places, we have the choice between fear and faith. Too often we choose fear. We're not ready spiritually, emotionally, or even physically to enter into all that He's promised. His response will be to send us into a wilderness time. A time when we seem to be going nowhere, except that we are. We are going to the place He has for us, becoming the person and people He created us to be. Oftentimes, indeed, most times, the wilderness is the only place where that can happen. Old traits, mindsets, character flaws can be dealt with in the wilderness. We can cease being slaves to our past, fearful of the future, and powerless in the present. Someone said that Jesus saw the wilderness as His friend, because He knew what the Father meant to do with Him there. Few of us see it that way, but the wilderness can be our friend if we will trust Him, see Him, and hear Him there. We will emerge, and when we do, we will never be the same again. It only seemed like we were going nowhere. All the while we were journeying ever deeper into Him and who He made us to be.

In our walk today, especially in this day, we are all in some sense, in the wilderness. What will happen to us here? Will we "die" as concerns hope, joy, faith, or will we enter into a joy, hope, faith, and peace we've never known? When this wilderness time ends, what kind of people will we be? Unchanged, or made new? We are all ordinary people, but if we yield to the wilderness, I believe we will emerge as ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the midst of a world in desperate need of that. We will always face a wilderness at some point. Will we be changed there, or just plod on unchanged? Faith or fear. Which will it be for us?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Finished!

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,that Scripture might be fulfilled, said.....'It is finished!"

A missionary to South Asia tells this story: Each year, the Muslim people sacrifice a cow or goat to atone for the sins and bad deeds done by they and their families. Salesman go up and down streets selling brightly decorated animals. One family head had 10 children, and so he had to purchase two cows, since one cow only covered the sins of 7 people. A ceremony was held in the man's yard, and an Iman, a Muslim pastor, came to perform the sacrifice. Being a woman, the missionary was not allowed to be present, but at the end of the sacrifice, she saw the man's son going by, covered in blood, saying, "It is finished." Finished....for that year. Finished...until next year. So really, not finished at all.

I cannot read that account without grieving for those people. They don't know that the atoning work they seek has already been done for them in the Person of Jesus Christ on the cross. His blood covered and covers the sins of all those who will come to Him, believe in Him, and live in and for Him. And unlike the household head, we need purchase nothing for this atoning, saving work. He purchased us...by and with His blood. Our sins, all of them, are covered by it. All we need do is confess our sin, believe Him, receive Him, and walk with Him. Does His blood cover you today? Or, like this family, do you still seek to atone for your sin by living a (mostly) good life, doing as many good works as you can, showing God that you are worthy of His saving grace? All of that, like the sacrificed cows, will not bring it. Only the blood of Christ, shed for all who would believe, can and will do that. He's the sacrifice. Will you receive Him?

There's another element here for those of us who have believed in Him and His work on the cross. Are you still living as if it has not been finished? The Word says that "all things were now accomplished," so why do so many live as His work is not complete? Why do we go on trying to earn His love, favor, help, protection, acceptance, and so much more? Why do we live as if the victory of the cross and tomb was not total? Why do we feel that His grace that was poured out as a result is not enough? Why does His sacrifice, which opened the door for the outpouring of His Holy Spirit, seem to be inadequate for living a victorious life, conquering besetting sins, and giving victory over temptation? The barriers to all of these were broken on the cross. His power to live in victory was unleashed at the cross and tomb. Are we walking in it? Are you? He finished the work, but too many of us have failed to receive it, to enter into it. We believe Him when He said that it was finished, but do we believe Him when He says it is finished for us?

Those three words need to enter into every area of our being. Those three words need to be our answer when the enemy comes around and tells us that whatever victory was won on Calvary is a victory that can never be ours. In the face of every lie, temptation, and yes, failure, is this truth; it is finished. We can stop striving to enter in, to earn a place at His table. By faith, our place there is assured. Let us take it, and take all that He gives us there. We can do so by faith and trust in Him, and in the fact that in Christ and His cross, it really is finished.

Blessings,
Pastor O

The Opportunity

"Agrippa interrupted him, 'Do you think you can make me a Christian so quickly?' Paul replied, 'I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.' " Acts 26:28-29...."The greatest growth is in the place you least want to be..... Circumstances don't leave you the way they found you." Rich Rigsby

Paul was standing before the Roman governor Festus, and Jewish king Agrippa....in chains...a prisoner. That is not a place or position anyone would wish to be in. Yet, one can't read this passage of Scripture and have any doubt that it was not the king or the governor who was in control, but Paul....in and through Jesus Christ. If you're a believer today, would it surprise you to know that you and I have the same opportunity to give testimony before an unbelieving world of the reason for our hope. More, are we living from a place in Him where we can, like Paul, wish that those hearing us would know the life that we know?

