Forgiveness

One of the greatest stumbling blocks of Christianity is this --

Jesus says, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

We think that we have to perform, to "be good," to somehow earn God's love and favor... which, of course, is impossible. Our forgiveness is a gift, freely given, received only by faith -- by taking Him at His word that no matter how big our sin, the blood of Jesus is more than enough to cleanse us.

Likewise, though, we also find it offensive to be expected to "pay it forward," to forgive every bit as freely as we have been forgiven. It's hard, it's offensive, and it's contrary to our natures that want to somehow make the guilty party pay.

But it is not only impossible ... it is the right thing to do.

Don't get me wrong. Forgiveness is not synonymous with forgetting, or with placing oneself back in harms way. Some of us have been victims of the most heinous acts. Forgiveness doesn't mean lightening the severity of what happened; or even pretending that it didn't happen at all. There are consequences for sin in this life; but when we refuse to forgive, we are standing in the place of God, and we are blocking the flow of Heavenly forgiveness, grace, and mercy to us.

But when we can find it in our hearts to forgive, something miraculous happens. Rather than releasing the offender into freedom, we are the ones who are freed. We no longer have to be chained to a memory, to a person, to an offense. When we make the to choice to genuinely forgive others, we can have the peace and joy of having a clean conscience before God, knowing that we are no longer defined by our past, by our hurts, but by who He declares us to be in Him.

In the light of His great forgiveness, all else falls away.

As we prepare to celebrate Easter, and the ultimate expression of God's kindness and forgiveness for sin, let us ask ourselves -- who are we harboring unforgiveness toward? You don't necessarily have to go to them to extend forgiveness.

Take it to the Lord, and let Him soften even the hardest part of your heart.

Love in Christ,
Pastor Joe

Two Voices Calling

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” (John 10:1-5)

Who are you following -- the thief or the Shepherd? You may think we walk alone, but ultimately, we all heed one voice or another.

Love in Christ,
Pastor Joe

Jesus Wept

In light of recent 'religious' discussions that have ensued in the aftermath of the deaths in CT, I was reminded of how Jesus responded to news of a death in His day.
He did not use the occasion to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven, nor did He speak about what lies beyond the grave and of our need for salvation.

Instead, it is written:

"Jesus wept (John 11:35)."

Think of it! He knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, and He of all people knew what joys lie behind the veil of death. Yet, He wept.

Jesus is "a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief (Isaiah 53:3)." Mourn with those who mourn today (Romans 12:15). Bear one another's burdens, for in doing so, you fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).

Our prayers are with all those affected by the tragic events in Sandy Hook, CT.

Love in Christ,
Pastor Joe

Freely You Have Received

‎"Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." (Hebrews 12:15)

There are fewer tactics of the devil more effective than offense and unforgiveness.

Scripture clearly informs us that there is a inseparable link between receiving the mercy and forgiveness of God and extending mercy and forgiveness to others. If we allow ourselves to become offended by a brother or sister in Christ, we are unwittingly placing ourselves under a bondage that hinders our effectiveness for God.

On the contrary, freely you have received His grace, His mercy, His kindness, His forgiveness, His love... freely you must give.

Read Matthew 18:21-35, and reflect on just how much you have been forgiven. Is it unreasonable, then, for God to command us to go and do likewise?

Love in Christ,
Pastor Joe

Valuable to God

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows (Matthew 10:28-31)."

Some people portray God as solely to be feared, as though He is constantly angry with us, ready to reject or destroy us at any given moment, for any given reason -- that His wrath is always at the ready, only to be appeased by constant good works and praise.  What they neglect to see in such passages is that Jesus Himself tells us that we are valuable to the Father, that we are loved deeply by the Father.

God is holy and just, and there will be a day when we must all must stand before His throne to give account of ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:10).  However, as it is written, "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9)."

This is the will of God concerning you --  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17)."

Do you walk in fear of His wrath, or in the knowledge that you are loved and valued by the Father? 

Consider the words of 1 John 4:16-19:

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.  We love each other because he loved us first.”

How have you responded to such love?

In Christ,
Pastor Joe

Who Does God Help?

There's a popular saying that reads "God helps those who help themselves."

Not only is this not found in the Bible, but it is not at all supported by Scripture.

In truth, the resounding message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God helps those who CANNOT help themselves. 

Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3)," referring to those who understand their spiritual poverty - that we all are sinners, that we all fall short of the perfect standard of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23), and that all of our good works and all of our own efforts to live right are still considered "filthy rags," a more palatable interpretation of a cruder Hebrew term (Isaiah 64:6).

It is only when we come to the absolute end of ourselves, and realize that we NEED God's intervention, that we can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16).

In Christ,
Pastor Joe

Are You A Friend of God?

‎"For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God (Romans 5:10-11).”

Are YOU a friend of God? 'Religion' says that it is impossible to be friends with God; yet, a relationship with Jesus gains us just that.

When Jesus was born, an angel announced "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people (Luke 2:10)."

What is this 'Good News'?

It is that Jesus has reconciled us to God, no longer counting our sins against us (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). This is a gift from God, not gained by anything we could possibly do or say, but by faith in Christ alone.

Come back to God!  He is waiting with arms wide open!