One of the outcomes of this pandemic is that all of us have been tossed completely out of our comfort zones....and we love our comfort. We're having to face and deal with things we never asked for nor wanted. We can focus on the difficulty of this place, how distasteful it is, and how badly we want it to end, or we can focus on seeing, hearing, and following Him. We can't do both, so which is that we will do?

Rigsby says that its in that place that we least want to be that our greatest opportunity for growth takes place. We each have that opportunity before us. Do we seize the moment or let it pass by? Do we hunker down and wait for God to change the surrounding scenery into something more acceptable to our flesh, or do we allow Him to hone our spiritual sight and hearing in this place? Do we learn so much more about Him and ourselves here, or do we stubbornly dig in, and in the digging, go deeper into our own hardness of heart and spirit?

Nehemiah was a member of Judah's royal family that was taken to Babylon in captivity. He became cupbearer to the king. His heart was burdened for the city and people of Jerusalem who'd begun to return from the captivity. He longed to be with them, yet he faithfully served the king in that place. Of Nehemiah's example it's been said, "When you're stuck in a place that you don't want to be, be the best cupbearer possible." I confess that there were times in my life, too many, where I was "stuck" in a place I didn't want to be. I was not the best cupbearer I could be. Far from it. It grieves me deeply because I know the result of that was a tarnished witness and too many missed opportunities to glorify Him that I'll never have again. By His grace, I mean for that not be the case in this place. How about you?

Rigsby also said that our circumstances will not leave us as they found us. We will be changed. The question for each is, what will the change be? Will we grow harder, more distant from Him, and from those He's put before us? Or will we be His Light and Life, and an invitation to those who are watching to enter into that life as well? Paul was in chains, but he lived free. In whatever chains we feel our holding us through our current place, are we as well? Would anyone want the life we're living in Him right now?

Nehemiah, the faithful cupbearer, was eventually sent by his king to Jerusalem, where he led the rebuilding of the Temple and city. His faithfulness in the unwanted place led Him to where both his and his God's heart wished him to be. He bore fruit in both places, and that's the opportunity that is always before us, no matter where we are. To live a life that bears fruit even in the worst "soil." Good place or bad, will we be faithful, fruitful? The opportunity for us is before us. What will we do with it?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Hope Alive

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:11...."Hope is hearing the melody of the future. Faith is to dance to it." Reuben Alves

Most believers, especially in these times, speak a great deal about hope in God. Yet, how deeply do we live in such hope each day? We are living in times that none have ever witnessed before. Media and politicians seem to be doing everything they can to dash our hope, no matter how determined we might be to live in it. What is the answer? We know we're to hope in our God, but in the midst of this present darkness, or any darkness, how do we do so?

Dutch Sheets, in his little book, "Tell Your Heart To Beat Again," wrote this;"The Old Testament word for hope means 'cord.' The root of the word means 'to bind together by twisting.' Hope connects. It braids us together with God." Think on that. Everywhere in His Word we're told to cling to Him, to follow hard after Him. The picture of this is to be so entwined with Him that we can't be seen apart from Him. All of ourselves hidden in all of Him, which will yield all of His grace and power in our lives and situations. Living this way requires a conscious choice on our part. That means that we're not hovering around the voices of a world that doesn't know Him. We can stay informed about what's going on around us, but we live saturated in His Word, constantly seeking His Presence, always listening for His voice and His leading. Binding ourselves to Him yields our having His heart and His mind. It is a deep connection that all the power of the darkness cannot break. Sheets says that difficulties always come with two plans; God's and the devil's. Which is active in your life?

How could the Psalmist live in such hope? He called the Father His God and His Savior. He knew Him as such. He'd experienced Him as that. We may have heard that He is Savior, Provider, Protector, and Healer. We believe that these are true. But are they true to us? Is He all of these to us? It is in this place that we learn His Word is a Living Word. Not just words we can hope on, but a Person we can hope in. Is He such to us today, in this time, in all times?

Sheets says that the process of God always involves night. We, His church, are in such a process now. He did not bring this virus, but He has a path for us through it, and it is meant to bring us out as a transformed people. A holy people. A whole people. In creation, God hovered over the darkness. He hovers over this present darkness, and He is working. Hope in Him, because the awakening dawn will come upon us, upon all who have been born into a living hope. A living hope given us by a Living Christ.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Ready?

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Matthew 24:42

I've a good pastor friend and district leader in our denomination who's been making some wonderful Facebook posts during the course of this Covid-19 crisis. I don't know what the true outcome of all this will be as far as how many lives this virus will take, but one thing I do know is that all of us are being confronted with our own mortality. Someone said that we all know we're going to die one day, but we live like that one day will never come. As people face the real possibility of that day coming upon them, what is their response? What is yours?

In the above Scripture from Matthew, Jesus was talking about His very real return to this world. He spoke these words during His earthly ministry, and not very long before He returned to His Father. At different times, and usually in times such a these, the church has emphasized His return, and our need to be ready for it. His teaching about the 10 virgins awaiting the coming of the bridegroom may be the most well known. All had lamps, and oil to burn in those lamps. The oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and the virgins symbolic of the church, and the bridegroom of Christ. When He came, and He will come, 5 of the virgins had their lamps lit and full, 5 did not. They'd allowed their oil to run out. Those 5 missed Him. They were left out. Other things, concerns, desires, had come in, and their attentiveness to keeping their lamps trimmed had faded, even been forgotten. Looking for Him, living for Him, was no longer central to their lives. They'd left their first love. Because of it, they were left behind. They weren't ready. How like those 5 might we be? Where has the oil of His Holy Spirit dried up in our lives? Where have we stopped looking for Him, at Him, because our eyes have been filled with a love for other things, other "gods?"

There's one other element here to discuss; a sobering one. I had a Bible teacher named T.C. Mitchell who said of the return of Christ that we could not be sure of the time and day of Christ's visible return to this world, but we could be sure of this; we would each die one day, and when we did, His "return" for us would be sure. Would we be ready?

I'll finish with something I saw in a recent documentary. After the end of World War II, countries like Czechoslovakia and Poland had large numbers of ethnic Germans living there. The people of these countries, so enraged at the crimes of the Nazi's, executed more than 100,000 of these Germans in reprisal. Most were shot. I saw a horrible yet poignant photo of one such execution. On the side of a road, in the midst of hundreds of already fallen bodies, knelt an old man, hands clasped in prayer, waiting for the bullets that would kill him. There is no doubt in my mind that when those bullets hit, he immediately left the shell of his body, as His soul went directly into the presence of Christ. He was ready. But what of all those lying around him? Surely, with the end of the war, they must have believed that all the horrors were over. Few if any could have expected this. Yet death came, suddenly, unexpectedly, completely. How many were ready? How many of those lying around that elderly brother were ready to meet their Creator and God? How many had believed upon and lived for Jesus Christ? How many lived out a relationship with Him that all the power and sting of death could not break?

These are probing, sobering words. Words and thoughts we don't like to think of. Words and thoughts to put off. Can we, can you, afford to put them off any longer? Irregardless of what happens with this virus and us, death will come to all. Will we be ready when it does? Are you ready today? You can be. All you need do is confess Christ's name as your Savior, seek His forgiveness for your sin and wrongdoing, and ask Him to receive you to Himself. Are you ready to do that?....In Luke 18:8, Jesus asked this piercing question concerning His return; He asked that when He did come back, would He find faith on this earth? How will He find us, you? In faith.....faithful.....ready?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Such A Time

"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

It's been said that if you are still breathing, then the Lord has not finished with you yet. Tragically, many have lived as if He has already finished with us. Many more have lived as though He'd never begun. Such a way is no longer an option for the people of the cross. It never was. It never will be.

Someone said that there can be no greater work or ministry than to be one who stands between a dying world and a living God. That has always been the call of every follower of Christ. It's too often been ignored or unheard. It cannot be anymore. This world is dying, and it is not from the Covid-19 virus. It is from the spiritual virus of sin, of which this virus is only a symptom. Esther, a Jewess, became Queen of the mightiest empire of its day, the Persian empire. Her people were under the threat of extermination, yet she feared going to the king, for fear of losing her own life. It was her uncle, Mordecai who spoke the above words and asked that question. She did speak up, and did stand in the gap for her people. They were delivered. She was in such a time, and so are we. What will we do? What are we doing?

What we are seeing and experiencing has never been experienced by anyone of this generation. If we are breathing, than He has a purpose for us in this. It will differ for each of us, but all will involve our standing in that gap between a spiritually dying, indeed already dead world, and our Living God. There are beyond a multitude of ways to do so. We can intercede, not just for this virus to be stopped, but for lives to be transformed and delivered. We can cry out for them. We can cry out for each other. We can cry out for the church. We can reach out, even if it is just to contact people, letting them know they're being prayed for, cared for. We can encourage those that He's appointed to watch over our spiritual care. We can be faithful in continuing to support all the needs of church's ministry, financially, prayerfully, actively. As we breathe, we pray, we love, we care. We are His living presence. In such a time as this.

Everything has changed. He has not changed. He is moving and working in His people, through His people, and beyond His people. Such a time as we've never known is here. We're where we are because He means for us to be His life to a dying culture. Will we, despite risks, despite all the unknown, take up the call in this time? Will we, while there is still time?

Blessings,
Pastor O